Ordinary

Flashback 2: Princess

"So," Princess gathered the squadrons of distraught teens around the all-familiar campfire. "Another day with no casualties in any of the groups. Well done, everyone."

Her voice was a soothing respite for all of the struggling survivors of the death game. Some here lived only for these moments after their hours of tiring battles. On certain days, the fights would only last minutes. Not today. Throughout the week, Runa had only experienced the shorter confrontations. Fortunately, Princess had taken her in during that week as her party member. After all, the girl was new here. Offensive Skills (OFS), Defensive Skills (DFS), Utility Skills (UTS), potions - all unfamiliar to the new arrival. The longer boss battle gave the blue-haired girl a proper chance to try out some of her abilities.

"Princess, I think I'm finally getting a grasp of the skill system." Runa focused her gaze at the one stretching atop a rock next to the enormous bonfire, crackling endlessly in the middle of the ever-dark woods. "It's annoying that we're only allowed to have six skills prepared at any time... How long did it take you to learn all of these mechanics?"

Yukihime always took a bit too long to react to the name. She'd never grown accustomed to it, perhaps. In her black-and-blue robes reminiscent of an assassin's, she certainly didn't remind Runa of royalty in appearance. However, her grace and kindness were certainly on the mark.

"Hm? Oh, don't worry about that." The gentle and skillful blade smiled, "It's normal to take a week to learn it all properly. I was one of the first people here, so the process was more trial-and-error based for me. Nevertheless, I..." She turned away, perhaps to save Runa from too much embarrassment, "I learned it all in two days. Granted," – Princess reached to tap her new friend on the shoulder comfortingly, "It was a matter of life and death for me, moreso than for most here, since no one knew what they were doing at the time. Someone had to take the reins."

"You're amazing, Hime..." The red-eyed survivor blankly gazed into the crackling flames.

Peculiarly, Yukihime laughed at the last comment.

"What's wrong?" Runa worried about Princess' head shake.

At this point, almost the entire circle had quieted down, focused entirely on the shy newcomer and the grizzled veteran.

"Oh, nothing, nothing. It is funny, though," Princess's posture relaxed as she pulled the daggers at her belt out to get more comfortable. "The reason people came to calling me 'Princess' was because they mistranslated my name from the romanji to the kanji. Or maybe I messed up..." Yukihime scratched her head, "I'm not actually fully Japanese, you see. Much like you, if the accent is anything to judge by. Anyway, my name was supposed to mean 'Snow sun', where 'Yuki' meant snow. The problem was 'Hime.' Apparently, it can mean both 'Sun' and 'Princess'. The latter turned out to be far more common. Thus," She shrugged, "I became the Snow Princess. Not that I mind."

Runa curled up closer to the flames that warmed her skin, glaring at whatever danced within them. "So would you prefer if I called you something else, then?" 

"Oh, don't get me wrong, while this wasn't the name I wanted, it's the name that I was given, so I'll take it. Besides," Princess glanced off to the side, away from the campfire, at the lonely silhouette of the boy with the titanic greatsword. "A name's just that: a name. It does not define who you are and who you are not. For example: see that boy leaning against the far trees?"

"Yes, I wanted to ask about him, actually. Who is he, the one with the dark eyes?" Runa saw the name hovering above the boy's avatar: Indra.

"So you noticed that already, huh? Well," Princess stretched her hands, putting on a sweet smile, "That's our mechanically most skilled player. Arrived on the same day as me. Since then, we've sparred about... ten times? Haven't beaten him once. Kid's gifted. Apparently, he's very good at shooter games. Not quite sure if that has something to do with it. Personally, I think he got this good because he trained harder than everyone here; even harder than me. Whenever I go out into the woods, he's already on the hunt for a monster or a ruin. Can't even imagine the hours he has spent gathering resources for his gear and skills, clearing dungeon after dungeon. I guess we don't call him the Clear King for nothing. Hmm... Now that I consider it, I've only fought him head-on before. Maybe I could beat him if I played a little dirtier... But I should be more focused on keeping everyone else safe." Yukihime giggled, scolding herself for her own thoughts. "The point is that even though he's called that, he actually just focuses on self-improvement. Doesn't really care about keeping the others alive. Not a good king, am I right? I can't bring myself to hate him, though... he's a huge help."

"What about you?" Runa quickly switched her attention, desperate for an answer, "Princess, how are you so good at this compared to everyone else?"

"Oh," her friend sat down comfortably, seeing as how the crowd had gone back about celebrating. "Well, I've always liked RPGs, especially the massively multiplayer kind. That's why once I got here, all that was left was to figure out the skill system. Then I just had to train to fight. I guess I never really thought about how hard it must be for someone not well-versed in gaming to get used to this. But I have to say, you're learning really quickly. Don't be discouraged by me. I'd hate to be the object of envy, especially when you yourself are so amazing."

Minutes went by quietly for the two that stared deep into the dancing lights and scattering embers of the bonfire of a hundred people just like them. Runa's first week was a successful one, and she'd hoped to continue getting better. She thought that if she could grow stronger, she'd be of more use to Princess. Runa would be able to take some of the burden off of the brave girl's shoulders. That's all she'd ever aimed for.

"I'll be off now," Yukihime finally got up, noticing the irritated Indra waving his hand in the distance. "I'll be keeping watch for the night. Hope knowing that helps you sleep better."

Runa sprung up in surprise. "Wait, how did you know I couldn't–"

"I keep an eye on every newcomer until they feel better. Remember: the sun will rise again tomorrow."

Indeed, that night was somehow easier on Runa's soul than the ones before.