BLUFF [AIB]

Stage Two: III

[Started: 1/10/2023]
[Ended: 1/11/2023]
[Song: All Along The Watchtower by Jim Hendrix.]

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Alice In Borderlands
BLUFF
STAGE TWO: Opia
"The ambiguous intensity of looking someone in the eye, which can feel simultaneously. invasive and vulnerable."

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Chapter Three
"Kyuma."
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"Put some pants on before you poke someone's eye out."
A smile pulled at Kyuma's lips. "It's good to see your alive."
Y/n stepped out from behind Arisu to face Kyuma. "It's not so nice to see you considering the circumstances."
He nodded his head. "That's true, one of us will be dying today."
Usagi looked between the two. "How do you know him Y/n."
"Kyuma was the self appointed leader of my first game. Coincidentally it was a clubs game." She explained.
His eyes narrowed at her. "You've changed."
"In a good way I hope." Y/n she crossed her arms.

"I'll now introduce the other members. Over here, that's Shitara." Kyuma gestured to a man with long hair an bangs. "Uta." The only woman in the group. "Maki." A man with a mustache and goatee. "Goken." He had a buzzed head and a tattoo on his neck. "Nice to meet you." Kyuma finished.
     The player group just awkwardly stood there. Most of them were intimidated by Kyuma. Specifically his lack of clothing distracted them.
     "Your freaking them out." Uta told him.
     Shitara sighed. "Put some pants on man."
     Kyuma frowned. "Nudists have been around for centuries. It's a perfectly legit lifestyle. Clothing is a social construct."
     Tatta looked at Y/n. "Your friends with this crazy guy?"
     She nodded. "Though he didn't seem so crazy the first time we met."
     Niragi chuckled. "He's lost it."

     Arisu stepped forward. "Never mind that. Just who are you people?"
     "Who are we?" Kyuma repeated in a mysterious manner. "We are the citizens of this country."
     Usagi frowned. "Citizens?"
     "Is that who we're playing against now?" Y/n questioned more so to herself.
     "I am the leader of this team, we made this game. Incidentally, it was developed by Shitara." Kyuma explained.
     "But this is the first time we'll be playing it." Shitara added.

     Kyuma pointed to the large screen.
     "Game, Osmosis."
     "The rules are very simple. Each team starts with 10,000 points in total. Members of each team are free to distribute the points amongst its members as they see fit, with a minimum of 100 points per person. The teams each have their respective bases, which are tall posts." Kyuma tapped the large structure with a plasma ball on top. "The goal of the game is to accumulate as many points for the team as possible in the time limit. There are three ways to obtain points - Battle, Item, and Base. All points lost or gained affects the team total."

     "Could you give us an example?" Y/n crossed her arms.
     Kyuma nodded. "I guess it must be hard to under without an explanation." He looked to the rest of the group. "For now I've given you all points for this example. We'll start with battles."
     Shitara spoke up again. "In order to battle, the player will have to make physical contact with the opponent's body. The bracelet will sense the bioelectricity and initiate the game. The bracelets will reflect the points of the player and the opponent in the battle. The player with the greater number of points is the battle's winner. The loser will automatically transfer 500 points to the winner at the end of the battle."
     Kyuma touched Niragi taking five hundred points from him. "It's that easy."

     Uta chuckled at Niragi's annoyed expression. "Don't forget multiple people can battle at once."
     Kyuma looked at Arisu and Usagi. "You two, hold hands."
     They just stared awkwardly. An amused smile came to Kyuma's face. "What's this? Don't tell me your blushing?"
    Feeling embarrassed Usagi took Arisu's hand. Kyuma looked at them. "You two make a cute couple."
     Y/n rolled her eyes. "Stop embarrassing them."
     He sighed. "Anyway, when two teammates are touching each other, their points are combined." He put a hand on Arisu's shoulder giving the player team five hundred points. "When you win you split the five hundred evenly." Kyuma moved away from them looking up at the screen. "Now the items. There are six random items hidden in containers around the game arena with varying worth in points. Once the item is found, the player will gain the points tied to the respective item upon physical contact." He then moved over to the pole again placing a hand on it. "Now allow me to explain this. This is your teams base, ours is on the opposite side of the arena. The base is a place where an infinite number of points is stored. If a player were to successfully touch the Base of the opposing team, they're rewarded with 10,000 points. When making contact with one's own base, that player will have an infinite amount of point. In this event, the points transferred will be 10,000 points from the loser to the winner."
     "Then the player's points will drop below zero. What happens then?" Usagi asked.
     "They die." Kyuma answered. "After each Battle that results in an exchange in points, any further attempts of exchanging points is forbidden. If players accidentally or purposefully engage in a battle with a player in that state, both will be shocked with a high voltage electric current. To rested you must touch your own base."

     Y/n crossed her arms in thought. "This feels similar to our game together."
     Kyuma smiled. "I did say it was my kind of game."
     'Fuck.'
     "The game will start once you've distributed your points." Kyuma told them as he began walking away. "Good luck."
     "Wait!" Arisu called making Kyuma stop but not turn back around. "I'm Arisu. Kyuma, I want to know something before we begin. If we clear all the games, can we return to the real world?"
     "What is the "real world?" This place you want to return to, it seems you believe it is the true world.....when you were there, how many people could you talk to honestly and deal with truthfully? Vanity and deception. Shit like that falls away quickly here. When faced with death, that's when you see the true nature of people." Kyuma turned to face Arisu. "This world is real. These games are conversations, let's converse with our naked souls and with all our strength. If you want to know the truth, then battle me with all your might." Finishing his mysterious monologue he left with his teammates.
     Y/n looked down, genuinely taking his words to heart. In a way what he said was true. These live or death games brought people together. They have changed Y/n's very existence in the world.
     Arisu nodded. "Alright, let's do this."

    
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     "Why are you and Y/n fighting?" Kuina leaned on the car by Chishiya.
     He shrugged it off. "We're not."
     She rose a brow at him. "Let me guess, you both don't care if you live or die and that pisses both of you off."
     Chishiya smirked. "You know us well."
    She looked at him. "I guess that's not really a fight then."
     The blond moved off the car looking in the distance. "Y/n told me not to join this game....so I guess I might as well join another."
     Frowning Kuina looked to what he was looking at. The Jack of hearts blimp. "You can't be serious."
     He began walking away.
     "It's going to take forever to walk there." She called but he just kept walking. She sighed exasperated. "Y/n is going to be pissed."

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     "Y'know he seem like a normal guy, he's actually pretty nice." Tatta said referring to Kyuma.
     "How can a buck-naked nutjob be normal?" Niragi scoffed.
     Y/n shot a glare at him. "Your the last person that should be talking." She looked at Arisu. "Got a plan?"
     He stood there quietly for a moment. "Yes. The  fast runners get 300 points, the slow runners get 4700. Whoever guards the base gets 100. We split into pairs. One with a high number, one with a low number. Search for the items like that and battle when we can."
     "Who's doing what?" Tatta asked.
     "You guard the base, Y/n and Usagi are faster than me and Niragi so they'll have the low points." Arisu answered.
     Usagi spoke up. "I'll go with Niragi."
   The man smirked in amusement.
    "Guess that leave us." Y/n said looking in between Usagi and Arisu awkwardly.
    Arisu nodded. "Let's do this."

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