Well, things had taken a turn for the better. It seemed Sami's selfish desire to retrieve his notebook had somehow been the right move. And now, he had gathered with two acquaintances. Maybe he hadn't known them for long, and maybe this gathering wasn't of great long-term benefit, but at least he was no longer alone. Four people were better than two, right?
"Oh, it's you, Sami! You scared me, man... I thought you were one of the masked men and they'd found some way to nullify my ability..."
Niko said this while dispersing his combat stance and heading towards the bed. Aasia looked at Sami, then smiled gently and said in a curious tone:
"Oh, Sami, how did you manage to escape and get here? I saw you entering one of the defensive facilities when I was fleeing, and I think they're all under the control of the masked ones. Well, you seem better than I imagined, which makes me want to spar with you even more."
As soon as she finished her sentence, the atmosphere in the room changed instantly. Niko, who had sat on the bed, went on high alert, and Aasia placed her hand on the hilt of her sword while smiling.
Sami understood perfectly what she meant by her words. It wasn't just joy at seeing him; it was pure suspicion mixed with a threat. As if saying: "How did you escape them despite their strength? Or are you actually one of them? Keep in mind, I won't spare you."
Sami had expected something like this; he himself was ready to be suspicious of them. Attackers who breached one of the most heavily guarded places in a few hours must have spies inside, and he was ready to suspect anyone. But this situation partially removed these two from his circle of suspicion.
Sami raised his wounded hand, but before he could utter anything, Little Eagle interrupted, saying:
"Brother is not like that! He managed to escape from them and saved me... He's not with them, not at all! But if you want to hurt him, I'll fight you myself!"
Niko replied coldly:
"Him saving you doesn't mean anything... you might be with them too. It's not impossible for demons to use children as well."
That sentence seemed to make Aasia flinch slightly.
Niko continued seriously:
"Each of us has a family outside the Colosseum, and we don't know what's happening with them... So, we have no time for traitors. If you don't have proof that you're not with them, we won't talk any further."
Sami finally opened his mouth and spoke in a calm, cold voice devoid of any emotion, while sparks of light began to form a sword in his hand:
"If you insist on fighting, I have no problem with that... but, shouldn't you be focusing on saving your sister right now? No one knows if the Clan is also under attack. I don't expect you to trust me, and I won't trust you either. Let's just trust in our mutual desire to get out of here, okay?"
Niko looked at him angrily, then let out a heavy sigh, dropped his back onto the bed, and said in a grumbling tone:
"Fine, let's do that... but don't you dare mention my sister again if you don't want me to cut out your tongue!"
Aasia lifted her hand away from her sword scabbard, moved away from the entrance, and sat down, saying:
"Alright, let's do that."
Sami finally sighed, deactivated his [Desert Cleaver] skill, and sat on the bed, looking at everyone.
Sami's words weren't random. They were precise, highly targeted, and he knew they would yield results.
I hate doing this... Damn psychology and exploiting people's weaknesses... I hate doing that... and what I hate most is leading... Ah, those damned books... "Reading will help you," damn...
Sami lifted his gaze and looked at the people in the room. Aasia was leaning against the white wall while observing her sword, Niko was leaning back on the bed, focusing on the void—or rather, on the System as he prepared in his own way. As for Little Eagle, he was sitting on the chair beside Sami, watching him quietly.
Sami opened his mouth and said:
"Well, it seems it's up to the four of us... Do you want to know what my plan is?"
Sami hadn't wasted time during his journey with Little Eagle. He had been observing the surroundings, mapping out locations, identifying intact and destroyed points in the Colosseum, and gathering information to build his plan. And now, he was ready to present it to his three companions. But the response he got wasn't what he expected.
Niko spoke in a sarcastic tone:
"Don't get too full of yourself, Sami... Maybe you don't realize the situation, but we do. Maybe we haven't captured these demons before, but we've seen them and know where they gather. We've already built our plan. But don't worry, I'll find a place for you in my big game, and that's only because you're my friend!"
Sami was a bit confused by his friend's words, while Aasia suppressed a laugh.
Well, this wasn't unexpected... Maybe I thought I was the only one thinking or planning, but Niko is also smart. He survived his first ordeal, spent the whole night without being caught by the demons, and he and Aasia definitely have their own plan too. I should stop thinking I'm the main character here...
Sami wiped the tension off his face, looked at Niko with a smile, and said:
"Well, let's play together!"
---
In a bright room full of screens and advanced equipment, two men dressed entirely in black, with masks featuring white zigzag lines, stood talking in hushed voices. Suddenly, a blond boy dressed entirely in white appeared before them as if out of thin air.
He raised his hand, smoothed his hair back with a confident smile, before saying cheerfully:
"The game begins!"
In the next moment, the entire place changed. The white marble floor transformed into an arena filled with multicolored circles, and in the middle of the room, a glowing square with a countdown appeared:
[00:30]
The two warriors looked at each other in shock and tried to move, but their bodies remained frozen as if statues. The same applied to the blond boy, but he wasn't as confused as them; on the contrary, he seemed to be enjoying it.
[00:29]...
[00:28]...
[00:27]...
The boy moved in a specific rhythm, his steps calculated as if he knew the rules beforehand.
Well, of course Niko knew them; this was his special ability. For the ordeal to give him an ability inspired by games? That was funny to him, but he didn't mind at all. On the contrary, he adored the name the ordeal had given him:
[The Card Player]
He smiled as he confidently advanced towards the two men frozen in place. His ability allowed him to materialize games and impose their rules on his opponents, but with restrictions: it only worked on those of his same rank or lower. Fortunately, these two warriors were just "Bound", meaning they hadn't yet reached the level of Free Warriors.
This was the game of moving on colored circles. To be able to move, a person had to step on the colors in the order of the color spectrum. It was extremely easy, but of course, for the knights on the other side, this was completely unknown.
Niko knew his opponents weren't beginners; they were undoubtedly veteran warriors who knew the ways of the world well. But that didn't matter now; they were completely at his mercy.
He got closer to them, and while the countdown continued, he summoned a strange controller in his hand. It had only three buttons:
[Pause]
[Change]
[Transfer]
Niko looked towards the glowing counter, which only had a few seconds left:
[00:07]...
There was no rush in his movement; the outcome was already decided. He aimed the controller at the warriors, then confidently pressed the [Change] button.
In an instant, the two warriors completely disappeared from existence.
[00:00]
As soon as the countdown ended, the room returned to normal, with no trace of them left. In their place, two people dressed entirely in white appeared—one a black-haired boy with a calm expression, the other a red-haired girl with a playful expression.
It was Sami and Aasia.
Niko smiled while skillfully twirling the controller in his hand before returning it to his jacket pocket.
Sami looked at him with obvious jealousy and said sarcastically:
"Well, it seems you really did it... and damn, you look way too cool."
Niko raised his nose proudly, while Aasia merely gave a quiet smile.
As for Sami, he was cursing internally. If he had an ability like that, things would be much easier!
But he quickly abandoned those thoughts and raised his eyes, exchanging looks with his companions. Then Aasia spoke in a quiet but enthusiastic voice:
"Well, we really did it. We've taken control of the Colosseum's communications section without anyone noticing."
To be continued...
---