A/N: Well, here goes nothing. Let's hope it can live up to the last one!
Chapter 1 – Game On
"Oh, that is not cool…"
Raynor, shorn of his heavy armor (carefully locked up in secure storage along with any other Hero knick-knacks) mashed the "R" key as hard as he could. Not that multiple pushes made Hyperion's strafing runs any better, but there was a certain feeling that came with setting off these abilities.
"Are you guys gonna help, or what?" he yelled.
"Yeah yeah, chill out!" replied Li Li.
Regardless of whether they'd saved the world, upended the world, or something else, the Heroes (some called them "Blizzards") were taking a well-deserved break. By playing the video game that indirectly birthed them in their current forms. Set up in a room isolated from their opponents, Raynor, Li Li, Johanna, Jaina, and Sonya matched up against Nova, Kerrigan, Malfurion, Diablo, and Brightwing.
"This map's weird" Raynor said at the beginning of the match. Now, not only were the Heroes fighting amongst themselves, but the arena announcers (Grave Keeper/Raven Lord) were having a spat too. Of course, nobody ever "won" permanently, but that was the way video games were.
Raynor found himself outnumbered, hence calling down the Hyperion—it had been him, Johanna, and Jaina doing very well fighting Malfurion and Diablo. Then Brightwing popped to Diablo's side, polymorphed Jaina right as her abilities came off cooldown, Malfurion rooted the crab representing Jaina, and Diablo followed through with an overpower that threw Raynor far enough away that he found himself being focused.
"Aw, crap…"
"Might I suggest dodging?"
Off to the Hall of Storms for thirty-or-so seconds.
Jaina's icon appeared on the respawn bar as well. Johanna barely escaped, but wasn't foolish enough to re-engage at 10% HP against three mostly-healthy enemies. She even had to use Blessed Shield to get them off her tail.
"You are no longer welcome here, Raven Lord!"
The game see-sawed back and forth for another five minutes before Raynor's team finally emerged victorious—though not without their own core taking damage (six hitpoints left).
Valla skulked around outside—she was allowed to watch but after the last match in which she'd quite literally broken her keyboard in a fit of rage, it had been "suggested" she not be permitted to play anymore. Not that she was any less angry watching matches, especially when someone picked her character. Regardless of whether that player made good or bad calls, she rained a torrent of verbal abuse in the direction of a large viewscreen on which matches were shown.
"Even drunk Tychus isn't this bad" breathed Raynor out of the Demon Hunter's earshot.
"They're trying to figure out a way to help her" replied Nova, "but the Faustus combined with stuff from her universe in a really nasty way."
Johanna walked the two tech-oriented Heroes through what, exactly, Demon Hunters were.
"Unfortunately, that makes it very likely she may be unbalanced for good" the Crusader concluded sadly. "Once one like that loses discipline, it is extraordinarily difficult to reign in the hatred."