INVASION: Can Invaders Dodge a Bullet? (2b/2: ENDGAME) (CYDAB × Door Kicker Shenanigans)

Thank you u/spacepaladin15 for the Nature of Predators universe, which this story is based on!

Thank you to u/BainWrites for setting up the Invasion Event! And thank you u/ApprehensiveCap6525 for being one of my partners in this event and allowing me to use characters from their story, Door Kicker Shenanigans! This has been immensely fun for me! But all fun comes to an end!

Welcome back to Can You Dodge A Bullet? Four contestants have been eliminated so far (whether through disqualification or actual gameplay)! There are six people left to track down, which is a pretty good number for how far along we are.

Still though, the two most terrifying people in this group are still out and about. And this supposed "endgame" that Rynus has been hyping up is still up in the air... Maybe you can guess what it is?

Onward to the endgame!

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// Memory Transcription Subject: Tevyin | Gojid | Contracted Financial Analyst, Can You Dodge a Bullet Contestant
// Location: (Earth) Preim City, California
// Date {standardized human time}: ERR–%?$: DìM›NSì0N4L 4N0M4LY PR›S›NT

Two shots left in the current mag, I think... Not great, but I can work with that.

I've kept up a good pace in these hallways. One that wasn't too tiring! I was starting to run low on stamina, but this brief respite from constantly running has staved off my exhaustion. Somewhat.

But I should speed up! My target's already up ahead in the pit. The radar ping said there's four runners in there, which is an increase from two... So that unfortunately named venlil is somewhere in there...

...

Seriously, Orvem has to know about the (somewhat) famous guy of the same name? Another person must have said something about that corrupt magister to him! I need to ask after!

And also hope that mentioning it isn't annoying for him... Maybe it is?

...Maybe I shouldn't ask.

With that decided, I burst through the doors to the central pit and scan the general area. Lounge section, no one in my sight so far—

Oh, the start of a new song. Gentle, building synths... Almost like crashing waves.

The doors close behind me on their own and I continue scanning the area. Can't see Orvem, but I can notice that things have changed. A lot of the lights have fully dimmed, and now there are just purple and gold spotlights patrolling the central pit. As I fully comprehend that, a kick begins to build in the song, the spotlights now gently flashing to the groove. That's a faster than expected tempo...

I guess things are getting more serious!

"Stay on your toes, players. We're getting through that clock!" announces Alekson throughout the entirety of the club.

"And find those time zones, runners! I want to get to that endgame already~" whistles Rynus with excitement.

I REALLY do not want to get to that endgame—

Is that a distant pop of an airsoft gun—well. not really the gun, it's mainly just a loud sound added TO the guns in order to—the point is that Rey is in the central pit somewhere—

A quick check of the Radar reveals that yes, he is. Closer to the main stage where the DJ is performing—I never really got a chance to meet them directly...

Something to ponder while I prowl the central pit. The noise Rey's chase is making right now will probably cause Orvem to avoid it. Maybe he's closer to the massive bar over by the party rooms?

DJ's Apparently a dossur wearing full body armor. Which... makes sense. A stray pellet could be devastating to them—

A spotlight caught the edge of a swaying tail, revealing the rest of a venlil figure in the darkness—one that's walking through the pit with their hands up. Salvek. It seems he likes the song, considering how he's unconsciously taking every step to the groove of it.

Oh.

Ignoring him, I pressed forward, slinking between couches with extremely tall backrests and wide, oval tables. Another distant pop, but no buzzer, told me that Rey was having a bit of trouble.

I think I could hear some people in the second floor gallery calling my name? Can't make out what they're trying to say though—

PING!

I quickly check the radar. The number of active runners in here has increased to five! That's almost all of them! One of them is in the party room section.

...You know... I don't think Rey and I have been there for the entire game—

Is that Orvem resting on one of the couches right there?

Orvem noticed me just as fast. "Speh!" He cursed, rolling off the side of the couch as fast as possible to hide behind it. Good choice, because I couldn't bring the pistol to bear on him fast enough.

Orvem then starts to do a classic strategy: run circles around the one object keeping you safe. Unfortunately for him, I jump up onto the couch and—

POP!

CRACK!

And barely miss him! Uyashnm! I swear, skimming fur should count as a hit! I-if I got that close, anyway!

I could hear the audience groan in defeat. Really guys, I'm sorry I'm sucking this bad!

Orvem realized that his plan IS NOT going to keep him safe, as I nearly hit him in the chest there. At least, I think I nearly did... The darkness isn't helping! Stupid darkness is making me look bad!

...'Skill issue.'

I sigh in defeat before focusing on the chase. Right now, Orvem's taken to running away again, heading towards a wall of the pit. Since the pit slopes down towards the stage, he's currently running slightly uphill, which is not gonna be great for the stamina of either of us—he's run into the view of a spotlight—the spotlight's staying locked onto him!

"What is this speh?!" he complained with very apparent rage as he jumped over a semicircular barricade surrounding a set of couches and ducked behind it. Right in time too, as I was allowed to fire again. But I'm saving it for a good shot. This mag only has one pellet in it.

"Forgot to mention! The spotlights stay locked on to you for a while if they see you. Oopsies!" Rynus whistled.

"REALLY NOW?!" Orvem cried out angrily, causing a distant wave of laughter throughout the audience. He continued sprinting, hopping over another section of the barricade right as I vault over the part of it closer to me. He's approaching the side of the central pit. The incline's been terrible on his stamina—and on mine's too—but we're reaching the top of it—

What's with the strange, white and gold box on one of the tables there? I haven't seen one of those before...

Anyway! Orvem's about to reach the end of this lounge section! There's no couches closer to this edge due to the large, expansive bar that stretches a large portion of the wall we're approaching. There's tables and chairs near it, but they're not really gonna do a good job as cover if I'm a...

...Good shot.

Which I am not, as I've discovered. But I can blame it all on the darkness if I just hit this next shot! It won't be a skill issue if I just hit this next shot while that spotlight's still on him! It'll prove that the darkness really was hindering me!

And there it is, he's amidst the thin and spindly tables and chairs!

I reach the edge of the lounge section, then stop and try to line up a proper shot! Orvem, clearly paying attention, dives for cover behind a table and some chairs. But they don't cover him that well! It's over!

POP!

CRACK!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I hear the audience cry out with me too! I'm sorry!!!!! I do have a skill issue!

I think I saw the pellet just barely bounce off of one of the chair's leg braces! If it didn't, it would've got him in the stomach! Uyashnm!

"Tev, are you throwing?!" Alekson yells out of an intercom with exasperation.

"YES!" I yell in response, freeing the mag from the pistol and placing it into an empty pocket. Because maybe I am throwing! HOW DID I MESS THAT UP?!

As I load another mag into the gun, I chase after Orvem and hear another distant pop. Way closer this time, though. Is Rey coming this way?

PING!

I check—still five players in here—and Rey's blue dot is coming over here!

I focus back on Orvem—and where I'm going because I almost ran into a table. I stumble away from it as I keep watch on my target. He's continued weaving through the tables and chairs.

I've been running along the bar zone to keep up, but now I'm occasionally slipping into it, running amongst the tables and chairs. If I get close while the spotlight's still on Orvem, I'll be able to hit the shot easily—

And OF COURSE the spotlight falls off of Orvem right as I think that! UGH!

"Tev!" said a familiar voice over my headset. Oh hi, Rey! "Jelim split off from Jack... Whereabouts unknown," he explains through occasional pants.

'Stay vigilant.'

"Got it," I responded nearly instantly after clicking my headset.

"I'm coming your way—"

POP!

CRACK!

I fire a pellet at Orvem again before I can process Rey's words properly. It bounced off the back of a chair that was right behind him. Ugh! But I think I heard him cursing under his breath! I have him stressed! If he's stressed, he'll play worse! Probably! It kind of just seems like he plays better under stress right now???

But yes, Rey is coming my way! Then that means I can just...! "Orvem's running by the bar!" I snitched on the venlil.

Rey does a sharp inhale. "See him. Pot shot incoming."

POP!

I think I see a shot whizz right by Orvem's head, causing him to yelp and duck.

"Oops, too close to the head—SORRY!" Rey apologizes with a yell that I hear double of.

I dodge around a spotlight, skid to a stop, and take aim.

Orvem noticed a bit late.

POP!

BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

"AUgh—brahkbrahkbrahk—that stings... you—" Orvem trails off due to his own tiredness. He leans on a table in order to recuperate, taking large gulps of air.

I relish in the cheers of the crowd. They're saying my name! I've done it! Yes!

"Orvem's out of here after he got cornered by both of the seekers working together! Unlucky!" Alekson announces with a snap of his fingers.

Finally hit a shot! But...

I'm winded, but I am not impolite. I should relay Rey's concern if Orvem didn't quite catch it. I walk a bit closer to Orvem. "Hey, Orvem right? Great job! And, uh... Rey's sorry for... almost hitting you in the head..."

"Wha...?" he questioned, his tail twirling with confusion. Then it swished with authority. "Apology... not accepted... terrible experience..." he gasped out.

O-ouch. Well, I tried Rey. No time to speak further, have more people to catch—

PING!

Exactly what I needed!

// END OF EXCERPT

// {C.N}: Another excerpt of relevance follows, taking place right after the previous.

// BEGINNING NEW EXCERPT
// FORMAT: MEMORY TRANSCRIPTION

// Memory Transcription Subject: Samuel Reyné Jon Damiás | Human | Social Media Influencer, Can You Dodge a Bullet Contestant
// Location: (Earth) Preim City, California
// Date {standardized human time}: ERR–%?$: DìM›NSì0N4L 4N0M4LY PR›S›NT

I'm commonly called the Phantom Foot, but I'm honestly willing to pass off my title to Jack at this point. I'm only catching glimpses of this guy, it's amazing! It's also the main reason I have been conserving my shots... I just need a good angle—

There?

POP!

Nope, whiffed past him. Just a second too slow on the trigger pull. It's almost like he anticipated it, too!

The big guy's got some pretty fast footwork, beelining between all of these couches like this. He barely even stops, and seemingly has ceaseless stamina. He's like some sort of special ops action hero! It's crazy!

And with the familiar sound of a clock fast forwarding, that's another time zone being hit! Don't have time to check which one because I need to make sure I stay on this guy! If I look away, I'm pretty sure I'll lose him.

We've long since moved away from the bar, since he opted to avoid Tevyin and just go back to the other side of the pit. Luckily for Tevyin and I, my brief assistance got us another runner eliminated. Unluckily, it means I fell behind this absolute demon by a figurative mile because I stopped to shoot someone else. Now we're approaching an entrance to one of the corridors, and—

Is something—no, someone there? In front of the doors?

A spotlight, luckily enough, swings towards the door and illuminates a krakotl! Not Jelim though. Damn, which one is that... The one Jelim hates? Or Jelim's supposed dad?

...That actually doesn't narrow it down that much. But that's what happens when you never actually get the names of some people.

Either way, a krakotl is right there! And struggling to pull open the doors?

"Jelim! Stop being a bitch for once in your life!" screeches the unfamiliar krakotl.

"Have you considered taking your own advice?" says a squawk through the door.

So Jelim's on the other side, huh? That must be the one she hates, then.

Jack's juking to another direction, heading away from the corridor entrance. But I kept forward. I'm gonna take this opportunity. I got closer to ensure I wouldn't miss.

"Brahking spotlight! Why is it so bright???" The unknown krakotl complains, holding up a wing over their head and continuing trying to forcefully pull the door open. "And why won't you just let me OPEN THE BRAHKING DOOR?!"

"To any and all people with a gun out there: SHOOT. HIM," ordered the voice on the other side of the door. Extremely authoritative, too. Like, damn.

Well, she must've heard me and Jack coming. Well, sure! I'll do just that, Jelim!

POP!

BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

"AU—OH FORSAKE IT ALL! YOU...! BRAHKING—UGH!" The shot krakotl's feathers puffed out completely. He is outraged. The glare he's giving me is immense. "Brahking predator... Ridiculous."

H...huh?!

"W-...Whoa, uh... Karelim's out!" declared Alekson.

Oh, Karelim! That's his name.

But still, this guy, he just... Isn't that insult... mostly dead and buried?

"Karelim, you can't be calling people that—" Alekson continued.

Karelim scoffed. "Ridiculous! Also, what Jelim just did is clearly against the rules! She sabotaged me!"

I see why Jelim hates this guy—

"Actually..." Rynus cut in. "That's entirely within the rules. The objective of your team is to be one of, if not the last runner left. The methods you achieve that through is up to you. Sabotage like that is a frequent thing when an opportunity presents itself."

I snuck over to the corridor door. Karelim's attention, meanwhile, was mostly on the intercom.

He stood there with his mouth agape for a moment. "That... that's stupid! What the hell is with predshits and the constant competition and other speh—"

The rest of that rant was muffled as I closed the door to the corridor behind me. That is a can of worms that Alekson and Rynus can approach. I am not going to bother.

Let's focus on what's important! Like where the hell Jelim went! As expected, she isn't behind door number one. No, she's just gone. Didn't expect her to stick around, anyway! Time to track her down if I can!

And thinking of people to track down: where is the old guy? I haven't even seen him once since the start. That's actually impressive...

// END OF EXCERPT

// {C.N}: Another excerpt of relevance follows, taking place right after the previous.

// BEGINNING NEW EXCERPT
// FORMAT: MEMORY TRANSCRIPTION

// Memory Transcription Subject: Tevyin | Gojid | Contracted Financial Analyst, Can You Dodge a Bullet Contestant
// Location: (Earth) Preim City, California
// Date {standardized human time}: ERR–%?$: DìM›NSì0N4L 4N0M4LY PR›S›NT

The interconnected party rooms. I was led here by the radar ping of two runners being present in this zone—definitely Selfridge and... that one krakotl we never got the name of. The one that's supposedly Jelim's dad. Both Jack and her are out and about elsewhere. 'Karelim'—the other unknown krakotl that was—got eliminated just now.

Rey really liked the party rooms. He said something about how it showed that Club Ether is thoughtful and accommodating to large groups.

It's a grid of party rooms divided by hallways. Each room can be individually reserved and kept closed off from the other rooms for relatively small or private groups that are visiting and need a hub to return to. Or, these rooms can be reserved in sections, and there were doors in each room meant to connect them to another room in their section. No matter the group size, you'd be able to reserve just enough rooms to fit everyone in your party. Well... up to 288 people, anyway. I think that's the number Rey said all the rooms combined could accommodate. And right now, all of their doors are open to support the game. Makes this place kind of like a maze.

But is it really 288 people? Hold on...

If I remember correctly, each room individually can accommodate eighteen people. There are four rooms per section or quadrant, and there are four sections—Yep, 288—

PING!

The notification of yet another radar ping rings through the building. Might just check that, then—

I hear voices!

Don’t need to check, sounds like they’re right here. I recently reloaded, too, so I shouldn't suddenly run out of shots. Let's do this!

I sneak past a hall camera straight towards an open door that leads into a party room.

I can finally make out one of the voices! It sounds like Selfridge! "...Zones occasionally spawn in here, and I just go hit 'em and sit down, simple as that."

I heard the clack of a beak! "And neither of the seekers ever actually went in here yet???"

"Nope, neither of them. Even with those supposed 'radar pings' that they get," Selfridge answered. "They must be busy, and so I've been left alone. How about you, Tielim?"

Tielim???

OH!

"I'm doing fine," Tielim tweets. "Very glad to know this is a good point to rest. I've been barely avoiding—Wha—why do I need to...?"

So that's the name of Jelim's supposed dad!

"To the one listening in," begins Selfridge, "could you state your business?"

Uh—

Tielim asks, "W-what? Someone's listening?!"

Oops! Why was I just—UM—

I step out into the doorway with the gun pointed at, uh, Selfridge! He's sitting right there! "First, s-sorry! Second, sorry!"

Selfridge raises something right as I pull the trigger.

POP!

CRACK!

A temp shield! Uyashnm! I should've just fired first!

Selfridge drops the handle of it right as it falls apart into pieces, the plastic clattering on the tiled floor of the party room. He then explodes out of his chair towards a door he sat as close as possible to on purpose.

Rushing into the room, I put pressure on Tielim. He chirped incomprehensibly, clearly frightened by my sudden invasion. With a fluttering of wings, he's out the door right behind Selfridge. I vault over the rectangular table in the center of the room and shoot straight to the door, which leads to another party room! Seems to be a bunch of smaller tables and chairs in this one—

"Tielim!" Selfridge yells out with way more power in his vocal chords than I expected, "We should split up!"

"S-split up?!" Tielim squawks in bewilderment right as I cross the doorway, fully entering the new room.

Almost off cooldown on my next shot. Tielim's sticking right behind Selfridge. They're right by the door and about to leave. Cooldown's done, but there's no good shot! Continuing the chase!

I follow the pair through the doorway, into a dark purple hallway in between all of the rooms. Both runners are still dashing down it, trying to make distance. Selfridge is looking back at me. I could shoot him, but no, I'm aiming for Tielim! Better to get the smaller target out of the way if they make it this easy by just going in a straight line like that—

Selfridge grabs him—

POP!

CRACK!

—and pulled him out of the way!

Tielim squawks in surprise, then looks up at Selfridge. "T-thank you—"

"Welcome," Selfridge replies before then letting go of him. "And bye." He nods politely before rushing towards an upcoming intersection, cutting to the left.

I pump my legs, going as fast as they would allow. Unconsciously, I smiled. This is fun, after all!

Tielim's eyes widened as he scrambled towards the nearest party room door instead of continuing to the intersection. He cut to the right.

Selfridge is heading out of the party rooms, but Tielim is heading deeper in.

Rey can handle Selfridge. Probably.

I cut to the right, chasing Tielim down. To his abject horror. "WHY?!" he yelled the question right as I took aim at his airborne form. He's flying over a table to get over it way faster than I ever could. I pull the trigger—

He dived—

POP!

CRACK!

—behind the large table right as I fired. I could swear the pellet skimmed a tail feather, but that doesn't count. "You were my choice! Sorry!" I explain before running after him. He went through the nearest door again. Another party room. I dash towards a part of the table with no chairs and vault over it smoothly. I run into the next room—White and black wallpaper, almost like that one human board game—I don't see Tielim.

But he flew.

I check the radar. Tielim's specific position—marked because he flew—indicates that he had immediately gone left, heading into that party room over there. Heading left too, then! New room—

PING!

Already know where they are, radar! Don’t have to—

Oh wow, this room has a wallpaper with a giant purple and gold serpentine dragon for some reason. That's pretty cool. There’s also another one of those white and gold boxes on the table. Hm.

Anyway, going off of Tielim's last known radar position, he's likely behind that large rectangular table—

"Why not Selfridge?!" Tielim asked, confirming the radar's information. "He's human! He's older! And slower!" Tielim squawked in a panic, trying to stay out of my line of fire by hiding behind the table that is currently perpendicular to me. Should've probably considered staying quiet, but okay!

I snickered. "I don't know... you're feeling pretty easy... to keep up with!" I say despite feeling quite winded. I pump my legs, do a tiny hop, and climb onto the table!

Tielim looks up at me in brief horror as I line up a shot. He finally reacts by scrambling to a nearby hallway door—WAIT THAT ONE'S COMPLETELY RED!

A blockade door! If he knows to pull it close, it’ll lock and he’ll get away! Can’t have that!

I inhale sharply and focus on the iron sight.

POP!

BUZZZZZZZZZ!

"OW—owowow, my wing, ow—" Tielim skids to a stop and flaps his right wing around wildly, trying to throw off the pain.

I think I accidentally nailed him right in the shoulder blade. That definitely smarts for Krakotl. Oops! "O-oh, sorry!"

"And with that! Tielim's out!" booms Alekson's voice from what is likely every intercom in the building, as usual. "Jelim is now the last remaining Krakotl, and boy oh boy, she is giving Rey a run for everything he's worth! Does she even get tired?!"

Nevermind, Selfridge is fine because Rey's still busy with her, huh?

Tielim continues flapping the wing about for a bit. He chirps lightly, them having no meaning to them. Eventually, he sighs. "It's okay... At least it's not... an actual bullet..."

Uh...

"Y-yeah, of course it isn't," I nervously agree, climbing down from the table. These people have a tendency to mention grim things. "Anyway, I'll leave you to it—" I turn around to encounter a far darker room. The gold lights on the white box glowed ominously in the dark. Previously, I could see somewhat well despite the dim lighting. But now? It was difficult to make out anything in the low light besides the boxes—

Suddenly, every intercom blared out a horn five times. Rey and I ran out of base time! No!

As the music faded out, I sighed. Because, eh, it's not really that bad. This isn't a game with any stakes. Still, it isn't great to know that we're going into the...

...Endgame.

Oh no.

Rynus' whistling laughter meets my ears, flowing through the entire building... to my horror. "Finally! Hello folks, do I have your attention? Yes, I do~!" he said with clear giddiness. "Everyone pause for a moment to hear what I've got to say! No movement! No shooting! Stay within a meter of your current position, please! However, if you're already eliminated, you do not need to worry about this! Make your way out of the play area—and thus to the second floor—while I'm talking if you can."

"O-oh..." Tielim breathed out. "I... I still need a moment."

"We've done it! We've reached the endgame!" I could almost hear Rynus' tail wagging. "So! This endgame has been requested by many, whether it be a player or a viewer. Time to give it a whirl!"

Wait, I think I know what he's talking about!

"The endgame is simple on paper: all of the runners will now have the opportunity to become armed with an airsoft gun of their own in order to eliminate the seekers!"

YES! I've been wanting this—wait, I'm currently a seeker. WAIT—

"And so, if any of you have been paying attention, there has been mysterious white and gold boxes about! The key takeaway? They're unlocked now~" Rynus explained in singsong.

I immediately locked an eye on the box sitting on the table. It was right there?

"Oh Tev, don't look so spooked! You're fine! And, you know what? You're the perfect example. Camera's on you, you're a star!"

I look at a red dot shining at me from the corner of the room.

Alekson cleared his throat into the mic. "Go on. Open the box for us," he politely requested.

I approached the box and... found out that it does indeed open. I pried open the container, revealing a—

Yep, as predicted.

"To those in the halls wondering what Tev found, it's an airsoft gun! There is an airsoft pistol in each and every one of those white and gold boxes! The box pistols also have nine rounds and a capped fire rate of one pellet every five seconds!" Rynus reassured.

"Oh!" I gasped. "Okay!"

"Buuuuut..." Alekson cuts in, "The fire rate caps for all airsoft pistols will be lifted one minute after this announcement."

Oh. That's not okay!

"Seekers, you're in danger. And runners, you can get revenge on how these two tyrants have been terrorizing you."

"Yep!" beeped Rynus. "The show goes on! When the lights go back up, play is on! Please keep in mind that seeker pistols will stay locked for the initial five seconds of play resuming, as always! Whenever a runner gets a gun, I'll say who it is. The seekers at least deserve that much forewarning! Especially because they'll be without their radars from this point forward!"

WE'LL BE WHAT?!

The lights brightened to their previous level. But nothing's the same. No, I feel a thrilling dread.

This... this is cool! This is fun! But I feel like I'm gonna get taken out immediately!

"Oh, and, Jelim," Rynus continued, "As the last krakotl remaining, here's something fun that's just this game, just for you! Ahem!" A beat of silence... "You can fly as much as you want now~!"

Oh that's just ridiculous!

"The only restriction is to not fly or land outside of the play area! Thank you!"

I... I shouldn't straight up say that Rey and I are doomed, but... that's looking pretty doomed.

Regardless of that horrifying rule change, it's time to move. I close the container and turn to leave the room. Tielim went to perch on one of the chairs at some point to rest a bit better. I wave to him as I head through the door.

I should probably get back to the central pit!

// END OF EXCERPT

// {C.N}: Another excerpt of relevance follows, taking place soon after the previous.

// BEGINNING NEW EXCERPT
// FORMAT: MEMORY TRANSCRIPTION

// Memory Transcription Subject: Samuel Reyné Jon Damiás | Human | Social Media Influencer, Can You Dodge a Bullet Contestant
// Location: (Earth) Preim City, California
// Date {standardized human time}: ERR–%?$: DìM›NSì0N4L 4N0M4LY PR›S›NT

There's been no music for a bit now. And that's actually quite scary. The silence is tense. And the situation is far more tense. Which is so exhilarating!

Maybe I should've kept pressure on Jelim instead of immediately retreating to the pit when she found a pistol.

It was a far better plan to go for the people who didn't find a pistol... but then apparently, Jack found a pistol. And he's in the central pit somewhere, last time I checked. So I have to be careful—

"Hi!" Rynus greets. "A minute has now passed! There is now around four minutes left! Every pistol's fire rate limit has been removed from this point on. And since everyone's in the central pit, leaving the pit is now considered out of bounds!"

Confirmation that every threat's in here.

"Good luck! And DJ, take everyone's hearing away again! Loudest one you've got, please!"

Here we go, then.

A mechanical whine spilled out into the pit like some sort of howl, before quickly being overwhelmed by booming kicks and an aggressive synth. Immense, stressful pressure. The kind that is rushing you.

Honestly, exactly what this situation is—

"R-Rey! I'm nearly there to the front stage." Tev called through my headset.

I nod unconsciously despite the fact that no one's physically around me. "That's great, but you can stop at around where you are, I'm guessing. It's best that we stay somewhat separated."

"I had the same thou—uuoOOH—"

POP!

An airsoft shot from his end? And, as I hear double of it, it sounds closer to me in actuality than I would like—

BUZZZZZZ!

The crowd gasps, then cheers.

"Owowowow—where did you come from?!" yelps Tevyin.

"Above," answers a chilling, avian voice. Jelim.

The terror of a krakotl with a gun!

"Jelim wasted NO time with that!" Rynus laughed. "Did she have a personal vendetta against Tevyin or something?!"

I hear an audience member above me scream, "MAYBE!"

"That was such a bad scare—" Tevyin starts, but is cut off.

By Alekson taking the gojid's place in my headset. "Unfortunately, you can't speak to our favorite quill boy anymore, as he is eliminated. Good luck, Rey."

"Won't save me," I admitted with a smile. It's just really looking like it won't. I've been after Jelim and Jack this entire game. I know what they're like at this point. This is gonna be terrible for me. Which is great!

"REY! REY! REY!"

The audience, meanwhile, must think I stand a chance with how they've started shouting my name on the backbeat of the song. Well, that's motivating! But I feel like motivation isn't gonna get me anywhere against my main two opponents. Jelim’s turning this into a horror game where I have to watch the skies, and Jack… I still don’t know where he is. That is scary on its own.

So I should probably seek out and eliminate, uh... the old guy I forgot the name of. Seriously, I haven't seen him in that long! It hasn't been announced that he's acquired a gun yet. Hiding by this couch and waiting out the time is boring! I'm a showman! Time to entertain!

I peek out from behind the couch I'm hiding behind. It's one of the few placed closer to the stage, and is my only good cover for a good amount of distance. I see the tiny shape of the DJ—it’s amazing that they’re a dossur, that's just cool—dancing around on top of their workspace. Never got their name, but I'll look into that later.

Anyway, don't see any shapes in the sky, and all the flashing lights and spotlights make it hard to make out if a human shape's moving through the darkness. Don't see anybody on the expansive main dancefloor right in front of the stage either. For obvious reasons (completely devoid of cover), but it's good to check.

I keep low to the ground as I slink out from behind the couch, scanning the skies—Wait, Jelim's right there! She's sticking close to one of the spotlights! It made it hard to see her!

"Stage right! Heading to the second couch from the stage!"

Her faint yell barely reaches me due to the music and general audience noise.

Damn!

I aim my pistol right as she tucks her wings in for a dive—then goes into some sort of corkscrew?!

POP! POP! POP!

...As expected, I was NOT hitting her. That maneuver was crazy!

"Rey accidentally hit someone in the crowd! That was an oversight!" Alekson announces.

I DID?!

Crowd wide laughter. At least they’re happy!

"Sorry!" I yell while heading for cover

Anyway, damn. Jelim's given away my position. Then I gave away my own position—but I can't just not say sorry! Regardless, there's only one reason she'd do that: she wants Jack to have eyes on me. He might ambush me, which is bad because I don't have any idea where he is in here. I do know where Jelim is though. I saw the general area where she landed. Which was somewhere not too far, but not too close.

Putting as much power as I can into my legs, I set off to running to the next couch, one that's even further away from the stage—

POP! CRACK! POP! CRACK! POP! CRACK! POP! CRACK!

Several shots whiffed just past me as I dove into cover, thankful for the long sleeves I was wearing. Don't want to get floor burns. The bad thing is I didn't get a good look at who fired at me…

A large number of the crowd gasps for some reason. Hm?

I get up into a slight crouch, trying to peek around the couch—

"REY, LOOK OUT!" I hear someone yell above me.

Just barely over the music… The flutter of wings.

POP!

A sharp pain in the middle of my back, from up above. "Ouch! Damn!" I rubbed at my back—

BUZZZZZZZZZZ!

I look up to see Jelim perched on the top of the couch's backrest. It must've been Jack pressuring me, then. She flew in and finished me off shortly after... That's brutal!

"And just like that, GAME! OVEEERRRR!" Alekson declares with a boisterous yell.

The crowd erupts into cheers. And I think I hear some boos there too. Some people really wanted me to win, huh?

As I stood up, I holstered my gun and noticed that the current song faded out.

"The next round, with some new contestants—the one intended to be the audience round—will start in about twenty minutes! To any and all people that won the raffle, please go to the office nearby the concession stands. We'll get you all ready for the field there!" Alekson explained with a snap of his fingers. "Can the remaining contestants please make their way off the field? At your leisure, of course. You've got twenty minutes! But please don't use all of it. DJ, play what you want!"

With that came the arrival of another new song! A very simple kick groove with some bass.

"That works!"

I glance over at Jelim. She jumped down from the couch's backrest, airsoft gun in hand. "Unfortunately, you were against two professionals. A good try, though."

Two professionals?

That explains a lot (that all happened far too quickly to just be two random people), but leaves a lot of questions too... Seriously, there is such a growing list of questions for these people! The intrigue with who they are is insane!

...I shrug. Not my position to pry into that. "I did my best."

Jelim shook out her wings a bit. "But you could improve your best," she stated while walking past me.

As I step out from behind the couch, I see her approaching Jack, who is walking over while twirling a gun. He stops twirling the gun and keeps it at a lax position at his side. "Rough positioning, man," he says to me.

I chuckle. "Yeah, wasn't my best choice for cover—"

I hear a yell from the crowd: "I would've beat them!"

I turned to look in the general direction of the childish voice. "Really now?" I yell back, skeptical. And enjoying this.

"Yes! I would've got her, then got Jack!" yells a... particularly young looking yotul at me. Ah, a kid. Explains the arrogance.

I roll my eyes and turn away from them. Jelim scoffed with a clack of her beak. "Don't pay fools any mind."

I shrugged. "I agree, but do it anyway because it's content."

She gave me an odd look. "Are you... a content creator?"

"Yep!" I answer. "'Reydical'! A play on radical but with my nickname."

Jelim... stared for a moment. "...As long as it makes some sort of profit."

Ah yes, the classic response for 'I will respect you despite your job choice.'

Then I noticed a certain old man coming our direction. There he is! It's...! Damn, his name's still not coming to me.

He waves at us. "Well, that was a good time. Great play from everyone involved," he compliments with a smile, stopping once he was amidst the group.

Jelim slowly shifted her head to regard him very closely. "...I never even saw you, Selfridge."

That's his name!

"Me either!" I added.

The old man laughed. "Well that's swell for me, isn't it? I got those time zones and stayed out of the way of everyone."

I nodded. "Fair point! Anywho, good game!" I extend my hand, and Selfridge shakes it. I do the same towards Jack.

He shakes it! "Good game."

Lastly, Jelim!

She looks at my hand. "..."

...

Please don't leave me hanging—

...And she shakes it! "You're not good. But you're not bad either," she comments before sighing. "We finally get to go home. Brahking ridiculous." she mutters, letting go of my hand.

"Did you have a fun time, at the least?" Jack questions as they both begin walking away.

"...Maybe."

// END OF EXCERPT
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(A/N: Thank you for reading! As usual, point out any issues if you spot them! Bye!)