(note from poster everything below is from the original author not me)
[A/N: So, I've been under some stress lately, with my upcoming surgery on Tuesday, my Boss being older than my own parents and not understanding that I work far more efficiently than him, my boyfriend, and a host of other problems, I've talked with my Patron members, and through them, I decided to put more effort in legnthening my current chapters by a few hundred words, with some increasing by nearly a thousand words per chapter. As for my surgery, I will likely be bedridden for a few days, possibly even a week, before I can write, so I will be posting chapters for only six of my stories until I'm fully recovered.
As for those who complain about the number of different stories I am writing, let me state this: I don't care. Writing is a hobby, not a job, and so I will do what I wish. If you have a problem with that, I suggest reconsidering your approach. Feel free to pick up the slack; lord knows that there aren't many good fics out anymore, not that any of mine are beyond 'okay.' Writing has been a way for me to escape when I want to distract myself from life and let my mind wander towards more positive topics. Combined with my ADD, I physically cannot stick to one Fic for any amount of time; otherwise, you'll see what happened to many of my older projects - they were all dropped fyi. As for those who say I should post more, I want you also to realize that I have a full-time job in a Warehouse, a physically demanding job that takes up most of my week, leaving me with only my free time to write. Enough about all of that and the increasingly stupid amount of hate I get DMd and commented on, here's the chapter down below.]
[A/N: P.S. The amount of hate I get in the comments is why I don't exactly read or reply to comments much, if at all, constructive or not. I do talk to my Patrons and my Discord members, however.]
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With the revelation of the winners of the first two sections of the round, all that was left was the third and final round, which was not far behind the other two. There were only four participants left: one fanboy named Captain America, two of the previous round winners, Bruiser and Crazy Steve, and a runner-up known by the username Bloody Fist. These four participants each had unique playstyles that set them apart.
For one, Bloody Fist seemed to have a small army of very fast carnivores, ranging from Raptors, Sabertooths, Carnos, Diplos, Scorpians, and even a T. rex. His whole tactic seemed to be overwhelming force, having taken out a few Participants already. Crazy Steve, keeping up the mantle of his name, did yet another crazy strategy: taming only fliers and sticking far enough in the sky where it would be hard to shoot him. Of course, Crazy Steve would have to make frequent landings to grab food for his mounts so they could regain their stamina. Bruiser seemed to be focused on heavy hitters, who had tamed a bunch of carnos, mantises, scorpions, and a T. rex. The last participant, the Fanboy, as many have started calling him, was seemingly new to the game and seemed to have trouble advancing past the early stages of the game, only having a few basic tames and whatever loot he could grab from the sparse few loot drops.
With this 'game' centering around the blue obelisk, which had mountains on one side, an oasis, and a desert on the other, the four players had plenty of cover, water, and food to wait for one another out. The Fanboy was hiding within the cave just south of the Obelisk, between a large hill and the mountainside. Crazy Steve hid atop the mountains, waiting. Bruiser and Bloody Fist circled the obelisk, keeping their distance from one another, but eventually, they'd strike, clashing with one another when the time was right or they had no other choice. They knew that if they fought now, they'd be easy prey for the other players.
With the stakes being as they were, the four were highly cautious, keeping to themselves and avoiding the others so that they'd be at full strength. For many, it was a dull match to watch, as the four participants hid from one another until the sandstorm closed in enough for them to start engaging.
The first to clash were Bruiser and Bloody Fist, who had the most tames and were the most notable of the four, with the Fanboy still hiding within the cave and Crazy Steve up in the skies. Their clash was by far the most intriguing fight of the round, with the sheer amount of times fighting one another making it seem like an actual battle between two hordes of dinosaurs.
It was a battle between Bloody Fist's more agile and small dinosaurs and Bruiser's more vigorous and enormous dinosaurs. Unfortunately for Bloody Fist, he did not have enough dinosaurs to take down Bruiser's tames, and in the end, Bloody Fist fell to Bruiser's T. rex, leaving three participants.
While Bruiser recuperated from his losses and injuries, the Fanboy was finally forced to leave the cave. A sandstorm threatened to consume the cave, and the man and his tame were in it.
Of course, by the time "Captain America" left the cave, Crazy Steve struck, attacking Bruiser from above. At the same time, he was distracted and hurt, quickly taking him out by picking him up and dropping him from a few hundred feet above the ground, while Bruiser could only struggle within his Pteradon's talons.
It left only Crazy Steve and the Fanboy, who hid within the sparse patches of tall grass and behind boulders. Such a tactic proved particularly useless when "Captain America" was forced to reveal himself as the Sandstorm closed in and was spotted by Crazy Steve, ending in the man facing the same fate as Bruiser before him, leaving Crazy Steve as the victor of the last match of the second round.
...
[The Winners of the second round of the Tournament will be revealed!]
[Whisky - Winner of Tournament 2-A - Kills: 5]
[Beautiful Flower - Winner of Tournament 2-B - Kills: 3]
[Crazy Steve - Winner of Tournament 2-C - Kills: 4]
[The Second Round of the Tournament has been completed. Participants are allotted a two-hour break before the start of the next round. The third and final round of the tournament will have a single match with 75 Participants and will be placed within Aberration. Drops will contain even more loot. Dinosaurs will be even more numerous and deadly. The taming speed will be increased further. The final tournament will last 15 In-game Days. Dispensing rewards for the winners of the first round of Tournaments]
Meanwhile, around the Cafe, three figures received their rewards for winning the second round. The three all received the same reward and a unique reward. The reward the three received was a functional Specimen Implant tied to their DNA.
'Beautiful Flower,' who was revealed to be the notorious Gotham Villain 'Poison Ivy,' received a vial that made her more like a plant. Granting her health regeneration and increased strength and endurance during the day, as well as the production and manipulation of various fungi, plants, and insects.
'Whisky,' a relatively short Canadian man who loved liquor, seemed to have received a vial that made him like some Berserker, granting him increased toughness, endurance, and health the longer he fought, while also giving him some vampirism that allowed him to heal if he bled whoever he fought.
'Crazy Steve,' who was still a relatively unknown man who seemed like a rather average man, received a power vial that granted him some spatial manipulation, allowing him to teleport and attack with rifts in space. He also seemed to gain a purple aura around his body, which appeared to be a telekinetic or gravity shield against harm.
While the three went about exploring the uses of their new powers and 'gifts,' those who had yet to win dived straight into the following map that would be the final tournament match.
Abberation was different from the two previous maps, featuring a primarily subterranean series of caverns with a 'surface' filled with deadly radiation and covered in dangerous, corrupted dinosaurs.
The aberration 'Ark' was corrupted; it was damaged and did not fulfill the purpose for which it and the other arks were designed.
No one knew what the 'storm' system in the past two maps would be like in Aberration, but many knew that there were a few things that would significantly improve their survival chances. For one, there were the glider attachments that allowed them to glide across the caverns, and climbing picks that enabled them to traverse the walls and ceiling of the cavern.
There were also the Reaper Kings and Queens, Rockdrakes, Bulbdogs, Karkinos, Ravegers, Basilisks, Nameless, and Rollrats. Many unique creatures in Aberration would pose distinct challenges that participants would need to face, tame, or avoid to win.