Light shone across a flat and dark metal plain, illuminating the figures dashing across the grey expanse. Three figures, all clad in silver armor, were giving chase to a hooded figure. The silver trio all seemed to be wearing matching armor, indicating they were all part of the same knight order. Almost nothing distinguished them from one another, from the chestplate to the helmet.
The only difference was their weapons. While they all seemed to carry a standard-issue small sword inlaid with silver along the hilt and the spine, two of them also carried an extra weapon each. One held a mace, and the other sported a spear, both weapons being larger and having much longer reach than the sword at their hip.
All three of the figures had to be incredibly strong to carry the weight of the equipment on their bodies, but that didn't mean they were particularly quick while doing so. Despite their athletic prowess, speed was one of the main weaknesses of the knight order. As a result, the hooded figure they chased was able to continuously outpace his pursuers, consistently evading capture.
The escapee was shrouded in a tattered brown hood and could have easily passed for a homeless vagrant in a medieval city. But out here on the barren metal plain, overlooked by a starless sky, he was as conspicuous as a streetlamp in the forest.
Despite the strange environment, parties involved all continued with a single-minded determination to pursue their objective, whether it was capture or escape.
The situation looked as if it could continue forever. Or at least until the hooded figure escaped far beyond the sight of the pursuing knights. But a strange phenomenon occurred, breaking the stalemate between them. Two lights coalesced in front of the sole knight still lacking a unique weapon of his own. The first light quickly took shape, transforming into a large lance with the tip and the handle made of silver, connected by a decorative line made of the same material.
The second light took longer to take form, but once it was complete, the shape was unmistakable. Two wheels with silver rims. Equally silver handlebars with black handles. A smooth leather seat and a license plate that read 'SILVERS1'.
Indeed, in the next second, the armored knight caught the lance from the air and hopped on a motorcycle and became a silver streak as he raced towards the figure they were chasing.[1] The hunter, riding on his silver steed, closed the distance in a short time before aiming his new weapon toward the back of his approaching target.
The escaping figure tried to dodge but failed and was quickly run through by the tip of the silver lance. The brown hooded figure reflexively looked up as he screamed in pain, causing his hood to fall off, revealing the face of a dark-haired teen to the sky. Time began to slow as pain overcame him, and his face contorted into suffering that would be forever frozen on his bronze visage.
Giant words appeared facing the sky, spelling out a certain phrase.
[Game Over]
Far above the starless sky, on the metal plain, five faces gathered around, watching the events unfold. They looked to be teenagers wearing similar clothing. Three of them were eating a snack while surrounding two others holding cards in their hands and sitting opposite each other. The five were all students gathered around a desk, which was projecting the simulation that had just occurred.
"Looks like the king has finally been unseated." Spoke Elaine, who was spectating the match while munching on some chips. Her green eyes flicked from the game-over screen back toward the pile of snacks the group had gathered. The 'king' in question was sitting at one end of the table with a morose expression, visibly upset about his loss.
If one had never heard about Star Legends or any other type of video game of this age, they would be shocked to discover that his face was an exact match to the tiny hooded figure who was just slain on the desk in front of him. It was incredibly common for people to use their likeness as their avatar when playing any virtual game. Especially for those who were too lazy to customize their character due to that option being the default.
Victor, dark-haired and recently dethroned, looked up from the matchboard towards his opponent with shame, not because he lost—well, not entirely—but because of who he lost to. Victor was quite famous at his school for being a skilled Star Legends player. He had, in fact, won many tournaments, so a loss didn't come easily to him.
Yet here he was, suffering a defeat at the hands of the short, blonde-haired teen in front of him, who openly displayed his gloating expression.
"Way too easy. Just know you would have taken a far bigger beating if I had drawn the Silver King's Crown." Mocked Darius, the match winner and one of Victor's best friends.
Victor glared over with his well-known icy glare, yet having known his friend for all his life, Darius wasn't cowed at all. Victor then decided to bring Darius to reality. "You should know, you only got lucky with that draw. If I had managed to draw any of my resource cards, I would have certainly been able to snowball my way to victory."
Hearing that, Darius's smile only grew wider. "Oh, so we're making excuses now? Let me remind you who won again. Speaking of which, it's time to pay up now. You promised me your Silver King's Crown. I expect no complaints." Darius flashed a haughty smile before holding out his hand to his opponent expectantly.
An unwilling look appeared on Victor's face before he pulled a card out of his pocket and silently handed it over.
The other girl spectating had medium-length dark hair and brown skin. The girl, named Rosa, turned to the tall and well-built guy next to her. "So, what do you think of the match?"
Jax, the boy next to her, spoke up casually. Victor's battle style primarily focuses on its remarkably strong performance in the late game. Darius made the right choice to strike as early as he did. Despite my initial expectations, Darius's ability to locate and eliminate Victor's commander at such an early stage was unexpected. This might even be a record for Victor's fastest loss."
Rosa nodded in response. "It also doesn't help that Victor likes to play a support-type champion. If he had one more specialized in direct combat, he probably could have stalled until he built up more forces."
"Yeah, but that's not really his style. He likes to go all in."
Suddenly the pair was interrupted by a scream of shock. Darius was inspecting his prize with excitement and had the expression on his face freeze before it quickly dropped.
"Wait, where is the silver trim? The holographic foil? And the card art is different..." As his expression dropped lower and lower, he turned to Victor with a look of betrayal, only to receive a sullen look in return.
"...That was my only spare."
Darius paused for a moment before a look of realization crossed his face.
"You scammer!! You said you would give me your unique limited edition Silver King's Crown."
Victor's mouth twitched as a small smile flickered on his face, seemingly amused that his contingency worked. Before he bothered to rebut the accusation, the voice of another of his friends chimed in.
"Actually, I read the virtual contract, and it only says he owes you a Silver King's Crown, not the unique version specifically." Rosa answered with her typical serious expression. "Did you even bother reading this before signing it?" she said as she sighed.
"Wait, let me see..." Darius rapidly pulled up the document on his wrist communicator while Rosa shook her head.
"Seriously, you should have totally expected this." Elaine chimed in with an unsympathetic tone as she opened a new bag of chips.
Darius looked around in shock at the unsurprised expressions on their faces and suddenly realized something. "Wait, you all knew about this? Why didn't you tell me?"
"You're not the type to learn without suffering a loss. Quite frankly, it was for your own good." Jax said callously as he got up from his seat.
Victor sighed. "That was my only insurance against people vying for my unique card. I can't believe I lost it to you of all people." He shook his head in disappointment before also standing up from his seat.
In a couple short moments, Darius was the only one still left at the table, and he still sat there stewing in his disappointing victory.
"Are you coming? Or are you going to continue to be dramatic?" Victor asked, having quickly moved on from his loss. At this point Victor was standing by the doorway of the classroom, getting ready to head over to the mandatory assembly. While there was still a lot of time until it started, the group had all collectively agreed on arriving early since there wasn't enough time for another Star Legends match.
Well, everyone except Darius. It was quite a strange situation where the winner was more shaken by the outcome than the loser.
[1] Yes, knights ride motorcycles in this novel.