Auntie toasts the VRMMORPG

2.47 Riverstones versus Brooklyn Bouncers - Pre Game and 1v1

Shortly before the match, Eddie appeared. In Flora's community hub, she could decide what her visitors were wearing, and she assigned the classical sailor uniform to him. It was a natural fit.

"Sorry, I'm cutting it close, love. Aimee was lecturing me about VR addiction." Eddie winked. "I believe she will join us soon in the Cetviwos."

Flora laughed, though she disagreed with Eddie. Aimee was too sensible to waste her time with VR.

"Then it took a while to find a free box. You have a full house! It seemed that everybody who isn't in the PVP team gathered in your lair."

While Eddie and Flora chatted, Aidan brought up the video stream. Because of the time dilation, it ran awfully slow.

"Do you know about the competition format?" Eddie asked as he joined Flora in the Jacuzzi.

Flora shook her head.

"The guys told me a bit about it while working on the sleeping boats. There are multiple events, including a tag team match. They tried to explain the rules to me, but honestly, I think we need to rely on the commentators to make sense of it."

"Uh, it will be hard listening to them. With the time dilation in effect, I have already forgotten the beginning of the sentence when they reach the end." Flora tried one of the caramelized strawberries Eddie had brought."Hmm, delicious! Should we ask Mia if she wants to do the commentating for us?"

"Sure, love! Even though that means wearing shorts. You know how teenagers are; they don't like to look at their future in its naked glory."

A call later, Mia joined them, but she refused to enter the Jacuzzi. Aidan fetched her an easy chair, and she settled down next to the tub.

The stream showed a massive stadion filled to the brink with fans. Flora was happy to be in her Jacuzzi, but a small part of her questioned how it would feel to be surrounded by a huge crowd cheering for her son.

"Why are we hiding here? That looks like fun! Next time we'll build some banners and join the party!" Eddie said.

"The audience is mostly computer-generated. 10v10 Tier 5 B-rank is popular, but not that much." Mia zoomed into the bleachers. A narrow strip in the middle of the elongated part was nearly empty. Only a sleeping guy with a Clan Riverstones shirt lay next to an armored dude who stared with glassy eyes at the field. On the strip next to it was a group of five people with a crumpled "Brooklyn Bowlers" banner and five kegs of beer. "The advantage of the stream is that you can switch between camera angles and even watch from the point of view of every player. Additionally, you can display the stats and progress according to your preference."

"Please feel free to guide us through this. I know nothing about that technology... and the competition as a whole." Flora said. "So what are the stakes? If we lose, are we out of the tournament?"

"Actually the other way around. If we lose, we will take part in a tournament." Mia laughed. "The 10v10 B league consists of 20 sections of 12 teams each. During the season, there is a round-robin in each section. The 20 worst B league teams have to fight against the 44 best teams of the C league in a tournament to keep their spot in the B league. This is the last round-robin match for us. If we get less than 10 points, we will be in the tournament."

"That sounds a lot better than what I've heard. I spoke with a guy who sounded like we will fall to the C league, for sure." Eddie said.

"The C league is pretty strong at the moment, so we could lose our spot in the B league. Nonetheless, I want to take part in the B-Challenge tournament. Our section was tough; we have a real chance of doing well. There is a hidden boon: the winner has a chance to participate in the A-Challenge tournament. The 20 best B teams, the eight worst A teams, the winner of the B-Challenge, and three wildcards compete for eight spots in the A league."