บท 255: Easy Come, Easy Go

The well-built, but only average-heighted figure took out the token that was the entry ticket to the contest. He flipped his palm and let it fall to the ground. If you had no ticket, you were out of the contest, so this was basically how surrender could be announced. 

"So, what happens now?" I said, once again trying out this newly bright tone of voice that was apparently becoming my slightly sarcastic go-to for dealing with allies that I didn't really trust. "Will everyone press ahead?" 

"Anyone who thinks they have enough elimination points will, yeah," said one of the two stronger ones whose name I hadn't yet gotten, "most of this crowd will try to hang back to get those points, though." 

"Sounds about right," I said, "though I am a bit concerned that, well, there doesn't seem to be a reason to stay allied? Although, you guys seem a little bit more beat up than me right now."