“Grr...” xXx_EvilAngel_xXx grumbled. “All right, I’ve made up my mind. I’m gonna design another girl. One for me to use as a sub-character.”
Other players gathered in the event waiting area, a snowy field with a single cedar tree in the middle. Toru’s avatar Nacht grinned broadly, determined to take their mind off their worries. “Good luck with that,” she said. “But first, we have a boss to deal with. We finally have a full party. You ready?”
“Just you wait!” xXx_EvilAngel_xXx bellowed. “Death to reality junkies!”
That day was far in the past now, but Nacht could still remember the way his voice echoed.
~ ‡ ~
Playing a demon character in Real World Online was a stupendously difficult feat. Most NPCs in the game were hostile to demons, making it a challenge many attempted but few could overcome. Toru had lost two demon mains before finally, with the help of his entire guild, succeeding in reaching the level cap on his third attempt.
Few people chose “demon” as their character’s species, and even fewer earned the rank of guildmaster. Nacht was aware of only two, only one of whom was a man: the guildmaster of Rainbow Bridge, a guild whose members all seemed to be freakishly good at visual art. They had everything from animators to traditional artists to doujin creators among their ranks. It was like a trade exhibition for all of Japanese culture. And the one who had gathered them all was their guildmaster, xXx_EvilAngel_xXx, a professional illustrator.
Toru had made his acquaintance by chance one day. Toru gave the guildmaster some advice for leveling his character based on Toru’s own experience from leveling his demon main. As thanks, when Toru was working on Nacht, xXx_EvilAngel_xXx offered to do the character design for him. In a manner of speaking, it was no exaggeration to call him Nacht’s creator. Nacht’s beautiful features were his objet d’art before Toru had brought her to life with an infusion of capital in the real-money shop.
I guess there’s no way he’d go around calling himself xXx_EvilAngel_xXx... Nacht thought. She looked over again at the girl pointing her guns in her direction. She did resemble her father, now that she knew there was a connection. She had his bright red hair and orange eyes full of unyielding spirit. And I guess he did end up with a wife on the other side of the screen! Who’s a reality junkie now?
“Sorry,” Nacht said, slipping the all-important Guild Orb into her extra-dimensional storage. “Looks like I can’t call you big sis after all.”
“What do you mean by—” Erin began. “Wait! What are you doing?!” With ownership of the Orb claimed temporarily by Nacht, she could stop the Memory Zone effect whenever she chose to.
“This thing has caused enough trouble,” Nacht said. “I’m taking it. Or so I’d like to say. I’m a magnanimous demiwyrm, though, and Aisha’s battle is going to take a little while yet. In the meantime, Erin, why don’t we play a game? I’ll take a handicap, of course. If you can land even a single attack on me, I’ll give you the Orb back.” Those were Nacht’s conditions, and they were final.
“That’s quite the attitude to take with one such as I,” the girl shot back. “Papa was the only one who could ever defeat me, you know.” Potent mana welled up in her small body as she prepared herself for combat. Her scarlet hair flickered like flames.
“Come, then,” Nacht said. “Show me the power he entrusted to you.”
No sooner had the words left Nacht’s mouth than Erin fired both her guns. Their black-colored barrels turned red, and they released two bullets of raging fire. They would be easy enough to dodge, but if the splash hit the luxurious carpet, the whole room would go up in flames.
“Didn’t your parents teach you not to play with fire indoors?” Nacht said, invoking the power of the water dragon to swallow up the two bullets. The attacks canceled each other out, filling the room with hot steam. A dual gun user who favors elemental attacks, Nacht thought, taking Erin’s first volley as an opportunity to analyze her abilities.
“I suppose I don’t know any better,” Erin grinned. “I’m just a child, after all!” She only acted like a child when it was convenient for her, Nacht noticed.
“Here,” said Nacht. “Let’s take this somewhere else. Ars Draconis: Doom Tempest Dragon!” Suddenly, a powerful wind arose. The immense power of Nacht’s magic easily swallowed up Erin’s entire body, flinging her through the roof of the palace and into the sky.
Erin, however, was not to be so easily bested. Despite the disorientation, she fixed her guns’ sights on Nacht and pulled the triggers. There was the sound of a barrage of shots as another volley of bullets came Nacht’s way. They were in the air now, though, and Nacht could dodge to her heart’s content without any worry about collateral damage.
Perhaps she should have worried more. The bullets sailed past, whistling through the air and shattering the stone pavement below. Black Cross was an Ancient-tier weapon—even Nacht had her hands full dealing with its firepower. The throne room, which had taken the brunt of the attack, hardly seemed usable anymore. Nacht pretended not to notice.
The two flew even higher into the sky, Nacht on her dragon wings and Erin on fairylike wings that shone with the colors of the rainbow. They came to a stop in midair. Here, these two monsters could unleash their power without a concern in the world.
“You want my full power?” Erin said. “Well, don’t blame me if you die! Load Cartridge! Starshot... Fire!” The night sky was filled with a shower of lights streaking across the darkness, each one a deadly bullet. There was the sound of explosions that rumbled and echoed again and again as more and more beams of crimson light appeared, chasing unerringly after Nacht.