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Caelan ate dinner alone in the hotel's quiet dining room, the clatter of distant dishes and murmured conversations creating a backdrop of normalcy he barely registered. His mind was still half-immersed in code and character hitboxes, running through the game's balance for the hundredth time.
Not long after returning to his room, footsteps echoed in the hallway—uneven, enthusiastic footsteps. Victor.
Sure enough, a knock rattled his door moments later. "Come in," Caelan called out, not bothering to get up from where he'd sprawled across his bed.
The door swung open, and Victor practically tumbled inside, his face flushed and wearing an expression of supreme satisfaction.
"Phew, that was refreshing!" Victor dropped into the chair by the window like a marionette with cut strings, immediately crossing his legs with the air of a man who'd just conquered the world. His grin could've lit up the room.
Caelan raised one hand and gave him a lazy thumbs up, too comfortable to bother with actual words.
Victor opened his mouth, probably to launch into a detailed account of his evening adventures, when movement in the doorway caught his attention. Another figure appeared—Cassius, looking considerably more composed than Victor, though there was a slight flush to his cheeks and an unusual lightness to his step.
"Huh? Why are you back already?" Victor's eyebrows shot up as he twisted in his chair to face the newcomer. "Cassius, you've disappointed me, man. I expected better staying power from you."
Cassius rolled his eyes, the gesture carrying the weight of long-suffering friendship. He ignored Victor's jab entirely, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. "Nicole will be coming to Crimson Port this weekend."
"Oh?" Caelan sat up, suddenly more interested. "Alright, good progress."
Victor's grin widened as he mimicked Caelan's earlier gesture, shooting Cassius an exaggerated thumbs up. "Look at you, actually getting somewhere."
A hint of pink touched Cassius's ears, but his voice remained steady. "Sorry for making you two cut your evening short. We should head back to Crimson Port first thing tomorrow morning."
"Hold on." Victor leaned forward conspiratorially. "Cassius, you should know—Caelan's about to release a new game."
That got Cassius's full attention. His eyes lit up with genuine interest as he grabbed another chair and dragged it over, the legs scraping softly against the floor. He settled in, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "A new game? What kind are we talking about?"
"It's called a 'fighting game,'" Caelan said, watching their faces carefully.
Both Victor and Cassius stared at him, their expressions identical masks of confusion. The term clearly meant nothing to them—which made sense, considering Caelan had invented the genre for this world.
Caelan studied their blank faces for a moment, then made a decision. These were his closest friends, his business partners, and honestly, getting their feedback now might save him headaches later. "You know what? Since you're both here anyway, I might as well let you try it out. See if there's anything that needs changing before launch."
He pushed off the bed and walked over to the table, gesturing for them to move their chairs closer. "Come on, gather round."
Victor and Cassius exchanged glances—part excitement, part curiosity—and repositioned themselves on either side of the table. The moment they were settled, Caelan raised his hand, and with a subtle pulse of magical energy, the game interface materialized in the air above the table's surface. Translucent screens glowed softly, and beneath them, control panels solidified into being.
Victor let out a low whistle. The graphics were immediately, noticeably superior to Caelan's previous seven games. The character models had depth and detail, the backgrounds were rich with atmosphere, and even in the static selection screen, there was a sense of weight and presence to everything. The art style managed to be both stylized and realistic, with fluid animations that promised smooth, responsive gameplay.
"The game's running half again as fast as the original concept," Caelan explained, falling into his developer explanation mode. "Health pools are doubled, and every character has a super special move in addition to their regular special attacks. Balance is... well, it's decent." He allowed himself a small, guilty smile. "I may have given Chun-Li and Fei Long a slight edge since they're from my homeland, and simplified their execution requirements a bit. But the testers have been grinding it day and night for weeks, so overall, it's pretty solid."
"Wait, hold on." Cassius was staring down at the control panel, his brow furrowed. "So many buttons?"
Victor followed his gaze, and yeah—this was definitely different. He mentally counted them out. "The old games had eight, right? Up, down, left, right, start, pause, attack, and jump."
"This has nine total, but they're organized differently," Caelan said, pointing to each cluster. "Direction controls are still here—up, down, left, right. Start button's in its usual spot. But the pause function is gone, and instead of one attack and one jump button, you've got six attack buttons." He tapped each one in sequence. "Light punch, medium punch, heavy punch. Light kick, medium kick, heavy kick."
"That's... complex," Cassius said slowly, though there was appreciation in his tone rather than criticism. "What's the difference between light and heavy attacks?"
"Exactly what you'd expect. Light attacks are faster but deal less damage—good for starting combos or interrupting your opponent. Heavy attacks are slower but hit like a battering ram. Medium attacks split the difference." Caelan pulled up the main menu screen, revealing a map that both Victor and Cassius recognized: the Primal Continent, where they currently lived. The human territories were rendered in detail, showing familiar kingdoms and empires. To the south, the Elf and Dwarf territories appeared in muted gray. Far to the west, the Orc lands were similarly dimmed.
"The game currently features sixteen fighters," Caelan continued, his voice taking on a note of pride. "They're from various nations and factions across the world. But see those last four?" He gestured to the grayed-out portraits on the far right of the character select screen. "Those are locked. You need to beat the game with three different characters from the main roster to unlock them, in this order: Balrog, Varro, Sagat, and Bison. Once you've unlocked them, they become playable."
Cassius and Victor leaned in, studying the character selection screen. Sure enough, twelve portraits were vibrant and selectable, while four on the right side were shadowed and inaccessible—the selection cursor wouldn't even move over them.
The timer in the corner showed infinity. No rush to choose.
"What you're about to play is Versus Mode," Caelan explained. "Pure player-versus-player combat. Pick any of the twelve available characters—use the directional buttons to browse, and press any attack button to confirm your selection. Take your time and check them all out."
Since there was no time limit, Victor and Cassius took Caelan's advice, slowly cycling through the roster. Each character had a brief description that appeared as they highlighted them, along with their location marked on the continental map:
Ryu(The Solitary Seeker of the Path)
Born in the Shattered Lands. No surname, no faction—a true orphan. Ken's senior martial brother and wandering training partner.
Ken Masters(The Arrogant Fighter)
Born in the Lionheart Empire. House Blazefire. Ryu's junior martial brother, wealthy heir with a chip on his shoulder.
Chun-Li(The Heroine Traversing the Battlefield)
Born in the Moonwatch Empire. House Steambun. The only woman in the current roster, known for powerful kicks.
Fei Long(The Youngest Martial Arts Grandmaster)
Born in the Moonwatch Empire. A prodigy who achieved grandmaster status before his thirtieth year.
Charlie Nash(The Empire Soldier Upholding Justice)
Born in the Shadowhawk Empire. Guile's close friend—both teacher and comrade in arms.
Guile(The Resilient Empire Soldier)
Born in the Shadowhawk Empire. Charlie's closest friend and brother-in-arms.
E. Honda(The Strong-Bodied Sumo Master)
Born in the Yamato Kingdom. A champion of traditional combat arts, massive and immovable.
Blanka(The Jungle Savage)
Born in the borderlands between the Phoenix Empire and Elf territory. Raised in the wild, more beast than man.
T. Hawk(Warrior of Nature)
Born in the Frostpeak Empire. Protector of his tribe, deeply connected to the natural world.
Zangief(King of Strength)
Born in the Frostpeak Empire. A wrestler of legendary power, known for crushing opponents with his bare hands.
Dhalsim(The Venerable One Respected by All)
Born in the Ashvara Kingdom. Master of mystical arts and stretching techniques that defied normal combat logic.
Dee Jay(Dancer of the Fighting Arena)
Born in the Ashvara Kingdom. Combines rhythm and combat into a unique fighting style.
Caelan had spent countless hours on these descriptions. Names had been particularly troublesome—the magical feedback system barely rewarded naming characters, so he'd taken some creative liberties. Ryu and Blanka could be orphans without surnames; that made sense for their backstories. For the others, he'd invented house names that fit their characters and fighting styles.
Chun-Li's surname had been the biggest headache. The original source material never officially revealed it—her name was technically "Li Chun," but translation quirks had flipped it to "Chun-Li," and that's what stuck. Eventually, after staring at her character model for too long, her distinctive hair buns had given him a moment of inspiration. Or mischief. He still wasn't sure which. House Steambun. It was ridiculous, but it made him smile every time he saw it.
He'd also felt compelled to replace the sexy, confident Cammy White with the bespectacled Charlie Nash to preserve Chun-Li's legacy as the first female fighter in gaming history. A necessary sacrifice, even if he did mourn the loss of those high-cut military uniforms.
His attention returned to the present as Victor let out a small noise of interest.
"Huh, she's the only woman?" Victor had stopped scrolling, his cursor hovering over Chun-Li's portrait. "And she's from our Moonwatch Empire. She looks pretty good, actually."
The comment didn't surprise Caelan. Players had gradually adjusted to his art style through previous games—the long-legged Lux from Elemental Contra, the unnamed female Thunder Dragon Knight from Crimson Fortress, Princess Peach's charm in Super Mario, and all the adorable creatures in Squirrel War. Each game had pushed the boundaries a little, normalizing his aesthetic preferences. Victor finding Chun-Li attractive was the natural result of that conditioning.
Besides, Caelan had modeled her face after the female lead from Mr. Vampire, a film that had swept through theaters months ago. How could she not be beautiful?
"She's the one," Victor declared, pressing the light punch button. Chun-Li's portrait flashed, confirming his selection. "I mean, she's from our homeland, right? Though I gotta ask—what's with the hairstyle? Are those steamed buns on her head?"
"Those are ox-horn buns," Cassius interjected, a note of scholarly correction in his voice. "Invented by First Emperor Aldric, if I remember my history correctly."
He'd noticed Chun-Li immediately too—how could he not? She was the sole woman among twelve fighters, and beautiful to boot. Any heterosexual man would have spotted her first. But since Victor had already claimed her, Cassius figured he should pick someone else.
"Actually," Caelan said, watching Cassius's cursor hover uncertainly, "unlike Chronicle of the Fierce Tortoise Warriors, this game lets both players choose the same character. Mirror matches are allowed."
Cassius nodded, absorbing this information. He glanced at Chun-Li's portrait again, then let his cursor drift across to the other characters. After a moment's hesitation, his selection landed on Ken Masters.
The reason was simple, really. The house name Caelan had given the character: Blazefire.
Everflame and Blazefire.
They matched. They fit. It felt right.
Cassius pressed the button, and Ken's portrait lit up, the confident fighter taking his place on the screen.
"Alright then," Caelan said, unable to hide his smile. "Let's see how you two do."
Plz THROW POWER STONES.