War Grounds

Jack, the boy with a slick orange hair, took out a pile of white papers with some scribbled notes in it from the drawer of Sol"s station. He neatly arranged it in his hands as he gestured the rest of the group to follow him.

Turning around from his chair, Jack stood before the wall, wherein the colorful and huge word, "WisDOOM," was mounted. With a push of his hand, a hidden door opened.

Creak.

"Come in. Welcome to our bunker, Al and Bertran." Jack grinned as he flicked open the switch for the room"s light.

A wall light illuminated the dark expanse of s.p.a.ce, revealing an underground staircase. "This is where we sleep! Come."

Bertran was a huge and bulky teenager, at least six feet and four inches tall, and the same age as Al. He barely fitted through the pa.s.sage as the rest of the gang trailed after his huge body.

Fortunately, the stairs were made from concrete, or else it would have squeaked at each step of Bertran.

The underground room was long, but not that wide. However, it was s.p.a.cious enough to fit at least three "Bertrans," who are standing side by side with each other. Its walls and ceiling were painted in cool gray, and one could find at least eight fluorescent tubes on the overhead, providing adequate light for the whole area. There were five solid-wood bunk beds, adjacent to the right wall, three of the lower platforms were already occupied, judging by the items placed on top of them.

At the far end of the room was a round table that could cater to at least ten people, mounted on the wall behind it was a whiteboard for writing.

"This is where we"ll be staying until the end of the Rookie Challenge. Pardon the messy bed of Harvy and Pat." Jack snickered, seemingly teasing the two, while subtly flexing his well-arranged and clean bed.

"It"s bigger than what I had expected. I wonder if there are other hidden rooms." Al pondered as he surveyed the place wherein he"ll stay for almost two weeks.

"d.a.m.n. How can I fit onto these beds?" Bertran grumbled in his thoughts.

"Come. Let"s formally start our daily huddle at that table." Jack increased his pace as he found himself a seat at the round wooden table.

The group followed as they ushered themselves on the seats, with Bertran awkwardly maintaining his balance on the small chair.

"Hehe. Don"t worry, Bert. We"ll request Sol to provide units that could cater to your size." Jack rea.s.sured.

"No need. I"ll tell my brother to buy it for us." Bertran grinned as he gestured a thumbs up with his right hand.

"Woah. You must be rich." Patrick commented.

"Hehe. My father owns a furniture business." Bertran answered.

"Hey, Al. Should I leave now? I think that your group is about to discuss some private matters." Osho whispered to his friend.

In response, Al shot a look to Jack, his face implying a "should I send my friend out"?

"Oh, how could I forget. Are you having a great time, Osho? Don"t worry. This won"t take long. We"re glad to have you here. I"m hoping that you could share some insights too." Jack smiled as he finally acknowledged the out-of-place presence of Al"s best friend.
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"Hehe." Osho played with his ponytail as he laughed halfheartedly. It was his unconscious behavior when he"s shy.

"Alright. I don"t need to be formal here, right?" Jack smiled, creating a casual ambiance while he fixed his eyegla.s.ses. "As you can see, it should be Sol, who would be speaking with us today. However, he had some emergency that he needs to attend to, and commissioned me instead to do this...o...b..arding with everyone." The boy continued to speak as he handed out papers to everyone, except for Osho.

"Written on that paper is our contract as WisDOOM"s representatives for the coming Rookie Challenge. Our benefits and responsibilities are also stated there as members. Just read it, while I write our other agenda." Jack instructed as he stood up and took the marker, scribbling some things on the board.

Harvy and Pat seemed to have gone over the writings already as their papers were already signed.

"If you have no questions, and are all good, you can affix your signatures to make your members.h.i.+p official." Jack grinned.

Without reading the stipulations, Bertran immediately signed the paper. "Count me in!" The huge man smiled widely.

Meanwhile, Al took his time reading the contents of the contract.

The information was simple and straight to the point. "Free food and accommodation, 60-40 sharing of whatever profits earned during the compet.i.tion, with 60% going to the players, house rules, and some prospects regarding the development of the workshop such as the possibility of creating a guild in-game, and prorated allowances. Sounds good." Al was satisfied with what he had read as he placed his signature, the boy couldn"t ask for more.

Osho was happy for his friend as he, too, had read what was written on the contract. "Congrats, dude. You"ll have more friends to carry you from here on." The boy teased.

"Tsss. Ask them who was the carry in our last match." Al smirked.

"Me!" Bertran shouted, and everyone cracked a laugh.

"Great! It looks like everyone"s having a good time. Let"s head straight to our main business, then. As you can see, I"m the acting team captain of WisDOOM. However, after carefully a.s.sessing my performance from yesterday"s match, I, Pat, Harvy, and Sol agreed that Al deserves this position more than I do. So, Al. What"s your say?" Jack smiled. There was no trace of jealousy nor malicious intent in his tone and eyes.

Al was surprised. "Team Captain." He repeated the words in his mind.

Team Captain, a position that carries the burden of the group. No. It"s a privilege to make the load lighter for the team with one"s wisdom and leaders.h.i.+p - the maker and breaker of calls during hard times.

"Big Boss, although I"m the real superstar here, you have my support." Bertran grinned.

"You got this, dude." Osho smiled to show his support.

Although Al would not admit it, he was shaped to become one. He"s got plenty of ideas going in his mind during battles, but in the past, he lacked the support group that believes in the blaze that he leaves as he trails his path. This time, he finally found one.

"Bring it on." Al grinned as he welcomed the responsibility.