The Transience of Her

Downtime Filler, Part 3

It's already sundown.

Mom and Dad are preparing tonight's dinner after taking the now-empty boxes that now contain much smaller boxes (including the console boxes) into the attic to save some precious space.

As for me...

Heath warnings that are usually displayed when starting up modern-day consoles tell me that I should rest for around 15 minutes for every hour of playtime.

I follow that advice.

Minutes later, we all eat dinner.

We all talk about the collections she had that now proudly mine (and, by some extension, theirs).

My dad initiates the talk over some chicken pot pie.

“Ya know, sonny, that remark of mine I made yesterday about the games today that were different from the games I grew up with when I was a wee kid... now that I've watched you play these games, what I said is 50% true and 50% false.”

“M-hm. Please tell us about it.”

“In the old days, all we did was get to the next level and get the high score. Simple as that. But nowadays, we are now surrounded by open worlds, realistic human-like characters, and more complicated mechanics. Watching you play made me feel that there was some paradigm shift going on.”

Mom then adds...

“But then, there are some of us elderly people who are getting used to modern games and thus serve as inspiration to to other people.”

Dad concludes...

“Even though technology has evolved, there are still things that remain true about games regardless of time period or generation: It's OK to win, and it's also OK to lose. You just need to continue moving.”

“Yeah, you're both right.”

Lianna may have lost the so-called “game of life” by dying early, but she has also won it by being reborn in another world.

I may have lost that game by losing her unexpectedly, but I also have won it by being given the things she had cherished and learning more about her short but colorful life here on Earth.

Dinner has eventually ended, and I go back to organize and playing the games she have left behind.

This time, I'm concentrating on handheld games.

I take the few boxes that contain handheld consoles as well as their own cartridge-based games to my room.

Hmm... there should still be adequate shelf space to display all those cartridge games, which amount to 50.

As for the handhelds... there are only three that she had. The Gear Boy, the Gear Boy Dual, and the DreamStation Portable.

Here are the handheld games that caught my attention.

Jewel Beast Blaster is a puzzle game where one has to, of course, match the jewels on the screen and watch as combos chain up. Easy to learn, hard to master – especially when the time limits are shorter on later levels. Last time I played it, I made it to level 16. Guess I can do better this time.

Model Kit Painter is a simulation game where one has to properly paint plastic model kits with the right amount of paint as well as the right amount of drying time. The game is a must for aspiring model kit painters. I once played it, and messed up on a model kit of a grunt commander robot.

The Better Egg is an arcade-style game that involves catching organic eggs into a basket. Mess up the timing and the egg's wasted. Not many know that the game is part of a massive advertising campaign promoting, what else, organic eggs by a huge organic farm.

Office Prank Simulator allows one to live the life of an office prankster, without the risk of getting yelled at by bosses, or even worse, getting the pink slip. Some of the mini-games included are sticking labels that say “Warning: Insect inside cup”, messing with the auto-correct function in the word processor, sneaking in a tiny speaker that plays strange or annoying sounds, placing stickers that say “for rectal use only” on random objects, and adding unwanted songs on a co-worker's playlist. It's wonderful that the developers were able to cram in so many mini-games inside a cartridge. Last I hear, a “volume 2” is on the way.

The King James Bible is essentially the entire Bible in a cartridge, with a useful word search feature and extra mini-games such as a hangman-like game and a memory game. It's officially licensed, by the way.

Cellphone Technician Simulator is another simulation game that focuses on the life of, obviously, a cellphone/smartphone technician. Some parts of the game, especially the ones where one has to pick the correct screws to insert in their proper places (and failure means the phone is fried to a crisp due to short circuits), are freaking hard.

The Avenging League is a tie-in to the superhero film of the same name. It's a beat-'em-up game featuring the superheroes featured in the film. The controls are responsive, and the sounds amplify the feeling of satisfaction of beating the crap out of enemies. This game is one of the aversions of an unfortunate truth in the game industry: Licensed games more often than not suck.

The Therapeutic Masseuse is an adventure game where one plays as a massage therapist, servicing clients with soothing massages. It's notable for pushing the boundaries of the T (Teen) rating, with suggestive moans and egregious displays of skin.

Slashing Spife is an action game where the main character wields a large and unassumingly dangerous spife (a hybrid of a spoon and a knife). There are some RPG elements, as enhancing blood functions, bone functions, and muscle functions lead to stat boosts that make the frantic action a bit more bearable.

Go to the Bathroom is a platforming game where the player character is an ordinary man whose bladder is full and therefore must go to the bathroom pronto – only that the way to the bathroom is full of all platforming obstacles. It is infamous for its notorious use of traps and impossible jumps.

All these games and more take no more than ten hours to complete – which is suitable enough if one has to, say, play while waiting for the next flight, or simply pass the day away.

As for the three handhelds she had...

An affordable solution that borders on practical use of things laying around is the utilization of book holders mom used to hold cookbooks while she's in the kitchen.

Those holders are made of wood, and their finish is worn-out.

All I have to do is to strip the old finish and apply a new one.

And... that will be on tomorrow's agenda.

For now, I'll play Slashing Spife on the Gear Boy Dual until my body gives in to sleepiness.

…

…

…

Bam, good night.

After discovering that I cannot get sick inside an MMO, due to practical and pragmatic reasons on the part of the developers...

I need to go back to my soul-searching.

This time, I plan to go to the place where I had first earned the Holy Dragoon job in order to continue my meditation.

From the place I'm currently in, the Great Library of Vida'a, I need to go to the Sacred Mountain of Nsubunga.

The mountain should be not that far from its nearest town, Jatujak, which is located on another continent, Bertanidus.

The continent that both Tulyasi and Vida'a are in, Yilwara, is connected to Bertanidus via what is called the Kh'anmon Trans-aerial Pedestrian Tunnel.

The tunnel is 6.5 kilometers in length, and it's surprisingly featureless besides the fact that it's protected from monster attacks and other threats by high-class protection spells made possible by magical machines that are installed at both ends of the tunnel.

Well, what am I waiting for? Let's get this pilgrimage started!

From Vida'a, I should head to the southeast corner of Yilwara, which is where the terminus of the Tunnel is.

Since there are no instant teleportation amenities, I have no choice but to rough it and walk through the continental fields to get to the terminus.

After roughly 45 minutes of walking and slaying monsters that get in my way, I'm here at the Yilwara Terminus.

It's still as spartan in its looks as it was when I first embarked on the Holy Dragoon quest.

I take a look at the sign on the door.

“This tunnel is open from 7 ante meridiem to 10 post meridiem. During closing hours, the gates on the termini will be locked down to ensure security.”

Some things indeed never change, huh.

Without any hesitation, I proudly enter the tunnel.

6.5 kilometers covered with 30 minutes of walking later...

I'm now out of Yilwara and now within Bertanidus.

All this walking has reminded me of the oft-repeated saying...

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Before I get any further into the Sacred Mountain of Nsubunga, I need to make a pit stop at Jatujak.

I stock up on items that will be useful in future quests, including the ones needed for The Sandwich Guild.

Our guildmaster takes to heart the equal distribution of blessings, which was shown by Soren when he willingly distributed his MVP loot to the rest of us guild members.

After that momentary pit stop, I head out of Jatujak, and into the mountain where the sacred dragon is said to reside.

Ascending the Sacred Mountain of Nsubunga is no easy task.

Aspiring Holy Dragoons must defeat both fire-elemental and undead enemies that get in their way of ascending the lone mountain path.

And at the summit...

They will encounter the sacred dragon himself, Rapatajawi, who will gladly challenge them to a duel to test their worthiness.

And once they win the duel, the reward of a job promotion is in their grasp.

Since I'm a relatively high-leveled Holy Dragoon myself, I tear through the enemies with relative ease.

No sooner do I eventually land at the summit.

I don't sense any presence of Rapatajawi himself, but meeting him is not in my priority list.

I just need some peace and quiet in order to further focus on my meditation.

The summit has no monster encounters, so this is the perfect spot.

I sit at the very center of the summit, set my Polearm aside, and close my eyes to begin the meditation.

Minutes later...

I can hear a faint roar.

No doubt, it's him.

He's answering my call once more...

...though in a different way.

In place of the sacred roar, I hear instead the flapping of dragon wings.

The flapping gets louder and louder by the second, forcing me to open my eyes.

And here he is. The sacred dragon, in all of its divine glory.

All guardian dragons by default can speak and understand human speech, as well as peer into human thoughts.

“I never expected an experienced Holy Dragoon to set foot in my domain. What brings you here, Miss Linnia Beferia?”

“Meditation as part of my soul-searching.”

“How noble of you. I can see there are still some lingering doubts within your heart.”

“Guess I expected such an answer from a dragon like you.”

“Manifestly, I am knowledgeable in human affairs past and present. And based on my momentary monitoring of your deepest of thoughts... I can sense... a feeling of attachment to the world where you came from.”

“I know. I... how do I explain this... permanently left the world where I came from. I really miss the loved ones I've left behind... and going back to the way it was is entirely impossible. Yes, I may have gained even more strength... but at the same time... I feel more vulnerable.”

The dragon momentarily pauses to parse my thoughts.

“You are inherently different from when I first encountered you, Miss Linnia. You have the qualities that make a human... truly human. A perfect balance of strength and weakness. And whatever you had in you that gives you this uniqueness... it is the key to not just existing. But also living. Such is what all humans and other benevolent living creatures here in Eleftheria yearn for. They all yearn for... freedom. Responsible freedom to live their own lives, true to their own hearts.”