Memphis was looking straight at me when she said, "I think I'd like to spend more time with some of you."
Chapter Fourteen
"I'll see you in a few hours, Boone," Memphis said to me as we parted ways at the end of our social hour. The way she batted her eyelashes was an exaggerated flirtation. She was playing with me to a degree. Making fun of my awkwardness without laughing at me. I surely got the impression that she did want to spend more one-on-one time with me.
Four hours later we would be granted a special two-hour time slot to regroup in the common area. During that time, we should be able to see the map for this upcoming team versus team battle that would decide our future.
I was crazy nervous. For two reasons. The first cause was this next mission. It would mean so much to my team that I couldn't screw it up. It meant a lot to me, too. The additional freedom that teams in this new league would have sounded great. Confusing, but enticing.
The second reason for my nervousness was Memphis. My breathing and heart rate sped up when I thought about spending more time with her. But it also made me nauseous. If I vomited in front of her, in front of my whole team, it would be catastrophic for my future. And yet still, I was excited.
I spent half of my alone time just sitting there daydreaming. Philia knew absolutely nothing about this new league or arena where we would be playing if we won our next game. That was weird, but kind of cool because I could make up my own assumptions about it.
With just one hour of solitude left, I decided to mark some exercise off my daily checklist. That got me super sweaty, so I needed another shower. By the time that I finished drying off, I couldn't tell the difference between my nervous stomach and real hunger. I was halfway through my bowl of protein chunks and pasta when the door whisked open.
Memphis was heading in my direction when I stepped into the social area. Once she saw me, she turned and went to her spot at the table to sit down. Was she making sure that I was going to join them?
"Hi Boone," Memphis said with a smile and a wave as she got herself situated on the bench.
"Hi Boone," both Zaya and Rhese said in a mocking, super girly voice.
"Hello everybody," I said as I did my best to stroll confidently toward the table with my food. I quickly noticed a spark fading from Memphis' eyes. I assumed it was because I hadn't greeted her specifically. "It's good to see you again, Memphis."
"You too, Boone."
"Oh dear," Zaya mumbled.
"Do we have the map yet?" I asked as I sat down beside Zaya. She was eating some overcooked bread with a white sauce on top of it. And a variety of vegetables as well.
"Not yet" Rhese answered between bites of her mushy casserole with no recognizable contents. It looked like it had been blended into a chunky gravy.
"Are you excited?" Memphis asked. I could see there was a double meaning to her question. She sat there awaiting my response instead eating her red sauce pasta squares.
"Yes," I replied wholeheartedly. Let her take it either way, because both were true. I was anxiously looking forward to studying our important battle to get into the new league. And I was nervously excited about progressing my relationship with her.
Rhese then told us, "They promised that we'd have the map and mission parameters sometime during our first hour together. They better have it ready because this is our last chance to study it before the game.
"What?" we all asked at the same time.
"The team battle is scheduled for tomorrow morning," Rhese then informed us. "There will be four matches and they want to broadcast all of them separately. We drew the first time slot."
"Who will we be playing?" Zaya asked.
"The Black Vipers," Rhese answered, taking the effort to make eye contact with her best friend on the team. I didn't know much about that team except that they usually ranked high.
"No way," Zaya exclaimed. "They are like the best team in the league! How did we get stuck with them?"
"They tanked their last mission apparently and dropped to fourth place. We're in fifth," Rhese explained. "That's how it works."
"Dirt," was all that Zaya muttered then. It was an expression that was worse than poop. It meant living in poverty on the surface of the planet. Having no hope.
"We'll be alright," Rhese said unconvincingly. "Now that we have Boone."
"Me?"
"Don't get too excited," the team captain told me. "You are still a rookie, but you're learning fast and contributing to the team. Not just looking out for yourself. In my opinion, we are already in better shape than when we had Dashell."
"Dashell was a level four," Zaya seemed to be debating her captain's last statement.
"It's not all about your level," Rhese explained. "It is also about how you play. I'll take Boone over Dashell any day."
"Thanks," I said genuinely. That was the compliment that I was hoping to get eventually.
"Me, too," Memphis said.
"Yeah," Zaya laughed. "But that is for a different reason."
All the girls giggled at that remark. When I looked over at Memphis, she was staring right at me, a little bit psycho, in a I'm gonna creep up on you while you sleep kind of way. Then I felt something against my left leg. I stiffened immediately but tried not to reveal to the others what was happening. Memphis was hooking her toes around the back of my calf, slowly sliding them up and down my pants leg.
My nausea suddenly returned. I swallowed the bite that was in my mouth carefully.
"You okay?" Zaya asked me.
I nodded vigorously as I grabbed Memphis' cup of water and gulped some down. I was trying to play like I was almost choking, but I had forgotten to bring myself a drink.
"Sorry," I told Memphis. Then making like I was about to get up. "Let me get you a new cup."
"No," she replied sternly, hooking her toes behind my knee to keep me from retreating. "We can share."
Rhese and Zaya stared at us for a few seconds before Zaya finally said, "This is getting weird."
"So," I said louder than it called for. I was anxious to change the subject as Memphis kept my leg busy. "If we win, how long until we move into our new place?"
Rhese shook her head as she swallowed her food. "I don't know, but I bet it is quick since they scheduled these games right away. We should focus on that right now. We have to beat the Black Vipers to get in."
"And that ain't going to be easy," Zaya told us. "Their team captain, Sihon, is a level nine. Extraordinarily strong and physical. We can't get into close combat with him."
Rhese nodded her agreement. "Their second-best player is Charr. She's a level seven with more points than either of us. She's sneaky and can flank her opponent better than anyone else in the league. She's good up close, too. We had better hope we get some good long-range weapons in this game."
"What about the other two?" I asked.
"Dogie is a level six," Zaya answered. "He is typically their weapons carrier since he has an exceedingly high capacity. Strong, too. But he doesn't get much recognition because of the other two. He's gained most of his points in their shadow."
"Their last player is a level one rookie named Frizz," Rhese told me. "We'll take him out right away to gain the one-person advantage."
"Will they do the same with me?" I asked. "I'm a level one."
"They might try," Zaya replied. "But Frizz has been playing for months to get his ten points. He's nothing like you. Trust me."
It was great that the team was warming up to me so quickly. It was much better than I had even hoped for. Speaking of warming up, my leg felt like it had a fever from Memphis' contact. Whether it was my interest in the Black Vipers or her leg getting tired, she finally broke contact. I took a deep breath that I hadn't realized I was holding. It was like I was taking short breaths during the conversation. I could feel myself getting dizzy.
Then I sucked in another deep breath when my girl's bare foot slid on top of my thigh to rest. Memphis gave me a quick grin, then continued focusing on
her meal.
"Will I," I began to ask before having to clear my throat. My high pitch was embarrassing.
"Are you sure that you're okay?" Zaya asked.
I nodded emphatically. "Will I be sent off on my own again?"
Rhese answered, "No, we usually separate into pairs for team versus team missions. The set up and the objectives will determine how we pair up."
"How so?"
"In an elimination scenario, where we just try to be the last team standing, I like to put a strong player with a weaker player. If we need to capture something or protect a special zone of the map, Zaya and I will team up to take the heavy responsibility for the team."
"That's a nice way of saying it," Zaya muttered.
"Saying what?" Rhese asked, ready to take offense.
"That you don't trust anyone else."
Chapter Fifteen
When the battleground map and details finally came in, we forgot about any other issues that our team might have. Memphis even removed her foot from my lap and concentrated solely on preparing for this incredibly important game. Without her as a distraction, I was also able to focus.
The arena would be relatively small this time. Just one hundred and fifty meters long by a hundred meters wide. A flat field with zero vegetation according to the layout. Walls about chest high were symmetrically placed at regular intervals, ranging in length from three to ten meters long. A taller wall blocked our view entirely at the entrance. The only other structures on the map were four watchtowers at five meters high that would provide a good view of the battlefield. They were placed near the corners.
Rhese mentioned that these kinds of games were rare but were sometimes used to evaluate teams because they left nothing to chance. Best skill and strategy should always prevail. No chance occurrence with a slippery log or crumbling structure.
Not only was the playing area small but the time slot was, too. It would be just a twenty-minute game. That meant there could be very few adjustments on the fly. Whatever we planned this evening would be fairly close to how we would play the game.
There was a small section in the middle of the map that held importance. The game creators called it the score zone. It was surrounded by the short walls with entry points in each corner of the square. Controlling that zone by having one of our players occupy it without an enemy present would earn us points.
The scoring system went like this: one point for each kill, one point for every minute controlling the score zone, and two points for controlling that zone at the end of the game.
In a team versus team scenario the powers that be liked to see the players last as long as possible to provide a good show. We each started with a health pack that would negate a torso injury or two limb wounds. Zaya got two extra packs due to her high Heal skill points, and Memphis got one more.
This game used medieval weapons. Less than ten percent of the games that our team had played previously made use of those, so we didn't have many in our arsenal. We were permitted large knives and short swords for close combat. Small crossbows and longbows were the only ranged weapons. Zaya had earned our only longbow. She would give her small crossbow to Rhese who possessed neither. Luckily, Memphis had her own. But that left me without any ranged weapon at all. At least to start the game.
Two caches would appear along the center line of the battlefield, one on each side right at the edge with no wall protection. The first pair would materialize at the five-minute mark. If claimed, it would reappear at the ten and fifteen-minute marks as well. They would hold only five arrows for the longbow, five bolts for the crossbow, and two health packs. No weapons.
Two more caches were set to enter the battlefield. One on the near side of the score zone, the other on the far side. They would only generate at the eight-minute mark and disappear after five minutes if not claimed. These caches would have a large crossbow that could make a huge impact on our team's performance. Along with it would be ten bolts, five arrows and four health packs.
Though the mission parameters were fairly simple, the strategy was not. Collecting that valuable weapon, the additional ammo, and the lifesaving health packs was at least as important as scoring points in the center zone. In fact, Zaya suggested that we not go for those points at all until the end. She wanted to turn it into a deathmatch scenario with the added goal of taking out any opponent that entered the score zone before they could collect a point. If our team had a man-advantage we could easily score two-to-four points at the end of the game to secure the win.
"The problem with that idea," Rhese debated. "Is that we have only three players with ranged weapons. The Black Vipers will probably have four."
"That's okay," Zaya responded. "We'll have Boone raid the caches while we provide cover fire. With each of us focusing on a single objective we'll be more effective."
When Rhese shook her head, Zaya asked what her plan was.
"I have two ideas in mind," the captain told us. "In the first one we would pair me with Memphis, and Boone with Zaya. The two weaker players would still go for the ammo and health packs. I'll need that large crossbow if we have a chance of winning this game. The range is double, and it causes extra damage up close if the bolt makes it all the way through the flesh."
"That's gross," Memphis muttered, looking disgusted.
"The second idea," Rhese continued, ignoring the comment. "Is that Zaya and I stay most of the match in the watchtowers. Memphis and Boone do all the cache retrieving. She'll have the little crossbow to help Boone stay alive. With that plan we could score a point or two early in the zone. After the large crossbow pops up, I'll join them and we'll all three take cover in or around that center square picking off opponents that try to get a wide angle on us. Zaya would continue to support with the longbow from a tower."
"I like that plan better," Memphis said.
Rhese glared at her before saying, "Yeah, and that concerns me. You two lovebirds might not be as focused as you should be. Instead of making logical decisions and following orders, you could take stupid risks to save each other, or huddle together to become an easier target."
"Seriously?" Memphis was offended. "When have I ever not followed orders?"
"That was before Boone came on the scene," Rhese told her.
"I've seen it happen to other teams," Zaya supported her captain's claim. "I'm not saying that either of you would fall victim to that kind of thinking. But the real problem with this game is the lack of ammo. There is no cover fire per se. We can only shoot when we are sure we have a good chance to cause damage. A bow without an arrow is just a stick with a string."
"Sword play might be more prevalent than you think," I finally spoke up. I was happy to see Zaya nod in agreement. It encouraged me to continue with my thought. "I'm betting it will be difficult to keep two snipers stocked with ammo in the watchtowers. How effective would the small crossbow be from there anyway?"
"Not very," Zaya answered.
"Can you hit someone with the longbow all the way across the map in one of the other towers?" I asked.
"I could," Zaya replied. "But I wouldn't waste an arrow trying unless it was to give a teammate a couple seconds to cross an open area to score or collect ammo and health. It certainly wouldn't be a regular thing."
"So," I continued to push my ideas, and my luck. So far, Rhese was paying attention to my words. Based on experience she could snap at any moment and start barking out orders to end the discussion. "It is only worth having one sniper with the longbow, and that is for covering the middle of the battlefield. It would take at least two hits to kill an opponent, correct? That means support from up close is important if we want to knock their players out of the game before they can heal."
"These are good points," Zaya announced. "What you lack in experience you make up for in strategy. I'm sure Rhese will put together a great game plan for us. Before she does, do you have any other suggestions?"
Talk about wisdom, Zaya had it to spare. It was well known that a big par
t of Rhese's success with this team was Zaya's capability on the battlefield. I was beginning to believe that she was also a great counterbalance for the team leader as well.
"The caches are as important as the score zone," I said. "Ultimately, we'd like to gain and protect all of them. But that is not realistic. Instead of covering both sides of the map, I suggest that we focus on one. The same side where Zaya will be in the tower with the longbow. We can collect the ammo and health on the wide side every time it pops up. And our large crossbow on our side of the score zone. If we do well enough, we can prevent them from scoring any points or collecting their large crossbow. There are four health packs in that cache as well. And they only have five minutes to retrieve it."
Memphis eyes were big when I finished speaking. Whether she liked the idea or was just excited that I had valuable input, I wasn't sure. I could see why Rhese was concerned about putting us together.
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