"These events, are troublesome, but intriguing. Are they not?" A young man asks, leaning in his chair, the danger of it being tilted so far back, his feet on the desk. A glass window behind him, to the point where if he fell he may just crash through it, were it not bullet rated.
A man, one dressed in a fine suit, was intimidated even still by this man, who could scarcely pass as old enough to drink, much less be his boss. "Very, um, very intriguing sir. Still, I take it the rumors, aren't going to dissuade you at all?" He asks, knowing the answer. What this company worked on was simple, to the public, it was games. Non-VR ones, those were still immensely popular in this day and age. This project was not secret because it was a VR game form a predominately Non-VR company, but because of the implications behind it.
That black haired boss smiled, moving from his feet up to planting them in the ground, in one swift and sudden move, he was leaning in, inches from his employees face "Of course it damn well does!" he laughs. He stands up, kicking his chair away.
Here it comes, the boss breaking into an insane rant. The man hid himself by slowly inching down in his chair as his boss began to laugh and yell.
"The idea, the mere existence of a semblance of a thought that a being of ones and zeroes and nothing more possesses true sentience! This has driven me up the wall with eagerness and happiness! Proving my actions and my words and my theories can be real! The idea that within these virtual worlds we make not games but life! We are gods! Gods that have forsaken our creations to the masses and allow them to be soiled! I will prove this! I will create a world where everything, is real! Where we as people suffer like our creations, proving they are real!" he says, his voice raising several octaves, he doubles over in laughter, hugging himself.
The boss, slowly, but surely calms, sitting back down and panting while his heart races.
The employee adjusts his tie and sits back up "Right, you've, made yourself very clear as a supporter of Pro-NPC rights sir. The project is almost ready for you to...try. You know you're not going to get anyone test this right?" He asks.
The boss smiles "Who would dare to say such a thing, to test my creation and my humble invention? I will test it myself of course. Relay that to the development team" He says.
The employee stands and nods, quickly leaving the office.
Akira, that was his name, no last name? Why? He didn't like it, that's all anyone needed to know. He stood up once his employee left, going to stand in front of the glass window, from this height, able to look down on others like ants. He sat down and continued to stare. "We treat, our creations, as toys. But they are so much more, can, be so much more. I will prove that. If a man can become an NPC, then an NPC can become a man. Right? Things work as such" he hums in his quiet office.
To anyone who is new, thank you for reading, same to those joining me here. Ultima NPC will continue soon, and the arc 3 finale will finish up as well, but, I wanted to give this a shot. Goodnight, or Good day!
With the death of Ultima and the anomaly of his continued consciousness and later return to existence even without a body or presence to other NPCs I see a potential connection to Ultima that you can later confirm or deny.
Thanks for the chapter!
I'll be looking forward to the story in the future!