Pantheon Online

Chapter 1 - New Game

Colt stared at the others seated around the table. 'Are they really doing this?' He wondered as the sound of the howling rain outside battered against the windows of the conference room. His eyes narrowed on those he had thought to be his comrades.

Each of them could not bring themselves to look him in the eyes. Instead, they fixed their own sights on the glass table they were seated at. Well, almost all of them. Robert Hall, his Vice Captain, was sneering at him in delight. 'Ah, I see how it is now.' Colt thought as a seething hatred for the man took root within his heart.

"As I was saying, Colt, the board has decided that you are no longer fit to be the team's captain. Your recent failure to secure victory in Mayhem's championship is only the final nail in the coffin, so to speak." The executive, William Gould, at the opposite end of the table said in a stern voice. He leaned back in his chair as he proceeded to clasp his fingers together.

Colt stared at the man with a deadpan look. 'God damn it, Will you're still angry I replaced your golden boy! Aren't you?' At this point in his career, Colt had gotten used to all of the backstabbing and politics that went on behind the scenes.

"So what? You're just going to throw me out? And do what? Replace me with him?" Colt replied in a cold and calm voice as he gestured towards Robert with his hand. "Do you honestly believe that he is ready? That he could have done better?"

"I think you're forgetting something here, Colt. First and foremost, we are running a business here. Right now, with the way things are, you are simply bad stock." William spread his hands out wide and sighed as though he genuinely regretted that it had come to this. "We took many aspects into consideration when reaching our decision. Robert here simply provided a detailed report on what he would have done differently if he were placed in your shoes. After examining the report, our experts have concluded that the team would have had a far better chance at succeeding under his leadership."

William shook his head, managing to look dejected about the entire affair. At this point, Robert let out a soft chuckle as he stared directly into Colt's eyes. It was the kind of gloating look that would make you want to slap the attitude straight out of someone.

To Colt, there was no point in arguing about this anymore. It would only make him appear petty. With an affronted expression, he reflected on his past with the team. It had been full of hardships and striving to prove himself. The stress had been enormous, but he had loved every second of it.

'I'm too old for any other team to consider taking me on. Even if I wasn't, no team captain would want a former one serving beside them. It would be a constant threat to their hold over the team.' Colt sighed heavily as he closed his eyes. 'Is this the end for me? Four years on the Pro scene down the drain?'

William smiled as he watched Colt from across the table. This was going far smoother than he had thought it would. 'It would be good if he would just accept this. He would save us a lot of hassle in the long run.' William grinned as he continued to consider the future. He still had many plans for Camelot, and Colt was not a part of these plans.

Colt slowly opened his eyes and fixed William with a cold stare. 'What should I do? Should I just accept it?' Colt was reluctant to do this. He had given most of his career to this team. However, right now, there was not much that he could do about it.

"Will I be compensated?" Colt asked, having accepted that there was no way out of this.

"Of course!" William stated, rather hurriedly. "After all, you've done so much for the team."

William was delighted that Colt was so accepting of the situation. It would save him a massive headache later on. The glee on his face was evident for all to see. The other team members even looked disgusted, though not a single one of them would speak up for Colt.

Realising his fate was sealed, Colt stood up to leave. As he dragged his feet towards the door, a feeling of helplessness washed over him. Colt glanced over his shoulder at his old team members. Then without so much as a farewell, he opened the door to the conference room. Stepping out into the hall, he was met with the sight of one of the security guards. The guard was holding a box, and Colt recognised his personal possessions within.

'Goddamn them! They're not even giving me time to process this. I can't believe they've already cleared out my stuff!' Colt was furious, but it did not show on his face. He took the box from the guard, who had an apologetic expression on his face. Colt gave him a slight smile. Even though it was awkward, it showed that he had no ill will towards him.

Colt carried his belongings through the offices towards the elevator. With each step, he could hear the clacking of keyboards as people were busy going about their jobs. 'I'm really going to miss this.' He sighed dejectedly.

'What's this?' Colt had just noticed an envelope poking out from the box. He was rather curious about it as he could not remember the last time he received a letter addressed to him at Camelot's headquarters.

He had just reached the elevators at this point and would have to wait for it to arrive on this floor. Setting the box down on the floor, he carefully removed the envelope. He took his time opening it, afraid that it may contain hate mail from someone who used to be a fan.

With a deep breath, he slowly unfolded the letter that was within. As he scanned the first couple of lines, he remembered what this was. 'Maybe, I'm not done yet.' He smiled as he thought about the possibilities this letter could give him. Once again, he read the first couple of lines.

'Dear Mr Anderson, we would like to invite you to participate in the beta test for our newest game. Pantheon Online…'