Walking amongst the white trees of the Forest of Eternal Autumn a lone woman stared up at the swaying red canopy above and let out a sigh. "The last day, huh?" She asked no one in particular, the bells on the end of her vestments jangling softly as if to accent the lonely silence that followed.
Her skin, white as snow, was a stark contrast to the long scarlet red hair adorned by a delicate crown decorated with rainbow moonstones. Her face was painted with medium purple above her pink eyes with silver eyeliner and dark red over her lips. Along her elongated ears were white gold piercings where star sapphires hung from dainty chains. With a glowing staff in her hands and long flowing fabric falling from her arms she was the very picture of a divine oracle, the likes of which could be found only in paintings or High Fantasy DMMOs.
Tsuki-no-Uranaishi, Tsuki for short, hummed to herself in triumph as she finally came upon the area she had been looking for. It was a lovely little clearing with a cliff on one side that had a clear view of the open sky.
Sitting upon a large stump made exactly for that purpose she stared out at the vast night sky. Leaning forward with her elbows on her knees and chin in her hands she let out a frustrated huff. "Twelve years of my life, all for this."
Shaking her head to clear it she opened the Menu and scrolled through her friends list. As each name passed she felt her irritation rise. "None of you were very loyal in the end, what a joke…" Closing the Menu she jumped up from the stump and paced back and forth before stopping in her tracks.
The people who had been her so called 'friends' may no longer be available but she did have someone who had been with her almost since the beginning.
Holding out her hand imperiously she used a spell that very few in the entire game had been granted. "Bound Protector: Fallen Paladin!"
In a flash of black lightning a two meter tall figure appeared, black feathered wings unfolding to reveal a knight. Dressed in a mix of white vestments with blood red runes and black armor the man knelt before her, bowing his head.
While the NPC could not speak Tsuki could almost hear a masculine voice in the back of her mind; 'you summoned me, my Lady?'
She knew that the NPC could not actually hear her, or respond to her words, but she didn't care. "Come, Rodrach, attend me while I divine the stars." The flowery words came from her easily, having practiced for a long time to get her character just right.
Now with an 'audience' she knelt delicately on the ground and laid her staff beside her. From her inventory she pulled a midnight blue fabric that shimmered with soft blues, greens, and pinks. It was a rare drop from the Aurora Moth Queen in the Void Chasm dungeon. While most people sold the item or used it in high tier cloaks she had gone out of her way to find an accessory shop and turned it into a beautiful square shawl. Stitched in Lunar Silk thread was a 'Divine Circle,' the most basic casting circle for a mage that worked with Holy magic.
Laying the shawl out on the ground in front of her she pulled out a silver and crystal chalice, setting it in the center of the fabric. Lastly she pulled out a bottle of Moonlight Ambrosia wine and filled the chalice with the cool icy blue liquid.
'Ah, I wish I could get drunk.' She thought to herself as she put the wine back into her inventory.
Now with everything 'set' she began her final performance, the last little hurrah, before the servers shut down for good.
"Oh night sky, oh celestial ones- allow this humble priestess a glimpse beyond the veil. May the moon impart her wisdom on this humble follower." She called out toward the open sky, raising her arms as if in prayer. When she was finished speaking she lifted the chalice and brought it to her lips. Although she couldn't taste the liquid she saw the effect on her stats as she gained a boost to her Special for the next hour.
Finished with her little game she checked the clock, only a minute left.
Turning toward her companion she was filled with a deep sadness. "You know, Rodrach, you are the only one who's been loyal to me, who's stayed by my side and never let me down." 'That might be because you're only an NPC though…' "And you know what? I think that might be what I love about you the most."
Her NPC stood there, silent as ever, as she turned back to look up at the false sky.
'If only this were my real life.'
She glanced at the clock once more and let out a sigh.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6,
She closed her eyes. If she could cry she would have.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1…
The Server shut down and the world went silent.
1, 2, 3-
Pain wracked her body and she gasped as her vision swam. Crumpling forward, arms around her stomach, she felt something cold splatter across her legs and shivered from the sudden icy chill. She coughed violently, why was it so hard to breathe suddenly?
"My Lady!" A deep rumbling voice called out to her, sounding almost panicked.
Something warm embraced her, lifting her up, and she huddled closer to ward off the chill. "Hold on, my Lady, I'm here. I won't leave your side, I swear it."
Blinking through the dark blur she thought she saw two bright stars made of ethereal blue light.
Then her world went completely dark.