Entering World Online…

At a bar called Mana Bar, in Hygea, 8 pm.

Nyaa-chan and Kaub are sitting at the bar, drinking.

“So, what do you think?”, Kaub said lazily. She was drinking.

“About what?,” Nyaa-chan tipped back a bottle he wielded in one hand and drank.

“Can I get drunk?”

“It’s kind of a difficult question. I wonder. If I had it my way…”, Nyaa-chan mumbled.

“You wouldn’t have me drink?”, she complained.

“Aren’t you too young?”

“I’m a few weeks old, at least,” he chin was resting on the bar, a glum look on her face.

“Thanks for stopping the ganking.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Thanks for cleaning up the holes. Iroas was more amused about that then anything else, but I didn’t like seeing the guild like that.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I don’t like that you told everything to that Desmos guy though. What were you thinking?”, Nyaa-chan said, his voice flat.

“He was nice. I was sad,” Kaub said as she flattened her head against the bar.

Nyaa-chan contemplated her for a minute. He was careful this time.

“You’re a real magical girl,” he said, and took a swig.

“Who cares about that…”

“That’s why you were born. At least remember that.”

“Just. Explain it to me. One more time.”

Nyaa-chan took a look at her. She was drowsy, and something was bothering her. He didn’t even think she’d say yes to spending time together. However, he was the adult here. He had to take responsibility. For himself, and for her.

“It’s something fun,” said Nyaa-chan. A smile lit up his face.

“Vague. That’s not like you.”, Kaub turned her head staring at him without lifting it from the table.

“I explained it already.”

“I’m not real. Ahgo’s not real. You’re living in the real world, with all your human buddies. I thought I was human. Guess not.”

“Technology, what do you think technology is Kaub?”

“Wheels and stuff.”

“It’s the future. Humans didn’t like what they had at the start, so they took things from their minds and brought them into the real world. They had to use real things at first, they still do. Eventually, we were making many not real things in this not real world. Now, most people spend a lot of time here. I spent a lot of time here, not all of them were happy times either. But, I made something I was proud of finally,” he drank.

“Wonder what that was.”, Kaub replied.

“Magical Girls are something I enjoy. For a long time, I wanted everything to be perfect. The world needed to get fixed by me, and I did a good job of it. Some things just don’t need to be fixed though. I told you, back then, that there was nothing wrong with liking Magical Girls. I was wrong.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Myself, I was against myself. It was the real me versus the not real me. I thought I was going to be someone else, that I needed to be someone else, something more, when myself was good enough. Geez, maybe I’m spending too much time around Myalor, I’m talking way too much today,” he laughed.

“Just tell me that my life matters you damn catgirl…”, Kaub grasped his trenchcoat lightly.

Nyaa-chan looked at her, amused.

“I love you,” said Nyaa-chan.

“What.”

“You said back then, you liked Ahgo. That you wanted to protect him. Even if it’s against my new boss, I’ll help you. He’s probably insane anyways,” Nyaa-chan said as he swigged.

“I don’t get it, why do you love me. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that kind of attention from you.”

“It’s fine. I just wanted you to know how I feel. When the chips are down, I’ll choose you over my life. My real world life.”

“You said I was a program before…”

“Maybe. But it’s a program I love.”

“You’re creepy. And dumb. I don’t like you, remember that. But, thank you,” Kaub stretched and took a drink.

“You sure you won’t regret it, if something happens to you because of us?”, she continued.

“If it’s the last thing I fix, it’ll be you.”

“What’s wrong with me?”

“I mean, if something wrong happens to you. You’re fine now.”

“I think I remember you saying there was a hundred things wrong with me…”

“They were all lost. I didn’t have a backup. That happens sometimes,” Nyaa-chan gave a toothy grin.

A passerby could see a girl strangling a catgirl through the Mana Bar window.

At a bar called Mana Bar, in Hygea, 12 am.

Ahgo is dressed as Santa Claus, handing out gifts and telling stories to a crowd gathered around him. Shera is sitting at the bar, eyeing him as he entertains people with his sword summoning. He joins her at the bar, the stool is dwarfed by his frame but he fits in it with hard work.

“Girl. I don’t wish to presume, but if my lord, master, and almighty creator is so down I feel guilty enjoying myself.”

“Why are you calling people earthling? That’s so dumb. I thought you were cooler than that. You remind me of my corny uncle.”

“From what you explained to me about the circumstances of my creation, that would be possible, correct?”

“Sure. Could you call me by my real name? Or at least the handle name I told you? And marry me.”

“Rejected. I have no idea why you’re so persistent in marrying a figment of your imagination brought to life by the wonders of earthling technology. As for your name, girl is fitting. It describes your personality the best.”

“A girl? What, I’m not mature?”, questioned the girl.

“Kaub is more mature than you.”

“Isn’t this just beating myself up…my own creation...”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“I’m afraid we’ve been apart for long enough. I’ve moved on, I think it would be wise for you to do so as well.”

“What about your Kingdom, huh?”

“A burden I still carry. Desmos, you know that fellow? He built an entire kingdom by himself. How interesting. I wonder if I can rebuild, or build, my Kingdom as I remember it someday,” said Ahgo.

“You want to do art?”

“I can’t see why not. After all, combat is quite boring here. Iroas had that raid attack me and it was full of useless warriors. Not a single one impressed me. Cowboy, he’s coming along, but he is still so young,” said Ahgo.

“He’s not even max level, that’s ganking you know.”

“Where I come from,” he pointed at the girl’s head, “if you were on the battlefield you were a target. That’s good enough for me.”

She covered her head.

“Come on, out with it. If I and Kaub can come out of that head of yours, so can the truth,” said Ahgo.

“My paintings all suck.”

“Kaub’s paintings are amazing. Have you seen them?”

“She won’t talk to me. I keep calling but...”

“You know she’s right over there, right?”

Ahgo pointed to the collapsed Kaub with a trenchcoat over her.

“I’m waiting for her to wake up to take her home. The owner here said he didn’t mind, after I showed him a sword. I get my way a lot around here.”

“When did you become such a joker?”, said the girl.

“Since my Kingdom fell. What about you?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“You’re right, I don’t. I’ll leave you alone.”

Ahgo turned to go but Ash grabbed him.

“You look like a damn christmas tree you know?”

“And? More amusing than anything.”

Ahgo sat back down.

“My paintings, no one’s buying them.”

“You said they were horrible. You deserve it. In my Kingdom, a troll who painted for a living was the Court Painter. They had to be the best, to be one of the few painters in my kingdom, and you practiced in your spare time at home as a hobby. Do you know how much inks and paints cost?”

“They cost a lot in the real world too. It feels useless. Maybe I’ll give up.”

“Yeah. You’ve done your best work through Kaub anyways.”

Ash sneered at Ahgo.

“I heard you’ve been traveling around the real world. What’s up with that?”

“Myalor gives me gifts. As a fellow king, I oblige him. Someday, if I wish to face him in battle, I will need all the information possible.”

Ash sighed.

“Can I sell Kaub’s paintings?”

“I think that’s against the law in your world. Plagiarism, I believe you earthlings call it?”

“Yeah but she’s literally from my subconscious, we’re like, one being.”

“You’re fine with Kaub’s work making you famous? You are worse than I knew. To what lows will you sink?”

“That sounds like my mother talking. I hate you. You’re right. It’s going to take a long time, and at the end…”

“More painting,” said Ahgo.

“Like I said, I should give up.”

“If it was something you could give up on, maybe you should have done so already. After all, Kaub-”

“Don’t say it again. I get it. What’s your point?”

“You don’t see it? That girl is more courageous than you. She was practically shaking when she went to talk to Nyaa-chan.”

“I don’t get it. Tell it to me straight.”

“Try harder, for longer.”

“Okay, that’s easy to understand. I’ll setup the next raid on you.”

Ahgo let out a guffaw.

“Good luck. Myalor said he’d get one you know, one that has an actual chance of winning. I’m excited. I might die for my first time.”

“Normally, that isn’t something to be excited about.”

“This isn’t a normal world anyways. Since when was it like this? Since when wasn’t it like this? I wonder.”

“You’re making my head spin. I’ve learned nothing talking to you. Nothing,” complained the girl.

“Try to talk to Kaub. You’ll see, Ash,” he put his hand on her shoulder.

“Ahgo! You called me by my real name!”

“A mistake. I have gifts to deliver.”

Santa Ahgo returned to his tree.

Ash eyed him, trying to decide what to do. She’s didn’t want to bother her. Back when Ash’s mom bothered her, that was always annoying.

“But in the end, I…”, she mumbled to herself.

Ash got up and went over to Kaub, sleeping in the corner. She shook her lightly. Kaub tightened the trenchcoat around her, then got up. Her gaze met Ash’s and Kaub looked back dazed.

“What?”, she complained.

“Could we talk?”

Kaub was silent a moment, glancing to the side. She gestured to the bar in the end.

“Beer me!”, she cried.

“Kids shouldn’t drink,” Ash caught herself saying.

Kaub sneered at her.

“If it’s wrong in your world, how about you keep your ‘shouldn’t’ there too?”

“It’s not like it is here you know, it gets a lot more difficult there,” said Ash.

Kaub balked at that, and went silent as she drank the beer. It was non-alcoholic, just there for the taste. Mental effectiveness laws assured people of that, you still had to go to a real bar to get drunk and check in at the door in the real world. That didn’t stop Kaub from imitating drunkards like how Ahgo told her they were, and from watching the people late at night from the rooftops.

“You don’t know about me then?”, Kaub said, her tone level as she stared away.

“Know what about you?”

“I figured, maybe Ahgo would tell you. No, he wouldn’t. ‘Fight you own battles’, he’d say.”

Kaub looked at Ash and told her of the streets of home that Ash created. Kaub wasn’t happy to tell her the truth, but in the end after what Nyaa-chan said to her she felt like Ash needed to know.

Ash was stunned, a bit wondrous and sad as she pondered over what Kaub said.

“Where did that come from…”, she laughed, and tried to put her arm around Kaub but Kaub shrugged her off with a furtive glance.

“Oh, I’m sorry. For a second there, you reminded me of someone,” Ash said.

Kaub just looked at her beer. It would be great to get out of here now. She looked over at Ahgo, who was handing out gifts and telling stories on the other side of the bar. The rooftops were more comfortable.

Ash saw her shift a little on her stool.

“Do you blame me?”, Ash said.

“For what?”, Kaub turned her head.

“For making you live in a world like that one, I could have made you happy, someone who never had any trouble. I made everything up.”

Kaub realized her meaning. What was the difference between her and the worst of that city she lived in? If she had the power, she would prefer to help people. That had happened to her, someone had show her kindness before. All the days weren’t bad. That didn’t change that it wasn’t real. That didn’t change that it mattered to her. That didn’t change the suffering either.

“That...city was, is my home. I’m glad I’m here. Glad I met Ahgo, and maybe a few others. But, if you wanted to take that world away from me…”, Kaub sighed, realizing what she was going to say. What she wanted to say.

“That’d be cruel. Not now. Not after all that. Ahgo’s Kingdom, my city, they’re wonderful now. Back then, it hurt so much. I cursed everything, everyone, almost everyone. Almost everything. When I got here, when I existed, and saw the new world before me, I felt free. I earned that.”

Kaub’s grumble receded as she reached the end.

“I don’t get it. Ahgo said you were more mature than me, I’m starting to think he’s right,” said Ash.

Kaub smiled at her, a little, and drank.

“Ahgo said you’re a painter too. Maybe I got the best part of you already. How are you going to beat me?”

“I didn’t know this was a competition. I haven’t seen any of your paintings.”

“Come on, then.”

Ash followed Kaub into the street, headed for the guild hall and home.

At a bar called Mana Bar, in Hygea, 5 am.

Cowboy and Desmos met after Ahgo went to play more santa somewhere else.

“Ah, it’s way too early for me. I should go to sleep, I have school in the morning,” said Cowboy.

“Have fun with that. You don’t need to work for a living anymore. There’s nothing else to do with life these days,” said Desmos.

“There’s lots of thing. Like being a samurai.”

“That’s just playing around. Brain chips are great, but it’s not real.”

“Looks pretty real. I beat up some bullies at school with my skills I learned here,” smirked Cowboy.

“Getting into fights? What would your parents think? You look like a kid to me.”

“I’m the age I look. I didn’t want to mess with the customization settings. That parts boring. My dad, he told me he was proud of me for fighting back. He says people don’t do that these days.”

“Sure they do. You haven’t been the right places. It’s a dark world, still,” groaned Desmos.

“I wouldn’t know, I don’t live near the city. Is it fun there?”

“Don’t go outside much, myself. Not worth it.”

“I always play outside. The sun’s great, the blue sky, biking, it’s fun,” said Cowboy.

“Fun? What’s fun about that?”

“It’s fun doing it. Don’t you have fun doing things?”, Cowboy asked as he drank sarsaparilla.

“No. Last time I had fun, I was chasing down Bigfoot,” Desmos said.

“Who’s Bigfoot?”

Desmos explained the concept to him.

“Huh, that’s cool. I never heard of that. Does it really exist?”, said Cowboy.

“No. Just a dream.”

“Like this place?”

“This place, it doesn’t count. It’s not real, you know what I mean?”

“I’ve been in the real world, it’s a lot like this. I don’t see the difference,” said Cowboy.

Desmos sighed.

“You’re too young. You don’t get it.”

“I don’t know what there is to get. I’d rather just have fun,” said Cowboy as he finished his drink.

“...me too,” said Desmos.

“Wanna spar?”

“Can’t you see I’m a Peacer?”

“Huh, you’re right. I forgot about that. Why would anyone play a game where their stuff gets destroyed over and over again?”

“Something to do.”

“It’s fun?”

“...I guess it’s fun,” said Desmos.

“Do you have anything you built still standing?”, asked Cowboy.

“Actually…”