“Go Boss!” Truffle squealed from his private box.

  He watched as John lined up a sneaky shot from behind the huge murder cat and Ton Thorn fell. Then the tiger turned and leaped through the air.

  Truffle gasped as he watched his boss fire valiantly into the belly of the beast. Why wasn’t the round over, he’d already killed his opponent?

  Turning to the large screen next to him he saw a close up of the pencil man in the purple jeans, Boss’ bullet hadn’t killed him. It had hit him in the side of the neck, knocking Ton Thorn from the cat monster and onto the rocks.

  He laid there, convulsing in a pool of his own motor oil, but he wasn’t dead.

  Turning back to the main arena he saw the tiger laying still on the ground, it seemed to be dead, but where was Boss?

  Panic stricken, he banged on the glass window hard with his front trotters, he needed to get down there, he had to find John.

  “Damn you glass prison, let me out!” He squealed as he desperately looked around the arena for any sign of John, but there was none.

  The timer on the screen next to him counted down, there was only a few seconds left of the match. Boss couldn’t be dead, the timer would have stopped if he was, right?

  “Kesh, where’s Boss?” He asked in a fast squeal that no human would have even recognised as words.

  “Under beast,” she replied calmly as she watched from the sofa.

  “He’s under the cat!”

  DING, DING, DING.

  We have a winner! The jovial announcer called out and Truffle turned back to his view from the window to see a bright purple light emanating from below the tiger.

  Sadly no one died, however our judges have concluded that John Doe is the winner based on points. It was a close call but we don’t do ties here and it has been determined that our human contestant would have suffocated approximately three seconds after Mr Thorn would have voided all of his oil reserves.

  What an upset, am I right folks? This sure was an exciting opener to what I’m sure will be a harrying day of excitement. The next fight will start in fifteen minutes, so grabs some snacks and hurry on back!

  Amidst the voracious cheers from the crowd some booing could be heard, but the teacup pig didn’t care. He was elated that John had not only won but was still alive.

  “Go Boss!” Truffle squealed happily as the tiger dissipated and John was held in stasis inside the purple tube of light. His body had been crushed, he looked like a pancake and his face was a mess.

  A similar blue light held Ton Thorn in stasis as well and the two were transported off the field of battle.

  “Do you think he’s alright?”

  “Light heals, human be fine,” Kesh replied and Truffle could have sworn he’d seen a little flicker of a smile on her face.

  “I can’t wait for him to get back, we can watch the other matches together,” Truffle crooned, happily padding at the carpet in front of the window.

  Kesh winced and the teacup pig looked towards her with a questioning stare.

  “Contestants no watch matches,” she said awkwardly, “held in stasis until next fight.”

  “So Boss can’t come and see us until this is all over?” He said, looking down at the floor, “I wanted to help him strategize. I don’t like been away from him.”

  “Sorry little one, not allowed.”

  Truffle didn’t speak for a long moment as he closed his eyes and contemplated this. He felt bad being stuck up in the VIP box with Kesh, his place was at John’s side.

  His boss had barely survived that last round and it was only the quarter finals. He needed his companion.

  With a resigned snort, Truffle raised his head and fixed Kesh with a steely gaze. “I need to get stronger,” he said sternly, “strong enough to help Boss.”

  “No allowed in tournament-”

  “I know that! But what about after the tournament, he’ll need my help more than ever. Half the galaxy is watching this, when he wins he’ll become a target… He’ll need me.”

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Kesh looked up with a sympathetic gaze alien to her species and sighed deeply, placing a three-pronged trotter over her eyes.

  “O.R.C can help, but not until next round of Battle Royale. Can you keep alive till then?”

  “Definitely…” Truffle replied confidently, “or I’ll die trying.”

  “You have maximum cards, yes?”

  Truffle nodded; his card was something called a full stack card. It was a deck unto itself with the ability to allow him to keep three powers for a limited time, that he gained through consuming his enemies.

  “Then you eligible for level up,” Kesh said, “I help with that.”

  ***

  Blackness faded and John’s eyelids burned under the florescent lighting which took its place. All he could see was glowing red on the backs of his lids, a familiar feeling, like closing your eyes whilst sunbathing.

  Breathing in a sharp inhale that flooded his lungs with a piercing cold he felt his heart beating hard against his chest.

  Heaven sure feels a lot like living, he thought as his mind slowly began to catch up with his surroundings.

  Opening his heavy eyes he saw purple, then stars, stands, the hazy outline of the forcefield and finally, a green blur dashed on the landscape before him.

  …Though it looks more like I’m in hell.

  He was back in the arena, he was alive.

  Alrighty folks, it’s time for the second round of the semifinals, are you as excited as I am? The familiar voice of the Jovial Announcer rang out all around him and inside his head, John instinctively reached for his guns but nothing happened.

  His vision came into focus confirming what he already knew; that he was indeed back in the arena. He couldn’t move his body and, less than a second after that realisation hit, he saw that he was in the purple tube of light once more.

  Did he say semifinals?

  His last victory was a close shave, but don’t count him out just yet folks, this cowboy is more than just a not-so-pretty face. It’s John Doe!

  The crowd screamed, though there was some booing amidst the cheers. John didn’t care, his mind was too busy working overtime trying to piece together exactly what had happened.

  He was trapped under the tiger last he remembered, had he somehow gotten out and won? Surely he would have remembered that, and why was the semifinals starting straight after his quarter final match had ended? It didn’t make any sense.

  Didn’t he say this was the second semifinal match?

  Had he been trapped in the purple light this entire time? How long had it been, a day, an hour? He hated not knowing and his mind was racing trying to make sense of this situation. Then he remembered the interface he’d bought, focusing on the symbols in the corner of his eyes he brought up the time remaining function.

  Countdown: 5 days remaining

  Huh, I guess it’s still the same day then. At least that’s something.

  His opponent is a man that needs no introduction after his last fight, an Earthling, a fighter, an audience delighter.

  Another Earthling?

  Was he about to fight Joanna? He squinted at the green light sitting on the opposite side of the arena but it was too far away for John to make out who was inside.

  If it was Joanna then he needed to be ready. He really wished he could move his hands so he could slap himself, that might just do the trick of focusing his mind.

  He could sort out what had happened later, if this was a battle against Joanna then he needed to be on the top of his game, mental fatigue and confusion be damned.

  It’s BazzleDazzle69!

  The crowd roared a thundering assertion of delight, unblemished by even a single audible boo.

  WHAT?!

  As you all know folks, the winner of this match will go on to the finals, getting ever closer to the ultimate prize… and the glory. Who will it be? It’s a battle of Earthlings, but not like you’ve seen before. I for one can’t wait.

  John squinted harder but he still couldn’t make out the figure in the green light. Could it really be Baz?

  He had only seen him two days ago and he was a wreck, an uncarded wreck blubbering into his brother’s burnt corpse.

  Had he really managed to not only get a card, but enter the tournament and win a duel? Why hadn’t John noticed him in the preliminary round? Was he there the whole time, John was rather busy fighting Joanna and then Ka Ren and then running around shooting the avatars who refused to dodge out of some kind of outdated honour code.

  How hadn’t he noticed him?

  The beams of light began floating through the air like magnets attracted to each other and John squinted at the green tube the entire time.

  As it pulled closer he saw a man, his brunet hair had been scalped leaving only a thick strip on the top of his head and the scar on his neck had been joined by a nasty, new mark which covered his right eye, and from the looks of it, had lost him that eye. The other side of his face was scarred too.

  Realisation struck. John had seen this guy in the first round. He recognised the scarred face. It was the same guy who had been laser focused on Joanna the entire time. When all the other avatars came after John following the death of Ka Ren’s avatar, this guy ran towards her. He hadn’t recognised him; John had thought it was just another avatar. How could a person’s physical appearance change so much in only two days?

  Baz’ perpetual smirk which gave the impression that he was always amused by something had turned into a permanent grimace. The one remaining eye that he had looked hollow and dark, matching the bags under it, which suggested that he hadn’t slept since they’d met.

  He looked hardened, like a solider returning from war.

  Baz had also changed his clothes, in lieu of the starting jumpsuit that all contestants were given and that he had been wearing the last time, Baz had donned paramilitary attire.

  Camouflaged combat trousers tucked into black boots and finished off with a custom leather jacket brimming with knives, grenades and an assortment of other militaristic equipment.

  John knew that he must have acquired a card to have made it this far. Figuring out exactly what that card did and how to counter it was going to have to be his top priority, however, more than that he yearned to know what had happened to change a man so drastically in so little time.

  Watching his brother burn alive probably did it, he thought, though surely there was more to the tale. The man had been a blubbering wreck when they’d left him to go fishing.

  Was watching a loved one die really enough to turn a nice, if a little na?ve, young man into… this?

  DING, DING, DING.

  “It’s been a while John, where’s your talking bacon snack?”