Chapter. 18

Vincent and Catherine fell to the ground as the returned to the real world, Vincent's entire body hurt while Catherine held her back. "Forgot to mention, you feel more pain in the unlimited field."

Vincent wanted to to punch Catherine but raising his arm only flared up his phantom pain. He stood up as he ripped the cord out of him linker. "Where's Opal?"

Catherine stood up and dusted herself off. "Follow me Vinny." Catherine opened the front door for them to walk in, she lead Vincent to the back of the library to a door labeled for employees only. Catherine took out a key to opened the door. Walking down a hall they stopped at another labeled opal.

Catherine opened the door and Vincent entered a lounge with four other people in it, all of which looked to be the same age as Vincent. Each of them looked up to see Vincent come in except for one brunette haired girl wearing a dark blue overcoat with white pants and black heeled boots drinking from a cup of tea and waved her finger to turn a page on a virtual book hovering in front of her.

A girl with long blonde hair stood up to greet Vincent and Catherine, taking a moment to examine Vincent with her green. "So you're Eminence Tyrant?"

"Yeah."

"I'm Opal Commander. My real name is Jade." The young woman held out her hand.

Vincent looked the girl up and down, she wore a white sleeveless dress shirt with a black ribbon around her waist with black shorts and shoes and an opal neckless. Vincent returned her gaze as he shook her hand. "Jade. Real world or not you're named after a gemstone."

Jade nods with a warm smile. "Yes, quite the paradox no? I'm sorry you're name again was?"

"Vincent."

"Of course it is, you truly live up to the name. Thank you for everything you've done for the opal." Jade waved her hand over the others in the room. "Come, meet your new allies."

The next one to stand up was a girl with short black hair in a bob-cut with a purple streak on the left side and green eyes, she wore a black shirt under a green cardigan, a white knee length skirt and black stocking with purple sneakers. "I'm Corina, my avatar is Lilac Laser! Please, call me Coco!" The girl held out her hand.

Vincent slowly shook her hand, thrown off by her bubbly personally. "I'll do just, uh, Coco."

Coco jumped the only over male in the room. "This is my boyfriend Lyle! His avatar is Turquoise Titan! Come on Lyle!" Corina pulled Lyle up by his arm.

A seven foot man with spiked black hair with sliver eyes stood up to meet Vincent. He wore a black shirt with a faded white checker board pattern at the hind, a sleeve less blue hoodie, navy blue jeans over grey high top shoes.

Lyle and Vincent stared at each other, not losing eye contact. Lyle nods and held out his hand. Vincent took Lyle's hand then shook it. Corina held her hands together. "They're already friends, that's so sweet!"

"Hello everyone!" Catherine come out from behind the door and entered the lounge.

"Hey Cathy, Cathy!" Corina saw the forming black eye and bloody nose on Catherine's face. "What happened to you?!"

"Just an accident. I fell off of Vinny's bike when-"

"I punched her in the face a few time when I got here." Everyone looked at Vincent in shock.

"Bitch deserved it I'm sure." The unnamed girl commented while reading her book. Corina backed away, rubbing her arms while Lyle clinched his fist as he stood between her and Vincent.

Jade coughs to get Vincent's attention back. "The last one is Lavender, Levi for short. Her avatar is Charterase Enchantress." Jade pointed to girl still sitting as she read her book. "Levi." Jade raised her voice.

The girl turns to Vincent looking him over with her brown eyes. She turns to Jade with a scowl. "I didn't know that we allowed your favorite's pet in."

"You wanna retract that bitch? I'm no one's pet." Vincent took a step closer to her.

"We'll see in the next few months." Levi glances to Catherine. "That you don't come out of the rooms with that husy." Levi turned back to Vincent. "Don't think your all that just because you took down a couple of wounded animals.

Vincent gave Levi a sideways glance. "What's that mean?"

Jade rested a hand on Vincent's arm. "Now that your one of us it's time you learned the truth." Everyone returned to their seats, Vincent sat on a sofa across from Jade and Catherine sat next to him. "Catherine took you into the amber legion to see how well you'd do against a leader."

"How did she know he'd be there?"

"Have you looked at Catherine's profile?"

"Why?"

Catherine gasped as she placed her hand over her heart. "Do I mean so little to you-"

"Yes." Catherine pouted while Vincent ignored her. "As you were saying." Vincent noticed Corina avoiding his gaze when Lyle stared him down.

Jade sighed. "If you looked you'd see that Catherine isn't a member of the opal legion, or any legion. This let's her act as a spy for us. Catherine collects and sells information to each legion and brings the big info to us, though to keep up appearances she does have to give out minor details about the opal."

"And what does this have to do with me?"

"Amber demotion was a stubborn sort, much like yourself, unable to let go of a loss. His fight with you in the weekend battle happened because Catherine told him that area you'd be fighting in was the weakest. Your one in hundred chance to fight him was actually a one in three."

Vincent tightened his fists. "And my home falling into the sapphire's hands?"

"I let it fall, Catherine request-"

Vincent shot up to his feet. "You threw me to the fucking wolves! And for what?!"

"Vincent!" Corina shouted to the Tyrant. "We were sent to help if it got too bad! We fought with Sapphire Brawler many time to drain his points. Losing to you would've taken the rest of them and it did."

Jade nods. "Catherine wanted to test your limits and push them to make you stronger, and it worked.

"Do you remember the power you felt when you cut Sapphire to bits?" Asked Catherine.

"What power? I felt... uh, I felt..." Vincent raised his hand to his head. "I don't remember. I was so angry when I heard him say Catherine's avatar name then..." Vincent shook his head. "After that it was all red and loud ringing."

Jades nods with a smirk. "Then you did feel it, you don't know how but you felt it."

"Felt what?"

"As the leader of the opal legion I here by make you a gallant." Vincent tilts his head questioningly. "You stand about the the average players of Brain Burst. Above the top members of the opal and stand with the hidden tier. The gallants."

"So he'll be one of us?" Asked Corina.

"Would Jade bring him here if she wasn't you airhead?" Levi snapped without looking at anyone. Causing Corina to pout.

"Anyone going to answer me?!" Vincent shouted. "What did I feel? What are you talking about? And what's a gallant?"

Jade holds up her hand. "The gallants are the secret hunters for the opal legion. Your tasks are not to worry about the weekend battles but to find and defeat targets of interest. Strong enemy players and other legion leaders. Fight them and destroy them until they have no more points left."

"Alright." Vincent returned to his seat.

"Then it's time we all returned to the unlimited field. Vincent, if you are to join the gallants then you will need to learn a power fitting for the role." Jade leans forward with a cord in her hands. "It's time you learned the incarnate system."

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