Wildcards: The Dread Captain
B71/100Web serial by Brian J. Nordon
At the District One Invitational, a rookie eSports team defied all odds and reached the finals, earning worldwide acclaim. Dubbed the Paragons, they never celebrated that victory — they lost a friend in the match, who never appeared online again. Ten years later, only Helena remains of the original team. Abidden, once the most exclusive VR game ever made, has been reduced to a shadow of its former glory — yet remains the most-streamed game in the world. James Sylvester, finally out of hospital and crippled with medical debt, his gaming licence revoked, has been competing in illegal slum arcades to make repayments. When a high-profile job grants him temporary backdoor access to his blacklisted account, he receives an invitation that could change his life forever.