Fourth Game Switch-Up

“Alright, players! Now that you’ve had a chance to catch your breath, let’s go over this round’s results!” Announcer declared. The short rest, on top of the post game restoration of health and mana, left everyone feeling right as rain. As the announcer dramatically paused for the nonexistent audience, John thought about the scores.

‘Don’t know how much completing the list or grabbing the bonus item are worth,’ he thought. ‘Figure the bots are worth a point or two. Maybe the coupons are weighted more since they were harder to find.’

“Now, to keep things from being too long winded, we’ll cover the points you all earned. Completing your shopping lists and getting out with the bonus item nets each team eighty points, fifty for the list and thirty for the bonus round. So everyone’s starting off with a good nest egg. Now, each enemy was worth two points and the coupons, in addition to netting an item, give five points. So if you were an aggressive shopper or a dedicated coupon clipper, you can easily pull ahead of the pack.

“First up, the team that won last round, Team Pruzonia! You took out six bots and grabbed seven coupons, earning you forty-seven points, bringing your round three total to one hundred and twenty-seven and overall score to three hundred and twenty-eight!”

‘That’s a jump,’ Senka remarked. ‘We were just over two hundred at the halfway point, right?’

‘Yeah,’ John replied, a frown growing. ‘Don’t think we’re going to win this one though. Sofia took out at least six during the end run and I doubt she and Rowan were shy about dealing with them before that. Even with only being worth two points, taking out enough of them would easily put them about the score from the coupons. It’s not like there were as many of them.’

“On to the next team, who lost the last round only by an unlucky hand, Team Order! They took out an astounding sixteen enemies and a respectable four coupons, bringing their round three score to one hundred and thirty-two and overall total to three hundred and twenty-four!”

‘Looks like I was right,’ John thought as he looked over to the knights. Rowan was trying to maintain an impassive facade but the hints of a smile kept creeping onto her lips and her eyes seemed to sparkle. Sofia maintained a far more professional air, though John would call her expression one of satisfaction on a job well done.

Chancing a glance over at K’mels, John was surprised to see him with what was close to a neutral expression, only a small downwards curve to his mouth to signal his displeasure.

‘He’s taking their score with a grace I didn’t think he could muster,’ Senka remarked with a bit of amusement.

‘Man, I can’t wait til this is all over and we can ask Teri just what happened to make him mellow out,’ John thought back, curiosity burning within him. ‘If Teri can get him to bend, then maybe she can repeat it with Vrexty.’

Senka laughed. ‘That may be far too much a miracle, even for our Teri.’

John held back a chuckle as the announcer began the final point readout. “And last, but certainly not least, Team Golmerk! With seven enemies slain and five coupons found, add thirty-nine points to their eighty, bringing their game total to one hundred and nineteen and their full total to three hundred and twenty-three!”

John’s eyes were still on K’mels when the totals were announced so he noticed his frown turned into a scowl for a moment before he **** it back.

‘Guess he’s still not a fan of losing,’ he thought. 'But I have to give him credit for trying to not look it.’

“Now, things are rather close going into the final round, aren’t they?” Announcer excitedly proclaimed. “And since it is the final round, no need to spin. Sorry, Team Order, you’ve missed your chance there but you’re in spitting distance of claiming the special prize. The name of the game is Blades, Polearms and Axes. Do you have what it takes to stand up to the finest weapons around?”

John was ready for either further explanation or a jump straight to the start of the game but the announcer surprised him by continuing on.

“Now, while taking things on like you have would be all well and good, how about we change things up for the last game? Make it so you all have to give it your all to secure your team’s victory?”

“What sort of change?” Sofia asked, her voice firm with authority.

“I’m glad you asked! Turns out, you do get a spin. A spin on the team randomizer!”

A new selection wheel manifested, this one divided into four blank segments.

“Here’s the deal,” Announcer continued. “Each of you will spin until everyone’s paired up with someone other than their teammate. Those will be the partnerships going into the last round, but the points will still go to the original teams. You and your teammate both take down one enemy? Both teams get the full point value.”

“What’s the catch?” Sofia asked. “A way for us to quickly rack up points surely has a downside.”

“Well, ruin my fun, why don’t cha?” Announcer said in a sassy tone. “Yes, there are some rules you’ll have to follow. Obviously, you and your partner will need to work together and to guarantee that you'll be wearing these!”

A sudden chill ran up John’s arm as a band of silver manifested around his right wrist. A quick glance around showed everyone had the same piece of jewelry on one of their wrists.

“These fine accessories will enforce the first rule, you have to stay within a certain distance of your partner. Get too far away and you’ll find yourselves growing weaker. So make sure to keep your buddy close!”

Wanting a bit more information, John hit the bracelet with Observe.

Game Bracelet
Unique
A silver band that links one player to another, ensuring they work together to complete the game. Getting too far away from each other is ill advised.
Attributes: Indestructible, Paired, Debilitation Aura

Debilitation Aura: When certain conditions are met, the wearer of this item will have their Strength, Endurance, Agility, Max Mana and Mana Regen reduced by 50%.

‘That’s a big debuff,’ John thought. With everyone in his party, he left open the displays so they could read them.

“Moving on to the second rule, to keep you lot from just moving as a full group, taking on any enemy with anyone but your partner will result in no points. So you’ll need to work only with your partner to win.”

‘Suppose being able to work with anyone but your new partner would defeat the purpose of this switch up,’ Senka noted.

‘Yeah, but it means if there’s a strong enemy, we’ll be limited to taking it on with just one ally,’ John thought back. ‘I don’t think we could have beaten the scarecrow without Sofia and Rowan. At least not in a decent time.’

‘Let’s hope there isn’t a boss we’ll need to defeat,’ Senka remarked. ‘Or if there is, it’s scaled to two people.’

John wasn’t too confident that would be the case. It wouldn’t be a grand finale if there wasn’t some dangerous final obstacle.

“And finally, the third rule,” Announcer said, pausing for dramatic effect. “Each team will have one enemy they have to either defeat or otherwise take claim over the red flag it guards. Failure to do either will result in a hefty point reduction so take the cautious route carefully. And since we’re on the topic, here’s how the game is played. The sponsor of this game is Mercenary’s Chest, purveyors of arms and armor, so what better way to prove the quality of their goods than by a live demonstration? Each team will have to go through the gauntlet, taking on the armed display mannequin gauntlet. Will you rely on what you already have, or will you give something new a swing?”

“Is beating enemies the only way to earn points?” Vivian asked.

“Of course not! Around the area are a number of display cases, filled with weapons and armor. Claiming them will count for points, but unlike the other rounds, you can choose whether to add it to the loot pile, or equip it. You’ll get a personal copy of anything you take out of the game. The same goes for any item dropped by defeated enemies, but be warned, players, taking this gear means they could be destroyed or lost, and either will not only remove the point for obtaining it, but give you a penalty. So think hard before grabbing that new sword.”

“High risk, high reward,” Sofia muttered. “Presuming the found gear is of higher quality than what we already have. If there’s nothing else, I suppose it's time to decide the teams.”

“Indeed it is! Now, let’s get spinning!”

Sofia shook her head slightly and marched up to the wheel. As she approached, the four blank spots changed, each now filled with the names of the people eligible to be Sofia’s partner. As she spun it, John tried to keep track of his own quadrant, as working with the elder knight was likely to be the best outcome for him. He’d already worked with Rowan and Teri, and while nice, he’d rather team up with someone new. And with the options he had, Sofia was far and away the more attractive option, several times over.

Fate, however, decided that the elder knight would be partnered with the other member representing Pruzonia, the wheel stopped solidly on Vivian’s quadrant. Sofia stepped back from the wheel and offered the redhead a courteous nod, one Vivian readily returned.

“One team set, two to go! Since there’s one member of Pruzonia left, let’s get him up here to spin up his fate?”

“Guess it’s better than waiting,” John muttered as he made his way to the wheel. When he was a step away, it changed, going from four sections to three, labeled with the three people he could get paired with. ‘Not that it matters much. I think I can only get Teri or K’mels. Spinning Rowan means they would be paired together, which defeats the purpose of the shake up.’

As he spun the wheel, John continued his musings, ‘So a fifty-fifty chance and something tells me I’d be a better fit with K’mels. At least I’ve got rapport with him, even if it’s only a little. Rowan might be out of her depth trying to deal with him.’

As much as he would have liked to be teamed up with Teri, he was ready to take the burden of dealing with K’mels.

His resolution didn’t buckle when the wheel stopped on K’mels section. With a grim set expression, he stepped back and over to the goblin warrior. His new partner let out a breath through his nose.

“At least I don’t have to worry about you carrying your weight,” he muttered.

Before John could issue a retort, Announcer said, “And with two teams done, the third is already decided. Miss Rowan, Miss Tsxhel, you’re teamed up. Now, since Team Order won the last round, they’re due a boon before going into the last game. It would be rather unfair for two teams to reap the benefits of one though, so here’s the deal. Order members, you each get a one time use save card. Grab an item and lose it? That card will eat the point penalty. You’ll still lose the points from grabbing the item, but it’ll be like you never grabbed it at all.”

“It’s a far cry from the head start, but this change in arrangement makes that untenable,” Sofia softly said. “I find it an acceptable alternative.”

“Excellent. Now, let’s not waste any more time! Let’s get this final round on the road!”

The doorway opened to a rather rich looking hallway and John and K’mels walked into it before it swung closed and vanished, leaving behind a blank wood paneled wall.

“So, any input on how we’re going to do this, or are we just going to march ahead and smash our way through?” John asked. He credited his increased Charisma and two weeks of dealing with far worse things than the surly goblin for his ability to ask that outright. Before everything, if he had been in a group with someone like K’mels for a group project, he would have likely done whatever they ordered, meekly accepting the hierarchy.

K’mels glared up at him briefly before snorting. “This should be a simple task. Look for the exit, deal with anything in our way and collect what we can. No need to complicate things.”

If it had been anyone else or under different circumstances, John would have been content with that. But K’mels just wasn’t some guy he had to work with once. He was a high ranking member of the Golmerks, and they were living in the Kingdom tied to his powers and a stone’s throw away from his house.

And most importantly, they were Teri’s people and he wanted to help his friend. A sudden chuckle from Senka gave him pause, but the shadowy spirit quickly assured him she had just thought of something funny unrelated to his thoughts.

‘Can’t exactly **** him to talk, though,’ John lamented as K’mels marched down the corridor, taking the leading position. ‘Guess the only way I can further impress him is by beating the shit out of stuff.’

‘Just normal guy things then,’ Senka commented.

John shot her a dry laugh and summoned his sword.