A.R. Dragonfly Vol. 4: A.R. Dragonfly, #4

By Joshua Piedra

The first-ever BlazeCON convention has arrived! Amber & company attend the event to witness the unveiling of Blaze Auras' first expansion pack: The Underhollow! In addition, the inaugural BlazeCON Invitational Tournament sets the stage for, yet, another battle that will decide the fate of everything but one individual stands in their way all for the sake of making a name for himself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joshua Piedra
• Release date: May 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215860113

Book preview

Preface

Here we are, once again, in another volume of A.R. Dragonfly! As always, my biggest thanks to you, the reader, for picking up a copy of my book!

This volume is another tournament arc to shine the light on Blaze Auras a little more. One would argue the plot point is a bit similar to volume two; however, it is the last time it will be used as this volume serves as the ending to one of the story arcs (for now).

This volume also looks to kickstart a brand-new story arc as well as wind down another one and begin a transition into something new. I also used this volume to take a lot of the feedback to heart. The series has, so far, been described as a quick read. I looked to resolve that by providing longer chapters by giving you guys some more details as well as creating some new plot points that wasn’t originally planned.

In fact, three of the seven chapters here began with all-new material that wasn’t planned. They received several bonus pages before I even made it to my first bullet point! I hope you enjoy the longer content, new characters, as well as all of the storylines that either wrap up, continue, or begin!

CHAPTER 1

GRIM REALITY

Complacency and comfort can lure one into a false sense of security. Amber Ryann learned those lessons the hard way. Her complacency led to being knocked off of the Blaze Auras leaderboards and it also led her down the path to unemployment. It was one month ago when Sebastian gave her a phone call as bone-chilling as the winter air that had seeped in across the city. All it took was one single moment for the walls to come tumbling down except that there was no one there to hold her hand through it all.

During this time, the holidays came and went. Amber spent Christmas alone in her apartment with only a random text message from Lynn to provide her comfort. Kaito knew where she lived but he didn’t know her number so he had to opt for the only way he knew to deliver his holiday message: by sending it to Amber directly on Blaze Auras. The only problem is, Amber hadn’t touched Blaze Auras since Sebastian told her that Jeremiah had fired him and was aiming to close down Things N’ Stuff.

Amber still had her tournament winnings to live off of but she knew that those funds were only finite. She needed a guaranteed source of income and with her condition, she couldn’t bring herself to find a job out in the real world. The grim reality of unemployment had hit Amber particularly hard. It sent her into a state of depression to where she barely even got out of bed. Her daily routine consisted of sleeping, eating an occasional sandwich, using the bathroom, and then going back to bed. Intermittently she would check her phone for messages or browse the internet to stave off ultimate boredom.

In short, Amber had lost her entire drive in life.

The day was shrouded in the cold, gray clouds of winter. Snow fell to the ground and covered everything from the rooftops down to the city’s streets. Amber looked out the window, attempting to gaze into the city’s horizon, but the snow that was falling reduced her visibility by quite a bit. Amber let out a heavy sigh as she sat there on her bed, wrapped in a heavy comforter.

Happy New Year to me… she said in a low, dejected tone.

Naturally, after Christmas came New Year’s. It was the first day of the new year and while a lot of things had passed, Amber remained the same. Her attention was turned away from the window by the quick vibrations of her phone. She gazed over at the blinking message light and let out another sigh. She struggled for a moment to find an opening in her makeshift blanket burrito but eventually was able to free her arm. She reached over and grabbed her phone only to see that the message on it was from Lynn. Amber closed her eyes and let out a third sigh as she already knew what kind of message Lynn would send. Amber decided to just read it and get it over with.

Yo, Ambs! Happy New Year, girl! How ya holding up? Have you talked to Sebastian lately? Kaito said he hasn’t heard from him since his dad went all whack job and shut everything down. Maybe you should check in on him. You’re the closest person to him, right? Anyway, as always if you need anything, please let me know! We’re friends, after all!

Amber turned her phone off and went to toss it back on her desk but she suddenly stopped. She gripped the phone and began to think about what Lynn had said.

Sebby… she muttered.

Amber had realized that Lynn was right. Nobody, not even herself, had heard from Sebastian since he broke the news to everyone. Amber had become so depressed that she didn’t even realize this. She was, indeed, the closest person to Sebastian and the one Sebastian considered his only friend, and yet, he never reached out to check on her. Amber began to wonder if something may have happened to him and began to get worried. Amber, who is usually terrible at taking the initiative on things like this, wasted no time turning her phone back on and finding Sebastian on her contacts list. Without hesitation, she placed a call to his phone. After a couple of rings, she heard that oh-so-familiar voice on the other end.

A-Amber!?

Yo.

This is a surprise. Did you learn how to use your call function and dial the wrong number or something?

Nopers but I’m really startin’ ta think I made a different kind of mistake.

"Sorry. You know how I am. I can’t resist taking a shot if there is one, you know? Forget I said that. What’s up?’

You tell me. No one’s heard from you since… well… you know.

Yeah… about that. It kind of hit me hard. I didn’t want to talk to anyone after it happened. Let’s just say that for a while, I kind of understood how you had felt on a daily basis. Believe it or not, I was planning to call you within the next couple of days to, you know, wish you a belated Happy Holidays and all that other mushy junk. I didn’t want to call you sooner in case you were spending time with family or something.

At that moment, Sebastian realized that he messed up. He instantly recalled the conversation he had with Amber the day he drove her to the arena for the Legacy of Champions tournament. The ride to the arena was filled with an uncomfortable silence. Sebastian braced himself for Amber’s response to that comment.

My family might as well be dead to me, Sebby. You know that.

Yeah, I realized it after I said it. Sorry to bring that up again. Say, maybe we can spend a little time catching up? To be honest, I still have a Christmas gift for you sitting here. Better late than never, right?

Y-you want to meet me?

I know going out in the world isn’t your thing so I’d be willing to come to your place. That is if I can get past your front door without it getting slammed in my face.

Hey, I told you I was sorry for that! You can’t just let ish go, can you?

What can I say? You know me too well. So, up for some company or not?

F-Fine.

Coolio beans. Mind if I bring Kaito, too? I’m sure he’d be happy to see you.

First off, who the hells says ‘Coolio beans’ anymore? Still livin’ in 1995, Sebby? Second, why in the hell would ya bring my feckin’ rival into my house? Don’tcha remembs what happened last time he forced his way in here? I broke that chode’s nose!

Amber realized her online persona, along with her own brand of lingo, seeped out of her and instantly covered her mouth. Sebastian could be heard laughing on the other end of the phone at Amber’s sudden change in dialect and accent. Amber was a bit embarrassed by it but figured it was Sebastian and what’s done is done.

Nice lingo but I thought the two of you were on the mend? You just said that I can’t let things go but here you are giving it right back to me. Give the poor guy a chance. He’s actually not a bad guy once you talk to him on a normal level.

Amber pinched the bridge of her nose knowing that she would instantly regret this decision.

Fine. He can come but while he’s in my apartment I want you to have your phone ready. I want you to dial 9, then 1, and then when I break his face again, dial the other 1.

Noted. I’ll swing by his place and pick him up then I’ll be over. See ya in about 30.

K. See ya.

Amber hung up the phone and groaned as she had to exert herself and force her body to perform basic movement. She rolled out of bed and realized that she couldn’t exactly greet Sebastian or Kaito in her boxers and a peanut butter-stained t-shirt. Since she had thirty minutes to kill, she threw herself into the shower and came out with her Friendship Grenade t-shirt and a pair of light blue jeans. She threw on some slippers and started to clean up her room a bit. Amber felt it was odd to do cleaning as she never really had any guests over at her place. Living alone and in solitude had its perks when it came to maintaining a presentable home. The lack of guests made it extremely easy not to care about appearances.

As Amber continued to frantically straighten up her room, it suddenly dawned on her that the rest of her apartment needed to be cleaned as well. She began to go into panic mode but before she could do anything about it, there was a knock on her front door.

NARF! Sebby said thirty minutes, not ten!

Despite Amber thinking that, thirty minutes had passed. Between her time in the shower and the time she spent cleaning her room, the passage of time had eluded Amber completely. She gazed at her clock and realized that Sebastian was, indeed, right on time. Amber began to wonder just how time managed to fly by so fast.

Amber was a bit nervous about letting two people into her apartment… even if they were people she knew. One was her best friend, the other her worst rival. Amber began to think that she was completely out of her mind for doing this. Nevertheless, she couldn’t make the two of them wait outside in the snow. She walked over to her door and nervously gripped the handle, turning it. The door popped open and a blast of arctic air stung her face, especially with it still being a bit wet from the shower she took.

Amber couldn’t tell whether it was nervousness or the cold, winter air but her body began to shake. Standing on the other side of the door were Sebastian and