The XP: Chapter 10

Bob, Blackout, Stygian, Torcano, and Trart are wandering through a player run shopping district trying to come up with names.

Blackout is flipping through cooking recipes and stops suddenly. “Ok, what about Eternal Damnation?” He asked.

Bob shakes her head as she picks up a Lute/flame thrower hybrid. “Too Goth.” She decrees, strumming the lute and causing a fairly large burst of flame to explode from its neck.

“The shadow Syndicate” Stygian offers setting an unimpressive chest plate back on the counter.

“Sounds like something out of an Asian B movie.” Blackout replies.

Trart is leaning against the wall of the shop just staring out the window. “What about –“

“No.” Bob interrupts him.

Trart stands up off the wall. “But –“

“I said no.” Bob glared at him.

By the afternoon they had made their way through the shopping district and were sitting together in a café. Still trying to come up with names.

“Oh!” Torcano said with excitement. “What about Blinding Might!” He held fist in the air.

Blackout rolled his eyes. “Oh sure, and we can all wear tights and do nothing but wrestling moves.”

“Imortalis Corporeal?” Stygian offered.

Trart let his head roll back onto his shoulders. “None of us glitter so enough with the Gothic names already.” He groaned.

Blackout tried to stand with a sense of imposing severity. “Thunderstar Imperium” He boomed.

Stygian nodded. “I’m down, but if we’re going to be an 80’s hair band I wanna be the drummer.” He did some air drumming for effect as blackout stuck his tongue out at him.

“Guy’s I really think I –“ Trart started but was quickly interrupted again.

“She meant ‘no’ as in ‘nuh uh’” Blackout clarified.

A week later and they still had not agreed on a name. The competition sign up closed in thirty minutes. The entire gang was standing in front of the sign up station.

“The Cult of Anarchy” Bob offered.

“I accept!” Torcano said with excitement. “Now lets go hang out in a graveyard and read Edgar Allen Poe Stories!” His joke earned him a rude gesture from Bob.

Blackout was next. “Prisoners of Fate?” He asked.

Trart held his hands over his heart. “A painfully emotional Hermione/Dobby Fan Fic.” Blackout shrugged his shoulders and nodded in agreement.

“All right then Trart, what have you been sitting on?” Stygian asked.

Trart smiled. “The Almost Entirely Awesome Adventures of the End of the World Club.” He finished.

There was a moment of silence as the rest of the group thought it over.

“Why the hell didn’t you say something earlier?” Bob shouted and then took off running as Trart chased her to the sign up table.

Once they had finished signing up They turned to leave the table and came face to face with Wainwright, Shizaboom, and Volnado. All three of whom were well known Game Masters.

Volnado stepped to the table and looked at their clan information. “Oh Torcano, I knew you were pathetic but this is a new low even for you.” He moved back over to the other two Game Masters.

“Who the heck is this guy?” Trart asked.

Torcano’s shoulders slumped. “Trart, meet Wainwright, Shizaboom, and Volnado, my brother.”

University of Console Heroics: Chapter 10

Thompson’s book is spread open, pages down on his coffee table. Channel surfing has distracted him from his homework. There is a knock at his front door. He waits for a moment and there is another knock. He mutes the TV and then tosses the remote on his couch. “Coming.” He grunts getting up. Opening the door revealed Foster waiting anxiously on the other side.

He blew into the living room without being invited. “How did you do it? He asked. Dropping his bag against the wall before he started to pace.

Thompson shut the door. “Hello Foster, what’s new?” He asked sarcastically.

Foster paced as he explained himself. “You used to be a Combat Studies major. How did you do it?” He stopped pacing and looked to Thompson for an answer.

Thompson walked into the kitchen. “Can I get you something to drink?” He asked as he opened the fridge.

Foster flops onto the couch. “Damn it Thompson I need your help! How did you produce your energy signature?” He asked in frustration.

Thompson grabbed a soda out of his fridge and shut the door slowly. “You’ve been talking to Cynthia.” He replied.

Foster had leaned his head back on the couch and let it flop to the side so he could see Thompson. “She felt you were the next best place to get the help I need.” He explained.

Thompson opened his soda. “The only help I can give you is letting you know that you do not want my help.” He explained before he took a drink.

“I absolutely do want your help. It’s your way or I fail the class.” He pointed out.

Thompson shook his head. “That’s not true. Intro to energy had never required the production of an actual energy field. So what’s really bugging you?” He asked.

Thompson sat forward and put his head in his hands. “My mother thinks this is a waste of time. If I don’t show consistent improvement all the time she’ll take me out of school, this is the only thing I have ever wanted in my life.”

Thompson tried to stare through his soda to the bottom of the can.

Foster waited for a moment in the silence and then stood up. “Look I’m sorry I barged in here, this isn’t your problem. I”

“You don’t understand. Once you go where I have been, there is no turning back.” Thompson warned.

Foster sat back down on the couch. “I passed the point of no return a long time ago.”

Thomson sighed and set his soda on the coffee table. A small flicker of the lightest blue flame came to life on his left shoulder.  It grew down his arm picking up color and intensity as it went. Thompson held up his hand and the flames reached his fingertips as a deep arctic blue flame. He walked it from pinky to thumb and back again over and over. Foster is entranced. “I had the same troubles as you in the beginning. I was the only student in the class that hadn’t produced anything even remotely close to an energy signature and it pissed me off. Back then the class was taught by Professor Daigo. He saw my tenacity and my failure in meditation. So he showed me his secret.” Thompson closed his fist, snuffing out the flame.

Foster blinked. “Which was?”

Thompson finished his soda and walked back into the kitchen. “A different way to produce energy.”

Foster rolled his eyes. “Quit avoiding the question. How did he do it?”

Thompson retrieved another soda from the fridge. “Most of us never search themselves long enough to find it, those that do are forever changed.”

Thompson stood up. “Oh my god find what?” He almost shouted in frustration.

“The desire to kill another human being.” Thompson answered before he opened his soda. Foster sat down hard. “It’s a primal urge that goes beyond self defense. There is a darkness in all of us, buried deeper in some than in other. Most don’t even know it’s there. Once you find it within yourself only one question remains. Are you in control or is it?”

The color had fallen out of Fosters face. “Does he teach anymore?” He asked.

Thompson swirled the contents of his can for a second. “You see, the fire very nearly has a will of its own. Daigo was tired, had been for years. The kind of tired no sleep can cure.” Thompson paused for a moment, fidgeted with his soda and then started again. “Late last year he came to me, begged for my help…he had tried to many times to count but the fire wouldn’t let him go. So I helped him.” Thompson chugged his soda. Foster’s jaw hit the floor. Thompson crushed the empty can and tossed it in the garbage. “After his funeral I switched to adventure studies.”

Foster was completely blown away. “Oh my god.”

Thompson looked at him with weary eyes. “There are worse things in this life than disappointing your parents Foster, Believe me.”

Foster stood up from the couch, walked into the kitchen. Thompson passed him and grabbed the remote off the couch and went back to channel flipping. Foster opened the fridge grabbed a soda and silently watched Thompson fly by station after station of programming. 

Shades of Justice: Chapter 14

Warren had slept later than normal Saturday morning. Every inch of his body was sore. On top of school the team had been practicing together, three hours a night, every night. He kind of hated Kelly and Gordon for already being in the kind of shape that made combat practice not a shock to their entire system. Technarious sent them home Friday evening and told them that baring the appearance of any monsters or on set of catastrophes they were free for the weekend. Warren didn’t know if his decision had anything to do with Warren’s tournament or not but Warren had already notified what little fan base he had that the tournament on Saturday would be his last. He refused to call it retirement, choosing to calling it a leave of absence instead. Everyone else had either been forced to forgo their afterschool hobbies due to the ship crashing into the school or chosen to give them up for the greater good and unity of the team, and so it was only fair that he set his gaming career aside for the time being.

He head meant to catch the first bus to the mall but snoozed his alarm for over an hour. The first game of his tournament wasn’t until the early afternoon, so all he was missing was some extra practice time. He spent long enough in the kitchen to grab a pack of toaster pastries, made his way to the front door of his parents place, shouldered his bag and slid his feet into his over sized shoes. He made the bus stop just in time, flashed his monthly pass and slid into the furthest bench in the back. He was the only person on the bus and it was a long ride to the mall, the sun peeking out from behind the clouds was lulling him back to sleep. He put his headphones on and pulled music up on his phone.

QQPewpew was lit up like normal. Arthur was leaned over his counter like always, still playing his game. The faded black eye was the only remnant of Hexa’s attack on the mall. It also was an unwelcome reminder that Warrens new job was all too real and that his, their sacrifice mattered.

Arthur looked up from his Game as Warren entered the shop. “Hey Warren, you’re later than I was expecting. I already got you booted up in back.” He gestured to the back of the shop where he had set Warren up the week before. Warren walked to the back of the shop, set his bag down and dropped down in front of the computer, popped his knuckles and logged into the server. He had enough time before his match for at least two practice games possibly three if he stuck to his strategies and didn’t come up against another pacifist player in the quick game pool.

His first game had gone well, He made some reactionary economic decisions that drew the game out a little longer than he would have liked but ultimately he secured the win quickly and without purchasing a single combat unit. He pulled a water bottle from his bag as he waited for the quick game pool to find him another opponent and looked up at the front of the store where Arthur was showing a Father and his young son to a chair. Arthur set the TV in their section to the coverage of the Movers and Shakers tournament which was streaming online. He had never listened to the coverage of any of the tournaments he was in. He had studied his opponent’s games with the audio off on YouTube to figure out ways around their plans and strategies. He had never heard the announcers voices and it threw him for a momentary loop when he heard them talk about his record so far for the season and that this tournament would be the last of his career for a while.

Arthur came into the back of the store and knelt next to Warren’s table. “Hey, I know you are about to play, and this is your last tournament and all, but if it wouldn’t bother you too much, you have two fans up front who are here to watch your last tournament, they come in from time to time and I Thought it might be fun for them and honestly good for you to have a reminder of why you’re doing,” Arthur paused. “What you’re doing.” He finished off, and Warren knew he wasn’t talking about leaving the game.

Warren looked out at the Father and son sitting in a two person recliner together, they were watching 

replays and highlights of games from earlier in the day. Warren Nodded. “Yeah, sure.” He stood up. 

“You know I’ve never actually met any of my fans in person?” Warren asked.

Arthur shook his head. “Yeah, you have.” He said simply and went back to the counter. Warren followed him out to the shop and introduced himself to the father and son. He knelt next to the kids side of the recliner, signed his Uneven Bubbler hat and they talked about the game until just before his first match started.

As far as last days went, it wasn’t so bad.

Blood and Profit: Chapter 37

Mew’s bandage was sloppy but it was holding the syrupy flow of blood back. Even still it flailed and was speaking nonsense. “Must Run! Stay in the light!” It tried to stand and fell back as the bandage around its midsection soaked through.

She glanced back at the hole in the wall where the leaf ship breached the station and was surprised to see nothing. Not the hall, not the wall, not the hole. Just infinitely darkness, a black so black that it ceased to feel empty and became predatory.

Mew felt the icy grip of fear crawl down her back. “Screw that noise.” She said to herself, lifting the tree person by what felt like his shoulders. The tree person got to his feet and they made their way to the shuttle dock, slower than she felt comfortable with largely because she could feel the darkness, stalking them. By the time they reached the shuttle airlock, the tree person had passed out becoming almost entirely dead weight. She held up her hand to open the airlock door and stopped short. It suddenly occurring to her that the darkness was letting them live. That it needed them to escape so it could get to the planet below. Her hand hesitated over the button. She could keep it here, seal her and this already wounded alien’s fate and keep this dark predator from ever reaching her home below.

“It would find a way to reach the planet even if we die here.” The Alien explained.

It was all the convincing she needed, pressed the button, opened the door, and carried the tree person into the escape shuttle. As she strapped herself into the pilots chair it dawned on her that she had not spoken her worries about the darkness. The tree person had read her mind. She flipped a switch and the airlock hatches closed and the magnalocks released the escape shuttle. She moved away from the station and spun the shuttle around so she could see the station. The Darkness had done an incredible job of hiding the damage the leaf ship impact had done. It had crashed into a section divider and the station was slowly tearing itself in half. She thought she had hated the station she had spent most of her adult life, but watching as it fell apart and be swallowed up by the darkness filled her with an odd sense of remorse.

“I fear that before this is over.” The plant person was doubled over holding the end of its appendages against its wound. “The station will be the least of your losses.” She looked back at the tree person realizing that it had again read her mind. She saw its mouth flicker, double, then completely disappear with the rest of its facial features. The entire body shape of the tree person lost cohesion and became just a huge pile of vines. She shook off the questions she had and focused on steering the escape shuttle safely through atmospheric re-entry.

The back of the ship was layered with the heat shielding to make it through re-entry, which meant she couldn’t see through the front windshield and until she was through to the lower atmosphere the ships cameras were guarded behind solid heat shielding. So it wasn’t until the ships parachutes had deployed to slow her decent and the heat from the shielding had dissipated before she could engage the cameras. What she saw as they descended shouldn’t have shocked her but it did.

As each leaf ship made it through atmospheric entry and impacted with the ground a new tree grew tall and proud. The forest that had already emerged below her was getting bigger by the second, and she assumed it was very likely each one of those trees had at least one of the creatures like her new friend inside it. She looked back to check on the pile of vines and saw that the sap had hardened in the last few minutes and was no longer dripping everywhere. She didn’t know if that meant the tree person was doing better or worse.

She also couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a third passenger on the shuttle, one that could be hiding in any and every shadow she saw.

Lidarion: Chapter 9

Trent had forgotten how talkative Lisa could be. By the afternoon of their first day on the road she had told him the life story of nearly every nun from the hospital. This didn’t bother him much and he assumed that the gossip helped her keep her mind off the pain in her heart, and because of that he was willing to listen to the life story of every person in Saintcitia if that was what she felt like talking about.

“So what happened in Lidarion?” She asked, throwing him for a loop.

He collected himself for a minute and tried to avoid the subject. “What makes you think something 

happened there?” He asked.

She glared at him. “If there is a bar or an inn with a half way decent wench in this kingdom, you’ve been there. Lidarion is the seat of royal power, there are uncountable bars, and a beautiful girl in every single one of them.” She accused.

He shook his head. “I grew up there. It’s my home town.”

Lisa’s jaw dropped. “How is it in the ten years we’ve been friends I never knew that?” She asked in shock.

He shrugged his shoulders. “Because there isn’t much to tell really.”

She shook her head. “If you don’t like being there, there must be some reason.”

Trent sighed heavily and gave up on avoiding the conversation. “I made some mistakes when I was younger.” He admitted.

“What did you do?” She asked,

“Nothing worth worrying about now.” He assured.

Lisa gave him a sideways glance. “The consequences of a wild youth resulting in you actively trying to avoid the greatest city on the planet is ‘nothing worth worrying about?” She pried.

He sighed. “What are the chances of you dropping this subject at all over the next week?” He asked.

“Slim to none.” She smiled.

He grunted and rolled his eyes. “Figures. Ugh, fine, I may not be the king’s favorite person.”

Lisa was shocked again. “How the hell do you know the king? She almost shouted.

“Um, I don’t really, at least, not as well as I know his sister.” He blushed.

She rolled her eyes. “Oh great.”

He held up a hand to stop her train of thought. “It’s not what you think it is.”

Lisa shot him a look of disbelief. “So you didn’t meet her, charm her, bed her, then get caught trying to sneak out her window after your realized you had seduced the princess of Lidarion?” She counted the steps off on her fingers.

“It’s almost like you were there.’ Trent said with exasperation.

Lisa shook her head with a smile on her face. “You’re a one trick pony Trent. A man whore with a heart of gold.

Trent appears to be offended, stops to consider the last decade of adventures and then shrugs his shoulders accepting her judgement.

The XP: Chapter 9

With the new year behind them the player base of Drainiverse looked forward to the fifteenth anniversary of the game. Every active player had received an email letting them know that the celebration would begin at six PM eastern standard time and would consist of an entire week’s worth of events. It was unlike any even the game had ever run. Which is why the login queue had over two thousand players waiting to sign in and see what the celebration was going to be like. Trart and the others were all waiting in the queue and chatting on their guild voice chat server. Trart was sitting at him computer keeping a lazy eye on the login queue while playing a game on the ancient console he had bought used. He was laughing at the playful banter the others were engaged in to pass the time. Suddenly the bell went off to signify a fifth players entering the chat.

“Are you all seriously waiting for the sever to calm down so you can play?” Torcano’s voice came through clearly.

“It’s the fifthteenth anniversary celebration event, who isn’t sitting by their computer waiting to play?” Stygian asked.

“Point taken.” Torcano admitted.

“Bragging because you are a GM and can skip the queue?” Bob asked.

“Nope, I’m offering to boot enough people to get you guys in, now.”

“Seriously?” Blackout asked.

“Why not?” Torcano replied.

“I thought you were like, our nemesis, or something?” Trart asked.

“If you guys would rather wait in line –“ Torcano started.

Bob sat up fast enough that Trart could hear her chair rebound over the chat channel. “No! Please do! It’s a very nice gesture.” She said excitedly.

Trart was the last one to fade into the game world. The population on the sever was as max capacity. Everyone was crowding around something not far from where the group materialized in. Torcano appeared next to Trart. Trart pointed at the massive gathering of people. “What’s that all about?” he asked Torcano.

Torcano smiles. “I don’t wanna ruin the surprise.” He said, making his way toward the group of players. The others followed him as he waded through the mob.

In the center of the massive group of players there was a sign that simply said Clan Wars: Champions of the Drainiverse! Next to the Sign sat an old woman, working on a knitting project.

Bob looked at the sign. ‘Clans? We already have guilds what’s the difference?” He asked to no one in particular.

Bob looked at the old woman. “Please tell me you are all here to slowly read this very simple sign and not because you are trying to get the matriarch to join your clan roster.” She yelled at the group of players. The player crowed loosened its density as many players shamefully left.

“She’s the Matriarch?” Trart pointed at the old woman. “You’ve got to be kidding me! She’s and old Lady, who would loose to her?” He asked.

Stygian is in shock. He clamps his hand over Trart’s mouth and pulls him away from the group. Uttering a simple “Sorry” as they leave.

She looked up from her project with a huge smile. “Bob! They added knitting to the game!”

Bob waved to what was left of the crowd. “How long have you been dealing with this?” She asked.

The matriarch answers without looking up from her project. “About an hour now. Soon as the announcement went up I was flooded with messages so I figured I would sit here and spam a polite “No, but thank you for asking” and get some crafting done.” She held up her sad looking knitted square of green and purple yarns. A huge smile on her face.

Blackout turns away from the sign. “So there’s more on the sign if you click on it. It’s a series of Player versus Player and Players versus Environment challenges. So it makes sense that the player base would be clamoring to get the Matriarch on their team. Let’s go get the others and decide if this is worth doing.” Blackout said, oddly taking charge.

Bob and the Matriarch said their goodbyes as Bob and Blackout left to join Stygian, Trart, and Torcano.

“Good news and bad news.” Bob started. “The good news is that the player base is gonna be wrapped up in this event for a while, the bad news is that the prize is the characters that win the tournament become NPC’s in the next expansion of the game, which sounds pretty awesome to me.” She explained

"Why is that bad news?" Trart asked in confusion.

"Because if we're trying to win the Clan War then we can't use the lack of GM attention on the rest of the world to our benefit." Blackout explained in a whisper. Trart nodded.

Clans are made up of five players, no more, no less.” Bob continued.

“So we’re one member short.” Stygian Interrupted.

Trart looked back at the group of people around the Matriarch. “Well we could –“

Bob shook her head. “No. She’s been harassed enough already. Let her enjoy her knitting.”

“I could use one of my non GM characters and be your fifth.” Torcano offered.

Bob shook her head again. “You’re already straddling the fence of violating the Terms Of Service as it is.”

“As long as I don’t play on your team during company time I can’t imagine it would be that big of a deal.” Torcano explained.

Blackout stepped in. “So that’s five then, what’s next?” He asked.

Bob smiled. “We need a kick ass name.” She said.

The group stood in silence, each of them waiting for one of the others to be struck by inspiration. After a moment it becomes clear that inspiration is going to take a while.

University of Console Heroics: Chapter 9

The sun had set and the evening was beginning to cool off. Clay and Faith were walking home slowly, hand in hand. Faith was laughing at her own joke, Clay shook his head, a smile on his face.

“It’s probably a good thing we left, I didn’t realize you were such a light weight.” He commented.

She looked shocked. “Light weight? We had like seven of those muppit things, This is your fault.” She poked him in the ribs playfully.

“They’re called moppits and you kept beating me so technically this,” He waved his finger around her face. “Is your fault.” He finished.

Faith thought it over and then nodded. “Fine, it’s a draw. We are both at fault.” She decided. They walked together in silence for a while. “It was really nice of you to walk me home.”

His smile got wider. “My pleasure, Besides, we live in the same dorm.”

She nodded. “yeah I know, I’m just kind of surprised that a Rhosig would walk a girl home.”

“Why’s that?” He asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. “Before tonight the only thing I knew about Rho Sigma Gamma was that you were Really Stupid Gangsters.” She felt stupid repeating the nickname for the fraternity.

Clay nodded as it was a very common nickname. “Heard that before.”

“So…is that why you asked me out?” She asked nervously.

“Is what why I asked you out?” He asked.

“Well I’m in Nu Tau Delta.” She clarified.

“You worried I was hoping you Never Turn Down a guy?”

Faith nodded slowly.

Clay shook his head. “I asked you out because we were having fun in the Library. I didn’t even see your shirt until after I asked you to dinner.”

Her smile came back. “Who knew that we could actually get to know each other despite negative stereotypes.”

Clay shrugged. “Truthfully I wish it wasn’t such a big deal. We are supposed to define our letters, not the other way around.”

Faith nodded and they walked the rest of the way to the dorm in pleasant silence.

When they arrived at Faith’s dorm room door she turned to face Clay. “Wanna know a secret?” She asked.

Clay nodded slowly, she leaned in kissed him quickly. He closed his eyes instinctively but the kiss was quick enough to make it nothing more than a overly pleasantly blink. He smiled at her. She stopped pulling away from him and nearly whispered. “Pick me up Friday at seven, dress nice.” She turned and disappeared into her dorm room.

Alone in the hallway Clay couldn’t help but smile ear to ear. He made his way down back to the elevator, when his phone vibrated. He checked it and found a text from Faith. “Next time don’t lose on purpose. Btw stole your number, night.” Clay closed his phone and kept walking, feet barely touching the ground.

Faith was leaning against her door, equally ecstatic. Lacey, her roommate was sitting on her bed, writing a research paper on her laptop. “So, who was that?” She asked without taking her eyes off her laptop.

Faith gets up of the door and moves to her own bed, still in a good mood. “None of your business Lacey.” She answered.

Lacey deleted a poorly written sentence as she replied. “I’m not trying to be nosy or anything, just reminding you how Tanya feels about unsanctioned relationships.”

The mention of Tanya causes Faith to bristle. “Tanya can blow me.” She nearly growled.

Lacey nodded as she typed furiously on her paper. “Can I quote you on that?” She asked.

Faith threw a small pink pillow at Lacey, as she was looking down at her laptop it hit her square in the face. She looked up at Faith and held up her left hand. “No, stop, you’re being creepy.”

Faith pretended to cry. “Oh! You’ve hurt my fragile self-esteem!” Both girls doubled over with laughter.

When they had calmed down Lacey was back to her paper. “So, do you like him?”

Faith was getting ready for bed, she was staring at herself in the mirror, a pleasant smile on her face. “Yeah, I do.” She confirmed as she put her toothbrush in her mouth.