Tag Archives: BigBad

Champions of Battle: The Very Best – Opportunity #027

Jaquan stared speechless as Catlin and Neely rush off at Catlin’s whim.  He, Liana, and Justice had nothing to say that would help the two or change Catlin’s mind.  Understandably, Catlin felt a great deal of responsibility about Brisa’s situation.  She was going and Neely was going too; just… because he was.

As they watched Catlin and Neely run into the distance, one of Catlin’s abandoned bags fell over.  Neely left his bag as well.  Distracted from the spectacle, Liana grabbed both of Catlin’s larger bags.  It only seemed right since her suit greatly increased her already considerable strength.  This left Justice and Jaquan each of the remaining bags.

“Well, that just happened,” Jaquan said as he watched half of the BigBad Crew run off in frenzy.

Watching them run through the street, Justice couldn’t help but comment, “expected.”  He learned a little about Jaquan’s companions but expected was the best fitting word.

“Ironic,” Liana chimed in.  She added a few mechanical modifications to Neely’s armor during the shuttle trip.  It should help them in their task.  She had also seen Catlin modify Brisa’s armor in a fraction of the time with her enchants.  Catlin’s used immense power and concentration to help Brisa become a “warrior” in a few hours.  She used Neely’s Holy Talent boosted Empowerment Aura through the work and still almost changed into a dreaded Unholy Beast with all her work.  Brisa must have meant a lot to her.

Jaquan paused again watching Catlin and Neely run.  They were almost out of sight still frantically looking for the reporter.  The two that usually got into side adventures were off on another one.  Each adventure made them stronger so it made since to let them be for now.  “They should be fine,” Jaquan added.  Still, he’ll give them a call in a few hours.

The three followed the attendant to their assigned resting area to sit and relax.

—–

Brisa followed the mysterious warrior through the city.  It seemed he knew where he was going.  She learned his name was Kiley Qu and that he’d lived and trained in this city for a few years.  That was good because she was completely lost.  At best, she could find her way back to the Sword Mastery School.

Kiley was from a clan called Sour Grapes.  His clan was powerful though not the strongest.  His clan’s symbol, a black diamond with a bright yellow-orange circle in the center, was displayed proudly on his cape.  He was aware of Brisa’s recent escapade into the city.  Though he knew all the shortcuts, he made sure to stay on the main paths so she felt most comfortable.

As they walked, Brisa noticed that he disappeared from view every now and then.  She’d get distracted by something on the street and he’d be fading back into sight as she looked forward again.  It was a little disturbing.  It happened a few times before she had to stop and ask what was going on.

Kiley looked at her as though she should already know.  “There’s a cloaked tracker droid following you,” he said slightly annoyed.

Brisa looked behind her and all around.  There was nothing.  No evidence of anything, only the wind and traffic.

Kiley’s eyes flashed open with a sudden revelation, “You’re a new Adventurer aren’t you?”

“Well…  Umm…” Brisa was speechless.

She tried to hide it but, it was the only fact that could possibly explain everything.  She had awesome gear including a large powerful weapon that told all would-be attackers to be afraid, very afraid.  If she learned to use the gear, they would have great reason to be very afraid.  However, no part of her gear had been marked or repaired.  Therefore, it was unused.

Sour Grapes usually helped others in need.  Besides, he had nothing better to do today.  “Don’t worry,” Kiley said, “Just don’t charge off around some building at an enemy,” he smiled at Brisa’s confused look, “We should be fine.”

#1 – Opportunity #26 – Opportunity #28

Champions of Battle: The Very Best – Opportunity #25

The BigBad Crew walked through the shade of the towering sunflowers.  The rectangular stone tiles were of varying colors but matched each other perfectly in size.  They were placed in a V-pattern all along the walkways.

The streets were lined with blue flowers about five centimeters tall.  The city had a nice clean look to it, much better than they expected.  The holographic images didn’t do it justice.  Jaquan and Justice took the lead while the others followed.  They each carried their own bags, taking in the sights as they headed for their destination.

During the flight, they had made reservations at the most elegant rest stop in West Drop.  The stop was annexed by a luxurious and secure hotel but they didn’t need to stay the night.  After a few hours, they would be on their way again.

As they walked, Jaquan kept asking Justice about the tournament.  Still convinced that he was the absolute best, he was looking for any oddity that an opponent could use to beat him.  His long championship streak was proof of his superior skill.  Yet, he had never done anything like this before.

The open invitation policy encouraged anyone from the street to join and fight.  How would a person off the street be able to beat me?  I’m a seasoned and trained champion.  Cheesy tactics came to mind.  If they used them well enough they could win.

The fighters in the tournament were one thing.  The basic structure of the brackets also confused Jaquan a little.  “What’s a coin elimination tournament,” he asked Justice.

Justice had to pull his eyes from a lovely walking flower to respond, “It’s simple really.  Everyone gets two coins.  Everyone fights at random, once per round.  Winner takes the coins.  Run out of coins and you’re out.”  He turned back and waved at the lady, but she ignored him.

That sounds simple enough.  Most of the scrubs would be eliminated early.  There was another problem Jaquan saw with this set up. “Won’t it get long at the end when there are only a few fighters left?”

“Oh, I forgot. Every other round, everyone gives up a coin in order to continue.  Be careful.  The coins disappear faster than you’d think.  Some of these fighters know some pretty rare techniques too.”

Jaquan had to admit he had one disadvantage.  There were at least eighty fighters in this tournament so far.  All had free access to his fight videos.  They could prepare for him while he knew nothing about any of them.  He had champion level skills though.  He could find a way to beat anyone.  He always did.

Approaching the rest area, they met the receptionist inside the door.  The rest zone matched the city perfectly.  Beautiful stones covered everything.  Everything was accented with the same small flowers that were found outside.

As they approached the desk, the receptionist asked, “Are you here for the tournament?”

Jaquan answered, “Yes.”

“I’m glad you are safe.  Someone has been attacking the fighters.  Please make sure that you do not wander the city alone.”

At that Catlin drops her bags and rushed ahead to the desk, “What do you mean.  All the fighters?”

“Not all of them.  It seems they are targeting the foreigners that arrived alone,” he replied, “Be very careful.”

In Brisa’s preparations, they made sure that she looked like the most fearsome of warriors.  Their goal was to avoid trouble but Brisa became a target anyway.  She never thought that a cheap fighter would turn to such tactics.  Now Brisa could be in real trouble.  It wasn’t just her fault, though.  She turned to Neely, “We have to make sure that Brisa is ok.”

“If you insist,” was his surrendered reply.

#1 – Opportunity #24 – Opportunity #26

Champions of Battle: The Very Best – Opportunity #22

On its final approach to West Drop, the shuttle spins as it lands.  This slow and impressive looking maneuver signaled the passengers to finish their exiting preparations.  It would soon be time to get off of the shuttle.  The Trans World Shuttle Corporation had an unforgiving time table.  If passengers lingered, they would be trapped on the shuttle as it leaves again.  If a passenger missed a shuttle, they would have to wait for the next one.  Also, anything passengers left behind would most likely never be seen again.

With its box-shape, it was hard to distinguish the back of the shuttle from the front.  Only the many levels of docking bay doors gave it away.  In the pit, powerful guards and dock workers waited for the precious goods that made the town livable.  The city also had goods to send.  Even a city like West Drop needed commerce.

The landing gear touched the enormous docking pit with surprising silence.  However, the landing gear hissed loudly as the air pressure escaped the brakes.  Traded goods were moved around underground in the docking pit while the passengers exited from the right side of the shuttle.

The Trans World Shuttle Corporation has always been a trading company at heart.  However, the company couldn’t ignore the profit of shipping travelers as well; guaranteed gold for each traveler and the additional gold they may spend on amenities.  They may even be willing to pay more for some of the shipped goods than the original buyers, more profit.

The BigBad Crew exits the shuttle with Justice leading them.  Jaquan pauses briefly as he sees the headlines of the latest news feed.  It was a picture of Orien Quan with a disappointed look on his face.  The caption read: “A fighter is supposed to have more respect than that.”

This didn’t surprise Jaquan at all.  Quan was always pulling media stunts like this.  That, and Jaquan opened the door for these events.  That didn’t mean that he had to like it.  Still, he was curious about what they had to say.  He pressed a few buttons on his handheld.  In doing so, he downloaded and paid for the story.  In a few seconds it would be saved on his handheld to read later.

A few minutes later, Brisa disembarks the shuttle.  She had only one small bag of luggage; the trip was completely unexpected for her.  She only wished there were shops and hotels to provide what she needed in town.

She wore her combat gear perfectly fitting the look of a fierce warrior.  She did her best to walk the way Catlin had demonstrated earlier.  With all the powerful enchants increasing her strength, balance, and a host of many other things, it was quite easy.

Leaving the shuttle behind, she looked around for any sign of trouble before she continued to the port.  There appeared to be none, but she needed to be safe.  She was in a new place, a dangerous place.  She needed to keep her wits for a good while longer.  She checked her handheld for local restaurants; she was getting hungry and was going to be here a while.

The call to Mr. Meng in South Coast didn’t go at all the way she wanted.  There were delays for all the other stories Champion’s Chronical was following.  No one else was able to make it to West Drop or Bear Gate.  Since she was still the only one that had access to BigBad, Meng needed her to tail them just a while longer.

She didn’t have the tools to track them.  Of course, she didn’t need to track them.  She knew where they were going.  They told her when they were going; they wanted her to follow them.  She just had to be ready to leave with the tournament party at hour seventeen.  Hopefully, they would have an escort of some kind.  One or more people with them would make her feel much better.  She couldn’t trust them.

Exiting the shuttle port Brisa was approached by a frantic looking woman.  With pain and fear in her eyes, the lady pulled at Brisa’s glove.  “Help us,” she said, “They’re going to kill them!  I need your help please!”

#1 – Opportunity #21 – Opportunity #23