Guardians

48 HOURS LATER

RING… RING… RING…

“SPIKE?!!!... IT’S ME, MICRO… DUDE! ARE YOU OK, YOU HAVEN’T ANSWERED ANY OF MY MESSAGES OR CALLS SINCE LAST NIGHT… SPIKE?! ARE YOU OK IN THERE?!!!” said Microchips as he stood at the other side of the closed white door that granted entrance and ext to Spike’s apartment.

“Fuck it… I’M COMING IN!!” said Micro as he used the emergency key Spike had given him to enter his home.

When he made it inside, he was surprised at what he saw.

Spike’s room was as clean as a museum, dishes were in the dish rack, garbage in its place, dusted and polished, the only things that were off-putting were: the fact that all of the lights were off, the TV was off, and, most importantly, Spike was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is he?” said Microchips as he walked around the apartment, heading for the sofa bed that was facing the TV.

Microchips then proceeded to plop down onto the couch, hitting the PS4 controller in the process, this caused the TV to turn on and show the character menu for Guardians.

“Heh, I take it, he gave it a try… wait a minute,” said Microchips as he noticed something on the screen.

He was still trying to make sense of what he was seeing when all of a sudden the door to Spike’s room swung open and out walked Spike.

“Micro, what are you doing here?” asked Spike

“You weren’t answering my calls or text, so I thought that it had happened again,” said Micro as he stepped away from the TV screen.

“Oh, no, I swore to myself to never let that happen… but I was not aware that you called me,” said Spike as he walked towards the sofa bed and fished his phone out of the gap between the cushions.

Micro Chips, however, only stared at his best friend in total disbelief, not moving a muscle or making a noise.

“Oh, what do you know, the battery died… come to think of it, I should’ve plugged it in, if I was going to be using it that much… don’t you agree?... What?” said Spike as he turned to face his best friend.

Without warning, Microchips placed his hands on Spike’s shoulders and said

“Please tell me you hacked the game,”

“What?... the fuck would I do that for?” asked Spike

“THESE STATS ARE IMPOSSIBLE… NOT TO MENTION, EVERYTHING IN YOUR ARMORY IS OF LEGENDARY CLASS!!” said Microchips as he began to shake Spike

“It’s not impossible, may hard, but not impossible,” said Spike

“But… ok, your a mage with a level 500 magic power, level 800 defense, level 500 scouting, adding your amour, you have a complete character level of 1500, no one has achieved that level before,” said Microchips

“Really?” asked Spike

“Yeah, Rainbow Dash is the highest-ranking player I know, and she has a complete character level of 563… added to her, the highest-ranking players in the world are “Royal3mber” with a level of 650 and another person called “Thoralling” with a level of 653… you’ve surpassed them, and all of them have been playing this game since day 1… how did you do this?” asked Microchips

“Oh, I finished the campaign…” said Spike

“WHAT?!!!!” was all that escaped his mouth

“... twice,” said Spike

Microchips looked at his friend in disbelief

“Then I bought and downloaded the 5 DLCs and finished them too… and then I went to sleep

“Unbelievable,” said Microchips

“Is it?” said Spike

“You’re telling me that you finished 1 month worth of gaming in 48 hours?” said Microchips

“More like in 40 hours 34 minutes and 24 seconds,” said Spike

Microchips looked at Spike and then said

“Mind if I stay over and play?”

“Not at all… I'll give you the code for the DLCs… I bought the party premium so I can give the code to anyone I want for the next 10 years… it also gives me early access to any new DLCs on the market,” said Spike

“I’ll be right back!” said Microchips as he jumped off the sofa and ran out of the apartment heading for his Ford SUV, which his parents had bought for him as a graduation present.

“I know my apartment is big enough for 2 people, even with the extra bedroom I use as an office/study… but I have the feeling he’s going to stay here for a while… better go buy more frozen food,” said Spike as he put his traditional purple hoodie on, grabbed his wallet, spare phone, and headphones and headed out to the store.

1 WEEK LATER

“... Well done Guardian, thanks to you the universe is now safe once more, your sacrifices and deeds will never be forgotten.” said the electronic voice in the game as Microchips finished the last of all the DLCs to become the 2nd ever person to finish the game

“That took longer than I thought,” said Spike as he continued typing into his laptop

“Oh, shut up… but thank,” said Microchips

“For what?” asked Spike

“For helping me get better at the game… I mean, I’m not you, but, my total level went from 216 to 969, something that is amazing,” said Microchips

“Yeah well, we’re forever loners, we have to look out for each other, I mean, that's what friends are for,” said Spike

“Ok, what is that supposed to mean?” asked Microchips

“Let’s face it, what are the possibilities of either of us getting a girlfriend… In my case, almost 0 in yours… 75% if we count Scribble in, but…” said Spike

“Ok, stop ruining the moment,” said Microchips as he grabbed his phone and started to scroll around

“I’m not, I’m being realistic,” said Spike

“Sure you are,” said Microchips

“Anyway… any ideas for university?” said Spike

“Aren’t we going to Canterlot State?” said Microchips

“Yeah,” said Spike

“Then?” said Microchips

“I mean, regarding your field of studies,” said Spike

“Oh… Game design and Electro engineering” said Microchips

“I saw that coming,” said Spike

“What about you?” asked Microchips

“Game design or Law… maybe both,” said Spike

“Well, with your brain, it seems like an insult if you don’t...” said Microchips as he went silent

Spike turned to face his friend in concern

Microchips face was glued to the screen of his phone, his eyes wide in shock

“What is it Lassie, Jeff fell down the well?” said Spike

“How could I be so stupid?” said Microchips, not talking to anyone in particular

“Is that supposed to be a rhetorical question?” said Spike

“What?” said Microchips

“Cause I can give you an answer,” said Spike

“No… no… I mean, I overlooked a massive detail,” said Microchips

“Regarding?” said Spike

“The game and colleague,” said Microchips

“And it is?” said Spike

“You are yet to be clear for competitions… and Canterlot State has the fame of having the best gaming shelter for Esports,” said Microchips

“And I have to give a damn because?” said Spike

“You said you were going to give competitive gaming another chance,” said Microchips

“No, I said, I would give the GAME a chance, not competitive gaming,” said Spike

“Oh come on dude, I thought we had agreed on it,” said Microchips

“You never mentioned competitive gaming,” said Spike

Microchips went silent, remembering the conversation

“Oh… guess you’re right… but don’t you want to?” said Microchips

Spike remained silent for a few seconds as he looked out the window

“I did promise I was going to confront my demons… but that still means reliving my past… a past I’ve worked so hard to forget… on the other hand, playing this game gave me the adrenaline rush I’ve been running from for so long… but I’m I ready?...” he thought to himself

Spike then turned to face Microchips

“Sure, why not,” he said

“Awesome,” said Microchips as he continued to read the screen of his phone

“Something important?” asked Spike

“Yeah...2 things actually… first there is a division battle happening tomorrow,” said Microchips

“A division battle?” asked Spike

“Yeah… you see, to be able to compete in any local, regional, national or international competitions you have to be a first division player, like me,” said MIcrochips

“Ok,” said Spike

“It works like this… you start in the lowest division, the 4th division, as you are currently in the 5th division, also known as the “In-game” division… so, you are placed in a team of 5, and then added to a group of 4 teams, each group has different objectives or missions for the teams to complete, if you’re team is either the first or the second of the group, you are then promoted to the 3rd division, where you are to play another team from another group, and then do the same on the second and first divisions if you reach them that is,” said Microchips

“Sounds fun… and when is it happening?” asked Spike

“Saturday, June 26 at 4 PM,” said Microchips

“That’s today… in 2 hours,” said Spike

“Yeah, I just realized… but you’re ready,” said Microchips

“What about the teams?” asked Spike

“If you have one, just logging with them… if not, you’ll just be added to the drop-ins, and then join them when the game starts,” said Microchips

“Oh… and if there aren’t any drop-ins?” asked Spike

“Then we have an issue… but it’s highly unlikely,” said Microchips

“Ok… I’ll do it,” said Spike

“Great… I take it you’re going to go buy stuff at the supermarket right?” asked Microchips

“Yup,” said Spike as he walked out of the room

“Dude, I’ll just call and order a pizza or something,” said Microchips

“What about drinks?” said Spike as he turned right and walked down the stairs

“Touche,” said Microchips as he closed the door.

2 HOURS LATER

“Ready?” asked Microchips

“Yeah,” said Spike as he logged into the event

“WELCOME ONE AND ALL TO THIS DIVISION RANKING EVENT, ALL OF YOU ARE HERE FOR A COMMON GOAL, WHICH IS, REACHING THE GOLDEN FIRST DIVISION TO GAIN THE GOLDEN PIN FOR YOUR ARMOUR THAT GRANTS YOU ACCESS TO ANY PROFESSIONAL COMPETITION… NOW, IF YOU HAVE A TEAM, PLEASE SEARCH FOR THE NAME OF YOUR TEAM AND USE THE TEAM’S PASSWORD, IF YOU DON'T, GO TO THE END OF THE LIST AND PRESS THE “DROP-IN” OPTION AND WAIT FOR MORE PLAYERS TO JOIN,” said the computer voice

Spike followed the instructions and headed to the drop-in option

“CONGRATULATIONS ON JOINING A TEAM!!! NOW, TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER!” said the voice

Spike then activated his microphone and said

“Uhm… hi,”

“Sup,” came a voice

“Hello,” said another

“Welcome on board,” said another

“Great… well know that we are a complete team, tell us something about yourself,” said another voice

“Well, as you can see I’m DrakeReaper... Uhm… I’m usually not big on competitions, but, my friend asked me… well, more like, forced me to be here,” said Spike

“Oh, that’s cool dude… you’re a dude right?” said one of them

“Do I sound like a girl to you?” said Spike

“Right answer, well, I’m GreenDeath99, I play as a Berserker, and this ought to be my 20 attempt, my current character level is 43,” he said

“Normix10, I also play as a Berserker, but this would be my 3rd attempt, my character level is 35,” said another one

“WizzardKing, Rogue, this is my 30th attempt, my character level is 87,” said another

“And I’m, Crimson_Shadow,” another rogue, this is my 27th attempt, but I could’ve already reached the first division, at the time I was part of a team but it disbanded and no one let me join, and my character level is 132,” said another

“What about you DrakeReaper?” asked Normix10

“This is my first try actually,” said Spike

“Wow, really?” said Greendeath99

“Yeah, I play as a Mage,” said Spike

“That’s so cool,” said WizzardKing

“That means we have a member of each category, maybe we can even try playing with advanced formations, like the Pentagon formation,” said Crimnson_Shadow

“Bad idea, we don’t have enough members or that position, our backs will be completely open and undefended,” said Spike

“Wow, you know about the formations?” said Crimnson_Shadow

“Well, I’m a Mage, I must know everything about the game,” said Spike

“Awesome… by the way… what is your Character level?” asked Greendeath99

“It’s…” Spike was about to answer when

“PLAYERS READY, DROPPING IN 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… GO!!!!!” said the robotic voice as they all were teleported to a planet.

“Where are we?” asked Crimson_Shadow

“Gaia,” said GreenDeath99

“Oh, I remember this level, it was one of the free-training levels,” said WizzardKing

“Was it complicated?” asked Normix10

“To b honest, it was pretty straightforward, nothing really interesting,” said WizzardKing

“ATTENTION PLAYERS! YOUR OBJECTIVES ARE… GET TO THE CHECKPOINT ON YOUR GPSs AND… SURVIVE!!!” said the computer voice

“Survive?... Survive what?” asked Crimson_Shadow

“Maybe that means it’s a team deathmatch,” said GreenDeath99 as he began to walk down the trail

“Are you sure?” asked WizzardKing

“Well, it’s the only thing that makes sense… I mean, this level itself isn’t that interesting,” said GreenDeath99 as he continued running down the path with the rest of the members of the team in tow.

Unknown to him, he was getting too close to the edge of the trail, and unfortunately, the only person that knew what happens if you abandon the trail was Spike… but that was soon going to change.

“Hey, according to the map, there is an open zone at the otherside of this hill, let’s climb the hill, it’ll make it faster,” said GreenDeath99 as he turned to start climbing when

“NO STOP!!!!” said Spike as he fired a couple of rounds to the trees before him

“WOW!! Dude, what was that for?” said GreenDeath99 as he stepped back and pointed his gun at Spike

“If you don’t want to climb you could just say so!” said WizzardKing

“It’s not the climbing I’m concerned about!” said Spike

“Then what is?” asked Crimson_Shadow

“That!” said Spike as he shot the trees a bit more, killing them

The whole gang then turned and saw “Tree Monsters” fall to the ground dead

“What the fuck?!” they all exclaimed

“Gaia is based on a scarier and deadly version of the Rainforest, here, everything that moves can kill you,” said Spike as he rushed over to the Ammo boxes on the floor.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” said Normix10

“I wasn’t sure which version of the map it was, I didn’t want to sound Stupid or paranoic,” said Spike

“How did you know?” asked GreenDeath99

“I played the campaign,” said Spike

‘YOU WHAT?!!!!” they all said

“Actually, I finished it… twice… including the DLCs,” said Spike

“OK WHAT!!” they all said again

It was at this point when they noticed Spike’s character level

“Holy shit! You are the only person I know of that has finished the game!” said Normix10

“I’m not the only one… my friend Micr… I mean TechGod2000 also finished the campaign and DLCs,” said Spike

“You’re bluffing… right?!” said GreenDeath99

“Nope, he did it after I lent him my console and game codes for the DLCs… here in my home,” said Spike

“Wow!” they all said

“Ok, new plan… Whatever DrakeReaper says, we do, copy!” said GreenDeath99

“COPY!!” they all said

“Ok, DrakeReaper, lead the way!” said GreenDeath99

“Ok, but on one condition,” said Spike

“And what is that?” asked Crimson_Shadow

“I will not intervene much, only when there is a boss fight, or a hoard… or we get overrunned by enemies,” said Spike

“Why?” asked WIzzardKing

“Because, you have to increase your level as much as possible before the next stage, who knows what we’ll find then,” said Spike

“That makes sense… I agree with that,” said Normix10

“Me too,” said GreenDeath99

“Sure,” said WizzardKing

“Let’s keep moving,” said Crimson_Shadow

“Ok, everyone…. Stay behind me and follow the same route I’m taking… shot at the trees if you think you have to…” said Spike

As soon as he said that, everyone began to open fire at the trees around them, killing all of the monsters as they continued to run down the path.

After 10 more minutes of the bullet hurricane they stopped to assess the damage created and pick up the ammo boxes they found.

“That also works too… but you should also be concerned for the REAL enemies, so, save your bullets as well,” said Spike

“I’m all for nature and it’s protection, but if these trees were her on earth… fuck’em, kill them all,” said GreenDeath99

“Yeah, but, then there’ll be no oxygen,” said WizzardKing

“Plus… can you blame them for attacking us… after all the shit we’ve done to nature?” said Crimson_Shadow

“Point,” said GreenDeath99

“Anyway… we better get going, the checkpoint is still pretty far, and this map is huge,” said Spike

“Right, everyone… follow DrakeReaper,” said Greendeath99

A FEW MINUTES LATER

“Kill count check!” said GreenDeath99

“32 kills, 10 Precision kills,” said WizzardKing

“34 Kills, 2 Precision kills,” said Crimson_Shadow

“40 kills, 28 Precision kills,” said Normix10

“And I have 56 kills, 34 Precision kills, said GreenDeath99

“What about you DrakeReaper?” asked Normix10

“74 kills, 72 Precision kills,” said Spike

“THE FUCK!!!” screamed WizzardKing and Crimson_Shadow

“In his defense, he did wipeout that massive hoard, almost by himself,” said GreenDeath99

“Level check!” said Spike

“When this began I was a level 43, now I’m a level 96, that’s plus 53 points,” said GreenDeath99

“35 at the start, now I’m a level 90, that an increase of 55 points,” said Normix10

“How the hell does he have more increase points that me?” asked GreenDeath99

“Most of his confirmed kills were headshot, you tend to get more points for that,” explained Spike

“At the beginning I was level 87, now I am a level 147, that’s an increase of 60” said WizzardKing

“I was 132, now I’m 203, that’s an increase of 71 points,” said Crimson_Shadow

“How come?!!!” said Greendeath99 and Normix10

“Rogue’s tend to level up faster with hand-to-hand, stealth and quick fire weapons,” said Spike

“So then, what are we supposed to do to level up faster?” asked Greendeath99

“Berserkers level up faster by doing combos, the more enemies you kill without interruption, be it by shooting or bulldozing them (Tackling them like in Rugby or Football), after the “Killing Frenzy” is over the points you got for the kills multiply and are added,” said Spike as he reload his guns

“Interesting… how do you know?” asked GreenDeath99

“Ever heard of a game called “Guerrilla”? Said Spike

“Yeah, I love that game… wait a minute!” said GreenDeath99

“Same developers, almost the same controllers, and… I read the manual,” said Spike

“WAIT! THERE IS A MANUAL FOR THE GAME?!!!” they all said

“Yup, there is a small booklet and there is an option in the game’s Main Menu… it textually says “Manual and rules” said Spike

“Live it to a Pro, eh!” said Crimson_Shadow

“As soon as this is over, I’m going to read both manuals until my eyes fall off,” said WizzardKing

“By the way DrakeReaper, what is your current level?” asked Normix10

“Let me check… when we started I was a level 1500… now, I am… 1649,” said Spike

After he said that, there was around 20 seconds of Radio silence, no one said a word

“Guys… and/or Gals?” said Spike

“THOSE SOMEONE HERE SOUND LIKE A GIRL TO YOU?!!!!” screamed Crimson_Shadow

“You never know,” said Spike

“True… sorry, I was just taken a back from the information,” said Crimson_Shadow

“That just shows us that we have a lot to do,” said GreenDeath99

“Well… Not to rub salt in your… “Wounds” but… Mages level up incredibly slow… we have to be good at every single aspect of the game…” said Spike

“Dude, that’s enough… for now,” said Normix10

“Anyway… at the otherside of this hill, is the checkpoint… and by the looks of it, we are dead last,” said WizzardKing

“Then let’s hurry!” said GreenDeath99 as they all sprinted down the hill

“About time they show up!” said someone in another team

“Wow, check out the mage guy!” said another

“Is that level real?!!!” exclaimed someone else

“Well Drake… you’re just about to become a celebrity,” said Normix10

“Again?!” said Spike

“What do you mean again?” they all asked

But before Spike could answer

“WELL DONE, YOU HAVE SURVIVED… FOR NOW… YOUR LAST MISSION IS… GET TO THE PORTAL!” said the robotic voice as a portal opened up at the otherside of the valley

“That’s it?!!” said someone in the other team

“This is easy, it’s a test of speed,” said another

“Everyone, get ready to bolt,” said someone else

“What do you think Drake?” asked GreenDeath99

“Is it a test of Speed?” asked Normix10

“No… look at the layout of the valley, there are places to take cover… if this was completely about speed, there shouldn’t be those types of obstacles,” said Spike

“So… something is going to happen?” said WizzardKing

“But what?” asked Crimson_Shadow

“It’s D-Day!” said Spike

“WHAT?!!” they all said

“It’s just like D-Day, I’m 100% sure, aliens are going to start bombarding us with gunfire and mortars,” said Spike

“Shit! You sure!?” asked Normix10

“We all saw the pictures during History class… right?!” said Spike

“Is this a bad time to say that I failed History class?” said Crimson_Shadow

“WHO THE HELL FAILS HISTORY?!!!” screamed GreenDeath99

“I always confuse the dates,” said Crimson_Shadow

“READY…” said the robotic voice

“Just follow us!” said Normix10

“SET…” said the robotic voice

“Everyone readdy?” asked Spike

“Yup!” they all said

“GO!!!!” said the robotic voice

Spike and his team then started running towards one of the big pieces of debris that were on the valley

This caught the attention of other teams

“What are they doing?” asked one of them

“Maybe they want to lose!” said another person in a mocking tone

“Or there is more to this challenge that what they showed us!” said another

As soon as that was said a hurricane of bullets and mortars began to rain on the other teams

“GET TO COVER!!” screamed someone, but it was too late for the team that was currently in first as in the blink of an eye, all of the members were killed by the hail of bullets and mortars

‘I TOLD YOU SO!” said Spike

“What now?” asked Normix10

“RUN FROM COVER TO COVER… QUICKLY!” said WizzardKing

“JUST LIKE IN THE REAL THING!!!” said GreenDeath99

“GO, GO, GO!!!!” shouted Spike as he aimed for the windows of the building before them, and opened fire, giving his team time to reach cover

“THANKS!!!” screamed Normix10

“NOW WE COVER YOU!!!” said GreenDeath as they all opened fire, giving Spike enough cover to regroup

“5 MORE SPRINTS AND WE’RE THERE!!!” screamed Spike

Just then, Crimson_Shadow looked at the building and yelled

“MORTARS, TAKE COVER!!!!”

They all quickly ran in different directions and took cover, just as another team was eliminated by the Mortars

“ONLY 2 TEAMS LEFT, WE MADE IT!!!!” screamed Normix10

“DON’T SING VICTORY YET!!! IF WE ARE ELIMINATED, WE HAVE TO PRAY WE DID BETTER THAN OTHER TEAMS BEFORE GETTING HERE!!!” screamed Spike

“THEY HAVE THE OTHER TEAM PINNED DOWN, LET’S MAKE A RUN FOR IT!!!!” screamed WizzardKing

“GET TO THE CENTER COVER!!!!” screamed Spike as he and Crimson_Shadow dashed to the cover

“YOU HEARD HIM!!!” said GreenDeath99

They all made it and regrouped

“NOW THEY’RE FIRE POWER IS ON US!!!” screamed WizzardKing

“BUT NOT THE MORTAR POWER!!!” said Spike as they all saw the mortars falling around the other team causing them to pull back, running into the aliens line of fire

“NOW!!!!” screamed Spike as they all got out of cover and dashed for the portal

“ALMOST THERE!!!!” screamed Normix10

And just as they said that, they all crossed the portal and entered a dark room

“Is that it?” asked WizzardKing

“CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY REACHED THE ELEVATOR, PLEASE, PREPARE FOR THE NEXT DIVISION!!” said the robotic voice as the screens went dark

“What do you think is coming up next?!” asked Crimson_Shadow

“We’ll know soon enough,” said Spike.