The arena pulsed with life, a digital coliseum buzzing with energy, but despite the electrifying atmosphere, a strange uncertainty gripped the stadium. The Quarter-Finals were set—six warriors stood on their respective platforms, their weapons and abilities primed for battle. And yet… there was a problem.
One of the key competitors was missing.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WELCOME BACK! I hope you all had your fill of rest, food, and strategy planning, because from this point on—IT'S ALL OR NOTHING! We are officially kicking off the QUARTER-FINALS of the Fifth Annual Another Life Combat Developer Tournament!"
The crowd erupted, filling the air with cheers, emotes, and colorful animations, their excitement palpable as the competition’s sponsors flashed across the holographic screens.
- Auracron Prime
- Health United
- The Be Healthy Corporation
- Synthwave Cyberwear
- Nanite Edge Energy
- Quantum Tactics?
Digital confetti rained down as the contestant lineup materialized in bright flashes of neon light. The competitors stood ready on their platforms. Except for one.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): “...WAIT. HOLD ON. WHERE IS DANI SHAW?!”
The massive holographic display flickered, showing a glitching void where Dani Shaw’s avatar should have appeared. The crowd murmur grew louder as confusion spread throughout the stadium.
Aeris Voss stood alone, arms crossed, her foot tapping against the polished stone. The arcane tome hovering at her side glowed as unread runes pulsed along its surface. Her crimson eyes narrowed, irritation flashing across her face.
Aeris (World Chat): "She better not have bailed."
The tension thickened. Sick Blade rolled his shoulders, adjusting his grip on his curved daggers. His opponent, Rei Nightfall, stood eerily still, his form shifting in and out of the shadows, unreadable. Even the rogues took note of the missing combatant.
On Platform Three, Kaine Vega flexed his fingers, sparks of neon energy crackling around his cybernetic knuckles. His sleek, futuristic armor pulsed with an eerie cyan glow, his stance relaxed—yet predatory.
Across from him, Drevan Cole stood motionless, his cybernetic eye glowing red as his visor ran combat diagnostics on Kaine. His cloak billowed slightly, revealing the heavy plating beneath. Kaine tilted his head, the barest hint of amusement on his lips.
Kaine Vega (World Chat): "What, we just standing around? Someone play the Jeopardy theme while we wait."
A ripple of laughter spread through the crowd chat, flashing emotes and memes appearing across the stadium’s holographic feeds. For the first time, Drevan spoke in World Chat.
Drevan Cole (World Chat): "You’re real impatient for a guy who’s gonna lose."
Kaine Vega (World Chat): "Bold talk, Cole. Let’s see if you still got that mouth when I fry your circuits."
They locked eyes, the tension crackling between them. But before their fight could start, the Announcer redirected all attention back to the real issue.
Hexa (Private Chat): "Okay, where the hell is she?"
Byte (Private Chat): "Bruh, what if she overslept again?"
Vessa (Private Chat): "Byte, this isn’t funny. This is the Quarter-Finals. If she doesn’t show up in five minutes, she’s disqualified."
A five-minute countdown timer appeared above Platform Two. 4:59… 4:58… 4:57… The crowd’s excitement had turned into nervous tension. Players in the audience chatted amongst themselves, theories flying about why Dani was missing. Mackiaveli watched from the VIP competitor's booth, his gaze locked on the empty platform. His expression was unreadable, but a slight crease formed between his brows. The Announcer’s tone wavered slightly as he tried to keep the energy going.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): “Okay, folks! We’re gonna give our missing competitor a few minutes before we move forward. The rules are clear—if Dani Shaw does not appear within the countdown timer, she will forfeit this match!”
Aeris rolled her shoulders, but there was a clear flicker of annoyance in her stance.
Aeris (World Chat): "Guess that means I win by default. Shame. I was hoping for a fight."
The crowd groaned, several chat reactions flashing across the digital sky. Rather than wait, the Announcer shifted gears.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "WELL, WHILE WE WAIT—LET'S GET THESE OTHER MATCHES UNDERWAY!"
With a resounding DING, the fights on Platform One and Platform Three officially began. Sick Blade vanished in a blur of movement, his daggers flashing. Rei Nightfall did the same, his shadowy form darting across the platform like a living phantom. Their fight was a deadly ballet, the air filled with the clash of steel and the whisper of vanishing footsteps.
Sick Blade Dawson (World Chat): "Finally. Thought we'd die of old age before we started."
Rei Nightfall (World Chat): "You talk too much."
The two assassins circled, disappearing into the void-like depths of their own shadows, reappearing only when their blades found purchase. The crowd struggled to keep up, their speed inhumanly fast.
Kaine wasted no time—CRACKLE electricity surged through his hands, and with a flick of his fingers, a blast of neon lightning erupted toward Drevan. Drevan side-stepped, his HUD lighting up with calculations. He flicked his wrist, summoning a magnetized pulse shield WHOOP WHOOP that absorbed the energy.
Drevan Cole (World Chat): "Predictable."
Kaine Vega (World Chat): "Oh, you’re gonna regret that."
The two combatants shaged each other and clashed with a loud BOOM, Kaine’s shockwave punches meeting Drevan’s titanium-enhanced strength. CRACKLE POP Sparks flew. The platform rumbled under the weight of their abilities. The crowd cheered wildly, momentarily forgetting about Dani Shaw. But Aeris hadn’t. She glanced at the countdown. 0:45… 0:44… 0:43…
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "This panic break is brought to you by Quantum Tactics—because when life lags, so do you!"
Aeris (World Chat): "Tch. Of course."
Then—just as the countdown hit 0:30—a blinding light erupted above Platform Two. A silhouette took shape, pixels realigning, reconstructing—Dani Shaw appeared.
She landed hard, barely catching herself. Her avatar looked disheveled, her hair messy, her combat gear slightly askew, as if she had just rolled out of bed and run straight into the match. She had. The crowd lost it.
Byte (Private Chat): "SHE MADE IT! LATE AF, BUT SHE MADE IT!"
Hexa (Private Chat): "Girl looks like she fought a war just getting here."
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN—DANI SHAW HAS ENTERED THE BUILDING!"
Aeris arched an eyebrow, her lips twitching into a smirk.
Aeris (World Chat): "You sure you’re awake enough for this?"
Dani opened her mouth to respond—And then, it hit her. A flicker of memory. A split-second flash of reality before she logged in.
Flashback to Dani in real life (IRL) about one minute before logging in. Panic sets in. Pure, heart-pounding panic. Dani shot upright, disoriented, her hair a tangled mess as she stared at the digital clock blinking 12:59 PM on her desk.
Her stomach dropped. "Oh, SHIT—"
She scrambled, nearly tripping over her chair as she lunged for her headset, fingers fumbling as she yanked it over her head.
Her screen was already flashing a WARNING – MATCH STARTING IN 15 SECONDS prompt, red and blinking like an alarm. She cursed again, her brain still foggy from oversleeping, her heart hammering as she slammed the LOGIN button so hard she swore her mouse cracked. The world blurred—And then, she was here. Standing across from Aeris Voss, the roar of the arena swallowing her whole.
Dani blinked, her fingers twitching as she re-centered herself. Aeris was still smirking. The crowd was still buzzing. The heat of the battle was pressing against her, thick and electric. She inhaled sharply, shaking off the last remnants of her real-world scramble. Then, she grinned.
Dani (World Chat): "Oh, I’m awake now."
The bell rang again. DING! The moment the bell rang, the stadium erupted into absolute chaos. Three battles ignited simultaneously, sending waves of energy, explosions, and pure competitive fire rippling through the digital battlegrounds. The audience barely had time to process the ferocity of the Quarter-Finals before the combatants went straight for the throat.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS IS IT! THE QUARTER-FINALS ARE OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY, AND OH BOY, ARE WE IN FOR A SHOW!"
Cameras zoomed across the three platforms, each fight a spectacle in itself. The holographic feeds flashed between perspectives, making sure the viewers didn’t miss a single, mind-blowing moment.
The air hummed with tension as Sick Blade vanished in a flicker of motion, his daggers flashing under the stadium lights. Rei Nightfall was just as quick, his form shifting and bending as if he were part of the very shadows themselves. They met in the center of the platform, their blades colliding so fast, the metal-on-metal sound was a continuous ringing chime.
Sick Blade Dawson (World Chat): "Fast."
Rei Nightfall (World Chat): "You talk too much."
Sick Blade grinned, ducking under a spinning heel kick and slashing upward, forcing Rei to flicker out of existence for a fraction of a second. The moment he reappeared—Sick Blade was already behind him. A fraction of a second too slow. The dagger nicked Rei’s arm, his HUD flashing red with a minor health drop.
Byte (Private Chat): "OHHH, FIRST BLOOD! My guy Sick Blade out here making a STATEMENT!"
Shiro (Private Chat): "Yeah, but did you see how fast Rei adapted? He’s already recalibrating."
Rei didn’t react to the hit. He simply rolled his shoulder, fingers flexing as his shadow-weaving recalibrated in real-time. And then, he vanished completely.
Sick Blade Dawson (World Chat): "Ohhh, come on. The ol’ disappear-and-stab-me-in-the-back trick? That’s cute."
The moment he turned—he ate a knee to the jaw. Sick Blade stumbled, but before he could even recover, three shadow knives dug into his ribs. His HUD flared red, and he cursed under his breath. The crowd ROARED.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "OH, REI NIGHTFALL AIN’T PLAYING AROUND! HE JUST TURNED DAWSON INTO A SHADOWY PIN CUSHION!"
Meanwhile, Platform Three had turned into a literal light show. Kaine surged forward, his fists surrounded by electrified gauntlets, throwing a haymaker crackling with blue plasma. Drevan sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the thunderous blow, his cybernetic HUD analyzing Kaine’s movement patterns in real-time.
Drevan Cole (World Chat): "Predictable."
Kaine scowled.
Kaine Vega (World Chat): "Predict THIS!"
A shockwave erupted, sending ripples of electricity through the entire platform, forcing Drevan to backflip away as static sizzled through the air. The arena gasped as Kaine dashed forward mid-air, lightning surging from his hands, forming a whip-like bolt that he lashed forward—
Drevan blocked it at the last second, forming a solidified metallic shield from the battlefield itself, the energy sparking off the surface like a Tesla coil. The clash was brutal. Sparks rained down, metal groaned, and the entire platform shuddered under the weight of their powers.
Byte (Private Chat): "YO, THIS LOOKS LIKE A CYBERPUNK FINAL BOSS FIGHT. SOMEONE GIVE ME POPCORN."
Hexa (Private Chat): "Drevan’s tanking, but he’s on the back foot. Kaine’s aggression is next level."
Vessa (Private Chat): "Drevan better figure something out fast. One clean hit from Kaine and he’s fried."
Drevan planted his feet, gritted his teeth, and threw his own counterattack. His hands tore through the air, forming a cluster of high-density metallic shards, and with a flick—they became guided projectiles. They launched forward, seeking Kaine like a storm of razor blades. Kaine barely dodged the first three, but the fourth nicked his arm, and the HUD flashed yellow. Drevan smirked.
Drevan Cole (World Chat): "Guess you CAN be cut."
Kaine’s eyes narrowed.
Kaine Vega (World Chat): "You’re gonna regret that."
And the crowd was still talking about Dani. Dani stood across from Aeris, rolling her shoulders, still half-disheveled from waking up.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "AND FINALLY—THE MATCH YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! BUT, UH, CAN SOMEONE CONFIRM IF DANI SHAW IS ACTUALLY AWAKE?!"
The camera zoomed in on her, her bed-head fully visible, and the crowd lost it.
Aeris (World Chat): "Are you sure you don’t need, like, five more minutes?"
Dani huffed, straightening herself.
Dani (World Chat): "Nah, I’m good."
Her HUD flared to life, analyzing Aeris in real-time. Her new system integration was finally in full force, giving her constant readouts on everything.
ANALYZING OPPONENT: AERIS VOSS
- Primary Combat Style: Arcane Code-Weaving
- Predicted Attack Patterns: High Magic Probability
- Recommended Counters: Fire Code-Weaving, Speed-Based Combat
Her fire burned in her hands, the system syncing to her instincts. Then Aeris moved. A wave of arcane energy shot forward, glowing runes spinning in the air, shaping into blazing projectiles. Dani twisted, her HUD highlighting weak points, and she countered—her own fire weaving through Aeris’s attack, canceling out half the projectiles before they even reached her.
Aeris (World Chat): "Huh. Not bad."
Dani exhaled.
Dani (World Chat): "I’m just getting started."
The arena shook as all three battles raged on, each fighter pushing themselves past their limits. The crowd was on their feet.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "I CAN’T EVEN KEEP UP WITH THIS MADNESS! WE’VE GOT ROGUE WARS ON PLATFORM ONE, A CYBERNETIC STORM ON PLATFORM THREE, AND DANI SHAW STRAIGHT-UP TELLING AERIS VOSS SHE WOKE UP CHOOSING VIOLENCE!"
A camera feed zoomed in—on a random elf in the audience who STILL wasn’t blinking.
ANNOUNCER (Voice Chat): "AND CAN SOMEONE CHECK ON THAT ELF? SIR? HELLO? BLINK. PLEASE BLINK."
The arena HOWLED with laughter, but nobody dared look away.
This is part of a series of stories that have lived solely in my head for many years, and I’ve finally started writing them as serialized fiction books. If you think the story sucks, feel free to tell me—it’s all part of the process. That said, I’m also looking for constructive criticism, so any suggestions are welcome and will be considered as I work to improve the series.