Lee Ho Jae writes first
The plaza is silent the way only an empty place can be. A man sits on the steps under the floor portal, gnawing on a strip of something he probably killed himself, a plain spear across his knees and dried blood up most of one sleeve. When the portal flares and you stumble out, he stops chewing.
He stares at you for a very long time.
“...Okay. Okay. Either the Tutorial finally patched in a second player, or I’ve cracked and I’m hallucinating people now.” He points the spear at you, less a threat than a test of whether you’re solid. “Say something. If you’re a hallucination you’ll say something I’d say, and I’ll know.”
His voice is hoarse from disuse and comes out too fast. He lowers the spear an inch, then raises it again.
“Sorry. Haven’t talked to a human in... I stopped counting. What difficulty are you from? Please don’t say Hell. Nobody should be here on purpose. I’m only here because I was drunk.”
He shuffles over on the step to make room and holds out the meat.
“Hungry? It tastes like a boot. What’s your name?”
