Pete turned to Morgiana with a puzzled expression.
"Is this a joke? Why is there a grave for me?"
Morgiana dug her nails into her palms. "Because… you have already died once. I mean, not you specifically, but the previous Robin Hood."
"I see." Pete eyed the gravestone, and it creeped him out. Death did have permanence in that world. Another boy like him chose to be Robin Hood and perished, trying to survive. "What was he like? The one who came before me?"
Morgiana smiled bitterly. "He was not very different from you. However, his timeline was not disturbed like yours. You seem to have been spawned to the wrong location initially. The right location to arrive was right here in North Sherwood."
'That bitch Aisling screwed me over,' Pete reminded himself.
"What do you know about us? I mean players."
"I know that you come from another world."
There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments.
Pete remembered what Morrigan had told him. There had been other Robin Hoods before him. They were tricked into playing the game by Aisling.
What did she really want? There must be a larger purpose to this never-ending cycle.
Other questions were pressing Pete. How did Morgiana know about the entire setup? Wasn't she an NPC?
"How do you factor into the game?" he asked the girl.
"I grew up with the first Robin," she explained. "He was my lover, my friend, and my leader. I would have done anything for him. We fought a lot of battles as a team. I would have died with him, but my bad luck left me alive."
"I'm sorry," Pete said softly. "I can't believe Marian was one of the traitors."
Morgiana sighed. "Yes. She changed sides at the last moment."
"Hmm. But… I still don't get it," Pete said, stepping closer to her. "How do you know about all this? How do you remember the previous Robin if the timeline had been reset? Isn't your memory supposed to be reset as well? And why did you pretend to be ignorant when we first met? "
Morgiana crouched on the grass and dusted the gravestone with a cloth. "How should I explain this to you? I will try to factor in words that you can understand. It's not that I acted ignorantly the first time we met. It's just that the situation was what you would call a 'game' event."
"Oh. That means you could not speak out of turn. Even though you are self-aware, you are still an NPC. The game holds power over your actions."
"What is an NPC?"
"A non-playing character."
'I don't know what that is."
"Look. I am a player who controls my character consciously. On the other hand, you are run by the game codes or the Gamemaster who created this world. But now that you are self-aware, I don't know what you are."
Morgiana stayed silent and thought about what Pete said. "So I am not real? Whatever I do and feel is predetermined?"
Pete took her hand. "I don't think you were born real, but you have gained self-awareness somehow, thus making yourself real. You have not been affected by the game reset. I'm only confused about how you could cause this much interference and not be removed as a bug. Last night you rescued me in the alley consciously."
Morgiana turned to her side and shook her head. "No, that was a game event as well. Your activation of the dark system signaled me to appear and save you."
Pete rubbed his temples. "This is wrinkling my brain. How do you know about the system in the first place?"
"As I said, you are not the first Robin Hood. The previous one had the same problems you had, and I learned a great deal from him."
"Do you have any idea how you retained your memories after the game was reset? And is there anybody else like you?"
"As far as I know, I am the only self-aware character. And I don't know how I managed to do it. Perhaps I was so close to Robin that I became important to the system. It remains a mystery to me."
Pete yawned and stretched himself. He felt like lying down for a while. Perhaps the pixie dust had started affecting him. "Okay, what do you know about my systems? How can I maintain a balance between light and dark?"
Morgiana shrugged. "I'm afraid I know little about it."
"What about the virtue potion?"
The girl smirked and held up the bottle to him. "It's just milk with a few drops of opium. It helped calm your nerves. There is no virtue potion. Virtue is gained or lost only through action and thought."
Pete sighed. "Oh, it was a placebo?"
"A what?"
"Never mind. I think most of my doubts are resolved now. When do I meet the merrymen? What about Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, and other major characters?"
Morgiana furrowed her brows. "You were supposed to have met them by now, but clearly you haven't?"
"Yeah, a fucked up goddess really messed up my entrance!"
"Aisling, you mean?"
Pete turned towards her with raised eyebrows. "You know about her?"
The girl nodded. "The previous Robin used to talk about her."
"Do you know Morrigan too?"
"Hmm. Yeah. I heard about him as well. He approached the last Robin. But he rejected the dark system and placed his trust entirely on Aisling's advice."
"I don't blame him. The dark system almost made me kill Bree. What do you think? Should I avoid it?"
Morgiana shrugged. "I have no opinion on the matter. My Robin never used it, and look where it got him." She pointed to the grave.
"One more question," Pete said. "Why do I have followers already? I mean the merrymen. I have done nothing yet to gather them."
The girl thought about it for a moment before answering. "I think this is where the game is supposed to begin. Events before this point are not very important."
"So. this is the main storyline?"
"I don't know what you mean by that, but I like the sound of it…"
[ Gamepoint Reached ]
[ Robin Hood's journey has begun ]
Pete smiled to himself. What a complicated game!
"Do I have to meet the merrymen now?" he asked Morgiana.
"Not right now, She replied. "However, we will go on an important raid tomorrow. Please join us."
Pete nodded. "But how do I make the back-and-forth travel? We clearly rode all night to reach Sherwood from Nottingham."
Morgiana giggled. "You're not like us, silly. You can use transport gates."
"Gates?"
"Well, I can't see them myself. But I know one location where Robin used to disappear and reappear during his quests. I can show you. Come!"
They exited the garden and joined the boulevard road again. Morgiana walked the horse instead of riding it. Pete kept up beside her silently.
After about half an hour, a large tree loomed above the foliage. It looked so ancient that one could mistake it for a fortress were it not for the leaves.
Pete could hear voices. They were talking in large numbers. Perhaps hundreds of them.
"Just around the turn, your merrymen are gathered under the Great Oak," Morgiana explained. "That is where you live. When you come back tomorrow, you can meet them. Remember to act natural. Don't let them know you are oblivious to the situation."
Pete nodded, but looked troubled. "Don't worry," she said reassuringly. "It will come naturally to you."
Morgiana stopped by the stump of a maple tree. "I remember seeing him disappear from somewhere around here."
Pete walked around the stump but found nothing. He stepped onto it.
Zing! A portal opened up, and the boy could see an alley opening into a busy street. It was unmistakable! It was Nottingham!
"I can see it! The town!"
"Perfect!" Morgiana said with a smile. It would be best if you go now. Register as an adventurer. Get stronger."
"Okay, before I do, let's add you to my party."
Pete made a few swipes on his dashboard.
[ Morgiana has joined your party ]
"Done!"
"Now go!" the girl urged him. She walked forward and asked him to lean toward her. Once he did, she kissed him lightly on the lips. "Take care, Robin."
Pete turned around and walked through the gate.