The Coder Avatar hovered like a glitchy god, its blank screen eyes flashing error red. Code Barrage rained down in streams of lethal data, shredding code islands into pixel dust. Kael, Lila, Rix, Vex, and Byte stood on a crumbling coliseum platform, Grimlock's chained silhouette looming in the center — undead gladiator, spectral chains rattling like maracas from hell."Okay, squad," Kael panted, Chaos Boots sparking. "Any bright ideas before we become digital confetti?"
"Bright?" Rix grinned, spinning his code katanas. "**I've got a Code Splicer hack that'll turn his Barrage into a TikTok dance — but I need 30 seconds."
"Thirty seconds?" Lila scoffed, daggers flashing. "We'll be dead in ten!"
Byte: HACK = LOOT. DO IT.
Byte nipped Rix's ankle, stealing a mana spark.
"OW—ferret tax!" Rix yelped. "Fine, cover me, glitch fam!"
Vex floated forward, robes billowing in the Data Storm, eyes glowing violet. "Fate Glitch: In this moment, the chained one speaks truth. Free him, or the Core stays locked."
"Poetic, but vague," Kael muttered. "Grimlock! You in there, big guy?"
Grimlock's chains clanked — red eyes flared. "FREE ME, GLITCH," he roared, voice like thunder in a tin can. "I FOUGHT THE CODER ONCE. LOST MY SOUL. BUT I KNOW HIS WEAKNESS."
"Weakness?" Lila smirked. "Spill it, skeleton — or stay a lawn ornament."
"THE CORE SHARD IN HIS CHEST," Grimlock growled. "BREAK IT, AND HE CRUMBLES. BUT YOU NEED MY CHAINS."
"Chains?" Rix laughed. "Kinky. I like it."
Kael triggered Chaos Spark Shower — a storm of electric sparks erupted, blinding the Avatar. "Rix, HACK NOW! Lila, with me — we're chain shopping!"
"On it, glitch-boy!" Lila leaped, daggers carving Grimlock's chains.
"**You know, for an NPC, you're weirdly competent," she teased.
"Says the ex-player's sidekick," Kael shot back, slashing a chain link. "What was Ava like? Bossy?"
"Worse. She ghosted me mid-raid," Lila snorted. "You'd like her — total chaos gremlin."
Byte zipped between them, nipping the Avatar's leg. Byte: STEAL CORE. EASY LOOT.
"NOT YET, FURBALL!" Rix yelled, fingers flying over a holographic keyboard. "Splicing in 3… 2…"
The Avatar roared, Code Barrage morphing into harmless emoji spam — ."NAILED IT!" Rix whooped. "Now, Grimlock — CHAIN TIME!"
Grimlock's chains shattered — spectral links exploded outward, wrapping the Avatar like ghostly rope. "SOUL CHAIN — BIND!" Grimlock bellowed, muscles rippling under decayed armor.
"Holy—" Kael stared. "You're a walking cutscene, big guy."
"Less talk, more stab," Lila grinned, leaping onto the Avatar's back. "Rix, boost me!"
"On it!" Rix spliced a Speed Glitch — Lila blurred, daggers plunging into the Core Shard.
Byte: STAB = LOOT. DO IT AGAIN.
The Avatar screamed — code fracturing. "GLITCH #47… YOU CANNOT…"
"Watch me, Clippy," Kael snarled, unleashing Glitchy Pinata Burst.
A massive pinata exploded into mana shards, rubber chickens, and a random toaster — toaster detonated, cracking the Core Shard.
"Vex, prophecy check!" Kael shouted.
"Fate Glitch: The Core breaks… but one of you pays the price."
Vex's voice echoed, eyes flickering.
"Price?" Grimlock growled. "I've paid enough."
"Not you, bonehead," Lila said, yanking the Core Shard free. "Kael — CATCH!"
Kael caught it — panel pinged silently (no status spam): Core Shard absorbed. Codebreaker +5%.The Avatar collapsed into pixel dust. The domain trembled — islands merging into a massive arena.Zeta's voice hissed: "13 hours. The reset approaches. Choose: betray the squad, or die together."
"Squad," Kael said firmly. "We're breaking this system — together."
"Aww, glitch-boy's growing a heart," Lila teased, punching his arm.
Byte: HEART = BAD LOOT. CHAOS > FEELS.
"Shut it, ferret," Rix laughed. "Group hug?"
"Hard pass," Grimlock grunted. "But… I fight with you. For now."
A massive Data Storm formed — Zeta's face in the clouds. "THE RESET BEGINS. CHOOSE."
Rix readied a hack, Vex whispered a new prophecy, Lila sharpened her daggers, Byte sparked with stolen mana, Grimlock cracked his knuckles.
Kael looked at his squad.
"Let's break the Core — and the Coder."