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The party was halfway home and pondering in silence grew to be too much. Alisea grabbed Aster by the hand. “Come! I want to climb up one of those,” the magess declared, pointing at one of the discs of land floating above the landscape. She gave her companion a gentle tug to pull the swordswoman off their path.
Aster was startled by the sudden tug on her sleeve, but at this point had pretty much decided that Alisea's ideas were usually the best ideas, when it came to enjoying the game, so she followed happily, her face set in a neutral expression despite her growing excitement. While she looked at the game as another layer of world, Alisea seemed to see it as a chance to have adventures, to explore the outer limits of what the world could offer them. That was admirable, in her mind at least.
The magess led the way up the stairs, her steps hastening the nearer they came to the summit. Cresting the top, a glade at the center came into view. Surrounding the trees was a stretch of grassland dotted with flowers. A few odd mobs wandered near the treeline--a few elk, a fox, a bear--but the edge was occupied only by the two players. Alisea felt an urge to attack the nearest elk, unleashing spells until her mana was depleted. Instead, she smiled and remained at the edge. Her purpose in coming up here wasn’t to battle.
The young woman turned with her friend and looked out over the world. It was breathtaking. Verdant grasslands and forests stretched for miles below. A large, shimmering lake was visible far to the southwest, and in the east ranged majestic, snow-capped mountains. Between ranges rose one city, the only sign of civilization amidst a world of untamed wilderness.
“This is amazing,” Alisea breathed.
Aster looked out at the enormous world that lay before them. It really was amazing; so detailed that it was impossible to discern a difference between it and reality. If anything, this might be better than reality.
”Aster,” Alisea began, her voice somber. ”If you could go back right now, would you?”
"I..." Aster hesitated, trying to judge whether her answer would upset her friend. Were they friends? It wasn't something she had much experience with. "No. I wouldn't. I'm... better in this world. Stronger. I'm kinder to others, for one thing. Back in the real world, I was kind of a..." She blushed slightly at her hesitation "I was kind of a bitch, to be honest. And... I didn't see things as clearly as I do now." She looked over to Alisea, face questioning. "How about you? Would you want to return?"
Alisea stayed silent as seconds ticked by. ”I don’t think I would,” she answered at length. ”I probably should. All of this,” Alisea stated, sweeping her hand across the landscape below, ”is fake. My spells, my skills, the monsters we kill--none of it is real. When we beat the game and go home, all of this will disappear. The only reality will be the time lost in here--time at school, playing basketball, preparing for college, shadowing at jobs, volunteering-” Alisea cut herself off with a shake of her head. ”The longer I stay here, the farther I will fall behind. But even knowing that,” Alisea smiled sadly, ”Even knowing that, I want to stay here. I want this world to be real, for as long as it can.”
Aster nodded in decisive agreement. "No, you're right. This world... it's real enough that I'm not sure we're missing anything. Still... It kind of feels like we have a duty to beat the game, right? I mean, people keep dying, and they will until we win." She sighed, her expression clearly mournful. "I hate to lose all that I've gained by being here, but we kind of have to keep going for the good of everyone else, right?"
Alisea was glad she wasn't looking at her companion right then. Her face froze, the expression of a surveyor locked in place. Duty; people; for the good of everyone else; all these were the words she had told herself, many a time. She could even hear it in her mother's voice: "You have a duty..." Did she, though? Did Alisea have any shred of responsibility for the thousands of fools trapped within this world? If she had any duty at all, it would be Alice's duty to her mother, to her school, to her future. But Alice was gone. The magess had resolved such from the beginning.
She would play the game. She would win the game. But she knew she wouldn't do it for others; she would win because she wanted to win.
She almost said as much aloud. 'Wrong. No. Not right. They should know how to take care of themselves.' Instead, Alisea simply left the potentially rhetorical question unanswered. "If we hurry, we can catch up with the others," Alisea stated. She could see their party, small as ants below, traveling across the prairie. "We need to practice and better prepare, but we will conquer that dungeon next time." Again taking the lead, Alisea began the descent and brief jog back to join the ranks. By the time the party finally arrived at home, the sun had set.
Aster was startled by the sudden tug on her sleeve, but at this point had pretty much decided that Alisea's ideas were usually the best ideas, when it came to enjoying the game, so she followed happily, her face set in a neutral expression despite her growing excitement. While she looked at the game as another layer of world, Alisea seemed to see it as a chance to have adventures, to explore the outer limits of what the world could offer them. That was admirable, in her mind at least.
The magess led the way up the stairs, her steps hastening the nearer they came to the summit. Cresting the top, a glade at the center came into view. Surrounding the trees was a stretch of grassland dotted with flowers. A few odd mobs wandered near the treeline--a few elk, a fox, a bear--but the edge was occupied only by the two players. Alisea felt an urge to attack the nearest elk, unleashing spells until her mana was depleted. Instead, she smiled and remained at the edge. Her purpose in coming up here wasn’t to battle.
The young woman turned with her friend and looked out over the world. It was breathtaking. Verdant grasslands and forests stretched for miles below. A large, shimmering lake was visible far to the southwest, and in the east ranged majestic, snow-capped mountains. Between ranges rose one city, the only sign of civilization amidst a world of untamed wilderness.
“This is amazing,” Alisea breathed.
Aster looked out at the enormous world that lay before them. It really was amazing; so detailed that it was impossible to discern a difference between it and reality. If anything, this might be better than reality.
”Aster,” Alisea began, her voice somber. ”If you could go back right now, would you?”
"I..." Aster hesitated, trying to judge whether her answer would upset her friend. Were they friends? It wasn't something she had much experience with. "No. I wouldn't. I'm... better in this world. Stronger. I'm kinder to others, for one thing. Back in the real world, I was kind of a..." She blushed slightly at her hesitation "I was kind of a bitch, to be honest. And... I didn't see things as clearly as I do now." She looked over to Alisea, face questioning. "How about you? Would you want to return?"
Alisea stayed silent as seconds ticked by. ”I don’t think I would,” she answered at length. ”I probably should. All of this,” Alisea stated, sweeping her hand across the landscape below, ”is fake. My spells, my skills, the monsters we kill--none of it is real. When we beat the game and go home, all of this will disappear. The only reality will be the time lost in here--time at school, playing basketball, preparing for college, shadowing at jobs, volunteering-” Alisea cut herself off with a shake of her head. ”The longer I stay here, the farther I will fall behind. But even knowing that,” Alisea smiled sadly, ”Even knowing that, I want to stay here. I want this world to be real, for as long as it can.”
Aster nodded in decisive agreement. "No, you're right. This world... it's real enough that I'm not sure we're missing anything. Still... It kind of feels like we have a duty to beat the game, right? I mean, people keep dying, and they will until we win." She sighed, her expression clearly mournful. "I hate to lose all that I've gained by being here, but we kind of have to keep going for the good of everyone else, right?"
Alisea was glad she wasn't looking at her companion right then. Her face froze, the expression of a surveyor locked in place. Duty; people; for the good of everyone else; all these were the words she had told herself, many a time. She could even hear it in her mother's voice: "You have a duty..." Did she, though? Did Alisea have any shred of responsibility for the thousands of fools trapped within this world? If she had any duty at all, it would be Alice's duty to her mother, to her school, to her future. But Alice was gone. The magess had resolved such from the beginning.
She would play the game. She would win the game. But she knew she wouldn't do it for others; she would win because she wanted to win.
She almost said as much aloud. 'Wrong. No. Not right. They should know how to take care of themselves.' Instead, Alisea simply left the potentially rhetorical question unanswered. "If we hurry, we can catch up with the others," Alisea stated. She could see their party, small as ants below, traveling across the prairie. "We need to practice and better prepare, but we will conquer that dungeon next time." Again taking the lead, Alisea began the descent and brief jog back to join the ranks. By the time the party finally arrived at home, the sun had set.
Alisea smiled at Hans's warm welcome as they entered the inn once more. Rather than simply sit (as much as her feet and legs begged her to), Alisea stopped at the innkeeper's desk. "Do you offer shared rooms? We plan on staying in town for three nights, and my friend and I were hoping to stay together."