War Grounds

"Papa Bear? Is that you? Udil here :D" Al Gentrix immediately asked in the chat.

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"Yes! This is me! The should-be-MVP! The system"s rigged! Fine, I"ll give it to you. Just this time, though! Hi everyone :D", Bertran replied with fluctuating emotions in his tone.

"Hey!" Jack McHeart welcomed.

"Welcome, Bertran! I"m Solomon Hestias, the founder of WisDOOM :D Glad to have you here! Yup, I have to agree! You should have been the MVP! HAHA! By the way, where did you get your weapon? You too, Al! It"s my first time to see a transforming weapon, and someone who is below Level 20 with a hidden cla.s.s!" Sol also sent a message.

"Welcome." Harvy Giddy"s lifeless greeting followed suit.

"Hey! You"re a terrible tank!" Patrick Gadlock immediately reprimanded the previously rash actions of Papa Bear that had almost put the team in trouble.

Messages flooded WisDOOM"s team chat. It was getting lively.

"Woah! One by one, kiddos." Bertran was slow in typing.

"@SolomonHestias, my brother, Ogni, gave this to me. It was crafted by Yakouza, and called as "Obelisk"s Wrath." Do you love it? It"s incredible than Al"s weapon, right? :D"

"@HarvyGiddy, thanks, dude."

"@PatrickGadlock, who the h.e.l.l are you?"

After typing for a while, Papa Bear sent three responses, mentioning the username of each person, he was addressing.

"Oh, I see. That"s nice. Yeah, it looks cool on you! Haha", Sol replied in the chat as he surveyed Al in his Battle Station. "Oh, it looks like that he doesn"t want to share it." Solomon simply smiled, not yet receiving the response from the boy.

"Sorry, I can"t share it. Hehe." Al finally replied.

"Oh, peace, I"m being nosy. Everybody has their secrets anyway. No worries ;)", Sol replied in the chat.

"Tsk. Well, I"m just the one who had saved you from dying! CancerIsLife." Pat replied to Bertran. Amusingly, he was not irked by the tone of Papa Bear. The dwarf seemed to be in a good mood.

"Oh, you"re that dwarf! Dude, your IGN is terrible! You lack some artistry! Previously, I did not need healing anyway, but thanks :p", the Orc player shamelessly replied.

"Hey, everyone! Hey! What"s the plan? One more game? By the way, are you all together in one place? Where you at?" Bertran further asked in the chat.

"I think that we"ll have to call it a day. Pat has already reached the Bronze Rank, so he won"t be able to join us anymore in the rank match. We"ll plan again tomorrow! We"re in the western outskirts of Peace Valley, Bertran. Are you living nearby? :D

@Everyone, you guys take some good rest too. Our potential is promising! I can see a great vision for our workshop! I"m proud of you guys, and I"m happy to support you. Let"s work hard together! Goodnight!" Sol already gave his closing remarks.

"Yes! I"m just a few rides away. I"ll come over tomorrow, then! I can"t wait to see you all! I"ll be there at 9 AM! I"ll take my rest now so that I could carry you all tomorrow! Goodnight!" Bertran sent his response before logging off.

The rest of the group also said their goodbyes, and immediately unhooked themselves from their respective Battle Stations.

"Hey, Harvy! So, how did you find your new weapon?" Jack-the-hugger latched himself on the aloof tall guy.

"Er. It had no name, so I gave it one." Harvy tried his best to detach himself from Jack. He was obviously uncomfortable if someone invades his personal s.p.a.ce.

"Oh! What did you name it, then?" Jack excitedly asked.

"Black Horse." Harvy nonchalantly answered.

"Wow. That seemed poetic to me." Jack grinned. The weapon"s name really suited their horse-looking a.s.sa.s.sin.

Meanwhile, Patrick was slowly approaching Udil, who was still busy in fixing his Battle Station.

"Hey!" Pat"s high-pitched tone immediately got Al"s attention.

"Oh, hey!" Al found it somehow uncomfortable. It was hard to face those who hated you in a personal conversation.

"I"m sorry for calling you "slow-hands" before." The dwarf-looking man grinned as he extended his right hand for a shake. He was finally acknowledging Al"s skills.

Al"s face suddenly brightened. The knot in his heart started to untie. "Hey! I"m sorry for annoying you back then too! I"ll be looking forward to your awesome "heal" from now on, then?" Al extended his hand to complete the shake.

"With your prowess, I doubt that you"ll need it," Pat answered; he was still grinning. His face showed that he was pleased with the young man"s performance.

Meanwhile, Solomon could not help himself from smiling. He had watched the whole match. When he previously saw that his team was pitted against Burning Orient, he could not help himself from worrying. However, now that he had witnessed the potential of the group, he was excited about the path ahead.

"Hey, Al! Sophia sent a message. She"s waiting for you at your home. She said that you should hurry!" Sol shouted from his station.

"Aye! Thank you, too, Sol! Hey, how about you, guys? Where are you heading to?" Al waved his hand to acknowledge Solomon"s shout.

"Nah, we"re staying. From here on, we"ll be camping with Solomon to prepare for the Rookie Challenge. We have a lot to discuss, especially your secrets!" Jack grinned as he winked.

Staying in one place with a team of your own, Al dreamt of that too! However, he was not sure if his mother would buy that idea.

"I need to tell mom that I"m quitting school as soon as possible." The boy thought. "Hehe. That"s cool! I"ll see you all tomorrow, then. Good luck with your research. Haha! Goodnight!"

Al exited the workshop and immediately ran his way back to the main street. It was already past 6 PM; the air was cold, and the city"s noise could be heard from a distance.

The boy hailed a cab on his way home. When he alighted the taxi, he could feel his knees starting to lose strength.

"How should I say this to mom?" Al pondered as he made his way towards their door.

Open.

"Mom?" The house was dimly lit, and the air seemed to be eerie. "Sophia? Anyone home? d.a.m.n! I"m bad at this!" Al was a "scaredy-cat," he imagined some horror scenes in his mind.

"Hey, champ! We"re here in the living room!" Sophia"s alluring voice echoed through the hallway.

Al slowly made his way to the living room, and there he found Sophia and his mom, cheerfully talking with each other.

"Hi, Mom. Hehe." Al feinted a smile.

"Hi, Al. So, how did your project research for your Advanced Algebra go?" It seemed to be an innocent question.

"s.h.i.+t. Is this a trap?" Al glanced a curious look towards Sophia, who was also smiling innocently. "Have she already told mom?" The boy was hesitating to answer. However, if there"s one lesson that he had learned today, then it should be about taking risks - do not hesitate!

"Mom! I...I"m quitting school!" Al did not answer the previous question as he finally confessed what he really wanted to do with his life. The boy immediately squinted his eyes, already expecting a sermon from his mother.

However, only the sound of slowly nearing footsteps filled the silence. Suddenly, Al felt an overwhelming warmth as his mother embraced him.

"Sophia had already told me about it. What else can I do, Al Gentrix? I"ve promised your dad to support you, and that"s what mothers should do." Al could feel his mother"s deep sigh. He knew that his decision was a big one and was beyond the traditional way of living. The boy did his best to stop his tears from falling.

"Mom. Huhu." Al"s best was not enough to stop the tears as he helplessly started to bawl in front of his crush.

"Hush. However, I"m only giving you a year to think about this. Do you understand? After that, if nothing good comes out of this madness of yours, promise me that you"ll stop it! Al Gentrix, promise me that you"ll stop it." Marina grabbed her son"s shoulders. Her gaze was dear and sincere, one that is full of love.

Al could not speak; his heart was melting. All he could manage to do was nod his head in response.

"Good boy. You owe Sophia a lot. If not for her, I would not have granted you this permission. Also, I have another good news. I did not really throw away your "Battle Station." Check your room. It"s there now." Marina smiled as she kissed her son"s forehead.

Al"s teary eyes brightened with life. His beloved and personal "Battle Station" was back! He immediately shot a grateful look towards the giggling Sophia, as he sprinted his way up to the stairs - to his room!

After a few seconds, the scream of Al could be heard throughout the house.

"MOM! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!!!!"

It"s funny how one"s good intentions could sometimes mess up situations.

Neatly placed on Al"s bed were the dismantled parts of his "Battle Station." He was not sure how his mother had disa.s.sembled the console, but technically speaking, it was good as not-working anymore.

Oh, how beautiful it is to experience a mother"s love in this crazy world.