pairing: BaekChen
length: 4021 words
A/N: Action scenes aren't a strong suit of mine, but I've been getting back into the action and fantasy genres so I thought I'd practice a bit.

--

“The target has been found, Master.”

“Coordinates?”

“I have already inputted them into your Teleportation Module, Master. The target is located in Navitas Forest. You will land approximately fifty feet from the target in an oak tree that should obscure you from view.”

“How much longer will my Concealment Spell last?”

“My calculations say another three hours, Master. You have no need to worry about being spotted.”

“Perfect.” The ends of his lips curled up into a wide smirk. “It’s go time.”

--

He landed in the middle of the massive oak tree, just as his AI guide stated he would. The branch he stood on wobbled slightly under the sudden weight, several leaves threatening to fall and reveal his presence.

But the cloaked figure stood facing away from the tree, fifty feet away. The long black cloak just barely fluttered in the light breeze, slightly shimmering under the overhead sun’s rays.

“Ah, there you are,” he whispered to himself as he activated his Scope Lens ability, mentally adjusting his field of vision in his eyes as if they were telescopes, and carefully took aim with his laser rifle.

“This should be a direct headshot, Master.”

“When is it never, my dear Enna?” He held his breath, willing himself to be absolutely still. Even the slightest movement would ruin the perfect shot. Five seconds, ten seconds, then fifteen passed before he allowed his pointer finger to press down on the trigger.

And just as the red laser bullet pierced through the air, a sudden cloud of gray smoke erupted around the cloaked figure.

“Enna, what the actual f—”

“The target is still there and has not moved, Master. I am detecting a protective Light Barrier that was not there a second ago.”

The smoke gradually cleared and the cloaked figure had one hand up with the palm facing outwards. The laser bullet was frozen in place, having been stopped by the almost invisible wall that surrounded the figure.

“Please proceed with caution, Master. It seems that we have underestimated the target’s power level.”

He jumped down from the tree, landing gracefully on his feet, and slowly walked towards the cloaked figure while holding up his laser rifle. “God, this is exactly what I didn’t want,” he muttered sourly under his breath as he stepped closer and closer while the stranger stood still. “Enna, scan for any extra magic in the area.”

“Yes, Master. I am currently not sensing anything. However, you should still stay vigilant. The target may have more surprises awaiting us that I am unable to detect.”

It seemed to take an eternity to reach the cloaked stranger, but he didn’t want to take any chances now that his operation had failed. The element of surprise had disappeared and now he would be forced into a direct confrontation, which was the last thing he wanted to happen. He had been hunting the stranger for almost a week now; his own position on the leader board was being threatened by a newcomer who had suddenly jumped the ranks and become the newest Grandmaster.

Grandmasters were the elite of the elite and the undisputed number one within their player class. The previous Grand Mage had been ousted from his title by this stranger last week and now the ranking within the Grandmasters themselves had been turned upside-down by this wildcard. His own ranking was now endangered by the cloaked figure and since he had already decided to eventually defeat each Grandmaster to become the Ultimate Leader, his focus had shifted and locked onto the new Grand Mage as he continued his conquest. But just as Enna said earlier, he had grossly underestimated the stranger’s powers.

“You should cast a protective spell around yourself, Master. Who knows what the target will do once you are close enough?”

“I’ll be fine, Enna. Let’s find out what this joker looks like,” he answered grimly as he continued shuffling forward. The cloaked figure stood as still as a statue, not a muscle twitching in place. Once he was about five feet away, he called out to the figure. “Show your face!”

An audible huff could be heard as the stranger slowly used the free hand that wasn’t holding up the Light Barrier to grasp the thin fabric of the cloak’s hood in the back and pull the overshadowing piece of clothing away.

“You’re a boy?!” he asked the cloaked figure incredulously, now that the hood was drawn back and the stranger’s face was exposed under the sunlight.

“Yeah. Got a problem with that?” the figure retorted as he waved his hand in a sweeping motion to crush the laser bullet he had paused earlier into nothingness.

He snorted loudly as he pulled up a holographic screen and quickly scanned the stranger’s profile. “What kind of stupid, girly ID is hyunee_bb then?!” he exclaimed while pointing an accusing finger at the user ID. “I thought you were a girl ever since you were announced as the new Grandmaster!”

“My name is Byun Baekhyun, you brat. My ID is based on my name. And it’s not like overlord_chen is any better. You sound like a narcissistic jerk with that ID,” the now named stranger commented snidely as he took a look at Chen’s profile.

“Shut up! How did you know I was here?! My Concealment Spell should be in effect for another three hours and I maxed out the skill so that no other skills could override it!”

Baekhyun smirked and brought up his skill set screen before tapping an option on the sidebar to allow Chen to view it as well. After tapping an icon with a crystal ball on it and enlarging it so that it was the only icon to fill the screen, the cloaked male answered, “I’m a Challenger Class mage, so obviously my magical abilities are much higher than a Challenger Class archer’s, even if you have maxed out your skill.” Baekhyun tapped the icon once more and a series of stat levels appeared to the right of the icon. “I can see past any Concealment Spell with my Wide Vision ability. The moment you teleported into Navitas Forest, I knew you were here.”

Chen cursed internally as his grip on his laser rifle tightened. “Well, it seems as if the new Grand Mage isn’t as weak as I thought you’d be,” he commented with a dry laugh. “Isn’t that right, Enna?”

“I am doing as many scans as I can, Master. However, his AI guide is blocking most of my attempts and is simultaneously trying to glean information about you.”

“I can ask Mari to stop if you’d like,” Baekhyun offered with a self-assured smile on his face. “Although I personally would like to know more about the Grand Archer who defeated both the Grand Healer and the Grand Thief this past month.” He then lowered his voice and added derisively, “Even if they are the weakest Grandmasters among the nine of us.”

“I am going to crush you so badly,” Chen seethed through gritted teeth. “You won’t be able to stand once I’m through with you. And your Grandmaster Piece will fit right in with the Healer Cup and Thief Dagger I have sitting in my trophy cabinet,” the archer continued as he pulled up his weaponry screen and used both hands to rapidly tap around the holographic screen. Even though he had been planning to use his most upgraded guns, bows, and lances against the Grand Warrior, the Grand Knight, and the Grand Berserker as they were supposedly the strongest amongst the Grandmasters, if their scores on the leader board each week were any indicator of their power, the cloaked mage was just such an extreme nuisance. Chen wanted to wipe that stupid sneer off of that annoyingly youthful face and he wanted to do it NOW.

Baekhyun’s smirk just widened as he nonchalantly replied, “Oh really? Even though I have the clear advantage over you?”

“Clear advantage?” Chen scoffed, his glare intensifying with every passing second. “Enna told me that you’re in the Light Sector, which is one of the weakest groups you could have chosen to be part of.”

“I believe in succeeding through pure skill and not relying on my sector to give me power boosts,” the mage countered smoothly.

Chen’s gaze grew stormier as his hands itched to shoot Baekhyun full of lasers and lead bullets. “Enna,” the archer began in a murderously low voice, “activate the Grandmaster Battle. I’m going to make this idiot wish that he had never become the Grand Mage.”

“Yes, Master. The request has already been sent to the other AI guide.”

Grandmaster Challenge issued by overlord_chen to hyunee_bb. Accept or Deny?

“Go ahead and accept it, Mari,” Baekhyun drawled as he removed the Light Barrier from between them. “It’ll be nice to start off my first week as Grand Mage with a win over the fourth strongest Grandmaster.”

“You f—”

Grandmaster Challenge from overlord_chen accepted by hyunee_bb.

Grandmaster Challenge between overlord_chen and hyunee_bb is commencing. Battlefield activated.

A bright light covered the area surrounding the two males that stretched for a one-mile radius. The light quickly formed a glassy barrier around the battlefield, so no wandering players would accidentally stumble into the fray between the two Grandmasters. Any trees that had previously populated the one-mile section that they were in of Navitas Forest quickly melted away into green pixels before vanishing into the air. The grassy ground was replaced with neatly compacted dirt and large white lines that served as the battlefield’s borders appeared on top of the dirt floor. The battlefield was sectioned into two halves and each player stood in his respective half as the five-minute preparation phase began.

“Master, which terrains shall we enter into the lottery?”

“The usual,” Chen responded as he narrowed his eyes at Baekhyun, who was whistling a ditty and standing with his hands behind his back on the other side of the battlefield. “I’m going to destroy this cocky mage if it’s the last thing I do.”

Terrain lottery is commencing. Choices submitted by overlord_chen: Electric, Water, Ice. Choices submitted by hyunee_bb: Light, Fire, Earth. Terrain will be chosen in three…two…one…

Light Terrain activated.

Chen swore loudly while Baekhyun merely chuckled. “It seems as if Lady Luck is on my side,” the mage commented loftily with a wide grin as the battlefield turned brighter and shimmered white.

“Tch, I thought you were against power boosts,” the archer jeered, referring to Baekhyun’s earlier words. “What a filthy hypocrite.”

Baekhyun just ignored Chen and focused instead on searching for his battle armor in the recesses of his extensive inventory. The mage had a different set of armor for each terrain and with the knowledge that he would be battling on familiar territory, Baekhyun pieced together a lightweight armor that would shine under the sunrays glinting off of the thin metal chainmail it was comprised of. With every tap on his holographic clothing screen, more and more pieces appeared on his thin body, starting with a white undershirt and then the chainmail top. Although he wasn't used to wearing armor since it would slightly restrict his movements, he knew the metal was needed to protect his vitals on the off-chance that one of Chen’s bullets bypassed the mage’s Light Barriers. Another short-sleeved white shirt with golden accents covered the chainmail top. Curved sepia-colored shoulder guards and matching flared pants materialized over his arms and legs that were covered in black silk. Black leather gloves, sturdy brown boots, and his long black cloak finished off the outfit.

While Baekhyun was preparing for battle, Chen watched the other male out of the corner of his eye. It seemed so stupid to the archer for there to be so many steps to placing on battle armor. One of his spoils from an unlisted quest was a beautiful red-accented set of golden yellow armor that was slightly bulky, but not enough to significantly restrict his movements. Knowing that Baekhyun, as part of the mage player class, would excel in long-range attacks, Chen wanted something more lightweight, even if it wouldn’t be as familiar and snug as his heavier armor. His battle armor was duly sectioned at each joint for greater mobility while still offering sufficient protection, covering him from the neck down to his feet that were also encased in golden metal. The armor was sturdy and durable, which would be a huge help if Baekhyun managed to harm the archer with magic.

“The preparation period is about to end, Master. Do you have your weapons ready?”

“I’ve been ready,” Chen proudly stated as he scrolled through his battle inventory to take out his dual laser blasters. Once they were calibrated, he pulled up a screen that listed his special abilities and marked off several that he believed he’d need for this upcoming battle.

Baekhyun wasn’t able to see any drastic physical changes until the archer pressed one last icon and his entire body began crackling with deadly lightning. “You have the Lightning Body?!” he blurted out while his eyes suddenly widened. “But supposedly, only the first five players who joined the Lightning Sector were given that ability.”

“I was one of those five, idiot.”

The mage let out an angry hiss, knowing that the battle’s difficulty level had radically skyrocketed with this new revelation. But even if Chen had the Lightning Body on top of his battle armor, it still wouldn’t be enough to shield him from Baekhyun’s high-level magic. He twirled the long wooden staff that was topped with a large pale yellow orb that he had chosen to equip. White and yellow balls of glowing light swirled within the orb, and the mage could feel the magical energy pulsing through his fingertips. With this perfectly customized weapon that he had crafted after completing several unlisted quests, it didn’t even matter that Chen seemed to be invincible. Baekhyun would still take the victory today.

Battle begins in three…two…one…

Start!

The two began pelting magic and bullets at each other at immensely high speeds. To any spectators, it would have looked as if there were two flashes of light bouncing at each other. Guttural cries filled the air as a combination of short-range and long-range blows were exchanged between both Grandmasters. Although light elemental magic wasn’t an offensive magic type, Baekhyun had managed to transform it into an effective weapon by supplementing his attacks with other elemental magic spells. Embers glowed brighter than before, torrents of water became excruciatingly blinding, and crystal boulders flashed around the battlefield with incredible velocity. He had also activated his Levitation ability, knowing that it was much more difficult to shoot an airborne target than it was to fire at one on the ground. Even if Chen was the Grand Archer, not even he would be able to keep up with Baekhyun’s maxed out speed levels.

And Chen knew that. Although Enna hadn’t managed to do a complete, comprehensive scan of Baekhyun’s traits and abilities that weren’t listed on the mage’s public records, the AI guide had still gotten a fairly accurate albeit rough scan of Baekhyun’s current stats. Chen couldn’t believe that the mage had been able to max out almost every single player stat available. The only other player who had accomplished such a feat was the Grand Warrior. But even so, Chen wasn’t afraid of losing. He was the fabled Lightning Archer who had stormed and blitzed his way through the ranks as one of the pioneer players. There wasn’t a single player who hadn’t heard of him and his dozens of accomplishments. This newcomer may have been exceptionally talented, but Chen had already set his mind to being the first Ultimate Leader ever crowned and he wasn’t about to let the Grand Mage get in his way.

With a mighty roar, Chen promptly switched out his dual laser blasters for a hefty laser machine gun and began spraying bullets in every direction. The laser bullets ricocheted off of the glassy battlefield barrier and lightning sparks from the archer’s Lightning Body fueled the bullets’ power as they aimed haphazardly for Baekhyun, who quickly encased himself in a Crystal Sphere. While the mage was locked in, Chen took this opportunity to swap his deadly machine gun for a long sword he had learned how to use for short-range attacks. He then charged towards the Crystal Sphere, flashing every few seconds to avoid the magical projectiles that Baekhyun had conjured earlier, with the sword in his hands outstretched. Just as the archer was about to slash the Crystal Sphere, it unexpectedly splintered into a million pieces. Chen cursed as he was forced to backtrack and yelled to Enna, “How much mana does he have?!”

“I do not know, Master! His AI guide is concealing everything and I cannot break past her defenses unless I stop monitoring you!”

The Grand Archer knew he would be finished if Enna stopped being his second pair of eyes, so he tightly pursed his lips together while exchanging his long sword for his laser rifle. Baekhyun had already recovered, and was floating in his designated half of the battlefield while conjuring more Light Beams and Diamond Shards. Chen quickly equipped a Spark Grenade and tossed it at the Grand Mage before firing more laser bullets in the directions that he predicted Baekhyun to move in. The mage swiped his staff downwards, sending forth a dazzling light wave that swallowed the laser bullets, before he quickly threw open his Teleportation Module and transported himself to another side of the battlefield to avoid the grenade. But he grimaced as several sparks still managed to hit his legs and arms that weren’t covered with chainmail.

“Come and attack me face-to-face, you coward!” Chen goaded as he brandished his dual laser guns once more, shooting round after round at the mage. The lightning that surrounded the Great Archer’s body crackled with more intensity as he also activated his Stormy Day ability, allowing dark clouds to hover near the top of the battlefield and blast down lightning bolts that combined with his body to amplify his armor.

Even though it was such a stupid taunt, Baekhyun couldn’t help but rush forward with his staff pointing straight at Chen. “You’re the only cowardly loser I see!” the mage retaliated as he attempted to fire multiple blasts of White Fireballs at his opponent. However, he accidentally flew too close to the archer, who immediately trapped Baekhyun’s staff between a pair of sharp lances he had swiftly switched his guns for.

“Why don’t you just give up now?” Chen sneered, pushing away the mage’s staff with his twin lances.

Baekhyun just sent his opponent a lopsided grin as he pushed back the lances with more force. “If I had ever even considered giving up before, I would have never become the Grand Mage.”

“Well, it’s not like you’re needed as the Grand Mage ANYWAY!” The Grand Archer heaved one last time before immediately flashing to the back of the battlefield and simultaneously exchanging his lances for his massive golden bow. “Take THIS!” A giant, lightning bolt-like arrow left the bowstring, sending sparks flying around the battlefield as it aimed straight for Baekhyun’s neck.

But the mage speedily deflected the arrow with a hastily made Light Barrier that shattered upon impact. He grunted in pain, having taken some damage from Chen’s admittedly strong attack. More blows were exchanged, each more vicious than the next. Chen was sometimes blinded by the glinting patches of light from the terrain, but his AI guide kept him out of harm’s way for the most part by directing how he should duck and repel Baekhyun’s attacks while his mind was preoccupied with trying to accurately shoot the Grand Mage. It seemed as if it would never end, although the two opponents were beginning to visually tire as their health points lowered by the minute.

“Just one more…”

“I’m going to win…”

However, just as both forces were about to collide with each other for the final confrontation, one super-charged boulder of lightning and one giant pulsing ball of light, both players were abruptly halted in their tracks by message notifications from the only players registered on their emergency lists. Even if they wanted to ignore these messages, the settings on their emergency lists called for immediate action.

Direct Voice Message from triple_bee to hyunee_bb
Yo, it’s dinner time. If you’re not downstairs in five minutes, Mom is coming up to your bedroom to get you. I suggest you log out before then if you don’t want her touching your headset.

Direct Voice Message from og_kjd to overlord_chen
You’d better log out right now. Dad’s back from his conference trip and he’s absolutely livid after tripping over your dirty laundry again. Don’t make me unplug your headset myself.

Chen released a stream of expletives as soon as the message from his older brother concluded. “Are you kidding me?! I was just about to win!” he snarled while glowering at the fading message notification. The intensity of the lightning surrounding his body dramatically amplified as his frustration and rage increased.

“As if!” Baekhyun hotly shot back. Now his plan to claim Chen’s Grandmaster Piece and live up to the rumors that had been surrounding him since his appointment as Grand Mage had been completely ruined by his own older brother’s message. “This victory was going to be mine!”

It took every scrap of the archer’s willpower and self-restraint to keep himself from ignoring his older brother’s message, and going straight for Baekhyun’s neck to claim victory. This moment was the perfect chance while the mage’s guard was done and he was least expecting an attack. But the small part of Chen that valued good sportsmanship and fairly earned victories forced him to deactivate his battle armor while storing away his weaponry into his inventory. Light orange and yellow sparks crackled around his thin body as the intricate battle armor melted away into glowing particles that eventually disappeared into the air. The blue lance he had been using before the fight was interrupted also disintegrated into light blue sparkles, leaving his hands empty.

Baekhyun grudgingly also removed his battle armor, the outfit fading away into pale yellow and white sunrays. Once both males had reverted back to the pre-battle forms, the mage listlessly stated out loud, “The Grandmaster Challenge has been mutually agreed to a draw.”

“Confirmed by the other party,” Chen added in an equally limp voice.

Grandmaster Challenge between overlord_chen and hyunee_bb is concluding. No determined winner due to draw between players. Battlefield deactivated.

The two males stood in silence as the glassy dome evaporated around them. Neither made a move, even though they knew they had to log out from the virtual reality game and return to the real world to deal with real life issues. But they each wanted to savor one more moment in their preferred reality, even if it meant being in the presence of their detested rival for an extra second.

“Master, your older brother will log on and force you to disconnect if you do not log out yourself now.”

“I know.” Chen heaved a deep sigh before turning to Baekhyun and hardening his gaze. “This isn’t over yet. I’m going to take your Mage Staff next time. Run and hide as much as you’d like. I’ll still find you.”

“I was under the impression that you were doing most of the running and dodging,” the mage smartly retorted as he pulled up the log out screen. With his pointer finger positioned right above the neon green Confirm button, Baekhyun sneered at Chen and said, “Until our next encounter, loser.”

“How DARE you, f—”

hyunee_bb has logged off.

Chen stared wide-eyed at the space where Baekhyun had stood a second ago and it was almost as if storm clouds were circling around him. “I swear, I’m going to—”

“Not now, Master. I shall see you soon.”

“Stupid piece of—”

“Goodbye, Master.”

“Fine. See you tomorrow, Enna.”

overlord_chen has logged off.

♈♈♈