The Game Before the Fall

Chapter 23: Playtime (Part 1)

Chapter 24: Playtime

After waving to the crowd Erin and I were guided to the sides of the stage where two VRPs had been placed. I settled into one while Erin laid down in the other, giving me a cheeky smirk as she did so. The usual login screen appeared and not long after I was standing as my virtual self already waiting in the preparation room. There wasn't a need to ready myself any more than I already had. As soon as the invitation appeared I accepted.

The word shifted to that of the tournament stage. The background was still that of the Crysis' Great Stadium but the seats were empty. In the air above however several screens showed the exhibition hall where my real body was. The audience on one and the panel of players on the other together with Cher.

Erin soon appeared on the other side of the stage. She waved, "You're looking quite sharp over there." My armour had been upgraded with Shin's help. A dark coloured cloak covered my upper half and below it a mesh of fine chain mail combined with firm leather. It wasn't the most colourful attire aside from a few accents of white Shin had added for style.

"Same to yourself," I remarked. Erin stood with confidence. She wore a stylish leather jacket that reached just above her waist and a rugged set of cargo pants tied with a blazing green belt. The rest of her skin was covered with a tight-fitting fabric that shone reflecting a scale like pattern. I recognised some of it, they were high end items that an ordinary player of her level couldn't dream to afford. What stood out the most however was the massive sword that Erin leant on casually. The blade itself reached up to her neck and was wide enough to cover most of her body.

Cher's voice broke out around us, "Looks like our two champions are ready to duke it out. This one on one will be using the same rules as the current tournament. For those who don't know, that's a maximum of two potions each. And new to the current tournament, each team or in this case player will be choosing a type of terrain. The stage will then become a mix of those two terrains."

From the previous tournament it was obvious to see that some players had an easier time than others on an open stage. An example being Crozen's ability to dominate the field, whereas now he'd have to contend with cover or other environmental effects.

A list appeared in front of us with an example of the terrain effect.

"I choose tournament stage," Erin grinned with confidence, choosing the plainest setting. Swinging her sword would be much easier without objects to get in the way after all.

"I choose rocky outcrop." The stage began to transform. Several large rocks appeared across the stage but due to Erin's choice there were clear spaces between them. Still, the rocks were tall and could provide me cover if needed and would prevent Erin from going crazy with her skills.

Cher began to comment, "Looks like our players are ready. Let's begin the count down!"

Erin hefted her giant sword in front of her. The tip pointed to the ground and the guard rested against her shoulder. From the way she held the sword it covered 90% of her body.

"Erin Storm, storming in!" she said her catch phrase.

"A.Friend, let's have a good match," I didn't have a catch phrase.

5... 4... 3... 2... 1... BATTLE! The moment I reached into my inventory Erin was already shifted her sword to protect herself. I pulled the Quickdraw as Erin had already covered a fair distance towards me. I took my shot but as I expected the bullet deflected harmlessly off her sword. The way she was using it was more like a shield. I put away the Quickdraw and drew my dagger instead, backing away as Erin approached. In a sudden burst however Erin leapt forward covering the remaining distance. It wasn't quite the Leap skill but something similar. At this stage of the game almost all the pro players had an ability to let them gain distance.