Boy Meets Ai

Chapter 42

Chapter 42

"Come on! We're already late!" Oaklee sprinted towards the arena with Seiko in tow, dragging his feet. Shinobu had texted them to hop back in the Ether as soon as they got back to the apartment. Their match was about to start. They thought they had more time since there were another two contestants selected for the first bout of the day but apparently it had been an upset. The match had ended in under a minute. Seiko's name was drawn next, so they had to make a mad dash from the spawn point. Seiko kept bumping into npc's and tripping over the cobblestone as they ran. It was clear he was a thousand miles away. His face was shadowed over with a lifeless expression that had been there since they had left his mother. She looked back at her companion as they ran but for the first time, she didn't see her friend. Seiko had never been the cheery or optimistic type, but she could always read his emotions on his face. Now all she saw was a husk. His eyes were hollow. The sadness welled up in her heart, seeing him like that. She felt bad forcing him to compete after what had happened. Regardless, it was her job to help him win. This was too important. She'd do it herself if need be. They crossed the threshold of the coliseum and as they did, the cacophonous sound of applause began to rise. A light blue circle on the floor of the lobby glowed in their presence. Oaklee pulled Seiko into it with her and felt it whisk them through to their destination. They were teleported back under the canopy.

It was a strange sour mood among the contestants as they appeared. Most of them looked very deflated, none more so than Hati and Skoll. The savage sat on a cotton stitched bench looking particularly grumpy while the Ai appeared more puzzled than anything. Shinobu and Hendricks greeted them.

"You guys missed some stuff, let me tell you." The samurai said in a hushed tone, eyes wide with the need to share the gossip.

"What happened?" Oaklee asked.

Hendricks piped up "Let's just say, after seeing what Ogun did to Hati and Skoll... Everyone's feeling a little shook."

Ogun stood, leaning with his back to one of the tent poles. He looked calm as ever, not even a scratch on him despite not wearing any armor. Oaklee couldn't believe it. It was inconceivable that he had beaten the twins so easily. She felt the same despair that the others shouldered, start to seep into her. With a forceful, mental push, she dispelled her doubt. Between her and Seiko, one of them needed to stay focused.

Gabriel's voice boomed over the din once again.

"Can our next contestants please make their way to the stage?"

Seiko didn't move. He felt his muscles seize up. His throat shut. He didn't want to be here with all these people. They were so loud, and close. Seiko just wanted to be alone. He wanted to curl up in a ball and disappear from the world, the real and the virtual.

"Listen, I know you've got a lot going on right now, but we need to get out there, ok? Remember we aren't just doing this for us! Shinobu and Hendricks are counting on us to pull our weight." Oaklee's words cut through just enough to pierce the fog Seiko found himself in. He looked at her blankly, then out toward the stage.

"Let's just get this over with."

Seiko and Oaklee stepped onto the newly built arena. Its tiles were changed from white marble to some sort of dense blackened and pockmarked metal. Gabriel had explained this material, Ether-iron, was much more resistant and would be able to withstand the unprecedented amount of damage the players seemed capable of.

"Our next bout is a true grudge match. The titan of PVP and legendary streamer Gearhardt must attempt to reclaim his glory from the clever and deadly assassins that executed him publicly, humiliating him in front of the world."