Chapter 237. Aquatic Mechs (1/2)

A large and boisterous crowd waited before the biggest mech arena in the mech district. As a fully developed aquatic planet, Moira's Paradise hosted a robust mech scene that revolved completely around aquatic mechs.

Fans of the aquatic variant of mech duels favored their brutality. The estimated mortality rate in an aquatic duel was five times higher than normal due to several factors.

First, the water pressure often killed off the pilots if the cockpit incurred minor damage. If the cockpit's automated self-repair systems couldn't fix the crack in time, that tiny crack could quickly grow into a massive breach.

Aquatic mech duels therefore came in two flavors. Low pressure aquatic mech duels occurred in conditions that simulated a depth of up to a hundred meters, while high pressure mech duels adopted a depth of at least ten kilometers. People often considered the former to be a stepping stone for the latter.

”Low pressure duels are fast and rely a lot on reflexes. While you need to master a lot of specialized skills to do well in these duels, there's not a lot of money to be made in this circuit.” Raella explained as they entered the arena's VIP gate.

”So it's kind of like the kiddie version of the real duels?”

”Yup. The high pressure duels is where the real action can be found. The mechs there are larger and slower, so the mech pilots have to move deliberately and with forethought. Every action matters and one mistake can spell a fatal end. It's a high pressure environment in more than one way, you could say.”

”That sounds stupid. Why won't the organizers make things safer for the mech athletes?”

Ves didn't understand why anyone would be willing to compete in a high pressure aquatic duel. The high risks associated with these duels ensured that you might never come home after a match.

Even veteran mech athletes with a decade of experience occasionally died. Fatal accidents could happen to anyone at any moment.

”Fans pay a lot more to attend these kinds of events. Aquatic mech teams earn a ton of money if they're halfway decent, though they have to spend even more to repair their mechs.”

Aquatic mechs outmassed their landborn forms by a significant amount, so it cost a lot of resources to produce and maintain these beasts. While these mechs featured a high degree of compartmentalization, any breached sections had to be written off, which added to the costs.

Once the gate personnel processed their tickets, a uniform attendant guided them to a private room that hovered above the arena. Around two thousand floating rooms surrounded the massive arena. Aquatic mechs required a lot of space to bring out their full strengths so the amount of space dedicated to this sole arena exceeded his imaginations.

Lucky made himself comfortable on a nearby sofa while Ves tinkered with the control terminal. Its various settings allowed him to project multiple angles at the same time. It also allowed him to relocate his floating room.

Ves lowered his room so that it almost went up to the transparent dome that enveloped the pressurized dueling ring.

”When will the action start?”

”The first duel starts in half an hour. Would you like some refreshments?”

They ordered some drinks and waited for the arena to fill up. The VIPs entered the floating rooms and started moving them to their preferred positions. As for the regular folk, they had to make do with the bleachers.

A lot of people already arrived early, and in the time that remained, the seats became filled to the brim. Over half-a-million people came to watch the upcoming series of duels.

”What's happening today?”

”Don't you know?” Raella looked at Ves as if he was an idiot. ”It's the finals of the Sea Crown Tournament! Two of the best aquatic mech teams are going to duke it out in a series of five 1-on-1 mech duels!”

The Cava City Sea Dragons enjoyed a long and illustrious track record ever since they became the city's hometown team. They won the Sea Crown for three years in a row already.

As the challengers, the Velton Myrmidons faced an uphill battle in the coming finals, but a lot of people rooted for the underdogs. With their young team of highly talented athletes, it remained to be seen whether they could beat the odds.

”Who will you support?”

”The Myrmidons, of course! The Sea Dragons are good, but their previous team captain retired recently. This is the best opportunity for the Myrmidons to take the Crown from the Dragons!”

The spectacle finally began when a pair of announcers came into view.

”Welcome ladies and gentleman to the crowning event of Cava City! Today, the Cava City Sea Dragons will be defending their title against the ambitious Velton Myrmidons!”

Two-thirds of the crowd stood up. ”Sea Dragons!”

The supporters of the challengers also rooted for their team. ”Myrmidons!”

The sheer amount of energy in the air fueled a frenetic atmosphere that called for blood. Even Ves got caught up in the excitement. Just like Raella, he looked forward to the upcoming clash.

”The team leaders have submitted their final lineups! First up, the Red Kraken will get the chance to avenge his miserable defeat at the hands of the Unstoppable Juggernaut!”

People often referred to the top athletes by their nicknames. The names also helped outsiders like Ves get a sense on the piloting style of the individual duelists.

After a lot of pomp and ceremony, the pressurized arena ring started to churn.

A hatch opened up to let in the Red Kraken of the Myrmidons. Like its namesake, it had been designed to mimic the mythical kraken. With its eight articulating limbs and a host of hooks and other nasty surprises, the monstrous mech possessed plenty of tools to dismantle an opponent within its grasp.

The Sea Dragons sent out a more traditional aquatic mech. The Unstoppable Juggernaut piloted a hammerhead shark-shaped mech. Different from its organic counterpart, the Sea Dragon mech featured a thicker and more robust head that had been designed for collision.

”That hammerhead mech must be expensive to maintain.” Ves astutely noted. ”The mech technicians in charge of maintaining that mech must be hating it with a vengeance.”

Raella browsed the records of the Juggernaut. ”You aren't wrong, but the Juggernaut and his mech is one of the best aquatic mech duelists in Cava City. Every opponent he meets on the ring has to respect his devastating rush.”

Whatever damage the Juggernaut incurred, his opponent's mech likely fared worse. Such a mutually destructive game of chicken led to expensive repair bills for both sides. The Juggernaut only remained viable because he enjoyed the support of a well-funded team and the crowd loved his antics.

”A lot of viewers from the Republic tune in when he enters the stage.”