Ch.8: The Game - TITAN (2)

Despite my vast gaming experience, I still needed a pep talk to execute my master plan. Soloing an entire squad in a masters lobby was easier said than done.

Instantly, the heroic apex pro moves I had witnessed the legendary Mopso pull off in last week's epic match between two titan-like teams flashed through my mind.

However, I knew I wasn't in that god-tier realm yet—soloing a squad teeming with masters wasn't my jam, even though I was one of them.

Mopso, on the other hand, was a bona fide grandmaster, a demigod amongst mere mortals!

"Dang it!" I cursed again, checking how many launch pads I had left with MK at this stage, which, to my dismay, turned out to be a measly one. "Fudge nuggets!"

Almost accepting my impending doom, my eyes suddenly locked onto the blue round icon in my tiny sack, miraculously extending to a count of two.

Well, MK's tiny sack held big surprises, just so you know.

'Land mines!' That realization hit me like a bolt of lightning, and my eyes sparkled with glee.

'Fudge nuggets! If I had known I had these bad boys earlier, wiping out the whole squad would have been a piece of cake!' I daydreamed, imagining the slick, skillful maneuvers I could have pulled off.

But here we were—the enemy was less than four seconds away from catching up to me in the sky.

That enemy was a flying 'Skyro,' an avatar as powerful as MK or Ragnarok but an absolute beast in sky fights.

Whoop!

My launched flight ended, and I touched down on the ground with a mischievous grin plastered across my face, staring intently at my computer screen. Yeah, soaring and flying had a limit, and while mine had reached its end, Skyro's had just begun.

'Hahaha! Have fun traveling solo in the sky, Skyro!'

"Revenge, baby!" I whispered dramatically, dropping a land mine precisely at the spot I had landed before darting forward, deploying the glow wall behind me to buy some extra time.

With painstaking care, I prepared my launchpad, taking more time than usual to set my predestination.

"Freakyfreddy, are you dead or what?" My unknown teammate, Jared, using the Avatar Gregg, called out with a mocking laugh, noticing my uncharacteristic silence as I carefully plotted my escape route.

He wasn't concerned, though. My reputation within the squad was that of a vengefully cursing parrot, so silence was a rare sentiment that didn't go unnoticed.

"If you're gonna chat me up, at least get my name right, man," I retorted somewhat rudely into the microphone, "It's Freakyfreddy!"

Distracted from my thoughts, my eyes drifted to the mini-map on the upper left corner, and a triumphant grin spread across my face.

My teammates were nearby.

Shaking off Jared's snarky comment, I broke the silence and resumed my role, which I'll proudly claim as the squad's sole gem-taker.

"Amigos, I'm coming in hot!" I declared with so much courage.

Prahhhh!

"Holy smokes!" I yelped as my heart nearly leapt out of my chest.

The opposing squad had caught up to me, and there were two flashes of knockdown notifications—their Skyro had landed on the exact spot I had, detonating the landmine.

I didn't want to test my luck, so I left my unfinished kill behind and alerted my teammates to prepare for combat.

"Gregg! Vector X! Slimy! Green scales! Get your security walls ready to deploy two seconds after I land!" I called out to my teammates by their avatar names, issuing a warning.

"Time for some squad elimination action," I declared, launching myself skyward once more, hurrying to the right to plant another landmine.

Experience had taught me that the same trick wouldn't work twice—those crafty enemies wouldn't land in the same spot.

"Our VIP guest has arrived," Slimy announced, noticing the tiny figures' restricted movement in the sky.

"Bastards," I cursed, transforming into MK's second form—my favorite demon-slaying character that breeds a hazy, dark misty ability, unleashing moths everywhere.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The sound of grenades detonating echoed as a series of knockdown notifications flashed on the team board.

The moths had set off the grenades according to plan.

Three bangs in a row meant three members of the opposing squad were down on their knees, leaving only one remaining.

Just as I thought all hope was lost, considering the launchpad could only be used four times…

Boom!

Squad Elimination!

My lucky landmine had detonated, signaling the extermination of the opposing master squad and giving my teammates an open chance to go grab that gem even while dancing ballet…. Haha!

"Hot diggity dog!"

"Freakyfreddy!"

"Mad MK!"

My teammates shouted in jubilation as I grinned smugly.

I had done it! And it wasn't just luck—it was my mad skills, freakyfreddy's unmatched prowess!

"Oh, snap! 04:39 PM already? Dang it!" I muttered, hastily shutting off the computer before my unknown teammates could suggest teaming up again.

I was a lone wolf, a solitary warrior who traveled wherever the wind blew!

I swiftly peeled off my shirt and rushed into the bathroom for a shower. "Come on, Freddy, you can't be late, or you'll starve!" I urged myself, hurrying to get ready.

In a whirlwind seven minutes, I zoomed into SandOffs Cafe on my trusty scat board. Sure, some might call me immature at 27, but why should I care?

Haters gonna hate.

I swooped down, scooping up my scat board and tucking it under my armpit before sauntering into the cafe through the backdoor.

Now, this wasn't your average Joe cafe. Oh no, it was a fusion masterpiece—your typical cozy cafe out front and a sizzling hot game spot out back, like two buildings smashed into one.

"Hey there, Freddy," a guy called out, casually flicking cigarette ash and exhaling a hazy cloud.

"Hey, Molly," I replied coolly, swiftly making my way inside.

I couldn't stand being outside my comfort zone and wasn't particularly fond of chit-chatting with anyone who wasn't Mom or Lackney.

As soon as I stepped in, a wave of relief washed over me at the sight of computer systems, and I noticed the players hadn't started yet. Phew!

"Yo, Freddy! You made it, dude!" Lackney exclaimed, striding towards me and covering the distance in four steps.

Yeah, the space was a tad cramped, fitting a maximum of eight people without turning into a sauna or inducing claustrophobia.

"Pfft! Of course, I made it. This is big bucks, ya know," I chided playfully, flashing a cheeky grin.

Typical Lackney laughed, engulfing me in a bro-hug before relieving me of my scat board and backpack to stash them in the designated 'dump your stuff' zone.

"C'mon, we've got five minutes. Lemme introduce you to the crew," Lackney said, dragging me towards the gang (okay, not exactly a gang, just five peeps aside from Lackney and me).

This was the part I absolutely dreaded—the whole 'talking to teammates' shtick.