6
The weekly Territory battles took place every Sunday at 4:00pm. These special battles involved "invaders" attacking from different Legions and "Defenders" protecting their borders.
The attacking side would register their fighters in advance, using the Brain Burst app and then go to the area they were attacking – in the real world – and go on sand-by, waiting for the battles to begin. Once 4:00pm came around, the attack leader would access the Duel List for the area; but instead of individual names on the list, there would only be the name of the Legion they were invading. Selecting them would initiate the territory battle.
Likewise, the defending team also had to register head of time and went on stand-by while waiting for the incoming attack. But there was a slight advantage to playing defender in these fights; you didn't have to be directly in the area to defend it. Basically, if you were close by and a team attacked your border, the Brain Burst game would send your avatar to where ever it needed to be. Plus, all territory matches pitted opponents on an east/west or north/south axis, so you always knew where you an enemy was coming from.
Now normally, the rules dictated that attackers and defenders had the same number of people, thus keeping the fights more or less fair. But that changed with less than three defenders. No matter how many people the defense assigned, the lowest number of attackers was always three.
That meant territories with multitudes of people – like the other four Great Legions – could assign any number of folks to both attack and defend, but smaller Legions like the Conclave – large in size but with only six members – couldn't afford to invade bordering Legions, since all of their fighters had to defend.
Luckily, their Governor was one of them.
It was incredibly rare for a level 9 avatar to be seen anywhere, much less at the weekly territory battles, but it was the only thing that had allowed the Crystal Conclave to keep any of their sectors as long as they had. Manhattan was bordered by two of the larger Legions, though several tiny Legions clotted the inside, which relied on the Conclave to keep them safe, so they didn't bother attacking.
Under normal circumstances, the border on the Brooklyn Bridge was defended by the lone Governor, her level 9 abilities and skills usually more than a match for the three invaders, but with the addition of their two new charges, that had changed.
And Copper Tarnish was curious if joining had been a good idea.
The battles themselves were treated just like normal, 1800 second duels, except if the attackers made it past the defenders, they could "capture the flag," so to speak. They would continue to initiate fights over the course of a half an hour (real world time) and at the end, if the invaders won at least fifty-percent of the fights, they would win the sector, expanding their territory.
Rick and Sam had met around 3:55 on that Sunday afternoon and sat together on a bench overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge, setting themselves up as the defenders of the Crystal Conclave in the Brain Burst system. Sure enough, almost as soon as the clock ticked 4:00, the world around them vanished and was replaced by a decaying, dark world, with crumbling buildings, overcast skies, and gravestones poking out of the ground. The Brooklyn Bridge looked about to fall apart.
They had managed to meet their attackers halfway across the bridge and subdue them quickly.
Now, Rick stood with Crystal Seraph about thirteen minutes later, the Pound Sector clearly holding a strategy session before their next assault. The bridge this time had transformed into massive dragon bones, stretching across the East River. The two quickly raced across the bridge, eager to stop their opponents again, but none showed up.
Normally, he had no problem spending time with his Governor, but today something seemed off about Crystal Seraph. Oh, she was still stunning to look at, and still much more deadly than he was, but she seemed a little... subdued? Always, she stood regal, demanding respect from all who saw her.
Today, she seemed nervous about something. He hadn't asked about during their first fight, but now that they had the time...
"Can I ask a question?" he asked, punching at the small bones that jutted out of the huge spinal column, attempting to fill his special attack bar. Each punch also depleted his health, so his Mega Arrow attack was charging too.
"By all means," she replied gracefully.
"I'm asking Sam, not Crystal Seraph," he said quietly.
She lowered her head a little. "Oh. Okay."
"Do you... uh... think we're... uh spending enough time together?"
"Well, do you think we spend too much time together?" she asked.
Rick realized she was just as nervous as he was, which was probably why she shot his question back at him. Now he needed to reassure her, so he quickly shook his head. "No way! That's not it at all! If anything, we hardly spend enough time together. I mean, we don't share any classes and we're supposedly dating, but we only really spend any time with each other in the Accelerated World.
"But I'm not complaining," he added quickly. "I get that you're busy, what with tennis and Legion stuff, plus school and homework, and it's not like you even have to give me the time of day, but I think if we put in a little effort, we could be together more." He took a deep breath, since that whole plea was done all at once.
He hoped that she at least wouldn't be angry.
"To be completely honest," she said after a beat, "I've been thinking the same thing. Not the 'not giving you the time of day' nonsense, but that we should see each other more often."
She sounded, not like the dangerous, imperious Crystal Seraph, but the teenaged Sam Watt, young and a little nervous." just didn't know how to say it. I want to spend more time together, because you're fun to be around I like that you make me feel wanted and...and I like holding your hand and when you kiss my cheek and stuff." She sounded like she might be blushing. "Plus, you never try to goad or guilt me into doing any... other stuff."
It took a few seconds for Rick to understand exactly what Sam was saying, but when it clicked, he staggered backwards nearly falling down!
"Wha-!? I'd never do anything like that! I mean, we haven't even kissed for real yet; like on the lips!"
"I know," she said demurely. "And that's why I like to be with you. You never try to make me do anything I don't want to do. I'm sure you've had a few... stray thoughts here and there – you are a boy, after all – but you never act on those impulses; a girl notices those things."
"Well..." he stammered. He'd actually had plenty of "stray thoughts" as she had put it. He was a thirteen-year-old boy, as she had also pointed out, and she had chosen him to be her first real boyfriend. He knew she was out of his league, so he certainly wasn't going to blow it being a touchy-feely creep!
But the temptation was absolutely there! Resisting it was tougher than he wanted to admit.
"I, uh," he said, "I said from the beginning that since this is the first time either of us have been in a real relationship, then we shouldn't do anything stupid without talking it over first. I'm not going to risk hurting your feelings just because my hormones tell me to."
She approached him with her hand outstretched. "Never mind that I'm your Governor and could completely erase you from the Accelerated World."
"But your attitude is very mature," she continued, "and so many other boys, even older boys would do the exact opposite."
He took her hand and chuckled. "Oh, I know exactly what you mean. Trust me, I've had to beat down by baser instincts with a bat some days."
She let out a chuckle of her own.
Rick grinned and looked into Crystal Seraph's face, pure as glass. "Man, I'd really like to give you a kiss right now, but we don't have mouths!" Or to be more accurate, their avatars had mouths, but they were covered by their face's armor.
He'd meant it as a joke, but Sam looked away as if embarrassed.
"Well," she said quietly, "it is possible to gain a mouth here in the Accelerated World."
He blinked. "I don't follow." He had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.
She let go of his hand and hovered back a few feet. "Well, let's see. How do I explain?" She muttered to herself. She shook her head. "Okay! So, you know how you can spend days, weeks, or even months in the Unlimited Neutral Field, right?"
Rick nodded.
"So, even though in reality, not very long goes by, in the Accelerated World, as far as your brain is concerned, all those days or weeks are actually passing in real time. And just like in the real world, after a few hours, your brain tells your body its hungry because it thinks it should be. Follow so far?
"Kinda, yeah."
"In the UNF, there are stores that sell everything, from enhanced armaments to upgrades to your armor and everything in between. And there are some that sell food, though obviously, it's not real. So, in order to eat it, your armor will form a mouth, with teeth and everything. And your brain thinks you've eaten and stops sending those pesky hunger signals!"
"And the same thing happens when two avatars kiss?" Rick asked, more interested in the answer than the face that there was virtual food out there!
"Well, I don't know," Sam laughed. "It's not like I've tried it before!"
She had a good point.
Rick gulped. "So, uh, do you want to... test it out maybe?" He hoped he didn't sound too desperate. As they had let go of each other's hands, they had been slowly inching closer to each other. Now they stood less than a foot apart.
There was silence for a moment before Crystal Seraph took half a step back, "I, um, hardly think that, uh, our first kiss should be with our avatars." She looked away and wrung her hands together nervously.
Rick was sure that if it was possible, Crystal Seraph would be blushing right now, which made him wish he could see it.
"No, that's fine," he quickly said. "Our first kiss should be special, right? I mean, you only get one. So, it should at least be memorable." He was rambling; he knew it.
"I'm not against the idea," Sam quickly said back. "I agree, our first kiss should be special and memorable. I, uh, I wouldn't mind trying it one day. Just... not yet, right?" Now she was rambling.
"No! Not today!" Rick agreed whole-heartedly. "Another time, absolutely!"
Both of them let out deep breaths they hadn't realized they'd been holding.
"Boy, oh boy, is this a scoop!" a nasal voice called out from the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Lisa Pak -a.k.a. Indigo Viper- enjoyed the weekly territory battles. A lot. At first, it had been an annoyance since she and her lifelong best friend Rick had always been outnumbered three to two. But then Rick had found the cutie Mauve Dictionary and his big book of nearly limitless potential and the three versus three matches they'd had with the Slip Circuit had become pretty fun, all things considered.
It wasn't as though there weren't challenges fighting against an "enemy" Legion, but since Pewter Slip didn't actually want any of the territory in Manhattan, Lisa got the feeling that the weekly territories were being used as training for the lower levels of the Slip Circuit; especially since she hadn't come across anyone higher than level 4, even though she'd reached level 5.
And this week, with the addition of two highly saturated blue types, their melee power would REALLY go off the charts, a fact the Slip Circuit had found out when they only attacked with three people in their first go-around!
That first battle had been a standard capture-the-flag type fight, with four members of the Crystal Conclave easily taking out the three opponents that had attacked. The second of the "best two of three" matches had been a more equal four-on-four that was held in a Primeval Forest stage.
One of the hazards of that particular stage type was that there were large creatures that roamed around, sometimes fairly close to where the fight was taking place. And if you drew the ire of one of these dinosaur-like monsters, it would pursue you for no little amount of time! Until either you were dead or you lost aggro.
Unfortunately, as sometimes happens, things didn't work out so well and one of the new girls -Sarah, or Periwinkle Pigtail- accidentally hit what she thought was a tree trunk with one of her whip-like pigtails. Sadly, for her, it was actually a Brachiosaurus leg, which proceeded to stomp directly on her, instantly crushing her avatar and killing her. It then started trampling all over the place, causing enough of a distraction to allow the opposing team to gain control of their base and winning that bout.
So now, it came down to this pivotal third battle to defend their turf. Of course, Lisa wasn't worried. After all, the Slip Circuit was all about having fun and enjoying the game of Brain Burst to its fullest, and the territories exemplified that! Here you could fight battle after battle and not a single Burst Point was lost or gained! It was great for people like Lisa who loved the art of the duel over just about everything else the game offered.
And, as it turned out, their team had a good synergy together, despite the fact that this was the first time they'd fought as a unit. And the new girls really seemed to like Leander, which was good. His brusque and straight forward personality could alienate people quickly, but it seemed that both Sarah and Jayne took to him easily, and the three of them had a nice -though brief- discussion between the first and second fights.
As soon as the harsh KREEEE of the third battle started, Lisa thought over the notes she'd given after battle number two. It wasn't much and since it was unlikely any other Legions would attack that afternoon, though it was possible, she didn't go into too much detail.
Until she saw that the third and final fight between them and the invading Slip Circuit wasn't capture the flag, but capture the base! It was a roughly one-in-ten chance, but every once in a while, instead of the normal territory stage, this slightly more advanced version would pop up.
But Lisa grinned. This was PERFECT!
"Mauve," she said quietly. "The usual." He nodded in response, then took off straight forward, towards the massive center base in the center of the stage. She turned to the girls and said, "Let's go." The girls, never having been in the territories (who would dare attack the Lupus Guard?), followed without question.
The "Capture the Base" stage was simple enough, which Lisa explained to the twins as they moved. Surrounding the big central base, which was locked, were ten smaller bases, that surrounded it in a circle, all of which were open. Inside each of them was a small circle of light called a Foothold. Stepping into a Foothold for thirty seconds claimed the base, but more importantly, it charged the person's special attack gauge!
Tempting as that was though, it was a risky strategy because the first to claim five bases would unlock the central base for their side, inside of which was an even bigger Foothold called a Stronghold. It was large enough for three avatars to stand in it to charge their special attack gauges. Needless to say, the team that gained the Stronghold first had an enormous advantage and almost always won.
That was why having Leander -Mauve Dictionary- waiting outside of the large center base was an optimal strategy. With how strong his Word of Power could be, they used up large chunks of his special attack gauge. but stick him in a Stronghold and he'd be able to dominate the duel field with his awesome Words, as long as he had a protector.
Lisa explained all this as she ran from base to base, staying just longer enough to claim the base. The twins couldn't help but agree with her, having seen the little purple avatar in battle, slinging around his Words and controlling the pace of their fights. When asked why they couldn't split up to claim bases faster, Lisa told them that a minimum two people had to walk into a base to claim it.
As soon as base number five was claimed, Lisa sprinted towards the center base, anxious to see who she'd be facing this time. Hopefully, with Leander standing at the door, as soon as the massive, ornate doors opened, he jumped into the base, climbed up to the pedestal where the Stronghold was, and claimed it for them! Really, the only real flaw in the plan was that Mauve Dictionary would be there alone for the minute and a half it took to get there. His special attacks were amazingly strong, but he had almost no physical attack or defense power.
Bursting through the open double-doors, the three girls saw Leander standing in the Stronghold at the exact center of the dome shaped base, but a light blue avatar was running up the steps to get to him. Quickly, Lisa sprang forward, throwing one of her daggers at the attacking Burst Linker, causing him to jump back and down the stairs.
"Ladies," she said, sounding out of breath even though she didn't breathe, "please step into the circle with Mauve Dictionary. I'll cover you. When you're good, come out and help. This is it!"
She saw both Sarah and Jayne nod and run up the stairs to the glowing circle. She then braced herself for the three attackers that hadn't shown up yet. She didn't know the light blue avatar from before, but he seemed to be waiting too. Neither had long to wait.
First through the door was an avatar she knew fairly well. The F-type was a sparkling green, as if carved from a single giant emerald. She had no feet but a wheel that was attached to a single, thick leg. No hands on her wrists but instead, small, round shields. Emerald Buckler! Rick's friend/rival was a fun fighter, who enjoyed the duel almost as much as Lisa! Because of the random nature of who was selected during the territories, it had been a while since she'd seen her! This was going to be fun!
Next in was a thin, light brown avatar with arms almost as long as his body! He appeared as if carved out of clay, his armor a rough rocky style. She seen him before...! Terracotta Break! That was his name! An average fighter with interesting fighting techniques. He might be fun to play around with. He was pretty strong for a level 4, so you never knew what you were going to get!
Finally, a small but wide avatar stepped in and Lisa had to stop a gasp. His armor reflected the sun of the stage and his presence could be felt. Lithium Dwarf, a level 5! Seemed like the Slip Circuit was upping their game! He had a double-bladed axe Enhanced Armament across his shoulder and his metallic beard provided extra protection for his face and neck.
THIS was going to be a tough fight.
Eyeing their opponents, Lisa though Emerald Buckler looked a little uneasy, but quickly put her eye elsewhere when Lithium Dwarf thrust his axe forward and yelled, "Attack!"
Three of the four ran towards Lisa and their Stronghold. Oddly enough, Terracotta Break didn't move, which was totally against his usual "attack first, ask questions later" style. He didn't have any kind of ranged support that she knew of, unless he recently purchased some new Enhanced Armament he wanted to test out. The territories were good for that, too.
Suddenly, Bluebell Bonnet appeared next to her. "Special attack gauge filled as much as it needs to be! And Mauve's got us covered!" She sounded rather excited as she looked at the charging enemy.
Lisa pulled out a short ninja blade. "What do you think of him?"
"Mauve? He's a good kid. Both me and Sarah like him. He says Rick saved him."
She nodded. "Rick's a good guy like that." Their attackers are about twenty feet away now. "They're pretty close. Doesn't seem like it, but they are."
The three attackers finally met with the two defenders and they began to fight, Lisa taking on Lithium Dwarf and the light blue avatar while Bell fought Emerald Buckler. Still, Terracotta Break hadn't moved. What was that strategy? Reserve fighter?
Out of nowhere, he sprang forward, moving at incredible speed, making a bee-line to the pedestal where Mauve Dictionary stood and Periwinkle Pigtail was descending. He moved past the fighters, not even looking at them, his vision focused only on the two smaller avatars.
"Break, no!" Emerald Buckler cried out, giving Bell an opening, ignoring the battle that ranged around her. That was when Lisa knew something bad was about to happen. Because Terracotta Break was surrounded in an aura, but he didn't call out a special attack. That aura was Overlay. She didn't know too much about it, but she knew that if he was using it, this whole fight would be thrown out of whack.
Even Lithium Dwarf was surprised at Break's attack. "What the blazes!?"
But Terracotta Break didn't seem to notice and he bound up the stairs, ducked under Periwinkle Pigtail's attempt to stop him, and jumped towards Mauve Dictionary. He thrust his extra-long arm at the little boy avatar and yelled, "Mind Melt!"
"Aw, crap," Rick muttered. "I know this guy." He turned and sure enough, he saw a thin, spindly figure with wide gliders sticking out of either side of his head floating down slowly, landing about thirty feet in front of them. Two much large avatars ran up behind him, stopping when the smaller yellow avatar held out of his hand. The two gliders tucked back in against his head, becoming ears.
"When did you join the Pound Sector, York Glider?" Rick asked.
Yolk Glider chuckled. "Oh, man; scoop of the century! I heard all! My gliders catch everything anyone within two-hundred feet says." He thrust out of his scrawny chest. "And you two? You'll make the front page!"
"That's nobody's business but ours!" Rick yelled angrily. He knew it really shouldn't matter who York Glider told; the four-foot-nothing avatar was level 5, but didn't have much fight in him, so he traded information in exchange for points and tag-team partners. But because of this, nobody really believed much of what he said.
"Hey there, Seraph," a tall orange-colored avatar called out gruffly, interrupting what Rick was about to yell. "You ready to get beat?"
"Any time. Carrot Space-Man," she replied smugly.
The avatar certainly looked like a kid's astronaut costume, complete with a ray gun on his belt, Rick noticed. And that bright orange color; carrot, huh? The second avatar was a pale green, just as tall as Carrot Space-Man, but much bulkier in the shoulders and arms, with an oddly shaped, very large hook instead of a left hand.
"Who's your friend?" Sam asked, back in her Crystal Seraph mode.
The green avatar stepped up. "Seafoam Fiasco. I'm here to fight."
"And of course," the yellow avatar piped up, "you already know the great Yolk Glider! I am, of course, master of collecting intelligence and spreading it!"
"And I ask again,' Rick said, "When did the Pound Sector let a little toady pipsqueak like you join them?" Normally, he treated Burst Linkers with at least a little respect – it wasn't just anyone who could download the Brain Burst program, after all – but something about Yolk Glider had always rubbed him the wrong way.
Maybe because he had no scruples? If he thought he could get a tiny tidbit of info he could use to dangle over someone's head, he went for it, and to hell with repercussions. He was just obnoxious!
Yolk Glider shrugged at Rick's question. "Why, just this morning, I managed to get a juicy exclusive, and it paid for my way to become Bronze Knocker's chief intelligence officer. Seems he finally recognized my talents."
"We gonna fight, or what?" Carrot Space-Man asked, readying his gun.
Rick looked at the timer in the field of his vision. Boy, had they taken their time! There was only about 700 seconds left!
"Where's the foothold?" Seafoam Fiasco asked.
The foothold was a special ring, usually found in the center of a territory stage where, if you stood in it, your special attack gauge would fill quickly. It was a place often fought over by both offense and defense because of the advantage, but the green avatar was right; there was no foothold.
Yolk Glider sighed. "I explained to you at the meeting, this type of stage is the only kind that doesn't have footholds. You two can go hog-wild now. Beat both of them up, so I can get the info on the them and sell it! He took a few steps back, as if he was trying to avoid the fight.
Rick would have none of that! He turned back to Crystal Seraph and flashed a thumbs up. "Can you take the meat-heads? I want to get my hands on Eggy over there."
She nodded. "I was going to suggest the same thing."
He nodded back. "I'll come back to lend a hand when I'm done!" With that, he sprinted forward at a speed that surprised everyone; including him! The orange and green avatars prepared fighting stances as he came at them, then totally ignored them, dashing between the gap they made.
They turned their heads in confusion, wondering why their opponent was ignoring them; clearly the bigger threat. It was a huge mistake, as both suddenly found themselves on their backs, looking up at a level 9 Governor.
Seraph no longer wore her pink gown, but instead sported a pink breastplate, gauntlets, greaves, and boots, clear as quartz. Er transparent wings vibrated rapidly as she shouldered her longsword and put her hand on her hip.
"What's wrong boys? I thought you wanted a fight."
And that was all Rick caught of that particular conversation, because his sights – and focus – were on the dark-yellow avatar in front of him. He'd never seen York Glider fight before, but Rick knew that as a level 5, he had to have some experience, even if most of his points came from others. Luckily, Yolk Glider seemed surprised that Rick had ignored the muscle he'd brought.
"W-w-wait!" he cried out.
Without responding, Rick reached out and grabbed Yolk Glider's over-sized ears and pulling them down – along with the rest of his head – smashed his face into his knee. Then again. And again. And one more time, for good measure, before then smashing his face into the ground. He followed that up with a jumping elbow drop onto the small of his back, eliciting a groan from the downed opponent.
Wrapping his arms around Yolk Glider's around waist, Rick easily lifted the smaller, lighter avatar, walked to the ledge of the spinal bones that had replaced the bridge, and tossed him not the endless chasm that was actually the East River in real life. He dusted off his hands and turned to see how Sam was fairing.
But a loud flap got his attention and he spun back around to see Yolk Glider's ear expanded, with large, thin membranes catching updrafts and sending him back up to the bridge. He adjusted his ear's size and landed neatly twenty-feet away from where Rick stood, clenching his fists.
"Nice try," he said, "but gravity and I don't see eye-to-eye."
Rick cracked his knuckles. "Good, I wanted to beat the tar out of you anyway."
"Why?" Yolk scoffed. "Because I know your secret?"
"Oh, please! It isn't a secret; It just isn't anyone's business! Don't get all hung up on this because you can't get a girlfriend."
Yolk Glider shrugged. "Who cares whose business anything is or isn't. More importantly, how did you figure out my strategy to glide past you and Crystal Seraph while you tangled with the thugs?"
Rick actually didn't figure out anything of the sort, but he sure wasn't admitting that! He shrugged back, saying nothing.
"Anyway." Yolk continued, "When this story breaks, when the people hear that the Crystal Conclave was founded by two star-crossed Burst Linkers, well, I hope you like celebrity!"
Rick actually hated celebrity; especially in a setting like the Accelerated World. It was one thing to be watched by the Gallery during a timed duel, but the Unlimited Neutral Field had no time limit. Heck, some Burst Linkers preferred to live there for weeks at a time. He'd just learned that there was food there!
The idea that he and Sam could be stalked while they were there, like some Hollywood couple, really unnerved him. Nobody's privacy should be made public like that! He'd lived his entire life in obscurity, and he didn't like the idea of a boat load of people following him around
But then, there was that voice...
When Rick had first installed the Brain Burst program, it had given him a nightmare that very night; a way for the game to create his in-game avatar using his fears, desires, wants, and traumas. Using all that, it had made Copper Tarnish. He didn't remember much of the dream, but at the end of it, right before he awoke, a deep, booming voice had suggested that deep down, he really wanted to be seen. To be noticed.
Did he?
Rick blinked, coming back to himself and the battle in front of him. Yolk Glider still stood there, his ears folding back into his head. He stepped forward, holding his hands up.
"Okay, let's make a deal."
Yolk Glider eyed him suspiciously. "I like deals."
Rick shrugged. "How about if I win this fight, you don't blab about my relationship."
"And if I win?"
"Tell whoever you want! Go crazy!"
Yolk folded his arms across his narrow chest. "I dunno. Doesn't seem like much is in it for me, when I could just give out the info to whoever I want when this is done."
"Tell ya what," Rick said. "Win and I'll answer, oh, ten questions about me and Crystal Seraph."
"Hmm... That is rather tempting..."
"Deal!" Rick yelled, springing forward and grabbing his opponent's ears again. He repeated his attack pattern, smashing the dark-yellow face into his knee time and time again. Being metallic, Rick's knee could do quite a bit of damage!
After half a dozen or so – Rick lost count – knees to the face, he finished by landing a heavy kick directly in Yolk Glider's solar plexus, forcing the avatar to crumble up on itself, holding his midsection.
"Oh, come on!" Rick said, striding over to finish him off. "I know you don't fight all that much but this is just sad. I mean, I'm only level 3 and you're level 5. At least try to defend yourself. I feel like a bully."
"Glider Gust!"
Rick suddenly felt his feet leave the ground as a hurricane-force wind pushed him backwards. He had absolutely no control of where he was going or how fast he was getting there! Looking over his shoulder, he gulped and braced himself.
A sharp pain exploded through his lower back and out of his gut as a large bone jutting from the main body of the spine impaled him. As a metallic, Rick was actually resistant to piercing damage, but the speed of the wind combined with the bone's point overcame that pretty easily. It took every ounce of willpower not to cry out as he looked at the white bone and orange sparks popping out of his open belly.
"Sometimes," Yolk said snidely, "What appears to be weakness is just biding time. Until, say, your opponent has something very sharp between them."
Rick lifted his hand. "Tarnished Arrow," he croaked.
The dart plinked off of Yolk Glider's chest, reducing the two-HP. It was then that Rick noticed his own health bar. It only had about seven percent left! That bone almost took all of his HP! Heck, a few more inches into his chest and it might've pierced his heart, a one-hit-kill!
But this? Oh yes, he could work with this.
The problem was Yolk Glider's special attack bar. His Glider Gust attack had hardly reduced it at all! Plus, there was no telling what other trucks this guy had up his sleeve. Yellow colored avatars usually dealt in illusion or trickery, so it could be anything!
If he could get in closer, he could use his Mega Arrow, since a bone through the body obviously filled his own special attack bar! The attack would probably finish Yolk Glider in one shot, with the amount of damage Rick had taken. But getting close enough would be a real pain in the neck – maybe literally – since Yolk could just blow him back again.
Really, the more he thought about it, the more he realized there was only one option left.
Carefully, he pulled himself off of the bone that impaled him. Luckily, he wasn't dangling off of the ground, or it would've been harder to limit any more damage. As it was, a few orange sparks shot out of him and another percentage point disappeared from his health.
He staggered as if drunk, a massive hole in his belly. It took major effort not to collapse to his knees. Holding a hand over the hole, he looked over to where Crystal Seraph was easily holding her own against the two other avatars.
Of course she is. Rick sighed, looking back at his own opponent.
"Valiant!" Yolk Glider crowed happily. "Everything I've heard about you is true! I'm glad you don't give up, but don't expect me to get too close to you. I know how devastating your special attack is, though I don't know why it's so damn strong, but I know it'll probably knock me on my ass, so I ain't taking the risk. I think I'll just blow you off the bridge instead. Nice and neat."
Rick straightened up as Yolk's ears unfolded. It was now or never.
"Equip enhanced armament: Heart of Gold."
A blast of gold light split the dark clouds of the angry red sky, shining down on Rick – Copper Tarnish – like a blessing from heaven. After only a second, the light vanished.
And now Rick glowed.
Rick checked himself out quickly. Hole in the chest: gone; health: back to twenty-five percent; armor: solid gold. It had been a while since he'd equipped his special Heart of Gold armament, but then again, it was only for emergencies.
He looked at his special attack bar and, sure enough, it was slowly depleting.
Luckily, thanks to his first two level up bonuses, it went a lot slower than it used to!
"I-it's true!?" Yolk Glider cried out. "No way!"
"Hi," Rick said cheerfully. "I'm Gold Virtue."
Yolk Glider shook his head. "Doesn't matter! You still can't fly! Say bye-bye, buddy! Glider Gust!" His ears suddenly opened, bigger than even before, and a blast of concentrated wind hit Rick square in the chest. It picked him up and blew him off the side of the bridge.
But Rick never panicked when his avatar turned into Gold Virtue. For some reason, he instinctively knew how to best use his new abilities, even if he'd never used them before. It was something he'd always meant to look into...
He held out his hand, palm open towards the side of the bridge. "Golden Arrow."
Instead of his usual arrow – dart, really – a beam of golden light shot out of his hand, striking the side of the bridge. Upon impact, the light seemed to solidify like a rope. He allowed himself to fall a decent distance before grabbing the rope - which was quite long by now – and using his momentum to swing under the bridge and around to the other side.
Yolk Glider was watching all of this, he noticed, in a kind of stupor, as if not quite believing what he was seeing. Rick imagined that he knew he was going to come up on the other side of the bridge, and there he was, watching him fly into the air.
But he didn't move, even as Rick spin in the air, leaving a gold blur behind him, and launched a super-fast kick right to Yolk Glider's chest, knocking him off the side.
Rick watched him fall, fully expecting Yolk to spread his ears and catch updrafts again, but he didn't, instead electing to plummet into the bottomless chasm. Well, that was different. A problem with his neurolinker's quantum uplink in the real maybe?
He shrugged and turned back to Crystal Seraph and her fight. Well, it was clear that she could easily take care of both of her opponents, but the territory battles were supposed to be about teamwork, so he casual strolled over to Carrot Space-Man and tapped him on the shoulder. He started and turned to look over his shoulder and saw Rick, gold and glowing, waving happily,
"What the -"
Rick gave him a good, solid punch across the face, causing the larger, bulkier avatar to stumble, almost falling down.
"Wait," Carrot Space-Man stammered, "aren't you supposed to be Copper?"
"Meh," he shrugged, "I like change."
Carrot Space-Man pointed his ray gun directly at Rick's face, but Rick had anticipated that. "Golden Radiance!" His shining aura burst into a flash, blinding his opponent. So, he decided to take advantage of it.
He rained a series of punches, kicks, knees, and elbows at the large orange avatar, even throwing in a headbutt here and there. His main goal was to pull him off of his Governor so she could deal with the new guy, Seafoam Fiasco. After a few seconds though, Carrow Space-Man get his sight back and was actually pretty adept at hand-to-hand fighting, considering his coloration meant he excelled at ranged and unpredictable attacks.
Carrot managed a solid counterattack, knocking Rick back a few feet with a strong kick. Without missing a beat, he hoisted his ray-gun. "Comet Blaster!" The small, one-handed toy gun suddenly transformed into a massive shoulder cannon that couldn't have possibly been whittled in the real world.
Energy gathered at the barrel of the cannon, glowing a bright aura of its own. Before Rick could react, the light fluid, engulfing him in the beam of Carrot Space-Man's special attack.
"You're done, Goldenrod!" he yelled as the light faded. Then he glimpsed at Rick's health bar. "What the what!?"
"Oh, don't worry," Rick said, brushing himself off. "You hurt me; that's a strong attack, and you're three levels higher than me. But gold is nearly impervious to special attacks, so the fact that you hurt me should impress you."
"So, I'll just do it again!"
But Rick wouldn't allow that! Plus, his own special attack bar was almost empty and he would go back to being Copper Tarnish. So instead, he dashed forward and grabbed onto both sides of the of the large astronaut helmet with his hands. "Superior Arrow!"
The golden flow around him faded and his actual gold color drained out of his body, through his arms and into the head of his opponent. He let go and stepped back, now Copper Tarnish once again. The helmet of Space-Man remained gold, however.
"It's hot!" he yelled, pulling at his helmet. "What's happening?"
Rick noticed that his opponent's yelling caught the attention of his teammate, causing enough of a distraction so that Crystal Seraph was able to thrust her sword though his chest. Seafoam Fiasco collapsed onto the ground, before exploding into thousands of tiny pixels.
Carrots Space-Man's head suddenly exploded, a golden beam of light shooting into the overcast sky. Before it reached the clouds however, the light erupted into a dazzling display of golden fireworks.
Rick watched his opponent explode into pixels and let out a breath. He had taken out two of their opponents! Even still, the sight of watching the invader's head explode – real or not – was somewhat unsettling to him. But as far as he knew, that was the only way to use his special attack while he was Gold Virtue.
Crystal Seraph hovered over, back in her ball gown. "That was rather... dramatic."
He shrugged. "Yeah. For whatever reason it's a melee attack, so I Don't use it all that much. Plus, it really seems to hurt."
"Well, it's our victory." she continued. "So, our borders are safe until the next invasion, though after the stories those three will tell, the Pound Sector may think twice about a third assault." She looked at Rick. "I must admit, it's much easier with help."
He nodded. "And when we recruit more members, you won't have to trouble yourself with this nonsense anymore and you can do regular leader stuff, like give speeches and raise morale and all that!
"Though," he rubbed at the back of his head nervously," you raise my morale just by being around."
Seraph let out a happy chuckle. "Why Mister Tarnish, that was very nearly romantic and absolutely corny!"
He let out a laugh himself. "Yeah, that's me! He noticed the stage began to fade away, the victory logo long unseen by the both of them. He turned back to his Governor. "See ya on the other side!"
She nodded as everything faded to black.