Karla mattered to me more than she knew. She had managed to change my outlook towards this game and our implication in it. I used to be fine on my own, I would do my things, on my own time, when and where I felt like doing them. I wasn't concerned with what others thought, or whether they cared or not. It's not that I was apathetic, I would certainly help someone if they were in distress. It was more a question of keeping to myself.

But since meeting Karla and spending time with her, I found myself exposed to feelings I had not experienced before. Karla's mood affected me like no one else could. If she was happy, I was happy; if she was sad, I'd be sad. I felt tremendous empathy for her. It took me too long to realize what was going on, that I made mistakes that could have easily have been avoided. And I was trying to avoid another by telling her she mattered to me.

"Oh! how considerate of you." Karla said sarcastically. "You might have shown more of it before taking off without a second thought, hmm?. And how long will this thoughtfulness last? Just until you get hooked by the next player that bats her eyes at you?" she said. She breathed hard to calm herself. "I don't know if you're just saying it or you really mean it," Karla said

"I told you already: I have no hidden purpose. I simply want to be with you, and I'll do whatever it takes," I admitted. Though Karla seemed distrustful of my words, she didn't dismiss them outright. "Then prove it!" Karla said. "How?" I asked. "Duel me," she replied. "What? Right now? Out here in the wilderness? I know we cleared the immediate area, but isn't that a little risky?" I asked.

"I don't care, I'll take my chances. Show me that you really mean it, I need more than just words. And to top it all off, you'll have to beat me. That way I'll know you're serious. I won't accept anything less," Karla explained. She opened her menu and sent me a duel request. The confirmation window appeared in front of me. I pursed my lips as I accepted the duel.

I knew Karla would get in at least one hit so I opted for a health based duel, if your health dropped sufficiently, you'd lose the duel. As the timer counted down I positioned myself and held my battle axe in front of me. I didn't really want to do this, but I wasn't going to refuse Karla's ultimatum. She stood there in front of me, with her katana held in both hands. And as the timer counted its last few seconds she said, "And just so you know, I'm not going to go easy on you."

The timer hit zero and Karla leaped towards me. I put up my battle axe and blocked her first two thrusts, activating defensive skills and targeting her blade. Her third thrust one got me in the arm. I cringed at the unpleasant feeling of the blade slicing a digital gash in my flesh. Not even five seconds into the duel she'd already gotten a hit. She wouldn't be easy to beat.

I swung my axe at her and was instantly blocked by her katana. I pushed her away from me to get a better swing with my blade, and she darted to the side to take a stab at my flank. I had to bring the axe down quickly just to block it and prevent her from doing any more damage. She then came at me with a slashing attack which I had to block with the battle axe's handle.

Back and forth, we exchanged blows. Karla was getting the upper hand, my health was dropping considerably faster than hers. More of her hits were actually hitting their target. But it would take her a fair number to beat me. I had only gotten one hit in which took a considerable amount of her health. I needed to hit with a massive blow for the duel to end in my favor.

To do that I had to break her defense. I opted to target her katana instead of her. I swung a few times until she held her katana in her right hand and leaned her left behind the blade. I swung and came down hard on the katana, and Karla had to take a step back to avoid falling over. I came in as fast as I could to take advantage of the break but she managed to absorb my blow. It wasn't hard enough.

Karla clenched her teeth and attacked with every skill she had in her arsenal. Stabs and slashes, coming from just about every direction. It took all my concentration just to have the axe in the right place to avoid getting impaled by her blade. I was successful in blocking most of her attacks, which extended the duel. Karla wasn't making enough headway and she grew impatient enough to rush things. She tried to chain the skills too quickly causing one to fail. It left her unprepared for a moment as she had to adjust her skills.

That was my break. I swung the axe upward as hard as I could, it connected with her katana. She took some damage, but mostly, she stumbled from the force of the blow. She was as vulnerable as she could be. I moved the battle axe to my back and held the grip with two hands. The sword skill activated as I took one step and leaped in her direction. I swung the axe hard as I landed which caused her health to drop sufficiently to end the duel.

Or at least that what I expected, but the duel didn't end. I stood there with my battle axe lodged in the ground. I missed! My target was no longer where it should have been. I coughed and fell on all fours as I felt a sharp pain. A long blade was piercing my side, cutting my breath short. A message window appeared indicating that I had lost the duel as my health had dropped below the threshold.

That should not have been possible if I'd performed the move exactly at the right time. The thing is, I didn't! At the last moment I hesitated. Seeing Karla on the ground, threw me off. Here I was, executing a move that would have killed her, if this wasn't a duel in a computer game. I felt a surge of disgust as it seemed too real. But this wasn't real, and I needed to win. Karla had requested it and I had to beat her and win this duel. So I quickly shook off the feeling and executed my move. By then it was too late. Karla managed to roll away and deliver a decisive blow.

"That was a close fight," Karla said as she sheathed her katana. She opened her menu and got out two health potions and handed one to me. I took it hesitantly. "Thank you," I said quietly. I took the potion and drank it slowly. Karla looked content, she had fought well and had won fair and square. I on the other hand felt as if I'd lost more than just the duel.

I was supposed to win and things would go back to how they had been before. It was Karla's request and requirement and I couldn't live up to it. The only thing I could do now was to accept the loss and let her go, even if it was the last thing I wanted to do. I got up slowly, faced her, and waited till I got her attention. "Karla. I congratulate you on your win. That was a good fight but my strength is no match for your agility. Though you may not need it, I will escort you back to town," I said politely. I swallowed hard and try to conceal my emotions as I said:

"Then, I will leave you alone."