Love is War

Chapter 36

“We have a winner!” the announcers unmuted themselves and we can hear it, but I am left staring at my monitor. The texts that had been posted has left me bewildered with what happened to me. I really don’t know what happened. It just happened quickly.

You are dead.

These words still can’t process inside my brain and I really don’t know what does this mean, for now. With a blink of an eye, my whole screen turned black and white and these bloody red texts just appeared. Just earlier I am about to reach those doors to escape. But something grabbed my legs, and he appeared in front of me and just one shotted me.

I blinked a couple of times, hoping that this are all just hallucinations.

“CONGRATULATIONS! Anonymous! You’ve won the battle!” that’s Allan’s voice congratulating my enemy. Why is he congratulating him? The battle is not over yet, why is he congratulating him? Suddenly I felt someone tapping my shoulders and I quickly turned around to see a person in a PCGG uniform.

Why is that person here behind my back? What do she need?

“Ma’am, let’s go,” she said.

“Why?” I asked her. Where is she taking me? The competition is not over yet.

“The game is over, madame you lose,” she said and that confused me a lot more.

“It’s not over yet,” I said while presenting my monitor to her. She glances towards me, more confused than I am and I can sense pity towards her eyes. Why is she pitying me? She opened her mouth but hesitated to talk.

“Ahmm, it s- says that you are dead,” she said. “I’m sorry madame but that means that you already lost and I know it hurts but let’s face reality here, with due respect let’s go to the awarding ceremony,” she said. “At least you placed 2nd in this battle, that means that you are still a skilled gamer,” she said, and my rage is completely drained at this point. Raging towards her is a complete non-sense and a disgrace to my name.

It’s not the fame that I am after for, it’s the card and there’s no purpose placing 2nd if that card is not in my hand. My heart feels empty and I don’t know what to say to her anymore. I just nodded timidly and she smiled and turned her back, then she started walking.

I followed her while I hear the others cheering for my name. I wanted to thank them for the support that they gave me in the whole competition but I am too depressed to do that. I wanted to wave at them smiling but all I can do is avoid looking at them. I don’t want them to see this defeated face.

Acting desperate like arguing with the moderators or have another fight with anonymous will just prove that I am another sore loser in this match, and I don’t want my pride to be trampled over any more. No more.

We reached another stadium where a small stage is placed probably so that they can use this for awarding.

There Allan and Cal are waiting for us three, Anonymous being the... it still hurt me to say this but I need to admit it. That he is the champion and I am just the 2nd place below him. Avenger7 is the third placer. I wanted to place the blame on him, because I lost, but I am still at fault here. I took my decision harshly and that led to my defeat.

He is the bad omen but I took the bait. Anonymous played it calmly so I gotta give my respect to him for playing it that cool, I may defeated him in the first round but in the he is still the victor smiling triumphantly all over us.

“Come here our top three competitors of bracket 1,” Allan invited us to move forward upside the podium and Anonymous and avenger7 went at them with no hesitation, but me, I can’t. I don’t want them to slap it in my face that I lost.

“Chins up lady,” Cal said. “You are one of the most skilled players that we met in our lives,” he said but I don’t know if I am going to be happy with that. As I said earlier it’s not the fame I am after for, it’s for that card. “You still have to claim your price,” he said.

I am not interested with that price.

I looked around and saw my temporary fans cheering for me and that came into my mind. I guess I need to go there and claim my price to show my appreciation for their support. With the top of their lungs, they cheered for me nonstop.

So, I walked towards the mini stadium and stood up besides Anonymous who is just looking straight not interested with any of these. Just the card I guess, I mean he will not participate in this competition if he is not interested with the grand prize. I know that I am right.

“Now for the moment that you have been waiting for,” Allan announces and all of looked at him and there the PCGG staffs are carrying something covered in carpet. It’s really big. Might be our price.

“Anonymous played it just like in the book,” Cal commended him. “His textbook method led to him to his victory and we all saw how he evaded all the monsters without even looking at the notes that’s been provided for them to give them information that they will be needing in the game, but no, we still don’t know how he knew about the materials of the gate, he just goes at it and proceeded in escaping the church that led him to his certain victory,” Cal explained what he did and honestly, I am not surprised anymore. Too bad for me his nerdy vibes are too strong. Nothing really beats true gamers.

“On the other side,” Allan said. “warfreak101, she took advantage of every information that she can get within her hands and she showed us the skills and prominent decision making, but she choked in the end,” I know Allan no need to shove it in my throat. I am already sad enough to take it all in. “But with her overall performance, she captured the hearts of many and left us with awe-inspiring feats and finished every battle with style,” he said.

“On contrary of the two, the dark horse of the competition where no one expected him to at least reach the top three of this competition, but the saying is really true, don’t judge the book by its cover, avenger7 somehow won every battle with his unorthodox method of playing the game, that sure made us laugh and left us wondering how he defeated other skilled players, with his unending luck, the last of the winners standing in this stadium and you will soon receive your prizes!” Allan said and the all of the spectators laughed with that comment towards the poor player.

We are not cool since he baited me, if only I knew that he will not die there and who can imagine someone surviving a sure death in a dead end. That time I really thought that he is going to be killed in that room and I decided to run since they will probably search every hidable places inside that room. So while he is still alive, I decided to run so that their focus will remain still at him and I can escape them safely.

But to my surprise he managed to escape that situation and dragged me with him, I still can’t understand how he escaped that but that decision made me lose.

All I can do right now is have a glance towards that card and say my regards to it. I wonder how is she doing right now. Is she one of the spectators above watching me lose? She probably loses in that bracket. She does not know anything about games, so I am sure of that.

“Now we will go first with our 3rd placer’s price,” they uncovered one of the items that staffs are carrying, and it showed a box ok keyboard and mouse. I recognized it, that’s wwhat I use, OOG branded peripherals, one of the best brands when it comes to gaming tools, it simply means organization of gamers. “The OOG’s elite keyboard and mouse set, we will reward this for your hard work,” Allan said. They shake hands and the other staff handed those two boxes to him. He looks so happy with it; I wish I could be that happy too. Cons of being too rich. Cal went in front of me while still holding his mic.

“Congratulations to you, our 2nd placer,” enough with that term they are just rubbing salt in my wounds. “You will win,” he said and they uncovered the other covered items and there I saw a complete gaming set-up, the front panel of the casing is crystal clear and it has slick design than mine. I can tell that all brands came from OOG, but all are customed design just like what I wanted. I don’t if this is coincidence or not.

It has the same components than mine, maybe even better than I currently have. That’s cool.

“A brand-new complete gaming set-up with the latest release of components sponsored by OOG, you deserve it,” Cal said and he offered his hands so we can shake hands and immediately accepted it and we shake our hands.

I can say that for the very least it made me feel better because I can replace my gaming setup with that. I thought what I will receive is just a useless price that I will give to my men but no, I will be giving away my old rig.

I think I can use my phone now since the competition is finished. I pulled it out of my pocket and I opened it to read the texts that I received earlier. Whoo, that competition is exhausting...

My heart dropped when I read one of the texts.