Chapter 42: - Reapers vs Ironforged
Jet spoke to them as they walked down the corridor that led into the arena.
"So, it's going to be a little different this week. Instead of having a simple objective like defeat your opponents, there will be something else. You are still able to win through elimination, but that is only going to be the secondary win condition."
"Different objectives?" Gus asked. In his mind, he scolded himself for not considering the possibility. Simple things like last time were pointless in the long run. They were not fun to watch if they were the exact same thing week after week, and it also provided very little benefit to the development of a squad. Now that he was faced with the reality, he saw how obvious it was that it would happen.
"For today you've got a fairly simple one. In all honesty, it's likely most of the rounds throughout this objective will end in eliminations, regardless of the teams. When you get in there, there will be a flag at the centre. Take it, and hold it for about a minute. If you do that, or if you can take down the entire opposing team, you win the round. Once again, best of three. Good luck!" he said, before turning to leave them at the door to the arena. "Oh! While I remember," he exclaimed, turning back to them, "did you get your slogan and insignia sorted?"
"We got a slogan," Gus said, "There's always something stronger."
"Alright, I like it," Jet said, nodding his head. "And the insignia?"
Anten put a hand into his pocket, before producing a small piece of paper and unfolding it. "This is what we've got. Let us know if there's anything you need us to change about it," he said as he passed over the paper to Jet.
Jet examined the paper for a moment before folding it back up. "Looks good. I'll get this sorted by the end of the game, then they'll both be ready for display."
"What do you mean, display?" Gus asked.
"People see it next to our name when they check out the leagues," Joel explained, remembering Gus mention he did not know much about the League system.
"There's a little bit more to it that that," Jet said. "Now that you've got these sorted, you'll find out what it is soon," he finished, before turning and leaving.
*Mission Complete: Create a Slogan.*
*Reward: [5] EXP.*
*Mission Complete: Create an Insignia.*
*Reward: [5] EXP.*
"What was the insignia, by the way?" Gus asked.
"Oh, nothing special," Krista responded.
"It was just something that we figured really grasped the idea of Reapers," Anten added.
Turning their attention to the equipment racks just before the door, they noticed they were slightly different to the last time.
While the Repeaters were still present, there were a couple of additions to the weapons there. Sidekicks had been added to the racks, along with a small melee weapon with a blunt end. Assuming the same things applied to it as to the weapons, Gus figured that there would be some kind of shock component to the weapon to incapacitate the target of an attack.
Once again, voices could be heard from behind the door, that separated the Reapers from the arena. As the doors opened, they became clearer, and Gus could make out their name being spoken.
"… Apex Reapers! Currently sitting in second out of five in this platoon with sixteen points, they participated in the first game of the season for the Earthen academy, sponsored by Solus Supplies."
"Yeah, a good look from them last week. I was a bit unsure after that first round, but some good adaptation from them to come back to win. Obviously, as was discussed in the buildup to tonight's games, a couple of people to watch out for here. I think they'll end up playing from a central focus on their marksman, Kyle Weat."
"Absolutely! The performance last week, along with what we already knew about him from the information given by the academy indicates that he's the one to watch in this one."
"That's not to say there aren't more threats on this team. They've got a solid core of cybernetics, but this will be an interesting matchup for them, considering who they are against."
"Nice segue to that. In their first match of the season, here are the Ironforged!"
"So I mentioned a core of cybernetics for the Reapers, but these guys are like a team of cyborgs! I mean, just look at them. And I know they can't use their cybernetics to attack due to safety rules, but they have a metric tonne of options up their sleeves. All they have to do is load non-lethal things into their ranged equipment, and their utility could wreak havoc on the Reapers."
"And most of them have a military background prior to the academy, too. So it's not like they do not have the technical knowledge to make it work. But it will certainly be interesting to see how this one plays out. Will the Reapers harvest a second from two, or will the fresh Ironforged hammer themselves a path to victory? Stay tuned to find out, as another week of Academy League Intergalactic kicks off live, only on ISN."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone