It was Morning and the semi-finals of the Competition were about to begin. The doors were open for the public to finally enter, many screens were surrounding the tournament stage. Players sat in gyroscopic pilot seats, different colored rings marked player.
-"The Semi-Finals of the Tournament for the V4 75th Anniversary Gaming Competition and Expo has begun!" A Voice rang out over the intercom for the event signaling for the start of the competition.
It continued broadcasting.
-"The following opponents have been placed at random in a position and they must hold it for five minutes against the enemy. The Semi-Finalists that hold out until the timer ends will proceed to the Battle Royal at the end, and be crowned the King of the Competition and Convention, winning the grand-prize of 4 million dollars!"
Speculators that swarmed the stages cheered after hearing the news of the top prizes but they would have to win to be eligible.
-"Ready, Set, Game... Start." The announcer's voice rang out and all the screens in the venue changed their displays to the competition.
Every screen was flipping randomly through opponents while searching for a visual that was exciting. When action took place, more screens would be switched over. It was exciting and the frequent changes made the setups so much sweeter to watch.
The maneuvers from some of the opponents had the audience dizzy, a few even vomited. There were some skilled pilots among those that had attended and many of them even aided the development team in creating the game. Of course, it was only what they thought a space robot battle would feel like.
Wu Hai thought that even Professor Quanli would have been impressed with the dynamics and graphics applied.
The game was almost seamless. Collisions between each of the opponents or design elements triggered damage consistent with the forces at hand. It made for interesting battles when engaging in close combat.
The five minutes seemed like an eternity when watching the Gameplay footage.
Players were quickly eliminated but some were bastard-like cockroaches that just wouldn't die.
The Cameras were quick to zoom into the action, sometimes showing the player themselves in a thumbnail as they would make expressions on their faces within the VR Pods. Their bodies were immobilized but pained or autonomic responses would still happen.
The Pods weren't the same as the ones at FROHK but they were pretty good and had a built-in gyroscope making for a more realistic cockpit simulation. The only labels on the buttons were in the VR construct inside of each pod, all the controls were virtual.
The player could just sit there. The gyroscope was merely a gimmick to trick the pilots brain while they were able to feel the shift on their bodies while playing the game, giving a fake sensation of G-forces.
'BUZZ!'
A buzzer sounded out. It signaled the end of the Semi-Finals, five opponents were left standing from the thousand who started in the first bout.
The Players were still in the construct but the match had ended.
-"Before our Finals tomorrow we'll have some very special guests come up and give a show, Give a hand for Playcorp and the Developer Team for their hope in hosting this year's wonderful event and making your gaming possible. As soon as our players step down and our Team sets up, enjoy the sweet tones of Ghost Empire's newest Record, Live in concert, Here at the V4 75th Anniversary Convention and Competition!"
After the announcer had finished speaking, cheers could be heard. Their cheering was the signal sent out to exchange the equipment for the upcoming bands performance.
The Lights brightened and people took the initiative to swarm the stage where the Announcer had been at the center of the Venue. The band would be starting soon and everyone wanted to be closer.
"Looks like its almost time." Wu Hai packed up his things and made his way outside. He scaled the building and stared at the sun. He didn't care about the concert, he already had all the swagger he could stomach and it was a beautiful sunset. Lounging on a rooftop didn't feel so boring to the Prince.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
When the Sun rose again, the lines outside of the Venue were packed with people in all sorts of costumes looking to buy merchandise at discounted rates after the end of the event. Everyone came with high hopes of finding something special to add to their home collections or see new material for Games.
No one came without reason, the lines for camping outside started before the doors had even closed yesterday.
"I LOVE BEING AN OTAKU!" One woman waved a sign above her head while screaming. She was dressed in a slutty furry suit that had dog ears. A few people around started taking her picture and soon lines of amateur photographers were forming as they took pictures of guests in costume. It was all to promote their fandom, many drones followed their owners.
Looking down from above, Wu Hai thought of some fun, he transformed into a Demon and used the size die to shrink to a more reasonable size to stand in the line for entry.
His appearance made the people around him very nervous, Wu Hai could only smile and grin. Some of them seemed to notice the realism in his appearance. He chose to stand there, eventually he was surrounded by photographers. It was the final day of the event, he wanted the attention.
Wu Hai's face wasn't much different from that of his past life, even his sister had recognized him. Very soon photos of him made their way onto the internet and to the eyes of the public. The video of him forcibly removing one of the pilots from a fighter jet at mach two, from the pilots own cockpit camera, had made the internet forums explode with disbelief and calls of hoax.
Being dressed in a Demon suit, one that looked a lot like the one on the Viral Video, many people swarmed him. He didn't care if it was shallow, he knew the people were enjoying themselves and did his best to participate. Cameras flashed frequently and he smiled for a lot of them.
Wu Hai felt like a celebrity.
When he walked up to the doorway, a ticket manager gave him a special pass for backstage. Wu Hai didn't even have to show a ticket, his Costume was so outstanding that in the eyes of the hosts, it was better to give him special treatment.
'Maybe he just doesn't care,' Wu Hai felt even more embolden. There were a few areas that he couldn't get into without special access and now that he had it, as he was walking through the front doors, he felt fantastic.
His Demon-kin blood was very satisfied with the level of revelry that was being shown, it doted on his sense of pride. Wu Hai tossed a few Gold Coins to the Doormen.
Wu Hai had forgotten that the Demonkin bodies were hard to resist for humans. Their tongues were silver for a reason.
Soft music could be heard occasionally but most of the time, theme songs from various video games played over the loudspeaker.
Not long after opening, people were making their way toward the competition stage and displays once again.
-"The Finals will commence at Noon, Prizes and Awards will be held afterward. Until then, we have a special guest band that is here to play an Encore of their newest recorded album, give a hand to 'Ghost Empire' Ladies and Gentlemen."
The Announcer bowed and walked off stage, the Band had started their set. With a lead-in Guitar rift and quick double base, the Metal-Step J-Pop band got the crowd to go wild.
Wu Hai sat in the booth and ignored the people looking at his costume. He was watching the screens in front of him and he was waiting for Mike, there were about 50 minutes remaining in the concert and the competition would take at least 20 minutes, hopefully.
Mike strolled up shortly after the concert started, he was in a good mood and his expression was joyful. Wu Hai wondered if he was really okay, Mike could see his strange look and felt like explaining, "Till the end." He hugged Wu Hai and then slapped at his shoulders. "That Gold you gave me set my parents and little sister up for a comfortable life, no matter what this world throws at them. You have my deepest thanks."
Wu Hai almost got emotional, he was in a demon body and had not expected to be praised. Wu Hai didn't even know that Demons could cry, it was another revelation as he held them back.
Mike laughed at Wu Hai's puzzled face.
Looking back toward the stage Wu Hai said, "I'm glad you could recognize me in this form. When they finish the competition I plan on going up. Come and help me close the Booth."
When they got inside, Wu Hai handed him the red die. "I'm trusting you. I want you to hold this and the Cup. When I call you, I want you to go up to the stage, alright? When you roll, don't stop rolling or settle down until you get wings, if things go south you'll need them to escape with me."
'To the End? We'll see.' Wu Hai really liked his spirit but trust was harder to gain.
"Escape?" Mike didn't know what was going to happen but he was on alert.
The competition was about to start.
The Band was playing their final song and the roadies were revving to pack things up. When the Band was finished, the lights came on and the announcer walked back onto the stage while large prototype screens were wheeled in to show the action from all five remaining participants.
They were setting up a holographic display, five minutes went by quickly during the setup.
-"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are about to start the Finals of the V4 75th Anniversary Expo and Competition. All participants please make your way to your consoles and good luck." The Announcer's voice filled the Venue.
Mike looked over at Wu Hai. As the announcer finished, he was signaled to make his way to the front rows. He really hoped that Wu Hai wasn't full of anger or hostility and he certainly hoped that he not a terrorist. It would be extremely tragic if he did something, like kill everyone present.
Wu Hai took the first step, he walked up to the stage and stood beside Mike.
They both watched as the players got into position and Wu Hai started talking, "I'm eager to see who'll win. Did you see that girl? She moved so fast that I had a hard time keeping up with her movements. Her change in directions shows her skill, those moves can't be practiced without a vivid imagination. I hope she wins, I'll also invite her.. though, who knows what she'll think once I go up."
"That American kid looks pretty good too but he's only a kid." Pointing to the 4th place holder, Wu Hai was sure that he was ready for whatever was to come. The boy was still a child, he couldn't have been older than 15.
"That kid is pretty special, I bet he spent hours every night this week practicing. That type of devotion to a craft, a craft that some look down on, shows his determination to be the best. I hope his attitude is a positive one." Wu Hai's smile was turning to a smirk as he watched. He had some hopes for their performances but it was a game. They were suppose to enjoy it.
"I'm not a big fan of the player in 1st though, he had even killed a few of his teammates intentionally to get an early lead in the Ranks during the Semi-finals." Mike was looking at the competition with open eyes. He cared about sportsmanship and there were some lines that shouldn't have been crossed. "If only people's actions were what people measured a persons qualities by. That guy is nothing but a bully."
The competitors were fierce, it took a whole 10 minutes for the first person to be eliminated, the 2nd place holder had been taken out by a joint attack from the kid and another player.
Right afterward, the boy saw his teammate turn on him and go for the throat.
"Noob!" The young boy cackled on camera. He launched his missile defense, then dodged down and back. He had been readying himself for the betrayal long before it happened.
Without suffering defeat at the hands of a betrayer, the boy had taken out his opponents and secured a position in the top three.
-"Ladies and gentlemen, we now have a competition for first place! Lets give it up for our players!"
-"The Arena size has been decreased to an area of 0.5km, Good Luck!" The announcer said with a celebratory voice.
The Action grew more intense and the crowd started to speculate among themselves.
"Mike, its almost time. When I fly onto the stage, be ready. I'm afraid we'll only get one shot at this." Wu Hai had entrusted him with a key component of his equipment, the very thing that could change his powers would be crippled if anything bad were to happen.
The look on Mike's face told Wu Hai that he was still a bit worried.
When the Announcer spoke again, the competition had ended.
The woman won second, the boy had third. The man in first place danced like a lunatic and finger banged the Audience. It was in poor taste but he had come from North Korea and was the embodiment of their National Pride.
Mike clicked his tongue.
When the announcer was bout to call the winners up, Wu Hai spread his wings and stole the spotlight. Cameras turned toward him to capture the spectacle.
Shocking the people in the front row into a gasp, Wu Hai flapped his wings and flew up to the stage in front of the stunned camera crews, the Audience and the Players.
-"Sir, What are you doing? You can't be up here." The Announcers voice came out over the Microphone.
The announcer was trying his best to keep composure but the moment Wu Hai touched down the announcer noticed that there were no wires attached and was freaking out. He wanted to call for security but his brained seemed to overload, nothing could escape his mouth.
Wu Hai took the microphone from him before he knew what was happening and started to address the cameras and crowd.
Since it was at a Gaming venue and Wu Hai didn't have a weapon drawn, everyone was mostly calm and treated it like an event in a Video Game.
The whole world that was watching, the show was only just starting and Zao Wu Hai began speaking.
No one expected what they were about to hear, people's ears perked up and the house fell silent.
-"Ladies and gentlemen, People.. People of Earth. Now, that should mean a thing or two to all of you who believe in something more. This Planet is changing, borders are harder to manage, the world is dying." Wu Hai could read the room, it wasn't going well some people started to hiss and boo.
He turned and saw the looks of the audience and regardless of what he was saying they couldn't look away.
Some people started to look disinterested at his words and then Wu Hai's words grew in intensity. No one could look away when the words came out. They were mesmerized. The words came out in every language all at once.
-"I am Prince Zao Wu Hai of the Zao Sect. I lived in this world once." He paused for a second and lifted the microphone closer.
-"I died." He signaled Mike to come forward.
-"I came here from another World, a World of Magic and Wonder. A World with a cure for almost any disease, where humans are the minority."
Pacing around, the speculative voices faded.
-"Life is hard but its a hell of a lot better than this shit." Wu Hai did his best to talk without interruption.
Opening his palm, a puddle of concentrated darkness appeared and began to wave around in his hand.
- "This is one form of Magic. I'm demonstrating this to show you that it exists."
Wu Hai played with the darkness element in his hands then sank into his own shadow and reappeared in Mikes, he was halfway across the stage.
Even Mike was at a loss for words, the Move was unexpected.
People started Cheering, they didn't care what was going on but the visual effects on display were ground breaking.
People couldn't pay for this sort of entertainment live.
Usually.
-"I am offering the 2nd and 3rd place winners, as well as anyone who lifted 'this'.."
Pulling the Crusher from his spacial ring, everyone was completely baffled. No one really knew where it had come from but it that was something they all tried to pick up.
'Where was he hiding that?' The looks Wu Hai received hadn't gotten rotten.
-"The opportunity to leave this world with me, Today."] Wu Hai Dropped the weapon near the edge of the steps.
The Crusher's weight had broken apart the front of the stage, it was to demonstrate that it was not made of foam.
-"Anyone who thinks they deserve a chance can come pick this up. If you can lift the handle, I'll take you." Wu Hai had Mike pick it up to show the group and then he put it back down. The stage warped and rattled once more.
-"Either way, the choices will be yours. You only have to pass this test to Qualify." Looking over at the runner-ups, Wu Hai was hoping that they could lift it and that they would choose to come along.
It was entirely a Gamble.
Wu Hai had Mike, thus.. no matter what, he was satisfied with his trip to Tokyo.
-"Mike, Go ahead. Roll" Wu Hai tried to signal Mike but Mike was stunned at the situation for a moment so he said it aloud.
Signaling didn't go as planned but Mike still knew he needed to grow wings.
Rolling the die, Mike watched the red form die land on Dragonkin and his clothes started getting tight on him. His shirt ripped apart at the seams, soon, Mike was almost twice his size and had a pair of bright blue icy wings tear what was left of his shirt from his body. His scales crackled lightly and gave off a frosty aura.
Wu Hai waved his hand and used the storage ring to collect the Gygax from the floor. The cup flew over and he put the die back inside of it.
-"Give them a try, I bet you're a natural flier." On Live television, Wu Hai ordered Mike to flap his wings and fly up.
The scene was caught from multiple angles, it seemed like Wu Hai's plan had some edges that needed ironing but the entire world was definitely watching attentively.
Wu Hai gave his approval and Mike tried to flex his wings, the sight of a man growing by almost three times and sprouting wings, was not lost on a single viewer.
Wu Hai had shocked the World and no one in the immediate audience made a sound.
Mike unfurled his wings completely and flapped them for the first time. When he did, a gust of extremely cold air caused the sound stage to waver. Every time Mike left the ground the entire venue would tremble slightly.
-"Okay, okay, calm down for the moment." Wu Hai got Mike to calm down and waved the participants he had selected over to the stage.
The Announcer was still mute at this point.
The entire world listened intently at every word.
The young boy and the female competitor came up to the stage. They hadn't gotten very far after the competition had ended and were already expecting to get their prizes in front of the crowd.
-"You two have earned the honor of going first. I would welcome the two of you openly. The choice is yours." Wu Hai lowered the microphone.
The second place holder looked at Wu Hai and then went up to the Crusher. She struggled at first but the weapon did leave the ground. When she dropped the handle, the steps nearly collapsed from the weight.
-"See? Anyone can do it if they are worthy." Wu Hai's eyes darted across the crowd. He had been upstaging the Announcer for a few minutes and kept destroying the stage, the tension could be cut with a knife.
When the third place winner came up, he looked at Mike. The boy had seen Mike the last few days during the convention, he never expected that that man would turn into a Dragon. The whole event was odd, there was no real sense of expectation from anyone beforehand and everyone wanted to see what would happen.
The Boy looked back to Wu Hai and said something that was a bit unbelievable. "If I can do this and say yes, Can I be a Dragon too?"
Wu Hai almost fell down when he heard it from the boys mouth. "Of course. I'll even teach you Magic." He smiled and waved his hand at the weapon. It flew into his hands before he handed it over to the boy.
Wu Hai had half expected the boy to drop it or at least let the tip drop to the floor.
When the boy grabbed the handle, to him, it felt like the weight disappeared. The boy got many cheers from the audience and thrust it toward the ceiling in a victory pose.
-"PASS!" Wu Hai's face turned to glee.
After he yelled out, the crowd started moving.
People were starting to push their way through the crowd, eager to test the challenge. Some were just desperate to leave the world.
Wu Hai noticed that people were rushing and things were getting out of hand.
-"If you've already tried, you cannot try again. This is only for new participants. Anyone who fails to follow this rule will be fed to Mike, is that clear?"] Wu Hai calmed the crowd into submission with a terrifying gaze.
Three people came up from the audience and tried lifting the handle to prove they could.
Mike looked to Wu Hai and said, "Do I really have to eat them?"
Wu Hai shook his head in jest.
A loud voice came from the crowd, someone wanted to walk up to the staircase.
Yells of protest came from behind them when the first place winner saw what was happening and demanded that he be given a chance.
-"I won first place, I should have the right to go." The North Korean man kicked the last few people that were in his way after passing them and turned toward the stage with anger in his eyes.
Wu Hai was not even a bit patient with the man. Throwing the microphone to the ground, he pulled them up off the ground with one hand and motioned for the weapon. When he had both of them in his hands, he flew into the air. Flapping his wings to stay afloat, all the people below took a deep breath.
It was quite the unexpected turn at the event.
Lifting the winner into the air by his neck, Wu Hai saw the man pissing himself. He was letting his emotions get the better of him and grit his teeth. "They, had the HONOR of being chosen." Wu Hai felt like he was losing control and chose his words carefully.
-"You.. who have !NO HONOR! ..could never be chosen." Wu Hai's furious voice resonated in every language. The Cameras never stopped, the world watched as Korea's Top Player was shamed internationally.
Mixed emotions went through the audiences at home.
-"Shameless fool, I watched you throw your teammates away to boost your own ratings. I've torn people apart for less." Wu Hai's frustration almost led to goring the man, then he remembered that it was a game.
Regaining his composure, he noticed the scared looks in the faces of the onlookers and landed before tossing the Korean player to the ground. He knew that the bloodline coursing through his veins could get the better of him if left unchecked.
Wu Hai picked up the microphone again. The Announcer didn't dare to move.
-"It's a shame no one else has come up. You can't even show the courage to try? Truly, what a shame.." Wu Hai kept pacing around the stage.
-"Last Chance, If you can lift this it shows your heart is pure. I will offer you a place in another world, It is a world of Magic. A World of Adventure, A World where humans are the minority." Wu Hai felt like he needed to repeat what he had said before.
-"This world you live in is dying, if you don't get what I'm saying then you're as big a fool as the next." Wu Hai was loosing his patience after the sour interruption, he threw the microphone away.
Pulling the cup and red die out, he passed a crystal to each of the participants and told them to swallow it.
After they were done, he passed over the cup and told them to roll until they each got wings. Each time they changed form, the world was shocked. It was impossible for the audience to know what would happen next but they were all stunned into silence and gasps.
When the two unfurled their wings, the crowd started losing their composure. Almost five minutes had passed since the start of the interruption, less than a minute afterward another man had turned into a Dragon-like being, one woman became a bird goddess and a child had gone through several transformations that included a Merman and what looked like a Demon.
The Crowd was Shocked.
The Announcer was shocked.
The Audience at home was shocked.
Wu Hai grabbed cup and Gygax. Resetting his powers back to Darkness and Lightning, he stood proudly. Everyone watched while his hands started pulsing a dark energy.
The crowd was back pushing again and again. Testing the strength of the Stage.
The four of Wu Hai's group stood there waiting for something to happen.
Wu Hai once again produced two Violet Liquefied Lightning Orbs and ran them through the Darkness Ring. When he saw the silver flash to his fingernail he made sure to think about the Hotel.
He made sure his focus was consistent while he channeled. He spoke again, "If no one else will step forward, I bid this Country, its Countrymen and the World Good luck in your short continued existence."
A blinding flash covered the stage and all of the strange beings on it vanished without a trace.
'..Piiiiiiiiii' The Announcer accidentally kicked the microphone off the stage and it bounced.