"... Hell yeah!" It started with a scream.
"Hell yeah!" Then the scream of the students at Lakewood house followed.
By this point in time, the party was in full swing with the entire student body located behind the lodge that was Lakewood. The lamp posts circling the lake lit up the entire area, the water shining as it practically sparkled due to the moonlight. Although, the main focus was placed on the T-dock where one of the many students stood at the center with a mic in hand. His scream got the crowd hype enough to scream back at him, meaning he was completing whatever task was set for him.
The man in question was a redhead hiding his eyes behind a pair of black shades, his complexion slightly red for whatever reason. His vibe and demeanor gave off someone interested in punk rock, his shoulder length hair mostly covered by a black beanie while having two piercings on each ear. His jacket was dark grey with spikes on each shoulder, a white and black checkered shirt underneath it while his hands were clad in black fingerless gloves. Ripped jeans covered his legs with black combat boots finishing off his attire, giving us the rocker we're seeing tonight.
"There's my party lovers. Glad to see you gentlemen and lovely ladies are showing your love for the party tonight, but save some of that energy for the house's tradition. You know what I'm talking about." He leaned his mic towards the crowd.
All eyes landed on the hand holding the black mic point towards their direction. Lips began parting from left to right without delay, the crowd suddenly speaking "And what would that be" in unison.
"I'm glad you asked my brothas and sistas, so keep those ears open for me." He brought the mic back to his lips, letting the speakers blast out his voice for everyone present to hear. "For those who aren't familiar baby, Lakewood house is known primarily for the parties we throw once the new season kicks in, and for certain holidays. However, tradition always demands we end each one with a BANG."
The student currently speaking slowly began to raise his left arm, allowing his right arm to descend to his side while keeping his grip firm. An A.R.T device was strapped to his left arm, the man flaunting it proudly as his smirk ignited the fire within the crowd. Everyone else around began to show off their own A.R.T systems, the light reflecting off each individual screen from the combined efforts of the moon and closest lamp posts. All but one as he kept his arm down somewhere in the crowd. Ashton stood there with a blank expression, but his focus never wavering.
"All parties end with Creature Extinction. Tonight will be no different, obvi, but it's more than just some good games amongst the student body. Tonight, we're gonna be rocking out with some of this college's best players! Introducing Roman Hall, and Saber Memphis!"
The crowd began to go crazy, cheers flying from left and right before they even made a move. From the left side of the docks stepped out the now revealed Roman Hall, his attire screaming and current demeanor screaming out a single word to describe him—rebellious. On the other hand, Saber walking onto the docks from the right side displayed his confident smile, choosing to wave to the students present to greet them. It didn't take long for them to close the distance between the other, coming to a halt a few feet apart from the other to make sure they had proper space.
"Now that we got our players, you know how this goes bitches. Roman vs Saber in the first one v. one of the night. Players, ready up!"
A nod came from the two of them, raising their left arms above their chest. The light of the moon bounced off their screens, staring each other down with different expressions. Roman's bored expression, and Saber's confident smirk signaled to everyone that this match was gonna be the one you shouldn't take your eyes from.
"A.R.T, response?!" Roman and Saber screamed in unison. That's when the magic began.
Within a split second, the respective screens of both devices flashed to life. One letter appeared within seconds of each electronic powering on, then one letter became two, turned to three, and then continued onward. When all letters finally graced the screen, the female AI answered back in her usual monotone.
[Response engaged.]
"May the best man win." Saber stated, placing his deck of cards into the front of the device that seemed to be a holster of some kind.
"Same to you." Roman answered calmly, placing his hand on top of his cards that were in the slot where his deck should be.
[Take five from your deck.]
Both players began to do as instructed, removing one card each until they had five in hand. Their eyes began to check over each individual card, analyzing their current hand from top to bottom. With a nod of their heads, they spoke "I accept my hand" in unison, allowing the system to change its text on their screens.
[All conditions have been met. Last race standing wins. And remember players—]
"EXTINCTION IS IMMINENT!".
That one statement from everyone present resounded throughout the area, leaving no further for any other sound except for the match they were about to witness. Before the first move could be made, two tabs began to manifest into existence. Digital code of ones and zero began crafting a rectangular board above Roman and Saber, revealing the basic information that every needed to know before the game starts. Now the game could truly begin.
Roman - 100LP [Hand: 5/Arsenal: 55/Zone: 0] Cemetery: 0
Saber - 100LP [Hand: 5/Arsenal: 55/Zone: 0] Cemetery: 0
Boredom by this point had already overtaken Ashton, an exhale of breath leaving his lungs in the form of a sigh. He couldn't find it in himself to be excited by the display of the game as he watched Roman make the first move. Despite saying he would be around for Saber, Ashton was dreaming every second of having to watch this unfold after having spent the past several minutes waiting for them to set up, and then additional few more just so they could get everyone out here. His eyes began scanning those around him, seeing the smiles carved on their faces with him being the only one out of place.
"... Huh?" The word came out as a whisper, his brown eyes spotting a familiar someone in the crowd towards the very back. The white dress woman with dead red eyes.
She was miserable once again, but there was something off about her now.
Her eyes were unreadable as she avoided eye-contact with everyone around her, including the guy she was with. Her hands were clasped together, legs squeezed as if afraid to part them from another while her face seemed flush. The white heels on her feet were closed together the same as her legs, and she seemed unusually stiff for someone he saw hugging up on the current dude next to her. It wasn't until Ashtin noticed the placement of his left hand that it finally clicked.
His left arm—muscle built up by who knows how long of lifting—had snaked down her back, allowing his hand to settle all five fingers on the sizable rear of the red-eyed girl.
His eyes widened in shock, finally getting a better picture of her current state. She is clearly uncomfortable, and wasn't alright in the slightest with her current predicament. No one else seemed to notice, but he did, and it bothered him. What he saw earlier wasn't his imagination, and the display she put on with the guy next to her before he deemed it wasn't his business signaled one possible conclusion.
"Could she be a—" he didn't get a chance to finish the thought.
Ashton watched as the guy leaned closer to her face, getting her attention since she slowly faced him. As he couldn't make out what was being said, he was able to figure out what was going on between them as she turned to her left with him, slipping away from the crowd with ease just to enter beyond the back door of house Lakewood. Something wasn't right, and a nagging feeling was building up in his chest. He tried to shake head to clear himself, but what was witnessed couldn't be ignored so easily. If he was correct, that girl was in a situation worse than he could've imagined.
She was uncomfortable, eyes dead, putting on facades, and no one but him seemed to catch on. As he said before, it wasn't his business. However, if he was right about what he saw, then another student on campus like himself was being exploited where everyone else was none the wiser. And if he was correct about the position she was in…
It caused his legs to move, slowly pushing through the crowd around him while hiding the dread that crawled up his back. Ashton's feet dragged across the ground with his pace beginning to quicken, arriving at the backdoor of the lodge in seconds before he stepped inside. Brain already quick on the possibilities, Ashton immediately took the closet staircase leading towards the second floor. Even with his hurried stepping, the noise made from each step he traversed was barely audible, wanting to be quiet in his approach. Finally, he reached the top, making right then around the corner of the exit from the stairway.
Three-light scones kept the Hall well lit, pictures of people he didn't know accompanying the cedar walls between each room. Ashton's eyes trailed on down to look at the rug covering the corridor, noticing the black and hexagon pattern leading to the railing connected to the second stairway. However, that wasn't important. What was important happened to be that all rooms present in the corridor, minus one, were open except the second to last door located on his right near the end of the hall. Ashton crept toward it without a second thought.
His footsteps were light to keep from making too much sound. It would be bad if any noise produced alerted them, and that wasn't something he wanted.
"Why am I doing this?" As he questioned himself, he remembered what he said earlier. It was none of his business. Yet, old feelings of hurt began returning in quantities he didn't want to acknowledge.
Ashton's arm rose marginally from his side, his right hand outstretched towards the door knob of the closed room. His ears managed to pick up on the sounds of shuffling, but there was something else accompanying it. He gulped because of it, hesitant to find out what he'd witness on the other side. However, he didn't come all this way to ignore what he saw. It reminded him of… Anyway, Ashton grabbed the knob before giving it a small twist thanks to the grip from his hand, and a turn of his wrist.
The door opened quietly, Ashton leaving it ajar so his brown eyes could catch a peek inside. Luckily for him, the bedside was in view with dark red sheets currently shoved to the bottom edge of the mattress. Inside, he caught a glimpse of the college students he followed, seeing them in an intimate moment he wished he didn't.
A kiss was shared between them, her arms pinned on both sides of her head as one of her legs was held up over the guy's shoulder. His form was crouched over, knees pressed firmly onto the mattress with their bodies pressed together. Grunts flowed freely into the air, but the muffled moans coming from the girl could still be heard despite the distance Ashton was at. After the kiss between them ended, brown eyes watched the guy cup the cheeks of the panting girl on the bed. That's when Ashton finally got a look of her expression.
Face seemingly feverish, an unnatural amount of sweat, labored breath, and those red eyes staring directly at the guy above her? Glassy and bloodshot with her pupils dilated.
"P-Pl… Please." Her response came delayed, that singular word being the only thing she managed to choke out.
That one word was all it took to unleash the one emotion within his being. And without a second thought—
"Don't worry, beautiful. I'll make sure you can enjoy every minute of it."
"Hey!"
He charged in with the door slamming behind from how hard he pushed it as his rage exploded. And without thinking—
"What the—"
Ashton delivered the strongest dropkick that he could muster to the guy's chest without an ounce of hesitation.