The Adaptive Game

"MATCH YOUR TEMPER"

- Conner

"Come on David, we gotta move! Where is Emilia's bed?"

"I don't know. But she'll stand out in this crowd of people who are taller than her."

"Well, that's funny, but it will help us find her. Come on!"

Sneaking across multiple beds, a lot of people are just trying to stay on their bunk and not get killed. They're still not too happy about us stepping all over their property though.

"HEY! Don't you step over here."

I can't see the random person's face in the dark. I can just tell it's a guy. He has a broken glass bottle in his hand.

"We're trying to get across so we can find our friend."

"Then go down! Don't get any closer!"

"We can't risk going down and getting fucking ganged up on. You see what's happening there?"

"Don't come any closer!"

David steps onto the guy's bunk and tries to walk across. The guy atttempts to stab him, but quickly I jump onto his bed and take his weapon. Accidentally I push him right off the stack of beds.

"Oops."

I can hear the guy screaming on his way down, then I hear the impact of his body on the ground. He goes silent, but then starts screaming again when a group of people start brutally beating his already crippled body into cash.

"Hmm. Rib crushed, air knocked out of, possible leg fracture or breaks, concussion, and discomboulation." David says matter-of-factly.

"It's fine. We can keep looking for Emilia now."

Going across each bunk, it's a little hard seeing who's who. Then, I see her.

"Does that look like her?"

"Yeah that's short enough. Let's get a little closer, climb down a bit."

Scaling by the edges of the beds I can definitely confirm that Emilia is there. The problem is that a huge guy is cornering her.

"Oh shoot. Conner, that's Jarred."

"What do we do?"

"Save Emilia, of course. We can't face that hunk head-on. How about, you distract him, and then I'll drop on top of him so you can take Emilia out of here."

"Why not just kill Jarred outright?"

"He has to be alive to advance the plot. Doing the smart thing and leaving him dead so he can't cause more problems would make a boring story."

"Okay you've got me there. I'm going down now, don't be late to the party."

"Of course. Death from above."

I'm climbing down and I turn around to join this conversation.

"Hey, who are you? I was talking to Ema here."

"Doesn't matter who you are. I'm here to get her out of this. What are you here to do?""She owes me lots and lots of money. I taught her everything. And she's just gonna pay right now!"

He waves around his weapon, while the broken bottle in my hands is itching to get a taste.I can hear David climbing around, and then he starts to jump down.

"BANZAI!!!"

Instead of actually falling on Jarred, he falls right behind him.

God, that was not the plan.

"What is this? A human airstrike?"

"EMILIA, RUN!"

Pulling out the broken bottle, I drive it right into Jarred's center mass. It goes into him but he's nowhere near dead.

Jarred turns around and picks me up with one hand and brings HIS broken bottle right to my abdomen.

Without warning, he forces the glass bottle through as hard as he can.

David starts to get up and he grabs Jarred by the neck, I take the bottle right out of me and give Jarred the bloody payback he deserves. Instead of actually going down, he still has energy in him.

Then Emilia actually comes back, with a makeshift sharpened pole!

"Better back off old man!"

She swings it as a warning, and it's enough to make him run.

"That was smart of him."

"David, how far did you fall from?"

"Uhh... I'll, I'll be fine."

"Emilia, help me carry him back."

"Where's my thank you? I saved you back then."

"We just came by to save you in the first place."

"So?"

Instead of thanking her, I place my hand on her head.

"Heh, your pretty face doesn't match your temper."