Tuesday morning, Ilaria was once again snipping on bats in the Everdark Forest. She welcomed the mindless grind for once, not wanting to think much about anything.
Whenever Diana's image came into her mind, the mage got a bit depressed. Not being able to play together as much as before–since the siblings were going back to school–gave her a nostalgic feeling.
Soon I'll be level 20 anyway, not much room for them in the plan.
Amy made her appearance around eleven–she had logged off still perched on a tree–instantly going into stealth.
“Hello!” exclaimed Amy by Private Call. “Hardworking as always.”
“Well, I must keep the schedule,” said Ilaria, shooting a bat.
“Do you think you're leveling today?” asked Amy, playing with her daggers.
“Not anytime soon if I have to depend on these; Diana and Kyle have school in the morning.”
“Tough luck.”
“Why are you here again?” asked Ilaria, in a heavier voice than she intended. She really didn't feel like talking.
“My real body aches all over,” answered Amy, pouting. “At least while I'm in the VR machine, I can move without wincing.”
“Tough luck.”
The conversation died at that point; Amy even stopping with her dagger play. Ilaria didn't think the rogue would log out without saying goodbye–she was surely looking at something on the secondary display of her viewpoint.
Amelia had been sweet and understanding since the first time they met–she wouldn't had been able to become friends with Minerva otherwise–for which all their family would be forever in her debt. Even now, she was supporting this crazy plan, not being resentful in the least for having the last summer vacations of her school life ruined overnight.
“Hey, still there?” asked Ilaria.
The mage actually knew Amy was still logged on–the Private Call was still active–she just got restless at being ignored for a change.
“Yup,” answered Amy. “Checking out the developer notes for tonight's scheduled downtime.”
“Ahh, it was every Tuesday night, wasn't it?”
Ilaria had completely forgotten about VC's weekly maintenance. Most importantly for her, it meant that her Magical Girl costume was going to expire. It had been handy for doing Dungeon Dates and grinding when she was just starting, since the bonus was huge for a low leveled character. Now, it amounted to less than 20% of her mana pool; nice to have as a cushion, but not really paramount. She was going to miss it anyway.
“They are previewing some stuff for February's big update,” said Amy. “Some kind of mounts; they only showed pictures, though.”
“Anything else?” asked Ilaria, not wanting to check it on her own.
“Ah, there's something,” said Amy. “They are giving an extra daily Dungeon Date; from tomorrow, until the February 1st update. They really want plenty of people to join the Couple's Tournament.”
“That would help a lot with leveling,” said Ilaria. “Maybe I won't need to do these bats anymore.”
“Maybe. There's a catch, though,” said Amy. “You can't do both daily DDs with the same person.”
“I see.”
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“Were you two in VC?” asked Minerva, while cutting a piece of broccoli.
It had been a surprising question coming from her; Ricardo thought his sister wouldn't want to be reminded of Virtual Connection at all. Maybe she was missing the game more than they expected.
“Yeah, trying to finally get to level 20,” answered Ricardo, munching on his chicken breast. “Killing bats is a chore.”
He was out with Minerva and Amelia, eating lunch in a healthy food restaurant, since mom was visiting a friend. He wondered if mom really had an appointment, or it was just a ploy to get Minerva out of the house. In any case, it had worked; even though Ricardo had to compromise with the location.
“You should get a party to train,” said Minerva, eating happily. “And Amelia doesn't count; she would tank your exp.”
“He does have a party: a tank and a dagger rogue.” said Amelia, playing with the veggies in her plate. “They beat the One-eyed Summoner yesterday!”
“Are the rest over level 20?” asked Minerva, surprised.
“I'm at level 17, and they are even lower,” answered Ricardo. “But they are amazing; I'm glad I'm a mage, because there's no way I would be able to do what they do.”
“They must be,” said Minerva, looking wistful. “We couldn't beat it when we were around your level; we barely succeeded after getting our level 20 class.”
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After finishing lunch, Amelia convinced Minerva that–since they were already inside the mall–they should seize the chance and go shopping around. Ricardo, not wanting to risk being late for his VC appointment, decided to walk home alone.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Hello?” said a male voice through the cellphone.
“Hello Sandro,” said Ricardo. “How are things at the academy?”
“Busy, really busy,” answered Sandro. “You know, adding your hours to mine makes it a full-time job.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Don't worry; as long as I'm being paid it's fine,” said Sandro. “You must come back for February, though; Clara won't forgive me if I spend all summer working.”
“Yeah, I'll definitely do,” said Ricardo. “With what I spent at the game, I'll need to save as much money as I can.”
“I'll return your classroom to you gladly,” said Sandro. “How's the game going?”
“I'm at level 17 at the moment. I think I'll be leveling on time for this Friday's event.”
“Wow, that's fast.”
“Yeah, I caught more than my fair share of lucky breaks.”
“The truth is, none of us thought you would get to level 20 in twelve days for real. I figured it would still be fine if you got there in time for the second, or even third speed dating session.”
“Man of little faith,” said Ricardo, laughing.
“Yes, yes; I shouldn't have doubted your prowess.”
“Anyway, I'll get there for sure.”
After hearing that he would have a second daily DD available, Ricardo no longer doubted that level 20 was within his grasp.
“And then, you'll start the second phase of the plan.” said Sandro. “Your first meeting with Johnny is probably the biggest hurdle in the whole thing.”
“Yeah. To be honest, I have been dreading it since the start.”
Ricardo had kinda already met with Johnny–albeit very briefly–and, hopefully, the guy in question wouldn't recognize Ilaria when they get to meet for real.
Soon I'll uncover what's behind that pretty boy facade.
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Around 4:30pm, as Kyle had said the day before, the party reunited in the safe point outside the Goblin Encampment. Ilaria had been nervous–maybe Diana wouldn't want to log in–but her fears didn't prove right.
“I'm sorry about yesterday,” said Diana, not meeting the mage's eyes.
“Don't worry for me,” said Ilaria, putting on her warmest smile. “Everyone has times like that. Besides, I'm not that delicate.”
“See, I told you,” said Kyle, smiling. “Let's get moving.”
“Yeah.”
Diana was still a bit guarded towards Ilaria at first, but that didn't last. After a few fights, the group was joking and laughing again like if nothing had happened; which filled Ilaria with relief.
This time the party crossed the goblin's territory pretty much unopposed. It helped that they weren't interested in the least in killing the normal patrols, just mowing through anything in their way towards the goblin boss.
“Lets rest for a bit," said Diana, upon arrival to the boss room's door. “We'll wait until Ilaria's mana bar is full.”
“Alright,” said Ilaria and Kyle in unison, sitting at both sides of the catgirl.
After a few seconds, Diana started talking in a low voice. “Do you know why I restarted my character?”
“You said something about making a mistake,” answered Ilaria, trying to remember that conversation not so long ago.
“Yes. In summary, that's it,” said Diana, staring at the distance. “How old do you think I am?"
“I don't know, sixteen?” answered Ilaria, fidgeting after being put in the spot.
“I'm eighteen,” said Diana, letting out a laugh. “A high-school senior.”
“And Kyle?” asked Ilaria, not being able to hide her surprise.
“I'm seventeen, a high-school junior,” said Kyle, laughing.
“And I'm nineteen; I just finished my first year of university,” said Ilaria, smiling to cover her embarrassment. “So I'm still your senior.”
“Where I was going,” said Diana. “I'm short, baby-faced and underdeveloped; it's so bad that I'm the only one who's ever asked for an ID at the movies.”
“When I started with VC, I figured I could finally look the way I wanted to,” said Diana. “Of course, I didn't change that much; customization gets expensive real fast. Just a few centimeters here and there, telling to myself it would be barely noticeable.”
“I don't think that's something bad,” said Ilaria.
“No, it was really, truly bad,” said Diana. “I just didn't know at the time.”
Ilaria's mana bar had been full for a few minutes already, but she let Diana keep talking. It felt like something important, that she needed for someone to listen to.
“There's a moment for a player in which you get so used to your VR body that you can move it as freely as in real life,” said Diana. “That's what the top VR gamers call complete body synchronization, almost a requisite if you intend to be a pro.”
“It turns out, the closest your VR body is to your real one, the easier it is to achieve,” continued Diana, lowering her gaze. “I could never get there with my old chara.”
Ilaria remained sitting still–only focused on Diana's words–as she poured out her soul.
It had been hard for the girl. After trying so hard for months, Diana had finally taken the last resort: restarting with a new, similar bodied character. If she didn't get there either... Better to not even consider that chance.
The catgirl finally stood up, showing a self-deprecating smile. “Sorry for suddenly unloading my silly worries on you.”
“I don't mind,” said Ilaria, raising up to her feet, not quite knowing what to do next. “If it makes you feel better, I'll listen to you anytime.”
“Me too,” said Kyle, suddenly standing up too.
Ilaria made a small jump of surprise, having completely forgotten that he was still there. Diana noticed her, letting out a small laugh as they crossed glances.
“Lets get to that boss now,” said Diana, changing her smile to a confident one. “I have already wasted too much of your time.”
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“Unreal,” whispered Ilaria, while looking at Diana's 'dance' with the One-eyed Summoner.
Kyle and Ilaria were sitting on the floor, watching Diana go at the boss. They had finished the normal goblins early–the extra damage from the stats gained from leveling made a lot of difference–but they wouldn't dare to interrupt the rogue's duel. Specially after getting to know how much it really mattered to her.
“She hasn't been hit yet,” whispered back Kyle, his voice filled with admiration.
Diana kept twisting and turning, whirling and slashing; like if she knew exactly how long were her limbs and the precise time it would take to move them from one point to the next. Was this the 'complete body synchronization' that they had been talking about? Ilaria didn't have any reference to compare to–she only knew what she was currently watching. And it was wondrous.
The catgirl kept at it for a few minutes that seemed to stretch into hours–Ilaria couldn't even spare a thought, so engrossed as she was–the boss' health points decreasing steadily. A final slash did it, and the One-eyed Summoner dissipated in a flash of light. Ilaria and Kyle started to clap; Diana's HP bar still at a hundred percent.
“Congratulations, that was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!” exclaimed Ilaria, before noticing that Diana had started crying in her place.
“Are you okay?” asked Ilaria, shyly approaching Diana.
“Yes, more than ever,” said Diana, walking into a bright spot.
Even with the tears streaking her face, Diana was showing the biggest smile Ilaria had ever seen.
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After the boss' fight, Diana logged out, leaving Kyle with Ilaria for their daily DD. At this point beating it was a given, leaving the mage eager for trying the level 20 Dungeon Date. And about the Private Date ticket, they just took turns taking it–Ilaria had hers stored in her backpack–not ever mentioning the one date they had had.