Tyler blinked as the disorienting flash of teleportation faded, leaving him standing alone in a sleek, compact cabin. Instinctively, his thoughts went to his friends, and he reached out mentally. A wave of relief washed over him when he felt their familiar presence nearby—Darius, Livia, and Elric, all close, their mana signatures steady. They were alive and likely in similar cabins. The tension that had gripped his chest loosened slightly. The immediate danger had passed, but this new environment posed its own challenges.
Turning his attention back to his surroundings, Tyler took in the details of the room. It reminded him of a first-class cruise ship cabin: compact but luxurious. A queen-sized bed with crisp white sheets took up one side of the room, flanked by sleek, built-in nightstands. The soft lighting was perfectly balanced, casting a warm glow over polished metal surfaces and rich wood accents. A small desk with a modern, ergonomic chair sat in the corner—functional yet stylish. Opposite the bed, a door led to a compact but elegant bathroom with a rainfall shower, plush towels neatly folded on the shelves, and toiletries laid out like in a high-end hotel.
Despite its modest size, the cabin was designed for comfort, with everything arranged with meticulous attention to detail. The elegance was almost clinical, as if even the comfort served a purpose beyond relaxation.
Tyler’s eyes drifted to a small, round window. He had already marvelled at the vista outside—the vast sky, the floating islands suspended like dreams, and the waterfalls cascading into misty depths far below. The cabin felt like a pocket of calm amid the awe-inspiring, almost otherworldly beauty that surrounded the ship. But he knew better than to be lulled by appearances. This was just another stage in the climb, and comfort was a fleeting illusion here.
His gaze shifted to the desk, where a polished bronze card rested on top of a folded piece of paper. He picked up the card, noting its weight and design. Unlike the standard plastic keycards back on Earth, this one was crafted from a smooth, metal-like material that gleamed under the light. It was cool to the touch, exuding a sense of importance. He slipped the card into his pocket and turned his attention to the paper beneath it.
At the top of the page, printed in elegant script on thick, high-quality paper, the message read:
Welcome aboard.
You have been issued a Bronze Celestial Card, which grants privileges on the Celestial Cruise. Please visit the cafeteria or check out the TV menu for more information. This card can be traded, wagered, or stolen, so ensure you keep it safe. The ship is both a reprieve from the relentless challenge you just faced and a place to prepare for what’s to come. Use this time wisely—collect and combine Celestial Cards to unlock better cabins, gain access to superior resources, or trade them for loot boxes that contain powerful items that could prove invaluable in the next challenge.
Important:
Should you lose, trade, or wager all your basic cards, a new Basic Celestial Card can be issued every 24 hours if needed, but during that time, you will not have any access to ship facilities. Additional Celestial Cards can be earned through challenges, trades, or wagers. Higher-tier cards unlock better resources, cabins, and other privileges, offering significant advantages during your time on the ship.
Below the introduction was a list of rules. Tyler’s fingers traced the edge of the sheet, noticing the faint watermark of a symbol—an intricate emblem of interlocking gears and feathers. Beneath the emblem was a stylised phrase: ‘Idle wealth is lost wealth.’ Clearly, this ship was more than a place to rest; it was another trial wrapped in luxury.
Tyler read the rules carefully:
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Ship Rules & Guidelines
1. Combat is Forbidden in Personal Spaces:
Living quarters are strictly off-limits for violence. Any challenger engaging in combat within another’s cabin will be permanently ejected from the ship.
2. Duels and Wagers in Designated Arenas:
Official duels for Celestial Cards, resources, or loot can only be conducted in designated arenas. All duels are broadcast to the viewing screens in the common area for challengers to watch and analyse.
3. Neutral Zones in Common Areas:
The ship’s common areas, including lounges and cafeterias, are neutral zones. No violence of any kind is tolerated here. Any transgressions will be reviewed and violators will be ejected from the ship for 24 hours. Multiple transgressions result in permanent ejection.
4. Trades and Contests:
Celestial Cards and resources can be traded, merged, or wagered using your personal interface. All trades are final, and once cards are merged, they cannot be unmerged.
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Celestial Card Tiers and Merging
The quality and power of a Celestial Card can be enhanced by merging lower-tier cards. The tier list below shows how many cards are needed to reach the next tier:
* Basic Card: Entry-level access. (1 card)
* Copper Card: Requires 10 Cards to merge.
* Bronze Card: Requires 50 Cards to merge.
* Silver Card: Requires 250 Cards to merge.
* Gold Card: Requires 1,000 Cards to merge.
* Platinum Card: Requires 10,000 Cards to merge.
* Diamond Card: Requires 100,000 Cards to merge.
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Additional Notes:
* Celestial Cards and Privileges: Celestial Cards determine your access to ship areas, the resources you receive, and the quality of your accommodations. The higher the card tier, the better the perks.
* Merging and Upgrading: Combining Celestial Cards can grant higher-tier access. However, merging cards requires a significant number of lower-tier cards, making higher-tier cards exceptionally rare and valuable.
* Loot Options: You can exchange Celestial Cards for loot boxes, which offer a chance at rare magic items. The higher the tier of cards used, the better the potential loot.
* Earning Additional Celestial Cards: Additional Celestial Cards can be earned by challenging others in duels or by participating in special combat trials overseen by the Ship Combat Master.
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Tyler’s brow furrowed as he read through the rules. Each one left just enough ambiguity to hint that there might be more to a rule than just its face value. The rule about combat in cabins seemed straightforward, but being “ejected from the ship” was ominous—where exactly would you end up if you were thrown out? The rules were interesting. They left a lot to interpretation—whether that meant sabotage, manipulation, or something else entirely. The hints about trades and gambles suggested that the real battles might not be fought with fists or spells but with deals and cunning.
Tyler set the paper down, the list of rules still turning over in his mind. He needed to stay sharp—this wasn’t a place where he could afford to relax completely. The subtle warnings hidden within the rules made it clear that the ship, for all its luxury, was another test. But there was nothing immediate he could do about it, so he turned his attention to the built-in screen on the wall.
He pressed a button on the edge of the desk, and the screen flickered to life, displaying a sleek interface. It was surprisingly modern, almost like the smart TVs back on Earth. He selected the menu and was greeted with a list of options: “Cafeteria Menu,” “Dueling Rings,” “Cabin Allocations,” “Cabin Leaderboard,” “Loot Box Items Index,” and most interestingly, “Challenge Broadcast.” Curious, Tyler selected the last option.
The screen flickered and shifted to a live feed of a lone challenger barrelling through a dense jungle, his breath ragged as he dodged low-hanging branches and vaulted over twisted roots. The foliage shook violently behind him, something massive crashing through the trees in pursuit. Tyler recognised the place immediately—it was the same nightmarish stretch of jungle where they had stumbled upon Elric, minus the streaking. The camera zoomed in on the challenger’s face, catching the sheer desperation in his wide eyes as he launched himself over a pit teeming with writhing vines.
For a second, it looked like he’d make it. Then one of the vines snapped up, coiling around his ankle and yanking him back into the gaping maw of a monstrous plant that reared from the depths. Tyler winced, expecting that to be the end, but no—seconds later, the hulking creature that had been chasing him—a lizard-thing the size of a truck—lunged at the plant, biting down and trying to devour both the vegetation and its unfortunate snack.
Just as Tyler was about to change the channel, a deafening explosion ripped through the scene, the screen flashing with a burst of fiery light. The lizard, the plant, and everything within a five-metre radius were blown to pieces. Bits of debris rained down as smoke billowed across the jungle floor.
As the haze cleared, Tyler’s eyes widened in surprise. Out of the smoke popped the challenger, not a scratch on him. The man grinned as he said something unintelligible before sprinting off into the underbrush like nothing had happened.
Tyler blinked. “Note to self, don’t corner that guy!”
With a shake of his head, Tyler exited the challenge broadcast and decided to explore the other options. He opened the “Dueling Pits” menu and was immediately presented with a list of active duels, each displayed as a thumbnail showing the combatants, their names, and the stakes involved. The screen buzzed with activity, dozens of challengers locked in combat at any given time. Tyler scrolled through the options, intrigued by the variety of duels available.
One thumbnail caught his eye: “Garek Voss vs. Rinela Stormhand.” The image showed a burly man wielding a spiked mace facing off against a lithe woman armed with twin daggers crackling with electricity. Beneath their names, the stakes read: First Blood – Wager: 5 Basic Celestial Cards each. Curious, Tyler tapped the thumbnail to view the match.
The screen expanded, and he found himself watching the duel unfold in real-time. The arena was a circular platform with an enchanted barrier around it, keeping the fighters within and preventing interference. Garek charged forward, swinging his mace in wide arcs, but Rinela danced around his attacks with almost impossible speed. The commentary on the side of the screen showed the details: Garek was brute force, relying on raw strength, while Rinela was agility personified, darting in and out with precise strikes. Tyler noticed a running tally of the current wager, confirming what was at stake.
As the match neared its climax, Rinela managed to slip past Garek’s defences, slashing his arm. The moment blood was drawn, the duel froze. Garek scowled, but there was a flash of light, and both fighters appeared unharmed. The interface showed Rinela as the victor, with her total number of cards updated immediately. Tyler noted the smooth efficiency of the system—high stakes, but a reset that kept the combatants intact.
Tyler exited the duel and browsed a few more thumbnails. “Kraven Darksteel vs. Soran Blazeheart” – Stakes: Life or Death – Wager: 2 Intermediate Celestial Cards. Tyler hesitated but tapped on it out of morbid curiosity. The scene that unfolded was brutal. The two men were locked in a deadly dance, each strike aimed to kill. Kraven, a towering figure clad in dark armour, wielded a massive broadsword while Soran, draped in fiery robes, unleashed waves of flame from a staff. The fight was intense, with both combatants pushing their abilities to the limit. The side panel noted that this was a high-stakes duel, with both fighters wagering a significant number of cards.
Tyler watched as Kraven finally got the upper hand, plunging his blade through Soran’s chest. The screen flared, showing the final outcome as Victory: Kraven Darksteel. Just like before, a flash of light followed, and Soran reappeared unharmed, though clearly furious. The interface updated Kraven’s tally of cards, showing the spoils of his win.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Tyler continued browsing. He saw a thumbnail labelled “Group Battle: Team Silverclaw vs. Team Ironhide” – Stakes: First Touch – Wager: 100 Basic Celestial Cards per team member. The scene showed a chaotic free-for-all with teams of five clashing in a large arena. Each participant fought with desperation, knowing that even a single touch would mean victory or loss for their team. The fast-paced combat was a spectacle of flashing blades, explosions of magic, and coordinated manoeuvres. When a decisive strike was finally landed, the arena erupted in cheers as the winning team celebrated, their cards pooled and split among them.
The duels were more than just combat—they were a calculated risk, a way for challengers to test their mettle and gain resources, or to lose everything. The interface was clear but detailed, offering a glimpse into the social dynamics forming on the ship. Tyler saw enough to know that this was yet another facet of the game—one that could be exploited by the cunning and ruthless alike.
Satisfied with his exploration of the duelling pits, Tyler moved on, his mind already considering what these combat challenges meant for the days ahead. He needed to gather his friends, regroup, and figure out how they could leverage the system to prepare for what was coming next.
Next, Tyler checked out the “Cafeteria Menu.” The list of options was almost overwhelming. At the lowest tier were basic rations—gruel, water, and bland nutrition bars—available for a single Basic Card. But the higher up the menu he scrolled, the more enticing the meals became. For a handful of low-tier cards, you could get a hearty meal; for mid-tier cards, gourmet dishes appeared, each looking like something from a five-star restaurant. At the top of the list were meals that promised more than just satisfaction—they offered permanent enhancements. One option claimed to boost physical strength, another to enhance mana regeneration, but the price was steep—a Diamond Card. “Meals as buffs,” Tyler muttered, shaking his head. “They really thought of everything.”
Switching to the “Cabin Allocations” menu, Tyler examined the ship’s layout, which displayed every cabin with the owner’s name and their linked card count. The system was clear—cabins were unlocked and tied to the number of Celestial Cards you held. For example, a cabin worth 1,000 cards would be linked to that amount on the leaderboard, boosting your status. However, those cards were effectively locked to the cabin, meaning they couldn’t be used for trades, wagers, or purchases until unlinked. It was a clever trap—encouraging challengers to chase status and prestige rather than invest in the more practical advantages like loot or tokens for the upcoming challenges. Tyler’s own cabin, though modest, was assigned freely as a basic starting point. He noticed that certain floors were already forming alliances, pooling their cards to claim larger, more luxurious sections. The game was manipulating them into believing status mattered most when those who spent their cards wisely might hold the true edge in what lay ahead.
Tyler’s curiosity led him back to the main menu, where he selected “Leaderboard” next. The screen filled with a list of names, each ranked according to the number of Celestial Cards they held. The top slots were dominated by challengers he’d never heard of, their card totals staggering. The current leader was a woman named Vera Nightsong, boasting an absurd 16,500 cards. Her profile image showed a cold, confident gaze, and a wicked smile that hinted she’d fought her way to the top, possibly crushing others to get there. Below her was Grimward the Unyielding, holding 11,200 cards, his imposing figure and dark armour a clear sign that he was not someone to be taken lightly. The rest of the top ten were similarly intimidating, each holding hundreds of cards. Tyler’s eyes narrowed. If someone had that many cards, they could buy nearly anything: advanced loot, top-tier meals, even entire sections of the ship. “But would you spend those cards and drop in the leaderboard?”
Finally, Tyler opened the “Loot Box Items Index.” This was where things got interesting. The loot ranged from weapons with unique powers, like a sword that could cut through magical barriers, to armour that adapted to different damage types. Utility items were also available, like cloaks that granted temporary invisibility or boots that allowed short bursts of flight. But what really caught his attention were the mysterious “Challenge Tokens.” These tokens claimed to offer advantages in the next trial, though they didn’t specify what those advantages were. The tokens were priced high, hinting at their value, but the gamble was that you wouldn’t know their true worth until the next challenge began.
Tyler leaned back in his chair, digesting what he’d just seen. The ship wasn’t just a reprieve; it was a staging ground for power plays, alliances, and preparations for what was coming next. The rules were designed to push people into either cooperation or conflict, depending on how they wanted to play it.
Tyler tried to stash his card in his inventory, but a warning flashed across his vision: ‘Dimensional inventories are restricted. Remove any Celestial Cards within the next 30 seconds, or they will be forfeited.’
Tyler frowned and mumbled, “Well, that’s no fun.” He tucked the bronze card into his pocket and glanced around the cabin, feeling a sense of familiarity he hadn’t felt in a while. It was almost like being back home, back on Earth. The thought made him smile, and with a sudden burst of nostalgia, he reached into his inventory and pulled out his Walkman. Slipping on the classic orange headphones, he browsed his mental playlist until he landed on a track that matched his mood: Laszlo – Supernova.
As the upbeat synths kicked in, Tyler’s grin widened. The rhythm synced perfectly with his steps as he moved toward the door. This was exactly what he needed—something to get his blood pumping. He stepped out into the corridor, letting the music guide him, every note adding a spring to his stride.
But his good mood didn’t last long. As he turned a corner, he spotted trouble. Three thugs were loitering near the intersection, blocking the way forward. They looked rough, their sneers reeking of the kind of bravado that comes from thinking they’ve got an easy mark. Tyler sighed, pulling his headphones down around his neck. Great, now I have to pause the music, he thought, already irritated.
One of them, a tall guy with a scar running down his cheek, stepped forward. “Hey, newbie,” he drawled, eyeing Tyler like a wolf sizing up prey. “Hand over your bronze card, and we won’t have to do this the hard way.”
Tyler didn’t answer immediately, sizing them up instead. These guys weren’t amateurs; they’d clearly done this before, likely preying on fresh arrivals to stack up cards. But Tyler wasn’t just any new arrival, and he certainly wasn’t about to hand over his card.
But Tyler wasn’t intimidated—if anything, he was curious. “So how are you guys getting away with this? Clearly you’ve found an exploit around the rules, right?”
The leader’s smirk widened as he leaned in slightly, his voice dripping with smug confidence. “One of us just needs to ‘attack’ another person in our group. Once that happens, for the next 30 seconds, we’re all in self-defence mode—free to ‘defend’ ourselves,” he said, adding exaggerated air quotes around the words attack and defend.
Tyler’s eyes narrowed as the leader continued, clearly enjoying the explanation. “See, he’ll get booted off the ship and have to survive on one of those lovely death-traps they call islands for a day. Losing a member of the group for a day isn’t ideal, but we all have to make sacrifices. And the rest of us… We get a full thirty seconds to do whatever we want without the ship’s system stepping in. Thirty seconds may not sound like much, but it’s more than enough time to rearrange your face, snatch that card, and be gone before anyone even realises what happened.”
Then Tyler saw it. One of the thugs—a wiry guy with a patch over one eye—suddenly slashed his friend’s arm with a small blade. It was a shallow cut, barely more than a scratch, but it did the job. The instant the blade touched skin, the system triggered its response. A faint shimmer rippled in the air, and the words ‘Violence detected in neutral zone, assessing combatants.’
The gang leader grinned wickedly. “See, now that my buddy’s been ‘attacked,’ we’ve got free reign to take you apart.”
Tyler held up a hand, halting the thugs in their tracks. “Hold up,” he said, his voice laced with an almost playful calm. “I’ve got a better idea.” He reached up slowly, pulling his headphones back over his ears as the music swelled, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. The thugs exchanged confused looks as Tyler started bobbing his head to the beat, his body swaying in time with the rhythm.
“What the hell is this?” one of them sneered, baffled by Tyler’s antics.
Tyler’s grin widened as he threw in a smooth spin and a couple of playful dance moves. “Dance-off. You versus me. What do you say?” He slid back into a moonwalk, his feet gliding across the floor with exaggerated flair. The sheer absurdity of it left the thugs blinking in disbelief.
The leader’s expression hardened, his confusion quickly turning to anger. “Are you screwing with us?” he growled, clearly rattled.
“Come on, don’t be shy,” Tyler said, striking a pose as the bassline thumped in his ears. “We can settle this like gentlemen… or you can try to take me down the hard way.”
The thugs finally snapped out of their confusion, realising Tyler was toying with them. “Enough of this crap!” the leader barked, lunging forward with a knife in hand. But Tyler didn’t dodge—he stepped in, catching the blade in his hand and clenching it tight, blood trickling from between his fingers as he grabbed the man’s wrist with a vice-like grip. The thug barely had time to react before Tyler slammed his forehead into the guy’s face with a brutal headbutt—once, twice, three times—each impact crunching bone and cartilage until the leader’s face was a shattered mess of blood and broken skin.
“You’ve got really bad timing, you know that?” Tyler hissed, his voice a low growl. As the leader doubled over, clutching his ruined face, Tyler felt a fist crash into his own jaw from behind. He tasted blood as his head snapped to the side, but he barely flinched. Turning slowly, Tyler locked eyes with the thug who’d hit him, a man whose smug grin faded as Tyler wiped the blood from his mouth and grinned back at him.
“That’s more like it,” Tyler muttered before grabbing the guy by the back of the head and slamming it into the wall with a bone-rattling thud. As the thug stumbled, dazed, Tyler followed up with a savage elbow to the back of the head, sending him crumpling to the floor. “You boys just stepped into my house,” he said, his voice deadly calm, dripping with venom.
The corridor became a symphony of violence as the music in Tyler’s ears surged in tempo. Every beat, every drop of the bass, fuelled his strikes. This wasn’t just a fight—it was a release. He was a whirlwind of controlled fury, every punch and kick delivered with brutal precision. He needed this more than he realised—a chance to channel all the pain, frustration, and anger he’d been carrying since losing Markus, since he was forced to take a life.
The second thug, a wiry guy with a wild, desperate look in his eyes, lunged with a blade aimed for Tyler’s ribs. But Tyler didn’t flinch; he caught the thug’s wrist mid-swing, twisting it until there was a sharp crack followed by a scream. Without missing a beat, Tyler drove his knee into the man’s face, blood splattering against the walls as the thug crumpled to the floor. “You know, bloody fists in narrow corridors,” Tyler muttered to himself, the music drowning out his words, “this feels like home.”
The third thug, eyes wide with fear, swung wildly, but Tyler caught the punch with one hand and yanked the man forward, driving his elbow into his mouth with such force that teeth went flying. Not content with just that, Tyler spun on his heel and delivered a vicious roundhouse kick to the back of the man’s head, dropping him like a sack of bricks.
As the last thug tried to crawl away, Tyler grabbed him by the ankle and dragged him back. “Where do you think you’re going?” he snarled before delivering a final, bone-crunching kick to the man’s gut. The thug wheezed and gagged, curled up in agony.
Breathing heavily, Tyler straightened up, feeling a wave of raw emotion flood through him. “My God, that’s one way to work through some issues,” he muttered, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes as he wiped blood—both his and theirs—from his face. He didn’t care how he looked; for the first time in a while, he felt a weight lift off his chest, a sense of release.
As the thugs lay groaning on the floor, Tyler casually removed his headphones and let them hang around his neck, the music still playing faintly in the background.
The cold, robotic voice of the ship’s system cut through the silence: “Assessment complete, violation of neutral zone protocol. Commencing ejection.”
One of the thugs barely had time to react as he was engulfed in shimmering light, his body vanishing from the corridor. The system had processed their actions, deemed them solely guilty, and promptly removed them from play.
Before continuing on, Tyler knelt down and swiftly patted the remaining thugs down, finding a handful of Celestial Cards tucked in their pockets. He pocketed the cards for himself—just enough to make the hassle worthwhile—but left everything else untouched. As he reached for one of their weapons, a jagged blade that looked like it had seen better days, he paused. The weapon wasn’t anything special—certainly not better than what he or his friends already had. More importantly, taking it might attract unnecessary attention. These guys were almost certainly part of a larger group, and swiping anything other than the cards would only paint a target on his team’s backs.
Deciding it wasn’t worth the risk, Tyler let the weapon drop back to the ground and stood up, adjusting his jacket and rolling his shoulders as if shaking off the last remnants of tension. “Dance-off,” he muttered with a chuckle. “I should’ve been fighting with music years ago.”
Tyler continued down the corridor with a satisfied grin, feeling lighter than he had in days. He still needed to find his friends, but now he was in a better mood. Let them send more thugs his way—this was his game, and he was more than ready to play.