Raphael checked his dad's vitals. The nutrient packs were topped up, the system checks were fine. His father was logged into a world of memory and nostalgia, available for his children and friends to visit. He was far more lucid on the Crystal Net than in the physical world, but it was still hard to watch, especially for those who knew him at his prime.

  Which was why Raphael checked his own setup. It was state-of-the-art, configured to pull him from the Net if his father's vitals fell. He kept it in his father’s room just in case. He ate a horrible-tasting nutrient pack of his own and logged into Coro?en.

  At the edge of destruction, Grimmblade stood at a jagged hillside near where the world dragon was currently roaming on its path of global destruction. He saw the black, shining scales, his greatest enemy, the one challenge that had cost him his friends in this world. But today was not the day to fight it.

  "Noobkitty, your plan is crazy," he said, taking a bite of bean brittle.

  Bean Brittle

  -90% Health Points for six hours

  A cat said sugar and uncooked beans are bad for you, so it must be true.

  It tasted awful, the crunch, the texture, but it was what he needed. His health dropped to dangerous levels. With no armor on, his defense was just low enough to actually receive damage in this area.

  He stomped his feet and yelled, activating his Aggro Call skill. Sure enough, a scurrying four-legged spiked lizard came running forward. It disappeared, then reappeared, its front horn skewering Grimmblade’s chest. He gritted his teeth from the pain.

  Dire Chameleon has killed you. Lv exp -10%. Threshold reached, level dropped to 54.

  Respawn location has not been set. Respawning… respawning in Cliffs of Pantmaw.

  And his day began. A bite of brittle. Aggro Call. Dead… over and over and over and…

  Grimmblade entered Noob Noms, his armor shining in ebony glory. He looked forward to one day trading this dark and grim metal armor for the overpowered starting gear Noobkitty was enchanting.

  He sat down at a table. Players looked at him warily, but his party smiled at his presence. It was good to have a party again.

  "How goes the dying?" SisterQuery asked, bringing him a hearty-looking bagel with beet paste and sprouts.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  "Making progress. How’s the being dead going?"

  "You’d think being dead I wouldn’t have to worry about the morality of digital milk when I sneak real cream into the shop for my morning coffee," SisterQuery said, eyeing Noobkitty and .ex.

  "Does Skidmark help you sneak it in?" Grimmblade asked.

  "That’s the thing, evidently one of his moms is a vegetarian. He says to respect the store's morality," she said, exasperated. "Even the kid is questioning my morality. I’m outnumbered."

  Grimmblade laughed. "How about a break? I’ll get you a bacon cheese quiche. The city that makes them will be gone in a week, so best to use these teleportation scrolls for a noble purpose."

  SisterQuery’s eyes lit up. "Are you asking a dead girl on a date? Why, Grimmblade, how inappropriate of you."

  He crossed his arms. "Act like that and I’ll leave you to vegan junk food hell."

  "No, please, I need morally ambiguous quiche or I’ll go insane," she said playfully, grabbing onto his arm.

  Pantmaw, back in the day, was primarily a cat beastkin city, but with all the refugees and influx of players as the world shrank, the population had grown more diverse. He took SisterQuery to a café well known for carnivorous eats, since cat beastkin are purely meat and dairy eaters, except for Noobkitty, of course, who was a player and not bound by the rules of local lore and NPCs.

  They sat and ordered quiche, a charcuterie board, and drinks. It was tempting to do milkshakes, but that felt a little too far.

  SisterQuery savored a piece of cheese and a slice of ham. Grimmblade had to laugh, she had been in Noobkitty’s shop since she was downloaded and had vegan food thrust upon her. This was probably the first meat and cheese she’d had in weeks.

  "I’ll have to take you to a few other places before they get destroyed," Grimmblade offered. "There’s a fondue restaurant in Silvergleam, some amazing seafood in Seameet, hotpot in Moonbright."

  "Wouldn’t that be a lot? You can’t live on digital food like I do," SisterQuery said.

  "Yeah. Something Fizzypop and I have in common is we both eat nutrient pouches. We look forward to food on the Net because it tastes better than what we eat in real. If I don’t cook, it’s easier to keep the house sterile, so nutrient pouches keep my body healthy."

  "Why doesn’t Fizzypop eat real food?" she asked, taking a forkful of her fluffy quiche.

  "Oh, they haven’t told you?" He considered. "It shouldn’t be a problem, their food review fans know. They have awful food allergies. It’s easier for them to eat hypoallergenic nutritional packs than to risk ingredients or contamination that could send them to a hospital."

  "Is that why they’re so food-obsessed?" SisterQuery asked.

  Grimmblade nodded, taking some salami and crackers. It truly was better than any flavor of nutrient packs.

  "I think… I’d like it, if it’s not too weird to you that I’m not my original, that I’m dead and downloaded," SisterQuery said, looking across the table to Grimmblade.

  "I’d be honored to take you restaurant-hopping. But would you feel up to trying something a little more serious?" Grimmblade asked.

  SisterQuery blushed. "I… I would. I’d like to get to know you better. I’d be happy to start dating you, but…"

  "No buts. Let’s learn each other and order some cheesecake to go with this meal. Somewhere, Noobkitty is having a panic attack."

  They laughed, talked, and enjoyed both the food and each other. Grimmblade teleported her back to Starter, with some cream tucked away in her inventory to sneak into her future coffee.

  Grimmblade then focused on his task, biting awful awful-tasting bean brittle. But it didn’t taste so bad now. He had even more reason to want to save this world.

  SisterQuery, who was stuck in this world against her will, he could handle some bitter brittle for her. He’d save this world with his party, with Sweet Victory, and then… who knew.

  He stamped his foot and yelled, "Aggro Call!"

  A demonic drop bear leaped out of the sky and slashed his head clean off.

  Demonic Drop Bear has killed you. Lv exp -10%. Threshold reached, level dropped to 52.

  Respawn location has not been set. Respawning… respawning in Cliffs of Pantmaw.