MIND GAMES: Guild Tryouts

Chapter 20

—Axel's heart pounded in anticipation. He was waiting in a room by himself, with no one entering or checking on him. He followed the instructions from the organizer as he walked into the Decimation, and it had already been ten minutes since then. Axel fiddled with the straps on his gauntlets to get his nerves to cool down.

'I can't be pathetic!!' Axel thinks to himself, 'I have to be strong!!'

In these past ten minutes, Axel had heard SSS explain how these tryouts would operate over an intercom, with ten people being released into an enclosed playing area to fight it out until two people remained standing.

Axel believes the two-winners rule was set in place because of friends taking each other's lives at the same time to either protest or have both of them move on. For the players to start instigating more fights, the Slayers—as an organization—came up with the new rules.

The room Axel was waiting in had many weapons inside of it. Axel could spot a longsword, shortsword, war club, shield, a giant axe, and hammer, along with other sorts of weapons mounted onto one of the room's walls. The only thing he couldn't spot were some serious firearms and...

'Where are the gauntlets? And why are there so many weapons here?' Axel thinks.

As Axel contemplates the strange assortment of weaponry in his waiting area, a notification pops up in his vision. It was from the Decimation's AI. (Artificial Intelligence)

>Please select a weapon from the provided rack! No personal items are allowed in the arena!<

'No personal items?!' Axel thinks, looking down at his gauntlets.

There were no other alternatives for him to choose. He wore these gauntlets because hand-to-hand combat was his style. Anything else fell too flimsy or too separated from his body to work for him. If there wasn't another pair of gauntlets for Axel to use, then...

Axel pulls up his game menu and calls Stan in a flash. He would be at a significant disadvantage without a pair of gauntlets or another melee alternative anywhere since they help control his Aspect usage.

"Hello?" Stan picks up, "You must be one of the prospects, yes?

"Why can't I bring in my gauntlets?! There aren't any other pairs here!!" Axel yells.

"Oh! Well, my apologies..." Stan explains, "We've had another complaint like this already from another player. You use a... well, how do I put it... an uncommon weapon? On such short notice, the Decimation organizers only provided what's on the rack in front of you."

"That's a bunch of crap!! I can't fight without my gauntlets!!"

"Well, aren't they just like your fists? In the group you're in, I think you shouldn't find any trouble!" Stan says, "Oop! Another call..."

Stan hangs up.

"Hey!! you stupid magician!!" Axel yells in frustration.

He had to choose a weapon from the wall? Weren't gauntlets popular enough to place on the weapon rack? Axel notices a bow and arrows, as well as an assortment of swords. His friends won't have a problem with this rule for sure.

'Screw this. I'd rather do as the man said and go without anything.' Axel thinks, standing up and pacing around the room.

It sure was weird that he was by himself in a room with a plethora of in-game weapons. It almost seemed like this is where a player would go before entering battle. Axel never got a notice or a tip that he would be fighting anytime soon, and just to go to the door with his name written on a sign above it.