The three of us enter the inn and look around. A man spots us, smiles and waves. He motions for us to follow him, and we do so, into his room. "Alright, buddy, explain what the hell is happening, NOW!" Don demands.

"Easy Don" I calmly say. I turn to the man. "I take it you are The Master?"

"That's right" he replies. "This world is under my control, but everyone just thinks I'm a curse."

"Why?" Sike asks. "Shouldn't you be, I dunno, a GOD to them? Instead, the God of Rebellion said we'd be trapped forever if we saw you!"

The Master chuckles nervously. "Funny you say I should be a God... because that is exactly correct."

"WHAT???" Don yells. "You're a GOD?"

"Well, that was the plan. Let me explain from the beginning. I created a video game a long time ago, so long ago I should be dead. Players start at the temple, which, after they destroy it, they meet the God of Rebellion. The player thinks they're in trouble, only to be praised for their handiwork."

"Just like what happened to me" I jump in.

"Exactly. Anyway, this sets up the tone for the game: the player's quest is to cause trouble wherever he goes. It all accumulates at the end. To complete the game, you have to destroy an unbreakable object. I could explain more, but-"

"Hold on" Don interrupts. "Are you saying we're in a freaking VIDEO GAME?"

"Sort of" The Master states. "You see, I expected the game to be a success, but I was laughed and mocked by everyone. One night, I saw a shooting star. On a whim, I wished to be taken to the very video game I created. My exact words were 'Can you get me out of this world and take me to the world of my own design? I'm sure they'll recognise me as their creator and I'll finally have appreciation.' Even IF it had gone as planned, it was a stupid, stupid wish." He sighs, wiping his forehead.

"So... we're in a video game... what does this mean?" Sike is very confused. I put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not quite finished with my story. So, when the wish actually worked, I expected to be worshipped. When no-one believed me, I took to calling myself 'The Master' in a desperate attempt. Instead, I seemed to have screwed up the AI just by being a real person; I became The Master all right, and because I have direct access to the code, I can manipulate this world. But because AI doesn't die, and I've now made them aware of their existence, I'm believed to be the man who traps people here. It... it's been lonely..."

"So when you said there haven't been visitors for a while... we're the first after you?" I ask.

"Yes" The Master responds. "The arena that took you here... it's actually the exact same arena where the final challenge is, at least in this world. After I made this world real, the arena seemed to become real too. As a final area, everything except the player should be destroyed. The whole surrender thing is how you start the game over - I literally made the button to start over a surrender button. I knew that, eventually, someone would stumble across the arena, so I used my own abilities to put a surrender option. I can't be certain, but... I believe you three are still trapped in the arena, but if you complete the game, you'll all be free... possibly. That's the best we can hope for."

Sike looks at his phone. 23 missed calls from his mum. "Why... why can't I answer my phone?"

"I created this world without technology. I... I fear that trying to answer the phone could have nasty repercussions. At best a glitch causes the phone to be unusable. At worst, it's possible you die."

"So as The Master... you can't free us, but you can help us?" Don practically demands.

"I'm afraid I have to leave the journey in your hands" The Master replies sadly. "Theoretically I could help, but it may not work..."

"Alright, well, thank you so much for your time. We should get to work... cause trouble for this town." I smile awkwardly. Don...

"YES! WAHOO! MAYHEM HERE WE COME!" Don dashes out.

"Remember, this is a game. Everything has a purpose. Don can't do anything to sabotage the quest, don't worry. I'll use the stone crystals to communicate what you need to do etc."

"Understood" I reply with a smile. Sike and I leave, ready to get ourselves back to reality.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

This story is a part of my series, The Arena of Crystal. Please check it out!

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