The tavern was a quiet, dimly lit place. Patrons were scattered around the several round wood tables making quiet conversation. A mandolin player strummed a quiet background tune while the bartender washed glasses.

Two adventurers sat at a table in the corner. "Haven't we been here before?" the fighter asked.

The mage shrugged. "Anyway, back to the conspiracy…"

"A conspiracy?" Asked the fighter.

"Yes. I believe that we are involved in a vast conspiracy that spans the entire country, if not the world!" stated the Mage.

The fighter frowned. "Why do you say that?"

"I can't explain it." The mage took a drink of his mead.

"Oh do try."

"Well…well alright. You know in a story? Yeah? Well in a story, things just kind of work out right? Well, things keep happening, odds things-" he was abruptly interrupted.

A man in ragged clothes burst into the tavern, flailing his arms and out of breath. "Help! Help! Our village is in need! Orcs are attacking!" he cried. He glanced around to see if anyone would react. He ran over to the mage and fighter. "You will help us poor helpless villagers right?" he asked, staring into their faces.

The fighter had an impulse to say, "Yes we will!" but the mage acted first. He leaned forward. "No." The villager looked confused at first, and then sprinted out of the tavern.

"Why the hell did you do that?" The fighter asked.

"Don't you see? That's what they want you to do!"

"Who's they?"

"I don't know, whoever's in charge of the conspiracy."

"Back to that again? Why don't you explain?"

"Alright, that man for example. I've encountered dozens just like him! And get this; its always a band of Orcs."

"So what? The Orcs are uppity for this season of the year…"
"No, no, no! It's not just the Orcs. It's every damn animal we've got. How is a viable eco system possible if just about every animal is a flesh eater?"

The fighter shrugged. "I dunno, but what's that got to do with the conspiracy?"

"Arrgg" the mage said in exasperation. "It's like the world's made for us ya know? Like, we're trapped in some kind of dream world in which all we're supposed to do is kill monsters."

"I can kill anything I damn well please thank you."

"But wait, that's the odd thing about it; you can't!"

"What? Are you insulting me?"

"Not at all!" The mage exclaimed. "The other day, I was haggling with this storekeeper see? And I say, 'give me this potion for 5 copper' and he looks into my face and says to me '5 copper my arse!' and I was having a really bad day, I mean really bad, and this was the last straw, so I just decide to power word kill him, and uh, and I actually did."

"Good job!"

"But, I didn't kill him. All of a sudden I'm standing in front of the store again as if I had gone back in time or something."

"Why, that's impossible!

"Yeah, isn't it? But it happened, it's like some giant divine presence is trying to stop us from doing things we shouldn't."

"Well, I can't believe that."

"No, no really. Go kill that bartender."

"Huh?"

"Go ahead; take a swing at him with that sword of yours."

"It's hardly proper-"

"Then I'll do it!" The mage got up and walked firmly to the counter. "I don't know who you are, you conspiracy master, you divine presence, but I defy you!" he murmured as he approached the bartender.

"What do you want?" The bartender asked. His eyes suddenly grew in fear as the mage began murmuring deadly magic words….

Then, an indiscernible shift. Two adventurers sat at a table in the corner. "Haven't we been here before?" the fighter asked.

The mage shrugged. "Anyway, back to the conspiracy…"