[Would you like to invite "Ray Sinclair" to your party?]
'He's just a kid... but his power is unbelievable. We can help him get out of here safely, and then get him home.'
[Yes]
Ray let out an "Oooo" as he stared at the virtual screen that hovered before him.
"Is this your power Sachi!? That's so cool!"
[A Champion has joined your party!]
Sachi let out a slight smile looking at Ray. "Yeah, It's something like that."
A wave of exhaustion flooded Sachi. his Haste skill had been active for much longer than he needed it to be, and he only remembered to disable it once they started their wait. If he was as carefree as the silver-haired man to his left, he'd be asleep as well.
Dion's snoring was ineffably loud.
'How the hell did he stay so quiet the first night...'
The group was packed into the corner as other teams began to flood the room, each looking stranger than the last.
There were three other teams in total. One looked like war torn fighters, a man with a mohawk loaded with knives from head to toe most notably. Along side him was a man with a large sword not unlike Dion's, a man with a standard spear on his back, and a hooded figure.
Two teams looked identical to Lady April's own guards. In fact, they were Lady April's own guards. They laughed as they crunched down on chips that had been left in the waiting room, but the others had no appetite.
Lyra whispered in a hush tone to Sachi. "Why the hell are they here!?"
Two groups of four men each, all dressed in the futuristic armor.
"Why would I know? I'm just as confused as you."
Ray had been sitting behind the two, quietly poking at Dion to see how much he could get away with before waking him. However, he had now poked him a little too hard.
Dion's eyes shot open as he shouted. "How the hell am I supposed to get any sleep around here if you keep poking me, you brat!"
Ray laughed as he bolted between Sachi and Lyra, dancing between the teams as he ran.
Dion was quick to give pursuit. "Get back here you little..."
Ray's laughing was interrupted as he tripped and landed at the feet of the man with a mohawk.
"Huh? Come begging for me to kill you or somethin'?"
Ray quickly tried to crawl back, bumping into Dion's legs. "I-I'm sorry..."
The man gave Ray a passing glance as he looked back to his team. "Piss off."
Dion narrowed his eyes at the man. "You get off on talking to kids like that, prick?"
Now every team in the room had their eyes on Dion. The crunching of chips dissipated.
The man narrowed his eyes in return, staring at Dion. "All I'm hearing is you do want me to kill ya, and I'm happy to oblige."
He wrapped his fingers around the knives lining his shirt and pulled them between each finger.
Before the situation could escalate any further, the door burst open with Vergo at the front. He pulled out a piece of paper and began to scan it.
"Alright, all of the first game has been cleaned up. As for the second, let's see... Team Sachi and Team Alistair. Please follow me."
The man with a mohawk spits on the ground in front of him. "Hmph. Must be your lucky day."
Sachi and Lyra exchanged an equally worried glance. They picked themselves up and began to follow behind Dion and Ray as they paced down the hall. Next to them followed one of the teams sporting the futuristic armor.
They walked side by side. One of the men turned to Sachi.
"I saw your match, man. I gotta say, that's the coolest stunt I've ever seen, and I've been doing this for a while."
Sachi's eyebrow furled. "A while? I thought you died if you lose..?"
He laughed as he straightened his gaze again.
"We do."
The hall led back to the open stadium where they had just been, except now the ground was entirely solid. The open area had now been sectioned off by a stone wall into four different areas with slight openings between them, all littered with random items and small structures.
A familiar announcers voice sounded once more. "Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen! We know you've been as eager as I am to start our next game, so here we are! Our first match consists of our underdog champions, Team Sachi, and Lady April's own Team Alistair! Team Alistair has won the last two tournaments, keeping our town clear of any nasty Champions!"
The crowd erupts into a cheer.
Sachi took a good look into the crowd for the first time. There were more people than even he expected for a stadium of this size, but he noticed an interesting section in the stand. Completely walled off was a spot only for gods. Even from where he stood, he could see Serendelle's bright green hair along side the translucent Zephyr. There were a few other strange looking beings along side them, but he hardly had the time to decipher their looks.
"And now folks, as I'm sure many of you remember from last years tournament, we brought back Hide and Seek!"
"Two teams will enter, one person from each team in each section of the stadium. Through the power of our own Major God, Eryndra, all Champions will have their powers completely suppressed! The hiding team must stay alive successfully for 15 minutes, while the seekers hunt them down with daggers! If the hiders remain alive for the full time, they'll regain their powers and equipment, giving them the chance to turn the game around. Now, let's see who's who!"
Dion's concerned voice drowned out the announcer. "The hell is this!? They can just suppress our power?"
Sachi held a similar sentiment. "And we're alone..."
He looked to Ray, another innocent victim who just happened to get unlucky enough to be selected for this killing game. The boy could barely fight along side someone else, but alone he was purely helpless.
Above the stands, a impressively large TV lit up, showing a coin with a red and blue side. The red side read "Sachi" while the blue side said "Alistair".
"And now, we'll decide who will be hiding!"
The virtual coin flipped, bouncing between one side and another. The anticipation alone was enough to make Sachi feel like his heart was about to jump out of his chest. Both teams stayed completely still as the coin slowly began to fall cruelly onto it's final choice.
[Hiding Team: Sachi]