Never Go Off-Script

Chapter 1 - Archer's POV

I dismounted my horse hurriedly, my armor clicking as I landed lightly on my feet. Clutching the reins in one hand, I headed into the market. I had one thing to do here today, and one thing only. I'd be damned if it took me longer than a few minutes.

Looking down the path lined with tents, I realized it might take me longer than I expected; the 20-or-so merchant stands were set up side by side, with adventurers, potion-makers, or wannabe heroes browsing around every one of them. They were all engaging with the NPCs like a bunch of idiots — didn't they realize by now that talking to them was a waste of time (unless you need something from them, of course)? They have no personal opinions or emotions or even their own choice of words. They just take up time that heroes definitely don't have. Adventurers, maybe. Potion makers, definitely. But heroes? Absolutely not. A hero shouldn't waste their time with those extras. We have more important things to do.

Dammit, I thought irritably to myself. There has to be one stand without an hour-long wait. At least one.

I stormed my way through the market, cursing aloud when I noticed all of the stands were occupied by someone else. I was already irritated from a journey without endurance potions, so I didn't think my mood could get much worse, but apparently, I was wrong. Honestly, this was just my luck.

"Be a hero, they said," I muttered under my breath as I pushed past the group of NPC village girls gossiping by a jewelry stand (they give out beginner's quests to new players). They were there every time I came to the market, always saying the same thing. Didn't they ever get sick of repeating the same lines every damned day?

My pace slowed when I reached the end of the market. I had walked down the entire merchant's path, and I hadn't seen a single stand that wasn't already taken. Maybe I should have sucked up my pride and gotten into line at the first stand, like one of those extras. At least they might have actually been on their way by now — that is, if they had anything else to do with their lives. NPCs aren't programmed to do much, after all.

I was about to give up and go back the way I came when I suddenly spotted a plain brown tent at the very end, at least half the size of the ones surrounding it. And it was completely vacated.

With a wave of relief, I strode over to the tent, pulling my horse along beside me, and the trader turned to greet me as I approached, wearing a friendly smile that probably never left his freckled face.

"Greetings, traveler! Here to make a —"

I cut off the typical greeting, already exasperated. "Yes. Show me." I sounded rude even to myself, but I had no patience to make conversation with NPCs.

I thought I caught a glimpse of something unfamiliar in the trader's brown eyes as he opened his pack, but I ignored it, barely casting him a glance as I studied the goods he had to offer. He didn't have very much; just twelve various potions, a battered helmet, a semi-decent dagger, a few loaves of bread, and a block of cheese.

After a moment's thought, I pointed to the cheese and the potions. "I'll take those," I said, pulling out my inventory bag. "You can have five swords, two basic armors, a bow, and seven faux gems." I had no more use of any of this stuff, and since this trader had such a poor display of tradeable items, I figured I'd be doing him a favor. I realized a moment too late that his lack of tradeables was probably why his stand was deserted, but hey, at least I got what I came for.

Actually, I'd been hoping to get a decent weapon instead of the cheap bow I'd been using, but I could easily find a sword or something elsewhere. I started pulling the items I'd just traded out of my inventory, knowing I wouldn't get any thanks from the NPC; they don't say anything more until the customer completes the trade, and they bid them farewell by saying, "Safe travels, adventurer!"

Ugh, I couldn't wait to get this over with. I was looking forward to getting back on my horse and riding out to the nearest village, where I could help them out with a pillager attack, or an evil witch on the rampage, or maybe even a ferocious rabid beast —

"Nice weather we're having, eh?"

It wasn't the passive-aggressive tone that took me by surprise — although that was another thing entirely. I blinked up at the trader, startled. He just asked me about the weather? That wasn't in his script, was it? No, it definitely wasn't.

Unable to think clearly, I glanced up at the sky. "Er. I suppose it is, yes."

The trader gave me a polite smile — did it look a little tight, or was it just me? I thought I saw a flash of regret in his eyes, but there was no way. I was probably just seeing things. Maybe the long journey was making me hallucinate. I mean, I had ridden through the mountains for two days straight without sleep, hence why I'd used up all my endurance potions before reaching the village.

We traded the goods in silence, and I paid five pieces of gold for the trade fee. Once I closed up my inventory and stored it away, the trader said the send-off.

"Safe travels, adventurer!"

The perky tone sounded exactly as an NPC should, but for some reason, it still caught me off guard. Had I expected him to break the script again? I paused, looking at the trader carefully. He tipped his head to the side, his fluffy chestnut hair bouncing as he did so, smiling pleasantly all the while. His speckled face was perfectly friendly, there was nothing strange about him, and everything was exactly as it should be. Had I imagined him asking about the weather?

Yeah, that was it, I had imagined it. Definitely.

NPCs only say what they're supposed to say.

I turned my back on the trader, hopping back on my horse and riding off without another word.