《Avalon》 1. Demotion ¡°What the heck are you doing?¡± Val roared, dropping to the ground and letting the missile of fire shoot over his head. The fireball detonated in the shrubbery behind Val, engulfing the nearby trees in scorching flames. ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry!¡± stammered xx69KILLER420xx. ¡°I¡¯m out of shields!¡± Val had some very choice words to speak to his support, but his thoughts were interrupted by a black robed figure dropping from above. Quickly, Val scanned the man¡¯s gamer tag floating above his head. Lebron6James23. He was the best player on the opposing team, ranked as a B tier player. Furthermore, right next to his gamer tag was a small golden crown, signifying that he was the opposing team¡¯s king. ¡°Keep the other one off of me!¡± Val shouted. He glanced down to the bottom right of his field of vision. 37/100 health. Would that be enough? Without missing a beat, Lebron6James23 rocketed forwards, whipping out two dirks from underneath his black robes. Val pulled the visor of his helmet down and gripped the handle of his sword with both hands. Right as Lebron6James23 came within striking distance, Val snapped the fingers of his left hand. Timelapse! For a fraction of a moment, time slowed. Val¡¯s eyes absorbed everything around him ¨C the burning forest, xx69KILLER420xx fleeing from the opposing team¡¯s mage, Lebron6James23 adjusting his grip on his left-hand dirk¡­ In an instant, time accelerated to normal speed. But in that brief respite, Val had all the information he needed. Val pivoted on his right foot and swung down at Lebron6James23¡¯s left hand side. The dirk, having not been handled with a firm grip, flew out of Lebron6James23¡¯s hand and vanished in the tall grass. Undeterred, Val¡¯s opponent retaliated by thrusting at Val¡¯s torso with the other dirk. In the middle of the dirk¡¯s path to his chest, Val snapped his fingers. As time slowed, Val¡¯s eyes flickered down to his chest. There!Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. When the speed of time normalized, Val had already begun taking a small step to the left. Lebron6James23¡¯s dirk smashed into Val¡¯s heavily armored chest, sending a wave of shock ricocheting down Lebron6James23¡¯s arm and causing him to lose his balance. ¡°This game is over!¡± Val roared, swinging his sword down with all his might. Val¡¯s sword smashed into a glowing blue shield, halting his strike. The support? Val snapped his fingers, trying to find time to think. In the half second of time that Timelapse bought him, Val only had time to glance around the clearing once. He saw that his support, xx69KILLER420xx had been slain by the opposing mage. There was a fireball two feet away from Val¡¯s back, inching closer and closer. Behind a grove of trees hid the opposing team¡¯s support, just close enough to cast the shield to save Lebron6James23. It¡¯s just me left, realized Val. ¡­Just like it always is. The half second of Timelapse expired and the fireball engulfed Val. - ¡°You¡¯re fricking useless!¡± Val shouted. ¡°Why do you even play this game?¡± ¡°Bro,¡± said xx69KILLER420. ¡°Chill out. It¡¯s just a game.¡± ¡°I hope you and your whole family dies of cancer!¡± Val spat. ¡°You¡¯re playing support! You have one job! Keep the king alive!¡± ¡°Whatever, dude. I¡¯m reporting you,¡± mumbled xx69KILLER420, leaving the postgame lobby. Val sat there in silence for a moment, staring at the dialog box on the screen in front of him. You have been demoted from B tier to C tier. Best of luck next time! Val took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself. A moment later, another dialog box popped up. You have been permanently banned on this account for reports of trolling, verbal abuse, flaming, and unsportsmanlike conduct. Please contact Camelot Games if you have any questions. Val sat in silence for a moment. Then something in him snapped. ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± Val roared, tearing the headset off his head. He hurled it against the ground, smashing it into several pieces. Deciding that the damage was not enough, Val stomped on the broken headset with his feet, over and over again until his feet went numb. Choking with pain, having done more damage to his feet than the headset, Val hobbled to his bed and buried his face in his single pillow. I hate my life. 2. Elles Gaming Cafe ¡°Back again?¡± asked Elle, twirling her pink hair between her fingers. Val grunted. Elle sighed and shuffled over to the cash register. ¡°The usual?¡± Val nodded. ¡°Y¡¯know kid,¡± said Elle, putting her hands on her hips. ¡°You gotta find a different way to let loose. There¡¯s this new game coming out -¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Elle rolled her eyes. ¡°Whatever. It¡¯ll be twenty bucks for two hours.¡± Val pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and opened it. He sifted through the mass of receipts stuffed inside, pulling out a ten dollar bill and six ones. Mystified at his impoverished state, Val simply stared at the bills in his hands for the better part of a minute. Heaving another great sigh, Elle snatched the money out of his hands and slid a card over to Val. ¡°Booth 77. Your favorite.¡± ¡°Oh a great angel has blessed me¡­¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± snapped Elle. ¡°Remember ¨C two hours only!¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Val took the card from Elle and began trudging into the gaming caf¨¦. On the first level were the five rows of computers, each row having about twenty machines. In the back of the caf¨¦ was the drink and snack counter, a place where Val had spent many nights. Not drinking or eating of course ¨C instead, he pondered the reason for his existence as such a pitiful soul. Next to the counter were a set of stairs ¨C in Val¡¯s case, his path to heaven. Val trudged down the wide steps, dimly lit by glowing neon lights wrapped around the railing. Elle had always had an addiction to flamboyance. Val exited the stairs and entered the basement of Elle¡¯s Gaming Caf¨¦. Instead of being filled with rows of computers, the center of the room consisted of tables where people mingled and talked. Of course, this was not the reason for Val¡¯s visit. The walls of the basement were lined with glass booths. Each booth held the devices needed to play Avalon ¨C a special VR headset, a pair of sensor-filled gloves, and a movement pad that players stood on. Many of the booths were filled with players, stomping on their movement pads and swinging their arms in the air. Val walked to the end of the booths on the left side of the room. On the very last booth was a small sign with ¡°77¡± scrawled on it. Val tapped the card Elle had given him against the card reader, unlocking the door with a click. Val slid the door to the booth open and set his backpack on the ground. He walked over to the equipment shelf and pulled on the gloves, flexing his hands in them. Satisfied, he removed his shoes and walked onto the movement pad. A slight smile spread across his lips as the familiar plush yet firm feeling encapsulated his toes. Lastly, Val picked up the headset. He glanced down at the black box of magic, floating in the moment, invigorated by the excitement and slight tinge of nervousness that he felt every time before putting on the headset. In that moment, Val forgot the fact that he was flat broke, a college dropout, and a failure in the eyes of his parents. This is where I belong. Val put on the headset and jumped into Avalon. 3. Walkthrough Val was greeted by the title screen and theme music of Avalon. Reaching up with his hand, he swiped to proceed to the sign-in screen. In the midst of inputting the credentials of his main account, Val¡¯s mouth twisted into a grimace as he remembered the ban he had received the previous night. His frown turned upside down when he recalled that he had more than enough alternate accounts to outlast any number of bans. Username: FluffyKitten Password: ************ Val tapped the confirm button with his fingers. After loading for several moments, he was brought to Avalon¡¯s main menu. Not interested in the value deals that Camelot Games was offering, Val tapped on his profile in the top right corner of the screen. Name: FluffyKitten Tier (Solo): E Tier (Team): N/A Shaking his head to himself, Val reckoned that it would be fun to take an account into the lower tiers to have a little fun. The players of Avalon were separated into six tiers: A, B, C, D, E, and F. Of course, the players in the world were not uniformly distributed across the tiers. Tiers A and B held the world¡¯s top 1% of players, with the A tier holding a mere 2100 out of the approximately 105 million players in the world. On the contrary, 70% of the world¡¯s players were either in the F or E tier. For a player of my ability, climbing should be a piece of cake, Val thought. Making peace with the dismal ranking of his account, Val hit the ¡°Play Now¡± button at the top of the screen. On the game mode selection screen, Val selected Solo Ranked and moved to the role selection option.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Avalon was a game that pitted two teams of five against each other. Usually, there was a meta surrounding the types of players that should consist a team. The standard meta for the game was having one scout, two fighters, one support, and one mandatory king. The game started with the legendary sword Excalibur being randomly placed somewhere on Avalon¡¯s map. Afterwards, both teams would be spawned an equal distance away from the sword. There were two conditions to win the game ¨C either kill the opposing team¡¯s king or have your team¡¯s king pull Excalibur from its stone. Of course, being the alpha dog he was, Val¡¯s main role was the king. Val marked down king as his preferred role and proceeded to the character selection screen. Lifting the headset off his eyes, Val opened his backpack and pulled out a binder. He opened the binder to reveal pages upon pages of Avalon trading cards. However, these weren¡¯t simply trading cards ¨C each card contained a chip such that when the card was plugged into the headset, the card¡¯s character would become one¡¯s in-game character. Flipping to his page with the ultra-rare cards, Val pulled his main, Lancaster the Knight, from his sleeve and inserted him into the headset. Upon processing the decision, the headset displayed Lancaster¡¯s base statistics on the screen: Health: 80 Physical Damage: 76 Magic Damage: 15 Armor: 75 Magic Resistance: 35 Speed: 50 --- Ability: Timelapse (slows time for 0.5s) Upon confirming character selection, Val was taken to the equipment screen. Before every game, each player was given 100 gold to spend on weapons, armor, spells, and hundreds of miscellaneous items. Val scanned through the items and settled on purchasing a Dragonbone Longsword (+35 to Physical Damage), Steel Armor (+20 Health, +20 Armor, +10 Magic Resistance), and several Health Potions (+20 regenerated Health) Satisfied with his configuration, Val confirmed his decisions and entered the matchmaking queue. After waiting about half a minute, Val¡¯s screen flashed dark. The next moment, he was in game. 4. Team Issues Val blinked his eyes several times as his vision adjusted to the in-game colors. He glanced down at his armored body and swung his arms back and forth, testing the precision of the motion sensor gloves. Satisfied with the upper body, he used his right foot to press down the front of the pad he was standing on. Accordingly, his in-game character raised a steel covered boot and stepped forwards. ¡°Yo, yo! What¡¯s good, dudes!¡± a voice called out from behind Val. Val turned around on top of the movement pad, making his in-game avatar mimic the movement. Standing behind him were his four teammates, small underneath the looming trees of the forest. ¡°Let¡¯s get it!¡± said the same voice. Val traced the voice to an armored black bear standing on its hind legs. Benny the Bear was one of the most beginner friendly characters, possessing the ability Rampage, where the bear received increased health, health regeneration, attack, and defense. Benny was useless in higher tiers, as his base stats were not the greatest and he couldn¡¯t equip any good weapons due to his lack of hands. ¡°The support isn¡¯t moving,¡± said a reedy voice. This was coming from a player named BillBillBillBill, who was playing Ezekiel the Mad Scientist. Ezekiel was one of the more difficult mages in the game, as his play style was largely reflective of the potion ingredients the player bought in the equipment phase before the game started. ¡°Zeke,¡± said Val. ¡°Why the frick do you have Brass Knuckles?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not soft,¡± said BillBillBillBill. ¡°Melee only, baby.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Val¡¯s blood began to boil. ¡°Let¡¯s get going,¡± said Val. ¡°I¡¯ll carry you noobs.¡± ¡°Oh this guy thinks he¡¯s a hotshot ¡®cuz he has a rare character!¡± said Surferdude9. ¡°Well guess what ¨C you¡¯re E tier with the rest of us!¡± Val whirled around, stomping up to the giant black bear. ¡°Oh word? I was B tier on my main!¡± ¡°And how much did you pay for that account?¡± Surferdude9 sneered. ¡°Guys, let¡¯s play the game,¡± said TaylorSwiftIsBae, the fourth player on the team who was playing Artemis the Lightning, one of the top scout characters in the game. Artemis was great as a scout because of her top-notch speed statistic, coming in at 92, as well as her ability, which gave her periods of stealth. ¡°Can¡¯t do much if our support isn¡¯t connected,¡± said BillBillBillBill, gesturing at the unmoving character of the fifth player. ¡°I¡¯ll try to get us some information,¡± said TaylorSwiftIsBae. ¡°You guys sit tight and -¡± A doorbell sounded from one of the players¡¯ microphones. ¡°Oh shoot,¡± said Surferdude9. ¡°Pizza just arrived. I¡¯ll be AFK for a bit.¡± There was a click and Benny the Bear went motionless. ¡°Well,¡± said BillBillBillBill. ¡°Guess that¡¯s game.¡± A rustle in the trees around them interrupted the conversation. Val glanced up at the canopy of the forest, just in time to see a cloud of arrows raining down on top of them. He snapped the fingers of his left hand Timelapse! Time paused for just half a second, but half a second was enough for Val. As time accelerated, Val leaped out of the cloud of arrows, only suffering a few blows to his armor. However, his team wasn¡¯t so lucky. Val could only watch as BillBIllBill, Surferdude9, TaylorSwiftIsBae, and the disconnected support were pulverized by the arrows. Panting, Val clambered to his feet. Around him, all five enemy players stepped out of the forest, forming a circle around him. Val glanced around, trying to find an opening in their attack pattern. Nothing. Without any other options, Val twirled his Dragonbone Longsword in his hands. The burden of his deadbeat team eliminated, Val felt his mouth curl up into a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± 5. Bad Luck The opposing team launched their attack on Val with no hesitation. From the backline, a mage hurled several Waterbullet spells in Val¡¯s direction. Three seconds on Timelapse¡¯s cooldown! Val flattened himself on the forest floor, letting the Waterbullets fly over his head and detonate into the opposing team¡¯s Benny the Bear. Before Val could taunt the opposing team, Ryusuke the Ninja teleported in front of him, slashing a pair of daggers across his torso. Timelapse! Time slowed as the blades screeched over the steel armor protecting Val¡¯s chest. Gritting his teeth, Val leaned backwards as hard as he could, flailing his arms to maintain balance. Ryusuke the Ninja tipped forward with the momentum of his attack, leaving his back unguarded for a second. Val lunged forth and plunged his Dragonbone Longsword into Ryusuke¡¯s back, knocking the ninja¡¯s health down to a critical level. Before Val could deal the finishing blow, several more Waterbullets flew towards him, giving Ryusuke enough time to dash away into the shadows of the trees. Cursing his bad luck, Val whirled around to protect his own exposed back, coming face to face with a half-health Benny the Bear.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Five second cooldown! Val leaped backwards, using his sword as a defense against the rabid claws Benny threw at him. Alas, a sword was not made for defense, leaving Val with 63 heath after the attack. Three second cooldown! Val ducked a swipe by Benny and hacked at the bear¡¯s exposed arm, dealing around 10 damage. Two second cooldown! Benny activated Rampage, letting loose an earsplitting roar. Dropping to all fours, Benny pounced at Val, extending his arms to wrap Val in a hug of death. One second cooldown! Val hopped back once more, trying to distance himself from the raging monster. As he landed, Val¡¯s mouth twisted into a sneer. Timelapse was up again, meaning that it was over for this monstrosity of a mammal. In that moment, Val¡¯s character tripped over a fallen log, collapsing on the ground in a pile of steel armor. Oh shoot¡­ Benny the Bear landed right on top of Val and pummeled him with his claws, tearing Val¡¯s character to bits and pieces along with his hopes and dreams. The screen before him flashed black with the word ¡°Defeat,¡± reminding Val of his godforsaken luck. Val tore off the headset and contemplated throwing it on the ground, halting when he realized that an angry Elle was perhaps the scariest thing in the world. Definitely top three. Instead, Val took his anger out on his empty backpack, kicking it as hard as he could against the wall of the glass booth while releasing an explosive expletive from his mouth. As the backpack hit the wall of the booth, Val noticed a man standing at the door, knocking incessantly and waving his arms to get his attention. Val¡¯s eyes widened in wonder as he contemplated the sight before him. ¡°Barack Obama?¡± 6. DJ ¡°Mr. Obama, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you,¡± said Val, hurrying over to the door of the booth and dropping to his knees in a bow. ¡°Obama?¡± said the man standing in front of Val. ¡°Are you a racist?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You think all black men look like Obama?¡± asked the man, glaring at Val. ¡°That¡¯s like me looking at you and calling you Jackie Chan ¡®cuz you¡¯re Asian.¡± ¡°Oh word?¡± snarled Val, shooting to his feet. ¡°What did you say to me?¡± It was then that Val got a closer look at the stranger. Up close, it was clear that he looked nothing like Obama besides the fact that he was African-American. His hair was tied back in cornrows and he had a single stud earring in his left ear. He wore a navy-blue suit and towered at least a foot over Val¡¯s head. ¡°Uh¡­my bad¡­¡± stammered Val. ¡°If you want my money, just take it. Please don¡¯t frick me up.¡± ¡°You think all black men are criminals?¡± the man asked, incredulous. ¡°Man, there¡¯s something wrong with your head!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what my parents tell me all the time!¡± Val shot back.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The man stared at him for a moment, unsure what to do. After an awkward moment, he spoke. ¡°Um¡­I¡¯m DJ,¡± said the stranger, holding out his hand. Val¡¯s heart rate doubled and his blood pressure shot up to inhuman levels. Fast as lightning, he snagged his wallet out of his backpack and placed it in DJ¡¯s massive palm. The two of them stared at the wallet in silence for a moment. ¡°I DON¡¯T WANT YOUR MONEY!¡± DJ roared, throwing Val¡¯s wallet to the ground. ¡°I want to talk about Avalon!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Oh word?¡± said Val, scratching his head and picking up his wallet. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so in the first place?¡± ¡°Because¡­¡± DJ gave up in the middle of his sentence and put his face in his hands. ¡°You don¡¯t look like an Avalon player,¡± said Val. ¡°I thought you were a basketball player.¡± ¡°I swear, if you say one more thing¡­¡± ¡°You definitely look like you¡¯ve got potential, though,¡± rambled Val. ¡°You¡¯ve got crazy long arms. It would be ridiculously hard to beat you 1v1.¡± DJ stared at Val, mouth wide open. Val glanced around, heart starting to race once more. For caution¡¯s sake, he began reaching for his wallet once more. ¡°That¡¯s the nicest thing anyone¡¯s ever said to me,¡± said DJ, swiping at something near his eyes. Val didn¡¯t know what to say to that. ¡°You¡¯re an insane player too!¡± said DJ, eyes shining. ¡°I was watching you while you were playing ¨C you¡¯ve got the quickest fast twitch muscles I¡¯ve every seen! Your arms were going like wham while your legs were going like whoosh! It was frickin¡¯ amazing, I tell you!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got the quickest reflexes I¡¯ve ever seen! You and me ¨C we¡¯re going to go pro. Together!¡± Val¡¯s hands tightened into fists, ears no longer processing the words that DJ spoke. I¡¯m sorry, Marianne. Neither one of us is going pro. Not you. And not me. 7. A New Friend ¡°You want to play sometime?¡± asked DJ, jolting Val out of his thoughts. ¡°¡­play?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± said DJ. ¡°It¡¯s just the two of us so we can¡¯t played Ranked, but we can definitely get some Casual games in. What¡¯s your in-game name?¡± Val opened and closed his mouth, trying to think back to the last time he hadn¡¯t played solo. Two years ago. In Los Angeles. ¡°Uh¡­it¡¯s FluffyKitten,¡± said Val. ¡°Fluffy kitten? Two words?¡± ¡°One,¡± said Val, watching as DJ fiddled around on his phone. After a while, DJ looked up and smiled, giving Val a thumbs up. ¡°I¡¯ll send you a friend request the next time I¡¯m here,¡± said DJ. ¡°You don¡¯t play at home?¡± Val asked. DJ hesitated for a moment. ¡°¡­nah, I don¡¯t have the setup. But don¡¯t worry ¨C I¡¯m here every day!¡± With that, DJ slung a gym bag over his shoulder and jogged out of the basement, pausing before the stairs to give Val a wave goodbye. Puzzled by the encounter, Val turned back to his booth. He reached down to pick up the headset, but something made him pause. I¡¯m not irritated or mad. So what exactly am I feeling?The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. All of the sudden, the small glass booth seemed very, very small to Val. He pulled off the gloves, folded the movement pad, and placed the equipment back on the shelf they had come from. He put his binder of Avalon cards back in his backpack and headed out of the basement. ¡°I¡¯m done for the day,¡± said Val, sliding the booth key over the counter to Elle. Elle blinked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m done,¡± Val repeated. ¡°You¡¯ve only been in there for thirty minutes!¡± said Elle. ¡°Normally you go over your time slot by at least an hour!¡± Val shrugged sheepishly. ¡°Are you feeling okay?¡± Elle asked, squinting at Val. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Val, surprising himself with his answer. ¡°I actually feel really good right now.¡± ¡°Hmph. Whatever,¡± said Elle. ¡°You only paid enough for this much time anyways.¡± - A couple of hours later, Val stood at the counter of Burger King, watching the empty restaurant in front of him. ¡°We¡¯re going to lose our jobs¡­¡± moaned Bill, the lone manager/cook/co-cashier at the store. ¡°There¡¯s a reason you have three titles,¡± said Val. ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m so talented!¡± said Bill, flexing his arms. Val had worked with Bill for the better part of a year now. Bill looked to be in his late-forties, with a buzz cut of gray hair and skin that looked to be on the verge of wrinkling. ¡°This is the third day in a row we¡¯ve had no customers,¡± said Val, glancing up at the clock on the opposite wall. ¡°Why am I even paying you?¡± moaned Bill, putting his face in his hands. ¡°I could be spending that money at the casino instead.¡± Val rolled his eyes. Before he could speak, a buzz in his pocket interrupted him. Val reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, where he saw a text notification from Camelot Games. DeAngelo has sent you a friend request on Avalon! Hey FluffyKitten ¨C this is DJ. Let¡¯s play soon! Val raised his eyes to see Bill giving him a very confused look. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Val asked. ¡°You¡¯re smiling,¡± said Bill. ¡°And?¡± ¡°In the past year we¡¯ve worked together, I¡¯ve never seen you smile once. What happened to you?¡± Val paused for a moment, trying to savor the moment as best as he could, because he wasn¡¯t sure when he¡¯d feel it again. ¡°I just made a friend.¡± 8. New Character ¡°Get back!¡± Val shouted, swinging his Dragonbone Longsword horizontally at the opposing player, who controlled Jovy the Jester, a Physical Damage based assassin that was infamous for being annoying to play against more because of his in-game laugh than his gameplay. DJ, playing Benny the Bear, leaped backwards, narrowing avoiding Jovy¡¯s stab. Cackling with laughter, Jovy used his superior speed, splashing through the shallow lake to assault Val. Timelapse! For half a second, time froze and Val got time to survey his surroundings. He and DJ were the only two survivors on their team. The opposing team had three players left ¨C their king, support, and Jovy the Jester, who acted as the scout. Both teams had managed to locate Excalibur, which was sticking out of a stone in the middle of the lake. However, as of now, Val had much more urgent matters to take care of. Val dropped into a crouch, ducking the jab from Jovy. Pivoting on one foot, Val swung around and swept his shin into the side of Jovy¡¯s legs, knocking the jester to his knees. ¡°Get him!¡± Val roared. DJ bounded in and smashed his massive paws together on Jovy¡¯s head, knocking the jester¡¯s health down to zero. As soon as the kill was verified through a notification flashing across the screen, Val popped to his feet, head on a swivel. There! The opposing team¡¯s king and support where dashing through the lake, several dozen feet in front of Val and DJ. It seemed as though they had concluded they couldn¡¯t beat a fighter and a king with a support and a king. Now it was a race to see who could reach the sword first. ¡°We¡¯re not going to make it,¡± said DJ, slumping to the ground. ¡°They¡¯re too far gone.¡± ¡°Frick!¡± shouted Val, taking his sword and hurling it into the lake. Shortly after, ¡°Defeat¡± flashed across the screen and the two of them were taken to the post game lobby.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Good -¡± Val cut off DJ, taking his headset and tossing it to the ground of his booth. He paced around in the space, wondering what he could do to alleviate some of his anger. His thoughts ranged from screaming his throat hoarse to smashing the glass door of the booth into smithereens. A knock on the door of his booth interrupted him. Val glanced up to see DJ, motioning at him. ¡°You okay?¡± DJ asked when Val opened the door. ¡°Yeah,¡± mumbled Val. ¡°Just tilted.¡± ¡°That¡¯s four losses in a row,¡± said DJ. ¡°At least we¡¯re playing mid to high level C tier players now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the issue,¡± said Val. ¡°We¡¯re getting to the point where the characters we pick matters a lot more. It¡¯s too hard to win with characters like Benny the Bear.¡± DJ glanced up at Val for a moment before letting his gaze fall to the ground. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± said DJ. ¡°I can only play Benny the Bear, though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that hard to stop being a one-trick-pony,¡± said Val. ¡°All you have to do is have a character for every in-game situation.¡± DJ looked at Val, confused. ¡°For example, we could¡¯ve used a ranged character this game,¡± said Val. ¡°So if you and I are left in a chase scenario again, we have a way to stop the other team.¡± ¡°Yeah, that makes sense,¡± said DJ. ¡°But¡­¡± DJ trailed off into a mumble, which prompted Val to ask him to repeat himself. ¡°Benny is the only card I own,¡± blurted DJ. Val stared at him for a moment, incredulous. ¡°You¡¯re being serious?¡± DJ nodded, twiddling his thumbs. ¡°You got to mid C tier playing only Benny?¡± said Val. ¡°It¡¯s a wonder you haven¡¯t lost your mind. Why haven¡¯t you bought more cards?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t have the money,¡± said DJ. Val opened his mouth to taunt DJ, but he realized that spending so much money on cards was the reason he was broke in the first place. ¡°I have an idea,¡± said Val. He walked back to his backpack and pulled out his binder of cards. Searching through the pages, he pulled out a card and handed it to DJ. ¡°This is Sune the Alchemist,¡± said Val. ¡°His ability is Transmutation, which allows him to change matter around him into some substance that you buy during the Equipment Phase.¡± DJ stared at him, mouth open. ¡°He should be the perfect character for you,¡± said Val. ¡°He can be melee or ranged, depending on what type of substance you¡¯re using. Really high skill cap.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s ultra-rare¡­¡± ¡°Hm?¡± said Val. ¡°It¡¯s ultra-rare,¡± repeated DJ. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Val. ¡°It is.¡± The stood there for a moment in silence. ¡°You¡¯re giving it to me?¡± DJ asked. ¡°Of course,¡± said Val. ¡°I have a super-rare version of him too. That I wouldn¡¯t feel safe giving to you.¡± After another moment of hesitation, DJ reached out and took the card from Val¡¯s hand. He lifted it to his face, staring at it in wonder. Slowly, his brow furrowed and his eyebrows narrowed. Lifting his eyes, he looked Val in the eyes. ¡°I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡± Val had no clue what he was talking about. 9. We Got a Tournament! ¡°Are you interested in joining a tournament?¡± Elle asked, blowing a bubble with her gum. ¡°Huh?¡± asked Val, pausing in the midst of pulling a twenty-dollar bill from his wallet ¨C courtesy of his most recent payday. ¡°It¡¯s the first year I¡¯m running it,¡± said Elle. ¡°Each player on the winning team gets one pack from the Dragon¡¯s Legacy set.¡± ¡°Dragon¡¯s Legacy?¡± said Val, whistling. ¡°That¡¯s one of the first sets in the game, right?¡± ¡°Yessir,¡± said Elle. ¡°I¡¯ve already got a few teams signed up. There¡¯s probably going to be around eight teams in total.¡± ¡°Only eight teams?¡± said Val. ¡°That¡¯s a small tournament.¡± Elle harrumphed. ¡°It¡¯s not like any one of us has been in a bigger tournament.¡± Val managed a half smile. ¡°So are you in?¡± Elle asked. ¡°Of c- ¡± Val cut himself off. Clenching his teeth, he shook his head. ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t. I don¡¯t have a team.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a problem!¡± said Elle. ¡°Single players are placed on teams with other players who don¡¯t have teams.¡± Val opened his mouth to decline, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Is it all right if we¡¯re on the same team?¡± asked DJ. Elle smiled. ¡°Of course! All you have to do is sign this waiver right here!¡± Before Val could protest, Elle slid over two sheets of paper ¨C one for DJ and one for him ¨C and forced pens in both of their hands. Val stared down at the paper, which looked very much like a contract. A document that bound him to play the game not under his terms, but the terms of someone else. A cursed document that ¨C ¡°Val, you want me to sign that for you?¡± asked DJ. ¡°Let¡¯s go! I only got an hour before I have to bounce!¡± Val wrapped his fingers around the pen and scribbled a few messy lines for his signature, tossing the pen to the side the moment he was done. As soon as the pen clattered to the desk, Elle snatched the papers from the countertop and flashed DJ and Val a pearly smile. ¡°Of course, by signing the waiver, you are subject to pay the entry fee of $25.¡± - ¡°I knew we shouldn¡¯t have done that,¡± muttered Val, shaking his head. ¡°There¡¯s just something disgusting about papers and signatures.¡± ¡°Who cares? We got a tournament!¡± said DJ, smacking Val repeatedly on the back with an open palm. Val tried to tell DJ to stop, only to get assaulted by another round of hearty smacks. ¡°I¡¯m so nervous already,¡± said DJ, pausing his barrage on Val to shake out his arms and legs. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be nervous about,¡± said Val. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re playing for anything.¡± ¡°Not playing for anything?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just an amateur tournament,¡± said Val. ¡°There are no stakes. Winning it would be just like winning a Casual game.¡± ¡°Val.¡± Val turned to face DJ. DJ stared back at him with brown eyes, calm and serious. ¡°Maybe to you it¡¯s just like playing a Casual,¡± said DJ. ¡°But this is the first time in my life that I have the chance to prove to myself that I can be good at what I want to do.¡± Val, for just a moment, felt the sparks of a fire that had once burned within in. The fire that had been extinguished at the West Coast Open two years ago. The same fire that fueled DJ today. As if reading Val¡¯s mind, DJ reached out and placed a hand on Val¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re going to win this tournament.¡± 10. Team 8 ¡°We¡¯re definitely not going to win this tournament,¡± groaned Val, looking at the newest addition to Team 8. The little girl took her dress in her hands and began gnawing on the hem. ¡°You sure you¡¯re in the right place?¡± DJ asked, kneeling in front of the little girl. She ignored him, instead slumping to the ground and wrapping her skinny arms around her skinny legs. The three of them sat at the table labeled ¡°Team 8¡± in the basement. There were seven other tables set up for the other teams, most already filled. For some reason, the only person who had come to their table was this strange little girl that definitely did not seem like an Avalon player. ¡°Her dad is probably the one playing,¡± said DJ. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°If he is, he¡¯s cutting it pretty close,¡± said Val, checking his phone. ¡°Just like the rest of our team.¡± ¡°For real,¡± said DJ, glancing around at the other tables. ¡°Seems like we¡¯re the last team to be filled.¡± ¡°I knew this was a bad idea,¡± said Val. ¡°We should start stretching,¡± said DJ. ¡°The first round is supposed to be best of three.¡± Val grunted, having already fallen into his habit of stretching his quads and calves. ¡°What up what up!¡± said Elle, popping by their table. After glancing around, she tilted her head to one side. ¡°Where¡¯s the rest of your team?¡± ¡°Good question,¡± said Val. ¡°I have a better one. Can I have my $25 back?¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Elle grimaced, as if she felt any sort of sympathy to Val¡¯s pain. ¡°No can do. You already signed the waiver.¡± ¡°So if we don¡¯t have enough players¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Elle, shaking her head sadly. ¡°You¡¯ll have to pay a $25 disqualification fee.¡± ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± Val roared, eyes bulging. ¡°What the frick is a disqualification fee?¡± ¡°It was in the fine print on the waiver,¡± said Elle, lip twitching into a sneer. ¡°Heh,¡± said Val. ¡°I hate my life.¡± ¡°Another question, ma¡¯am!¡± said DJ, waving at Elle. ¡°This little girl seems to have lost her parents and wandered over to our table.¡± Elle glanced around. ¡°What little girl?¡± Val and DJ pointed their fingers at the little girl sitting at the table. ¡°Oh!¡± said Elle. ¡°This is Willow. She¡¯s a little shy, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll enjoy having her on your team. She just wanted some friends to play with!¡± Val put his face in his hands. ¡°If the rest of your team isn¡¯t here by 3 pm, I¡¯m going to have to disqualify you,¡± said Elle. ¡°And don¡¯t forget ¨C you¡¯ll have to pay the disqualification fee too!¡± Elle skipped away, practically oozing money-lust. ¡°They¡¯ve got two minutes to show,¡± said DJ, glancing over the crowd with his superior height. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like ¨C oh shoot!¡± DJ dropped to a crouch behind their table. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Val. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± hissed DJ. ¡°Just¡­someone I know.¡± ¡°And then I jumped out into the middle of the road,¡± said a voice defined by its confident drawl. ¡°I grabbed the dog in my arms and rolled out of the way just in time. Any slower and I woulda been roadkill.¡± ¡°Oh Blaze, you¡¯re so brave!¡± said a girl¡¯s voice. ¡°Not just brave,¡± said Blaze. ¡°I¡¯m fast.¡± ¡°Team 8 is right here!¡± said the girl. A moment later, a young man and lady emerged through the crowd to stand before Val. The boy had curly blonde hair that fell to his shoulders, currently tied back with a headband. He was dressed in leather jacket and designer jeans, exuding wealth and confidence with every movement. The girl was dressed in a light blue blouse and white skirt, accentuating her pale skin and dark brown hair. She clung to the young man¡¯s arm like it was her last bottle of water in the Sahara Desert. ¡°Whoa!¡± said the young man, Blaze. ¡°Is that you, DJ?¡± DJ slowly rose from where he was crouched behind the table, keeping his gaze directed at the ground. ¡°Fancy seeing you here!¡± said Blaze. ¡°You as bad at this game as you are at basketball?¡± Val sighed. We¡¯re definitely not going to win this tournament. 11. The Strategy Meeting ¡°So¡­¡± said DJ, breaking the awkward silence that hung over Team 8¡¯s table. ¡°Should we go around and say our names and positions? It¡¯d¡­uh¡­probably help us make a strategy for the match.¡± Blaze snickered, making DJ glance down at the table in embarrassment. ¡°The name¡¯s Blaze,¡± said Blaze. ¡°My in-game name is Sonicboom, and I like to go fast. I¡¯m just playing this game ¡®cuz I have some free time, unlike this nerd DJ right here.¡± The only person who laughed was the girl who had accompanied Blaze. ¡°I play scout ¡®cuz it¡¯s the fastest role in the game,¡± continued Blaze, running his hand through his curly locks of hair. ¡°My favorite character to play is Artemis the Lightning ¡®cuz, y¡¯know, she¡¯s fast.¡± Val¡¯s heart fell. Most Artemis players he played with tried to utilize her speed and stealth to assassinate, while her true strength lay in disrupting the enemies¡¯ plans and positioning. This guy definitely did not know how to use her correctly. ¡°I¡¯ll go next!¡± said the girl who had accompanied Blaze. ¡°My name is Sydney and I¡¯m a support player! I haven¡¯t really played this game either, but when I do, I play Amethyst the Gem Healer!¡± Val grimaced. Amethyst was nicknamed the ¡°girlfriend character,¡± as she was extremely easy to play for beginners. Most players used her for her namesake asset ¨C her ability to heal. Sydney seemed to fall under all of those stereotypes. ¡°I¡¯m DJ,¡± said DJ, starting down at the table. ¡°I¡¯m a fighter. I¡¯m learning how to play Sune the Alchemist.¡± ¡°Oh god!¡± said Blaze. ¡°We got a wannabe pro on our team!¡± Val opened his mouth to snap back out of instinct, but he stopped himself before he did. That¡¯s right. She told me I would never become a better player that way.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. They turned to face Willow, the little girl. Her face was mostly obscured behind a curtain of long, red hair, but Val could make out a pair of pale blue eyes staring back out at them. After an awkward pause, Willow fumbled in her dress and pulled out a deck of notecards. She shuffled through them and placed one in the center of the table. I¡¯m Willow. Willow sifted through a few more cards and began placing several down in succession, forming a sentence. I play fighter. My best character is Benny the Bear. After shuffling her cards, Willow placed one last card down on the table. Suck a dick! The other four at the table squinted and leaned in closer to see if they were reading the words correctly. Before they could get a good glimpse, Willow snatched the card away and replaced it with another one. Nice to meet you! ¡°Ah,¡± said Blaze, speaking for the group. ¡°Pleasure is all mine¡­ours. Except DJ.¡± Val, after hearing what characters were on the team, had eliminated what little hope he had had for victory. They simply didn¡¯t have the ability to succeed. Sydney and Willow were playing characters with a low skill ceiling and didn¡¯t seem to be more than casual players. The casual player description also applied to Blaze. DJ had potential, but he was playing Sune, a character that took more than his fair share of hours to learn¡­ ¡°Val?¡± asked DJ. ¡°Huh?¡± said Val. Upon meeting the expectant glances of his teammates, he realized it was his turn to introduce himself. ¡°My name¡¯s Valentine, but you guys can just call me Val. My main is Lancaster the Knight. I play king.¡± Blaze whistled. ¡°Lancaster, eh? You any good?¡± Val scowled. ¡°I¡¯m better than you!¡± Before the tension could escalate any further, DJ interrupted. ¡°We should come up with a few starting strategies! We know the map is divided into four quadrants ¨C the northwest is the Ruins, the northeast is the Mountains, the southwest is the Forest, and the southeast is the Lake. We know Excalibur can be placed anywhere in the map -¡± ¡°We know how to play the game, DJ,¡± said Blaze. ¡°Stop nerding out and get to the good part.¡± DJ obediently closed his mouth and took a deep breath. ¡°Team 8, you¡¯re up in five minutes!¡± Elle called from a microphone. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the strategy,¡± said Blaze, sneering. ¡°I¡¯m the scout right? It¡¯s my job to find the sword and the enemy team. I¡¯ll be able to do both of those things before you can blink. You know why? ¡®Cuz I¡¯m fast.¡± ¡°What do I do? What do I do?¡± asked Sydney, sidling up to Blaze¡¯s side. ¡°Hm?¡± said Blaze. ¡°All you have to do is heal whoever is hurt.¡± ¡°Oh, that makes sense!¡± said Sydney. After a moment, she tilted her head to the side. ¡°How do I heal people again?¡± A single tear leaked down Val¡¯s cheek. 12. Countdown Val stepped into the glass booth, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Behind him, several dozen people crowded the tables in the center of Elle¡¯s basement, staring at a large projector screen positioned against the back wall. The projector would be displaying the spectator mode of Avalon ¨C a mode where the viewers could control what area of the map to look at or a specific player¡¯s point of view. Elle sat at a computer near the projector, controlling which view the audience could see. Taking one last backwards glance at the audience, Val pulled on his headset and entered his credentials into the game. Navigating to the tournament server, he connected to the voice channel of Team 8. ¡°This is Val,¡± said Val. ¡°Anyone here?¡± ¡°How do you put this thing on?¡± Sydney¡¯s voice said, audio faint. ¡°It¡¯s getting caught in your hair,¡± said Blaze. ¡°Take it off for a moment -¡± ¡°Get back to your own booth!¡± a referee roared. ¡°I¡¯ll be over soon!¡± said Blaze. After a brief pause, he spoke again. ¡°Do you know why?¡± ¡°GET BACK TO YOUR BOOTH!¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¡®cuz I¡¯m fast!¡± Blaze hollered, voice fading into the distance.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Hello?¡± said Sydney, seemingly having gotten her headset on properly. ¡°¡­is this damn thing on?¡± ¡°Yeah I can hear you,¡± said Val. ¡°Anyone else here?¡± ¡°DJ here,¡± said DJ. There was a click as someone else joined the comms. ¡°Who joined?¡± DJ asked. ¡°I¡¯m not first?¡± Blaze asked. ¡°That¡¯s strange¡­this game must be a bit messed up.¡± ¡°Willow?¡± asked DJ. ¡°You here?¡± ¡°¡­here,¡± said a hoarse whisper. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ve got everyone,¡± said DJ. ¡°¡­what do we do now?¡± There was a moment of silence. ¡°Plug your character card in,¡± said Val. ¡°After the Equipment Phase, there will be a confirm button. Once we¡¯ve all confirmed, the game will start.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± said Blaze. ¡°You seem to know a lot about this! You play in tournaments before?¡± ¡°¡­nah,¡± Val replied. ¡°It¡­it just makes sense.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying, buddy,¡± said Blaze. ¡°But I don¡¯t care. Just ¡®cuz you¡¯ve played in tournaments before doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re faster than me.¡± Val let the conversation drop to take the time to plug in the character card of Lancaster the Knight into the headset. Heading into the equipment screen, Val chose his standard setup ¨C Dragonbone Longsword, Steel Armor, and several Health Potions. ¡°What do I buy?¡± Sydney asked. ¡°Should I buy a sword? A shield?¡± ¡°Buy a Healer¡¯s Amulet and a bunch of Mana Potions,¡± said DJ. ¡°Besides that, just look for items that reduce the cooldown on your healing spell or improve your mana regeneration.¡± ¡°¡­Blaze?¡± Sydney asked. ¡°Just listen to the nerd,¡± said Blaze. ¡°He probably spends all his time playing this game anyways.¡± A couple minutes later, all of the players had confirmed their equipment setup. On screen, a countdown to the game began ¨C a large white number on a pitch-black screen. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen this countdown, thought Val, watching the numbers decrement. The last time I saw it, I hoped I¡¯d never see it again¡­I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be back so soon. The timer dropped down to 0, and game one began. 13. South or West? Val blinked as his vision gradually adjusted to the lighting around him. Glancing around, he saw that he was standing on a path surrounded by the steep cliffs of the Mountains. While acknowledging that it was a game, Val could always appreciate the attention to detail Camelot Games gave to the setting. Everything around them, from the texture of the stones to the clear blue of the distant sky, made it seem like they were actually standing on a mountain pass. A flash of colors jolted Val out of his thoughts. His eyes widened as he saw Blaze explode down the path through the mountains. ¡°He has Boost Boots,¡± Val noted to no one in particular. Boost Boots were one of the most expensive items in the game, costing a whopping 50 gold but also granting +25 speed. They were a staple item for pro scouts, as pros had the mechanics and macro knowledge to utilize them to get around the map as quickly and efficiently as possible. ¡°I only have them ¡®cuz I read something online!¡± Blaze said in the comms. ¡°Plus they make me go really, really fast!¡± ¡°He¡¯s so cool!¡± said Sydney, haven taken the form of Amethyst the Gym Healer, a tall, graceful lady wearing a dress made up of gems with all the colors of the rainbow. ¡°Are we going to trust him?¡± DJ asked, walking over to Val. Sune the Alchemist had an avatar of an older man with dark blue hair held back in a tail and a black robe that hung to his ankles. ¡°No,¡± said Val. ¡°We know that the Mountains are in the northeast quadrant of the map. That means that Excalibur most likely appeared to the south of us. It would be safest if we just went that direction.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± said DJ. Without further ado, Val pressed his foot down on the front part of the movement pad, causing his character to start sprinting forward, down the path that Blaze had taken. ¡°What about us?¡± Sydney asked, pitch of her voice rising. ¡°You can¡¯t just leave us behind!¡± ¡°Follow if you can,¡± said Val. ¡°There¡¯s no way we¡¯re going to kill the enemy king with our team comp. It¡¯s safer for us to get to the sword first.¡± Val and DJ shot down the path through the mountains. Ahead, the path split into three forks. One fork headed west, another fork continued south, and the last fork led to a dead end deep in the mountains.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Let¡¯s go south,¡± said Val. The two of them took the appropriate fork, heading straight south towards the Lake. As they ran, Val noticed that Willow, playing Benny the Bear, was keeping up with them, running a few steps behind. If anything, she¡¯s got good footwork, Val thought. Sydney, on the other hand¡­ ¡°COME BACK!¡± Sydney wailed in the comms. ¡°HOW DO I MOVE?¡± ¡°The sword isn¡¯t in the Lake!¡± Blaze shouted. Val, DJ, and Willow skidded to a stop. He already got that far? Val thought. Impossible! Even pros have trouble searching the entire Lake in that much time! ¡°You need to start heading west right now!¡± said Blaze. ¡°The sword is most likely in the northwest, near the Ruins!¡± Val gritted his teeth. If Blaze was correct, then Excalibur would most likely be in the Ruins. Both teams spawned and equal distance away from the sword, meaning it was logical that Team 8 had spawned in the northeast and their opponents, Team 1, had spawned in the southwest, as those quadrants were equidistant to the Ruins, located in the northwest quadrant. ¡°There¡¯s no way you searched the entire Lake,¡± said DJ. ¡°You¡¯re lying about it just to get back at me!¡± ¡°Listen here, nerd,¡± said Blaze. ¡°There¡¯s one thing I hate more than natural talent in the world ¨C and that¡¯s losing!¡± ¡°You make the call, Val,¡± said DJ, turning to look Val in the eye. ¡°You¡¯re the king.¡± You¡¯re the king. The words echoed through Val¡¯s head, triggering unwanted memories of the past. In his head, he saw himself standing in dead end within the Mountains. Across the clearing was Excalibur. Behind him was Marianne. All he had to do was run to the sword and draw it from its stone. Then it would be over. After all it was just a game. Just a game¡­ ¡°What call is there to make?¡± Blaze shouted. ¡°Go west! Now!¡± Without evidence to make his judgment, Val decided to trust personality in this scenario. He knew that DJ was a good player and Blaze was simply a casual one. He also knew that Blaze, for some reason, had it out for DJ, and deep down inside, that irked Val. ¡°We continue South,¡± said Val. ¡°We search the Lake first and then the Ruins.¡± ¡°Jesus Christ!¡± Blaze spat. ¡°Garbage team!¡± Decision made, Val, DJ, and Willow continued their journey down the path. Slowly, the rocky path faded away into the grass that surrounded the Lake. While the Lake was called ¡°the Lake,¡± its formation was more of a marsh. Sure, there were large expanses of water, but each of these bodies were connected by land passages, weaving through the giant lake like a maze. The entirety of the lake was covered in a dense fog, inhibiting vision and benefiting assassins. ¡°Watch your surroundings,¡± said Val. ¡°Anything could be hiding in this fog.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing in the fog!¡± shouted Blaze in the comms. ¡°We have to get to the Ruins!¡± Having had enough of the incessant shouting, Val opened his menu and muted Blaze. In silence, the three of them proceeded forward for several moments before DJ held up a hand. ¡°Careful,¡± said DJ. ¡°I think I -¡± ¡°AHHHHHHH!!¡± shrieked Sydney. ¡°I¡¯M GETTING ATTACKED!¡± 14. Postgame Nausea ¡°AHHHHHHHH!¡± screamed Sydney. ¡°What do I do what do I do what do I do!¡± Val swallowed, glancing out over the foggy expanse of the Lake. The sword was definitely in there somewhere, right? There was no way he had made such a bad decision this early in the match, right? You weren¡¯t born to be a king. Try as he might, Val couldn¡¯t prevent himself from hearing her voice in his head. The girl who had ruined his life... ¡°Val!¡± said DJ. Try as he might, Val could not move. If he made the call to go west, they would be giving up a free path to the sword. But if Excalibur was actually in the Ruins, then their opponents would be the one¡¯s getting the free path¡­ ¡°What¡¯s happening, Blaze?¡± DJ shouted. Realizing that he still had Blaze muted, Val reached a hand up and unmuted Blaze. ¡°- all here!¡± Blaze was shouting. ¡°They already got Sydney! I can¡¯t hold them off for long!¡± ¡°Coming!¡± shouted DJ. Giving Val a backwards glance, DJ sprinted westward, followed closely by the ever-silent Willow. Why am I playing this game? Val asked himself, staring down at the ground. I already tried to go pro once. If I couldn¡¯t do it back then, there¡¯s no way I could do it now. ¡°They got me,¡± said Blaze. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± Val stood unmoving as the screen flashed dark with ¡°Defeat¡± displayed in white text. Slowly, he reached up and removed his headset, setting it on the ground. Behind him, he heard the murmur of the crowd and the heat of their gaze. His stomach lurched and he doubled over, trying his best not to vomit.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Team One takes the first game!¡± Elle shouted over the microphone. ¡°Five minute break between games!¡± Val staggered over to the door of his booth and threw it open, suddenly feeling very claustrophobic inside the small glass room. Upon making it out of the booth, Val was met with a furious Blaze. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you listen to the call, buddy?¡± Blaze snarled, grabbing Val by the collar. ¡°You think you¡¯re all high and mighty ¡®cuz you¡¯re the king right?¡± The nausea Val felt began dissipating into anger. ¡°You¡¯re just like all players who play king!¡± said Blaze. ¡°It¡¯s all about you! You don¡¯t care about what other people say! You think you can win by yourself!¡± Val shoved Blaze backwards, nearly toppling him over. ¡°Don¡¯t talk about me like you know me!¡± Val growled. ¡°Why are you getting so worked up anyways? I thought this was just a casual game for you!¡± ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa!¡± shouted Elle, dashing over and shoving herself between Val and Blaze. ¡°If you fight, you get disqualified! Which means you have to pay the disqualification fee of $25!¡± Blaze snorted. ¡°Whatever. Take my $25. I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°Blaze, wait!¡± said DJ, grabbing him by the arm. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me, nerd!¡± Blaze roared, tearing himself away. As Blaze began stomping away, an earsplitting wail exploded from Willow¡¯s mouth. Everyone in the vicinity froze for a moment, shocked at the sheer volume of the sound. ¡°Kid!¡± Elle hissed, glaring at Blaze and beckoning him back over. Willow continued to sob, covering her face with her hands. ¡°What am I supposed to do?¡± Blaze scowled. ¡°I¡­I just¡­I just wanted to play one more game!¡± Willow said, voice a small whimper behind her hands. ¡°Are you really going to make a little girl cry?¡± Elle whispered, hands tightening into fists. The scowl on Blaze¡¯s face slowly turned into a look of helplessness as he realized the dire circumstances he was in. ¡°I¡¯ll play, I¡¯ll play!¡± said Blaze, kneeling down next to Willow and patting her head awkwardly. He glanced up and met Val¡¯s glare with his own. ¡°We just have to lose one more game, right?¡± Willow sniffled and nodded, making sure the devious smile on her face was well hidden. 15. Learning From Mistakes The pregame lobby was silent as Team 8 loaded up for game two. Val zipped through his setup, going with the same options as before. There was no need to make any adjustments, as they hadn¡¯t even had to chance to see their opponents. With the exception of Sydney, of course. But it didn¡¯t seem like anyone was going to ask her. Moments later, the team loaded onto the map of Avalon. As his vision adjusted to the in-game colors, Val blinked several times to clear his vision. After a bit, he realized that it wasn¡¯t his vision ¨C it was the dense fog of the Lake. Without a word, Blaze zipped off in a blur, disappearing from their view in an instant. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± DJ asked, glancing at Val. Val opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself. They were down a game in the match, meaning that he might very well split the team to cover as much ground as possible. The Lake was in the southeast, meaning that moving northwards would be a good initial step. You think you can win by yourself! Val clenched his jaw. Is this not the part missing from my game? The part preventing me from going further? ¡°Val?¡± DJ prompted. ¡°We wait for the scout¡¯s information,¡± said Val, more out of instinct than decisiveness. But after the words came out, he bit back his desire to amend his statement. ¡°Your scout is glad to hear his king talking a little sense,¡± said Blaze.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Glad that a bit of the tension had settled down, Val glanced up at the top left of the screen. They were about a minute into the game. Most scouts could cover one quadrant in about two minutes¡¯ time, meaning that ¨C ¡°The sword is in the forest!¡± said Blaze. ¡°Just head straight west from where you are now!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± said Val, pressing turning on the movement pad and pressing down with his foot, sending Lancaster the Knight into a sprint. ¡°If the sword is west from us, that means other team should be coming from the north,¡± said Val. ¡°Blaze, I want you to try to find the other team!¡± ¡°Already on it,¡± said Blaze. As they ran, Val glanced over his shoulder. DJ and Willow were keeping right with his pace, while Sydney was hanging a little bit further behind. Moving at this pace required quick footwork on the movement pad, as the map was covered with trees and bumps that could send a character tumbling. A beginner player like Sydney wouldn¡¯t have the necessary footwork to dodge all of the obstacles along the path they took. The map was covered with dirt paths that players could take, but these paths were often long and twisty, making cutting through the wilderness a much more efficient option for players who could handle the quick sidesteps and hops needed for navigation. ¡°I just ran into their scout!¡± shouted Blaze. ¡°He¡¯s playing Chippy!¡± Chippy was an oversized chipmunk who excelled at climbing. While his mobility was top-notch, he wasn¡¯t useful for anything else besides identifying the location of places and running away. ¡°You know where the rest of their team is?¡± Val asked. ¡°I have a hunch they¡¯re coming from the Mountains,¡± said Blaze. ¡°I chased Chippy for a while and that¡¯s the direction they were heading.¡± ¡°DJ, Willow, I want you guys to meet up with Blaze and slow them down,¡± said Val. ¡°We¡¯re already ahead in this race. If you can buy me a few extra seconds, this game should be in the bag.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± said DJ. He and Willow halted their characters and began heading northwards towards Blaze¡¯s direction. ¡°What about me?¡± Sydney asked, wheezing for breath. ¡°You guys are going too fast!¡± ¡°Keep up if you can,¡± said Val. Without waiting for a response, Val pressed down on his movement pad and headed for Excalibur. 16. Hes So Far Ahead Of Me He¡¯s been ahead of me my entire life. Blaze turned on his stealth to evade the blow from one of Team 1¡¯s fighters. Using the active ability on his Boost Boots, he exploded forth towards the exposed back of his opponent. Upon reaching his destination, Blaze yanked out a pair of twin daggers and lunged at his opponent. I knew he played this game. I started playing because of him. I started playing so I could beat him. Blaze drove his daggers home, knocking his opponent down to half health. Roaring with rage, the enemy whirled around, carving through the air with an enormous two-handed axe. In response, Blaze dropped to the dirt floor of the forest, hearing the whoosh of air as the axe passed above his head. As soon as the axe passed, Blaze hopped to his feet, twirling his daggers in his hands. Adrenaline flowing through his veins, he drove the finishing blow towards his opponent. ¡°Watch out, Blaze!¡± shouted DJ. Blaze glanced up to find an arrow shooting at his face. I practiced so much. DJ, in the form of Sune the Alchemist, darted in front of him, tearing a section of his robes off his body. Making a hand sign, DJ mutated the scrap of cloth into iron ore, one of the items he had stored in his Alchemy Inventory. The cloth took on a silver sheen as it was transformed, hardening into a large sheet of metal. The incoming arrow crashed into the makeshift shield and clattered to the ground. So why is he still so far in front me? * ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you didn¡¯t make the cut,¡± said the high school basketball coach, standing in front of the group of boys who didn¡¯t make it past the fifth and final day of tryouts. ¡°Keep practicing ¨C there¡¯s always next year!¡± But¡­I don¡¯t have a next year, thought Blaze, hands tightening into fists. I¡¯m a senior. * ¡°You hear that, there¡¯s a freshman on the basketball team that doesn¡¯t even practice!¡± whispered one of the kids in class. ¡°Who is it? Who is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the super tall kid named DJ. He¡¯s supposed to be here on an athletic scholarship!¡± * ¡°I¡¯ll play you for your spot on the team,¡± said Blaze, staring down DJ. ¡°Huh?¡± said DJ. ¡°I¡¯ll play you one on one,¡± said Blaze, glaring up at DJ. ¡°If I win, you give up your spot on the basketball team. If you win, I¡¯ll give up on playing basketball!¡± DJ stared at him, mouth agape. ¡°If you enjoy it, why would you quit?¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Because I¡¯ll know that even if I put in a hundred times ¨C no, a thousand times the effort, I¡¯ll never be a better player than someone born to play. Someone like you. ¡°Just ¡®cuz,¡± said Blaze, shoving his hands in his pockets. ¡°We¡¯ll play up to 11, 1¡¯s and 2¡¯s. Win by 2.¡± ¡°¡­okay,¡± said DJ. Eleven points later, Blaze collapsed to his hands and knees on the basketball court, sweat dripping from his nose to the floor. Gasping for air, he glanced up at DJ, who was standing there, spinning the ball in his hands. ¡°I win,¡± said Blaze. ¡°Eleven to zero.¡± ¡°Yup,¡± said DJ. ¡°Good game!¡± Blaze tightened his jaw. Does a spot on the team mean so little to you? And how is a player on an athletic scholarship so bad? Blaze watched as DJ executed several fancy dribble sequences, putting the ball behind his legs several times, behind his back, in-and-out dribbles¡­ But during the game, I stole the ball from him every time he had possession. He didn¡¯t even get a shot off! DJ dribbled the ball several feet behind the three-point line and launched up a shot. Swish. Nothing but net. ¡°You¡­you let me win,¡± said Blaze, hands trembling. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t,¡± said DJ, grabbing his gym bad. ¡°I -¡± ¡°Why did you let me win?¡± Blaze asked, staring DJ in the eye. After seeing the look on Blaze¡¯s face, DJ¡¯s smile slowly dissipated. ¡°People have told me about you,¡± said DJ. ¡°You¡¯re the guy who gets in to practice an hourly early and leaves an hour late just to do extra drills. When I watched you at tryouts, I could see how much you loved the game.¡± Blaze was silent. ¡°And to be honest with you, I don¡¯t think I love basketball anymore,¡± said DJ. ¡°These days I just play because my family forces me to. I¡¯d rather spend my time working to become a pro gamer!¡± Meeting Blaze¡¯s eyes, DJ smiled. ¡°So at the end of the day, when you look at you and me and what each of us wants, you obviously deserve the spot on the team.¡± Blaze could only watch as DJ packed his gym bag and walked out of the gym, giving Blaze a brief wave as he left. * ¡°You hear that, the freshman I was talking about quit the team!¡± said one of the kids in class. ¡°Anyone know why?¡± ¡°I hear he lost a game against you, Blaze!¡± said another kid. ¡°You know what he told me afterwards?¡± said Blaze. ¡°The nerd says he wants to be a pro gamer!¡± The kids sitting next to Blaze burst out into laughter. ¡°A pro gamer?¡± ¡°Is that even a legal profession?¡± ¡°What a nerd!¡± ¡°Congrats, Blaze!¡± said one of his fellow seniors on the basketball team. ¡°Guess your hard work finally paid off!¡± Blaze managed a smile. My hard work measures up to nothing against his natural talent. * Blaze watched as DJ made another hand sign, slamming his palm against the armor of the enemy team¡¯s fighter. A moment later, the fighter¡¯s armor splintered into shards of ice, piercing the character¡¯s body and reducing his health to 0 in an instant. In the distance, the rest of Team One ¨C the other fighter, the scout, the support, and the king ¨C arrived. ¡°Break past them!¡± shouted Team One¡¯s king. The opposing team charged towards them, screaming their battle cries. Grabbing two tree branches from the ground, DJ charged at the enemy king. Blaze watched as DJ made a hand sign, converting the branches into iron. Spinning, DJ rammed the iron branch into the face of the opposing team¡¯s fighter, who had come to intercept him. Roaring with rage and desperation, the rest of the enemy team leaped at DJ, pulling out whatever weapons they owned. As the enemies leaped, DJ dropped to one knee, chaining several hand signs together. Right before the enemies landed on top of him, DJ slammed his palms against the ground. An inferno of blue flame erupted from the ground, engulfing DJ and everything around him. Blaze covered his eyes, squinting from the brightness of the explosion, trying to make out what had happened. ¡°I¡¯ve got the sword!¡± shouted Val in the comms. In the midst of the flames, Blaze saw DJ clamber to his feet, having been protected by the fire-proof robes he had purchased in the equipment screen. A moment later, the word ¡°victory¡± ran across the screen, slowing fading to black. He¡¯s so far ahead of me ¨C will I ever catch up? 17. You Dont Need Me ¡°One more game, guys,¡± said DJ. ¡°One more game!¡± Team 8 was quiet as they went through the pregame setup menus. However, it wasn¡¯t a bad sort of quiet. If Val had to put a name to the silence, he would¡¯ve called it the silence of determination. ¡°Any changes we need to make?¡± DJ asked. ¡°We still haven¡¯t fought them head on,¡± said Val. ¡°Just play what you¡¯re comfortable playing.¡± He took the silence as affirmation and confirmed his setup, waiting for the game to start. Val was personally quite pleased with the way the match had turned out. The first game had started out shakily, but after he and Blaze had sorted out their differences, things had turned out pretty well. They¡¯ve got some talent, thought Val. DJ is getting really the hang of Sune, and Blaze is honestly one of the fastest scouts I¡¯ve every played with. On the other hand, Willow and Sydney¡­ ¡°Blaze, this isn¡¯t fun,¡± said Sydney. ¡°I don¡¯t want to play anymore.¡± ¡°This is the last game!¡± said DJ. ¡°Please, please, please play!¡± ¡°¡­fine,¡± grouched Sydney. When they had confirmed all of their pregame settings, they sat in silence for a moment, waiting for their opponents to finish. The half minute it took seemed to last an eternity. In that half minute, Val felt a small smile cracking his face. Y¡¯know, this hasn¡¯t been too bad. The next moment, they were in game. As soon as they spawned, this time in the Forest, Val knew that something was wrong. The half-smile dropped completely off his face when he saw that Blaze was playing Colin the Bartender, a tank with one of the lowest speed statistics in the game.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Blaze, what the frick are you doing?¡± Val asked, trying to keep his temper under control. ¡°You guys don¡¯t need me,¡± said Blaze. ¡°I¡¯m just a casual player, remember?¡± ¡°What happened to not wanting to lose?¡± Val growled. ¡°I already lost,¡± said Blaze, slumping to the ground. ¡°I¡¯m never going to win.¡± Val glanced at DJ. ¡°The frick is he talking about?¡± DJ shrugged. ¡°Whatever,¡± said Val, fed up with the repeated antics of Blaze. ¡°You¡¯re right, Blaze. We don¡¯t need you. You¡¯re just a third-rate scout with fourth rate speed.¡± ¡°Leave him alone, Val,¡± said DJ. ¡°We need to come up with a strategy.¡± Val muttered some choice words under his breath but allowed himself to be pulled aside by DJ. ¡°The Forest is in the southwest quadrant,¡± said DJ. ¡°We could split up and send -¡± ¡°We can¡¯t split up like this,¡± said Val. ¡°Without a scout, we¡¯re not going to beat them to the sword without luck. We¡¯re going to have to beat them in a fight.¡± ¡°A fight?¡± asked DJ. ¡°We don¡¯t have the personnel for a team fight!¡± ¡°The other team is trash,¡± Val. ¡°You and I could 2 v 5 them if we had to.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that!¡± said DJ. ¡°Also -¡± ¡°We¡¯re wasting too much time talking,¡± said Val. ¡°We¡¯ve given their scout too much of a head start. We move north now.¡± ¡°Everyone?¡± asked DJ. ¡°Everyone who feels like playing this game,¡± said Val, glaring at Blaze. Blaze finally snapped. ¡°Why are you talking so high and mighty? ¡®Cuz you¡¯re the king?¡± Blaze shouted. ¡°I know one thing¡¯s for sure ¨C outside of this game you¡¯re probably just a college dropout who wastes away in your parent¡¯s basement playing games all day! What gives you the right to tell me what to do?¡± Val sneered. ¡°I at least have enough respect for my teammates to try to win! You¡¯re just sad and whiny because DJ is better than you!¡± Blaze¡¯s voice turned very, very dark. ¡°You don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like getting told you can¡¯t achieve your dreams.¡± Val opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. I know that pain more than anyone. Their argument was interrupted as an arrow whizzed through the air, embedding itself with a thud in Blaze¡¯s chest. 18. Forest Fight ¡°Get down!¡± shouted DJ, making several hand signs and grabbing his robe. In an instant, his robe turned to iron deflecting the flurry of arrow sent at Team 8. ¡°Good job, DJ!¡± said Val, pulling his longsword from its sheath. ¡°Heh, thanks,¡± said DJ, falling onto his side with a metallic thud. Val¡¯s eyes bulged in horror as his eyes fell upon DJ¡¯s body, completely immobilized by his newly created iron robe. Resisting his urge to unleash any vile comments, Val turned to face the enemy team, who had made the mistake of doubling over with laughter instead of continuing their attack. Slowly, Val turned around to face his team, taking his sword with both hands. ¡°For Frodo.¡± There was an awkward pause. ¡°What the frick does that mean?¡± said Blaze. Val lowered his head and charged towards the enemy, unleashing his mightiest battle cry. ¡°Shut up!¡± Sydney screamed into the comms. ¡°You¡¯re tearing my ears apart!¡± Their screams entwined into one, creating an inspirational cacophony of catharsis as Val thundered past the tall trees of the forest. Noticing the incoming attacker, one of the enemies on the other team ¨C Robin the Archer ¨C unleashed another barrage of arrows. Val watched the arrows come, waiting for moment right before they hit him. When that moment came, he snapped his fingers on his left hand.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Timelapse! Time slowed for an instant, giving Val the time to throw himself into a sideways roll, avoiding the arrows. Val hopped on his movement pad, making his in-game character pop back to his feet. The archer needs time to reload! Val stepped down hard on the front of the movement pad, sending his character shooting through the forest, straight towards the enemy team. Seeing the incoming danger, the enemy team unleashed their other fighter, Titus the Might Axe. Val met Titus in a small clearing within the trees, wasting no time in launching his own attack. Using his slightly superior speed, Val lunged forth, trying to snake the tip of his blade past Titus¡¯ defenses. Right before Val¡¯s blade struck, Titus lurched backwards and deflected the blade with the flat part of his axe. Not giving Val a chance to recover, Titus launched his counterattack, a massive overhead strike. Bad move! Val hurled himself to the side, allowing Titus to smash his axe into the ground, splintering fallen branches and tearing the foliage to bits. Having exposed his backside with the reckless attack, Titus was now vulnerable for Val¡¯s own counter, a sweeping blow aimed at Titus¡¯ right flank. Val¡¯s blade made contact with a green shield wrapped around Titus. Upon hitting the shield, the shield pulsated for a moment before exploding into a burst of green flames. The force of the explosion launched Val backwards, sending him crashing through the nearby trees, health dropping to 40. Dazed, Val tried to reorient himself. The moment his vision cleared, he was met with an arrow to the leg and a second arrow to the torso. Val collapsed to his knees, health dropping to 10. In the distance, Val could see Titus charging at him, hoisting his axe to deliver the finishing blow. It¡¯s over.