Hi Everyone!
The first book in the E:volve series is now published and available! I am thrilled to have the first installment ready for all of you! For everyone who has read it so far, what parts made you smile? Made you cry? Filled you with wonder? For those who don't want to be spoiled, please skip the comments sections on this post.
To celebrate the first week of the book being published, below is a teaser to the SIL-4-ALL tournament, where Koda and the gang compete in the premier Axys contest of the year.
I hope you enjoy, and keep daydreaming!
...
"Are you sure that's gonna work? This idea seems fringe in a live tournament, even for you," Dimitri said.
"Dimitri's right, plus we don't even know if our abilities are available inside the tournament boundaries," Ailana replied.
"I know it'll work. We can't overpower these juggernauts with a full-frontal assault. This is our best option to get the keys," Koda explained. While Koda outlined the details, Nadiya watched the wells of his iris spark with confidence. She admitted, deep down, that it didn't matter if they lost: it was just a game. Opposing it was her wish to avoid seeing him fail and watch the others pile on him. Weighing the two in her thoughts over his plea's, she resolved herself to be the positive reinforcement.
"I'm in. It's gonna be the hard way, but I think it will work," Nadiya replied. Koda responded with a toothful grin, turning back to the others.
Dimitri glanced at Ailana, then back at Koda. He felt their eyes stretching him across the line in the sand. He didn't have any other ideas for taking down the others, so he decided a risky plan was better than no plan. He slowly nodded and silently investigated his survival inventory as he shielded his gaze from Ailana's daggers. He modified his weapon choice to an ice pick and dual pistols that felt comfortable on the grip. He confirmed the same armor as Koda's, then copied Koda's half-mask.
After holding her narrow gaze at Dimitri for backing down, Ailana finally sighed. She aggressively sifted through the inventory rotation until she held up a bow and satchel full of long and short metal arrows. She ruffled through the gear sets until she found the matching set to everyone else's armor selection, watching her outfit transform. Nadiya dropped her hair and pulled in a tight ponytail as Ailana copied her. Placing the last strand through, Nadiya jerked up to look at the wall console.
"Wait! How are we getting there?! Ailana, check the control panel," Nadiya said.
Ailana rushed over, immediately pushing buttons to try to wake the console.
No response.
The room instantly fell dark, shutting the bright room into a pitch-black void. A strobing red light flashed from the floor as a digital timer over the shackled door initiated a countdown. Pulsing ticks punctuated the passing time, accelerating Koda's anxiety.
0:15
"Ailana, turn it on!" Koda yelled.
0:13
"Shove it, Koda! I'm trying!" Ailana yelled back.
0:10
"What do we do?!" Dimitri replied
0:07
Nadiya watched the frantic panic, realizing there was only one other option...
"... Brace yourselves!" Nadiya yelled back.
0:01
0:00
The floor slammed open. Everyone was ejected into the negative atmosphere, launching the tumbling bodies toward the planet. Inside the arcade, Koda could only imagine the view from outside their visor: four flailing deer who can't stand on their own weight. The sudden drop caught them entirely off-guard as they plunged into the abyss.
Koda continued to flail as he fought for control. The view of the somersaulting planet and the glistening space station dominated his vision, creating deep stomach churns. Stumbling through his tucks into an equilibrium, Koda guided himself into a glide, arms held rigidly off his sides, legs forming a V as he continued his descent. The turning slowed to an eventual halt, giving him relief from the spinning images. He fell speechless, drifting toward the omnipresent Ultimus as it grew into focus, highlighted by the local star partially eclipsed across the horizon. He gradually modified his body into a torpedo, both arms pressed firmly against him. Once Koda became accustomed to the breathtaking scenery, he noticed a small fuel meter on the horizon of his HUD.
Does this suit have a propulsion system on it?
Koda experimented with his gestures to try to activate the flight system. After a few gyrations of assorted motions, he raptly clicked his feet together. His rig boots and hands responded with a violent rumble. He immediately noticed the results, jetting forward at a breakneck speed. He readjusted and maneuvered his body into his previous glide, then shook his hands and feet for a boost.
"Guys! We have a propulsion system. Knock your feet together, and follow me!"
"10-4 good buddy!" Dimitri replied.
"Right behind you," Ailana responded.
Koda found the rest of his group following in a tight fighter formation. The star began peaking beyond the space station after moving past its long shadow, spotlighting the asteroids straight ahead. They skillfully maneuvered around each of the car-size boulders while keeping the target zone locked in. Koda skimmed through his HUD settings, coming across a radar filter for locating nearby enemies. While he distractedly turned the feature on, an asteroid the size of a small city cut across their path.
"Watch out!" Nadiya yelled.
Koda abruptly banked to his right, while the others reacted and flew left. They pushed down their thrusters to try catching up with Koda on the other side. Koda's HUD flashed a silent warning of two incoming bogeys converging from above and below. He looked down and immediately recognized the winged figure throttling upward.
GuardiAN had Koda locked in her sights, with the distance between them rapidly closing in. Koda looked up, yet didn't need to second-guess who was approaching. Even his narrowed eyes could distinguish Nem3sis' sinister grin through his visor. As Koda continued his drift, he considered his compromised position, reasoning they wouldn't bother to waste their ammo this early in the tournament. This gave him an idea.
After sporadically flitting in random directions, he decisively plunged toward the proud edge of the towering asteroid. He grasped the end and held his crouched stance on the hilt of the rock, patiently waiting. He held his grip as he pulled his knees into his chest. GuardiAN and Nem3sis blasted their propulsion system, torpedoing toward Koda. When both avatars reached a ten-foot radius, Koda blasted off the rock with a shattering kick. He looked down in time to find Nem3sis maintaining his kamikaze path. GuardiAN collided headfirst into Nem3sis' legs as she obliterated his boots, followed immediately after by a ping of a shattered glove against the iron asteroid.
The collision ricocheted Nem3sis into the vast expanse of space. GuardiAN looked up in horror as she caught her bearings and discovered the result. Koda watched as she anxiously calculated what to do. He guessed that she thought there was a 25% chance Nem3sis had the key, rotating her stance and thrusting to intercept him before he floated away for good. Concealing his gloat, Koda punched it toward the planet.
He glanced at his fuel gauge, indicating a half tank. He opened an altimeter on his HUD and locked the planet to the center of his sight, estimating an approximate landing distance of 2000 miles. He looked back to collect the distance to the space station, estimating his burn rate. He decided it was worth the risk to burn a little faster to catch up with his team. A minute later, his HUD displayed three blue dots to his left, which he presumed to be his teammates. He flew closer and confirmed his suspicion.
"Thank God you're okay! I was gonna fly around and see where you were," Nadiya said.
"Sorry about that, I had to get away from a rock and a hard spot," Koda replied.
"What was the hard spot?" Dimitri asked.
"Nem3sis and GuardiAN tried to knock me out early, but I got out alright. Nem3sis is on one thruster floating the wrong direction, and GuardiAN is trying to go after him," Koda said.
Dimitri grinned back and gave a high-five as they continued their descent.
"Dude, you should have told us about this other secret plan, that was so much faster!" Dimitri jested.
"I agree. Good job Koda, now let's head to the mountain and get the flag up," Ailana said.
...
Be well and stay safe,
Dominic