The Bacon is Spoiled

"This brings back memories…" Hachiro whispered.

"Memories bring back, yeah?" Dave said out of nowhere.

Everyone stared at him with stern eyes, especially Sandra whose eyes turned like a sword.

"I'll kill you.." Sandra warned.

"What??" Dave innocently replied.

Hachiro laughed under his breath.

"Anyway.." he said. "This feels somehow nostalgic." He exhaled a deep sigh.

"Whoever did this to us crafted a well-managed plan.." Jayson muttered as he scanned the ground, picking random rocks and fallen leaves. "Down to every detail… that is--"

"I agree, not just this program but everything in it." Ken said.

"It really feels like we're inside that game." Alex nodded. "The air, the smell, the scenery…EVERYTHING! This is what the update is for. This is very exciting!" he almost leapt for excitement.

"It's not the time to be awed, guys..." a discouraging voice said. "I understand everything in this AR is unimaginably wonderful. The concepts are complex, the programs are exquisite, I, too, am amazed with these stuffs. It's something we cannot see every day but…" Sandra said looking afar, breathing a deep sigh. "Apart from that, WE just entered hell.."

In a sudden, they all agreed on what Sandra said; indeed, they are in hell. Right in front of them sits a mini volcano with boiling magma at its center, timely scattering excess flows of sulfuric mud and stones. Geysers bursts from every direction heating up their ground and their air making them hard to breathe. A mountain of dried trees and broken grounds surround them as darkness engulf the whole area. Their only source of light is the ground they stood upon where everywhere they step on, lights on queue.

"Is this the arena we're fighting on?" Dave complained. "I didn't expected this much,, uhhuh.." he coughed.

"Given his wickedness, I doubt if this ends here.." Ken muttered. "…like this gentle.." he said sarcastically.

"I agree.." Brent added. "We should expect the worst in this case…" he threw a stone in the darkness. "I mean, to the extent of—"

"Death…" Jayson continued.

"We're in dire situation…" Dave said, kicking a rock but instead hurt himself. "Ahh.." he shouted. His voice echoed around the place.

"We're in Dire, indeed." Hachiro replied. "How ironic, he put us in this area as if we're the intruders...though it's the other way around."

"I agree.." Jayson added. "So we have to storm the Radiant to win this game, huh?" he opened a map that popped up from his watch.

"It can't be helped. Be on Dire or on Radiant, we only have one thing to do." Hachiro replied. "In any way, it's now or never. We have to win this to get the last key.."

3 minutes to battle

"They even got the same girl to announce everything.." Alex was amazed. He took his time to roam around their area, trying to find some hint and plan a strategy.

"I really wonder what she looks like, tho.." Ken's eyes glittered. He threw a stone in front of him and waited until it can't be heard anymore. "I hope she's a beauty.." he mumbled. "..at least."

"She's a program, bro.." Brent replied. He pick a branch on the ground and swing it like a sword. "But if I'll give her a body, she'll be more beautiful than our girl friend here.."

"Shut it up you pervs!.." Sandra got Ken's and Brent's ears and they shouted in pain. "Can you take this stuff seriously? We're on a pinch you know..try to worry a little."

"Worrying is your stuff, Sandy.." Dave muttered. "If we do the same, we'll have too much worrying.." he delivered with his straight face.

"What did you say?" She raised her brows, crossing her arms.

"You should not upset, Mom, guys.." Hachiro looked away but he still got one hit on his head. "Ouch."

They all looked at each other and bursts into laughter.

"Anyway, we need to prepare for the early game and reassess our plan. This is our last shot to victory.." Hachiro said, rubbing his head.

"Well, said, Leader.." Jayson patted his shoulder. "Let's get to work our asses out folks!"

"HAI!"

...…

"So, why am I partnered with you?!" Sandra raised her brows to the girl standing in front of her, crossing her arms like a mad office boss scolding her employee.

"We draw lots at the base." The girl said looking away from Sandra. She stood a few meters away from her. "It's just a coincidence, so…" the girl reluctantly said. "Let's just do our best…"

"Coincidence or not, I—" Sandra draw her bow and pointed an arrow to the girl. "As you know, I don't like you after what you did to Markus, I doubt I can work well with you nor talk to you like I'm used to... So don't expect I'll be friendly." She said with eyes full of doubt.

"I may be blunt but my arrow wont, I don't trust you. There, I said it." Sandra continued; she was mad at her. Just by looking at the girl makes her blood boil in anger.

"I am very sorry for what I've done—" she said facing Sandra with her sincerest look.

"You don't have to apologize to me, you have to say sorry to him." Sandra said sarcastically, lowering her bow. "He's never been a bad guy, but he's willing to be one for the sake of others. Just think he's that kind of an idiot. He thought he's Robin Hood or Zorro or some superhero in disguise. However, you don't have the right to be mean to him."

"I know." the girl replied. "And I wont stop you from hating me, I did something bad anyway. But, for now, we share the same goal—"

"That is why I will keep my issues. I will set this feeling aside to win this game. But, that doesn't mean we're friends, remember that." Sandra said, turning her back. "Don't get too close to Markus, too."

"Hai.." the girl replied. "I really haven't introduced myself properly, I'm Katherine Thorn." She extended her hand, a sign of friendship.

"Cassandra Grey." She sighed and turned her back again wearing a glum face.

"Nice to meet you." Kath smiled, slowly putting her hand down because Sandra did not responded.

"Nice to meet you, too!" a voice clothed in malice joined their conversation.

...….

"I'm glad we got to partner again, Brent." Ken mumbled. "I wonder who we'll be facing against here, you know… like enemies or something.." he took a seat on the pedestal of the tower. "I just hope they don't like blue."

They walked at a dark path under the chirping sounds of unseen birds and animals around them. The gush of the wind makes the dried branches of trees make weird sounds.

"Who will hold grudge against the color blue?" Brent replied. He saw a huge rock and took liberty to rest his butt. "Pathetic.."

"I was just thinking.." Ken raised his shoulders. He found a root at the same spot where Brent is seated and set his foot up.

"What was that about?" Their eyes met and they paused. A strong wind broke their silence.

"Anyway, I didn't thought we'll be together with this.. ahh.." Brent said, changing his focus on the dark black sky. "But I'll be happier if I'm with Marky, tho."

"What was that about? Don't you want me to be here?" Ken pouted, as if trying to win Brent to his side.

"Haha" they both laughed.

"No." Brent replied in a straight face.

"Friendship over!!" Ken threw a rock on him.

"Hahahah." Brent just laughed again.

"Can we still have a conversation like this in the real world?" Ken asked.

"What are you talking about?" Brent felt unease. "Of course we still can, idiot."

"But, I just can't erase the fact that we're stuck in a game with nowhere to hide, nothing else to do but to fight. I mean—" Ken's voice tremble. He lowered his gaze to the ground. "We're really fighting to live. At first, we came just to see Marky and say sorry, right? We just came with Dave to see things through and say that we can still be friends with Markus after all the stuffs that happened. But when we finally found him, everything went naught."

They felt the cold wind on their skin.

"We didn't sign up for a death game, right?" Ken whispered.

"I know, it was hard to deal with." Brent replied with a cold voice. "But thinking how Markus have done things so far, I can't compare our struggles with him." He muttered. "Its just a few share of what he has now… and I'll be willing to take a cup."

"Hearing that truth makes me puke. And knowing him, he'll do just that, without batting an eye." Ken sighed. "Ahhhuhh. It fells nostalgic."

"Nostalgic, like what?" Brent asked.

"Like that time when we have a fight at the Café." Ken reached his hand to the dark sky. "We already thought of losing but then he came in with a torch from a dark pavement, lighting all the hardships we're in. And in the end, he saved the day."

30 seconds to battle

"And he's the one who thought of this plan, right?" Brent boasted. "What can go wrong?"

"Ahh, let's just trust that fella." Ken leaped from his ground and felt a surge of excitement. "He's the Master, right?"

"Uhhuhm.." Brent replied, stretching his arms. "He's not a Master, Markus is a phantom." He leaped from his seat.

"Yeah right.." Ken answered, raising his guard. "When we got out from here, treat me with a Cappuccino Starbucks, huh.."

"What was that about? You should be the one who'll be treating.." Brent complained. "You've got a lot of money than I have."

"And this is our last shot. If we're to lose this fight—" Ken said.

"You're ditching the topic." Brent said.

"As I was saying, I'm glad I've met you all guys.." Ken muttered.

"I'll be treating you with a buck, right?" Brent muttered. "We can't lose this game, for Markus as well."

"Ahh.."

Brent pointed his rounded sword to the one who is approaching them. "Especially, not to that guy." he muttered.

...…

"You…" Sandra said with despair but more of anger. She eyed the silhouette standing on a branch of a tree a few meters above them.

"Don't be so shocked, Sandra…" the silhouette jumped on another tree branch. "Its not like youv'e never seen me; how rude.."

"Why are you doing this? You're with us in the camp, right?" Kath exclaimed. "There must be a misunderstanding!"

"There is none, Kath. No matter what happens, I am my brother's sister. What he'll do, I'll follow. What he wants, I will confer. Because, what he wants is what I want as well." The girl giggled. "Qatsu is the best team, I just wondered why you changed sides."

"I didn't. But--"

"And you, why did you went to GSHigh?" Sandra asked.

"To scout, of course." The girl replied. "I need info to send to my brother so we can plot a very nice plan. And I guess it's working now." She giggled.

"But—" Kath said

"But what? Have you forgotten what's Qatsu's goal in this tournament, Kathy??"

"To survive—"

"No!" the girl raised her hand and a spell was activated. "It's to stand on top and crush every pebble on track!" she grinned like a monster. A circuit-like pattern glowed on her neck. "We thought it useless to struggle, that is why, we came here to enjoy the last seconds of our life!!!" she laughed with excitement.

"What are you saying? All this time we treated you as a friend—" Sandra felt stuck on her ground. She was tangled with thorns that sprouted from nowhere. "What's this?"

"Bramble Max" the girl replied. "A friend, you say? Don't be delusional, Sandra." She smirked. "You and your gang only thought of that, friendship, stuff. It's all a lie, like what that criminal has done."

"Hachiro is not a criminal." Sandra tried to struggle, trying to reach her bow. "You learned the truth."

"I don't care about what the truth is. You know, we can choose whether to believe something or not. And I will side with not believing that farce." The girl raised her lamp, uncovering the silhouette she's in. Her face clearly shows malice and bloodlust. "If I were you, I wont move from that position. It will only make you suffer."

"Not as much as what Ha-chan has suffered." Sandra reached her arrow and shot it on the ground,

"Frost Arrows!" she exclaimed, freezing everything the light touches upon impact.

"How did you do—" she leaped on another branch.

"I wont forgive your betrayal. Not for Jayson and the Circa." Sandra walked past the icy rubbles of frozen roots. "I will stop you right here, Tori Romonov." An iced root fell on the ground, broken.

"Come and get me" Tori replied.

...….

"What are you doing here?" Ken asked, activating his electric whip. "You're suppose to be at the group going to the port."

"What you say?" The tall guy smirked. "I'm here to fight. That's what we wanted from the start but—" he glared at the two.

His neck is glowing with circuit-like pattern Brent thought.

"A wimpy coward send us to the safe zone. What excitement can we get there?" He laughed with malice.

"You're insane." Brent activated his skill. "Mana Voide" Everything near him started to wilt.

"You're friend is the insane one." The guy leaped, waving his hand, cancelling Brent's skill. "We are given the chance to fight till we can't and yet he refused and ran like a dog with tails in between. We can't let this chance to pass, you know."

Ken leaped above Brent and swing his whip aimed at their enemy. "Plasma Field"

"You'll never understand his logic." Ken continued his assault. " He doesn't want to fight a losing game. He always fight when his stakes are secured. He doesn't want to sacrifice anyone, but there are guys like you who does everything according to their whim.."

"Oho.." the guys said, evading Ken's every attack.

"He's a pushover and an idiot, but—" Ken continued to attack.

"But he can't win this game." The guy landed with his feet and released his attack. "Cosmic Silence"

Everything around the 50 m radius were stunned. Ken and Brent, unable to move, lost their skills, making them unarmed and vulnerable.

"This is like the wolf's power.." Ken murmured. "Ahh.." he struggled but he's not budging.

"How did he manage to have this spell?" Brent added. "I can't erase it with my skill."

"Didn't you know who I am?" the guy walked pass them and dealt a massive blow.

The two fell on the ground.

I can feel my strength slipping away. Ken thought

"I am Yuri Romonov, President of QATSU's student council and the top 1 of that institution, winner of the last year's ORION tournament and the previous ORIOlympics." He said with his arms wide open. "And the one that will end your life." He grinned.

"That's not gonna happen." Ken tried to stand on his feet. "I wont let it end this way, not with a traitor like you."

...….

"Get back here!" Sandra screamed. "We'll settle this one and you'll pay for everything you've done, Tori."

"If you can get ahead of me." Tori replied. "Shadow Realm"

"Where did she go?" Sandra said, annoyed.

"I dunno." Kath replied. "It's one of her skills I think."

"Shadow Realm, huh.." Sandra whispered. "In other words, she's in another dimension and will pop up wherever and whenever she wanted. She can avoid attacks from us, huh." She scanned their surroundings. "Quite troublesome."

"You're right." Kath replied. "I'm a ranged fighter like you Sandra. But, if we can't pin her location, we'll be shooting at nothing up there."

"I know." Sandra complained. "But that's her only card."

"What do you mean, Sandra?"

"Bramble Max" Tori shouted. A swarm of roots sprout from nowhere, tangling the two who stood back to back.

"This thing will end soon." Sandra said. "We'll counter her if she gets out from shadow realm, Kath."

"I see." Kath replied. "We'll wait for her to emerge and we'll strike."

"Ahh." The two said in unison.

"The problem is, how long will we last until she ran out of fuel herself." Sandra said.

"I will not let her drag the battle." Kath replied.

Sandra shot another Frost Arrow loosing the tangles.

"Do you have an idea?" Sandra asked.

"Ahh, and we only have 1 chance to do this." Kath replied