Turf Battlers (Part 1) (Patreon)

In the heart of the city, nestled between towering skyscrapers and bustling streets, stood the renowned gaming training facility - "Pixel Haven." It was a haven indeed for gamers, a place where skills were honed, and friendships forged through the shared love of virtual battles.

Villam, a tall and lanky chimera of a creature featuring prominent aspects like the tail of a rooster, ears of a horse, and feet of a pig. He entered Pixel Haven with a confident stride, looking his head about the place as he checked out the freshly renovated structure. “They really put the big bucks in this place.” As he stepped further inside, he could see other gamer folks leaving and entering various rooms while the sounds of the varying screen spectacles could be heard. It brought a bigger smile to his face, hoping to get his own chance at taking a crack at one of them.

It was then, he was approached by Mia, a chubby squirrel, wearing apparel from a well-known gaming org. “Villam,” she asked.

“That’s me.”

She smiled, leaning her head to the side. “And where is your…. Friend? Sirius?”

“Oh! Ummm… he should be here soon,” he softly replied, turning his own head back to the front door. Thankfully, he was greeted by the sight of his pal in question.

Sirius, in contrast, was a looming mass of hefty muscle and brawn. He swung open the glass door, lumbering himself in side-ways, while doing his best not to bump into anything along the way with all of his mounting muscles.

“That’s him,” chimed the chimera, giving a thumbs towards the canine.

Mia once again leaned over, nwo seeing the male herself as her eyes trailed higher and higher. “I see.”

“Sorry I’m late,” called out Sirius, as he made his way next to his buddy.

“Don’t mention it. You’re not even that late.”

The white and black furred Wakita looked down at the squirrel offering her one of his gentle smiles. “Hello to you too.”

The warmth of those words caused her to blush. “Same to you sir.”

“Call me Siri. Sir is my Pops.”

“I think you mean your three Pops,” quipped Villam, nudging an elbow at the others round middle.

Sirius chuckled.

Mia watched the two banter back and forth before she cleared her throat. “If you will follow me. I’ll take you to your private room.”

The pair settled down, nodding.

“Yes. Thank you,” replied Sirius, taking after her and giving a nod to Villam who came in tow.

“And you can call me Mia.”

“Great to meet you then Mia,” beamed the beast.

As they followed her, they could see more rooms holding one to five forks inside and all of them showcasing different genres of games. A couple shooters, a few rpg’s, and a handful of party games. After a few corner turns, they were brought to the backend of the building with a large room. Larger than the majority of the rooms they had passed. “This will be the room for you too.”

“Why is it so big,” asked Villam. “It’s like three times the size of what we saw.”

“That’s because this is the room we plan on hosting our fighting game events.”

“Oh. That’s cool but… it’s just me and Siri today.”

Mia nodded, unlocking the door with a key she pulled from her pocket. “That’s true but as you can see all our other rooms or occupied. I could reschedule you for another day if you wish?”

“No,” responded Siri. “We’ll take it and thank you for allowing us to use it.”

“I wasn’t going to turn her down either,” came Villam.

The Wakitas ears lowered. “I didn’t think you were but wanted to let her know.”

The Chimera placed a paw over the canine’s huge arm. “It’s okay buddy. I’m not upset.”

Mia kept unlocking the door as she pulled it open and flipped on the lights. “Here you are and the console is over there with the t.v. and couch. If you two need anything like drinks or snacks please push the red button on the remote on the table in front of the couch.”

“You said this is a fighting game room, so…”

“You did say any game would do for your visit so yes. There is a fighting game loaded here.”

“Nice,” grinned Villam, rubbing his paws as he darted his eyes at the taller male. “Ready then?”

Sirius fur stood up at the pointed question. “Ready as I’ll ever be I guess.”

With that Mia left the two as the door closed behind them. Not that it closed them off from everything. Their room like all the others had glass windows which allowed them and others to see what entertainment was unfolding.

Villam winked at Sirius. "You ready for this, my friend? I hope you've been practicing."

Sirius chuckled, shaking his head. "I've been preparing for this day for weeks. Don't underestimate me, Villam."

The gaming console awaited them where Mia had showed them. The two worked themselves across the room and saw it neatly placed next to the plasma screen t.v. as the Chimera pushed the button turning both systems on. The screen is illuminated by the tone of the gaming system, followed by its logo and then the title screen of the game to be played.

“Wait,” exclaimed Villam, pointing at the screen. “They have Turf Battlers 5! That’s supposed to be out in beta in the next two months.”

“Guess that’s the perks of these kinds of places,” answered Sirius, sitting down on the couch as his width took up a little more than half of it. Thankfully it was made to house a number of furs so there was still plenty of space offered “Now pass me one of those controllers will ya?”

Villam, still in awe of the surprise, fumbled a bit for both controllers before snatching them. “Here ya go.” He made his way to the couch and rested on it. “Hopefully it isn't too different from four.”

“Even if it is, we got this room reserved for the day, right?”

Villam smiled, looking back up to his friend who was once more giving that big cheesy smile of his. “That we do, my large buddy. Now let’s see who has the better mastery of the Turf.”