บท 6: Teammates
As Winston moved through the grass, he spotted a group of individuals travelling. Evidently, they had banded together to survive in the test. When they saw Winston, their very first instinct was to attack.
Without having to state it out, they were all killed without a second thought. Winston's ability to read the strange waves in the air, coupled with his natural instincts as a fighter proved to be more than a match for some half baked warriors.
If they hadn't provoked him, Winston might have let them go, but alas, they had done so.
This is a lot more comfortable. Thought Winston, admiring his new clothing. One of the people he had taken care of among the group had a similar body shape to him. Along with that, his clothes were rather comfortable and modernized. A simple t-shirt and pants. However, Winston still chose to wear the ranger's open armor bands above the clothing, not only to hold the quiver, but also for protection.
One might never know where even the smallest of protection can play a role.
Just then, his spirit vision detected a shift in the waves.
Immediately, he grabbed his broadsword and got into a stance.
Two people, one from the right and one straight ahead. He surmised.
The rustling of the wheat and sod came from the right. Winston turned, his keeping the other side in his vision.
Rustle Rustle~
Rustle Rustle~
As the grass rustled, something came out.
It was a large behemoth, a figure that could barely be described as a human. The figure had two arms and two legs, a mouth and a head.
However, on its pale oval head which was as yellow as it's body, not am ounce of hair was visible. Instead, numerous eyes littered the top of its head in a horizontal line, all around in a circle.
The underside of this strange creature was covered by a brown loin cloth, save for which it was completely naked. Each of the creature's arms was as thick as Winston's waist; appearing extremely powerful. However, the overall demeanor of the humanoid cyclopean looking figure was legarthic and non violent.
As soon as it stepped out into the view and Winston became visible, it stopped. Then it quietly stared at Winston.
Some time elapsed, sweat began to accumulate on Winston's temples because of the heat in the environment, couple with the tenseness of the situation.
Then, the second figure that was still yet hidden came into view.
With the rustling of grass, a cocky voice sounded.
"I would put down the sword if I were you." The voice spoke, it was the voice of a male, one that seemed particularly pretentious and arrogant.
Having spoken, a young man in his 20s walked out of the cover of wheat.
He stood at a height of about 5 foot 11 inches, a but smaller than Winston who was 6 foot 1 inches. His hair was wild, sprawled all over and jutting out into the air, overall looking quite absurd. It seemed to be one of the instances where anime hair seemed to fit in the anime, yet failed to be appealing in the real world.
His hair was of a dirty brown colour with shades of black in them. His eyes were brown, mimicking the colour of his hair. His overall demeanor was of a hardened warrior, which was well told in the matters of his body.
His lean but packed muscles suggested untold hidden strength. His upper body was covered by a tight shirt of primarily white colour, yet riddled with red streaks diagonally across. Along with that, he wore protection straps which were also red in colour.
On his legs, he wore loosely fitting pantaloons, which looked more like pajamas.
He has a spear swung over his left shoulder and appeared arrogant. His chin was held high, eyeing him with interest.
"What do you mean?" Winston asked cautiously.
"Their kind is mostly peaceful. They don't attack unless provoked first." The man glanced at the creature. "However, they do hold great capacities for violence."
Having said that, the small clearing that they stood in again descended into stillness.
After a bit of thought, Winston calmly put down his sword and relaxed his figure, never taking a moment to look anywhere else than the two figures.
The large creature staggered for a moment, before again continuing to walk. The creature descended into the grass and walked away, eventually, even the rustling caused by him stopped.
"See? I told ya, didn't I?" The man said.
Winston pointed his sword at him.
"And what do I make of you?" He asked.
"Hey hey, no need for that." He held up his right hand, his spear still flung over his left shoulder. "I wouldn't want to kill someone if it was avoidable."
"I hold the same sentiments." Winston said. "But there's nothing stopping anyone here is there?" He continued.
The wild man laughed with a maniacal grin.
"Damn right there ain't." He continued, "But I'm not looking to make any enemies here. Especially people like you."
Winston raised an eyebrow.
"I can practically feel that you're strong." The man pointed at his head. "Anyone that can't tell that isn't actually a warrior. Your stance doesn't suggest that you're a beginner. You might not be too accomplished in the art but you're definitely skilled enough to defend yourself."
"And you want to team up then?" Winston asked, reading the man's intentions.
"Bingo." The man snapped his fingers.
Then, before Winston was able to say anything, something spoke all across the fields.
"Attention all regulars!" The voice said.
"Stop fighting! The test is now over! Anyone still fighting after the announcement will be eliminated!"
Just as the voice sounded, Winston saw the subtle shift in the waves all around, which calmed down completely, now appearing like the gentle tides that impact the beach.
"Great! Now, onto the next test! To climb the tower, personal strength alone is not enough! So, you must make teammates!
"Make 3 teammates in the duration of 5 minutes! Anyone that doesn't have 3 teammates by the end will be eliminated!
"To signify that you have a teammate, you must be touching the people by the end of the 5 minutes!"
Winston turned to look at the man, his expression turning thoughtful.
They must be trying to test our adaptability and flexibility. Making friends with people you just tried to kill... and with the short time frame, finding someone else in the field would surely be a challenge. As such, people have no choice but to befriend their immediate enemies.
Quite a sadistic method, but extremely practical. This way, even the people that have hid during the entire battle royale will be forced to come out and partake in the test.
Winston shook his head and looked at the man again.
"So? Wanna team up?"
Winston nodded. "I don't see any reason not to."
With that they shook hands. Their bodies were still positioned in a manner through which they could defend if the other party tried something, even though the voice had made it plenty clear that those that do not follow the rules would be eliminated.
It was simply a form of caution. One must never be too trusting in such a situation.
"Winston. Winston Heath." He said.
"Zarhan." The man replied, the same smile plastered on his face.
Winston motioned with his head.
"Let's go and find our third member now." The man nodded and they departed from the clearing, in search of their third teammate.
~~~
The young man runs until his legs can't anymore. His pursuers are all too far behind, or perhaps they're approaching rapidly? He couldn't know in any way.
He huffed and laid on the ground. His life was no longer just his own. His remembered his partners laying in a pool of blood as the authorities killed them all so mercilessly.
Why is this happening? All we did was steal some food! He weeps under the wooden table, over which the sky itself cries down a torrent of rain drops.
Snot runs down his face, he covers his eyed, shielding himself from all the dangers and fears of the world.
And then...
A God appeared before him.
Shaaaaaaaa!
Bathed in a golden light, rising from nothingness like a transcendent figure of his wildest imaginations. The white God appeared all encompassing; the small rocks on the ground stretched out their shadows into thin lines that spanned innumerable dustances in front of his radiance and one of his own appeared behind him, stretching on for miles.
The white razor teeth of the radiant God were hidden under the black slit that extended to the back of his head. His glory couldn't be described in mere words, oh, how glorious he was.
"I will give you a chance to be something bigger. Tell me, what it is that you wish for?" The voice of the God boomed in the surroundings. The young man's eyes were clouded with tears; yet no more flowed. The sky, as if mimicking his own state had stopped the incessant rain that just before poured down like a broken tap.
"I-I want to be free!" The young man yells.
The God smirks.
"Then, you will have the chance to climb the tower." And with that, the young man appears in a sea of gold, grass and wheat all around.
Then, a strange box that floated in the air spoke the words. And then, the killing began all over.
The young man cowered in fear, and then ran for his life.
He knew where he was. The floor of tests, the place where the journey of a ranker began, the journey to a better tomorrow.
But...
I can't do this. His hand trembled as he held a knife stained in red. Another young soul, younger than him laid motionless on the dirty ground, his throat cut open by the weapon he currently held, and at some point was held by the same one who had been delivered to death's door.
Huff! Huff! Huff!
The young man hyperventilated.
He ran and ran, away from the ones that chased him and away from those that wanted to kill him.
Eventually, he hid behind a rock formations, shielded by a large stone hill.
There he sat, silently weeping, muffling over his own voice, as the box once again delivered the words.
It was something about finding teammates.
The young man laid there silently for about a minute. Time passed in the same stillness, the once sound being the rustling of the grass in the breeze.
"Sniff. I-i need to go." He spoke, and got up.
The young man walked in a random direction, letting the wind take him to his destination. He sniffed and whimpered.
Eventually, he heard someone walking through the sod.
Rustle Rustle~
Rustle Rustle~
Two men walked out, one with dark black hair, wearing a white t-shirt and the other with dirty brown hair wearing tightly fitting white shirt having red streaks diagonally across.
"Hey, look! A potential teammate!" The one with brown hair exclaimed.
~~~
A/N: Give me stones.
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