PftA (Revised) - Chapters 42&43

These are the last two chapters of Book One. I'll be doing light revisions to align the first few chapters of Book Two with the changes I've made, and they will be posted here as well (likely sometime later today).

Chapter 42 – Preliminaries

The Brakenburg tournament was held the following weekend. Deni and Blaze had both signed up weeks before; however, Blaze promptly dropped out after the list of competitors, along with their tiers and affinities, was posted. He refused to explain his decision and only grumbled about unfair advantages anytime the topic arose.

Deni had opted to only participate in the sword-fighting category of the tournament, eschewing any of the crafting or specialty categories altogether.  Having seen some of the things she could make with her Tailoring skill, I was surprised she’d declined to participate in the category. It seemed like a great platform to showcase her creativity to Atlas Inc. and potentially earn herself a position as a beta tester.

“I still think you should have at least tried,” I commented as I walked beside Deni, Bell, and Ger as we headed toward the tournament arena on the day she was scheduled to compete. Since the Tailoring competition was already over, it was largely a moot point, but I still felt the need to point it out.

“Why embarrass myself like that?” she asked. “I’ve just barely gotten the hang of the most basic runes. I’m sure most of the competitors can do a lot more than add a [Self-Repair] or [Durability] enchantment to their work. Did you see some of the things they made?”

She shook her head in recrimination as Bell and I shared a wince. Deni would likely be much farther along with her rune work if we had not consistently offered to take care of the Enchanting work for her. It was a reminder that I needed to push my friends to grow, not make things easier on them.

“No. I didn’t bother watching since you weren’t competing,” I admitted as we made our way to the area marked for competitors.

Deni described some of her favorite submissions, expounding on the many magical features that had been added that were completely outside her ability to recreate. Ger smiled at his girlfriend as she grew more animated while describing some of the features the Tailors had added the day before. Her passion for the craft amused him, though he clearly didn’t share it.

Blaze and Mesmer were waiting by the competitors’ entrance when we arrived. Everyone wished Deni well before she broke away to prepare for her upcoming fights, which were scheduled to start in less than an hour.

She’d probably put in more combat training hours than I had since the tournament was announced. It highlighted her determination to perform well and get hired as a beta tester. However, she rarely mentioned that aspect of her goal. She didn’t want to upset Blaze any more than necessary, especially after he abruptly withdrew his registration.

I wasn’t sure what rank she needed to reach in the Junction Tournament, but whatever it was, I hoped she performed well enough to meet her goals. Deni had certainly worked harder than the rest of them for the position.

= = =

Deni flitted around the platform, her investment into Agility on full display as she danced around her opponent’s strikes. I’d seen her training at the tower occasionally when our sessions overlapped. However, I hadn’t realized just how much she’d improved in the two months since the tournament was announced. It felt closer to four months with time dilation, but that was still impressive.

Her first opponent was huge, making Deni’s 5’9” frame look downright petite in comparison. He’d likely put many more points toward Strength, but that didn’t matter much when he was so much slower than the dual-wielding swordswoman. He had to land a strike for his strength to come into play.

Deni ducked under a telegraphed blow before swiping her primary sword at her opponent, causing the crowd to gasp as the larger man’s head suddenly detached from his body. The swordsman’s head fell to the platform seconds before his body caught up. Deni froze when she realized what she’d done, gaping in horror as her opponent's body fell like a marionette with its strings cut. The body shimmered, and the still-rolling head disappeared. Her defeated opponent gasped as his head returned to its place, returning his avatar to life.

Deni reached out to the downed man and said something – likely apologizing based on her expression. I couldn’t hear what she said to him over the distance and the crowd's roar. Theirs wasn’t the only fight in the arena, but it was the only one I cared about. I had a screen displaying the fight up close, visible only to me through my interface.

My party leader’s efforts were rebuffed as the larger fighter stood and angrily started yelling at the nearby referee. He waved his hands and pointed aggressively at both the referee and Deni. I could only imagine he was claiming some unfairness or other.

I suppressed a sigh.

The referee looked unimpressed by the man’s aggression, and the newly revived swordsman disappeared in a flash of light. Deni followed a few moments later after being announced as the winner of the bout.

I sent her a message asking if she was okay, and she quickly replied that she was fine but didn’t elaborate. I did not want to distract her while she prepared for her next match, so I controlled my impulse to reach out again. She seemed mostly okay when she returned to the arena on another platform a few rounds later. However, her movements were not quite as fluid as before. It looked like she was hesitating before each strike, as if worried she might accidentally injure her opponent beyond what was intended.

Her distraction didn’t matter much against her Tier Two opponent. Being a full tier higher meant she was faster and stronger in general. Without some significant advantage to bridge the gap, her opponent had little chance of winning the match. The difference between tiers was why the Accords were so strict about killing those in lower tiers.

Before leaving Earth in the previous timeline, I remembered seeing a Tier Two Mage with a Strength score of eight outlift a melee fighter with a Strength of eighteen. It was close, but according to their attribute distribution, it shouldn’t have been. The melee fighter should have easily beaten the higher-tier Mage, given only the raw numbers.

That display really drove home how much tiers mattered in a fight. It was probably why challenging an LT2 rift as a PT1 gave such an experience bonus, even if the difference was only a single level. The power imbalance between tiers was that significant.

By the time she needed to fight again, Deni seemed to have recovered from her shock. Unfortunately, her opponent this time was not a weaker Tier Two fighter. Instead, Deni was up against a similarly leveled opponent with obvious training. Additionally, his weapon of choice was a longsword, adding to his reach advantage and putting her at a disadvantage, even with her speed.

Deni lost that round after she lost her right arm at the elbow. Though she was a dual-wielding sword fighter and could have presumably used her remaining arm to fight, losing an arm threw off her balance too much for her to adapt quickly enough to turn the fight around.

I was worried that losing the round would dishearten her, especially after experiencing such a shock in the earlier round. However, Deni reappeared for her next match, looking resolute and focused. Her injuries had been healed, and her clothing had been repaired or replaced in the interim. Since the mundane melee fights were supposed to judge the participants’ abilities, none of the competitors were wearing armor, nor were any talismans or other enchanted items allowed in the arena. Even their weapons were just basic loaner pieces provided by the tower.

It was one way to mitigate the ‘pay to win’ players who tended to overwhelm their opponents with massive amounts of magical equipment. Maybe I was hypocritical in that sentiment, but I made all the items I used, so it was different.

Not that anyone would know that just by looking at me.

I cheered with the rest of the party and much of the crowd as Deni defeated her subsequent opponents, only losing once more when she was matched against a truly monstrous opponent. Her performance was enough to take third place in the competition, which was all she needed to qualify for the World Junction Tournament.

None of us wanted to fight the crowds to locate her after the tournament, so we coordinated to meet at a nearby restaurant instead. Deni was beaming when she entered, now wearing casual clothing instead of the more durable fighting attire she’d been given for the tournament. Bell practically tackled the taller woman when she saw her by the door.

When she approached the table, we all took a few minutes to express our congratulations, drawing the attention and cheers of nearby patrons who’d likely been watching the tournament through the abundant screens displaying the events around the city. After settling back down, the waitress brought us an appetizer, courtesy of the restaurant, in honor of Deni’s performance. After thanking the woman, Deni turned her attention to the group.

“So, are you guys going to show me around the Junction tomorrow?” she asked mischievously, her face breaking into a wide grin as she tucked a pink highlight behind her ear.

A chorus of confused responses answered her. Deni explained that as a participant in the main tournament, she would get early access to the Junction. She’d clearly forgotten that Blaze would be the lone party member excluded – a fact that his overt sulking made abundantly clear. He excused himself a few minutes later and didn’t return, instantly killing the jovial mood.

Deni was concerned, but Bell quickly squashed any percolating thoughts of throwing the competition that might be brewing.

“Look, if it was me left behind, or Ger, we’d want you to push yourself to succeed without us. It’s not like we won’t still be there for you. The game isn’t going to change our friendship. Just do your best. Blaze will get over it. Besides—” Bell placed a hand on Deni’s arm “—if you do get hired as a beta tester because of your performance, he’s going to have to get over it. I’ll be pissed if you throw away the opportunity because Blaze is being a whiny bitch. He will never be happy unless he’s the best and most important person in the room. Even then, I doubt he’ll be happy. I’m not sure why you’re still friends with the guy anyway.”

“That’s not fair. Blaze is a good guy.” At Bell’s glare, Deni held up her hands. “He is! He’s just feeling left out right now. I get that. But you’re right. I won’t throw away the opportunity. Our friendship should be based on more than just catering to his needs and feelings of insecurity. I’m not going to hold myself back, especially when he didn’t even make an attempt.”

“Good,” Bell said with a satisfied nod. “Just stick to that sentiment, and don’t let his negativity change your mind.”

“He really isn’t that bad,” Mesmer muttered uncomfortably from his seat beside Bell. “He’s actually pretty nice when you’re one-on-one with him. I should probably go check on him…”

“No, let him have his tantrum. You shouldn’t have to leave because of Blaze,” Bell said as she grabbed one of the chips from the appetizer platter. “Besides, it’s not like you’ll give up being a beta tester to make him feel better if Deni gets hired. You signed a contract. He’s going to have to get over it. If he doesn’t want to be left behind, he can push himself until he earns a spot as a beta tester, too.”

= = =

The others spent the week leading to Thanksgiving showing Deni around the Junction. I could only join them outside of my beta hours since I had to attend classes at the high school and both academies during that time. I’d been lucky that Deni’s fight fell on Fifthday, and I’d had the day off at the academies. Otherwise, I’d likely have missed at least part of the earlier competition.

With the Junction’s big release that Friday, the demands on my time would only increase since my academy hours would no longer count toward testing. I’d warned the others that I’d likely have to break away from the party due to the changes, but they didn’t seem bothered. Bell resolutely informed me that our friendship was not predicated on playing together as a party – a statement that made me feel warm inside.

The others had made fun of her for using a big word, which amused me since she often spoke more intelligently when we hung out alone. I figured she must not show that side of herself to the rest of them, though I wasn’t sure why.

She probably had her reasons.

After showing Deni all the best sites we’d found in the city, Bell, Deni, and I discussed options for selling our items in the Junction to earn some in-game (and eventually, real-world) cash. We had several options, ranging from opening our own shop to selling our wares by consignment. We also discussed sticking to the auctions, but none of us were very keen on that idea.

There were a lot of options and a lot to discuss now that Deni had gotten the chance to see the expansion for herself. While the others weren’t as confident that the Junction would become a huge part of modern life, they saw the potential of having a central location to sell our creations to other players.

The Junction was convenient that way.

Chapter 43 – The Main Event

I’d gotten used to seeing smaller crowds and mostly empty streets in the Junction during the months I spent as a beta tester. Logging in to find the mega city crawling with excited players was a shock, though it was much more reminiscent of the World Junction I’d been exposed to in the previous timeline.

Players in various styles of clothing and armor swarmed the city, exploring the quant businesses, parks, and amusements alike. There were lines down the road of people waiting to check out the destination locations and specialty portals offering discounts during the tournament. It was a madhouse that reminded me of Disneyland at Spring Break – minus the small children.

Of the several million players checking out the new expansion, only a small percentage seemed interested in the tournament. Even so, space was at a premium in the newly expanded stadium, and beta testers were placed on a waitlist for seating to allow the new arrivals a chance to experience what the expansion had to offer.

I didn’t mind, aside from wishing we could be there to support Deni ‘in person.’

Instead of watching from the stands, the party settled on watching from a pub broadcasting the tournament on several screens. It was one of the smaller establishments that was located on the bottom floor of a future business complex. The pub was the only business currently occupied in the building, but it was already getting a steady flow of customers.

It reminded me of an Irish pub or maybe an English tavern. It was hard to tell the difference without the flags and national paraphernalia since some of the food overlapped. Regardless of the intended origins, the place served excellent food and was set up to allow patrons to watch events like the ongoing tournament. That made it pretty much perfect for our needs.

Thankfully, the academies and my school were closed for the extended weekend, so I didn’t have to worry about slipping away to attend classes in the middle of the event. That would have been annoying.

When the opening round was announced, our table had a match screen appear against the nearest wall so we could find and observe Deni’s challenge platform without interruption. The main screens displayed over the bar and around the edges of the dining room often flipped between platforms, cycling through the various groups of contenders as they fought. Since none of us wanted to miss any of Deni’s fights, paying a bit extra for an individual screen was worth it.

We could have just watched through our interfaces, but there was something less personal about watching on a private screen separate from the group of people you were with. Even if we were all watching the same thing, not watching it together felt wrong. It would have been too impersonal for the circumstances.

I had used my interface to intermittently get updates on the other categories during the first day and earlier that morning, but that was more out of random interest than something that was supposed to be done as part of a group. I hadn’t spent much time viewing the crafting events live since I planned to watch the recaps later – probably while lounging in my VPS, where I could take advantage of the added time dilation. Seeing only the highlights was much more interesting than watching people carve wood or cut up food for hours.

There was a reason cooking and crafting shows didn’t show the minutia. Minutia was boring.

That wasn’t the case with fights, especially not when one of my friends was competing.

Deni’s nervousness only manifested during the first exchange of her first fight. After barely avoiding a critical injury, she seemed to snap out of whatever negative headspace she was in, and her movements became much more fluid and focused. Immediately going on the offensive, her blades sliced through the air so quickly that my Perception had difficulty keeping up.

Her opponents were much better than the ones she’d fought in the Brakenburg tournament. It was unsurprising since they had all placed in the top three during their own qualifying tournaments. While a couple of less-talented participants might have slipped through, the vast majority represented some of the best fighters for each weapon type in the game.

The opening round was a quick round-robin that pushed the participants to fight and defeat their opponents as fast as possible. It was like speed dating with swords – minus the dating, and with fighting instead of conversation.

Those who were slower got no breaks besides what was required for healing, leaving them more tired and less ready for subsequent fights. Once someone lost three matches, they were moved to the losers’ bracket. Deni held strong and squeezed out a pass for the round, only losing two speed matches.

Thousands of participants had been whittled down to a few hundred outside of the losers’ bracket, so I was excited to see just how good the players had gotten at fighting with swords since the game was released. I was sure there were probably some HEMA fighters in the mix, but I wasn’t sure how much of an advantage they would actually have over people who had trained diligently with Atlas trainers in the preceding months.

It might have been significant, which would explain some of the better fighters I saw.

The table fell silent when Deni lost her first matchup after the speed round was finished. We were all aware of what she hoped to gain from the tournament. Even Blaze, who’d rejoined us to watch the matches, understood what the tournament meant to Deni. I was pretty sure he hoped she’d fail so he could look like a supportive friend without losing anything. Still, whatever his reasoning, it was good he was there – even if Deni couldn’t see him.

The loss meant she had less leeway for future matches, but didn’t immediately knock her out of the competition. After winning the next three rounds, she barely qualified for the semi-finals, bringing a round of celebration to our table.

Unfortunately, she lost the next round, putting her in twenty-fourth place. I wasn’t sure what rank she needed to reach for a chance at employment as a beta tester, nor did the others. We discussed the possibilities until the winners were announced and the competition was concluded.

Once again, we waited for Deni to arrive, though we weren’t sure if it would be a celebration or commiseration. Deni smiled as she walked up to the table, removing a weight I hadn’t realized had settled in my chest.

“Looks like I’ll be joining you guys as beta testers!” she exclaimed as soon as she got close enough not to have to yell. Exclamations of congratulations sounded out, with one noticeable exception.

“So, I guess that’s it then,” Blaze said stiffly as he pushed back his chair and stood up. “Don’t worry about me. I’m used to being left behind. I’ll make it easy on you and find someone else to party with. I’m sure there are other beta rejects like me out there.”

Before anyone could answer, Blaze stomped out of the pub. Deni stood beside the table awkwardly until Bell broke the silence.

“I say good riddance. He was annoying anyway,” Bell fumed, crossing her arms and raising her chin in defiance as she glared toward the door.

Deni’s excitement had clearly been smothered by Blaze’s outburst, and she now looked close to tears. “I didn’t mean to make him feel excluded. I talked to him about it earlier, and he seemed fine,” she lamented as she sat in the chair we’d saved for her, casting a sorrowful glance toward the empty chair Blaze had occupied just moments before.

“I’ll talk to him later,” Mesmer sighed. “It’s not your fault, Deni. You shouldn’t feel bad about doing well. You did great, by the way,” he said, brightening up. “I could hardly keep up with how fast you were moving. It was amazing!”

“It was,” I agreed.

“Yeah, you were amazing, babe,” Ger said, putting an arm around his girlfriend and giving her a supportive squeeze. “It was hard watching you get hurt, but seeing how easily you handled some of those guys was pretty hot.”

Ger wiggled his brows at Deni, trying to lighten the mood. Based on Deni’s expression, her boyfriend’s efforts fell short.

“It’s probably better it worked out this way,” Bell said continued, unbothered. “Blaze is annoying, and the constant complaints and his ‘woe-is-me’ attitude aren’t limited to the game. Everything has to be about him. It gets old.”

I understood the sentiment, but hearing the normally happy, perky young woman speak so bluntly about someone I thought she saw as a friend surprised me. Then again, I couldn’t recall any clear incidents where Bell had gone out of her way to interact with Blaze. Maybe I just hadn’t noticed her dislike for the guy since she’d kept it pretty low-key.

Though my teenage mind wanted to absorb some of the blame for the troubles within the party, I squashed the impulse. Aside from Blaze, the others were in a much better position to prepare for the upcoming apocalypse. Even Blaze was arguably better off than he had been in the first timeline since he had knowledge and access to information he likely hadn’t had before.

Not only them, but my parents and Justin were also likely to be much safer this time, especially since I fully intended to keep us all together on the day the interfaces became active. Mom and Dad had both started playing much sooner this time, hopefully giving them more experience to draw from once things became real.

I was also actively trying to fill in the gaps in publicly available information I’d noticed when struggling to adapt after magic became real the first time. I didn’t lock my site behind paywalls. However, I had added a donation option on the advice of one of my regular contributors. Things had certainly gone off track from the former timeline, but most of the changes seemed positive.

Aside from getting as powerful and capable as possible, there wasn’t much else I could do directly. There was no stopping the reintegration; doing so would kill far more people anyway. There were still more than three years left to prepare and share information. Hopefully, this time would go better.

“Well, now that World Junction has been released, does anyone know what we’re supposed to test next?”

End Book 1