Virtualizing…

Round loading…

Round loaded, initializing welcome brief

“Welcome, Contestant #45,590, to LimeLight! I am ATHENA, your humble guide to the LimeLight BIOS system.”

A woman’s voice spoke from the sea of white that engulfed my consciousness.

“LimeLight is an intergalactic sensation that gathers members of the five prime species in the most riveting forms of sentient-level trials imaginable for the viewing pleasure of the highest caste of society. You should consider it a privilege to perform at this elite level. Well done!”

The words felt like a mockery, but my racing mind felt strangely calmed by her matronly voice. It seemed to emanate from all around but from nowhere at all. Was she in my head?

“Round 1 is now generating around you.”

Sure enough, grass began to form beneath my feet and trees sprung from the earthen foundation. The white above softened to a blue, clouds rolling lazily across the pastel scene.

“Do not let the tranquility fool you. 99,999 other contestants have virtualized in this instance, all with the intent to emerge a victor. The round type is ‘Free-for-All,’ which means you will be expected to kill to survive.”

The blood froze in my veins. I had figured at some point in this freaky competition I would have to kill someone. I didn’t think it would be within the first fifteen minutes.

“While you are virtualized in the LimeLight BIOS System, your avatar is a direct representation of your corporeal form. All genetic, physical, and cybernetic augmentations you have in life are represented here. Likewise, any modifications that occur during a round will be equally represented in reality. This includes the unfortunate condition of death.”

I stared at my sweating palms in disbelief. Sure enough, I wore the button-up shirt and black trousers I had been sporting on the night of my card game. Pinching my left thigh produced the expected amount of pain. I shoved my hand into my right pocket, feeling The Lady’s smooth surface.

Aside from the woman’s voice projecting in my head, it was as if I were still conscious in the real world. Hell maybe this was the real world and some sick freaks were getting a kick out of watching me panic.

“This is indeed a simulation, Contestant #45,590, albeit almost perfectly life-like.”

As if to prove her point, a blue HUD showing my current physical status, modifications, and stats appeared before me.

Contestant Name: Contestant #45,590

Rank 1 Human

Class: Gambler

Title: Unassigned

Power Rating: 90th percentile

Audience Approval Rating: 97th percentile

Current Condition: Healthy, All limbs intact

Genetic Modifications: None

Cybernetic Augmentations: Neural-Optical Scanner Chip

Huh, so it brought my chip in with me. That’s neat. Wait, what is a Power Rating? Is a higher percentile better or worse?

“There are two ways to win this round.”

I knew she could hear my thoughts and answer my questions. The bitch was choosing to straight-up ignore me.

“You may find an escape node hidden in a variety of locations on the map. To access the node, however, you must have eliminated at least one other contestant.”

So even if I found one of these escape nodes, I would have to ice somebody. The largest thing I’d ever killed was a rat. Now, it was a good size rat, one of those overfed sewer monstrosities the size of a small child. That was beside the point.

How the hell was I going to end a sentient life with my bare hands?

“The alternative, and more lucrative method, is to eliminate three other contestants. You are awarded extra credit compensation to be spent at your discretion with each successful elimination. At three eliminations, you will be transported from this instance to the Hub. Should you make it out of this round, the Hub and its features will be explained in greater detail.”

“Hold on. There are people out here that will be headhunting as many contestants as they can just for a higher payout? Where am I even supposed to get a weapon?”

ATHENA chose not to answer any of my queries. She simply replied:

“The round began 6 seconds ago, weapons and equipment have been generated across the map. You are free to compete. Good hunting!”

I took a deep breath and examined my surroundings.

I stood on the gentle slope of a hill laden with pine trees and light foliage. A fat pale sun sat nestled in the middle of the sky above. Though fuller than the sun on Pollux IV, I had no idea how to orient myself based on the generated celestial body. A few hundred meters ahead the base of a mountain rose out of the idyllic taiga. I traced its craggy contours up to the snow-capped peaks that stood like an impartial sentinel over the valley below.

“Too bad I didn’t bring my camping gear.”

In the distance, I could hear the rapids of a river. Since I couldn’t see it, I assumed it had to be quite substantial to make that sort of ruckus.

Rivers attract people. Don’t go there. The thought sprang into my head. Good idea.

Wisps of cloud dragged along lazily through the air. Though seemingly high from my vantage point, the peak of the nearest mountaintop was tall enough to scrape away the bottom of the low-hanging stratus. No birds flew in the sky, and the hum of insects was surprisingly absent. I’d expected more life present in such a rustic place. Perhaps there were technical limitations to this BIOS system.

The lofty stone spires of an imposing building poked out over the treeline on the far side of the valley’s bowl. It was hard to make out the details, but the pointed arches, flying buttresses, and towers of granite made its gothic inspiration a bit obvious. The tint of a rose-window centered just below the middle-most spire was barely visible over the canopy. Probably a dove, flower, or sun inscribed on its face too.

Yeah, I studied a lot of historical architecture in primary school. So what?

The robot lady said something about generated weapons. If the algorithm were predictable, all the good loot would be stashed along the riverside, and in the cathedral off in the distance. Those were going to be all the places of high traffic.

The rustling of bushes disturbed my examination of the countryside. The silhouette of a man passed through the foliage maybe 10 meters to my left. Snapping of twigs to my right brought my attention to a mismatched trio running down the side of the hill. Two were human, but one was the four-armed, bulky frame of a gray-skinned Retan. I didn’t know if they were a team or just ignoring each other out of a blend of courtesy and convenience. I did know if I stood here they would be finding weapons to kill me within no time. I followed their lead down the hill.

The sound of crackling electricity ahead drove me to my stomach. Two ballistic rounds replied to their electric assailant. From the sounds of it, the firefight unfolding was maybe 20-30 meters ahead of me. I scurried up to a nearby trunk and cautiously peeked out for a better look.

I missed him while traversing the slope, but from here I could see the yellow-green scales of an Undu crouched behind a rock for cover. He was oriented with his back to me, firing an electric bolt rifle at something further down the way. Damn, we were only a few minutes into the round and these guys already found military-grade weaponry?

I picked up a fist-sized rock. Laughable compared to this warrior of an alien species renowned for their keen reflexes, lithe strength, and accuracy wielding a weapon that shot with the force of a thunderstorm, I know. It was all I had to arm myself with.

The Undu sprang up from his position and fired another bolt of electricity downrange. I could taste the metallic residue in the air, and the hairs on my neck vibrated with the static disturbance. He seemed satisfied with his shot and leaped gracefully over his position to pursue his quarry.

The moment his body cleared the stone an arrow pierced his neck, splattering bright yellow blood over the surrounding foliage. His body plummeted to the ground, rolling down the side of the hill with the momentum of his final charge. Poor bastard never saw it coming.

A man clad in gray furs yelled in triumph from across the clearing. The carbon-steel bow in his hand still vibrated from the power of the charged shot. His eyes scanned in my direction briefly and I buried my head behind the cover of my tree.

After several minutes of clutching my rock behind my safety pine, I checked the surroundings once again. The moment I poked my head out from behind the trunk a bullet whizzed past, striking the wood just above me. A shower of bark rained on my head as I threw myself to the mossy floor. Maybe I should just stay here awhile.

As soon as the thought left my head, an orchestra of gunfire and combustion burst from every conceivable direction. At first, I thought it was a coordinated ambush, but when no projectiles came my way I realized it was all happening in a chaotic fashion around me. It was as if everyone had picked up a weapon at the same time and started squeezing the trigger. I had no idea how much area the map encompassed, but throwing 100,000 people into a valley left little room for privacy. I guess the sheer volume of people lurking in the woods hadn’t fully set in until now. The bloodshed would be enormous.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit,” I muttered, frantically scanning the woodline for anyone coming my way. Cries of pain filled the air. Rustling bushes and the sound of crunching leaves paralleled the ballistic pandemonium. I couldn’t stay here any longer.

With a burst of adrenaline, I surged down the hill towards the rocky base of the mountains. It seemed relatively unsettled down there, dotted with hefty boulders that would provide me with better cover at the cost of my woodland concealment.

Just a few feet shy of the forest’s edge, a figure darted out of the bushes towards me. I barely caught a glimpse of him but the glint of metal in his hand gave me all the information I needed.

I kicked it into overdrive. I’ve never been the fittest person in the world, but jogging was my preferred method of self-torture. With a gait that could rival a plains animal, I barreled down towards the base of the mountain. A few seconds later I had reached the safety of the rocks and threw myself into their embrace.

“I hope you got that on your highlight reel, ATHENA,” I whispered between ragged breaths. “I must’ve set a galactic record with that one.”

I did my best to shimmy among the rocks to throw off my location to any pursuers, then leaned against one of the more sizable formations and tried to get a better look at who had been chasing me. A bearded human with a crazed look in his eye poked about the bottom of the mountain about 30 meters away from me. The metallic object in his hand was a thickly bladed bowie knife. Not quite as dangerous as a gun, but it would be much more brutal if he managed to get a hold of me with that blade.

He was quite methodical in his approach, seemingly unconcerned with the blaster fire echoing in the woods behind him. The wildman peered behind every boulder sizable enough to hide a man; he wasn’t going to let me go that easily.

Realizing I couldn’t stay here either, I began slithering up the gravelly mountainside. Up where the shoulder met with the ridge I could see the dark recess of a cavern. Even if it didn’t lead into an escape tunnel, the closed quarters would give me better odds on the knife-wielding lunatic hunting me. I made it about halfway there, and almost convinced myself I would escape before my clumsy ass dislodged a head-sized rock and sent it cascading down the slope.

The crazed man spotted me instantly. With a roar, he tore up the side of the mountain after me. I abandoned all notion of stealth and started clambering up the mountain face, desperate to reach the alcove above.

Thank goodness I had gassed myself on the way to the mountain. Had I been any faster I would have reached the mouth of the cave right as the hulking body of a Retan flew violently from the darkness within. I gaped in horror at the sight, but my assailant did not slow down.

Retans weighed upwards of 500kg and had the bone density of a cargo lift. This one looked even heftier than most and wore a traditional set of bone inlaid tribal armor. Whatever being could toss that particularly dense specimen like a ragdoll was not one I wanted to meet.

Resigned to my fate, I turned to face the knifeman with my rock raised high. Just as he neared within one boulder of me he stopped suddenly. A strange look overcame his face and his blade clattered to the ground.

“Come on, you were so eager to do me in. Where’d your enthusiasm go?” I taunted through the fear that gripped my stomach.

His body lifted off the side of the mountain, hovering gingerly like an invisible hand had scooped him up. His eyes bulged in their sockets. His shoeless feet kicked and he started scraping at his neck with yellow fingernails. I watched in horror as his head expanded rapidly. The bone beneath contorted like a sloshing liquid, the skin on his skull stretched taut until it turned blue.

With a loud pop, his head vaporized into a mist of blood and gray matter. Some of the fragments splattered on my chest. Bile rose up into my mouth.

“Quite a dirty wretch, that one was eh?” A booming voice called out from the cavern above. I whipped around to face the source.

A man wearing a tightly fitting cotton shirt and shale-colored slacks loomed just outside the mouth of the cave. The two buttons at the base of his neck had come undone; it lent to a sort of unkempt yet handsome look. The outline of his muscle bulged against the soft fabric of his vestments. He stood a head taller than the entrance itself, the diameter of which I’d estimate was just shy of 2 meters. If someone told me he had been carved straight from the mountain and ripped himself from it rather than emerged from that tunnel, I probably would’ve believed them.

Thick blond hair fell on his shoulders like shimmering fields of grain. His form moved down the steep incline as if strolling on the beach; his expression did not hold a care in the world.

“Sorry chap, but I need this third elimination to finish off my bid. I hope you don’t take it personally. I can’t be bothered to search around for one of those ‘escape nodes.’ ” He chuckled. The blue glow of his eyes struck me, even from this distance.

I had no idea how he could do that to a human body. I struggled for a reply, but for once nothing witty came to mind.

In a few short seconds, I found out. He raised a hand in the air and my body followed its trajectory.

Telekinesis. This guy was genetically engineered. And not just any augmented human; his neural pathways had been enhanced to allow for manipulation of the electromagnetic waves that bind all matter together. I had only ever heard of a handful of people wealthy enough to afford this kind of experimental technology. Just my fucking luck I’d run into one on the side of Death Mountain.

The pressure in my head welled up to an unbearable level. My executioner offered me a wistful smile.

“It’ll be over in a moment. I promise.”

5% chance of survival