The Transience of Her

Suspicions of a Possessed Avatar

“Yup, Soren! It's the real me!”

B-but how could she...

She's supposed to...

I try to contain my words of bewilderment, and replace them with words of composure.

And I sure as heck won't tell her that she's dead, Jim.

And before one asks, she's certainly not controlled by a bot, considering the harsh penalties the GM imposes on such an offense.

“Long time no see, Lianna!”

I briefly embrace her like a close friend should.

Luckily, the few spikes in my armor don't hinder her much while we hug.

By the way, the armor set I wear consists of an Autumn Drizzle Headgear, Veteran's Pull-off Suit, Midnight Watcher's Pants, Pristina Meiryo Boots, and a Ring of the Flowing Sickle.

All but the accessories such as rings and bracelets can be customizable as part of the game's features, to make each player character unique.

“You want to talk with me? I sure can see the enthusiasm on your face.”

“Of course, Soren. I wonder if your ability to read faces online translates to real life...”

“Real-life faces are different, silly.”

“Come on, we might get ambushed here. Let's continue our talk inside this shack.”

“Sure thing.”

We go inside the shack and lock the door to prevent the monsters from spoiling our quality time together.

The interior is simple: two wooden chairs and some scattered hay.

We each take a seat as we continue discussing.

“Lianna, since you are eager for a conversation, do you have any particular topic in mind?”

“Me? I don't have one in mind right now.”

“Please don't make me waste my time.”

“Of course I won't, silly. I just thought of one right now: Food.”

“Yup, I'm feeling hungry right now.”

Funny for someone who's certified 100% dead to talk about something only the living can do.

“I indulge in the simplest of joys. No fluff, no expensive ingredients. Just something filling and satisfying. And speaking of simple joys, I just tasted chocolate milk ice pops my little bro made for me.”

“Ah yeah, I remember. He's still in grade school, and he's as precocious as ever. Glad you and him don't get into silly arguments over who's smarter.”

“Because we both know we still have a lot to learn.”

Makes sense. If my hunch is right, that her spirit is currently possessing the avatar I'm talking to right now, she still has ample time to learn more about this world, virtual as it can be, before she departs for the great beyond. And speaking of the time of that departure... that I don't know.

“Well, back to food. Anything chocolate-related is a-OK with me. Just not with incompatible ingredients. Like, what madman came up with chocolate bacon? Or even chocolate potato chips?!”

“*sigh*... Those are weird enough, alright.”

“By the way, have you tried takoyaki?”

“Oh, octopus balls, right? They're really good. A friend of mine treated me to a Japanese restaurant. She said it goes well with sweet and sour fish karaage and red iced tea.”

“Wow. You sure are lucky. I haven't tried them yet, but I wanted to. Do you still remember where the Japanese restaurant is?”

“'Course, like the back of my hand. It's right at the corner of Poole and Goiti Streets.”

“Good to know. Anything else you're craving for?”

“Pizza.”

“Oh, I like it, too. Any flavor's fair game, just as long as it's not soggy. Have any toppings you're fancying right now?”

“Let's see... a lot. New York-style cheese, Angus steak, bacon cheeseburger, fish taco, and the so-called executive's choice.”

“What the heck is an executive's choice pizza?”

“As far as I know... it's loaded with beef, chicken breast, bacon, bell peppers, onions, olives, capers, and Italian sausage.”

“Dang, that's a whole lot!”

Even in death, she's quite the consummate foodie! I guess the fabled “last meal” for people about to be executed under the death penalty is becoming obsolete.

“Soren, experiencing new flavors is one way to indulge in simple joys. Because when it comes to food, no cuisine or food type should be discriminated against just for absurd reasons such as being too bland, being too greasy, or being outright disgusting.”

“Yeah, you're right.”

Reality TV producers, take note. Having your contestants taste so-called “nauseating” foods is one form of culinary discrimination!

“Oh, before I forget.”

“Go on, Soren. I know you still have lots of things to say from the huge database in your head.”

“Heh. Remember the day when we coincidentally met each other when we were claiming our high school yearbooks?”

“Yeah. It wasn't any ordinary Tuesday, I remember.”

“Oh. Because you were also excited that a package from a guy called Levin awaited you when you would get home.”

“M-hm. But before we get to that, let's get to the moment when our hands accidentally touched each other on that pile of freshly-printed yearbooks.”

“Hah. That was freaking awkward, right? I mean, there was squealing and squeeing in the background. Them love-struck girls who get ecstatic at even the slightest hints of hand-holding.”

“And jealous guys who were jeering, too. 'What you did was lewd' or something like that. I mean, argh. Since when did some internet influencer decree that hand-holding is equivalent to you-know-what?”

“Yeah, those people were easily getting carried away. And gender has nothing to do with that.”

I remember that day two summers ago when we both blushed at that accidental hand-holding and the cheers and jeers that soon followed. We quickly brushed that off as we grabbed our yearbooks and put them in our own bags.

“After that little incident, we immediately went to lunch at the nearby bar and grill.”

“And we dined on roasted pulled pork sliders and sizzling salmon steak like nothing happened.”

“Yup. To forget something awkward, gorge on something. That habit of yours really rubbed off on me.”

Some people use food as a coping mechanism for their sadness, or even worse, their depression. That's what I've learned from randomly browsing social media and stumbling upon an article a close relative shared to his timeline.

And before one asks, that article's no fake news.

But Lianna... she's different.

She eats not to deal with with some negativity in her psyche, but because she eats to help erase that awkwardness from her head.

“After we ate, I invited you to my house to check the package Levin sent to me.”

“Well, I didn't say no to your offer. I think of it as an offline version of unboxing videos I watch every now and then whenever I'm bored.”

Levin is her cousin, who lives in a nearby state famous for its abundance of video game shops.

Every month, he would send her a shoe box's worth of games old and new with the money he earns from being a web programmer.

“With every package he sends me, he always encloses a note within it. And that month's note became memorable... because he convinced me to play Skypaths Online.”

He was working on the MMO's official site, by the way.

“And I was surprised that you've immediately signed up right after you've read the note! Back then, I was just learning the ropes as a level 10 Swordsman.”

“Yeah, and I was also surprised that you're also into this game.”

After we've unpacked the games she received, I bade her farewell as I was itching to go home and play.

“That night, you were ecstatic to learn from someone who's just getting started.”

“But to be honest, this game doesn't have a steep learning curve.”

And look how that one simple combined online and offline meeting that day was the beginning of our adventures together, in the world of Eleftheria – which comes from the Greek word for freedom, by the way.

We continue our lengthy discussion of food and everything else under the sun, and then...

She stands up from her seat and stretches her body a bit while yawning.

“Well, Soren, it has been a nice long talk. I didn't even keep track of time.”

“Me, too.”

Logically, she's correct. Because of my assumption that she's possessing her own avatar, there's no way she can keep track of time, and there are no timekeeping accessories in this game.

“If you excuse me, I have to hop somewhere else. I need some peace and quiet.”

Yup, another instance of logical correctness; as a possessed avatar has no time to log off (and de-possession means she may lose access to her character data once it's been altered by someone other than herself) and therefore must go from place to place for some needed private R&R.

“I guess it's 'see you again soon', Lianna. Later.”

“Later.”

She quietly unlocks the door and leaves the shack, off to parts only known to her.

Quietly building the strength to go back to my stalled quest, I then stay in this shack a bit longer.

Minutes later, I leave the shack and resume my quest to hunt down the Noodlekin and acquire the needed 10 Fresh Noodles to be delivered to the NPC in Foubar.

Once again, I whip out my Musket of Precious Grace, strategically aim at the Noodlekin, fire shots accordingly, and watch the fireworks – as the effect of the Musket manifests and the enemies are hit by repeated counts of Pyrocast III, Cryoclast III, Astraclast III, Aquaclast III, Ventoclast III, Terraclast III, Sacroclast III, and Umbraclast III – all high-tier spells of fire, ice, thunder, water, wind, earth, holy, and darkness elements, respectively.

Bang! Like fancy pyrotechnics, yeah?

I got lucky this time, as the aftermath of the elemental fireworks leaves eleven Fresh Noodles in the place of the unfortunate Noodlekin. More than I need, in fact.

I pick up the items as I whistle my own victory fanfare.

Immediately afterward, I dig out my Teleportation Crystal, hoist it towards the skies, and shout...

“Teleport, Foubar!”

No sooner do I arrive in the town of Foubar.

It is known as a town of airships, as explorers and merchants from various places gather here to trade their wares.

And I've got my own little trading business to do.

I trudge the busy streets towards the Katchiko Trading Post, where the NPC required to talk to in order for the quest to finish resides.

The address is not that hard to find, to be honest.

I greet the person of interest, Bayushi Katchiko.

“Good evening.”

“Monsieur Kam'arin, am I right?”

“Yup.”

“I see you've got 12 Fresh Noodles in your inventory. I only need 10 of them. You can keep the rest.”

“Here you go.”

[Surrendered 10 Fresh Noodles.]

“And here's your quest reward: The Animal Bowl. Use it well.”

[Acquired Animal Bowl.]

“Hope your room will look great with this decoration!”

“'Course it will.”

“Well now, adieu. I hope to see you again, monsieur.”

I leave the trading post, triumphant.

The quest is as easy as pie, as expected.

And as I'm ready to leave Foubar after finishing the quest...

I spot a cloaked figure from a considerable distance. The figure's name is Andth'oy Cuathra. Job unknown due to the cloak hiding most of his features.

He soon notices my presence and instinctively fires a paper envelope towards me before disappearing into the crowd.

[Acquired Mysterious Message.]

As soon as I deftly catch it with my fingers, I inspect the envelope. It simply says “To Melchor”.

How the heck does he know me?

Never mind. I'll open it and read whatever is inside.

Sever your ties with the woman named Linnia Beferia, lest you will suffer in the end.

That spoilsport. I've just re-connected with her, in this virtual world; and I sure as heck won't break that connection off that easily!

Despite the unexpected turn of events in this gaming session, I breathe a sigh of relief.

See? I'm right. In the midst of something routinary, I indeed find something new.

Alright, time to log out, shut down my PC, and rest my body a bit more before the sun goes up.

I originally had plans to go to her burial in two days, but now I decide not to due to seeing her still alive in some way. I didn't miss the flight, so to speak.