Aaron smiled at the message and the party invite. He accepted the party invite without hesitation. With that, he would rise out of his chair, thank the server for his food, and lead Leon out of the tavern. Aaron led the man to a small tree just on the outskirts of town. Near the tree were two graves, not marked with any tombstone or anything. But several flowers and mementos were left around them. "I told you about the first time I was here," Aaron said. "How I lost two people I was trying to protect. They were NPCs, with no family here in the village. They were here to guard the village, nothing else. I had to finish the quest I was on when I lost them, so I wasn't able to see them buried or anything like that, but I decided I would come back for their remains, as they had no family to pay for their burial. So I thought I would do that myself. When I returned, I found the town had already done it. The people here were moved by the fact these two gave their live for the town, despite having no family ties to it." Aaron let out a heavy sigh. "This world might exist inside of a game, but the people here? They're real people. But unlike us, they don't respawn. That's why I'm willing to risk my life to protect theirs. If you are ever able to, talk to the NPCs. They have lives, they have stories. They can tell you about their childhood, their grandfather, regrets and mistakes they've made in their lives. I'm not convinced that this world is entirely a game. I think it's being marketed as such, but I don't know if it's all it is. The game-like elements to it... Well, who of us has been to another universe to know for sure that it's not a common thing in other universes? It could be magic. Or it could be how our brains are able to process things, a mind over matter type deal. There's many possibilities. Even if it is a game, though, I still believe that these characters have souls." He put a hand on Leon's shoulder. "You can make many friends here. Don't limit yourself just to the players. That's all I'm trying to say, here."
