Ren had just entered the Main Library when a notice bleeped in front of her.
«MMS 100 scheduled at 14:30!»
Below it was a map tracing the shortest route from her current location to her next class. Really handy, she thought, but not now. She flicked a finger to dismiss the message.
She rode the elevator to the 4th floor, where the University's Cyber Hub was located. Passing the glass doors, Ren picked her way through hundreds of access pods, many of them occupied by senior-looking students. She was heading for the farthest corner where she knew Cube would be.
The Hub's Fully-Immersive VR System was one of the most advanced in the country. Students often used it to simulate academic environments, such as sophisticated laboratories and even historical events. These simulations can then be shared between the occupants of different pods, allowing for collaborative learning. Hence, the pods were arranged in clusters of seven around dedicated routers, ensuring adequate bandwidth even when inter-pod traffic is high.
Since the start of the school year, the Cyber Hub has been Cube's favorite haunt within the campus. That is, when he was not wandering aimlessly around the Lagoon and the Sunken Garden. When he learned to tunnel past the Hub's network security, however, everything else was thrown to the back burner. Even his classes.
Today, Ren intended to change that. She soon arrived at a pod cluster that was empty except for one student. He was wearing a black jacket and gray cargo pants, in stark contrast with the pod's metallic white paint. The machine hugged his legs and feet, and his body reclined against a thick maroon backrest. A tinted glass awning covered his face, and his head was cradled by the FIVRS interface.
As Ren approached, she noticed something was wrong. Cube's finger twitched, and slight spasms coursed through an arm. Upon approaching, she noticed that he was drenched in sweat despite the adequate air conditioning. His skin, normally brown, was an alarming reddish shade. What the heck?! Peering against the canopy, she saw Cube's face crumpled into a frown.
Ren's hand shot into mid-air, stopping halfway to the SOS applet in the upper-left of her CoreTech HUD. What should I do?
***
Jerry's arms flailed as the earth literally disappeared from under him. Behind, the full face of the sun shone in all its majesty, almost blotting out the pinpoint lights that were the stars. He could almost see Venus and the other planets. Below him, the great blue-and-green globe beckoned, slowly taking him into its atmospheric embrace. In another scenario, he would have appreciated the beauty of the scene. Now, however, surprise overtook him as he realized where he is.
The flaming avatar let go of Jerry's wrist and threw a punch that landed squarely on his jaw. He tried to return the favor, but without any ground to support him his attack might as well be a tap against armor. Taking advantage, his opponent rushed at him recklessly, thrusters blazing from his back. The «PUMPKIN JACK»'s hell-fire armor started to go out in the meanwhile, the lack of oxygen suffocating the flames.
Despite the existence of magic, «ALT» does its best to imitate the physical laws of nature. Only, the fire engulfing Cube now was not even supposed to be part of the game. It was an "artificial" construct, whose programming did not respect the vacuum of space. Cube could still feel the unholy pain torturing his being as he threw punch after punch.
Then, the Dealer let go of all restraint and screamed wildly. He grabbed the Viceroy by the neck and blasted away, dragging him past the edge of the Earth's atmosphere. Jerry, now within the merciless hands of gravity, was completely helpless.
As the two avatars gained momentum, air compression started to do its job. A glowing layer of gases formed beneath them, scratching away at their HP. Cube intently watched the two bars race. It shouldn't take too long. Unlike Cube's ceramic armor, the enemy was completely unprotected from the fall. From here in the edge of space, only a few avatars ever made it down without dying in the process. Jerry won't be one of them.
He glimpsed the pumpkin avatar again, several meters away. Its green cloak was in tatters, and its metal armor smoldered against the heavens. His HP was so low that it would be gone long before he reached the ground.
In a fit of rage, Cube activated his thrusters once more and reached out. His own HP was also nearly depleted. What are the chances his would run out before his opponent's? Always best to be sure, he thought as he launched a flaming fist against the Viceroy's chest. Jerry may have been screaming, cursing him, but he could not hear it. He can only hear the furious winds rushing past.
«20%»
«10%»
«5%»
Suddenly, the defeated avatar disintegrated into a dazzling display of lights, coupled with the piercing sound of breaking glass. The glowing particles danced and floated as Cube soared past them. A second later, a notification window burst into his vision.
He had won. The «PUMPKIN JACK» is no more.
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