"Shouldn't we be fighting each other for the necklace?"
A few minutes after our win, we saw the gold team gasping and running towards us. Their eyes widened as they saw us standing and sitting on the platform with Third holding the said treasure. Their tracksuits are dirty, and some are torn. There are traces in their eyes of joy, sadness, tiredness, and regret. Shortly after their arrival, the two teams approached and hugged.
"Guys!" I, Fourth, and Aeith were attacked by the embrace of Forzen, and Sixzen.
"What's wrong?" worried and wondering I asked the two of them when they lost their embrace. Aside from the dirt on their clothes and messy hair, they were both crying. The two of them just kept on sobbing. Their eyes and nose are red. "Hey, what happened? Tell me."
As I hugged the two, I noticed the disappointed faces of the other members of the gold team. I saw Fifzen and Sevenzen talking to Third. When the two finished speaking, Third frowned.
What really happened?
Aeizen and Sectwen talk to Fourth, Sixth, and Aeith. Ninezen and Thirtwen were just sitting on the platform. I'm not especially used to Ninezen who is known for being loud and funny acting like this. Wait, where's Twentieth?
"S-Second," Forzen began to speak. She wiped away her tears then spoke again. "Twentieth is no more."
"Huh?" It didn't sink into my brain what she meant so I turned to Sixzen to clarify the matter.
"She accidentally fell when part of the maze collapsed. She wasn't able to hold on to something. We heard her shout, then... she was gone," Sixzen explained.
This is also what happened to Fifth earlier, he almost fell but he managed to hold on. That is, Fifth could have really died from that incident. I was saddened by the death of our friend, Twentieth. Forzen and Sixzen are her close friends, so they are the ones greatly affected by it. This is excruciating but not all the time we can do a thing about it.
The two also told me about their experiences inside the maze. They said they really took a long time with the codes but thanks to Ninezen and Thirtwen that they answered the codes. Fifzen was bitten by a bee, but it wasn't bad. Sectwen and Aeizen were slightly burnt due to the invisible barrier. I also talked about our team's experience, accidents that happened, how we answered the cards and got the treasure. After everyone found out the bad news and long stories, Author appeared at the center of the platform.
"Congratulations, silver team. You are the winner for wealth level stage 3, land category!"
We are just in the land category, there are two more. This is so tiring. I'm not very happy with our victory. Apart from two more categories, we lost a friend just like what happened in the previous trials. Someone is dying because of this.
"That treasure costs 70 points, which means, the silver team got 70 points. For the gold team, there are still two categories. Twentieth, the member of the gold team died because of falling into one of the traps. Now, you are all fully aware of those circumstances."
If Author was only a human being, I might have criticized it for its rudeness. Twentieth's death was not even honored.
"Be ready. Air category will begin momentarily." And it disappeared again. No one has the energy and mood to ask further questions as we mourn. And what's worse is we don't even have the time to grieve about it.
We were surprised when the maze, its walls, and cubicles collapsed into the ground. Everyone got up from sitting on the platform because it also collapsed. It was as if the earth were swallowing it up. It's not an earthquake, just the sound of crumbling concrete. Seconds later, the entire maze is gone. It is now a landscape. Few trees, plants, dry soil, and rocks. I thought that's why the game settings look like this because it's on air. Wait if it's on-air, how? Earlier it's on land, so we are in the maze. Are we going to fly? On a plane? Hot air balloon? It's funny what I'm thinking. It is not impossible for that to happen because we are not on earth but on the nth planet. I still hope that we don't fly because I'm bad with heights.
My crumpled and dirty silver tracksuit got clean and uncluttered magically. I saw everyone's clothes, no longer messy as well. The game started maybe about two hours after the land category. We haven't had breakfast yet and must have lunch later. How can we play when we're hungry?
"Players come over" it's Author. Everyone assembled.
"Silver team's leader, bring out the necklace."
Third took the treasure from the pocket of his tracksuit and showed it to Author. In an instant, it turned to sand.
"The necklace from the land category is now gone but your scores will be recorded. You will now focus on air category." I sighed. Another game, huh? How stressful this must be. "As you can see, these are the dangerous beasts, called dracodiles."
What? Dracodiles, where-
Everyone looked to the front and saw four monsters. Wait, is this the dracodile? Whoa! So, are they animals or a monster?
"A rare breed combination of dragon and crocodile that can only be seen here on nth planet."
I was amazed again. At first, I couldn't believe the so-called dangerous beasts because everyone knows that they have been extinct for a long time and only comes true in movies and books but here, they are in front of us now, very real.
The four dracodiles have two different colors. Two gold-colored and two silver-colored. Their skin shines subtly when hit by sunlight. Its head and body are very similar to those of a crocodile but with wings and four short legs with long claws that of a dragon. These dracodiles seem to be asleep because they lie down, their eyes are closed, their wings are folded, and they do not move but breathe.
"The two gold dracodiles for the gold team and two silver dracodiles for the silver team. You will divide your team into two to ride those beasts. You need to tame them to ride and fly. Once you rode it, learn how to control them. It all depends on your strategies."
I swallowed. We're going to ride, then we'll take care of how we tame those monsters? Then we will fly?!
"Those monsters wore a necklace on their perilous foot with long and sharp poisonous nails. The goal is to seize your opponent's necklaces that their monsters are wearing. Each necklace, renders 50 points, a total of 100 points for a team."
There is a moving gold dracodile. I saw one of its legs with a gold pendant necklace hanging. That must be it. We should get the gold team's two necklaces hanging on the legs of their dracodiles.
"How can we get the necklace?" Fifzen asked
"Then what if the monsters went astray then they attack each other while someone is riding on them? They are monsters so such incidents cannot be avoided" Sevenzen added.
"As I mentioned earlier, it all depends on your strategies." Author answered. Geez, another vague answer from that hologram. We really get nothing from it. Are we just going to take care of everything? We have no full idea how dangerous those monsters are.
"The first team who can seize the two necklaces from the opponent's beasts, wins."
Just like in the maze, there is no time limit stated. Whichever team is the first to complete two necklaces, they are the winner.
"Air category will start in 10, 9,"
Starts right away?!
"8, 7, 6,"
I approached my team which also didn't seem to know what to do.
"5, 4, 3,"
"We can do this," Third muttered to us. He takes the monsters seriously and looks very determined. We did not make the mistake of making him the leader before we encountered the first monster, Neinuko. Even now in our current situation, he is reliable and not negligent to his team.
"2, 1, go!"
But no matter how determined we are we still have no idea how to do this one.
Each group runs individually to where the dangerous beasts are. When we got close, we stopped running and just stared at the two silver dracodiles. They were still asleep, and the opening of its large nostrils is evident as it breathed. Their silver skin is conspicuous and looks thick and hard. The wings are glowing. The sharp nails are scary. They are about 4 meters long and 1.5 meters wide, not including whether they will spread their wings. It has a long and heavy-looking crocodile tail.
We were about 3 to 5 meters away from the two dracodiles. I looked back to where the gold team was, about 30 meters away from us. They seem to be struggling as well.
Third talked about what we should do first. "Let us first observe their movements."
As he commanded us, we just stared at it again for 15 minutes. What we observed is that they are sleeping like ordinary animals.
"We should wake 'em up first," Aeith suggested.
*tug*
"What the hell are you doing?!" Aeith asked Seventh in astonishment because of what she saw.
"Huh? Ah, is that it? Just to wake the beast up 'cause it's taking our time up," Seventh replied grinning while scratching his head. Then I realized that Seventh had thrown a large stone on the eye of a dracodile. The dracodile he stoned blinked slowly and finally woke up.
"What are we going to do? It might get angry!" - Fifth
"You're really crazy!" - Aeith
The dracodile stood up and shook its whole body. It spread its wings then growled so loud that we covered our ears. It blew fire so we dodged on the opposite side and ran away. Its sharp teeth show how frightening this carnivore-looking beast is. Another dracodile woke up and did what the other one did. It opened its wings. This is bad. We woke them up in a bad manner. I saw the 2 necklaces hanging from the foot of each dracodile. So, the gold version of those is our target.
I turned a look to the other group and ... T-They are already riding their dracodiles! They are happy as their dracodile danced gradually in the air. At first, their flight was shaky, but it went smooth not long after. Ninezen waved at us while most of them screams out of fear or excitement they feel while riding. It feels like I'm a kid watching the adults ride a roller coaster wherein they scream while I envy them because my mother won't let me ride one. If I could, I would like to ask the other group how they tamed, rode, and flee with the dracodiles.
This is the gold team member riding their respective dracodiles:
Gold dracodile 1 – Forzen (14th), Sixzen (16th), Fifzen (15th), Sevenzen (17th)
Gold dracodile 2 – Aeizen (18th), Sectwen (22nd), Ninezen (19th), Thirtwen (23rd)
"We're on board too!" Ninth called out.
It took us 15-20minutes before they found out how to tame it. Everyone was alarmed so we boarded immediately. The dracodiles seem kind contrary to their appearances.
Silver dracodile 1 – Second (2nd), Fourth (4th), First (1st), Third (3rd)
Silver dracodile 2 – Sixth (6th), Aeith (8th), Fifth (5th), Seventh (7th), Ninth (9th)
Third is our chosen driver-I mean controller. This is our corresponding position:
(dracodile's head) Third-Fourth-Me-First (dracodile's tail)
Third ordered one boy on each end of the dracodile so that they could ensure safety of the members from falling just in case.
(dracodile's head) Fifth-Sixth-Aeith-Seventh-Ninth (dracodile's tail)
"How will they fly?" Fifth shouted because we are riding two different dracodiles and were apart from each other.
"Can you beat its ass, like what they do on a horse?" – Seventh
"If the dracodile can feel it? It is part crocodile, so the skin is thick. Our hands will numb before they'll feel the pain." – Aeith
"We might be even dead before we'll fly." - Ninth
If Seventh imagined a way for the dracodile to fly was to make it feel pain, there was a part that could be struck or kicked or punched that would surely hurt it for a second.
"Their eyes!" I shouted for everyone to hear.
Third nodded. He stomped his feet on the beast's right eye. Case in point, nothing happened.
"One more"
Third had already used both of his feet and kicked its eyes with full force. The beasts wandered slightly and growled. It slowly opened its wings as its eyes blinked. The other silver team's dracodile flapped its wings. They flew ahead of us. When I see and heard their screams, I got goosebumps and I want to pee.
"Hey, hey, are we going to fly? I don't want to! I'm not ready-ahhh!" It was I who suggested a move, yet it was also me who doesn't want to fly.
Our dracodile has flown, too. It was like we were riding an extreme roller coaster death ride. And since there was neither metal handle nor safety belts, Third clung tightly to the monster's head and we, his passengers, clung to the member who was in front of us and held onto their waist.
"Whaaa!" Fourth shrieks
I feel heavenly but simultaneously I feel like I'm going to puke. The cool breeze and scenery are pleasing, yet my heart is drowning in cold water with so much tension. Because of this ride, I learned some information about myself, it is my fear of heights.
I felt First's grip tighten on my waist and he rested his chin on my right shoulder.
"Scared?"
"Mm," I nodded while still clinging onto Fourth's waist. I can feel her braided pigtails on my cheek. Her scream deafens me. On contrary, if I feel extreme like this, I can no longer scream. I keep all my feelings to myself that I might burst later when we land.
First tightened his grip even more and blew into my ear so that my head leaned at the tickle.
"Your ears are red, and you look so pale, you need someone's warmth."
The guts of this guy! How come he's cool and calm during all this? "A-Aren't you even s-scared?" I closed my eyes for a second because of the strong wind.
"You can scream, it's better than you keep it on your own. We're in an open, only the four of us can hear your hoarse voice."
I don't know if that's supposed to encourage me or what. But I'm really stiff right now that I'm not in the mood to take his joke.
"Whaaaa!" I shouted. I followed what First said so.
"Yeah!" shouted First as well. But his is a completely different scream from mine. How I wish I have that courage and enthusiasm.
The fear and nervousness I felt when I saw and appreciate more of the beautiful scenery suddenly disappeared. I spread my hands as if I were a princess. That happiness also faded when our dracodile flew down, so my face was facing down.
What?!
We landed on the ground just a few meters away, but the monster continued to fly down. Coincidentally, its face was on the ground. One small wrong move and we'll meet an accident.
"Third! What's happening?!" Fourth shouted but we heard no answer from our controller, Third. He is silent since we rode this dracodile.
50 meters ... 43 meters ... 38 meters ... 30 meters ... 25 meters ... 16 meters ...
I closed my eyes.
10 meters ... 4 meters ... 2.5 meters ...
"We're back," First whispered.
I was wide-eyed and confused about what happened next. We did not land on the ground but we were only two meters away from the ground.
"Second, are you alright?" I turned to First who looked concerned. He touched both my cheeks. When he did that, suddenly my whole soul came back.
"Yeah, yeah, I-I'm-" I lost my balance for a bit. Thankfully, First caught me.
I must be pale right now because I feel lightheaded. I took a heavy breath. I brushed my long hair with my fingers that's messy right now. Third outbalanced his control to the dracodile we were riding. He apologized for it. It can't be helped because from the very start, none of us know how to fly one. We are still grateful that Third took part in being the controller regardless of the circumstances we just had. I saw my other teammates flying safely and happily, as well as the gold team. Wait, shouldn't we be fighting each other for the necklace? Eh, it looks like they're enjoying the ride with the dracodiles.