Discussion was cut short as the door to the back of Gin's bar opened up, letting in sunlight that seemed harsh in the eyes of the four Dolls sitting around the table. They blinked their eyes and squinted at the figure standing in the doorway, until he stepped inside and shut the door behind him. “Am I interrupting something?” he said.

“Hey, Professor!” Sol smiled brightly and waved him over. “We were just talking about you! How would you like to join us for a game?”

“Is something the matter, Professor?” Persicaria frowned, her feline ears twitching anxiously. Croque looked at him expectantly as well, and Antonina... Well, she seemed about as happy to see him as she usually was.

“I don't need anything from you, if that's what you're asking. Gin told me you were all meeting here, so I thought I'd come see if I could join you in... whatever you were doing.” He walked over to the table, ignoring Antonina's glare. Aside from four empty shot glasses, there were some papers and tokens here and there, though most of the space on the table was taken up by a square object which at a glance looked like some sort of screen. He wasn't sure what that might be for, or the four hexagonal tokens which Antonina turned between her fingers, but he could recognize some of the papers for character sheets. “Are you roleplaying in here?”

“We were about to when you came in,” said Antonina. “And we can get started if you leave now.”

“Aw, come on, Anna!” Sol reached aside to pat Antonina's hand, but the green-haired Doll jerked her hand away and banged her fist on the table.

“I said no! I designed this campaign for a party of three. I would have to change everything to accommodate a fourth player. Oh, don't look at me like that, Professor. This has nothing to do with you; I would say the same thing if anyone else tried to join us.”

The professor held back a smile. “I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit, Anna. From what I remember, you did a stellar job at accounting for all those unexpected developments the last time I played with you. I'm sure you'll manage just fine if I join you.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere with me,” Antonina flatly said.

“Surely we could let the professor take part this time, no?” Persicaria tried her best to sound agreeable. “And we can save this campaign for some other time so your work doesn't go to waste. For another group, perhaps.”

“I already said no! Besides, it's not just about having to change the campaign for him. I only made four game tokens for us, so if the Professor is playing, I won't be able to–” Antonina cut herself off, suddenly staring wide-eyed at nothing with a hand over her mouth. She looked at the tokens she held, then at the screen on the table, and when she lowered her hand, her lips were compressed into a thin line that seemed on the verge of turning into a smile. “You know what? Fine. Sit down so we can start this already. I'm sure I don't have to explain to you how this works again, do I?”

Croque and Persicaria made some space between them for the chair the Professor grabbed from the next table over. “No, I remember it. What scenario is it this time? What sort of character should I make?”

“Forget that for now. It'll be quicker to show you. First, all of you take your token and connect your neural cloud to it.” Antonina handed out the small hexagonal shapes she held, one to each player, with the Professor being last.

“What is this for?” he asked, looking his token over from both sides. It was about an inch big, flat on the bottom, with rounded edges and a white circle on the top.

“I thought you said you didn't need any explaining.” Antonina gave him her usual disappointed stare.

“Not about what I picked up the last time around. These are new to me.”

“They're for immersion purposes,” she said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “The tokens will create a little projection of each of you, which you'll be able to control on the map to enhance the roleplaying experience. Is that plain enough for you, or should I use simpler words?”

The Professor frowned. Antonina was hiding something, he could tell, but just what surprise did she have in store for him this time? 

“It's fine, Professor,” Croque said. She and the others had already put their tokens on the screen. “I helped put these together. They're perfectly safe, even for humans.”

That's not what had him worried, but he supposed there was no point in stressing out over Antonina's mischief until he knew what she had up her sleeve. He connected to the token and put it down with the others, the four of them arranged in something of a diamond shape.

“Now if everyone's ready, I'm going to turn on the game world.” Antonina grabbed her terminal, typing out commands on the keyboard. The Professor watched the tokens and the screen, waiting for it all to turn on.

Suddenly, he found that he could see nothing, hear nothing, feel nothing.

Just a pitch black, empty void, with only the faint sense of some data streams flowing in the background of his awareness.

And, just as quickly as it all went black, he reappeared in the world, blinking in the middle of a sandy beach, with a verdant tropical forest on his right and an ocean stretching away to the horizon on his left. Above shone the blue sky and a sun that, if not quite as bright as the real one, was no less convincing than the artificial one of the Oasis.

He took it all in in the fraction of a second before he heard voices behind him and turned. There were Persicaria, Sol, and Croque, looking all around just the same as him, dressed in a nautical attire which he now realized he shared as well.

“This is really amazing.” Persicaria said. “I was skeptical about this, but you've really outdone yourself this time, Antonina. And of course you too, Croque.”

“Well, I'm glad someone appreciates all the work I put into it.”

The Commander looked up. That was Antonina's voice coming from above, but he saw no sign of her, until the bright blue sky started turning transparent. With the sky still partly visible, it seemed for a moment that she was floating somewhere far outside this world, looking down on them from beyond the atmosphere. After it completely faded out and the bar's ceiling took its place, the illusion was dispelled and he saw that she was “merely” some five hundred feet tall by his estimations, though it was hard to be sure exactly since she was only visible from the waist up, everything else lying beneath the horizon—a horizon which he now realized was merely a holographic image, as were the rest of their environs. Well, holographic in the way that Antonina's simulations were holographic, which meant solid enough to still feel realistic.

“Wow, Anna, you've really grown!” Sol said. “Guess you finally hit that growth spurt, huh? Now I'll need a lift whenever I want to pat you on the head.”

A giant hand descended on the beach faster than the Professor could process the sight of it. Such a massive thing approaching so quickly startled and unbalanced him, and as he took a step back he tripped on the sand and fell on his rear. A single black-gloved fingertip settled on the sand a moment later, right in front of Sol. “It's Antonina,” their titanic game master said, pushing her finger forward to bump Sol's body. Even flat on the ground, her fingertip was only a couple heads shorter than Sol, and the bump knocked her back a few steps. “And I'm not huge, you dummy; you're the tiny one.”

“I know, I know!” Sol was smiling, unfazed by the blow. She stepped up to the giant finger and pushed to test her strength against it. Her hands subtly flattened the curve of the glove and of the flesh below, but the finger didn't budge an inch however hard she tried, and her feet sank into the sand and slid further and further backwards as she pushed. Croque and Persicaria, meanwhile, seemed more interested in checking out their equipment than anything.

Had everyone known about this except for him? The Professor looked to Antonina's face. Her eyes flicked from Sol to him, and her lips quirked up in a little grin. “Something wrong, Professor?”

He picked himself up and brushed the sand off his trousers. “Don't you think you could have warned me about this sooner?”

“What ever for? It's so much faster to show you than it is to tell you. Why do you mention it? Could it be you have a problem with playing the game like this? It's fine if you do; you can just sit this one out and leave us to play without you.”

The Professor frowned. A thought had been nagging him ever since he first saw Antonina in the sky, but it was only now taking proper shape. “You're enjoying this, aren't you?”

“Of course I enjoy playing games with my friends, and seeing my creations working properly.”

“That's not what I meant.” Nor was he talking about Antonina making him look the fool—he knew perfectly well how much she enjoyed that whenever she could manage it. “I remember the last time I played with you. I remember how you ended the campaign. You–”

“Up up up!” Antonina moved back her finger and held it over his head. For a moment he thought she was going to flatten him with it, but she only wagged it from side to side. “No spoilers, Professor! You never know if I've decided to recycle something from that campaign into this one.” She pulled her hand back out of their little holographic play board, and with the press of a button she made the blue sky reappear again, except for a small round opening to let them see her and vice versa. “If you want out then leave now. If not, keep quiet so that I can explain the scenario.”

“Shouldn't I get a character first? I'm sure I understand enough of what's going on for that. I could recycle my previous one, be a ship's captain like last time.”

“Your character died last time. Sol”—Antonina's hand descended from the sky to point at the sunny-haired Doll—“is already captain. Croque is her first mate. Persicaria is a geologist they hired to help search for treasure.” She pointed at him. “You, Professor, will be their cabin boy. You can take it or leave it, but let's get on with this already.” The Professor pursed his lips and motioned for her to proceed. Not an ideal way to start a roleplaying session, but he supposed it would do. Besides, he was curious to see how Antonina would take advantage of her position. “Now then...”

Antonina described for them the scenario; they had come to this island looking for the riches mentioned in an old parchment which Captain Solaria had come to possess, but now found themselves stranded here after a storm had sunk their ship. After setting the scene she spawned in some items for them, including a shovel and pickaxe for him, a map and compass for Croque, a geology book and some small instruments for Persicaria, and a cutlass and feathered hat for Sol. Sol instantly drew her sword from its scabbard and gave it a twirl, almost nicking Croque's arm.

With the setup finally taken care of, the group started exploring the island, led by Sol though guided by Croque. Persicaria mostly stayed back with him and tried to put him at ease.

The holographic land moved with them, dozens of trees popping into existence as they delved further into the island. It really was quite immersive, the Professor had to admit, and though he kept expecting Antonina to take advantage of their size, she never did anything beyond GMing.

Before long they encountered the ruins of an ancient stone city, and soon afterwards the reanimated skeletons of whatever people had lived here before. Such paranormal foes would be the only enemies they encountered as they followed the clues to the treasure chamber hidden in the depths of the ruined city, where they each grabbed as much as they could carry and headed back to an abandoned but seaworthy ship they had found earlier while searching the island.

It seemed the game was drawing to a successful end, but the Professor knew it couldn't be that easy, else the game would have ended already. Indeed, as they reached the beach they saw that the sky, which so far had been clear blue from one end to the other, was clouding over in a matter of minutes. The clouds even hid Antonina from them. “What do you make of it, captain?” asked Croque.

“It's unnatural, that's what I make of it,” Sol said grimly. “Never seen a sky cloud over like that before. Looks like a worse storm than the one that got us stranded here, too.” She chewed on her thumb for a moment. “We'd best turn back. Seek shelter in the city and weather the storm. We'll come back for the ship tomorrow.”

Lightning flashed and thunder roared out at sea. The ground shook as if some monstrous fist were hammering away at the bottom of it. In the sky shone a pair of eyes like golden moons. “Who dares take Tlaxcalli's treasure?” A voice boomed louder than the rolling thunder. “Fools! You thought you would leave the island with all you have stolen? I will tear your souls from your bodies and send you to the underworld, just as I did to those whose bones you hacked with your swords and spades.” The clouds around those moons thinned out. Behind them stood Antonina, though not as she had been before. Her projection had changed, and she now wore an outfit more like the sea witch one the Professor remembered from their previous game. It was almost the exact scenario as the end of that game, but now brought to life.

The effects were incredible. Maybe it was because of the darkness—it seemed Antonina had dimmed the lights in the room so they barely shone—but it really did look as if she were a giant coming out of the rolling seas and glaring cold death at them. Even he couldn't help feeling a pang of fear at the sight.

The evil goddess raised a hand. “Everyone, get back!” Sol shouted. Urging everyone to run back into the island, she drew her cutlass and cantered behind them, facing Tlaxcalli with her sword at the ready.

“Ha ha ha! Think you can run from me, mortals? Let met show you the power of a goddess.” Tlaxcalli reached for the group, giant fingers coming to seize the Professor and Persicaria. Persicaria pushed him out of the way seconds before it could reach them, but it still hadn't seized her when a flash of steel streaked through the air to those giant fingers and lodged in one of them.

The evil goddess drew back her hand. “Ow! That really–” Antonina pulled the sword out of her flesh and flicked it back into the play board before speaking again as Tlaxcalli. “Fools! You think it so easy to stop a goddess? I'll show you all what you're dealing with!”

She brought her hands down just past the group—giant walls penning them in with her—and pulled them back, dragging them all helplessly along to leave them at the shore. Dark fingers fell on the Professor, seizing hold of him, and while Persicaria grabbed his leg and tried to save him, Tlaxcalli seized her too and dropped them both in her palm. Her fingers curled partly over them, keeping them from falling. “Now for the rest of your band of thieves.”

As Tlaxcalli turned back to the island, Solaria rushed to pick up her sword where it lay on the beach. She was just in time to stand between her first mate and the evil goddess's hand. Gleaming in a flash of lightning, the blade made the goddess hesitate for a second. “So the captain thinks she can hold me back with that little sword of hers? Doesn't she see that a little toy like that can't harm an immortal?” Her hand approached again, finger tensed against her thumb, and as it settled in front of Solaria, it flicked up and sent her flying.

“Captain!” Croque ran to help, but a giant fist fell on the ground beside her and knocked her off her feet.

“Your captain can't help you, woman. Now come join your companions.” Again she reached for Croque, and again Sol put herself between them, sand bunching around her feet as she slid into place. “This again? So be it. I'll just take you both. Her hand cupped over them, and her thumb caught them as they tried to dodge. Her fingers curled around them. “Now your souls will be mine forever,” she declared.

But as she was about to seize the pair, a flash of light came from under them, and she jerked her hand away as if burned. “W-what in the...”

Croque gasped. “Captain, you're shining.”

Sol saw that she was right, at least partly. There was a glow, but it was centered on something in her pocket. She reached inside, and pulled out a golden disk that filled the palm of her hand. Its glow grew brighter and brighter, and spread through her fingers to the rest of her body until she herself shone like the sun. Then, in the blink of an eye, it was gone and so was she.

Sol reappeared just as suddenly, sitting back in her chair and at her normal size, though still in her nautical outfit. “Huh? What happened? Did I disconnect from the token? Ah, I'm so sorry, Anna! Give me a moment to–”

“Ahem!” Antonina silenced her with a glare. “How is this possible? That disk isn't supposed to work for mortals. You... how did you do that? Answer me!”

Finally catching on to what was happening, Sol stood and grinned at the evil goddess. “All I know is, when I saw my crew getting hurt, I decided then and there that I would do anything to keep them from getting hurt. I guess you could say that my crew—my friends—they're the ones who gave me this power.”

“These mortals gave you this power?” Antonina opened her hand, letting the Professor and Persicaria catch sight of their captain. “Then I shall crush them while you watch and take away your power!” Fingers tensed and ready to crush them both closed in on Persicaria and the Professor, but they froze in place over their heads as the evil goddess saw the tip of a blade aimed at her throat.

“You set one finger on my crew and I'll gut you like a fish. You saw how my sword pierced your finger before. Imagine how easy it would be to pierce your neck with it now.”

Back on the table, Croque watched as Captain Solaria drove Tlaxcalli back along the rolling sea, the waves crashing against their colossal figures. “You f-fool! A mortal c-cannot slay a goddess! You will lose, and then your soul, and your crew's souls, will be mine!” Tlaxcalli said, but the goddess dared not crush the captives in her fist.

“You don't sound too sure of that,” said the captain. “Are you scared? I'm not here to kill anyone. Just hand me my crew, safe and sound, and I'll let you go.”

The goddess grimaced. She scowled at Solaria, yet reconsidered as the cutlass stretched to just an inch from her neck. “Fine!” she spat, and turned to the mortals in her grip. “Lucky insects; seems you get to live today. But don't think this is over. Those who anger Tlaxcalli do not live long lives. You'll be mine yet.” She glared at the captain as she spoke those last words, and thrust out her hand, handing over her captives before disappearing under the waves.

Carefully scooped up into Sol's hand, the Professor and Persicaria were held up to her eyes. She beamed at them with a grin that split her face, and gently bounced them on her palm twice to let them settle in the middle of it. “Are you two okay?”

“I'm fine. And you, Professor?” Persicaria looked at him and, suddenly blushing, she scooted back. She hadn't noticed until then just how close she'd been holding him.

“I'm alright,” he muttered. “Thank you for saving us, captain.”

“Don't mention it! I'd do anything for my crew.” Sol patted their little heads and laughed.

With the storm clearing up, Captain Solaria waded back to the island and dropped her rescued crew members back with Croque. Then, lighting up again, she reappeared down below with them.

Antonina's projection had changed back to her usual self when she sat at the table again. She cleared her throat. “The storm recedes. The goddess Tlaxcalli is gone, and her treasure is yours for the taking. But you hear laughter coming from the ocean, and a voice follows after. 'You'll be mine yet, Captain! You'll be mine yet!' The voice vanishes, and with it the last sense of the goddess's evil presence. Your adventure is at an end.”

With the push of a button, everyone was returned to their chairs, totally back to normal, though it would take a minute for them to acclimate to the dim lights of the bar after so much time in that sunny island, and to their regular bodies after having grown used to a much smaller existence. “So, how was it?” Antonina asked, her voice letting on more anxiety than she probably meant it to. “I know it isn't perfect but I did my best to simulate the campaign with as little space as I had to work with. The island was maybe a little big for how much content I put in it, but I don't think it takes that long to get going. And I know that seeing me out here probably broke the illusion a bit, but that couldn't be helped if I couldn't join you without a token of my own. Maybe the fight at the end could have been more interactive for everyone other than Sol, but–”

“Relax, Anna! You did great!” Sol leaned over to pat her on the shoulder.

“For the hundredth time! It's not 'Anna', it's–”

“Antonina,” the Professor said. “The campaign was fine. You already mentioned how it could have been better, but I had fun, and I think everyone else did too.” The others nodded in agreement. “You surprised me, honestly. The game was better produced than I ever imagined, and even with that fight at the end you showed much more restraint than I thought you would.”

Antonina frowned as he spoke, but by the end she had settled down and was sitting up straighter. “It certainly did take a lot of restraint not to squeeze until you stopped moving with how much you were wriggling around in there. Did you want me to drop you or something? But, I suppose I'll accept the compliments.” She smiled, suddenly, looking at the island scene still playing out on the table. “Even with the changes, it went better than expected. Forget about joining you on the play board; I think I'll GM all my games this way from now on. And, Professor, you should definitely join again the next time we play. I'm sure Tlaxcalli would welcome another chance to make that cabin boy her own.”

The Professor coughed loudly and rose from his seat. “Well, I've spent more time here playing than I thought I would. I must be going right away. You can all handle the clean-up yourselves, can't you? And, Antonina, I expect to see you in headquarters early tomorrow.”

“Yes, yes, of course.” Antonina smiled. “Don't worry, Professor; you know I'm always close at hand.” She waved to him, and then her fingers curled very deliberately into a fist.

The Professor shivered and left without another word. Even once he was outside and the others long since out of sight, though, he couldn't help but feel like those fingers were wrapped around his body...