The Game Before the Fall

Chapter 57: On Route (Part 1)

Chapter 57: On Route

Somewhere sometime before the end:

"Fuck," Ardent swore as he collapsed against the rock wall. A pair of bodies laid dead in front of him, their faces morphed into a chilling smile despite their death. He coughed gazing at the chamber he had found himself. An ancient ruin somewhere deep underground. The stonework that defined the walls and ceiling were littered with strange carvings that made little sense to his addled mind. In a different time and place, Ardent would have been mystified, right now he was just in pain and pissed off.

"Fucking demons," he grit his teeth and tore off the armour that protected his stomach. A blade had pierced straight through and snapped, leaving a shard embedded beneath his skin. He focused and cussed again, targeting the metal shard and willed it to free itself. The blade edge shot out and with it a fresh discharge of blood before Ardent rapidly healed the wound.

Ardent breathed, calming his heart. He was a mess. His clothing and armour were barely holding together. His gun was reduced to a single shot left and his sword chipped. He hadn't bathed in weeks and a thick layer of grime itched against his body and hair.

He sighed and laughed, "Ah damn it. The world really is fucked." Then he stood, groaning in discomfort as a stiff pain shot through his muscles. "I can't stop. I have to find her." For a moment he paused, he couldn't remember who he had to find. What did she look like? Why was he even here? There was something that he needed to do. Then like lightning striking his mind he remembered.

"I have to kill the Witch," he stepped past the dead demons. "Before she ends everything."

**

Veranvanter:

The first day of the World Championship Convention ended. In a sense it never ended but the date did change. The round of 32 for the team matches were conducted in the afternoon and evening and officially ended the days listed events. Inside the conventional however, the game continued. Open spaces filled with couches, chairs, cushions and bean bags for people to connect to Areithia Online, cashing in on the limited time events. Though the populace of the convention decreased, it was still swinging into the night and where there were people there was business.

Vanter and party however returned to rest. In the end, none of them could pin point who the A.Friend they saw was. Their biggest suspect was the man they had met in Europe, but even if it was him, what did he want? The questions spiralled to uncertainty and the group pushed it away. So long as he was in the tournament, Vanter would meet him directly and then at least they could get some answers.

The second day of the World Championship began with finishing the remaining rounds of the team matches and crowning the Champion team. It was an incredibly close match between Crozen's STAR team and Bon-Hwa's Revolving Stars. The match ended in a cloud of dust but as it cleared, Crozen remained standing, bruised and battered with Bon-Hwa's final teammate meeting his end. The rest of the world watched in anticipation and screamed at the finally. For Vanter, it felt dull, a prelude to the real thing.

By the afternoon, Vanter split from the others and logged into Areithia Online. The individual competition was starting, and the bracket was released to the public. The regional champions had all been split, their first matches being against someone who had made it through the preliminaries. What Vanter focused on was his bracket. Perhaps the management team did it on purpose, but he wouldn't face A.Friend till the end.

Like the other tournaments the participants were placed in waiting rooms within the game. Everyone had a private room in addition to a common area. While Vanter was capable of being social, his current mood stopped him. He did however peek inside but like he thought, A.Friend wasn't there.