She cannot believe she made it to the second branch. It was a given that her team would lose the first matchup against Scorpion PMC, but they pulled it off at the last minute. She was able to pull off an amazing shot with her C7 Rifle, instantly eliminating Scorpion PMC’s squad leader. Her eyes dart up to the shade of branches and leaves above. There’s no room for vehicles in this match. Infantry combat will be the star of the show. Their opponents, Raptor Squad. One of the many squads participating in Mil-Sim Story’s first tournament in the game’s history. Rules were established 4v4. Unlike some of the major battle events in casual matches, these matches are a testament to small squad tactics and abilities with the occasional vehicle for support. If a team takes some losses, they can usually call in AI backup squadmates but for this particular match, that has been disabled. The rules are simple, eliminate the opposing team and win. Easier said than done in this mist of this thick jungle.
”Hey, Asura. You’re alright, bud?” Asura looks up from the floor and sees her dear friend, Ana. She’s a ginger girl with light skin, freckles, and gorgeous blue eyes. Unlike the others in her squad, she’s wielding a modernized Type 56 SKS with a Tapco stock; a relatively common Canadian firearm well suited to her role as the squad medic. She places her hand on Asura’s head, fluffing her black hair with gentleness.
”She’s always being quiet and weird, Ana.” Another girl from her squad comments and laughs. She’s a blonde with a PASGT helmet and a MRR C8 rifle completely decked out with an optic and laser sighting module and speaks with a hint of a posh attitude.
”Please cut it out. You’re embarrassing me, Ana.” Asura’s quiet protest doesn’t stop Ana from continuing to play with her hair. “I was…just thinking...that’s all.”
Ana rolls her eyes. “Don’t listen to Diedra. She thinks she’s too good for everyone.” Her hand moves away from Asura’s hair. “You don’t have to be nervous right now. We’ve practiced for weeks for this day, Asura. We’re in the second bracket now.”
Asura’s eyes meet with Ana’s before darting off to the ground. “Do you really think we can pull it off again?”
”Listen, Asura…” She crouches down to be level with Asura. Ana is a short girl compared to her but something about Ana gives Asura comfort being around her compared to her other squadmates. “You just have to believe in yourself, just as you did last time. Those fools at Scorpion PMC thought they could out maneuver us with their technicals but you shot out the squad leader and the rest was history.”
”Careful Ana, You’re going to make her cry again.”
”Oh shut it, Diedra.” She lowers her tone after scolding her squad mate with a raised fist. “You have nothing to worry about. You’re our best scout. We couldn’t have a better squadmate, Asura.”
”Ana…” Asura’s voice murmurs despite her best attempt to smile.
Suddenly, a short ginger girl hops onto a fallen tree next to the other girls. Her name is Lise. She may be short and 18, the youngest member of her squad, but she’s an extremely vulgar Quebecoise, with a L1A1 FAL battle rifle. She’s dressed like the rest of her squadmates in their CADPAT digital camo fatigues but she dawns a bright red beret indicating her status as a squad leader. She speaks with a cute but aggressive accent. “Oye! Enough fucking pep talks! The match is going to start real soon.” Despite standing on the tree, Lise is hardly taller than the other girls. Nevertheless, she likes to make her authority visible to the rest; waving her rifle up in the air with her right hand and making dramatic movements with the other. “I don’t want to see any bullshit from anyone today. I don’t like Dinosaurs. Especially not Raptors, so we’re going to extinct the fuck out of them today. Am I clear?”
”Oui, Madame!” The girls answer; afraid to disappoint their short tempered squad leader who shouldn’t be mistaken by her youthful appearance. She’s even more unhinged than Drill Sgt Perry.
”You, Persian!” Lise snaps her finger at Asura. “You tag with me. We're scouting ahead. You better not slow me down!.”
“Yes, Madame.” Asura affirms with uncertainty and fear.
”You two stay behind us and split up when we make contact. We’re going to squeeze them and deprive them from escaping if we spot them. Pincer maneuver. Snibbity snappity”. She demonstrates with her left hand which is hooked like a crab claw.
”Genius as always Madame!” Diedre laughs, cocking her carbine like a slingshot. “They’ll never see us coming.”
“Let’s go. Allez, on y va or I’ll take all of your rifles and make popsicles out of all of you! Show those Raptors how Candians fight!”
”Whiz!”
Several minutes had passed since the start of the match. Asura and her squad leader are under fire. The enemy is taking pot shots at the two who are ducked under a makeshift trench. Lise returns fire at the enemy soldier hiding behind the dense jungle foliage. She notices Asura is not firing back after her first shot. “Asura, what the fuck are you doing?! Kill him!”
”Madame! My rifle is stuck! I can’t chamber the round!” She cries in frustration as she tries to pull the stuck round from the receiver while ducking behind some fallen foliage with her squad leader.
”Don’t do that! "Criss de calvaire! Use the forward assist! Do it! Do it NOW!” Lise barks furiously at Asura. “I’m out I’m out! Je recharge! FIX YOUR FUCKING RIFLE NOW, ASURA or I’m going Leoniadas on YOUR ASS!” Lise attaches a grenade launcher device on her muzzle of her L1A1. She loads a grenade and a blank fire cartridge into her rifle. Plonk! She launches a grenade in the general direction of where they were being shot at. The palms burn and branches are blown apart where the shooter could have been hiding behind. He must have made his escape. They could have easily taken him out if Asura could have provided covering fire. Lise is made more furious after loading a new magazine into her rifle when she sees that Asura has not fixed her jam. “YOU FUCKING IDIOT! YOU STILL HAVEN’T FIXED YOUR RIFLE! I DON’T THINK YOUR RIFLE ISN’T THE ONLY THING MALFUNCTIONING! THEY FUCKING GOT AWAY BECAUSE OF YOU!”
”Wait! It’s almost there! I’m trying!” Asura is slamming her palm into the forward assist. Her squad leader isn’t making it easy with her yelling but the forward assist seems to be pushing the round into the chamber.
”HEY HEY! Finger off that trigger!” Her squad leader shouts at Asura who isn’t keeping an eye on where she’s aiming.
BANG!
”MADAME!” Asura watches Lise drop like a brick onto the ground. Her angry ranting and raving was cut into a complete silence. Asura’s eyes start to gush with tears and her mouth trembles as she hesitates to call for help.”
”Your Highness! Asura lifts her eyes up from her desk. She was dozing off at her desk and didn’t notice one of her minions standing before her. Vlad has been one of her more talented squad members. He’s been training recruits like Chiara and making them into effective night fighting monsters. But out of all of her elite teammates, he’s the most outspoken.
“The squad is done with their training. Lucius and the others zeroed their rifles. We have our flight suits inspected and tested from our last jump. Everyone says they’re confident with their equipment.”
“Of course I know that.” Asura scoffs, waving her hand. “I didn’t need to hear that again. I have my eyes and ears all over this fortress. I know everything I have to know.”
“I don’t think so, your highness.” Vlad narrows his eyes.
“So you’re here to tell me something else. I should have expected that. She sits back on her leather chair with her arms crossed. “What is it now?”
“Your highness.” Vlad clears his throat to ready himself and speak his mind. “I think you’re making a grave mistake with this Chiara girl.”
“Well that’s just your opinion, Vlad.” Asura shoots down his concerns. “Chiara is a blank slate that I was able to manipulate and mold into the perfect vampire. She’s lost just like the rest of us in this team. She understands our position and will be useful in our match against Team Lonestar.”
“Your highness.” Vlad interjects boldly. “We took this girl from her former friends that we’re going up against. What makes you think she won’t have second thoughts during the match? Ridiculous! She’s a liability, your highness! She should not be leading the remnants of JarPig Squad!” He protests frantically.
“Vlad, calm down. I know what I am doing. I was the one who molded her into the perfect squad leader.”
“What are you talking about? I trained her!” Vlad throws his arms up in frustration. “I’ve trained her and all of the recruits in our squad! I’m telling you as a matter of fact that the recruits are starting to take a liking to her. Some are saying that she should replace you!”
“That’s ridiculous, Vlad.” Asura scoffs, tapping her finger nail on her desk. “Vampire soldiers answer to nobody but myself. That includes you Vlad. That also includes Chiara. Don’t think I’m letting my guard down with her. If she does something against my orders, I’ll make an example of her and her followers.”
“Your highness…you’re making a mistake! The recruits look up to her and…!”
“Enough.” Asura throws a pen from her desk at Vlad. He ducks instinctively as the pen strikes the bookshelf behind him. “I don’t want to hear anymore of it. I’m the squad leader around here. You follow my orders or I’ll have you demoted and force you to do janitorial work around this fortress. We do things my way. The right way. Following my orders on the day of the match just as I planned. Chiara is now under our influence. My influence. Is that understood?” Asura narrows her eyes with contempt. “I’m being very generous…too generous with all of you. If you tried pulling something like this in the old squad I was in, you would be berated till the end of it.”
Vlad sighs through his respirator. “Sure…as you wish your highness.”
"Careful, Vlad. You’re mistaking my patience for indecision.” Asura leans back on her chair and smirks. “The last thing I need is a mutiny in my squad. So cut it out or I'll cut you out.”
“Your highness, I’m only trying to help…”
”And you’re not helping. What are you doing talking to me for? Focus on the upcoming match, zero your rifle, do what you have to do, but stay out of my way when it comes to my strategy. Am I clear?”
“Yes, your highness.” Vlad bows, feeling his fist clenching as he does it. “I’ll see to it.”
“Good. Now get out of my sight. I want to be left alone.” Asura shoos him off with her hand dismissively.” Vlad makes his way out of Asura's office and into the hallway. The other two of his squadmates are waiting for him downstairs. He looks over at Lucius and Lilith and just shakes his head.
“Her highness is being foolish, I’m telling you!” Vlad complains to his squad members in the amory while he loads ammo into his magazines. His OTs-14-1A is field stripped on the armory table. His assault rifle is an outlier among his squadmates as being the only com-bloc weapon in the squad. Lilith hands him a .30 caliber bore snake to clean out the barrel after the three of them finished zeroing their sights at the range.
“You're getting too worked up about it, Brother.” Lilith comments as she watches Vlad do some maintenance on his rifle and magazines. “Chiara reminds me of how I used to be when I first joined Vampire Squad. She’s adapting better than I did.” She chuckles to herself. “She’s got a lot of promise and talent you know.”
“Well, she’s going to be off on her own, leading those clowns of JarPig squad for us.” Lucius reminds them. “If it makes you feel better, I think she might be eliminated with the rest of JarPig squad before we even start our own maneuvers in the mansion. They are going to be a distraction while our squad focuses on capturing the client or taking out Team Lonestar.”
”I don’t think she’s that inexperienced, brother. Chiara dooesn't come off as a push over. We saw how she handled leading the recruits against Raptor Squad. Our match is going to be easy with her on our side!”
“More easy than it already was, sister.” Lucius laughs. “The only thing after that is to deal with whoever wins the third bracket and then we can finally deal with Raptor and Lion squad, just as Asura foretold us”
“You both are too lax." Vlad rolls his eyes in disbelief. "Chiara is an outsider. She’s not one of us.”
“Strange. You said the same thing about me when I was just a recruit.” Lilith reminds Vlad. “We were all just as broken as her highness, brought together under her wing to do something wonderful with our lives. Lucius is a deadbeat soldier, I’m a failed artist and you were a delinquent for years.”
“Vlad, this squad is like a family.” Lucius adds. “We don’t have anywhere to go. Everything we accomplished so far was because we all stuck together. Who’s to say Chiara can’t be part of this too if she feels at home with us.”
”That may be true, but we didn’t have a good life like this girl….” Vlad starts to assemble his rifle together. “She had friends, she’s in college, and she’s better off than any of us were in our lives. Chiara had it better than her highness. All we’re doing is ruining her friendships and her life to be part of our cliche. It doesn’t seem right.”
“But her highness said her so-called friends were keeping her from her potential.”
“That’s nonsense, sister.” Vlad scoffs. “She always had that potential to be a great soldier. She didn’t need me or our squad to figure that out. All we’re doing is taking advantage of her. It’s going to bite us in the ass eventually.”
”So what do you propose then?”
“Lucius, if Chiara turns out to be a liability…” Vlad considers his words carefully. “Then by all accounts, her highness has to be a liability too for causing our plans to go kaput. We’ll have to do away with Asura and let her know she’s not viable to lead Vampire Squad.”
”Brother, that’s madness! We can’t just…”
“I’ll be glad to be wrong, Lucius.” Vlad finally puts his rifle together and slings it over his body; inspecting it for an empty chamber before letting it rest with the sling. “But my gut feeling says otherwise. Please. You both have to be committed to victory no matter what. We shouldn’t put all our faith into her highness if she can’t see our failure coming from a kilometer away.”
“Are you suggesting we kept that dork, Kael?”
“Well, he was kind of stupid.” Vlad shrugs. “Stupid enough to think he’ll have a chance with her highness. Chiara isn’t stupid enough to exploit. I don’t know what her highness thinks using her is a good idea. She’d be better off doing something small like that last guy she recruited from The Agency.”
“John Smith?” Lucius recalls.
“Yeah. The check point guard we recently booted for failing to keep those intruders from breaking into our fortress with a stolen transport truck. last time”
“Vlad, you realize if her highness catches wind of our conversation, the three of us will be in deep shit.” Lilith mentions with a whisper.
“We’ll be in a bigger slump if we lose the match. It makes no difference. If we can win this match without her highness’ control, then we could have a better future for Vampire Squad.”
“Which would involve fragging her highness?” Lilith's eyes dart off as if she’s pretending not to care or listen. “I don’t like where this is heading, brother.”
“Listen, it’s simple. We trust her highness and Chiara for now. If any of us see a slight hint of Chiara breaking loyalty or showing any hesitation. We act on our own accord.” He gives a glare of certainty towards Lilith and Lucius in the armory. “And if her highness is part of the problem, then leave her to me.”
"Would you look at that Hikari!" Mai quickly unravels a box on Flint's counter like it was a Christmas present. Hikari peaks over Mai's shoulder and sees a neatly padded box housing a polymer bump helmet which looks more like a helmet for skateboarders than a legitimate head protection for combat uses. Underneath the helmet packed in foam is a pair of night vision binoculars.
"There's a box for each of your squadmates." Flint noted placing more of these boxes on the counter. "I made sure to double check your helmet sizes. They're labeled so you can't get them mixed up now."
"Thanks Flint! You're the best!" Mai attaches the binoculars to the front of the bump helmet before dawning the helmet on her head. "Hah! It feels like I'm going to raid Osama's Pakistan compound to steal his video game roms collection!"
"Hey...Chiara doesn't have one." Hikari looks over at the boxes which are labeled for everyone except Chiara.
"Emi and Tomio didn't order one for her. I'm sorry about what happened to her." Flint sincerly mentions. "She seemed like a good gal in my book."
"She's just being a crybaby about all this." Mai grumbles nonchalantly with the helmet on her head. "Don't worry about it. We're going to teach Chiara and her emo friends a lesson. We're more capable now with these!"
"And to think you didn't want to spend our credits, Mai." Hikari smirked. "See. There's nothing wrong with a little splurging if you're smart about it."
"I'm still using my SKS."
"Of course..." Hikari sighs and shakes her head. "Still too stubborn to join the Five Four Five club with Ashley and Kimberly. I should convert Emi too now that I think about it."
"Well you're not going to convert me anytime soon."
"How about this?" Hikari's face lights up with mischief which Mai isn't accustomed to. If we lose this upcoming match, then you have to switch to a 5.45 rifle and join my club."
"Uh....how about no? There's no way we're going to lose if I have to switch to your caliber. I like 7.62."
"Well..." Hikari rubs her chin with her hand. "I can make an offer if we do win the next match. I'll buy you a new pistol. You and I both agree that your Hi Point is anything but a high point. I mean...look at it!"
"If it works, it works. I don't mind that it's ugly." Mai pats her Hi Point C9 which still has grip tape covering where the factory grips should be. "But I'm willing to let you buy me some new grips for this pistol if we win. I know just the right grips to tick you off. hahah."
"I don't even want to think about it, Mai." Hikari crosses her arms and nods. "Alright. We got a deal. You can't back off from my terms if we lose."
"Sure. I know we're going to win, Hikari. I'll try extra hard if I have to. But first..." Mai speaks to Flint. "Can we borrow the range for a sec? Preferably with the lights off?"
"By all means." Flint smiles and nods. "I recommend y'all get used to moving around with nightvision. Your field of view is going to be hindered slightly when you use them. Just keep that in mind."
"Cool, Thanks!" Mai grabs her rifle case and heads for the range leaving Hikari behind. "I can't wait to shoot with my new nightmare goggles on. I bet everything is going to look the same!"
"Dork..." Hikari mutters under her breath as she watches Mai leave for Flint's indoor range. "So...Longhorn squad already got their helmets, Flint?"
"Tomio and his squad stopped by last night and gave them a test run at Drill Sgt Perry's training grounds. They seemed rather fond of their new equipment."
"I see. I should give the kill house a run when it's night time." She looks over at the range door where she can hear the muffled "plonks" from Mai's Type 56 SKS. "Well...I guess I better join her and see how these nods work. I hope she doesn't accidentally shoot me." She grabs her rifle case and puts on her helmet with the NODs attached.
"No worries, Hikari. I am rooting for your squad. Y'all will pull it off on Friday night. I believe it."
"Thanks, Flint. Tell Emi I said hi if she stops by later. She's at the nurses office so she'll be out real soon."
"Something happened to Emi?" Flint raised his brow.
"She's getting her cast removed. Seems like her sprang leg healed thankfully."
Emi carefully slides off from the patient bed. The volunteer nursing students helped take off her cast on her leg earlier. She still has her stilts in the room but they are resting on the edge of the bed. She makes contact on the floor with both feet carefully and stands up straight. The female nurse observes her to see if she can walk. Emi slowly moves her left leg forward, bending it a little before moving her other leg. She makes a few steps forward and a few steps backwards.
"Feeling any pain?"
"I don't think so." Emi looks down at her feet. It feels...better."
"Excellent. The nurse writes down some notes on her tablet. "You won't be needing those clutches anymore. I recommend giving yourself a week before you start any athletic activities. Try to take it easy for a week and see how you do."
"I understand." Emi smiles and is helped by the nurse out of the patient room. "Thank you." She receives her papers from the nurse before she's let go from the office. Now back on her two feet at last, Emi looks over at her patient documents carefully, making sure nobody else is looking once she's outside. "Ugh. I gained three pounds." Emi quickly shoves the papers into her backpack. She can't wait to hit the track field soon to get back in shape. But right now, she has to worry about Mil-Simming. She makes her way through the health and science buildings where she usually has her classes. She spots Ashley waiting for her with Joshua and Vicky by her side. Joshua is wearing a suit and Vicky is holding stacks of fliers with her.
"Yo Emi! You're not crippled anymore! Congrats!" Ashley pats Emi on the shoulder.
"You've recovered so quickly! This is truely a miracle!" Vicky says cheerfully.
"Believe me, I'm a lot happier than I look." Emi says still feeling a little bummed about her minor weight gain. "What are you three doing?"
"We're campaigning for Joshua. He's running for student council for the sophmores!" Vicky hands a flier to Emi. It has a picture of Joshua giving a thumbs up with the phrase "Vote for Josh"
"And somehow I got tied up with them." Ashley notes pulling up a sign from the ground with the words "Josh for Sophomore Pres" in bold red letters. "I'm not even a Sophomore but Vicky insisted."
"Hey, we're all friends here. Grade level doesn't matter." Vicky laughs and nudges Joshua. "Joshy is too cute to not be president for the Sophomores."
"Hah...um...if only..." Joshua blushes and sighs. "So far nobody has taken a flier. It's been an hour since we've been standing out here."
"An entire hour?" Emi looks surprised. "Ah man..."
"Josh. Don't be a quitter." Vicky gently nudges her elbow again at Joshua. "You know people quit when they are close to victory. You have to stay the course, Joshy. Just like our Armadillo friend here." She looks up at Emi. "And hopefully Chiara will understand that too. I spoke to her earlier, Emi."
"Oh yeah?" Emi feels like she doesn't want to bother with Chiara anymore at this point.
"She seems like she's doubting herself again. Considering she's fighting for Vampire Squad and all." Vicky fixes her glasses. "I think there's still a chance she'll do the right thing Emi."
"That's not going to stop what's coming Friday. For her and her "new" friends." Emi's voice is serious as she speaks. "Until she makes amends with me or the rest of Armadillo Squad, she's our enemy on the day of the match."
"Well I'm sorry I couldn't change her mind completely, Emi." Vicky says sincerely. "But promise me one thing, Emi."
"Hm?" He looks down at Vicky who has her hands in front of her, almost like she's begging.
"Whatever happens on Friday, please try to make amends with her. She needs to understand that you'll always be there for her if she's willing to listen. I'd hate to see you both separated for good."
"And who exactly are you rooting for on Friday?" Emi looks skeptically at her.
"Armadillo Squad of course!" Vicky smiles "I'm on the team too, remember."
"You really think she'd root for the Vampires?" Ashley joked.
"But I am rooting for Chiara too." Vicky adds. "I want her to make the right choice and whatever plans God has for her, I know she'll do what she feels is right in her heart."
"That's very sweet of you Vicky"
"My pleasure, Emi. And you know what? Maybe I can hook her up with Joshua afterwards so she can be his first lady too!" Vicky grins widely at Joshua's expenses.
"Vicky!" Joshua groans, feeling more embarrassed.
"What? Oh come on Joshy. Chiara is cute! You two are both shy little bundles of fun. You both should get to know each other more."
"Save it for after the match." Emi interjects. "But I appreciate you looking after Chiara for me. I owe you Vicky. I owe you all." Emi addresses Joshua and Ashley along with Vicky. "I seriously thought my team was going to be done for once Chiara quit the team without all of your support." Emi places her hand over her heart. "I'm glad to have you all on the team, even if I couldn't get you into the match."
"Hey, no worries. There's always another chance for us to show off." Vicky mentions. "Don't let Joshua's shyness fool you. He's a competent squad leader."
"Thanks, Vicky." Joshua nods. "She's right. There'll be a time for us to do more for the team, but right now the ball is in your court, Emi. Friday is going to be more than a showdown between Team Lonestar and Vampire Squad. It's going to test your resolve with Chiara."
Chiara goes through a course, taking out paper targets with ease with her MP5SD and her new squad consisting of the remaining three members of JarPig Squad whom follow her reluctantly through the course; firing at targets, throwing grenades into rooms, and deploying their night vision goggles in pitch black rooms with cardboard targets. Rena and Trisha both wield assault rifles consisting of a Daewoo K2 and a Howa Type 89. They are both unwieldy for the close quarters fighting that will take place in the upcoming match but the girls make do with what they have. Trisha could deploy her dual Jericho Pistols in a pinch even though Chiara disapproves of her dual wielding. Kaz’s MP7 is better suited for the mission even compared to Chiara’s primary but his insistence on carrying a Katana into battle received a lot of protest from Chiara. Asura’s word is final and her squadmates are to stick with the equipment they want to use, including the various grenades they carry in bulk. Eventually, they finish the course and call it quits.
“That run was 15 seconds better than the others.” Kaz notes holstering his MP7.”
“I suppose you all did…fine.” Chiara admits begrudgingly. “That’ll do for today. You can get out of my sight now. I want to be left alone.”
“Agh...This uniform fits me too tight.” Trisha complains; pointing out how her black shorts fit her too tightly in her new standard issue black uniform as they leave the training grounds together.
“It’s not like we have any say about that.” Kaz assures her as they leave the training grounds together, leaving Chiara behind. He’s wearing a black combat suit with his typical ninja attire. “Just be glad we’re allowed our usual equipment.”
“I miss Kael…” Rena murmurs solemnly to Kaz. “This was supposed to be something fun for us to do together.”
“Too bad we had to align ourselves with that crazy goth girl and her new minion.” Trisha snarls with her eyes over looking over her shoulder, making sure Chiara or someone else won’t hear. “Alignning ourselves with these freaks was a mistake.”
“Yeah but they pulled off a victory in our battle against our first opponent. We're almost halfway done with this tournament.” Kaz tells his squadmates. “My only hope is that we can win this match and somehow try to get Kael back. Maybe if we prove our worth…”
“As if!” Trisha almost burst out laughing. “Asura doesn’t have a shed of Canadian kindness for Kael whatsoever! We have to get rid of her and Chiara somehow to accomplish that. I mean look at this place! She runs this base with an iron fist. There’s all this bowing and “Yes master” and all that shit! Kael never treated us like slaves. Asura...more like ASSura!”
“I get what you’re saying, Trisha.” Kaz affirms. “But we’re not a real squad like everyone else in this tournament. We’re just a MMO party stuck in a game that’s completely incompatible with our ways. We’re going to have to adapt to this militaristic bureaucracy if we’re going to get anywhere in this tournament. It’s not like we can just quit now. We can’t even speak to Kael ever since he got banned from our game. He’s not responding to my emails.”
“People still use emails?” Trisha rolls her eyes. "I don't even read my inbox anymore!"
“What if we lose the match…” Rena suddenly suggests. “I don’t know about you two but I don’t want to be in this tournament anymore.”
“Rena!” Trisha gasps. “I don’t want to be in all this as much as you or even Kaz but like he said, we’re already made it this far. We’re in a chaotic neutral faction like Kael would tell us.”
“What would Kael want us to do, Rena?”
Rena has to think about Kaz’s words for a moment. The thought of fighting without him by their side troubles her. She’s always looked up to Kael and admired him. Even if he was dorky as everyone would call him. But Kael was her dork. She wanted to be by his side no matter what. Especially after all those years of being in his MMO party from the very start.
“He would want us to fight for his sake…” Rena muttered. “To prove to the world that we’re the best MMO party in cyberspace.”
“Then we need to prove ourselves to our adversaries and to our masters.” Kaz looks over at his Katana by his side. “We have to set our limits…even with Chiara bossing us around, now. She’s a puppet of Asura so we have to defy her and still fight for our own dignity. At the end of the day, Team Lonestar is still our enemy. We beat them once. We can beat them again.”