Chapter 6: The WWESB
"So." Burgess asked, "What're the chances we're gonna kick the old bucket?"
They stood side by side looking over towards the center of the field, where a large group of WWESBers, The Council, stood chattering profusely. Each was cloaked and hooded in black, except for one.
"Pretty good," Shivan said, spitting.
"And what happens when we die, again?"
"Simple. We're unable to log in for an hour while they system restores our data. If you die too much, they ban you."
"What if you kill too much?"
"They give you money."
"That's ****ed."
"You said it."
Shivan raised his hand and waved it, calling: "Hey there! n00bs! I got some dictionaries here!"
The Council stopped talking and looked towards where they stood. Then they looked at one another, and parted, created a long column between two rows of users. At the end of that column, directly before Shiv and Burgess, stood a man in a blue cloak. His hood was drawn back, and his unkempt blue hair streamed down to his shoulders. His face looked cruel but stupid. His eyes were blue as well. They squinted at the YSBers.
"Who goes there?" he asked Shiv. "And what the Hell d'you want?"
"You don't sound like a WWESBer," Burgess commented. Shivan silenced him. "We're from the YSB. That's our link you're standing on."
"Really?" said the man, walking up to both Burgess and Shivan. "And what would you want from us?"
"We want a treaty."
"Why?"
"Look," Shivan growled, "I did not come here to spar words with a moron -"
"You mean moron," Burgess corrected.
"Right. As I was saying. Who's j00r daddy?"
"My. Daddy?" the man inquired.
"He means, 'Who runs this hell hole?'" Burgess translated.
"Thank you," Shivan said.
"Why, I do," the man said. "And it is no hell hole. I am Wave."
"Funny," Burgess said. "I never heard of you."
"That's because Ogor doesn't want to get PWNED for flaming," Wave said. "And he was low on LSD."
".Right," Shivan said. "So, how's about we put our pasts behind us and be friends? I'll give you a dictionary."
"You fool!" Wave shouted. "No one makes treaties with me! Treaties are for squares! In my world, we kill."
"So you're from Florida?" Burgess asked.
".No," Wave denied. He didn't get it. He was from Saskatchewan.
"Well, what use is killing when we can mark you for board invasion?" Shivan taunted.
"I'd like to see you try," Wave challenged. He reached into his cloak. There was a scrape of steal, and the sound of a sword drawing. Out it came, gleaming in the artificial sun: a blue blade with a black hilt and white pommel.
"That's hideous," Burgess said.
"Let's put your ass where your mouth is," Wave threatened. At that moment there was another ring of steel, and a scream before a crash on the earth: behind them a man had thrown back his cloak, revealing a fair face and crown. In his right hand was raised a blade, in his left his scepter. At his side was a crumpled black figure.
Wave, Burgess, and Shivan turned, and Shivan wondered aloud: "Templarle?"
"Flee!" he yelled. "I will hold them. Back to the YSB!"
"No!" Wave shrieked. He turned and lunged at Shivan, who jumped to the side. Templarle was already at work with the Council, slaying them as they swarmed around him. Burgess watched.
"Um." he said. "Good job?"
There was another ring as Shivan drew his own blade: sharp as a razor, and as hard as a diamond, the metal shone with red as the sun hit it.
"Burgess," he called. "Go. NOW!"
".Nah," Burgess said. "I gotta see this."
"Fine," Shivan said. "Have it your way." He lunged at Wave, who stood before him. The WWESB's Captain dodged the strike and smote Shivan across the side, throwing him to the ground.
"Who's j00r daddy now, f00?" Wave mocked, towering over Shivan's body, his sword pointed at his chest, ready for the kill.
"I AM!" was the response. It did not come from Shivan, but elsewhere; and it was loud, like the voice of a God.
There was a whirling strike from a spear. Wave ducked. It narrowly missed his neck, grazing the top of his tasseled hair. He turned to meet his attacker.
"What.?"
There was Crazyace, his spear pointed directly at Wave's forehead.
"Leave," Ace commanded. "Or your brains'll be all over this thing."
Wave looked on in dismay. Shivan rose from the earth at his feet, and stuck the point of his sword into Wave's back. The Council ceased their struggle against Templarle, and he tossed them aside solemnly.
Wave's eyes shrank in his head. He tried to turn his head, but was warned with a sharp prod from Shivan. Suddenly, Burgess came up, brandishing a gray folding chair. He pushed Wave over and slammed it over his head. The Council fled in terror of his wrath.
"Thank you, Ace," Shivan said. Templarle ran up to join them.
"What do we do now?" he asked. "They will return with reinforcements. We could get marked for board invasion if we continue to stay here."
"**** them," Burgess said. "We better get our asses out of here."
"Good idea," Shivan said. "Templarle, we need a favor."
"Yes?" he asked.
"We need you to stay here. See if you can find a Mod to delete this field."
"OK."
"I'll stay with him too," Crazy said. "Afterall, everyone can use a God now and then."
Burgess and Shivan exchanged looks as they faded into the YSB.
"So." Burgess asked, "What're the chances we're gonna kick the old bucket?"
They stood side by side looking over towards the center of the field, where a large group of WWESBers, The Council, stood chattering profusely. Each was cloaked and hooded in black, except for one.
"Pretty good," Shivan said, spitting.
"And what happens when we die, again?"
"Simple. We're unable to log in for an hour while they system restores our data. If you die too much, they ban you."
"What if you kill too much?"
"They give you money."
"That's ****ed."
"You said it."
Shivan raised his hand and waved it, calling: "Hey there! n00bs! I got some dictionaries here!"
The Council stopped talking and looked towards where they stood. Then they looked at one another, and parted, created a long column between two rows of users. At the end of that column, directly before Shiv and Burgess, stood a man in a blue cloak. His hood was drawn back, and his unkempt blue hair streamed down to his shoulders. His face looked cruel but stupid. His eyes were blue as well. They squinted at the YSBers.
"Who goes there?" he asked Shiv. "And what the Hell d'you want?"
"You don't sound like a WWESBer," Burgess commented. Shivan silenced him. "We're from the YSB. That's our link you're standing on."
"Really?" said the man, walking up to both Burgess and Shivan. "And what would you want from us?"
"We want a treaty."
"Why?"
"Look," Shivan growled, "I did not come here to spar words with a moron -"
"You mean moron," Burgess corrected.
"Right. As I was saying. Who's j00r daddy?"
"My. Daddy?" the man inquired.
"He means, 'Who runs this hell hole?'" Burgess translated.
"Thank you," Shivan said.
"Why, I do," the man said. "And it is no hell hole. I am Wave."
"Funny," Burgess said. "I never heard of you."
"That's because Ogor doesn't want to get PWNED for flaming," Wave said. "And he was low on LSD."
".Right," Shivan said. "So, how's about we put our pasts behind us and be friends? I'll give you a dictionary."
"You fool!" Wave shouted. "No one makes treaties with me! Treaties are for squares! In my world, we kill."
"So you're from Florida?" Burgess asked.
".No," Wave denied. He didn't get it. He was from Saskatchewan.
"Well, what use is killing when we can mark you for board invasion?" Shivan taunted.
"I'd like to see you try," Wave challenged. He reached into his cloak. There was a scrape of steal, and the sound of a sword drawing. Out it came, gleaming in the artificial sun: a blue blade with a black hilt and white pommel.
"That's hideous," Burgess said.
"Let's put your ass where your mouth is," Wave threatened. At that moment there was another ring of steel, and a scream before a crash on the earth: behind them a man had thrown back his cloak, revealing a fair face and crown. In his right hand was raised a blade, in his left his scepter. At his side was a crumpled black figure.
Wave, Burgess, and Shivan turned, and Shivan wondered aloud: "Templarle?"
"Flee!" he yelled. "I will hold them. Back to the YSB!"
"No!" Wave shrieked. He turned and lunged at Shivan, who jumped to the side. Templarle was already at work with the Council, slaying them as they swarmed around him. Burgess watched.
"Um." he said. "Good job?"
There was another ring as Shivan drew his own blade: sharp as a razor, and as hard as a diamond, the metal shone with red as the sun hit it.
"Burgess," he called. "Go. NOW!"
".Nah," Burgess said. "I gotta see this."
"Fine," Shivan said. "Have it your way." He lunged at Wave, who stood before him. The WWESB's Captain dodged the strike and smote Shivan across the side, throwing him to the ground.
"Who's j00r daddy now, f00?" Wave mocked, towering over Shivan's body, his sword pointed at his chest, ready for the kill.
"I AM!" was the response. It did not come from Shivan, but elsewhere; and it was loud, like the voice of a God.
There was a whirling strike from a spear. Wave ducked. It narrowly missed his neck, grazing the top of his tasseled hair. He turned to meet his attacker.
"What.?"
There was Crazyace, his spear pointed directly at Wave's forehead.
"Leave," Ace commanded. "Or your brains'll be all over this thing."
Wave looked on in dismay. Shivan rose from the earth at his feet, and stuck the point of his sword into Wave's back. The Council ceased their struggle against Templarle, and he tossed them aside solemnly.
Wave's eyes shrank in his head. He tried to turn his head, but was warned with a sharp prod from Shivan. Suddenly, Burgess came up, brandishing a gray folding chair. He pushed Wave over and slammed it over his head. The Council fled in terror of his wrath.
"Thank you, Ace," Shivan said. Templarle ran up to join them.
"What do we do now?" he asked. "They will return with reinforcements. We could get marked for board invasion if we continue to stay here."
"**** them," Burgess said. "We better get our asses out of here."
"Good idea," Shivan said. "Templarle, we need a favor."
"Yes?" he asked.
"We need you to stay here. See if you can find a Mod to delete this field."
"OK."
"I'll stay with him too," Crazy said. "Afterall, everyone can use a God now and then."
Burgess and Shivan exchanged looks as they faded into the YSB.