[color=5D8AA8]“Three...”[/color]

[color=5D8AA8]“Two...”[/color]

[color=5D8AA8]“One!”[/color]

Oddly exhilarated, Emile jabbed the appropriate button on his pop-up menu with his gloved finger.  Five other players, all of wildly different appearances and classes ranging from dwarf Dreadnought to centaur Sniper to sahuagin Sage, did the same.  Their coordination made for perfect timing, and at once the six began to dance.  Having lined up on top of a table (which being a static object obviously couldn't buckle even beneath their combined weight) on one side of Apocalypse Now's main hall, they resembled a bizarre burlesque as they began their samba in perfect sync.  The localized burst of music that accompanied each dance harmonized with the rest to create a crescendo that resounded through the hall.  Back and forth, side to side, the six danced.  All had been strangers only an hour ago, but common ground in the form of an imminent end had allowed a superficial camaraderie to spring up.  Emile himself, spurred on by a certain someone, had suggested this event to the room at large, and five good-natured partygoers had joined him.

All at once the synchronized dance animations ended, with each participant's left hand extended forward toward the the lone figure of Liana's character in front of their table, who raised her hands.  For at least five minutes now she'd been wildly using Ham consumables bought from an on-site market NPC to fill up her Biomass bar, and now the moment had come.  In an instant the entirety of her Biomass and MP bars were extinguished, and in a huge burst of flesh and blood SFX a Beholder appeared in the air above her.  Constructed using her favorite skill, the Flesh that Hates, it was unfortunately only a palate-swap of the original monster, but given that its level was only ten below hers it was an accomplishment nonetheless—a showy display of her character's unique abilities here at the end of all things, despite the fact that her character was probably the lowest-leveled out of everyone here.  [i]/shock[/i], [i]/amazing[/i], and [i]/cheer[/i] emotes filled the little gallery behind her, and she turned her character around to give her uncle a [i]/smile[/i].  Overhead, the Beholder floated listlessly, its behavior set to 'nonaggressive' by default.  It could still be targeted and killed by the other players present if they wanted a little target practice before the game went offline.  A few accepted, lazily battering the tentacled eye monster with spells and hurled projectiles.

With the stunt completed, the other players filtered away.  One -the sahuagin, username Snark Tickleback- produced a speech bubble that said, “so fun to see family playing together.  wish I had someone like that.  have a great life!” before he blinked out of existence, logged out too fast for Liana to even have her character wave [i]/goodbye[/i].  Emile remained focused on Liana, reminded of just how amazing Yggdrasil had been by the bizarre character that stood before him.  Where else could somebody play a hideous monster made of meat somehow made to be elegant, compassionate, and ladylike, complete with the title “Heroine of Peace” earned by beating the main storyline?  Not for the first time, he wished that if he de-equipped his character's mask, there could be a smile underneath to convey the joy he felt.  [color=5D8AA8]"Man.  Nostalgia's a heck of a drug."[/color]

[color=E2725B]"careful u don't OD, old man"[/color]

It didn't take long for Emile's thoughts to shift elsewhere.  One couldn't get too hung up on the past right now.  The seconds were counting down, after all.  Any minute now, Yggdrasil would be gone forever.  For his part, Emile didn't feel too emotional.  Games closed all the time; getting worked up over this one seemed pretty darn cheesy.  Even coming here to participate in this celebration made him feel like a bit of a goofball, and a little guilty on the side for asking Liana to log back in after a few years' inactivity to join him.  Still, it was all in good fun, and if nothing else Yggdrasil had earned it.  It had done a lot for him over the years.  Seeing it put to bed felt as appropriate as he thought it might.

For what might be the last time, Emile summoned his wings and blasted off the ground in a burst of aether, coming to a stop just below the rafters in the great hall to motionlessly, and after a few seconds his automatic idle animation kicked in to cross his arms.  Liana, having apparently recognized someone, steered her Flesh Smith over to talk with a female human Ki Master.  An old friend met here by unbelievable happenstance, perhaps?  Who knew.  It was her business.  In the last minute or so of Yggdrasil, Emile felt like flying for one last time, right up until the moment the system kicked him back into his brother's guest room.  Even if this game offered an imperfect facsimile, he still enjoyed the sensation after all this time.  This was the world that helped him piece together his broken wings and learn to fly again, after all.  Of course, his family and the old comrades he connected to through it were even more important.  He had a lot to be thankful for.

All the same, he felt glad that it was about to be over.  It was time to move on.