Rydel sat quietly and gazed up at the clear night sky. This world had little to no light pollution so hundreds of thousands of stars filled the air with a gentle glow. Under normal circumstances Rydel would be enthralled with this magnificent sight, but he found himself too troubled to really appreciate the natural beauty above him. Behind him, Rydel could hear the sounds of his NPC companions making a small camp for the evening. 

 

The group left the smoldering remains of fort Zhorta behind and began to trek westward towards the nearest town. Rydel had grown quiet as the day slowly faded to night. He knew his actions were a cause for concern for his companions, but he really couldn’t help the melancholy that had fallen over his mind. Soft footsteps behind him caused Rydel to turn.

 

“I’m sorry, master. Am I not who you were expecting?” The necromancer Jade asked in her quiet voice.

 

No, actually. Rydel thought immediately but decided to not say something that could be considered rude aloud.

 

He had heard the whispers between the NPCs around him all evening. There was a lot of speculation as to what was wrong with Rydel and how they could best help him. It was the first time in Rydel’s life where overhearing conversation hadn’t made him depressed. These girls honestly cared about him and Rydel found that extremely endearing.

 

“I wasn’t expecting anyone in particular.” Rydel lied casually. “You want to sit down?”

 

Truthfully, Rydel had expected Elizabeth to make the first approach. She was his direct companion and seemed the most protective of her master. Rydel was curious why Jade was here instead of the high elf.

 

“Thank you very much, master. You’re too kind.” Jade gave him a low bow before kneeling down beside him.

 

Jade was… well just as beautiful as all of the other NPCs in Rydel’s guild. Given Rydel’s natural talent around Neo Cosmos’ character crafting system meant that all of his friends had enlisted his help in creating each and every one of them. Jade was a human superior zombie, which meant that she wasn’t technically alive. Her creator, Rydel’s online friend Zinny, had wanted to lean into her pale corpse-like appearance. Hence her porcelain complexion and doll-like gray eyes. As she had just been setting up the sleeping arrangements, her dark black hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail that hung halfway down her back.

 

Despite the loose lavender robes she wore, Rydel’s eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to her hourglass figure. It was vain of him and his friends to make all of their NPCs so attractive, but what else could anyone really expect from a game with the reputation as ‘the waifu generator’?

 

“Is something wrong with my appearance master?” Jade’s left hand covered her mouth as she spoke, but Rydel could still detect the hint of a frown on her features.

 

“No. Not at all. You look… well perfect actually. That’s all I was thinking…”

 

Since she had no blood to give her feelings away Rydel had to pay far more attention to her eyes and the subtle changes in her mouth. Jade’s quiet persona matched up with what Zinny had written out for her backstory, though, Rydel knew that the few paragraphs his friend had written did not contain enough information to create the real life creature that sat next to him.

 

Where did the rest of you come from? Rydel wondered. Is it just an algorithm that fills in the gaps? Am I filling in the rest with my own mind?

 

Jade’s gray eyes flickered away shyly. “Thank you for your kind words, but staring so much… makes me anxious. I-I don’t really mind though…”

 

“Sorry about that.” Rydel scratched the back of his head and returned his gaze to the stars above them.

 

“If I might inquire, master.” Jade shifted her kneeling position so she could face Rydel directly. “You haven’t said much since your destruction of the human fort. Your humble followers thought it might have something to do with the loss of your weak friend.”

 

Jade clasped her hands together in her lap and she avoided Rydel’s questioning glance. “And… you see… since I’m not alive myself… we thought that perhaps I could be of some comfort…”

 

Rydel’s mouth fell open. “Wait. So let me get this straight. You all thought that since you were a zombie that you would be in the best position to comfort me about a close friend of mine dying?”

 

Jade’s watery eyes fell and she simply nodded in response. Despite the heavy weight that had been pushing down on his heart, Rydel found himself laughing out loud at the ridiculous logic his NPCs had used to try and understand him.

 

They’re so mature yet somehow so naive about social interactions. Rydel’s laugh froze  in his mouth. Wait… that’s just like us.

 

One of the reasons his guild had worked so well together was the knowledge that they were all social outcasts. None of them knew how to properly interact with individuals in the real world so that led them to spend all of their time online. Maybe some of that awkwardness had bled over into their own creations. Jade fell into an unsure silence as she watched Rydel’s laughter with hesitant eyes.

 

“I’m sorry.” Rydel wiped his eyes and chuckled. “It’s just… Thank you for volunteering to try and help me. I appreciate it.”

 

Jade nodded with a frown. “So… are you okay master?”

 

“I thought I’d feel… better after exterminating the man who killed Quinton.” Rydel gazed down at his hands and inspected them. “I thought of a million different ways I could have saved his life. I messed up. I should have been one step ahead of those killers, but I wasn’t. Quinton had to step in and save my stupid backside not once, but twice during that fight.”

 

Rydel’s voice grew bitter. “They were what, level twenty? Max? I could have mopped the floor with all of them before they took a single step forward. Quinton even brought up magic and I forgot that I could buff my strength and dexterity even if I didn’t have a weapon. Then when I found out I didn’t even finish off Quinton’s killer…”

 

Rydel hadn’t realized how hard he was clenching his fingers into his palms until a drop of blood appeared underneath his fingernails. He took a deep breath and let the tension out of his hands. A pale slender hand reached out and gently grasped the injured palm. Rydel watched a  green light appear between their clasped skin and Rydel felt his wound seal shut.

 

“Forgive my intrusion, master.” Jade said with a bowed head. “I don’t like seeing you in pain.”

 

Rydel squeezed her hand with his own and gave her a grateful nod.

 

“I wasn’t foolish enough to pretend like blowing up that fortress would bring Quinton back… but I somehow convinced myself that I would feel better about everything that happened. Like it wasn’t actually my fault.”

 

“But it wasn’t.” Jade leaned forward with earnestness. “Master you are strong and you are smart and you are kind. You even plan on finding a wish and bringing your friend back to life. I believe… No, we all believe that you will accomplish anything you set your mind to. We’ve seen it. Even when you were alone and all of the other master’s left you behind. You still led us to many victories over many adventures. How is this any different?”

 

Because I wished for the game to be real and then it was… Rydel thought to himself.

 

That’s the real heart of his melancholy. In those last moments before Neo Cosmos was shut down forever, Rydel had made a wish of his own. He didn’t cast a spell or call upon some deity, but his heart had longed for just such an event to occur. In his selfishness and short sightedness, Quinton had been swept up and paid the price for Rydel’s wish.

 

He couldn’t tell the NPCs as such. Rydel wasn’t convinced they would understand. Nor did he want to weigh them down with his own thoughts and worries. They were doing their best to support him so they deserved the same kind of treatment.

 

“You’re right of course.” Rydel smiled at Jade. “The Duodecim guild has been through a lot. No reason to doubt our abilities now.”

 

Jade’s emotions were always subtle and hidden behind her porcelain features. That’s what made the wide smile she gave Rydel so heartwarming to see. Jade held out both arms in a shy nonverbal request for a hug, which Rydel happily complied. Her cheek was cool to the touch but not unpleasantly so. It felt nice to cool off his weary body against Jade’s.

 

“Ahem.” Elizabeth’s cough drove both of them apart rapidly.

 

There was a distinct jealous look in Elizabeth’s eyes when they both turned to apologize to her, but that jealousy gave way quickly to relief when she met Rydel’s gaze.

 

“Are you feeling better, master?” Elizabeth asked hopefully.

 

“I am.” Rydel said truthfully. “Thank you, Jade, for letting me vent some of my feelings to you.”

 

Jade gave him a small smile and a happy dip of her head in response.

 

“Master,” Elizabeth cut back in quickly, “I want you to know that, as your personal companion, you can vent on me anywhere and anytime.”

 

Rydel frowned at her word usage. It didn’t feel like she meant what she said in an inappropriate way, but from her aggressive advances on him earlier Rydel couldn’t quite rule it out.

 

“Thank you Elizabeth. I’m sorry I didn’t open up to you all sooner.” Rydel dipped his own head in an apologetic manner.

 

Elizabeth beamed and then turned to face Jade directly.

 

“As a reward for succeeding in helping master feel better, the others have agreed to let you get first choice at the sleeping arrangements around master.”

 

Rydel stopped short. “What do you mean around me?”