Free Web NovelChapter 132: Chapter 128: The Revolution Will Be Livestreamed
The announcement leaves us all gasping for breath.
We don’t ask stupid questions.
Can System do this?
How can System do this?
How dare System do this?
It can because it can. And it dares because it doesn’t care about anything except winning. No. Scratch that. It cares about conquering. About crushing the opposition completely.
I feel a burning in my stomach. I think I’m going to puke. And I would freely do so, except for one thing: I wouldn’t give System the satisfaction.
[Live streaming?]
Lightning’s voice is the definition of "too angry to scream" because it’s deathly calm. She is not going to yell and raise a fuss, because System eats our pain.
Lobo woofs, his ears back. [Of course. Amp up the pressure. Introduce more people to the game. More suckers. People will be like lemmings. Which, by the way, are in the game. I know someone that plays a lemming. And all lemmings don’t necessarily march toward the sea. That’s a myth...]
[LOBO. You’re rambling.] Lightning is tightly wound.
Lobo claps back. [Well, excuse me! I just found out that my potential execution will have an audience of billions.]
[ENOUGH! Both of you.]
My outburst shuts them down temporarily. Normally, I’d just let them rage at each other and air their frustrations, but I’m spiraling too.
Get a grip, Blaze.
Lightning doesn’t take offense. [You’re right. Let’s not fight. It’s not getting us anywhere. What can we do?]
[WIN. That’s what we can do. We can get serious.]
Now that the initial shock has worn off, Lobo has come to his senses. Of course. He is the master strategist among us.
I offer a little "mrrp" of agreement, followed by a low growl that grows. [We’ve trained for it. We have the nectar. No information on what it’s going to do. I suppose we have to have faith at this point. It’s more spiritual than the mechanics of the game.]
Lightning’s head bobs up and down as she nods. [Yes! It’s not about gaining this much XP or enhancing your stats. It’s not like the Amulet of Beast Power, no offense. It’s a gift from the intelligence behind the Mushroom Man and the Eldritch Doe.]
And then it hits me.
Lightning is right. We won’t win this game by playing System’s way. We won’t win by getting points and chasing the most stat gains. No. We will win via something greater and more powerful. You might call it love. You might call it faith. You might call it Spirit or soul.
[Stats are important.] Lobo, as always, is the gamer geek. [We need to be as strong as possible. And we are. When they do the "weigh in" or stat assessment at the tournament, you will see. I think we’ll blow away the competition. Or most of them. There are beasts that worry me.]
Lightning and I don’t chastise him for rambling. He’s thinking out loud. And he brings a different perspective. Of course he cares about spirit and soul and the intangible advantage that we possess. That being said, he knows how to keep score. He knows the metrics that System uses. We ignore those at our peril.
[This "weigh in" happens right when we arrive?] I know this already, but I ask so that Lobo can focus and not panic about our impending public battle royale.
Lobo leaps on my question. [Of course! Weren’t you paying attention when Maartenwitz gave us the schedule of events?]
[I listened, but it was all bewildering.] I’m playacting, trying to keep him--and myself--calm. [So many events! Several rounds, eliminating beast after beast. And there are the opening ceremonies, like the Olympics. Each household parades in. It’s supposed to be a grand spectacle for all of Tanglewood, and now our human world.]
Lightning shakes her head. [Can you imagine people in W City and worldwide sitting at their computers or in front of their devices and smart TVs watching a video game procession of beasts? Talk about overkill.]
Lobo is quick with the facts. [It’s a speeded-up animation sequence in the game, and you have the option to skip it after a time.]
I laugh. [No such option here. We do need to participate, to show System that we will not be intimidated. That we can win.]
Lobo boops my nose with his paw. [Of course. We will march into that arena with our heads and tails held high, and with all of us boosted by the elixir. We can do this.]
Lightning lifts her tail. [I might just be walking with you in solidarity, and not fighting in the tournament thanks to that ludicrous deal we made with System, but I will show that tyrant what I’m made of.]
[You’re our secret weapon.] Lobo nuzzles her, and I do, too. We share a warmth beyond compare. [You will keep us grounded. You will cheer us on.]
System’s icy voice slices through the warm moment. [How touching.]
Lightning answers demurely. [Yes? Did you want something?]
System still sounds frigid. [Just your acceptance of what is to come. I did not hear you acknowledge my announcement of the livestream of the tournament.]
Oh, it is so self-absorbed and insecure. It knows we reacted to the announcement, yet it has to know our reactions. It’s laughable. And for the first time, I begin to think that System is not as invulnerable as it seems.
I stand up tall. [I can’t speak for the others because they’re asleep. But we’ll be there.]
Lobo raises his tail and points his ears forward. [All of us will,]
Lightning lifts her chin. [Even I will. I will be cheering them on, as promised.]
System pauses. Our ready acceptance might seem too smooth, too easy. But it’s not an act. We genuinely accept fighting for our freedom in public.
[Good. The sooner you accept that I am in control, the better. I will see you in six days. You had better get some rest now. You will need it.]
