Chapter 24: The arrogant S-Tier
The digital air in the newly merged CommNet channel was thick with tension. The God Warden’s final words about "spirited inter-Outpost communication" had faded, leaving the Blue Falcons of Outpost #7 and the Crimson Banners of Outpost #12 staring at each other across the digital divide.
First, another quick, no-nonsense announcement from the God Warden flashed across everyone’s Interface, adding another layer of seriousness to the whole affair:
God Warden: Leaderboards for Genesis Outpost #7 and Genesis Outpost #12 are now frozen for the duration of the Challenge Event. Ranking changes will not be displayed until the event concludes.
May the best Outpost prevail!
This meant no one could see anyone else leveling up or down during the scramble, adding an element of fog-of-war to the proceedings.
Ryan mentally shrugged; he wasn’t too fussed about his rank appearing on a public list anyway.
In what was now a shared CommNet space, a digital battleground of words, the members of Genesis Outpost #7 [the Blue Falcons] were trying their best to rally their spirits.
It wasn’t easy. The stakes were high, losing half their precious Precursor Artifacts and Genesis Shards, plus getting an NP gain penalty, was a terrifying prospect.
BigTony77: Okay, okay, Blue Falcons, deep breaths! We can do this! We’ve got Ryan Stone, right? The guy who took down that Distortion Hound like it was just an angry poodle! And Scarlett is Level 3! That’s gotta count for something! Don’t let those Crimson Crows get in our heads!
PrincessFluffybutt: We must unite! For the honor of the Blue Falcons! We must protect our hard-earned shinies! And our future NP gain.
ConfusedCarl: My elbows are officially braced for whatever happens! Or for enthusiastic cheering from a safe distance! Go Blue Falcons! Let’s... uh... scramble those resources with gusto? Yes, gusto! That’s the word! Carl’s contributions were always endearingly earnest.