The Last Hours

Avalon stared out at the orange sun on the horizon from her gold-lined marble balcony. It was a beautiful sight, no doubt, but not what had her attention. Her gazed lied on the countdown at the top of her vision.

<3:19:29>

Three hours until the servers shut down, and two until her final battle. For six straight years, "Heavens Valor" had been at war with the "Ebonflags," today would be its finale. A week ago, Avalon agreed with the Ebonflags' leader, Segarus, that they would have a 1v1 duel to the death during the last hour of the game. This duel would solidify who had won and, in turn, who had lost the great war.

There was no telling the outcome of this battle. Avalon was swift and graceful with a sword. She had never seen defeat, and neither had Segarus. She had never seen Segarus in action, but from what she heard, he was one of, if not the most powerful mage in the game. They were an equal match in terms of raw power; skill would decide the fateful battle.

Her thoughts didn't go uninterrupted for long, as a knock interrupted her train of thought.

"Come in," Avalon said, turning her head to see her guest. In front of her stood an armored, muscular dwarf with the nametag <Guillotine.> "Oh...hey Gil," She said as she looked back towards the sunrise.

"Hey Ava, Thinkin' about the upcoming battle?" He asked her in his familiar, gruff, stoic voice.

"Not just that, it's hard to grasp that this will all be gone in 3 hours. This home we all built together..."

"It's a sad thought, but time marches on no matter what we do, huh?" Guillotine said with a chuckle, "That said, I have a gift for your final battle." He said, opening his menu and summoning a wrapped button, holding it out for her.

"Oh?" Avalon took hold of the item, unwrapping the delicate cloth wrapping. In her hands now lay a brilliant white and golden sword. She narrowed her eyes, activating her [Inspect] skill.

<Name: Victory>

<Rarity: Divine>

<ATK: 512>

<Unique Skill: Archangels Smite>

"Remember that raid boss we beat a year ago, the one that allowed you to ascend to an Archangel? I used its armor scraps to forge that blade; I ensured its length and weight were just as preferred. Even if it doesn't live up to its name, maybe if another company reboots these servers, you'll remember me." Guillotine said with a cheery, wholehearted smile.

Avalon could barely hold back her tears as she deposited the sword in her inventory before bringing her hand to wipe away her tears. "It's beautiful, Gil, thank you..." She lowered her arms back down to rest, looking now to her friend In front of her. "Remember you? You wouldn't return too?"

"I'm startin' uni soon; hell, I shouldn't even be on this late. I logged on to give you one last parting gift and to wish you good luck in your battle."

"Right...I nearly forgot. Take care of yourself out there, Sam," Avalon responded with a smile, masking the sadness she felt in her heart.

"You take care of yourself too, Blake, and may you write history in this world." Guillotine said as he opened his menu and clicked the button to log out, his avatar slowly fading into blue light, then to nothingness, leaving Avalon alone on her balcony again.

"I'll make sure it lives up to its name...Gil," Avalon whispered to herself as she turned to head to the armory to prepare for the fight ahead. With newfound determination, she would win this battle; she was sure of it.

...

<1:30:54>

A cold wind blew over the plains out front of the manor. The sun barely peeked over the horizon as it drifted further and further below.

Avalon took a deep breath of the crisp evening air, the last breath of peace she would get in this world, before turning to the adversary before her. With a hand on her heart and a bow, she welcomed him.

"Segarus of The Ebonflags, how nice it is to meet you in person."

Segarus returned a bow of his own, his eerie voice sending a shiver down Avalon's spine. "Avalon...how nice to meet you too. It's unfortunate that you will be falling just after our first meeting."

"You seem quite sure of yourself, Segarus," Avalon responded with a chuckle. "Allow my blade to slice through that confidence," She said as she gripped her blade, ready to pull it from its sheathe. The world around them went silent, with no rustling of leaves or critters scampering around; it was as if the earth itself watched in anticipation.

Avalon remained still, as did Segarus. They stared at one another with thick tension, waiting for the first move. It wasn't long before Segarus cracked, slamming his staff into the ground.

Three orbs of darkness rose from the ground, flinging themselves at Avalon. Swiftly she drew her blade and cut down the orbs of darkness. Thanks to her unique skill <Divine Principle,> she could dispel magic with just a swing of her sword.

"Well done...Well done..." Segarus said with a laugh, "You were able to counter my spell...Well, I knew you would, Sword Princess. With your unique skill, I cannot defeat you...that's why..." Segarus dropped his staff, letting it clatter to the ground as he drew a wicked curved sword from his hip. "This here is the Edge of Malice...A sword I had forged to defeat you...now, Sword Princess, come at me."

Avalon narrowed her eyes; this was clearly a trap. At range, she had no options, and a mage would surely win in a battle of attrition. Swiftly she rushed in, clashing with segarus and truly beginning the fight.

With each blow, though, she felt herself grow weaker. "That wicked sword must inflict a curse on its target," she thought to herself, but she didn't back down. With each hit he inflicted on her, she had returned ten more. It was an assured victory in a close fight with her agility and self-healing skill on her side.

Segarus soon jumped back, quickly reciting an incantation as he raised his blade to the sky. "King of hell, devour this holy entity that stands before us, drag them to the depths of despair. Hell's True Slash!" He brought his sword down, releasing a wicked purple blast straight towards Avalon.

She brought her blade up quickly to block the attack, but even then, her HP quickly was draining into the red. With no choice left, she unleashed her trump card—the unique skill of Victory.

"Sword of the heavens, unleash your might on this foe, give back what they have dealt to us. Archangels Smite!" She shouted, her sword unleashing a blinding flash of white. The fight was over.

As the flash faded, she witnessed Segarus drop to the ground as his HP had run out. But so, too, had Avalon's. Slowly she fell over, the world going dark as she hit the ground.

<0:00:00. Servers Closed>

...

Blake slowly opened her eyes, looking around her dark room as she took off her headset and stood up from her chair. She gazed at her clock...Midnight, just when the servers were scheduled to close. She let out a heavy sigh.

On the screen of her computer was a message that read.

"Thank you, players, of "Quest for Vuccirah." for six wonderful years. We hope you enjoyed the journey as much as we did. But, all good things must come to an end. As of 4/7/2030 at 0:00 all servers for "Quest for Vuccirah." have been shut down for good. Thank you for playing."

"Argh, A Stalemate?! How could I not win!" Blake shouted before taking a deep breath, calming herself. She clicked off her computer and sat on her bed, lying down, and rolling over to look at a picture on her nightstand.

It was a screenshot with an elf, dwarf, kitsune, draconian, and a spirit. Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered all those years ago when she had first created Heavens Valor.

"Lura...Guillotine...Ira...Raivies...Avalon...Your tales will never be forgotten; they will always live on in our hearts."

With that, she set the picture back on her nightstand, slowly closing her eyes as sleep overtook her.