Virtually Existent

Chapter 02 - First Contact

Eli looked at what was across from him, an indescript one story building that was dwarfed by the skyscraper he had just made his way down. People could have been placed inside a building nearby or conviniently beside a sniper rifle already looking down the streets for an oblivious entry, so he didn't waste time standing around. A grin crept onto his face as he saw the glowing discs hovering a few inches above the ground, scattered amongst a meagre layout of white wooden crates within this new building. “Jackpot.”

Eli took quite some time to gather just three from the dozens on the floor, sending each disc across the room lazily when they contained nothing of value. One first was marked “Knife” the other was “Holster”, and Eli snapped them both in half like crackers. The very moment the pickups were cracked they fell into a greenish dust, the very next, Eli had obtained a brand new combat knife sitting neatly in it’s matching sheath at his thigh. “I suppose an assault rifle was too much to ask for," he muttered to himself as he secured the third pick up on his chest.

The pickups were the game changed in the Grand Melee, and a contestant that found a few valuable ones early on would have a huge advantage. Ammunition, weapons, healing, and armour were some of the favourite finds, but the pickups could contain luxury items like food, raw materials and tools, or in the worst case literally nothing.

Eli heard an explosion rock the street outside and immediately dove for cover behind one of the crates. He’d barely set himself up against it as someone burst through the door, rushing into the building. Carefully sliding his knife free, Eli watched them.

A woman, more a girl than anything else, pressed herself into the wall beside the door and clutched onto a snubnosed handgun, not noticing Eli whole he was weighing up his options. Decided, Eli crept up behind her, but as he neared he heard the distinctive cocking of an assault rifle's clip being checked from outside. He was familiar with the sound, the automatic rifle being a favourite amongst nation entries for it's reliability and power. The sound meant that it's owner just pulled their clip out to check the bullets they had left and the locking mechanism was now loudly ensuring the clip wouldn't come free until it was purposefully ejected again. He must have been searching for quite some time if rifles were already in use.

Her bright blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail but she had left plentiful locks to sweep across her forehead, covering her right eye ever so slightly but ultimately failing to hide the bright green orbs that could be seen across the room. They frantically darted around, looking over everything and ultimately nothing at the same time. In the world of a tournement she was far too small of frame, and Eli immediately knew she was different.

Eli hissed, and the girl turned quickly and violently. Her gun was stopped from reaching Eli by his raised forearm and her terrified eyes met his. Still holding the knife, Eli hushed the girl before positioning her on the side of the door that he thought would make her seen as the assailant entered. She looked terrified, which was the last thing Eli expected from anyone in the Grand Melee, but he didn't dwell on it. 

The door slammed inwards, crashing into the wall harshly just in front of Eli. As he had guessed, the attacker turned straight to the girl’s side when he moved to scan the room. Eli held the door back as he stepped forwards with carefully measure force, swinging his arm over the man's shoulder and pulling him close while Eli's other hand neatly slid the combat knife across the arteries in his neck. The man fired off his rifle over the girl's shoulder as his last act in the arena before Eli lowered his limp form onto the ground and immediately began looting it.

He pulled the full healing pickup from it's position attatched to one of the holding points of the man's chest, where any contestant could effortlessly carry a pickup as long as they didn't mind risking it being shot and destroyed, and then quickly looked over the rifle. As if he had used it all of his life, Eli picked the gun up and released it's magazine, looking down it to find not a single round remaining. There was no point carrying it around if he didn't have anything for it to fire, and no garuntee he would ever find some.

The girl slid down her wall and curled up as Eli gingerly peered into the street to see if there were any more. “So, what is someone like you doing in the Melee?” Eli asked her.