Chapter. 14

Vincent stood in a destroyed city as his first battle began. The avatar before him was a blue one with a great sword.

The avatar charged Vincent as he stood still. They swung the great sword high to decapitate their foe. Vincent ducked under the sword and drew his own, cutting the avatar in half. Vincent stood over the avatar and shot it in the head with his blaster to end the fight.

The sky darkened with clouds and rain drizzled over the area and another blue avatar armed with a battle axe arrived. "Odd. A menu would normally come up and ask if I wanted to keep fighting. What's changed now?" Vincent carefully watched the avatar as they rushed him as well. They raised they battle axe then brought it down, Vincent spun out of the way and cut off their head. "Is this the best the sapphire legion has to offer?"

Vincent waited for a menu to appear but the world shifted again to the bottom to a canyon, standing in front of Vincent was a blue avatar twice his size. Vincent glanced at the avatar's name and flinched. "Sapphire Brawler?!"

"There you are! She was right!" The avatar rushed at Vincent.

Vincent ducked under the enemies fist and swung his blade against sapphire's leg only for it to slide along the armor, barely cutting it. Sapphire grabbed Vincent and hurled him across the landscape. Once Vincent stopped his pushed himself up and was punched in the side of the head, sending him sliding along the dirt.

"That your best?" Sapphire Brawler walked towards the downed Vincent.

The tyrant held up his blaster and shot Sapphire in the chest to slow him down. Vincent kept shooting him in the chest as he climbed back to his feet, once up Vincent and Sapphire dashed towards each other. Sapphire hold out his hands to grab the tyrant while Vincent slid under the giant's legs the get behind them. "Charge Shot!" held out his blaster and fired a large beam into Sapphire's back. Taking a fourth of their health.

Sapphire turns around and grabs Vincent by the arm and crushes the blaster. He swings Vincent around and slams him into the ground repeatedly until Vincent's arm is ripped off.

Vincent cried out in pain as blood flowed out of his wound. Sapphire grabbed a hold of Vincent and held him up. "So you're the one who beat Amber... Disappointing."

"I'm not here to amuse you, you brute." Vincent thrusted his sword into Sapphire's arm for it to slid off. He tried to slice into Sapphire's head but his sword bounced off. "Thought greens had the best defense."

"Sapphires are the third hardest mineral after all." Brawler hold Vincent's head and crushed it.

Vincent returned to the opal palace with a results screen in front of him showing he successfully defended a door opened and Catherine walked in. "Hey Vinny!" She jumped at Vincent and hugged him from behind. "I watched your fights with the first two were flawless!" Vincent didn't answer and just opened a menu. "Are you upset that you beat by Sapphire Brawler? It was against the legion leader so take it as a learning experience love."

Vincent still didn't answer. "Vinny. You know I hate to be ignored." Catherine walked around to stand in front of Vincent the stopped to see he was looking up sapphires. "Nose to the grindstone, huh? Just can't take a loss, can you? That's what I've come to love about you Vinny."

"I'm busy, not get lost."

"Or what?"

Vincent opened another menu and Catherine faded away, kicked from the private room that he made. "Third hardest mineral. She was right?" Vincent went back to researching sapphires and opened a tap to summon an image of Sapphire Brawler. "I'll find your weakness."

...

Vincent stepped out of the private room and into the palace lobby. Catherine tapper her foot with crossed arms as she stared at Vincent. "You finished?"

"You waited?"

"Why wouldn't I, after all I want to know what you were doing and how your fight with the legion leader went."

"You saw how it went." Vincent logged out. Returning to the real world Vincent screamed in agony from the phantom pain emanating from his head and arm. Pounded his fist on the desk.

Everyone in the library turned to the noise, some getting up to see what it was. People asked if Vincent was okay and told him to keep quiet. Vincent Stood up and fought against the pain as he walked out. When he reached the door Catherine grabbed it to open it for him. "Here you go."

Vincent didn't speak and walked out. "A thank you would be nice."

"Shut up..."

"Oh right. Head crushed and all. The headache must be something else."

Vincent took a seat on a bench as he waited for the pain to fade. Catherine sat right beside him. "Maybe you need a partner. Someone who can take care of you at times like this." Catherine reached for Vincent's hand and he pulled it away. "Well if you're going to be like that then maybe it's time you create your own."

Vincent turned to Catherine. "What?"

"Just like how I brought you into Brain Burst you too can give the game to someone."

"And how do I do that?"

"Well..." Catherine stretches as she leans back. "To give Brain Burst to someone they need to meet two conditions. They need to have had a neurolinker from birth and they need a high mental speed. Like being really smart, or in your case good at a sport." Vincent rolled his eyes. "What? No come back?"

"I work alone." Vincent stood up as the pain began to subside.

"OH! One more thing!" Catherine shot up and grabbed on to Vincent's arm, causing him to wince. "Sorry!" Catherine let go and stepped back. "One more thing. You can only give the game to one person and one only. So if the game doesn't take then you lost that ability to bring someone in."

"That's a little extreme, isn't it?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's to keep the game a secret. We do have a power on a level above mortals." Catherine grins to Vincent full of mischief in her eyes. "So choice carefully now Vinny. Be sure they can keep a secret as well as meet the other conditions."

Vincent turned to walk away when Catherine jumped in front of him. "One More thing! Last thing, I promise." Vincent folded his arms. "When someone gives the game to another person they also create a close bond to them." Catherine stepped closer to Vincent, gentle brushing her hand along his arm. "It's very common for some to become lovers."

"Why do you keep doing this? I have no interest in you. I find a sand paper more attractive and interesting then you."

"I know you like it rough." Catherine winked. Vincent pushed Catherine aside walked away. "I still have to reward you for your hard work! Call me when you're ready to collect Vinny!"

Vincent walked through the parking lot with his thoughts weighting on his mind. "Can only give the game to one person... Rebecca. I brought her into this mess. I have to protect her, now more then ever." Vincent climbed onto his bike and and started the engine. "A close bond..." Vincent put on his helmet and drove off.

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