V.I.R.A.L

Chapter 110: I Hate Sand

Everyone stood in their respected rooms. Alton was tasked with the green room seeing no one else from his team around, this didn't mean there were no familiar faces, he quickly noticed both Jinx and Diego were both in the same boat. Jinx turned to him winking blowing a kiss as she stepped into a tube which blasted her high into the sky. One by one other too were flung out the room as Alton's turn was next. Stepping in, he cleared his mind of all concerns. He had a clear objective, stop EOR and win the contest no matter what. Part of him knew this would mean going up against his own team, and he was ready for whatever came. That's what he thought anyway. The spring from the machine clicked back leaving a loud snapping noise as it readied to blast Alton. Like a spring it was crunched back before in a split-second propelling up sending Alton through a long line of darkness before he soon felt the wind on his face. Now hundreds of feet in the air he found himself falling into the vast desert with the sign of the mountains being in the far distance.

There were small pockets of buildings and other points of interest as well as streamers already landing in various locations. Not wasting any time Alton crashed down dampening his fall. He found himself in the middle of nowhere. The sites he spotted too far off to notice as a sandstorm was already coming through not too far away. Alton pulled out his card, which had 100 points as well as a timer counting down from twenty-four hours from now. Piling the card back in his pocket he began trekking towards the mountains in the distance, the longer he wasted his time in the desert the less chance of winning he had. Moving forward, he stopped hearing something sway in the wind. Looking around, he saw no sign of danger. He began tightening his bandages moving that bit quicker looking for a place to hide out in and find some loot. Suppose he gained more points than anyone else. In that case, he might not have to go toe to toe with anyone from Rhapsody, this was his ideal outcome although he knew all too well that wasn't going to happen. In the not so far distance Alton spotted a worn-down fountain lost to time.

Running over, he looked for any sign of water, but to his dismay, it was bone dry. However, not all was lost as there was a small glowing light coming from the centre. Holding his card to the light, it vanished as Alton was granted 250 points. In light of this, he began checking his perks, seeing what sort of items he could purchase. The lower options being healing items, communication with another streamer and supplies like water and food. The higher chances were a radar, teleporter to another region. There was an exclusive item matched to him simply called parabellum, which cost three million points. It was an absurd amount way more than any of the other items on the list. This would easily be enough to win the match so why anyone would waste it for an unknown item is confusing, to say the least.

Closing the perks, Alton stopped feeling someone watching him. Turning, he looked around, feeling the tension in the air. Glaring around his vision snapped as a transparent figured passed throwing a set of knives at him. Just dodging in time, Alton stumbled back losing his balance as another set of blades were thrown at him. With no chance of escape, he held his arms up blocking them as both stabbed into him. Ripping them out Alton kept looking out for the next sign of an attack. Catching the outline of someone Alton threw the knife back as the figure caught it revealing themselves. It was a girl dressed in a transparent outfit which matched her environment. She had a shaved head and serval more knives in hand. "I'm quite surprised you caught onto me so quickly. The desert was never a good place for me. I should expect nothing less from Dauntless."

"I didn't expect to be attacked by a streamer so quickly. This is slightly frustrating."

"Oh, trust given any other situation, and I wouldn't have but seeing how we are in the desert with no sign of water anywhere insight I thought I'd take the opportunity to take out the big guns while you're down."

Alton eyed the streamer down tutting. "Should have expected that. Guess you also took into account I don't really like using my blood as a weapon either. You got a name?"

"Sense." She said with a salute. "I'm just an upcoming streamer well below your ranks. I joined in hopes of getting some attention. Taking you down should quench my thirst."

Alton spun his wrist around as blood trickled from his wound rippling at high speed at Sense. The blood grazed her cheek as she jumped back startled. "Just because I said I don't like using my blood as a weapon doesn't mean I won't. If you think a no-name streamer is going to be the end of me, then you should give up now."

Sense rubbed the blood off her cheek smirking as she disappeared. The sound of her echoing all around. "You know I've seen your work through the streams. How you took down Monty and Paradox was so captivating to the point where it scares me to death. But when all of that is taken away, you are really nothing to ride on home about." Unaware of where Sense was, he felt a sharp pain in the shoulder as she appeared stabbing him before vanishing again. Alton stumbled forward holding his shoulder in pain. "I'm curious in knowing what you will do next."

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Alton gripped his shoulder tutting annoyed. "What's your story then? What's motivating you through this journey."

"Nothing much really. I saw a chance for easy money. It was this or jail. Given a chance to use my powers for my own self-gain and get away with it, sounds too good to be true."

"Not so much of a special snowflake then, that pretty much summons up all the other streamers. You're generic."

Sense appears slashing Alton leg as she kicks him back as he fell to the ground. Serval more knives fly at him as blood swarms everywhere stopping the attack. "Nothing wrong with being like the others. You know what they say if it ain't broke why fix it? Tell me though mister hotshot hero how long it will take for you to give up? We can't kill each other, fortunately, but that doesn't mean we can't have some fun."

Alton got back on his feet, taking a deep breath waiting for the next attack. He held his hand out as blood trickled onto his leg which hadn't been attacked. Dripping down his leg, he closed his eyes waiting. His eyes snapped open as Sense dived to the ground slashing at his other leg, just as he expected. The blood coming off him hardened as it shattered the knife-throwing Sense off entirely. Dazed Alton struck, kicking her in the stomach, knocking her back as he threw the hard chunk of blood which shattered against her on impact. Sense fled vanishing readying her next attack. "Trying to take out both legs in the hope of me incapacitating me was an obvious plan. You need to think outside the box Sense if you want to defeat me."

Sense scoffed taking the taunt head-on. "Please, I haven't even started yet. I won't fall for that little trick again."

Alton clicked his tongue, throwing blood everywhere covering every spot that Sense could attack. Waiting for that next attack, he noticed the footprint in the blood. Using this ambush, he threw a kick, hitting nothing but air. This was met by a sharp pain in his arm as a knife had appeared no longer invisible. "Then I'll be sure to keep a few ones going, keep you on your toes."

Alton had very few options left. His attacker was invisible to the eye and so where the weapons she used, his means of attack were small, and any more bold attacks could leave him open if he loses too much blood. He had to think of a plan. Both fell silent, a clear sign Sense was readying her final attack. Alton kneeled down, picking up a handful of sand weighing it in his hand. Gripping it tightly, letting little grains slip from his fingertips, he began walking backwards, leaving his circle of blood. Dragging his foot in the sand, making a small trench of sand, he kept looking around before having his back against the fountain. Observing the sand, a sudden trail passed his as Alton chucked the sand forward, revealing Sense. Her transparent camouflage was now flawed. Alton smirked side, kicking her back to the ground as clods of blood held her down. Alton kneeled down with a small ball of blood dancing in his hand. He stared at her with a pale look panting. "Your power is something I'll admit. But without the sense of surprise, it's pretty useless."

Sense struggled as she sighed tutting. "Who said I lost the sense of surprise?" Before Alton could respond, a small cylinder rolled over to him. A loud bang was heard as Alton was blinded falling back, allowing the blood to fade. Coming back to his senses, he felt something sharp against his neck as the streamer was behind him. "Checkmate Dauntless. You have nowhere to go. You have to surrender now."

Alton gritted his teeth being bested with little chance of victory now. That was until the sound of a gun clocked as Sense stopped feeling a pistol pressed against her head. "What was that about checkmate? Sorry to march on your little parade but looks like I win." Jinx whispered in her ear.

Sense dropped the knife holding her hand up cursing. "Fuck, and I was so close too. I almost had him."

"Oh, you did, but you didn't. Doesn't matter how you lost even if you were oh so close. Now surrender before your brains are splattered all over the sand."

"You wouldn't kill me. You'd be disqualified and most likely arrested."