The Silver Sphere by Michael Dadich Page A

my dear Kin, ye will face the wrath of the Minotaur."
Boozer winked and grinned. "Give the people wha' they wan'—tha's my motto."
    "All right!" yelped Stuart. Not every day did he fight
against someone on another planet with a video game. Now he really could boast
he was the best when he returned home.
    Energy burst throughout their vicinity as dozens of excited armored
men came forward to watch the match. The chilly air warmed with the soldiers' proximity.
    Someone shouted, "Bet you ten pints of Vixen blueberry ale
the Kin wins!"
    "I'll take tha' bet," said another.
    Kron came to Stuart's side and whispered into his ear, "The
buttons on the bottom are defensive blocks, and the ones on the top are offensive
strikes. If ye hold the top lef' and bottom lef' buttons down together, this be
your master strike. Use this sparingly, as it will sap yer energy. The stick itself
pretty much controls the warrior's body. There's more, but ye will have to make
do with tha'." He broke free of Stuart and disappeared into the crowd. His
black-haired head bobbed away.
    Another trooper came up to Stuart, gave him a pat on the back,
and encouraged him. "Give this the old schoolboy try now, sonny."
    Several other pats and nods followed, until one of the warriors
thrust the joystick into his hand. Stuart smirked. The joystick was like a part
of him, and no one could take that away now.
    A wall of soldiers formed another large circle around them. A
competitive Boozer replaced the jolly one as he shot a menacing glare at Stuart,
who stared him down cold. Thick tension zapped between the two of them. Stuart refused
to glance away from Boozer, even for a second. Everything got quiet.
    "Now let's engage in Dire Conflict ," boomed
a soldier. Somehow this event had become an official match.
    Stuart's joystick began to vibrate and a blue glow emanated from
the sides. He felt a rush of pure adrenaline course through him. A holographic console
materialized in front of him.
    "Pick the battleaxe," hollered out a voice from the
crowd.
    "The spear. Take the spear," declared another.
    As he gazed down at the console, Stuart realized they were pointing
out his choices. Caricatures of several armaments floated on top. Underneath each
weapon was a colorful button. On the bottom of the console were the words: "Choose
two weapons for your Dire Conflict ."
    The double-edged sword looked too good to turn down. But he also
knew Kron had just lost to the Minotaur bearing the same blade. He hit a button
with an arrow pointing down, and another set of weapons appeared. One of the names
caught his eye. "The Sword of Ariadne" was written under a long blade
with a red handle.
    Stuart smiled. Greek mythology was one of his favorite subjects.
Kratos might have demolished the Minotaur in God of War , but real folklore
was better than that. The Minotaur had been a recent reading of his, and
the sword Theseus used to slay the Minotaur was given to him by Ariadne. He was
sure of it.
    He hit the button underneath, forgetting the image was holographic,
and the sword vanished from the console when his finger passed through where the
icon had been. He continued to scan the choices and settled on a large chain titled,
"Battle Chain." The console dematerialized after his selection.
    His warrior appeared, standing tall while twirling the battle
chain and holding the saber high over its head. His muscles rippled with each twirl,
and the rich, burgundy-colored armor he wore cast a regal aura. The sword of Ariadne
glistened like a beacon in the dark night.
    Across the way, Boozer completed his weapon check on the console
and the Minotaur emerged straight from the ground. A mixed reaction of boos and
cheers again riled the men.
    "Now you're in fer death," Boozer shouted and chortled.
    The bull-headed monster charged the warrior, battleaxe in tow.
Stuart, operating on instinct, jerked his joystick to the right, and the Minotaur
ran directly into the crowd, surprising a few of the soldiers