There isn't much choice.

You think about it for a moment. You could freak out and run around screaming, or you could remain calm and try to get as much information as possible about your new situation.

"I don't think I could afford to be ignorant of what just happened. If you can explain what the hell is going on I am definitely willing to listen" you state.

"A wise choice from one so young" he says stroking his chin "most of you run off screaming. HO HA HA" he gives an old man laugh.

"So let's see what we are working with here". He raises his wrist up and taps a bracelet. A screen flickers into existence projected by the bracelet and a scan runs over your body.

"Oh my" he says wide eyed "I've never seen someone so powerful to start with. Certainly without gear enhancing you. Mmhmmm...you'll potentially do very well indeed. So, the obvious Tyrannosaurus in the room is how you got here and why you are someone else, correct" he asks as the screen flicks out of existence. You just nod your head waiting for him to continue.

"I'm betting you didn't read up on the hardcore mode you enacted did you" he asks. You shake your head signaling you hadn't.

"No one ever does" he sighs. "Essentially for select individuals we offer them an instance of an alternate reality" he says as if that explains everything. You stare at him blankly. The old man sighs.

"We took your mind from the other reality, and placed it in your character's body here in this reality. It is an instanced reality meaning it is a template of the game world. All that exists in the game exists here, but nothing else" he says sweeping his arm around.

"So this is an alternate reality" you ask.

"Yes, an instanced one. There is no universe beyond the confines of this continent. Even the sun" he says pointing upwards "isn't really there".

"So that's why the wording of the hardcore mode seemed like it was talking about me specifically and not my character" you ask. The old man puts his finger tip on his nose.

"Shit...fuck...what the fuck" you say. The old man chuckles "Shit fuck indeed" he says.

"Why" you ask. The old man shrugs.

"You mean you don't know" you ask.

"Nope" he replies flatly. "All I'm here to do is get your bearings straight, explain what was done, and finally to tell you there is a way back".

"How do I get back" you ask.

"That's for you to discover, but it does exist" he replies.

"Why won't you just tell me...you don't know do you" you ask.

"Nope" he replies flatly again with a smirk. "Do I still exist in the other reality" you ask.

"No" the old man replies "but I don't know the specifics. Should you find your way back you will find yourself in the same spot and time you were transported here."

"So basically I need to survive in this reality until I can find my way back" you ask rhetorically.

"That's one way to do it" the old man replies. "You could also stay here indefinitely if you choose too" he says stroking his chin "making this reality your new home and improving it for all in it...or improving it for only yourself".

"Aren't the people here just all constructs too" you ask.

"No, they are as real as you are with their own emotions and lives to live as best they can" he states. You ponder that statement a moment.

"I'll leave you to it then young one" he says as he starts to fade away. "I'd recommend making your way to that town over there" he says stretching his staff in the direction of the town you saw earlier.

"But I have so many questions" you protest "are there other's like me" you quickly add. The old man is almost completely faded away now, but you see him touch his finger to his nose again while pointing at you, and then he is gone.

"FUUUUUUUUUCK" you scream out into the sky. This was not the stress relief you had hoped for. You could tell it wasn't a dream, it was too real, and you'd lucid dreamed before. This was not the same thing. You decided to sit and take a quick stock of inventory. You were wearing some cloth clothes. Nothing fancy, just starting gear, and they didn't do much. Your shoes were actually decent boots. They looked pretty durable actually. On your back was a backpack, so you took that off and looked inside. As you opened the flap a screen appeared above it showing you an inventory layout. In the layout there were some food and water rations, a sword, a pistol, a rifle, bullets for each, and a count of your money at the bottom. How did you take stuff out though you wondered.

You instinctively touched the sword with your finger and a sword digitized into existence in your hand. You gripped it before it could fall. On your waist a belt that had an empty sheath digitized around you.

"Huh...that's something" you said to yourself. You stood up and sheathed the sword and then knelt back down in front of your backpack. Next you touched the rifle. It was similar to something like an M16 rifle you knew, but it was slightly different. It also had a strap from the butt of the rifle that attached to the barrel's hand grip. You noticed it was empty so you touched the bullets for it and the number of bullets went from 90 to 60 as a full clip appeared in your hand. You loaded the weapon and left it at that. Slinging the rifle over your shoulder you touched the pistol. It digitized in your hand and a holster appeared on your hip as well. You touched the bullets for it and 6 bullets appeared in your other hand as the number of bullets went from 36 to 30 in the inventory. It was similar to a .38 special from your world. You loaded it with bullets and holstered it on your hip.

You touched the waterskin in the inventory and a full waterskin of water appeared in your hand. You took a sip of it and it tasted fresh and cool. You put its cap back on and then wondered how you put something back in the backpack. Thinking of no other way you stuck the waterskin into the backpack and it vanished from existence only to be displayed back on the screen of the inventory. Satisfied you had nothing left to do in this spot you figured you'd better get up and head to that town if you wanted to sleep under a roof for the night. You slung the backpack onto your back and started walking.