Blessed Combat

2 - Having a guest for the first time

Blessed Combat was originally an action thriller assault game where players would engage in battles while wearing exoskeletons. However, exoskeletons are specific to each player; meaning that the players don’t choose their battle armour, the armour choose them instead. For each player, each battle exoskeleton has different structural forms, so the size differs from one individual to another.

Exoskeleton is armour that acts like the player's second skin. It protects the player from life threatening damages and amplifies each blow made by the player at his or hers opponent. Even jumping would be like soaring straight into the sky. The battle only ends when only one person is left standing in the arena.

After doomsday arrived, the system in Blessed Combat, an AI (Artificial Intelligence), started producing seven zones within the game, the fifth one being Wind Crest, where all the survivors were kept at for the first few days after the life on earth ended for humanity. It also started making several other games to keep the players at bay by entertaining them; however Blessed Combat was still the main game event throughout the virtual world.

There was a common game strategy that comes in both Blessed Combat and other minor games that the AI had to offer; having a team of three players. There were no choice between solo battles and multiplayer battles in Blessed Combat. So if a solo player was to face three players in a team, then those three players are indeed the unfortunate solo player’s opponent. If two players in the team were down but one was left standing, with the team’s single opponent knocked out, the winner would be the entire team.

It was unfair, yes, but surprisingly, most of the players hadn’t complained since it made things ‘all the more challenging and fun’. Although it was soon evident, with the number of players teaming up with others; to have a higher chance of winning, the players must at least need one partner to help each other. For one to go alone into battle they have to be witty, strong and have tons of luck on their side.  

Going back to the present, Arma was rendered speechless at what Zessica had just said. She wanted him to be her partner? Him? HIM?! The troublemaker? The one who destroys things with just a bare touch???

“Ki-dding~” Zessica swiftly added right after; the tone of her voice almost childish while she stuck out her tongue at the bamboozled Arma. She did it all in such a straightforward face it almost looked funnier than it should have been, yet, at the same time...wrong.

“After all you have your mind set on asking Titania, isn’t that right?”Zessica illustrated casually, in which Arma reacted almost instantaneously the moment he heard Titania’s name mentioned through her lips.

“No! I haven’t! I wasn’t thinking about making her my partner! Absolutely not! Nada!” Even without looking a mirror, Arma knew his face was bright red from getting so worked up about Zessica’s statement. It didn’t help him backing up his claims. The girl on the other hand, simply raised both eyebrows, expecting him to explain.

Perhaps it’s because he didn’t want to lie to the girl; who happened to be the closest person he could call as a friend, or, maybe it’s the fact that she was able to sniff him out his lies. Either way, swallowing down his pride reluctantly, Arma eventually gave in.

“Okay...maybe I had been thinking of it...a little.” Arma admitted quietly, his cheeks slightly flushed red from discomposure of the situation. He felt like a child caught red handed of doing something disobedient.

“So why not ask her then?”Zessica responded after a brief moment of silence, as if it was the answer to all the unsolvable questions which, left scientists and experts muttering their way to hospitals. Arma felt his eyebrow twitch at that uncomfortably, a not quite amused look pasted on his face. Oh if it only had been that easy.