Spark(33)

He’d told her he always liked to play big, bulky characters. Not to make up for being small, but for the surprise factor against other gamers. His trick, though, was that he stacked nimbleness and agility on his avatar profiles whenever possible, so he still moved fast despite playing heavily armored classes.
“Make room,” Roc said. “I think it’s time to demonstrate the PVP abilities in here.”
Of course the Terabins would go directly to player-versus-player combat. Spark should have anticipated it.
“I challenge you, warrior boy.” Cora pointed her mage staff at Niteesh.
“Accepted,” he said, bringing up his shield just in time to deflect a blast of arcane light.
 “Well?” Roc said. “Think your fox-girl has what it takes?”
Before she even spoke the words to accept the challenge, Roc vanished. No doubt he was sneaking behind her, trying to go for a killing blow.
She threw herself flat, then rolled. A blade swished harmlessly through the air where she’d just been, and Roc reappeared, scowling. She flung her boot dagger at him, but his reflexes were too good and he slid out of the way, the blade missing.
It was going to be a good fight, and she grinned at the challenge. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a fireball fly across the clearing. Niteesh’s sword flashed and Cora muttered a curse. Spark hoped Vonda was taking notes; VirtuMax gamers weren’t supposed to swear while playing in public, no matter how hot things got.
Roc, however, was always in control, which made Spark’s job harder. She wouldn’t be able to goad him into making a stupid move out of anger.
“So, you want to play with knives?” Two wickedly sharp blades appeared in his hands.
He spun into a blur of motion, and Spark backed up. Although her Kitsune wasn’t best equipped for hand-to-hand, she had a few tricks. She called up the power of air, conjuring a solid wall that stopped Roc in his tracks. In the second it took him to regroup, she dropped the air wall and sent a spear of fire at him.
Roc hissed in surprise and brought his knives up in a classic block, deflecting the burning tip. It nicked his upper arm and the air flashed yellow, signaling he’d taken a hit.
Not enough of one to count as victory, though. The elements weren’t easy to manipulate, and her attack had taken all her magical strength for the moment. She danced back, grabbed her bow, and nocked an arrow. Roc had gone invisible again. Not good.
The whisper of cloth behind her was her only warning. She dodged to the side, but Roc had anticipated her move. His blade slid around to hover across her throat, a kiss of cold metal waiting to bite.
“Surrender?” he asked.
Realization flashed through her. Roc didn’t want to just win this, he wanted to humiliate her in front of the audience. He thought he had her defeated. Too bad for him.
“Never,” she said.
An instant later, she was a fox, her perspective flattened and low, washed of color. She dug her four paws into the ground and dashed between Cora and Niteesh, narrowly avoiding being scorched by an arcane bolt. In another heartbeat, she whirled and returned to her human form—still carrying her bow.
Roc rounded the other fighters, but she’d gained precious time and distance. Spark let her arrow fly, fast and true. It struck Roc in the chest, and he fell to his knees. Her visor screen lit up with a green flash. Victory!
“Bah.” Roc stood and brushed off his black leather vest, though the arrow had disappeared the moment it hit. Unlike actual combat, the loser of a duel didn’t die, just had their character frozen for a few seconds.
“Winner!” Niteesh called out, a note of glee in his voice.
Spark glanced over to see him sheathing his sword, while Cora scowled.
“You got a lucky hit in,” she said. “Next time, you’re dust.”
“Oh, sure.” Niteesh laughed. “Come on, guys. We have a game to show off.”
“Please do.” Vonda’s voice sounded over their headsets. “Although folks appreciated the PVP demonstration.”
Without waiting for the rest of them, Roc jumped over the mushroom boundary and headed down the path winding between the white-trunked trees. Spark took a step forward, wanting to keep him in sight. A strange buzzing sound filled the air, and sudden static crackled through the scene. Weird.
She took another step, and Feyland rippled and wavered. Niteesh asked her something, the words garbled as though spoken underwater. And then, with a stomach-wrenching lurch, she was elsewhere.
Not the simulated world of Feyland, and not the midnight glade of the Dark Court. An eerie landscape stretched around her, a series of flat, purplish plains shading into deep red at the horizon. The sky was evenly lit, a featureless silver bowl clapped down over the ground. Where was she? She turned, heartbeat pounding in her throat. Nothing moved.