Ares

Chapter III

I sit back on my chair after missing some shots and dying in the hands of the enemy team.

We cannot bear to lose another round, or we will have another loss in the season. Unfortunately, my aim is not on point today and it has cost the team a couple of rounds.

“There is a Shayne in 90”, I inform, talking about one of the attackers that has just killed me in the largest hallway in the map.

Shayne is a medium armored attacker who has access to the KS79 LIFELINE, a double barrel launcher that can launch either impact grenades or concussion grenades. We are used to point out the specific character we get rid of or spot in the map because this data is relevant to know what gadgets are still available for the enemy team.

Besiege of combat is not only about getting kills. An important element to win is the gathering of information. Thus, I still have the chance of helping my teammates even after my death.

“Got her, there is one more upstairs but I’m rotating back to site”, Marcus states, playing it safe when realizing the enemy team has men advantage.

I look at the few cameras that are still functioning around the map, searching for any information that could help my teammates to regain control of the areas near the site we chose to defend.

Marcus dies while trying to help Atem. Although, he is traded quickly, the control established by the enemy team has allowed them to plant the defuser in the room with the bomb that Oskar could not guard effectively.

Aaron manages to get another kill when an enemy tried exiting the bomb room through a window. However, we are still with our backs against the wall. Being this the final round, our anchors must retake the site before the time runs out.

“There’s one below.” Atem calls out after falling victim to a player who shot him through the destructive floor while he tried to sneakily destroy the defuser.

Aaron’s defeated sigh can be heard right before he peeks inside the room and gets killed by an enemy holding a tight angle behind a wooden desk.

“Nice try”, the rest of us say as the final score is displayed on the screen.

6 – 4.

Although we barely lost, it feels like victory should have been ours.

Everyone exits the lobby and the game. Whether we win or lose, Liam always asks to stay for a little while after every match. Not to point out mistakes, but to make sure that we are still focused on playing our best next time.

As usual, he does not point a finger right away. Instead, he waits for the next team meeting to point out some changes we could make in order to have better matches.

We soon say goodnight and leave the scrim room, which is where all our computers are.

I go to my bedroom to grab a jacket. I know how people on social media will react to our loss. Thus, I stay away from my computer and my phone, deciding that it is better to talk with any of my friends in the apartment.

Just as I thought, I come across with Atem Reed, who is looking for snacks in the kitchen. He notices my presence by looking back above his shoulder for a brief second before returning his attention to the bags of chips he is holding.

“Do you want the spicy or the Cheesy ones?” He asks while still looking inside the cupboard for more bags of snacks.

“Cheese”, I say, knowing that he will like my choice before he even thinks of expressing it.

His short, dark hair budges as he turns around with the bag of chips in his left hand. “Pick up some drinks and let’s watch Lethal get destroyed.” He shifts his voice to a higher tone, making me laugh.

We have already moved on from the situation at the party. He did not mean to leave me, and I completely understood that he just wanted to eat all the sushi he could find that night, so I forgave him.

“Apple juice or soda?” I wait for him to respond before opening the fridge to get the couple of drinks. He finally chooses the latter and we take seats on the large sofa, right in front of the TV.

Atem turns the device on and quickly puts on the livestream of today’s Besiege of combat  match on Watcher. Vermillion is already two rounds ahead of Lethal’s team.

I am not a person who finds joy in someone else’s failure. Thus, I simply enjoy the match while eating my friend’s snacks.

“I don’t understand how this guy can talk s**t when his own team is falling apart”, my companion expresses after Team Royale loses the first half of the match five to zero.

“It is what it is”, I reply with a smile before taking a sip of apple juice.

This time he does realize that I do not want to continue talking about it. Therefore, he changes the subject by talking about this recipe he found earlier that involves matcha. He is the only one of us who spend time cooking. While we prefer ordering fast food, Atem enjoys preparing his own meals. Even though he mostly cooks for himself, we are used to be his guinea pigs whenever he wats to try out a new recipe.

I would not be surprised if I find a slice of said matcha mille crepe cake waiting for me on the counter tomorrow.

The match finishes and we are left with this season’s leaderboard. Ethereal Gaming is still in the first place, followed closely by the recent champions: Dragoned Gaming.

“Why are you sharing chips with her and not with me?” Marcus snaps from the middle of the staircase in a joking manner.

“Kathlyn does enjoy the flavor and not just eats mouthfuls of them”, Atem responds while exiting the stream and looking for something else to watch.

The man behind us scoffs, clearly offended by Reed’s preferences regarding who to share his snacks with. “Whatever.”

Atem’s fist bumps mine as we laugh quietly. It feels good to know that I am not the only one who enjoys bringing out Marcus’ childish side.

“Do you just abandon your stream and don’t care about it?” Reed asks after finding the white-haired man’s Watcher channel.

“I wanted an energy drink”, Marcus explains nonchalantly while closing the fridge. “It only takes me a couple of minutes; my audience does not mind.”

“If we continue talking, they will mind”, I state with another laugh.

Howell rolls his eyes but says nothing in response. He walks upstairs in silence and we can tell he has made it to his room when his face appears on the TV again.

 “Do you want to watch him? Or should we find a streamer who is actually entertaining?”

“Don’t be so mean.” I shake my head slowly, nudging his arm with my elbow.

A loud chuckle escapes his lips as he puts the empty bag of chips on the table in the middle of the room. “Fine, let’s find out why so many people like watching him play.”

Although the whole team is well known in the community, Marcus and Oskar are the ones with more followers on any social media. Not only because of their skills, but also because they have been in the competitive scene since it started in North America.

On top of that, their personality makes their streams delightful to watch.

“I’m heading to bed”, Atem informs after letting out a tired yet quiet yawn. “Will you stay?”

“No, I should go to my room as well.”

He nods while turning off the TV. We take the empty bag of chips and our bottles of apple juice to the trashcan before walking upstairs as silently as possible. Unlike the rest of us, Oskar, Liam and Aaron do have a decent sleep schedule and get upset whenever it’s interrupted.

“Have a good night”, I whisper, entering my bedroom and closing the door behind me.

My phone goes off on my desk, notifying me that Faye has just sent me a couple of messages.

You’ll get them next week.

I type a reply quickly, keeping that sentence in mind even after hitting the send button and locking my phone. I cannot let just a couple of rough matches get the best of me.