Seeing four ‘relatively young’ people being led by a staff member, Aether was immediately struck by a question. “Why aren’t there five of them?”
The rest of the party members shared his sentiment as they watched their opponents for the day walk down the long walkway. While Aether evaluated his opponents with a curious gaze; Midas and Cypher discussed the peculiarity with each other; Fox glared at the bald, brown-skinned smiling man; Vix immediately called for a staff member and asked.
“Excuse me, why are there only four players on the opposing team? Do the tournament rules not state that a total of 5 members participate per team?” Vix stressed the number five.
“About that,” a middle-aged man walked over and explained, “Team Coldplay submitted a request with the committee, asking for special permission for one of their team members to play via remote play. After reviewing their case, the committee has accepted their request.”
Narrowing his eyes, Vix coldly asked, “And you are?”
The middle-aged man smiled and replied, “A representative of the Ascenders Cup Tournament Committee.”
He then cast his gaze over Team Fox and Friends members, who were now looking toward him, and said, “Please rest assured that the committee has taken utmost care to maintain fairness between both parties. We promise that the spirit of the tournament will not be compromised and ask for your understanding in this case.” He bowed.
Seeing the distinguished, older gentleman act so humbly, Vix and the rest of his party members were taken aback. Vix’s calmness faltered as he hurriedly waved his hands and asked for the older man to raise his head.
“Could you tell us the reason behind the committee’s acceptance of this request?” Aether suddenly asked. Seeing everyone place their attention on him, he calmly continued, “As far as I understand, the committee usually denies such requests and asks for the requester’s cooperation.”
Aether’s question caused Vix to recall accounts of similar incidents happening in previous iterations of the tournament. His recollection also allowed him to remember that in those cases the requesting team was eliminated from the tournament for failing to meet its demands.
Remembering this, Vix instantly turned a sharp eye toward the middle-aged man.
The representative showed a bitter smile and calmly answered, “It is true that in previous cases concerning similar requests, the requests were denied and the teams were eliminated for failing to comply with the tournament guidelines. However, this case is a special one.”
“How so?”
“I’m afraid I can’t answer that question.”
“What!?” Fox jumped in protest.
“As one of the parties being affected by this arbitrary decision, do we not have the right to know?” Vix calmly asked. His gaze toward the representative had become much colder and incisive.
“I understand your concern but I’m afraid that I still can’t answer your question,” the middle-aged man bitterly replied.
“Ha! This is bullshit!” Fox scoffed. Even the usually uninterested Cypher and Midas seemed unsatisfied by the situation.
Just as Vix was about to continue poking into the middle-aged man’s defences, a loud shout intervened in their discussion.
“Ayo! What’s happening here?” The voice was piercingly loud and cheery.
Everyone’s attention moved toward the new voice and found the bald, brown-skinned man followed by three teenagers and the timid-looking staff member. “The name’s Oma! How are ya kids doing?” He reached out with his hand.
Team Fox and Friends stared at this cheery twenty-something years old man blankly. Seeing no one reach out to shake his hands, Oma awkwardly retrieved it and scratched the back of his bald head.
As he continued to feel their blank gazes bore into him, he replied in embarrassment. “Guys, come on! Stop looking at me like that. I’m already taken, you know?” His eyes stared distantly, full of love and other tender emotions. “My heart belongs to another.”
Fox and Cypher started dryly heaving. Vix alternated his gaze between the newcomer and the middle-aged representative seemingly asking what this was. Midas stared at Oma as if he was looking at a new, unidentified creature. And finally, Aether…
…burst into laughter.
“HAHAHAHA!!” His entire body started to quake as clutched onto his stomach. “Ahahaha– It hurts! My stomach hurts! Hahahaha!!”
Wiping the tears from the corners of his eye, Aether offered his hand and introduced himself. “Hello, Oma. Nice to meet you. My name’s Aether.” Shaking hands with the opponent team’s captain, he continued. “You are very funny.”
“Haha, I try,” Oma replied good-naturedly. His shoulders then suddenly drooped as he depressedly said, “My lover says she hates them and calls them ‘unfunny and old-fashioned’ though.”
For an instant, Aether felt a profound sense of connection with the other man. He felt a sense of déjà vu wash over him. Clutching tighter, Aether replied, “I get what you mean.”
Oma stared into Aether’s eyes and asked, “You too?” His pupils quivered with shock.
Smiling bitterly, Aether quoted, “‘You’re not even a dad. Why are you making dad jokes!? They are dumb and stupid. Just die already.’”
“You–!!” The trembling within Oma’s eyes intensified. His breaths quickening, he hoarsely asked, “Childhood friend?”
“Younger sister,” Aether replied.
The quivering within Oma’s eyes stabilised. He retracted his hand from Aether’s grasp and took a deep breath while looking down. Inhaling deeply, he suddenly dashed forth and enveloped Aether in a bear hug.
“MY BROTHER!!” He bellowed at the top of his lungs.
The rest of the audience looked at this scene speechlessly.
Seeing one grown man lunge forth and hug the other while crying, while the latter gently patted the former’s back and whispered that it would all be okay with an amused expression on his face, they… they did not know what to do. Or how to react. Or when to react. Or why?
Honestly, this scene caused their brains to short circuit causing their minds to crumble and for their thoughts to cease.
After an unknown amount of time, the audience finally recovered their mental faculties and heard the conversation between the two ‘brothers’.
“Oh? You want to know why one of our team members is missing? It’s no big, honestly. Lona has a medical condition that doesn’t allow her to leave her room,” Oma explained.
“A medical condition that doesn’t allow her to leave her room,” Aether repeated. “That sounds… terrifying.”
“Haha, it does, doesn’t it?” Oma chuckled. He then waved his hands and continued, “It’s not all that bad, to be honest. She gets to laze around all day and do nothing but watch web serials and play video games, while I get saddled with all household chores and other duties.” He complained.
Aether lightly chuckled but did not say anything in reply. He then discreetly changed topics. “This is the person who calls your jokes unfunny, huh?”
“Yep! She’s my lover and future wife. Ha! What does she know about making jokes?” He suddenly snorted. “Does she understand how much thought and effort goes into making a good joke? It’s not easy to make great art, you know? It takes time, skill, and most important of all, talent!”
Thumping at Aether’s chest, he proudly proclaimed, “Talent, that you and I are blessed with, my brother!”
“Well said, brother!” Aether laughed in agreement. He then pointed his chin towards the heavens and solemnly said, “It is not that our jokes are unfunny. It is that the world is too ignorant to understand its subtle essence.”
Oma stared at him in shock. He then exclaimed, “Shit! That was as deep as an oil drill! Can I write this down!?”
“Go ahead, my junior brother. Meditate on it, and perhaps, one day, you might reach my level.”
“Yes! Understood, senior brother! No, MASTER!!”
“No, no, no. I don't deserve that title. I still have a long way to go on my path.”
“Yes, yes! I understand, senior brother! I must not get complacent with my achievements.”
“The Way of ‘Humour’ is a long one, my junior. One does not simply reach its pinnacle in one lifetime.”
“Of course. Of course, my senior brother. This junior realises the significance of the heavens! I shall not grow complacent.”
“Good, good. Good, junior brother.”
The remnants of Team Coldplay and Team Fox and Friends stared at this scene speechlessly. Unable to hold it in any longer, Fox turned to face Vix and asked. “Is this a bit? Are they doing a bit together?”
Vix did not answer her question. Instead, he looked toward the three members of Team Coldplay, who were hiding their faces behind their palms, wishing that they could bury in the earth and disappear from here forever.
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
Turning to them, Vix asked, “Is your captain usually like this?”
“Yes,” replied the first guy.
“Always,” nodded the second guy.
“Please don’t talk to us about him. We have no relations with that creature,” begged the third young woman.
The middle-aged representative looked at this scene and coughed loudly. “Much time has been wasted. Players, please head towards your respective pods.”
A sharp light flashed across his eyes as he declared. “The game will begin shortly.
---
Ten minutes later.
[The first match of the Round of 32 for the Ascenders Cup will start soon! Players, please enter your pods.] The speakers installed around the main floor hummed with the announcer’s voice.
“Alright, the first match will have Fox, Midas, and Cypher playing.” Vix reminded his teammates. “Now remember. It doesn’t matter if we lose this first match. But try and force out as much of the opponent’s skill as possible.”
Surveying the faces of his teammates heavily, he asked, “Understood?”
“Yes, vice-captain!” The other replied.
Nodding his head in satisfaction, Vix turned to gaze towards their captain. Realising the cue, Fox immediately began. “I think Vix has already said everything that needs to be said. Having said that…”
“...LET’S WIN THIS FIRST MATCH!!” she roared.
“YES, CAPTAIN!” Her teammates roared back.
Fox, Midas, and Cypher entered their pods while Aether and Vix remained outside on standby. Multiple screens, all playing a live broadcast of the match, hovered in the air before them and gave them the viewers’ perspective of the game.
As they waited for the characters to load and for the match to start, Aether asked Vix. “What are our odds of winning the first match?”
Vix kept a trained eye on the blank screens and replied, “Without the participation of the ‘Dancing Gunslinger’ and ‘Drunken Fist’, I’d say 70%. With their participation, it’s hard to tell.”
Aether nodded his head in reply. He then said, “Well, you don’t have to worry about Oma participating.”
“Why?” asked Vix.
Aether pointed to his front, to the opposite side of the factory floor. “Cause he’s waving to me from the other side.”
Vix jerked his head up and found Oma waving to them and telling something with his mouth. “What’s he saying?” The wide distance and loud sounds drowned out whatever message it was that Oma was telling them.
“He’s wishing us the best of luck,” translated Aether.
Vix’s forehead furrowed. He closed his eyes and operated his mind. Hundreds of different thoughts flickered around his mind as he seemingly calculated something.
A few seconds later, he slowly opened his eyes and quietly said, “...they are giving up on the first match? Why?”
Vix’s query went unanswered as the screens flashed to life and the match began.
---
[Game: 3v3, Team Duel.]
[Game Length: 30 mins.]
[Stage: Newman’s Space Station. (Neutral Map)]
[Participating Characters: Team Fox and Friends- Gunner, Modder, PeaceKeeper. Team Coldplay- Cursemaster, Modder, and PeaceKeeper.]
Fox opened her eyes as her body actualised within the game. She waved the screen away before quickly taking note of her surroundings.
“I’m at the Mess Hall in Level 1-A. Not an amazing start, but not too bad either,” Fox remarked to herself. She then started moving and gathered equipment to arm herself.
“Blue armour. Very nice…”
“A Cypress for my secondary…”
“x4 times scope. Gonna keep that one in the bag…”
“Some throwables…”
“Ah! A Butcher. Not my favourite gun of all time, but it will do until I find a Merrymaker or an AYNK-101.”
With expert knowledge and familiarity with the map, Fox darted around the Mess Hall and its surrounding spaces to equip herself. Her movements were practised and without any wastage, as she took careful care not to accidentally expose herself.
The opponent team had a Modder and a PeaceKeeper. Should she run into either of them while off-guard, it would quickly result in her annihilation.
‘Caution’ and ‘Distance’ were the modus operandi of a Gunner.
Running through a familiar ruined corridor, Fox’s footsteps paused as her breaths unconsciously lightened. She plastered herself against a nearby wall before turning in the direction of the sound that she had heard and activating the ‘thermal scanner’ built into her helmet.
‘There. Near the stairwell… two people. One’s large, likely a PeaceKeeper while the other is quite slender. Hmm, could be either a Modder or a Cursemaster.’ Meaning that it could either be her teammates or her enemies.
‘Should I engage? Or should I run away?’ If they were her teammates, she would be able to regroup with them immediately. With a PeaceKeeper in tow, she would be much safer against her enemies.
However, if they were her enemies, Fox would simply be offering herself to them on a grand platter.
‘This exchange is not favourable. It’s better to leave and keep observing them from a distance.’ Having made her decision, Fox immediately backed away and headed in the opposite direction.
-
“She did not take the bait,” C0ldpl4y, Modder of Team Coldplay, repeated the observations of his trap.
Hearing his words, C0ldestpl4y, the PeaceKeeper, heaved a light sigh. “Nothing to feel too bad about. No one’s a fool at this level, I suppose.”
“Except our captain,” C0ldpl4y remarked.
“Except our captain,” C0ldestpl4y agreed.
The two of them stood still for a moment before leaving. “Let’s go and group up with our Cursemaster.”
“Right,” C0ldpl4y nodded his head. He then suddenly asked, “Say, do you have a crush on our Cursemaster?”
“W-why d-do you ask?” The PeaceKeeper tripped and nearly fell over.
Sighing to himself, the Modder said, “I found the letters, Jim.”
“L-letters? Ha-ha… w-what letters?” PeaceKeeper nervously laughed.
“Lots and lots of letters,” C0ldpl4y sighed. He then looked at his friend and said, “It’s not healthy to keep your feelings bottled up, Jim. You need to express things there and then. You need to shoot your shot. The worst she can tell you is ‘no’.”
“I-I have n-no idea, w-what you’re talking about,” C0ldestpl4y still tried to deny his friend’s claims.
“‘My beloved Lizzy. I am like a debt-ridden wage slave while you are like a premium PleasureBot from a top brothel. We are two parallel lines, destined to never meet in this life. Our love is like the…’”
“STOP READING MY LETTERS!!” The PeaceKeeper lunged towards his friend to shut him up.
“Oh, so now you admit that they are your letters,” the Modder easily dodged his lunge and scoffed.
With one teasing/advising and the other crumbling from having his darkness exposed, the two of them searched for their final teammate while bickering with each other.
-
The match proceeded as usual and soon crossed its ten-minute mark.
Currently, Team Fox and Friends, having regrouped and updated their equipment into something truly decent, were engaged in a fierce showdown with their opponents.
“Shield Bash!!” Cypher yelled before throwing his shield at the enemy PeaceKeeper. “I’m taking you down with me, bastard!!”
“Urgh! Dammit!” The enemy PeaceKeeper barely managed to block the sudden shield toss. With his eyes, bloodshot with rage, he screamed, “Str0nk, ya damn liar!! Be a man and line up your attack names with your attacks!”
“Oh?~ Is the baby crying? Does the baby want to learn what TRUE PAIN FEELS LIKE!!?” screamed Cypher before lunging forth with his folding sword. “DIEEE!!~”
His rapid, furious attacks ran counter with the original, defensive playstyle of the PeaceKeeper. Also, it went without saying that Cypher’s personality in the game vastly contrasted with his soft, weak personality in the real world.
For in the game world, Cypher wasn’t the small, beautiful golden child of the Entertainment District. Here, he was the mad, raging berserker ‘Str0nk’.
“Axe kick!” He stabbed straight with his sword.
“Overhead Slash!” He cut from underneath.
“Sh*t! I need to retreat!” He instead charged toward his opponent and crashed against him with his elbow.
“THIS BASTARD!! DIEEE!!~” Unwilling to die a pushover, C0ldestpl4y also played equally as aggressively. The two of them fought tooth and nail before perishing together.
Some distance away, Midas, who was busy laying traps and building defences, saw this scene and said, “PeaceKeeper down.”
Fox paid no attention to his words and instead focused on sniping down the enemy Cursemaster. Pulling the trigger for the N-th time, and missing the enemy by millimetres, she let out a frustrated growl and yelled, “Need a ‘stabiliser’.” She asked Midas.
“Out of energy,” the Modder shook his head.
“Out of energy!?” Fox snapped. She then suddenly jumped up, vaulted over her cover and ran towards the enemy lines.
Zigzagging through the battlefield, she arrived at their forward cover and burrowed herself underneath it. Training her sights on the enemy once again, she pulled her trigger.
BANG!! The bullet passed through the air, slipped through the defences laid by the enemy Modder and firmly hit the C0ldpl4y on his skull. His head jerked back and his body dissolved into a mixture of light.
“F*CKING FINALLY!!” Fox howled. Retrieving the grenades fitted against her waist, she tossed them towards the enemy lines before charging. “DEATH TO THE WITCH!!”
“Death to the witch!” Screaming in consort to his captain, Midas rushed towards the enemy.
A short scuffle which resulted in Fox’s death followed when finally, after much difficulty, Midas managed to land the final hit.
1mSurroundedBy1d1ot5, the enemy Cursemaster, shattered into innumerable light particles and returned to the lobby.
[Victory, Team Fox and Friends]
---
Outside. Team Coldplay’s side.
“They are good,” complimented Oma as he saw the victory message appear on the screen.
[They are.] A voice curtly replied in his ears.
“Though, I’m not going to lie,” he continued. “I’m also a little disappointed.”
[Disappointed.]
“You don’t have to repeat everything that I say, you know?”
[Don’t repeat.]
“Ugh,” Oma sighed. He rubbed his forehead while thinking about why his lover was play-acting like a broken robot today. “Anyways. Who’s going next? Me? You?”
[Me.] came the reply.
“You want to go before this husband?”
[Husba–] the voice suddenly quietened. [Despicable bastard.] The voice cursed.
“Dammit!” Oma exclaimed with a full-fledged smile on his face. “I almost had you there! Hahaha!!” He clutched his stomach and almost toppled over laughing.
“Haa~ Haa~ Anyways,” he wiped the tears from his eyes. “If my wife is so keen on going first, who am I to stop you?”
[Humph!] the voice snorted on the other end of the line.
“Finish it soon, okay?” he instructed. “I still need to stop by a hospital after this to get you that new medicine.”
[...okay.] the voice meekly replied.
“Love you,” said Oma. He then cut the call.
Turning around to see his fuming teammates sitting inside the half-open pods, he instructed, “Ayo, listen up!” His teammates immediately sobered up and looked at him.
“You guys got a good judge of their skills, right?” he asked.
The others nodded their heads.
“Great. We’re speeding it up now.” He clapped his hands and pointed at two of his teammates. “You two will be playing again. Lona will be joining you. Be quick and don’t play around. Got it?”
The others nodded their heads.
“Great. Let’s begin then,” he finished, satisfied.
The pods closed once again and the players entered the game.
[Player 1mSurroundedBy1d1ot5 (Cursemaster), Player C0ldestpl4y (PeaceKeeper), and Player Lona (Brawler) join the game.]
[Stage: Floating Castle]