"I want a clean clear of this map. And if any of you want to start trolling, now's the time."
"I'm on follow," Rhaven said a moment before a line appeared in chat.
[Rhaven] We're hunting wabbits!
That hung there for a bit with no response, so she decided to do it again.
[Rhaven] C'mon, this is supposed to be fun. You're not scared of the girls, are you?
[LOLWaffles] Uh, I kinda am.
[Rhaven] Love you a little for that. Still gonna kill you.
[Bacon] Bro! You aren't supposed to give them any help!
[LOLWaffles] It's the babe team. Pretty sure we're already dead. Q's smoked me before.
[Bacon] Same. This time, I'm gonna take her down!
[QQ] Dream on, boys. It's Rhaven you need to worry about.
[Salvo] Isn't that the tranny?
[Lithium] And I'm headshotting you just for the fucking slur, you piece of shit.
[Bacon] I didn't do it!
[Taint] Come at me... bro.
[Rhaven] Suck my dick, boys. I'll show you what it means to play like a girl.
But every line had bought the ladies a little time to move to the control point. Triggering that set the boys off, and the first shot rang out. Both Riley and Rhaven turned toward it, yet Rhaven was a split second faster than Riley.
Taint < Rhaven
The kill was hers, but there were three more on the map. The women moved. Each one watched a different corner, effectively covering all sides, and centralizing their healing ability. The fact that it would dare a less-experienced player to throw a grenade was another benefit, and sure enough, someone couldn't help himself. The ladies easily avoided it, using the path to find their next target. This time, it was Zara who had the line of sight, and while it took her four shots, she still made the kill.
LOLWaffles < Pantomime
The last two guys rushed in almost immediately. Without thinking, Riley and Rhaven turned their backs to each other, using the other's gunfire to shield herself. Kate and Zara both strafed to the right, and all four of their weapons were blazing. Riley's screen flashed red as she took damage. A press of a key activated her healing, but they had this. She knew they did.
Salvo < QQ
The ding of a kill was almost a surprise, so Riley spun to help Rhaven with hers. Zara and Kate did the same, and with all of them shooting, the last man didn't stand a chance. His character crumpled to the ground.
Bacon < Lithium
And the victory screen loaded in. Riley couldn't help herself. Pushing to her feet, she turned to the rest of the room. "Bacon?"
At the back of the room, a rather large guy stood. "Not quite what I was hoping for, but I'm not crying, QQ. Good game, babe."
"Same, bro," she told him, deciding he was definitely one of the good ones.
His friends, however, she wasn't so sure of. LOLWaffles was a name she remembered. Taint and Salvo had been pretty big on the scene a few years ago, but Riley thought she remembered something about jail time for one. Drug-related charges, maybe? The other was just a dick. Sadly, she couldn't say which, because they were both kinda assholes.
Which made them suspect. Granted, everyone in the gaming hall who wasn't a part of the high table, the crew helping, Deviant Games, or HighFive - who'd been a victim of KoG's insanity - were all suspect. That was the problem, because this room was packed with people.
Just then, Dread pushed his keyboard back and chuckled. "Two down. Go get the next, Void?"
He looked at Riley. "You still going?"
"We are," she agreed. "Also seeing a lot of names I recognize."
Logan just stood and tilted his head to the front. "Not surprising. It's F5. Everyone who can comes to this. How bad's the hate?"
"Taint and Salvo?" Riley asked. "What do you know about them?"
"Um, Salvo's a fucking cheater. Got busted for third-party programs on his machine and lost his sponsor. Taint? Gang stuff or drug stuff? He did some minor jail time... and lost his sponsor. Those both happened a while back. Why?"
"Because they talked smack," Riley said.
"Yeah, but they've been like that..." He sighed, dropping his head. "Forever. Yeah, doesn't rule them out. And your other match?"
"First was a group of nobodies and M1sEr."
"Who?"
"Corner camper from the blue vs. pink match," Riley reminded him. "He was in blue, but the guy sucks. I mean, he's real bad. Zara had a kill streak on him a while back. I'm talking bad kind of bad."