Alone, yet not lonely. Alone, yet not ready. Alone…yet surprisingly happy where I stand.

The Fist Fighter was faced with two opposing players, both taunting him, calling him names while swinging their swords like they were the best. The former Long Arm preferred silence over exchanging words with loudmouths like these. A part of him wanted to pull out one of his weapons to attack while another part of him wanted to just run away. Instead, he took the third choice: staying put and waiting for them to take action.

“I have errands to do, so unless you guys are going to attack, I’ll just go ahead and gate out.”

A sly grin formed on the Fist Fighter’s lips at the sight of their expressions. One of them, a rather stout Heavy Axemen, pulled out a large battle-axe, raising it into the air before letting out maniacal laughter. The other one pulled out a simple blade. The man with the blade winked at the Fist Fighter. Yes, he winked at him. It was definitely one of the stranger things he had seen in ‘The World.’ Since when did men wink at other…oh dear God…

“Prepare to be – ”

The man’s words were cut off by Shenmock’s laughter. He couldn’t hold it in any longer, as the guy seemed to be taking this “role playing” a little too far. It seemed as if he was one of those video game characters with extremely cheesy lines. Prepare to be defeated? Wow, that was a little too original.

In his anger, the Heavy Axemen rushed forward, his blade dragging across the ground. Blades of grass shot up into the air while dirt flopped up behind it. The man’s dark eyes locked onto the Fist Fighter’s neck, aiming for a relatively dirty decapitation process. With a roar of rage, the man sent his axe forward. Bending backward, Shenmock pressed his hands against the ground and did a full handstand before falling the other way. The axe came hurtling past, missing it by inches and making the man’s nostrils flare in anticipation for the boy’s counterattack.

His right hand dug into his back pocket as he jumped back. The Fist Fighter’s gloved fingers wrapped themselves around the handle of the weapon while his right hand started to dig for his next weapon. With his left hand, the teen thrust the hand axe at his opponent, easily catching his opponent off guard by using a projectile rather than dealing a few punches and kicks. As the hand axe crashed into his arm, the boy brought out his Meteor Hammerchain, swinging it around once before letting the steel crash into the man’s side. With a yelp of pain, the Heavy Axemen was sent spinning back, crashing into the ground with a hard thump.

Shenmock, over the past few months, had developed quite a knack for fighting whether it was a player or a giant monster. No longer was he the one who searched desperately for ways to avoid death. He danced with death now. He lived with it right beside him. It was both his enemy and ally when he fought with the ruthless players that lurked around ‘The World.’ There was a choice of life and death. He chose life.

The others chose death.

The battle didn’t last much longer than a few minutes. It was that sort of battle that was straightforward to Shenmock. He had been awfully cheap in the battle by using countless spells, but those who enjoyed killing other players deserved it. The corpses of the men in front of him deceased, leaving him alone to stare at the sun and the clouds that hovered by it. The clouds were like the sun’s shadow, sometimes overcoming it, sometimes leaving it. Shenmock didn’t have a cloud to hover next to him. Not now.

The Fist Fighter, seeing as there was nothing left in the field for him to fight, opened up the menu and gated out. Golden rings enveloped him and his character dematerialized just as his friends materialized in the field, ready to try and successfully kill him this time. All they caught was a glimpse of a smirk, one that made them leap forward towards the rings only to find nothing but air. The Fist Fighter had disappeared. Where he was going was the question.

Carmina Gadelica was bustling with activity, players walking excitedly about as if something was going to happen. There was an event going on, an event that called for dancing, talking, and most of all, love. The former Long Arm had noticed it on the announcements, yet instead of actually thinking of joining, he had merely ignored the announcement. The city would be empty soon except for the players that were too busy power leveling their characters. A dance was at least something he preferred over countless fights with monsters. Sometimes that stuff could bore people!

The teen reluctantly started walking through the streets, ducking under people and having to dodge past a good number of players who were talking excitedly amongst themselves. They were in groups of two to five. He was in a group of one and one alone: himself. Sighing heavily, the Fist Fighter ducked as a Heavy Axemen happened to swing his axe the wrong way, almost cleaving the boy in half in the process. Glaring in the man’s direction, Shenmock quickened his pace. The dance, from the looks of things, was going to start in a few minutes. Great…

Meanwhile, at the entrance, people were waiting in a long line to get in. The line had extended a good ways, not to mention a good number of arguments about who had gotten there first. The teen wasn’t interested, so he merely walked off to the grunty ranch, where he visited Blue, his trusty grown grunty. The grunty greeted him with a nod of its head as the boy jumped over the fence and then sat on it. The grunty walked forward, pressing its body against his legs until the Fist Fighter started to pet him.

It wasn’t long before the clock rung, signifying that it was seven o’clock. People squealed in excitement. The Fist Fighter, curious as to see whether or not they would be wearing their normal outfits, looked to the front of the line. A player stepped forward, a menu popping up in front of her. Then, with a few clicks, there was a shine and a long, red dress instantly replaced her usual gear. Her hair looked like it had been combed a lot, too…

His grunty looked up, staring in jealousy as players laughed in the distance. He was the only one at the grunty ranch, the only one that bothered to do this rather than waiting in that endless line. Dances had never been his thing either. Whenever they announced it at school, people got all riled up about it. Then, once the dance finished and he asked about it, he found out that it had been a failure. Every dance went the same way, but a dance in a virtual world? You get to click buttons in order to dance around with your virtual partner. Seriously, what was the point in that?

Sighing once again, Shenmock continued to pet his grunty. The line soon faded until the last person went in, smiling at his white tuxedo (it didn’t look good on him at all, in Shenmock’s opinion) before walking in. The computer player stood stock still, waiting for any stragglers that decided to go in with the other people. One girl decided to come in, only her facial expression didn’t look that excited. Probably out of boredom.

“Should I go in, Blue, or should I just hang out here?” The teen looked up at the clock. It had been a good fifteen minutes since they had started filing in. It was a miracle that no one was so picky. His grunty snorted in response before pressing his head against his leg, letting out more snorts. Staring longingly at another person who walked in, the teen got off the fence and took his leave, waving to the grunty. He had decided that he was going in. Maybe for a second, maybe for a minute, but he was going in nonetheless.

“Good evening, sir.” The computer player bowed, but the boy paid no mind to the gesture. Instead, he simply went through the menu, trying to find the simplest outfit. A tux seemed like a little too much for him, even if every other guy was wearing one. On the other hand, he couldn’t do much about the tux except make the colors of it simple. Flipping through the options, the Fist Fighter settled on a black tux, which was what everybody was wearing. His hair was kept in the shame shape and going barefoot made it look like his legs were fat for some reason. The shoes looked uncomfortable, but this was a virtual world. There was no feeling in this game.

Dark images of the Juk Prison flashed across his eyes for a moment, only to be pushed out a window so he could focus on the dance. Once the settings were done, Shenmock walked in, finding that golden rings enveloped him in a second. There was darkness for a moment before he found himself in the middle of what looked like a ballroom. It was crowded with people, yet the room looked to have been expanded for the amount of people so players didn’t have to be pushed around at every moment while trying to dance or talk.

Shenmock didn’t attract any wandering eyes. He was a loner, after all. His knuckles popping involuntarily, the boy started to walk around, a soft tune coming to his ears. He forced a smile at the tune, as it was something that was for a formal dance. Settling into one of the chairs, all the boy could do was stare at the back of a couple, their fingers wrapping around each others’ hands. It was rather interesting, as the two kept on fidgeting, exchanging glances with each other before stepping out into the open. All he got was a quick glimpse of a few people dancing. The one couple he noticed was of a girl and a boy, smiling at each other as they danced before they kissed. Then people crowded around the opening, eager for their turn to come.

Shenmock didn’t want pity for being the only person there who was sitting and watching from afar. No one approached, no one glanced at him. Everyone was too occupied with dancing, laughing, and enjoying themselves. It reminded him of Middle School, how even when people noticed him, there were no smiles, no laughs. On occasion there were taunts about how he sucked while doing a certain sport, but he hardly cared. The teen, back then, just kept on going, trying to get it even when he had been hit a good dozen times in less than ten minutes. He had never given up, but he had never gotten anywhere. Even today, James still hadn’t. Not even in a virtual world.

The Fist Fighter was about to get up and leave when someone, a girl that looked slightly recognizable from somewhere, sat in the seat next to him. She seemed to have no one with her, no boy to kiss, no dancing to be had. She was a loner, just like him. Her hands ran across the table behind him and then the fingers brushed across his shoulder. Then they squeezed, making him suddenly recoil. Who the…?

“Remember me?” The voice was familiar. A memory of her passed through his head, disappearing in the distance. He tilted his head off to the side, staring at her as if he hadn’t seen the girl in years. He hadn’t seen her in months, but still, it was rather awkward to stumble upon a friend in a virtual world full of so many people. Her hand trailed down until the fingers wrapped around his. Shenmock, in return, squeezed hers.

“There’s no way that I haven’t,” he whispered in response. The two got up, approaching the middle of the ballroom where everyone was dancing to a slow, almost sad tune. An NPC was playing the piano, acting all melodramatic in the process while a few others snuck up on him, only to find an invisible wall blocking their entrance into his personal bubble. Then, jumping, the two landed in harmony in the middle of the ballroom. Then they were dancing, the tune still as sad as ever. He closed his eyes, the girls’ hands taking him wherever they wanted to. If only he could feel her warm breath, could feel her hands burning against his.

“It’s so easy to dance here,” she whispered in his ear. “At least we don’t have to make a fool of ourselves.” Her soft laughter seemed to echo in his head, even though it was only audible by him. He couldn’t help but open his emerald eyes in order to smile at her. They seemed to glow in the room, seemed to pierce her own sapphire eyes. Two jewels staring right into each other’s eyes. He leaned forward, his ocean blue hair brushing against her cheek while her lips brushed past his cheek.

“Fly.” It was all he muttered before lifting her up into the air, spinning while the NPC continued to play the song. The girl smiled at the people who watched, aware of the many eyes on them in particular. Then she hit the ground, their hands still clasped together while they danced. Soon the dance came to an end, followed by the mute stares of the audience. When the boy looked around, he found that they were the only ones still there, the only ones… A violin started to play while the piano continued to go, sending out much more joyous music. When he looked at her, troubled, she smiled, obviously not troubled at how they had been noticed by so many.

The Fist Fighter, at that point, dragged her out of the way, letting other players dance. At first, he headed for the chairs, but she curved around, aiming for the balcony with probably one of the most beautiful views in ‘The World.’ Her eyes twinkled as they opened the doors, walking out into the rather empty balcony. There was a group standing there, watching the night sky, the stars, the constellations…everything. The city glowed under them. The teen could make out the grunty stable far below, along with a few dots that he considered to be players that had decided to ignore the dance. The dots, though, were of a small amount.

“That was great,” she whispered in his ear. The teen winced at the word ‘great.’ He couldn’t exactly describe attracting hundreds of people to him to be ‘great.’ With the tournament and other things that had been going on lately, he didn’t want the crowd to always be staring at him. Why not the guy in the white tux? Why not the girl in the ugly dress? Why not the boy who wasn’t wearing a classy outfit like the rest of them? Why did it always have to be him, and not someone else?

“I guess.” He wasn’t sure if he heard the words, but he didn’t care. All he needed was to hear her voice and the music that played with their dance. He had hardly expected their dance to be so noticeable by the crowd! A sigh escaped Shenmock’s lips as he looked up at the stars. His hand drifted up towards the three stars that formed Orion’s belt. She smiled, pressing her body against his side while she pointed out how bright the moon was.

It seemed to all be just a dream to him, something that had never happened, something that couldn’t happen. It seemed all but impossible that he had run into one of his ex-girlfriends, only to dance with her until a crowd full of hundreds of people was staring at them, the couple that didn’t exactly look like a couple. Whereas she had brown hair, he had blue hair that stood out in the crowd. “Hey look, that’s the blue haired kid” was what someone would say if he saw him running away from something. It could be a worry, it could be a knight, or it could be just someone trying to make fun of him. Story of his life.

Taunts, like many other things, were the story of his life, and he hated it.

The Fist Fighter found his hands clasping hers again, squeezing them until he was sure her character’s fingers went numb. The girl smiled in response to his playfulness and, before he even knew what was happening, leaned up for the kiss. It was not the kiss of death, nor was it the kiss of love. It was just a kiss, a kiss for a dance, a kiss for all the times they spent together, and…a kiss for a good-bye. At least for the night. He wasn’t sure if the crowd was staring at him again, but he didn’t care either.

That wasn’t going to stand in his way.

Hoofs hit the puddles, splashing water onto the withering plants. The grunty huffed and puffed as it galloped forward towards the monster standing in their way, a rather large monster that carried a blade. The blade looked rusty, but the fact that it was so big meant the danger factor was huge. Not for him, though. There was no such thing as danger for him. Or at least, if there was one, he didn’t care.

Carefully, Shenmock pushed himself up so he was standing on the small saddle, holding onto the string while glaring at the monster in front of him. His Meteor Hammerchain appeared in his hand, the weight hanging at his side as he waited for them to get close enough. He yelled at his grunty, yelling commands for him to stop once they were mere yards away from where the monster stood. The monster made a mad swing with its sword, but that was dodged by the grunty. The Fist Fighter pulled on the strings (he couldn’t remember what they were called at that moment), making the grunty abruptly stop.

The boy was flying through the air, his blue hair flying about as he swung his hammerchain around. The weight at the end wrapped itself around the monster’s neck while the boy swung around on the other side. Shenmock pulled with all of his strength, trying to pull himself around a tree so he could bring the monster down to the ground. Despite his attempt at bringing it down, the monster still prevailed. Or at least, it thought it did.

The monster pulled the chain, throwing the Fist Fighter over its head, into the air where it could smash him to bits. Instead, the weapon disappeared, replaced by a good number of hand axes that Shenmock promptly threw at the monster, each one of the weapons gleaming in the reflection of the lightning that struck the ground.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The Fist Fighter hit the ground, his face hardening as the monster pulled the weapons out, throwing them to the ground before it swung its sword at him. Sheathing the remaining axes, the Fist Fighter instead pulled out fans, which he waved around for a second before he jumped off to the side, dodging by the sword. Sliding across the ground, the former Long Arm looked at its open chest with a gleaming emerald eye. Pulling his fans behind him, the teen sprinted forward towards the monster’s open chest.

“Aero Dive!” Shenmock cried. His eyes blazed as the fans dug into the monster’s chest, sending the monster back a few feet before it collapsed, dead as a doorknob. His grunty came up next to him, its face one of glee at the sight of the fallen monster. The Fist Fighter stared down at it, leaning against his grunty as if he was tired out from the few buttons he was forced to mash in order to complete the stunt. It wasn’t long before he jumped on his grunty, giving it a gentle pat on the side for it to get going. They had a ways to go in this dungeon.

The trips that he had taken to dungeons were always silent. This one, at least, had the usual ‘Mon-ami!’ coming from his grunty, which was a plus. Kind of, at least. When he said it for the thirtieth time, it kind of got…annoying? He smiled as Blue chirped the same phrase again as the two made their way through the fields of the field. It was raining with mist cutting around the edges of the field. Both of them were wet, but what did they care? Or at least, why did Shenmock have to care? It was his sort of weather, even if he rarely saw rain where he lived.

There was a portal in the distance, one that alerted both of them. Giving off a cheerful laugh at the grunty’s eager expression, Shenmock moved the two forward, his grunty moving at quite a quick pace. Then the two were there, the monsters in front of them and nothing to ruin their fun.

Shenmock: Bright Tonfa, Lightning Bolt