While Zeratron wrapped things up with his father, Caleo, Fenrick and Arcanus spent their evening at The Electric Farm: an arcade that—along with the Olde Hardires Tavern—was one of the more popular destinations in the city. It was a former warehouse that was renovated and filled with a wide variety of arcade games that people spent countless hours and coins playing.

Fenrick was in the midst of playing Orc Wars 9 with the utmost concentration. It was a state of the art 2D side-scrolling hack and slash game where a mighty human warrior (with the likeness of Beardly, one of the Heroes of Hardires) invaded the barren canyonlands of Fluffy Meadows to cut down hordes upon hordes of goblin-kin with his mighty sword. The series had garnered minor controversy, mainly from goblin-kin, who didn’t appreciate the slaughter of their kind being the subject of entertainment. The series’ sheer popularity however quickly drowned out any complaints, and a sequel game was manufactured almost every year since its debut.

Fenrick mashed the colorful round buttons rapidly and repeatedly. A stack of copper coins that he put on the cabinet next to the joystick was shaking and in danger of tipping over any second. Beads of sweat formed on his temples while his strained eyes darted rapidly across the screen. His face inched closer and closer to the pixelated characters, and the button-mashing grew even more loud and rapid. Suddenly, his eyes grew wide as his health dropped to zero and the “Game Over” sign flashed across the screen.

“Fucking hell!” He roared in frustration.

“How close were you?” Caleo asked from a couple games down, seated at a racing game with hands gripped firmly on the plastic steering wheel.

“About halfway. Dammit why is your score so freaking high?”

“A pro never reveals his secrets to amateurs.” Caleo told him right as the sounds of a first-place victory erupted from the racing game.

Fenrick grunted as he grabbed a copper coin from the stack and jammed it into the coin slot. He was yet again in his spell of concentration, trying with vigor to master the game that was mastering him.

Meanwhile, Arcanus was across the aisle from Caleo, playing the recently-installed Hot Hoopz game.

“I do hope we hear from Zeratron soon. I have no idea if he got punished or suspended or anything,” Arcanus said as he shot a basketball at the hoop. The ball bounced off the rim and rolled onto the net below, returning to his hands. His second shot found its mark, going through the basket with a swoosh.

“No clue,” Caleo said. “I tried to wait for him outside after school let out. Wasn’t able to catch him though.”

All 3 went back to playing their respective games. A few arcade-goers that walked by looked over at Fenrick, who uttered endless obscenities at Orc Wars 9. Some time went by until they heard the automatic sliding doors open up. Arcanus glanced over at the entrance and spotted Zeratron walking into the arcade. With a quick look around Zeratron saw Arcanus waving to him. Arcanus and Caleo stopped playing their games to meet up with Zeratron. Fenrick however was too invested in his game and didn’t take notice of his teammate’s arrival.

“What’s up?” Caleo nodded.

“It has been quite the eventful day for me.” Zeratron replied.

“Are you good to go for the match tomorrow, you’re not in any trouble?” Arcanus asked.

Zeratron nodded, “Oddly enough, I was saved from suspension by my father.”

“Your father? I thought you told us he lived somewhere in Xerenia. How did he save you from Principal Eppers?”

“Being the son of the High Priest of Piercing Light City does have its advantages…”

Caleo and Arcanus looked at each other in confusion, but once they realized just what their teammate had said, they practically jumped out of their shoes.

“Wait, Zeratron, did you seriously just say that Chris Christian is your father?” Arcanus asked incredulously.

“That’s correct.”

“Whoa, so the High Priest himself was at our school? That’s just insane,” Caleo shook his head.

“Agreed… I still have trouble believing it. He came all the way from Piercing Light City to watch our match tomorrow. He picked me up and we went to the Tavern for dinner. We had a long talk over a couple of behemoth burgers.”

“Well, that must’ve been quite the bonding moment,” Arcanus said.

“No better way to introduce him to our city, I’d say,” Caleo grinned.

“Son of a bitch!” Fenrick shouted at the machine. “The Troll Chief’s nose is so fucking OP I swear. That thing must be the deadliest weapon in this game!”

More people coming in gave curious glances to Fenrick as they walked by. “Shit! Now Forehead Footfump came out of nowhere. What the hell? It’s beating me with a severed foot… a fucking severed foot!” He pounded the buttons more furiously than ever. After a few seconds of panic and desperation, the inevitable “Game Over” sign flashed across the screen once again.

“MOTHERFUCKING BULLSHIT!!!” Fenrick roared in a bestial rage. Everybody nearby jumped in fright. He angrily swiped the stack of copper coins off the cabinet with his backhand and they scattered all over the floor. Soaked in sweat and panting heavily, he dropped to his knees in dramatic fashion. His hands rested limply on the joystick and worn-out buttons.

“Why?... Why can’t I get past level 4? Why is this game so damn hard!” He cried in dismay. His hands slowly slid off the cabinet in streaky squeaks and Fenrick collapsed onto the floor atop his scattered coins. There he lied, broken and defeated by the relentlessly difficult arcade game. Even more people gave even more curious looks as they skirted around Fenrick sprawled out in the middle of the dirty aisle.

Meanwhile, Caleo, Zeratron, and Arcanus looked at him with tepid, unsurprised expressions.

“Anyways,” Caleo resumed, “it sure is good that you’re not suspended. I honestly thought you would be the way you fucked Drayson’s bitch ass up.”

“Yes, I’m surprised as well,” Arcanus agreed. “It was nothing short of a miracle that you suffered no repercussions. But that’s all in the past, we should put it behind us for now and focus on tomorrow. I have a feeling that it will be a tough match, the best thing we can do is come up with a game plan and then go home to rest up.”

“Yeah you’re probably right. I guess we should get on up out of here,” Caleo suggested. “Fen! Get your ass off the floor!”

Fenrick slowly got up and dusted himself off. He gave a hard kick to the side of the Orc Wars 9 cabinet (hurting his foot in the process) before he limped away. Once it became evident that he had abandoned his copper coins, many arcade-goers dogpiled onto the floor to try and grab as many coins as possible, free for the taking.

The four of them walked out of The Electric Farm and into the beating heart of Hardires nightlife. The bright neon lights illuminated the crowded square in vibrant, colorful shades. As they made their way through the congested square, filled with tourists and citizens alike, they spotted none other than the Green Street Posse—the gang of goblin-kin that they defeated under the highway the previous day—lurking on the edge of the square.

Caleo smiled and waved to them like they were long lost friends. The entire gang stared daggers at him. Even from a distance, he could that they were still battered from yesterday’s scuffle. The sunglasses orc (who still wore his sunglasses, even at night) turned away and vanished into the dark recesses of the city with its posse in tow. As Caleo watched them disappear, he had an ominous feeling that him and his teammates hadn’t seen the last of the goblin-kin gang. He quickly pushed the thought out of his head and directed his worries about the matters at hand.

He instead looked all around him and watched as hundreds of people of all races and creed walked past each other to get to all the destinations the city had to offer. Hardires was a diverse city that had something for everyone; quiet neighborhoods, beautiful scenery, outdoor recreation, and a bustling downtown. It had been named “best city to live” by multiple surveys and magazines, drawing massive ire and jealously from other Eastland cities like Arbires. Caleo always loved it whenever his city one-upped Arbires! Thinking this, he refused to let a few rotten goblin-kin tarnish his view of the city he was born and raised in.

The four managed to find a nearby café shop where they could sit down and diligently discuss their battle strategy over some drinks and snacks. Over the years being a team, they learned that they worked best when they came up with their strategies the night before a match. They found that over-preparing would end up hurting them because they would begin to worry too much about movements and positioning and relied less on their natural fighting instincts, which they attributed as their greatest strength.

Caleo, Arcanus, and Fenrick remembered all too well how much over-planning and worrying happened the weeks before their first-year championship match against Mine Haven—and how they ended up losing.

Once they came up with a strategy that they were satisfied with, they exited the café and said their farewells for the night. Fenrick went his own way, disappearing into the crowd, and Zeratron headed back towards Vahallian Acres, the high-rise he called home. When they left, Caleo and Arcanus made their way to the parking garage that contained Caleo’s ’89 Laughing Dragon, a sportscar that his upper-class parents bought him as a reward for being such an outstanding student-gladiator. Since he and Arcanus lived in the same suburban development, whenever they hung out somewhere, Caleo often ended up dropping Arcanus off at his house.

The Hardires High Team Arena Squad had taken their leave, but Hardires itself never truly slept. Under a starry sky, the neon lights burned bright on that Freyday night. It was a city that the four student-gladiators were honored to represent every time they stepped into the arena.

The big day is finally here for our heroes. They will need to leave their beloved city behind for a while in order to fight for its honor. But even though they made it to gameday, mishaps are still possible during their short road trip to Gungannon. What could possibly happen on the way? Find out next time on Clubs and Stubs!