State of Play

The setting is an urban city, the city of Sentai to be exact, it is just as you would expect an urban city to be. Tall buildings, green trees, and of course, a bustle of people. Now, in this neck of the woods, where there are people, there are games. "Games" come in many shapes and forms. From simple pen and paper games, to highly advanced virtual reality simulators. The people who partake in these games are called "Gamers." Gamers! The mere mention of the word is enough to bring a shiver down the spines of some, while instilling confidence in others. To some, the term may bring rage upon them all. Yes, Gamers, the warriors who wield dice as their sword and cards as their shield. While some people play games for fun, others make a living off of them, such as professional athletes, or the shady underground brokers, or those who are members of the Society of Play, but that name is a name from a tale for another day.

The hero of this saga is a young lad named Renton Tsuyugen. Renton is a boy of sixteen years, long blond hair, thin build and average height. Renton loves games of all types, but sadly, is terrible at all of them! Tabletops, board, sports, video, any type of game, Renton is simply dreadful. Though that does not stop the lad, as he is determined to one day become a professional Gamer.

Our tale begins as Renton is leaving the arcade after another failed day of spending his entire savings on losing. As Renton is walking, he remembers losing (not for the first time!) at a game of Checkers. On the game table was the board, with Renton and his opponent, Bronto, engaged in a heated battle. "I think I might actually have him!" Renton thought as he moved his black piece ahead a space, and claiming Bronto's red piece as his own. But Renton acted much too rash and fell right into Bronto's trap. Also not for the first time. Bronto was able to then claim the last of Renton's three pieces using a triple play. "Sorry, Renton, my man. You lose again." he said coolly, as he did not want to sound like he was bragging.

"Damn it all!" Renton said aloud, upset that he has lost yet again, when Bronto intervened "Don't feel too bad. You played MUCH better than you usually do. I actually thought you may have had me." Bronto is of the same age and build of Renton, though he is a little taller and more muscular. He is still older by four months, and as a result, Renton sometimes looks to Bronto as an older brother type figure. Renton sighed and said that he was heading home to practice shuffling his cards. He gave his farewells to Bronto and was on his way.

Back in the present, the Sun has begun to set once more for the day, and Renton is about twenty minutes from his home in Sentai. As he walks, he ponders just why is it that he is so bad at gaming. "Was I just born this way?" he thought, when he heard a voice in his head say the somber word, "No." With that, Renton stopped dead and his tracks and called out, "Is someone there?" "Yes," the voice replied "someone who has been with you all along. Someone who is a friend." "Who are you? Where are you?" he called "You shall meet me sooner than you think, and when you do, it is then that you shall get your answer."

The cryptic words of The Voice confused Renton, it also frightened him a little. He began to hurry home so that he may go to bed early.

Though as he was walking (the Sun was well down by now and the sky was dark) he was approached by a figure in a cloak. "Renton Tsuyugen." the man said. "Who are you?" Renton replied. "Are you Renton Tsuyugen or are you not?" Renton was cold with fear. "Answer me." The man demanded monotonously. "Yes... I am." "Renton Tsuyugen. We are going to play a game. A game where our very lives are on the line!" With that, the man pulled out a gun that was a pale blue, almost white, it was a revolver. A glowing revolver. Renton's mouth opened. "The game has already begun, Renton Tsuyugen, if you open your mouth, you forfeit the game, and I shall kill you where you stand." The man loaded the revolver with three bullets out of a possible six. "This is Suicide Roulette. The rules are simple, I am going to spin the cylinder of this gun and hold it up to my head. Then, I will fire. If the Goddess of Victory is smiling upon me, then I will fire an empty round, and be perfectly unharmed. You, shall do the same. If you try to run, I will kill you before you can take a second step."

The whole world turned blue and viscous around them, as though they were in a different dimension. "Now" the man began... "It's game time!" the man spun the cylinder with such style it almost looked like an art form, with every round passing by making a quick click sound and Renton's heart beating twice for every click. He held it to his temple. "Now... let us see if I am favored by Luck!" He pulled the trigger and Renton closed his eyes.

Click!

The man chuckled. "An empty round. Looks like I escape this game, but will it be as a draw, or as a victory?" The gun appeared in Renton's hand. "Now spin it. Just as you saw me do." The poor boy was much too scared to move a muscle, though he somehow worked up the courage to spin the cylinder. As the barrel moved he thought of a roulette wheel at a casino, and the odds of winning. "There are three bullets out of a possible six. That means the odds of survival are 50/50. Don't disappoint me, Renton Tsuyugen."

"Where is this confidence coming from?" Renton thought as he pulled the gun to his head. "This isn't like me... is this my body feeling like I have nothing to lose?" With that being said, our young hero pulled the trigger of the glowing gun.

There was a loud bang as the boy fell to the ground. Renton Tsuyugen had lost the game.