Boy Meets Ai

Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Hendricks felt like he was dreaming. He had never experienced anything like this sensation while playing in the Ether. He felt like he was floating through space. It was dark, warm, and very comfortable there. Suddenly, a pin prick of light appeared on the horizon. Hendricks felt himself being pulled towards it. He could hear voices as he got closer. Shinobu and Oaklee.

"What's wrong with him?! Why is he just lying there?!" Oaklee shouted at the Archon with concern in her voice

Gabriel's responded coolly "Secret arts take a heavy toll. It pushes the limits of what the human mind is capable of. That's why we limited its usage. Your friend's alright, just... rebooting."

With that, Hendricks was rapidly sucked through the pinhole of light, back into the present moment. His eyes popped open. He could see he was back under the canopy. Shinobu's was the first face he saw as she hovered over him.

"Welcome back killer!" she grinned.

Hendricks propped himself up on his elbow. Thomas stood a few feet away. His smile looked nervous and awkward. The situation sunk in for the bard as he recalled the last few seconds of the battle. He had lost. Thomas had somehow survived the final attack even if just barely. Defeat weighed down on him, but he had little time to dwell on it. Almost all of the other contestants swarmed him once they saw he was awake. They had a multitude of questions about what he'd just done, how it felt! If he thought, he could do it again! Hati clapped him hard on the back.

"That was a glorious match! I'd love to go up against your encore some day!"

Thomas approached shyly next.

"I was scared crapless by that cyclone thing." He said. "Good match." The healer put out his hand. Hendricks smiled back and shook it firmly.

Shinobu clapped the victor on the shoulder. "You're one scary SOB yourself man. Seriously! You're like a totally different person in the ring. Toughest cleric I ever seen for sure! But don't expect to beat any other members of our guild." She squared off playfully. Thomas squirmed uncomfortably.

Seiko and Oaklee approached as well to congratulate both players on their performance. As his teammates surrounded him. Hendricks looked down at the floor. He gave everything he had in that fight and then some. Still, he was ashamed to have gone out in the first round. Their chances at the grand prize were lower now because he couldn't pull off a win. He put his future and theirs at risk.

"I'm sorry guys." His voice was thick with sadness, catching in his throat. Though he tried to hide it by covering his eyes, they could see the tears beginning to stream down his face.

Hendricks' sobs were soft. The others looked on solemnly. They remembered what was at stake in this tournament. The grand prize was a ticket to freedom, a new life, a person's dream realized. Losing here meant losing all of that. Hendricks gasped suddenly, taken aback as Oaklee wrapped her arms around him. She hugged him tightly, pulling him in close.

"You did amazing. Don't ever doubt it. We'll take care of it from here, so you don't have to worry, okay?"

The tender display warmed a place in Seiko's heart. She was so kind. He knew few humans with as much compassion as his Ai.

What an interesting companion. She genuinely cares for someone other than her user? Gabriel, the archon, mused.

He then shot a quick glance at another Ai that had gained his attention as of late. During the fight, Gabriel watched Aramais very carefully. Though he couldn't be sure, there was something very interesting about the monk as well. Ai didn't have the capacity for malice as their code expressly prohibited it. However, being a developer, he had seen strange things happen with code in the past. The archon walked over to survey the crater, contemplating what he'd seen during the fight. Normal players wouldn't have been able to pick up on the subtle detail since the monk moved so quickly, but he could. Every time he attacked, Aramais had a wicked grin on his face.

"Attention adventurers! It seems our last contestants got a little carried away." Gabriel chuckled. "We will need time to repair this arena before continuing on to the next fight. Matches will reconvene tomorrow at Etherial 3rd hour."

Gabriel's announcement was met with a wave of grumbles and boos. Slowly, players began to stream out. Others simply logged out where they were seated.

Ogun was the first of the contestants to take his leave.

"Take care everyone." He said before walking out.

Gearhardt grumbled something unintelligible and logged out. He was upset that he hadn't gotten a chance to fight. Honey badger flipped them the bird then did the same.

Shinobu and Hendricks looked pretty wiped.

"We're gonna hop off too, I think. I feel like I just ran a marathon." Hendricks said as they clicked their Ui. Seiko, his Ai and Thomas with his were the last contestants to remain.

"Wanna grab a bite?" Seiko asked. Thomas had a guilty look on his face.

"Oh, come on man, its no big deal. It's a competition, right? Someone has to lose."

"Yeah, I guess so. It just didn't feel as good as I thought it would." Thomas replied sullenly.

Oaklee looped her arm around Thomas' neck, forcing him to bend down awkwardly.

"You're such a softee! I love it. Come on letsgo!" And with that, the adventurers made their way to the nearest tavern to enjoysome virtual food and conversation.