*Hello, its me... the author. And I would like to greatly apologize for how long this chapter took to make but I would like to say that from this point on things are gonna get REAL so if your sensitive to or have gone through some of the things I'm going to describe please note that I'm not trying to make this a joking or laughing matter and i hope you get the support that you deserve. Anyways I hope you enjoy this chapter cause the next one is going to come soon...ish. - Systema_BLK*

 

He won, he really won. Daniel couldn't even believe the turnout of the battle looking around frantically to judge if he was dreaming or not but as the crowd rushed around him congratulating him, he was able to confirm that in that moment he was the winner of the game. Relishing the victory Daniel went over to help up some of the girls and guys wanting to be a fair sport and wish them a good game yet the moment he outstretched his hand the girl slapped it away like it was nothing more than a pile of filth. “We don't want your artificial sympathy your vile misogynistic cur, enjoy this victory while it lasts cause soon, you'll fall” the girls all grouped together and slid away into the depths of the school leaving the guys to find their own way in.

 

Daniel spied around the courtyard he saw the many faces of the student body and suddenly a warmth began to grow in his chest swelling almost indefinitely as a smile brightened his face. It was perfect. Wading through the sea of students Daniel got a number of back pats, high fives, and fist bumps all of which had seemed foreign to him for the longest time in the past and just as he was about to give another high five he saw a blur of pink, black, and blue rush towards him as his body weight seemed to double causing him to stumble backwards before catching himself safely against the wall of the courtyard. Looking down to see exactly what hit him he saw a girl snuggling on his body with bright pink hair and a black hoodie that seemed to be from a band but the logo had faded from many trips to the wash, her tight black leggings almost accentuated her shortness but for Daniel it was shocking. Having a girl randomly tackle him wasn't something he was used to and the mere fact she was snuggling on his body made his brain simmer with bliss and fear until he realized something slowly growing in his pants. Immediately panicking Daniel pried the girl from his body reluctantly and began getting a full view of his assailant which after he saw who it was, he didn't mind it as much.

 

Her pink hair held a lace braid as her pale lightly freckled face sported a pair of brown glasses with a pair of ROW Glasses hastily laid over them, unconsciously Daniels eyes traveled down inspecting the rest of her body eyeing her chest and hips as a small thought echoed in his mind ‘she’s thicker than a snicker. Dude say something!’. Right as Daniel was beginning to form a coherent sentence he was promptly interrupted by the girl “wow that was amazing I can't believe you beat them on your own you've gotta tell me everything about yourself what class do you major in what level are you do you have any special items what types of spells do you carry where are good farming area-” a torrent of words and questions flooded Daniels ears battering him down like blunt axe to a tree eventually the girl slowed down noticing Daniels lost and completely vacant almost dead look before giving a light giggle saying “whoops sorry I get carried away sometimes the names Sadie but you can call me by my GT if you want”.

 

Confused Daniel noticed as she pointed above her head seeing her player name “<M4jrPink>” shaking his head at the ridiculousness of the name Daniels eyes fell to her again slowly drifting down to her chest occasionally but looking back to her face with frantic panic “so what exactly did you need?”. Looping her arm with his Sadie turned to Daniel with a large smile and said “well I want to learn more about you” immediately his heart began to flutter ‘was this really happening? Is it real?’ Daniel gave a light smile “what do you mean?”

“well, I want to know more about your playstyle, your strategies, how you use spells and especially how you won such an amazing battle.”

 

Daniels joy wilted a bit seeing as she wasn't really interested in him but he was still excited by the attention he received, carried by his arm he followed Sadie to the cafeteria taking a look back at his friends as they huddled together in the distance and wondered ‘what are they talking about?’.

 

For the rest of the day, Daniel was showered by congratulations and joyous appraise while Sadie clung to him constantly asking him questions and recording notes in her notebook. Walking down the hall he felt like a celebrity with people asking him for tips and tricks while others began fanning over how cool he was when he battled the Melior. Taking it in Daniel was dragged to the music room by Sadie constantly being told to claim his team rewards and claim his victory but when he finally entered the band room he was shocked by what he saw, the back of the room was obviously cleared with the timpani’s and drums lining the walls, and the chairs were moved forward to make more room for the table behind them.

 

The pale collapsible table sat proudly in place as behind it a large golden globe hovered in a place surrounded by a spiral wispy teal stands of energy that swirled around it calmly while a small obelisk protruded from the ground before it. stunned by the intricacies of the structure Daniel stood in the doorway awestruck and almost entranced by the magnificent structure that stood before him, once again dragged by Sadie Daniel was dragged around the table and was pushed to stand before the waist level obelisk that stood solid and proud. Looking to Sadie he watched as she gestured to the obelisk suggestively before deciding to try tapping it. Tapping the tip of the obelisk a small login page appeared, quickly typing in his login info the screen disappeared with a new one appearing before him assessing the battle that had taken place.

 

XK4LIBER VS. ZIGGURAT

Battle Assessment

 

XK4LIBER Victory

+25000 BP

+16000 BP

 

Ziggurat

-16000 BP

 

BPP WIN Total: 41000 BPs

Bounty Division (Bounty winnings are nonexchangeable between players)

AZRAKIEL (Daniel) 86%   [+ 35260 BPs]

CUKAPain (Arron) 5%     [+ 2050 BPs]

K41R0N (Jason) 2%          [+ 820 BPs]

DRK_SYD (Sydney) 3%    [+ 1230 BPs]

ON3RF1N (Marley) 4%   [+ 1640 BPs]

 

Staring at the Bit point total Daniel went slack jawed as his eyes were burned with the number clearly imprinted in his mind, doing a quick conversion if his math was right Daniel had just won over seventeen thousand dollars. Collapsing in a heap Daniels mind spun, he’d never had money like this before he never owned a credit card and everything he bought was on his moms account but the fact that he held control over his own money, money that he earned fairly filled him with a sense of pride that he hadn't felt before. Skipping the rest of his classes for the day Daniel decided to go to cash crossing so he could buy some items but soon realize that the broker forgot to add the e actual locations for these areas. Asking Sadie Daniel was stricken with a severe almost begging look that seemed somewhere between angry, frustrated and annoyed and only conveyed a tone of “really?”, dragging Daniel along Sadie brought Daniel to the track field. Yet as Sadie pulled Daniel along, he felt hesitant seeing as not only was the area new territory but with his newfound acclaim he didn't want to be giving off the wrong sorts of impressions.

 

Jumping the relatively short gate Daniel followed Sadie under the bleachers until the distinct smell of cotton candy and cherries filled the air as the came across the enclave of the school stoners. Most simply vaped with a small portion of freshmen near the back buying a few pods off of one of the members while the older members of the group actively rolled joints in their spare time, but the moment Daniel and Sadie entered the tranquil abode the entire mood seemed to shift. Slowly a few members began to draw their phones as if preparing to battle while a few gave side-eyed gazes aimed in Daniels direction that is until a voice cuts through the jello-like tension “well butter me blue and call my ass a crumpet, your that Daniel guy who kicked the shit outta those nerds earlier today arentcha” nodding sheepishly Daniel eyed the guy before him he was obviously a senior or graduating junior at the least. He towered over Daniel with a thick build that would make any linebacker jealous he wasn't fat, but he was definitely not skinny most of his body could've been mistaken for muscle, but it jiggled too often to be anything but flab. His long thin dreads ran down the back of his head while his dark brown skin coming into view he was clearly and most definitely the leader of Herbodia.

 

Drawing ever closer to Daniel the guy stretched out a hand as if asking for a high five, yet the moment Daniel met it he was instantly met with a bro hug and was given two large pats on his back that felt as if he was slapped with a flyswatter. Recovering from the stinging sensation on his back Daniel looked up to see that the rest of the group was now giving him looks of sympathy as if they know exactly what he's going through “so Daniel what brings you to hour humble abode?” shifting his back uncomfortably Daniel straightened his appearance before looking the leader in the eye “well, I came to buy some items from the cash crossroads”

 

Letting out a deep chortle the leader of the group draped his arm over Daniel “well then go right ahead its right back down there, there should be a blue podium which you can use”

Nodding Daniel made his way deeper into the bleacher's underbelly before finding a small blue podium with a silver book sitting upon it, finally getting a hang for how these strange devices worked Daniel tapped the book confidently but nothing happened. Confused Daniel tried to pry the book open, but that idea failed to pass as well, finally, he began tapping and swiping every which way until the book slowed peeled open presenting a large gray menu embroidered in deep silver lines. Scrolling through the list of items he saw that most items were fairly costly with very minimal effects and the ones that had stronger abilities would cost a small fortune but that wasn't what Daniel was looking for. Switching tabs to defense items Daniel found exactly what he was looking for the bone dancers collar, its dark almost ribbon-like body was accentuated by the raven skull and ribs that seem to protrude from its inky depths it gave the wearer +10 defense and upon activation it'd use exoskeleton providing a carapace of bone armor giving +5 defense. Daniel smiled staring at the staggering 30000 price tag attached to it and immediately bought it, as he did, he got a notification on his phone saying, “achievement unlocked: Big Spender” as well as the words “bone dancers’ collar is now in your [inventory]”.

 

Especially happy with himself Daniel couldn't wait to get home, passing through the group of Herbodia members Daniel was stopped by the leader. Placing a hand on his shoulder the leader gave Daniel a wide jolly smile “now remember to come back any time and big puff ‘ll take care of ya” nodding Daniel found that he like big puff a bit he was a nice guy but as Daniel tried to leave again big puff stopped him one last time “oh yeah and here's something for your troubles, it’s on the house. This time.” Daniel looked down at the small pair of baggies that were shoved in his hands and found one to be filled with small clumps of what looked like leafy broccoli while the other was filled with small sheets of white paper. Thankful Daniel thanked bug puff for the supplies before quickly pocketing it and slinking from beneath the bleachers back towards the school, though when he reached the school, he realized something. Sadie was gone. Looking around inquisitively Daniel could find no sign of her and reluctantly went inside, Daniel had grown quite fond of Sadie's company she was helpful and kind of sassy, but Daniel simply thought to himself ' I hope I get to see her again'. Slowly as the final minutes dragged the world to a crawl the final bell rang, and school was finally out. Maneuvering the crashing tidal waves of students Daniel made his way through the halls until he got to his locker, moving through the maze of the back halls Daniel heard someone talking around the corner backing away slowly Daniel clung to the sidewall focusing his hearing on the feminine voices that bounded down the hall.

 

“I can't believe some of these guys thinking I’ll go on a date with them just cause they gave me some rare items” Daniel felt as if he knew who was speaking but he couldn't put a face to their voice and while it was light and melodic the cruel and cold intensity of it was enough to make him wary of exposing himself.

“Oh don't get all pissy about it at least you got something outta those losers” ‘Jessica’ Daniels ears perked up as he heard his crush talking hoping that she’d say something about the ring she gave him

 

 

“That's rich coming from you all you have to do is bat your eyelashes and the boy come lining up to give you gifts while I have to ho outta my way to seduce these gross nerds to give me exactly what I want”

 

“How is that bad? You get to pick and choose I get spammed with a bunch of junk that I don't want or need take this ring, for example, someone sent it to me during the first period and it gives you + 5 health”

 

“Well isn't that good?”

 

“From your perspective, it would be Abby but compared to this amulet that gives me +15 health is a pile of hot garbage”

 

“Well, what're you going to do with it?”

 

“I'm gonna sell it, of course, I don't want my ring slots filled up with junk I don't need”

Those words fell like a brick on Daniel's heart forcing an almost wringing motion to begin in his chest. Daniel could feel his face get hot as his vision blurred with tears entering his eyes, but he held his composure by a thread quickly sprinting before the trio of girls to avoid hear the rest of their spiteful conversation but in the distance, he could still hear them as he ran.

“Who was that?”

 

“I think it was that guy who won the battle earlier”

 

“Ooo, definitely gonna screenshot his username I could always use another sugar daddy”

Warm tears crashed down Daniels cheeks like a rolling rapid, his heartfelt crushed into nothing more than a shriveled gnarled mass drained of all life and vitality. Daniels squint quickly faded into a meager walk as he almost dragged his feet against the squeaky linoleum floor. he needed someone anyone to talk to someone to tell about how he felt and right as he got outside into the afternoon air, he saw his friends nearing the school's gate. Rushing towards them Daniels voice shouted over the clamor of students causing Jason and the rest of his friends to slow down. As Daniel neared the group, he saw something else amongst them it was a guy relatively small and squat Daniel mistook him for a living meatball, yet as he turned to his friends with sorrow and confusion buried in his eyes his gaze was only met with indifference and scorn. Eventually, with a sigh, Jason turned to the small figure “Hey well catch up with you in a minute q”

 

“No prob j dog I’ll see ya in a bit” and with that, the figure began to walk onward off down the street at a slow almost waddling pace.

 

“Oh so is he joining the clan,” Daniel asked inquisitively his heart hoping for some good news for a time

 

“Daniel it's about time we had a little talk “

 

“W-w-whatcha mean”

 

“You see Daniel today we've realized that you’re not a really good friend”

 

Feeling a chill shoot through his arms Daniels body went rigid as pins and needles began running up his arms “What do you meant w-what did I do”

 

“You failed to buff us during the battle, you stole the glory for yourself, and you've been giving our secrets to other clans” Marley interjected the glare in her eyes deadly and filled with malice

 

“No what do you mean I've never done that

 

“Then what about that fat little bitch that's been following you around all day did you not realize she was part of Umbris or how we saw you hanging out with those fucking potheads beneath the bleachers”

 

“You're a traitor” turning to Arron Daniel pleaded with his eyes almost like a dam on the brink of bursting the water in his eyes held in place almost as if to tease his misery

 

“And on top of all that you stole money that would go to the clan overall and you won't even share it “

 

“W-what money”

 

“The money you got from the Point pool you idiot don't play that bullshit with me right now”

 

“You know I've always thought about it in my mind, but I now realize why you cling to us so desperately you’re a parasite”

 

“A parasite”

 

“Yes a social parasite so desperate for some form of connection that you'll avidly suck the lifeblood of others just to feel some inkling of joy in your miserable life and when you've finally had your fill you simply toss your prey aside like they're nothing more than garbage”

 

“N-no I never did anything like that p-please “

 

“Don't talk to us ever again”

 

Gone. they were gone. Walking farther and farther away by the second. For once Daniel could only feel a deep solemn feeling inside it wasn't warm nor cold soft nor hard it was simply nonexistent, and the hollowness unnerved him. The world began to pass by him in a blur his brain still clinging to that word that encompassed the being wholly ‘parasite. Parasite. Parasite. Parasite’ the word rung clear in his head and like the prick of a finger the word hit sharp and quick but enforced a bitter soreness about it. When Daniel reached his house he felt as if he simply phased through the door watching as his mom and warren sat on the couch taking hits from a long purple bong while brownies, cookies, and take out bags littered their surroundings. Daniel knew he’d have to clean up his mom's vomit later her obsession of being thin taken to a moderately unhealthy degree, but he couldn't care less about that now. Floating through the house like a ghost as Daniel entered his room, he immediately felt a sinking feeling form in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't help but sniffle and sob hiccupping once in a while before slipping off his shoes and crawling into the protective enclave that was his bed.

 

The sounds were painful. Daniel simply laid in his bed curled up and bawling his eyes out beneath the safety of his covers, for once he wished his mom would come to check up on him to see how he was doing but it was simply met by noise from the tv. Continuing his sobs of dismay Daniels mom took the time to turn up the volume on a particular news story reporting that a woman was assaulted in the middle of the day and was nearly mauled to death by what the woman described as a creature she simply couldn't see with several other similar cases occurring throughout the week as reporters wonder if this is the beginning of a sinister plot in motion.