“I’d better not drink anymore or I’ll be too jittery,” I said, wanting to maintain my energetic edge, but not wanting to get to the point where I would be sloppy and sluggish.
“Good call, man. Let's go scope out the competition,” Jon said and pounded the table for no reason other than to let out some of his pent-up energy.
It was the second round of the tournament, and a couple enthusiastic dudes were duking it out. One with blood red hair was moving around the ring with lightning-fast speed. He connected punch after punch with sickening accuracy. His competitor was down on the mat, bloody and bruised. He ran toward the man and wound up to unleash a powerful kick, but the man tapped out at the last second. The man with the scarlet hair averted his leg before it struck the downed player. He flew through the air clear over his opponent and landed on the other side of the ring.
“He’s a feisty one,” Jon said and leaned forward as he tried to get more comfortable in the small wooden stadium seat. “I haven’t seen someone move around the ring like that in quite some time.”
We watched the next rounds of the tournament closely, and there were many electric moments. After an hour it was the red-haired speed demon called Vlad, squaring off against a squat man named Buck. The crowd was chanting, and even Jon and I were yelling our encouragement.
The match started. Both competitors were still, then Buck’s beady eyes twitched, and he feinted forward. Vlad leaped back too far and stumbled as he bounced off the ropes behind him. Buck moved in, sensing weakness in his enemy. He whipped his meaty leg forward, aiming for Vlad’s slender planted leg.
The kick connected with brutal force as blood spilled from Vlad’s shin in vibrant red drops. Buck kicked with his other leg, but Vlad was ready this time. He caught Buck’s leg, and with blinding speed, used his force to twist the short man into a choke hold. Vlad used his arms like levers to squeeze Buck’s thick neck. Buck attempted to throw Vlad, but his oxygen-deprived muscles were too weak. He collapsed to the ground, covered in Vlad’s blood.
“Winner!” the announcer called out, and the crowd went wild. Every person in the stadium was on their feet, jumping around like crazy. I was caught up in the buzz as well until the announcer called my name, informing me I would be taking on Vlad, the slender red-haired man, in my next match.
“You may have your work cut out for you, Aker. He may not have the best stats, but he’s a skilled fighter,” Jon said seriously.
“I’ve got this,” I said, surprising myself at how confident and driven I was.
I pushed myself up and slid under the rubber ropes to climb in the ring. I stood alone in the center and looked around at the crowd; I fed off the energy in the arena. This is my time, the era of Aker. I’m ready to prove myself. Goosebumps covered my body and I raised both of my hands high into the air. The crowd, still excited from the last match, began to roar even louder.
Vlad reentered the ring. I noticed his bloody shin was healed completely, and he had a fiery gleam in his eyes. He wiped a drop of sweat from his brow and gave me a fierce glare. I bounced from one foot to the other. My blue-green cape reflected the arena’s many lights, and forced people to squint as it swayed from side to side. The announcer began counting down from five. When the countdown completed, the announcer yelled, “Fight!” and we both sprung forward.
We ran straight at one another, and dodged away at the last second, then we rounded and faced each other again. Our speed was nearly equal. How is this human so fast? I ran at him again and swung my fist toward his skull.
He ducked before I could connect a blow, and he landed his own punch firmly on my rib cage. I jumped back, attempting to roll with his punch, but it still knocked 5% off my life bar. I faked a left hook, then followed with a right uppercut. Again he dodged, leaving me to hit only the air. He countered by jumping to my left and putting me in a choke hold before I had finished my right uppercut. He started tightening his hold. I couldn’t breathe as my health was dropping 2% a second.
I opened my mouth and used the last method of defense I had. I punctured his muscled arm with my fangs and began to draw blood. This activated my Blood Bonus and Blood Lust benefits, giving me enhanced stats. This action raised my Bite stat to 8 (+3), and left me with nine missions until I reached Level 11.
I bit down hard and continued to drain his life. He realized what was happening and pushed me away forcefully, but not before I drained him to half his health. His violent shove sent me to the other side of the ring. I was energized now and stormed toward him as he backpedaled, dripping fresh blood onto the mat. I gained momentum, jumped high into the air, and superman punched him right in the center of his face.
His nose crumpled and began gushing blood. We both fell to the ground, but I was on my feet again in an instant. He began to get up, but before he could I smashed my foot into his gut, knocking him half a foot into the air and then he collapsed, little more than a lump on the ground. I ran to kick the man again, but he tapped out before I reached him.
A flood of dopamine hit my brain and I pumped my fist to celebrate the victory. The roar of the crowd was deafening. I slid off the mat and walked back over to Jon, who was waiting to give me a high five.
“Nice work, bud. Word of advice, aim for their body, since the head is the easiest target to miss,” Jon said, then patted me on the back. “Great job, that was a fun match to watch. I was worried when he got you in that hold. But when you bit him, I lost it.”
I smiled and chuckled at Jon’s exuberance.
“It was the only thing I could do at that point,” I said, laughing at my own antics.
“Remember to use your legs against your opponents. If they wrap you up on your top half, maybe you can throw them off-balance below,” Jon said wisely.
“Thanks man,” I said, still breathing hard. “Let’s hope I can get past the next round.”
I tried to get back into the zone as my break time ticked down. The next match was starting soon. I felt mental fatigue setting in; the Red Bull portion of the vodka Red Bull was fading, and my Blood Bonus and Blood Lust effects had worn off. The next match started before I knew it, but I felt out of it.
My opponent was in all-black jeans and a t-shirt, and looked pretty similar to me actually, but had a slightly higher strength stat. I was immediately on the defensive and although this opponent was slower than the last, I felt outmatched. I narrowly dodged an uppercut from the man and attempted to put him in a hold like Vlad had done to me, but he slipped out of my grasp and bounced away. He came at me again this time with a flying kick that struck me in the center of my chest. I couldn’t breathe and fell to the ground with a black leather boot smashing against the center of my rib cage.
As I hit the ground, he used my chest as a springboard to jump across to the other side of the ring. My health was at 70% now. I jumped up. My opponent was feeling confident and came at me with a wild flurry of punches. I quickly dodged a left hook, then a right jab. I was starting to get back in the zone. Getting struck had released adrenaline into my veins and awoken the fighter within me. I saw the faces of my dead friends as I dodged one punch after another, contorting my body in any way necessary to evade contact.
I smiled when I saw disappointment and fear on the pale man’s gaunt face. He swung high with all his might, attempting to land a knockout punch on my head, but I saw it coming, ducked forward past his body, and pushed his shoulder blade, using his own momentum against him. He stumbled forward. I performed a low sweeping kick; as it connected, he fell hard on the mat. I ran to follow up with another kick like I had done in the last match, but he rolled out of the way at just the right moment. Then he twisted so he could kick my planted leg out from under me.
We were both on the mat now. The crowd was roaring. He flailed his arms to try to wrap me in a hold. I caught his wrist and twisted hard. He did a somersault to relieve the pressure caused by the hold I had on his wrist, and as he came out of the roll he struck me in the jaw. Blood exploded from my mouth. My teeth felt loose in th
eir sockets. I jumped to my feet and he followed suit. We both backed away from each other in an attempt to regain our wits.
I pressed an attack, methodically throwing punches at different key target areas of his body, but he was adept at dodging. My arms were exhausted; I needed to fall back. I went into a defensive stance, with both my arms up and protecting my head but resting. I was breathing quickly to flood my body with oxygen. He began throwing a strategic punch here and there, trying to catch me off guard.
We reached a stalemate; both refusing to give up, but neither of us could gain a significant advantage. I was losing my mental edge again. Blood was pouring out of me, my health bar was blinking in the red, and I was at 30% health. I can’t risk a loss before I even see Damien. I’ve got to win this match no matter what.
I activated my Time Warp ability. I had wanted to use it as soon as I saw Damien, but I would never get to that point if I didn’t win this match. I moved in once more. He punched toward my torso, but now I saw it coming from a mile away and performed a perfect counterstrike, hitting him with sickening force in the neck. Before he even processed the pain of the last punch, I directed two punches at his stomach. With time slowed down I was able to pick him apart and strike anywhere he left unguarded. I jumped back as he stooped over in agony. Clasping my hands together, I smashed my elbows into the weakened man’s head. He collapsed to the ground.
“Knockout!” the announcer yelled. The crowd erupted as two butlers stormed the ring to bring the man to the healing area just off the stage.
I was back on cloud nine. My heart was pumping faster and faster. The moment would soon arrive when I would be able to take out all of my frustration with this world on the person who had caused me so much anguish. I tried to control my rage toward Damien as I exited the ring. My health replenished itself as soon as I was off the mat. Just a few minutes to go until I can exact my revenge. Jon had worked his way down to my side of the ring. He handed me a bottle of water and a towel.
“All right. The fun and games are about over. These first two competitors were cute, but now things get serious. Three players have died in just the last week facing Damien. If he gets you in any type of hold you need to tap out immediately, or else it could be lights out for you,” Jon said, trying to keep me focused.
I chugged water, ravenously downing the cool, refreshing liquid. Sweat was dripping from every pore in my body, but I felt light and airy. This is my day.
“He’s not going to get me in a hold,” I said confidently.
Jon gave me a look, but didn’t press the issue. My chest heaved up and down as I struggled to catch my breath.
“Five minutes until the final round of the tournament. We have Aker versus the house favorite and weeklong champion Damien. Place your bets now,” the announcer called out, spiking my adrenaline and nerves. I wanted to scream, if only to let off some steam. I re-entered the ring and barraged my own face with light slaps, bringing me to the present moment.
Damien hadn’t entered the ring yet, and a hush began to fall over the crowd.
“Damien, please report to center stage to begin the final round of the tournament,” paged the announcer.
The crowd began humming a low tribal chant, and pounding a rhythmic beat with their feet. The beat grew faster, the humming grew more chaotic, and at the frenzied peak an explosion of smoke appeared above the ring. The smoke parted, and Damien’s long muscular frame floated down from above. He landed gingerly on the mat. I noticed a glimmer coming from his right hand, and saw he had a ring on each of his fingers. A curious smile formed on his face as he recognized me.
“You don’t know when to stop, do you?” he asked. His voice was low and menacing.
“You’re going to pay for what you’ve done to my friends,” I said quietly, seething with anger.
The announcer yelled, “Fight!” and I drew my enchanted pistol and let off two rounds quicker than I had ever shot before. Damien disappeared, then reappeared two feet to the right of where he had just been, completely evading my attack. The bullets were stopped at the edge of the ring by a force field that protected the audience from lethal damage.
I felt sick to my stomach. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. I had forgotten about the enchanted rings that allowed players to teleport when faced with deadly force. Damien must have one equipped. I’ve got to get those rings off of his hand.
“Come now, you really thought I’d let you take me out of my favorite game again so fast? I paid good money to revive this character. Magicae,” Damien said and disappeared, only to reappear behind me.
I attempted to jump away from him, but before I moved an inch, I felt a foot in my back. I stumbled forward. Smoke exploded behind me, then again in front of me. Damien appeared before me and punched me in the forehead. Great, apparently he has a blink ring and can teleport by using dark magic.
I was seeing flashing lights everywhere as my body ached, but my fiery determination brought me back to the fight. Damien teleported behind me once more, but I was ready for him this time. I slammed my fist into his groin as soon as he materialized behind me. He began choking and convulsing. I drew my shovel from my cape and brought it down hard on his head while I had the chance to strike. His health went down 40%.
He muttered, “Magicae,” and disappeared from sight.
I looked around the arena, but he was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, his feet collided with the top of my head, and we both landed in a pile on the hard mat. My health dropped to 35%. He bit into my leg as I tried to squirm away. My health shot down to 20% as his health rose to 100%, and he was on the offensive now that he had activated his blood bonuses.
I put my arms up in the defensive stance that I had used in the last round of the tournament, but Damien drew a sawed-off shotgun. I dove to the ground as he pulled the trigger. The blast left a wide circular hole in my cape. Not my new dragonscale cape. I heard him reloading and rushed him, smashing my fist into his chin. As he reeled from the attack I bopped him again with a left jab, grabbed the shotgun, then twisted with all my might and flung it into the crowd.
The audience gasped at the flying gun in their midst, but one lucky younger gal caught it and held it up. She proudly showed off her new weapon to the crowd. I smiled as I watched the joy it brought her, but soon I was in a world of pain. Damien had drawn a wooden bat and clocked my left knee, bringing my health to a minuscule 6%.
I reached into my cape and drew the Mini-Drake eye. I flung it high into the air. It gleamed as it spun above me. I remembered how a diversion had helped me best Anuket in my mission to catch her in the forest. The crowd seemed to hold their breath and even Damien paused a moment to look at the glinting jewel.
I pulled my ax from my cape and swung, channeling all the times I had swung at trees when I was first training my strength stat. The ax connected with Damien’s wrist and sliced straight through. His hand fell to the mat along with the enchanted blink ring that protected him from deadly force. Blood began pouring from Damien’s arm. He tucked it under his armpit in an attempt to quell the bleeding, and his health bar was lowered to 30%. He was muttering in pain, but unable to fight or protect himself. He tried to cast a spell, but couldn’t get the words out clearly; he was in too much pain. I stored the ax in my cape, drew my pistol once more, aimed at his chest, and fired one final shot. As the bullet struck him, his body disintegrated into a pile of ash. Dark flames flickered for a moment then went out.
The crowd was silent as they comprehended what had just happened. Damien was dead. They erupted into a cheering chorus, shouting, “Aker! Aker! Aker!” I picked up the Mini-Drake eye and threw it out into the crowd.
I felt like I was in a dream. Reel Money began pouring into my account, bringing my total balance to $20,305 RM.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new champion!” the announcer yelled to the buzzing crowd.
A butler approached me and lifted my right arm into the air as a sign of victory.
I’ve finally done
it. I’ve finally destroyed the man who has caused my friends and me so much harm in this game.
The feeling of success was unreal. For me, it was the ultimate victory. I took solace in the fact that if Damien somehow entered the game again, he would have to spend a long time training to get as powerful as he was before. And if he continued killing people senselessly, I would be there to take him out once more.
I got off the mat, shook Jon’s hand, but exited the arena immediately after. I need to get away from all this noise. I need to collect my thoughts. I started running from the fight club. It felt good to put distance between the huge crowd and myself. Now that I’ve reached the goal I’ve been working toward for so long, what should I do with myself? Who am I? Soon I’ll really find out. I was approaching Lake Minnetonka when I felt my body become lighter. I was dissipating once more. Pixel by pixel I began to disappear and reappear in a new location.
I started appearing in a small circular clearing. The trees that surrounded this small opening had huge thick trunks, and their branches arched over the open grassy area, creating a leafy ceiling. I was pixelating three feet from Anuket and Ra, who were sitting regally, waiting for me to fully form. Anuket smiled and pounced on my chest when I fully arrived in the new location. I caught her and we both started laughing. She hopped back to her mom’s side a moment later.
“You have completed all of your goals in this game, Aker. Is there anything else weighing on your mind?” Ra asked while licking her large, powerful golden paw.
I sat for a full minute, remembering my life in VampQuest. I had learned to cherish time with close friends. I felt my mind was clear.
“There is nothing on my mind,” I said.
“Good, then I believe you are ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“You will see soon enough,” Ra said and handed me a green drink with her large golden paw. “Drink this, and it will bring you to the truth.” Ra and Anuket walked away slowly, leaving me in the verdant clearing alone.
VampQuest Page 15