The University Stadium was a bowl of light in a city of darkness.
Viktor had restored the backup generators. Massive floodlights bathed the football pitch in blinding white illumination. In the center of the field, fifty members of [IRON FIST] stood in formation. They were armed with fire axes, machetes, and riot shields looted from the campus security office.
"They look like an army," Elara whispered.
She and Bhy Khay were crouching in the commentary box, high above the stands. Through the glass, they watched Viktor pacing in the center circle. He looked like a king, shouting orders, his heavy iron armor glinting.
"An army without discipline is just a mob," Bhy Khay said, adjusting his earpiece. "Zayn, report."
"In position," Zayn's voice crackled over the comms. He was perched on top of the scoreboard, the highest point in the stadium. "Wind is 4 knots East. Visibility is perfect. I have a bead on the generator fuel line."
"Hold fire," Bhy Khay ordered. "Wait for the package."
[TIME: 03:59:00]
[EVENT: SUPPLY DROP INBOUND]
The sky above the stadium rumbled. The clouds parted, and a massive metallic crate, glowing with golden runes, descended on a parachute.
"HERE IT COMES!" Viktor roared, pointing his sword at the sky. "Defensive perimeter! Shields up! Nothing gets in, nothing gets out!"
The crate slammed into the center of the pitch with a tremor that shook the stands.
BOOM.
Dust billowed. As it settled, a holographic timer appeared above the crate.
[LOCKED]
[UNLOCK REQUIREMENT: HOLD THE CIRCLE FOR 05:00]
[CURRENT OCCUPANT: IRON FIST]
"Five minutes!" Viktor shouted, placing his hand on the crate. A red progress bar began to fill. "Hold the line! If anyone from Eclipse shows up, kill them!"
Bhy Khay watched the timer ticking down. 04:59... 04:58...
"He thinks he has to defend against players," Bhy Khay muttered. "He forgot about the environment."
"Tomiwa," Bhy Khay spoke into the comms. "Now."
miles away, in the Art Department, Tomiwa slashed her charcoal stick across the whiteboard.
"Drawing complete," she grinned. "[Ink Swarm: LOCUSTS]."
Back at the stadium, the air suddenly grew thick. A buzzing sound, like a thousand chainsaws, erupted from the shadows of the stands.
"What is that?" one of Viktor's guards yelled, looking up.
From the darkness of the spectator seats, a cloud of black, inky shapes poured out. They weren't real insects; they were 2D drawings brought to life, buzzing and biting with paper-cut sharpness.
"LOCUSTS!" Viktor screamed. "Mages! Fire!"
Fireballs and ice shards flew into the stands, burning the ink creatures. But there were too many. They swarmed the lights, the guards, the shields. Chaos erupted.
"Zayn," Bhy Khay commanded. "Kill the lights."
TWANG.
From the scoreboard, a single bolt flew. It didn't hit a person. It hit the fuel valve of the main diesel generator.
BOOM.
The generator exploded.
The stadium plunged into instant, pitch blackness.
"HOLD YOUR POSITIONS!" Viktor's voice screamed in the dark. "TORCH! LIGHT IT UP!"
Torch, standing near the crate, ignited a massive fireball in his hand, casting long, dancing shadows across the field.
"I can see them!" Torch yelled. "They're... wait, where are they?"
The locusts were gone. The distraction had worked. The guards were looking at the sky, at the stands, everywhere except the ground.
"Elara," Bhy Khay said. "Make it foggy."
Elara, standing on the edge of the field, slammed her staff into the grass.
"[MIST OF THE PALE]!"
A thick, supernatural fog rolled over the pitch, mixing with the smoke from the generator. Visibility dropped to zero. Even Torch's fire could only illuminate a few feet.
"Bhy Khay, go!" Elara shouted.
Bhy Khay didn't run. He activated the [Ring of the Void Walker].
[SKILL: SHADOW STEP]
He teleported from the stands to the 50-yard line.
He reappeared in the mist, five meters from the crate. Viktor was standing right there, his hand on the box, the timer at [04:10].
Viktor couldn't see him. The fog and the darkness were Bhy Khay's domain.
Bhy Khay crept forward. He could hear Viktor breathing heavy, terrified.
"Who's there?" Viktor swung his sword blindly into the mist. "Show yourself!"
Bhy Khay stepped into the circle.
[SYSTEM ALERT: CONTESTED ZONE.]
[UNLOCK PAUSED.]
"Someone is in the circle!" Viktor roared. "Kill everything!"
The guards started swinging wildly. Friendly fire incidents erupted. Screams of pain echoed as Iron Fist members hit each other in the confusion.
Bhy Khay ignored them. He walked up to the crate, right behind Viktor.
He placed his hand on the lock.
To Viktor, the lock required 5 minutes of channeling.
To Bhy Khay, the lock was just a line of code.
[OBJECT: SUPPLY CRATE (Lvl 3)]
[SECURITY: TIME LOCK]
[ADMIN ACCESS: BYPASS?]
Bhy Khay tapped [YES].
CLICK.
The massive crate hissed open instantly.
Viktor spun around, hearing the sound. "What—?"
Bhy Khay reached inside. There were weapons, potions, and armor. He ignored them all. He grabbed the Gold Pole resting in the center.
[ITEM ACQUIRED: GUILD FLAG (Tier 1)]
"Thanks for holding the spot, Viktor," Bhy Khay whispered.
Viktor lunged, his sword glowing with red energy. "[HEAVY STRIKE]!"
The blade slashed through the mist—and passed right through Bhy Khay's body.
[SKILL: SHADOW STEP (Cooldown Reset)]
Bhy Khay vanished.
He reappeared twenty meters away, holding the flag.
"Zayn! Cover fire!"
TWANG. TWANG. TWANG.
Bolts rained down from the scoreboard, creating a perimeter around Bhy Khay. The Iron Fist guards dove for cover.
"Elara! Retreat!"
Bhy Khay sprinted toward the exit tunnel. Elara emerged from the mist and joined him.
"Did you get it?" she panted.
Bhy Khay held up the flag. It pulsed with a warm, golden light.
"STOP THEM!" Viktor screamed from the center of the pitch, standing over the empty crate. "THEY TOOK THE FLAG! KILL THEM ALL!"
Fifty angry players charged through the mist.
"We can't outrun them!" Elara cried. "They have Speed Buffs!"
Bhy Khay looked at the tunnel ahead. Then he looked at the Flag in his hand.
"We don't need to run," Bhy Khay stopped.
He jammed the Guild Flag into the concrete floor of the tunnel.
CRACK.
[SYSTEM ALERT: TERRITORY CLAIMED.]
[NEW ZONE: THE TUNNEL.]
[OWNER: GUILD ECLIPSE.]
[ACTIVATE DEFENSE PROTOCOL? [Y/N]]
"Yes," Bhy Khay grinned.
A golden barrier erupted from the flag, filling the tunnel.
Viktor and his mob slammed into the barrier like bugs hitting a windshield.
THUD.
"NO!" Viktor pounded on the golden wall. "OPEN IT! FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN!"
Bhy Khay stood on the other side of the barrier, safe. He looked at Viktor, whose face was twisted in pure rage.
"This isn't a fighting game, Viktor," Bhy Khay said, his voice amplified by the tunnel acoustics. "It's a strategy game. And you just lost your capital."
He pulled the flag out of the ground. The barrier didn't vanish; it solidified, locking Iron Fist inside the stadium.
"Let's go home," Bhy Khay said to Elara. "We have a Guild to build."