Chapter Fifty Six: All My Cool and Cold
May 21, 2011
Salt Lake City, UT
The mood in the team preparation room was solemn. Rather than being excited, as might be expected, everyone in the room was showing signs of pressure and anxiety.
At first, they had been happy to have even qualified, but after the first day of the tournament, they had rocketed to the top sixteen teams in the world, and now they were in a state of shock.
The goal of taking the first prize had, up until now, been an intangible dream at best. In fact, between the sponsorships, streaming revenue, and other perks they had been earning over the last month, their focus had gradually switched to more practical aspects. Playing the game had, in fact, become a job, and they had begun to think of this as more of a career, losing focus on the championship aspect of the tournament.
Suddenly, the big prize was right in front of them. The next two days would decide their entire futures. A big payoff and the possibility of fame and even more opportunities in the future, or failure and humiliation in front of a global audience. No matter what happened, their lives would be changed forever after this weekend.
To say that this impromptu team was ill-prepared for the strain would be a wild understatement. Just months earlier, they had been simple people, living normal lives in a small town in the southwest desert.
“Guys, it’s okay. Why does it feel like a funeral in here?” Observed Jess, trying to lighten the mood.
“Yeah… Right? I mean, isn’t this what we have been working for? We made it…” Ryan’s attempt to infuse energy into his speech faltered at the end of the sentence as he dropped his eyes back to the floor.
Leeroy was looking ill and leaned on Selena’s shoulder as she gripped her hands together and closed her eyes into a silent prayer.
Marc looked around at his friends, each suffering from fear and uncertainty. It wasn’t the first time he had seen groups like this. He recalled the parties he had been with who were about to face battles. He understood that just a short time ago, these people were normal citizens living in a relatively peaceful society. None of them had any experience with high-stakes, high-profile events.
The other world had offered Marc a look at a society that was less obsessed with greed and consumption, but instead cultivated a practicality borne in part from the real dangers that were a daily part of life in that world. The fragility of life brought a level of stoicism and focus to the residents there that modern young people from this world had never faced. Even the training that Ryan had received as part of the National Guard had never been truly tested.
Marc wanted to offer some encouragement or wisdom, but found that he couldn’t come up with anything that he thought would help. Instead, he felt that the best he could do was to divert their attention and try to break the stress loop.
“Uh, So did you all get a look at George this morning?”
That brought a loud snort from Selena.
“Yeah, what the heck was that?” Ryan asked, looking up from the ground.
“That was Sheila. She locked him in his room’s bathroom this morning and wouldn’t let him out “until he looked presentable,” Marc chuckled. The others joined him with low-energy laughter.
Shiela and George, as well as other members of the team’s family, had come up to Salt Lake to support the team. I.S.K. had even provided them with a house this time so they could accommodate the large group together. Compared to the cramped quarters they had endured during the road trip, it was a palace, A three-story house not far from the local university. This had been especially appreciated by Selena and Leeroy. Having the close support of their loved ones had been a great comfort after the long time away from their families.
Selena’s mother and older sister had joined them, as had Peter. George was there as well, but was actually working for Jess full time now. While he wasn’t able to enter the arenas to shoot video, he was now leading the team of editors who were remixing the old footage they had into new content for their streaming channel, as well as sifting through the video from the tournament that I.S.K. had shared with the participants.
Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea that upon his introduction to Sheila, George had tried out the newest version of his gangbanger persona. To say that Sheila was not impressed would be a massive understatement. Despite the team’s assurances that it was all a juvenile and poorly executed prank, Sheila had spent the entire trip with one eye cemented to their new media expert. She also made sure her small purse was always within reach.
Thoroughly chagrined, George had given in and was now playing the role of an honor roll student. His final capitulation and humiliation had come that morning when he emerged from the bathroom without his trademark mustache.
Recalling his comical new appearance, the team all relaxed a bit as they shared a small laugh at the expense of George.
“Poor boy, now he’s got to start from scratch again,” Ryan commiserated in mock sympathy.
“It took him months to get that thing to that point. Even I grow facial hair faster than that Pocha,” Selena piled on.
A few more chuckles, and the mood in the room had lightened up a small amount, but quickly the smiles began to fade and the room fell back into silence.
“You know, I once was so hungry to achieve something great. I was so insignificant growing up, I dreamt of doing something impactful. It led me to try harder and take risks. That desire changed who I was, and I became defined by who I wished I could be.”
The room was so quiet now, though Marc’s words were barely more than a whisper, they filled the silence in the room completely.
“Despite accomplishing many things, I never found what I was looking for. Perhaps I did find it, but I realized that maybe I was always looking for something else entirely. Instead, later on I became obsessed with everything I lost along the way. Rather than focusing on what I wanted in the future, I was lost in regret for all the things I had sacrificed.”
Marc spoke while staring into space. He was not speaking from his heart, but rather was reciting word for word, another speech he had given, dozens of years ago, in another world. The situation then was entirely different from where he was now, yet the feeling in the room for some indescribable reason brought back a memory so vivid, that it forced its way to the front of his consciousness.
“I’ve spent most of my life obsessed with my dissatisfaction with my past, or my dreams of a future I don’t even understand. So much that I became so tired of it all that I ran away from everything. Hid away in the mountains and pretended none of it mattered.”
Continuing with his recitation, Marc stood up and turned to face the team, who were looking at him with curious stares.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“All of it matters. You only have one chance to do anything. You can’t rewind and try again, but every day brings more. More battles, more rewards, disappointments, and triumphs, more… life.”
His eyes cleared as he broke away from the script. He smiled slightly as he recalled the time and place that he had first spoken these words. The fear and adrenaline of that moment. The anticipation and excitement. He bit his lip as he also recalled the great cost of the days that followed. At least this time, such a tragedy could not be repeated.
Then he looked around at the faces of his team.
“We have been playing together for months and working so hard for this. We have another chance today to play together and fight together. Regardless of how we do, we’ll still be able to play tomorrow, and as much as we like in the future. What we have accomplished so far will always be there for us to remember, as will the friendships we have made, as long as we want them to be.”
Taking a short pause, Marc wanted to say something inspirational and supportive. Instead, he simply added his true feelings.
“I just wanted to say how much I appreciate the past few months, and I wanted to say thanks.”
The room was silent, as everyone stared at Marc. He was feeling self-conscious and, for a moment, feared he had made the mood even worse when Ryan started to break out in laughter.
“Oh my God! I think that was a whole month’s worth of words all at once! My head is spinning!” Laughed Selena.
“Why are you talking like my Grandpa? Dude, I am older than you, aren’t I?” Ryan walked over and punched Marc lightly in the shoulder.
Marc looked over at Leeroy, smiling in the corner next to Jess, who was grinning ear to ear with her phone in front of her, the camera pointed straight at his face. Marc paled, knowing he had done something embarrassing that would haunt him for days to come.
“So, leader, what is the strategy for the next round?” She said.
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Marc had to jump back quickly to avoid getting slammed back with the tail attack. He had to acknowledge that this was a poor match for his capabilities.
The first round for the day was not a surprise; they had anticipated at least one of the rounds would include a raid. After all, raids had become an integral part of the game, and after the spectacle that the red dragon raid made during the announcement, it was all but certain that I.S.K. would be looking for something similarly flashy and impressive during the finals. The choice of a Genbu, however, was only something Marc would have predicted in his worst-case scenarios.
A Genbu, or Earth Dragon, was also commonly known to Marc in the other world by its more notorious moniker, the party killer.
As tall as a one-story building, it lacked the sheer firepower and flight abilities of a true dragon. This made the Genbu appear less dangerous at first glance. Resembling a theropod, it looked like a Carnotaurus, but with long forelimbs that had three-foot-long, swordlike claws at the end of long, thin arms. It also had plates of armor covering most of the body, resembling a patchwork quilt of tortoise shells, these plates had the strength of carbon fiber body armor, and could stop anything short of a tank shell. Besides its insanely high defense and fearsome attack ability, the monster held another hidden trump card.
Genbu’s had a completely broken level of regenerative capability. Deep lacerations could be completely healed in minutes. Severing a limb might only disable it for a day or two. Marc had seen one lose both of its eyes to a high-level flame attack, only to watch the eyes heal within minutes.
The only reason that the Earth Dragon was not more widely feared was that they were very picky about their environment. They chose to live in only one place that Marc knew of; the forests of Krrt Anatatra. While the elves ruled the continent from their cities atop the giant treetops, the undisputed rulers of the land below were the Genbu. They were a major reason that the isolation of the home of the elves had never been seriously challenged.
Encountering one here in the game was a serious problem for team Rocinante. Attacking on head-on was pointless. Marc could pound on one all day and barely do any damage at all. Even the high-damage attack of Jess, their long-range damage dealer, could do little more than stun the beast for a minute or so. The only chance they had, rested with Ryan.
As an assassin, Ryan had focused on DOT, damage-over-time attacks, and debuffs. He had often lamented that build as the team continued to grow and increase in power. The truth was that most of their battles were over so fast that his DOT damage didn’t have enough time to make much of a difference. Lately, he had been using his stealth capabilities more and acting as a scout and distraction, attacking from behind to confuse and annoy.
He tried not to show his growing frustration at not being near the main focus of most of their battles, as Marc and the rest of the team tried to boost him as much as possible.
“Someday, you will see that this had all been worth it. An unbalanced party will eventually end in tears,” Marc had shared with Ryan, trying to build his confidence.
“If Rocinante stands a chance in the battle, it will be because DEVERAUX carried them today,” an announcer commented while they fought.
There was only one known strategy for a small party to deal with a Genbu, and it was hardly a sure thing. It was a war of attrition, involving as many debuffs and cumulative damage attacks as possible. The party roles reversed as all Marc and Jess could do was distract and draw aggro, meanwhile, Selena pulled out a poison blade she had, and use it on focused attacks against the few areas unprotected by armor, like the backs of the beasts joints.
To make matters even more difficult, this was a race. Each team was only given 30 minutes to do as much damage as possible, but the scores would be calculated only by the remaining health of the enemy at the end of the time period.
Defeating the beast was all but impossible. Even a large raid party would have difficulty taking out a Genbu in less than half a day. If anything, it would be hard enough to score any points at all, seeing as there was no respawning, and having the entire team wiped out before the end of the round was a real possibility. The Genbu was not called the Party Killer for no reason, after all.
The hastily organized strategy was simple. Load up as many afflictions as possible on the beast, keeping a steady stream of damage on the HP of the raid boss. Everyone else was there to draw aggro and protect Ryan. If they lost the assassin, the game was finished. Leeroy was key to keeping them topped up with health and buffs.
There were numerous close calls. Marc had taken several big hits, and if it wasn’t for some quick healing from Leeroy, he might not have even made it halfway through the raid, but with luck, they managed to not only survive but also make a noticeable dent in the health of the Genbu.
With one minute left, Marc gave the order. Hit it with everything they had to try to shave off as much health as they could before the timer ran out.
Selina fell first, crushed under the virtual foot of the beast, and a few seconds later, Marc took a fatal slash from the sword-like fingers of the enemy.
He might have survived if Jess’s final blow had come in just a moment earlier. She had saved her most powerful attack to hit just before the time ran out, and while it lacked the usual punch of her signature finishing blow, Hellfire of Destruction would give them a more than a handful of extra points as the time ran out and the monstrous enemy froze momentarily before disappearing into storm of flickering lights.
The team gathered in the center of the arena while they awaited their score.
TEAM: ROCINANTE
Total Damage: 9,363,342
Final Damage: 173,297 (17.3%)
Survivors: 3/5
Survivor Bonus: 300 Points
Total Points: 2032 Points
With the announcement of the score, the team collapsed into each other, exhausted but excited.
“That’s… that’s amazing. I never would have thought we could have done that much,” Marc noted. This would have placed them in the range of an elite hunter party in the other world.
“Really? Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Selina punched Marc on the shoulder.
Ryan had recovered from the strain and was still staring at the score again when he felt his arms grabbed forcefully. Before he could respond, he was pulled off his feet. Lifted into the air, he twisted, trying to maintain his balance until he realized what was going on. A moment later, the team faced the cameras as he sat atop the shoulders of Marc and Leeroy as they celebrated the achievements of their MVP.
An accounting of the data showed that over half the final damage had been done by Ryan alone, ranking him as the top assassin in the game. The final scores came in as other arenas finished their raids.
While only two teams had been completely wiped out, another three teams failed to complete the raid with any damage at all. Team Rocinante came in second, only falling short of Team Salamander, which had three players capable of doing heavy DOT burn damage.
The final eight teams that would advance to the next round were set.
1. Team Salamander (USA) [2,402 points]
2. Team Rocinante (USA) [2,032 points]
3. Team White Tiger (Korea) [1,984 points]
4. Team 8Mile (USA) [1,552 points]
5. Team Otome’s Kiss (Japan) [743 points]
6. Team Marmite (Australia) [634 points]
7. Team Gamers Union (India) [629 points]
8. Team Delicacy (UK) [500 points]
Not only had the team risen to second place in the standings, but they had validated Marc’s team strategy. They had proven that a well balanced team, with solid teamwork could outperform teams with higher stats and more powerful skills. Even after the tournament, the battle strategies of the tournament would be analyzed and copied around the world, even after the game ended.