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Welcome to the neon-lit world of Dominion, where the action never stops and the stakes are always high. I'm Nex, your host for the most adrenaline-fueled sport there is… Welcome to the VR Dominion Network.

With me on VRDN are my co-hosts, the electrifying Anima and the grizzled veteran, Zephyr. Together, we're bringing you all the pulse-pounding action and expert analysis you need to stay on top of the game.

Today, we've got an incredible matchup for you, as two of the biggest names in the business go head-to-head in a battle for supremacy. It's all on the line, as they fight to prove that they're the best of the best, the champions of Dominion.

But before we get to the action, let's talk strat. Zephyr, what do you think the key to victory is in Dominion?

"Well, Nex, it all comes down to preparation," Zephyr replied, his gravelly voice tinged with wisdom. "You've got to know your opponent inside and out, study their moves, anticipate their every move. And of course, you need the right tools for the job."

"That's right," Anima chimed in, her neon-pink hair crackling with energy. "But it's not just about the hardware. You've got to have the heart, the passion, the drive to win. That's what sets the greats apart from the rest."

Nex nodded, his digital eyes glowing with excitement. "And speaking of the greats, let's not forget about the enforcers of the system, the stalkers like Raze. They're the ones who keep order within Dominion, making sure the players play within the confines of the system"

Zephyr grunted in agreement. "That's right, Nex. Raze may be a cold-blooded killer, but he's also a necessary evil in this world. Without him, there'd be chaos inside, and no one would be safe."

Anima frowned, her expression darkening. "But at what cost? How many lives has Raze taken in the name of 'keeping the peace'? It's a savage game we're playing, and I'm not sure it's worth the price."

Nex leaned forward, his digital eyes glittering with excitement. "Let's talk about Zero's exploits, shall we? Specifically, the time she wiped out the entire Black Ops team like it was nothing. A true work of art."

Anima nodded, her neon pink hair glowing under the harsh studio lights. "It was a thing of beauty. Zero moved with the fluid grace of a panther, her adaptive camo suit rippling like liquid silver as she took out each member of the team with deadly precision."

Zephyr interjected, his grizzled face etched with lines of experience. "But let's not forget the real story here. Zero isn't just a player, she's a force of nature. A hurricane of rage and vengeance, sweeping across Dominion in search of retribution for the wrongs done to her."

Nex smirked, his metallic voice tinged with admiration. "That's what makes Zero so damn dangerous. She's not just in it for the credits or the REP. She's driven by a burning desire to take down the corporation."

Anima leaned forward, her eyes shining with a fierce light. "And she's doing it with style. Zero's not afraid to take risks, to push the boundaries of what's possible in Dominion. That's what makes her a true icon, a hero to those who dare to defy the powers that be."

Zephyr nodded, his face solemn. "But let's not forget the risks. There are those who would stop at nothing to bring her down. The corporations have eyes everywhere, and they don't take kindly to players who threaten their control."

Nex leaned back, his expression thoughtful. "It's a precarious balance, but Zero seems to know what she's doing. She's carving out her own place in Dominion, forging her own path to glory and revenge. And who knows where that path will lead?"

Anima grinned, her neon pink hair bouncing with excitement. "I can't wait to see what Zero does next. She's always pushing the limits, always challenging herself to do more, be more. It's inspiring, really."

Zephyr nodded, his eyes gleaming with a mix of respect and caution. "But we have to remember that the corporations won't let her get away with it forever. Eventually, they'll catch up to her, and when they do..."

Nex cut him off with a wave of his hand. "But that's the beauty of it, don't you see? Zero knows the risks, and she's willing to take them. She's not afraid to face whatever comes her way, because she believes in what she's doing. And that's what makes her an icon."

Anima leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "I heard that Zero's planning something big. Something that could change the game forever."

Zephyr raised an eyebrow, a shadow of concern crossing his face. "I hope she knows what she's doing. The last time someone tried to shake things up like that, Raze was called in. And we all know what happened then."

Nex leaned forward, his voice low and intense. "But that's the thing about Zero, isn't it? She's not afraid to take on the system, to challenge the status quo. And that's what we need right now. We need players who are willing to stand up and fight back."

Anima nodded, her expression serious. "But we also have to remember that there are consequences. Raze may be a weapon of the system, but he's still a threat. And players like Zero are putting themselves in his crosshairs."

Zephyr sighed heavily, his eyes distant. "I know. It's a delicate balance. The corporations want us to believe that everything is under control, that the system is working as it should. But players like Zero, they remind us that it's not that simple. That there's always a cost to progress."

Nex leaned back, his expression thoughtful. "Maybe that's why we need players like Raze too. To keep order, to make sure that things don't get too out of hand. It's a hell of a game we're playing, but it's one that we have to play if we want to change the world."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Anima nodded, her voice firm. "But we can't forget that we're all in this together. Whether we're players or one of us out here in the real world, we all have a stake in this game. And if we want to survive, we have to stand together."

Zephyr grinned wryly. "Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm not planning on going anywhere. Not until I see how this all plays out."

Nex chuckled, his metallic voice echoing through the studio. "Then we're in this together, old friend. Let's see what the future holds for us all."

Nex grinned, his metallic voice echoed through the studio with an infectious excitement. "And we'll be here to cover every moment of it, bringing you the latest updates, analysis, and highlights from the world of The Arena. So buckle up, folks, because this is going to be one hell of a ride."

The raucous crowd erupted into a frenzy, their voices melding into a singular, chaotic roar. They pounded their feet against the metal grating of the studio, creating a deafening cacophony of sound that reverberated throughout the neon-lit arena.

"Zero! Zero! Zero!" they chanted, their voices rising in unison.

Nex and his co-hosts were momentarily drowned out by the noise, but they quickly regained their composure.

"Looks like Zero has quite the fan base," Nex remarked, a hint of amusement in his metallic voice.

Anima nodded, her neon pink hair bouncing with excitement. "It's no wonder, really. Zero's skills are unparalleled, her daring feats of agility and marksmanship leaving her opponents in awe and her fans in rapture."

Zephyr, the grizzled veteran, remained stoic, his expression unreadable. "Let's not forget, though, that Zero is playing a dangerous game. The corporations won't take kindly to her defiance, and there are those who would stop at nothing to bring her do..."

Zero's fingers flew across the keyboard, the glow of the screen casting eerie shadows across her face. She was back in her own world now, a place of code and light, where she felt most at home. Zero cut the broadcast feed, it had been nothing more than a distraction, a reminder of the superficiality of the world beyond her screen, the world of flesh and bone.

She was back in Sanctuary, but the broadcast had followed her there. The holo-screens were displaying the same broadcast, VRDN was everywhere, and she couldn’t escape the inane speculation and trumpeting. Without hesitation, Zero triggered the isolation field. It dropped around her, shimmering and sealing out the virtual world. But now she was sealed in with her own thoughts, and her true pain lay within.

How could they pretend to understand her motives, to know what drove her forward?

They knew nothing of the struggles she had faced, the battles she had fought on the streets of the city. Zero had grown up in the slums, a child of the discarded, the forgotten. Her parents had been swallowed up by the corporations, their debts used as leverage to control them.

Zero's father had been the first to fall, addicted to the game that the corporations had engineered to keep the masses in line. He had bet his REP away, chasing that rush, that artificial high that the corps used to keep their subjects in check. When he was done with his REP, he had forced Zero's mother to bet hers as well, until they were both "Banked" and lost to the world.

But Zero was different. She refused to fall into the same trap that had ensnared her parents. She was determined to uncover the truth, to expose the corporations for the true controllers they were. And she would use Dominion, the very game that had destroyed her family, to do it.

Three intense bursts of pain surged through Zero as the shots found their mark on her torso. In a split second, she dove out of the way, narrowly dodging the inevitable fourth shot aimed at her head. The bullet tore through the isolation field, ricocheting back and disappearing behind the spot where she had just been leaning. The isolation field popped and fizzled away into nothingness.

The erupting sounds of chaos and gunfire echoed through the neon-lit halls of Sanctuary, drowning out the hum of the servers and the din of the virtual world that surrounded Zero. She moved quickly, her upgraded armor protecting her from the ultrasonic rounds that ripped through the air. Rogue agents had breached the sanctity of Sanctuary, and they would pay for it.

Zero flipped her table, using it as cover from the incoming rounds as she activated her cloaking field. She knew it wouldn't last long, but she had to buy herself some time. If these agents were determined enough to come after her in the heart of Sanctuary, they wouldn't be caught off guard by her usual tricks. She had to think fast. She tapped into her netcode, redistributing all the power she could into the nanoweave bots that kept her armor from cracking like an egg under this kind of pressure, it was time to move.

As the security NPC’s of Sanctuary came to bear on the rogue agents, Zero saw Raze in the distance, ripping through the attackers like a hurricane. It was clear that these agents had underestimated the defenses of Sanctuary, and they were paying for it with their lives.

Zero moved quickly, her Vibro blades gleaming in the dim light. She could see the agents moving in on her position, their weapons trained on her. But she was ready for them. She lunged forward, slashing through the air with her blades, decapitating one of the agents in a spray of blood.

Retreating behind cover, she jacked into the agent's wetware, trying to decipher a motive, trying to figure out who had sent these agents after her. But as she started to close in on the data, the lack of vital signs triggered a defensive Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics (ICE), causing a catastrophic failure that melted what was left of the agent's wetware.

Zero cursed under her breath. She had been so close. But there was no time to dwell on it. The rogue agents were still coming, and she had to keep moving if she wanted to survive. She activated her EMP grenade, throwing it in the direction of the agents, causing their weapons to short-circuit and giving her the opening she needed to slip away.

She sprinted down the hall, her cloaking field flickering as it struggled to keep up with her movements. She could hear the agents closing in behind her, their footsteps echoing through the halls. But she was determined to survive, to uncover the truth behind their attack.

As she rounded a corner, she saw a group of Sanctuary security guards up ahead, their weapons trained on the rogue agents. She knew she had to get to them. She had to get to safety. She charged forward, her blades at the ready, cutting down any agents who got in her way.

When she finally reached the guards, she collapsed against the wall, gasping for breath. The adrenaline was still coursing through her veins, her heart pounding in her chest. But she was alive. And that was all that mattered.

As the agents were taken into custody, Zero leaned her head back against the wall, her mind racing. She had survived the attack, but at what cost? Who had sent these agents after her? And why?

She knew she had to keep digging, had to keep pushing until she uncovered the truth. It was the only way to stay alive in this world of light and code, the only way to stay one step ahead of the corporations that sought to control them all.

Zero closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She knew the road ahead would be long and dangerous, but she was ready for it. She was Zero, after all. And she would never stop fighting.

The air in Sanctuary was thick with the acrid scent of burning flesh and ozone, the aftermath of the rogue agents' attack still lingering in the air. Zero's upgraded armor hummed with energy, the wounds from the ultrasonic rounds now healed by the nanobots coursing through her veins.

She leaned against the wall, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. Her heart pounded in her chest, the adrenaline still coursing through her veins as she struggled to make sense of what had just happened.

The world of light and code was a dangerous place, a place where survival was never guaranteed. And Zero knew that better than anyone.

She closed her eyes, letting the chaos of Sanctuary fade into the background as she focused on the task at hand. Who had sent those agents after her? And why?

She had to find out. Had to keep digging until she uncovered the truth. It was the only way to stay alive in this world of shadows and secrets.

With a determined glint in her eye, Zero pushed herself away from the wall, her Vibro blades at the ready. As she moved through the dimly lit corridors of Sanctuary, she couldn't help but think of the world outside. The world beyond the glowing screens and the humming servers. A world where corporations ruled with an iron fist, where the line between man and machine was becoming increasingly blurred.

It was a world that Zero had fought against her entire life, a world that had taken everything from her. But she was still here. Still fighting. And she would never stop until the corporations that had destroyed her family were brought to their knees.

She could hear the faint hum of machinery in the distance, the sound of the servers that powered Sanctuary. It was a reminder of just how fragile their world really was, how easily it could be destroyed by those who sought to control it

As she moved through the darkened halls, she could feel the weight of the world on her shoulders, the weight of all those who had come before her, who had fought and died for the cause.

But she would not falter. She would not give up. She was Zero. And she would never stop fighting.