Orine

“Congratulations! You have cleared the tutorial without a single casualty! To celebrate, I baked you all muffins! Well I didn’t really bake them, I added them to your inventories. I know–you all ate forty minutes ago–but you’re on your own after this so I thought I ought to give you something. Also you’ll find a questionnaire in your menu, and yes it will stay at the top and keep flashing until you fill it out! We ask each of you to select who you think most showed the qualities of a person deserving to receive the Panacea during your recent struggle. Each vote awards ten points to your final point totals, so choose carefully! You will see that we are currently on a mountain. As you descend you will be met by ravenous wolves and poisonous snakes! Difficult to surmount alone but manageable for small parties who work together and take advantage of their varying abilities. Hint. Hint.

“I know I keep popping up, but I really am going now. Explore this beautiful world made for you by the Doctor and myself–and the game design team behind Dragonfighter 4–and remember to seize the day!”

As quick as that, Pasqual came and went. I found a log to sit down on and could almost feel my spirit leave my body–I was so physically and emotionally drained. All around me people seemed in high spirits, chatting and joking as they networked and formed themselves into parties. I didn’t bother, I already knew no one would want me. What could I be but a hindrance? I resolved to wait until everyone else had gone–just in case I did get an invitation–but I wasn’t about to pressure anyone into taking me on. I had been selfish enough, sure it had worked out, but I had endangered every one of them with my…self-centeredness? No, it wasn’t that. I had a right to live, just like them. Still, I was done being an inconvenience. I would go my own way, then no one would be disappointed in me again.

As I sat, my ears started to pick out some of the voices of those near me. I recognized the voices of Leo and Lilian. “Hey I got an XP!”

“Wait, you mean one?” said Lilian.

“Yeah, how many did you get?” asked Leo.

“Twenty-two.”

“I guess that makes sense. You actually fought the troll, you know. I just threw a ham.”

“I still don’t know why I agreed to team up with you. You don’t even have a weapon.”

“Aww come on, I showed you I have heart, didn’t I? I didn’t see anyone else trying to help you out.”

“I didn’t need your help.”

“Ok, but imagine a hypothetical situation where you did. You’d want me around, you know?”

“I guess,” said Lillian, not sounding convinced.

“Anyways, we still need a front liner. I bet I can enlist Kyle.” They moved away out of earshot and I drifted out of consciousness.

When I awoke it was evening. Not a sound was to be heard. I was alone. The world of Eutopia lay down below me, cast in the light of a golden sunset.

“Wow,” I gasped. “At least they made it beautiful.”

“You got that right,” said a voice.

I was so surprised I lost my balance, and not having a hand to catch myself, fell backwards over the log. There, upside down against the deep blue sky, was the red-headed girl.

“You, but what are you still doing here?” I asked, springing to my feet. “You shouldn’t be here. You should have joined a party!” I scoured the hill top, but there was no one but us.

“I thought you and I could make one,” she said.

“You don’t want to be with me. I’m useless. Deadweight. A fish in a barrel on legs!”

“I don’t think so. I think you’re brave and selfless, if a little stupid.”

“Hey.”

“And if it makes you feel any better, I did try to recruit another member, but nobody was interested. I think they thought as little of me as they did of you.” The girl giggled.

“Well that’s reassuring,” I said. “What are you anyway?”

“You mean like what grade am I in? I graduated.”

“No silly–what’s your class?”

“Dunno,” she said, blankly. “I couldn’t get my menu to open.”

“Oy!” I gasped, rolling my head backwards. “Let’s start with something you do know.”

“What’s that?”

“Your name.”

“Oh,” said the girl, laughing. “My name is Orine. What is your name?”

“Sebastian, but my friends all call me Bastian.”

“Oh nice to meet you Bast–I mean Sebastian.”

“You can call me Bastian.”

“And you can call me Ori. We might as well be friendly. We have a long journey ahead of us.”

“It might be very short actually. Not to be morbid, but I mean look at us.”

“Yeah, this might be tough…” said Ori, laughing nervously.

We sat down on the log and looked back out over the countryside, now bathed in the last light of sunset–a burning crimson with whispers of purple in the clouds. We didn’t say anything. I didn’t feel I had the right to say anything. For all I knew this might be the last sunset this girl would ever see–she didn’t need some random guy making awkward small talk during it.

There was a half moon that night. It hadn’t been visible for long before I heard the howling of wolves below me on the mountain, but not so far below me as I would have liked.

“I guess we should find somewhere to rest for the night,” I said.

“Don't worry, I’ve already thought of that.”

“What do you mean? What did you find?” I asked.

“Come on,” she said, and she led me around the wall to the gate, on the other side of which stood a small door, half hidden in the relief of the wall. She turned the knob and the door opened.

“You mean there is a gatehouse? That son of a…If I ever see that Ghost-guy again it's boomtime on sight. On sight!”

“He’d probably just use permeate you know,” mused Ori.

“Oh yeah. I think I could cry. Why did an asshole like him have to get such an awesome class?”

“But I don’t understand," said Ori, lighting the candle on the table. “Why do you hate him so much? It’s not like he was the one who started the chanting or anything.”

“Oh, you weren’t there. He was supposed to permeate into the gatehouse and find the switch or whatever that opens the gate. Only he said there was no gatehouse, that it was solid stone all the way through…But apparently not!”

“Maybe he didn’t do it right. Or he closed his eyes or something?”

“Are you incapable of thinking the worst of someone?”

“I don’t know.”

“All right, well whatever you choose to believe. I am telling you he’s dangerous. If you ever see him again, I want you to steer clear.”

“Okay, but I don’t know where you are in this situation.”

“Me? Probably a smudge somewhere, I don’t know. Forget about me.”

“You shouldn’t talk like that,” said Ori, looking at me intently.

I couldn’t stand it. It almost made me blush to be looked at like that. “I was mostly kidding, but it’s also kinda true. Not everyone is going to make it to the end, and it sure isn’t going to be the guy whose only ability sets off eighty pounds of explosives on either side of his head.”

“I don’t understand, how can that be your only ability? It’s horrible. It’s like they wanted you to blow yourself up. It makes me very angry to think about.”

“I don’t know. Maybe I am like the worst person here. No, that can’t be it. Not with that Ghost-guy here. I don’t know. I do think there probably is a switch around here somewhere. They probably didn’t expect him to sabotage us. We’d have been out in fifteen minutes if that power was on anybody else. Speaking of him, he better not have gotten any points from the survey.”

Ori shrugged.

“Who did you vote for?”

“Nobody, I couldn’t–”

“–open the menu–got it. Have you tried since?”

“Lots of times. It’s just supposed to be there on the right, isn’t it? I kept seeing people do this. But when I do it–nothing happens…” She waved her hand as I’d seen the others do.

“That is strange. You don’t even see the circles?”

“No, I don’t see the circles. Are they in your vision or in your peripheral vision?”

“Hmm? Oh, I don’t know. I think they’re in my peripheral vision.”

“I bet that’s it,” said the girl with a sigh. “I don’t have any peripheral vision.”

“What do you mean you don’t have any peripheral vision?”

“It’s called tunnel vision. It’s a condition.”

“You mean you had a medical condition like in real life that you brought in here with you?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Weird.”

“How’s that weird?”

“I dunno. I just would have figured they’d like, correct that sort of thing.”

“Why? If I leave here I’m gonna have it out there.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe Panacea fixes tunnel vision along with whatever else you have. Speaking of–do you mind my asking?”

“Why I’m…in here?” said Ori.

I nodded.

“I got really sick all of a sudden. The doctors didn’t have time to figure out why.”

“You still don’t know why?”

She shook her head.

“I see.”

“What about you?”

“Honestly, I have no idea. I don’t even remember being sick. Last thing I remember, I was doing great. I mean my life was a mess, but I had a clean bill of health. No idea what happened. Wait–here it is! how much you want to bet turning that opens the gate outside.”

“Don’t! You’ll set the troll on us!”

“Now who's forgetting about whose disability?” I said wryly.

“Can you really not use your hands at all? They’re permanently stuck to those barrels? How do you navigate the menu?”

“Like this” I said, and I demonstrated my peck flexing technique. “You should try it. Maybe it would work for you too,” I said.

Ori gave me a look I didn’t think her capable of making.

The room we were in looked like what you would expect from a guardhouse. There was a table with chairs, a small cot, and a variety of odds and ends which might have interested me if I had the hands to make something of them. There was however an empty chest in the corner.

“You opened that earlier I assume?” I said, gesturing to the chest.

“It was that way when I first got here,” was her reply.

“Oh, Ghost-guy how I long to wrap you in a great big, barrel hug!”

“Oh let me know when you do your survey, I want to watch,” said Ori, lying down on the cot.

“Can you see my menu?”

“I think yes–if we’re in the same party.”

“But we aren’t in the same party.”

“What do you mean?” she said, sitting up.

“Relax, I mean we haven’t officially joined each other’s party.”

“Oh, can you invite me?”

“I can try. I’m not sure you’ll be able to accept though.”

“I think I should be able to,” she said, getting out of bed and walking over to where I was sitting at the table.

“There, invite sent. It says you can click accept or shake my hand to join my party.”

I almost jumped when I felt her soft hand touching the back of mine.

“I accept,” she said with a giggle. A moment later I could see her in my party: Orine - Priestess HP:55.

“Oooooo,” I said. “I can see your class!”

“Wait! You can? Show me! Show me!”

As she darted back towards me I closed the menu.

“What will you give me?” I said.

“How about I won’t give you a punch in the face? I know you can’t defend yourself.”

“All right, easy now. Here, have a look.”

“Priestess, HP fifty-five? Isn’t that low? I heard other people talking and it sounded like they had a lot more. Like some of them were over a hundred.”

“Yeah, that’s probably right.”

“Why? Are you being sexist!? Are you saying I should have no HP because I’m a girl?” Ori was once again threatening me.

“No, that’s not it. It’s your class. You’re a priest. Healer classes never have a ton of HP.”

“Oh, you’re like a big gamer then.”

“Don’t say that like it’s a negative thing. It will probably come in handy.”

“Okay, fine. Just don’t expect me to be all, ‘a gamer?’” and she pretended to swoon.

“Yeah okay. What are your hobbies then, Miss I’m-Too-Good-For-Videogames?”

“I don’t know. I play piano, ride horses, play tennis, write poetry, go for walks with my fiancé–”

“You have a fiancé” I blurted out.

“I–yeah,” she said, getting quiet.

“I’m sorry.”

“Hmm?”

“I mean, that must be really hard on him.”

“Anyways I do play videogames,” she said, once more using her cheery voice.

“You mean like the cutesy one with the raccoons or whatever. That doesn’t count.”

“It’s not a raccoon, it's a tanuki–oh never mind.”

We sat in silence for a few minutes after that. She was lying on the cot, facing towards the wall, and I was beginning to think she’d fallen asleep when suddenly she spoke. Her voice was quiet and serious.

“Do you have anyone special out there? Waiting for you?”

“No,” I said.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Don’t be. I’m honestly not sure which is worse.”

“Yeah.”

I blew out the candle. That at least I could do.

“Goodnight,” I said.

“Goodnight,” she answered.

I think she fell asleep pretty soon after that, but I couldn’t sleep. I was up a long time afterwards with my thoughts.