The battlefield was collapsing, and he was losing.
Clay walls shuddered under the impact of flaming boulders. His Mole-Men scurried to patch breaches with frantic magic, but the enemy's siege beasts — hulking obsidian trolls — tore through faster than they could rebuild.
"Sector Three's down!" shouted a voice in his ear — a frantic squeak from one of his squad leaders.
Gritting his teeth, Liam swept his gloved hand across the holographic table, dragging new commands into the open air. Blue holograms of earth mages blinked to life, forming a desperate last line of defense.
M
Come on, come on... just hold for five more minutes.
He tapped his headset to zoom in — tiny mole-soldiers conjuring pit traps under enemy feet, buying precious seconds — but it wasn't enough. A red alert flared across his HUD: CORE BREACH IN 60 SECONDS.
If he lost now, it wouldn't just be a loss in-game.
He'd lose his spot in the tournament.
He'd lose his shot at an apprenticeship with MythicWorks — the company where his parents had built their careers, and where he'd dreamed of joining them since he was a kid.
Liam clenched his fists.
"Not happening," he muttered.
He dove back into the controls, fingers flying, heart pounding — and somewhere deep underground, the Mole-Men began to dig.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[Three Weeks Earlier]
The box looked... underwhelming.
Liam sat on the living room carpet, turning it over in his hands.
Matte black. No logo. No marketing sticker screaming "World's First Fully Immersive Tabletop Experience!" like the ones he'd seen online.
Just a single embossed symbol on the lid — a mole holding a pickaxe.
"We wanted you to have an early copy," his mom said, smiling from the couch. Her MythicWorks employee badge glinted under the room light.
"You'll be one of the first players in the open beta."
His dad chuckled from the kitchen. "Special edition too. Comes with a race no one else has access to yet."
Liam's heart raced. Early access and an exclusive race?
He yanked the lid off —
— and immediately deflated.
Inside sat a small cluster of mole figurines, next to what looked like a folded-up chessboard. The figurines were stout, wide-eyed, and honestly a little goofy-looking.
"Mole-Men?" Liam said, voice climbing in disbelief.
"Seriously? I thought I'd get, like, dragons. Or demons. Or something that breathes fire."
His mom raised an eyebrow. "Don't underestimate them. MythicWorks doesn't make joke factions."
His dad added, "Think of it like this — flashy isn't always better. Moles know things others don't. They shape the battlefield itself."
Liam frowned — but deep down, he couldn't help the grin stretching across his face.
An exclusive race. A whole world to shape.
Maybe — just maybe — he'd have a chance to join the company his parents worked for after all.
"Thanks, Mum. Thanks, Dad," Liam managed to get out as he rushed to bring the box and all the little figurines upstairs to his bedroom.
Unfortunately, he lived in a rather large house — a perk of his parents having high-ranking jobs at MythicWorks — which meant it took a bit longer to get to his room than he would've liked.
As excited as Liam was to jump into the game, he knew the open beta wouldn't be live for another hour.
"I guess I should go over the trailer one more time, in case I missed anything," he muttered under his breath.
He went to his state-of-the-art computer sitting neatly off to the side, clearly well cared for.
He put on his headphones — already beginning to tear at the ear pads from frequent use — and pressed restart on the video, catching it just as the final seconds rolled out.
The screen went black, and a voice rang out:
"Welcome to Tabletop Immersion, brought to you by MythicWorks — a new twist on a game we all know and love, blended with the joys of the MMO and RTS genres. Combined with our latest immersion gear, Tabletop Immersion will show you just how far the future of gaming can go. Please — enjoy the show."
The darkness faded to reveal a simple board, much like the one sitting beside Liam.
With a slight flicker, a holographic image sprung to life above it — a zoomed-out world coming into view, growing closer and closer.
The camera swept in over a lush blue ocean, soaring past mountains and forests.
Finally, it came to rest over a prospering town — but it wasn't humans who lived there.
It was dwarves — stout, bearded figures — bustling about in blacksmiths, building towers and walls, trading goods and growing crops.
Then the camera panned again, this time to a different town — one crafted from giant, flowering plants and vines woven together into stunning structures.
Here, the residents were elves, casting flashy spells and enchanting magical barriers to protect their vibrant homes.
With a wave of their hands, they grew crops, skipping the labor the dwarves relied on.
The two cultures, though different, lived in harmony... until the flicker began.
Suddenly, the beautiful imagery distorted — alternating between the vibrant world and something far darker. Wilted flowers. Broken barriers. Fires ravaging the once-thriving towns.
The view shifted again — now showing the dwarves and elves locked in brutal war, fighting tooth and nail to overcome one another.
Then, looming over them, a massive metal figure emerged — a towering iron titan.
The earth rumbled as it rose, splitting the ground with rivers of molten lava, forcing both sides to flee.
As the giant finally stabilized, the sky darkened.
The air twisted violently.
A raging storm brewed overhead, summoned by a circle of elven mages, chanting desperately.
Electricity crackled through the clouds as the iron titan looked up, its mouth glowing with a searing light.
Both the storm and the machine's energy built to a climax — until, in a flash of blinding power, they released — two unstoppable forces rushing toward each other.
And just before they collided —
The screen went black.
"Welcome, to Tabletop Immersion!"