"I wish nothing, but we win all the games altogether"
First, Third, Fourth, and I composed ourselves to ride our dracodile again. It was a matter of minutes when we were finally back on our knees. Third is still our controller with the same order of position a while ago. Taming this beast was not that hard compared to what we expected. The two gold dracodiles and one silver dracodiles are being maneuvered up in the sky. Not long then, we followed our group's second dracodile. As much as we want, our happiness did not last long. Soon, the real deal of the game began. Our teams' dracodiles flew together when the gold team catches up on. The dracodiles clashed as the gold and silver team flew above. Fifzen is the controller of gold dracodile 1 and Ninezen is the controller of gold dracodile 2. Fifth is the controller of our other silver dracodile.
"Not so fast," Fifzen initiated. I'm not sure what Fifzen meant by that. Are they going to commence an attack on us? The eyes of each controller became sharp.
While staring, everyone was surprised that all the dracodiles moved aggressively and advanced. Their heads collided, it groaned and wandered off. We were all confused and clung tightly to each other's waists. When it calmed down, I sighed that everyone was safe even the gold team.
"Hiyaaa!" Ninezen raised his right hand while holding his left hand on the dracodile's firm and rugged skin. Ninezen's group shouted as if they were going to attack us.
Other members of the gold team also shouted. What's happening? I also looked at my teammates. I saw their keen gaze on the incoming gold team. Sixth and Aeith looked straight ahead as well. Don't tell me.
''Third, what's the plan?" I asked him because there's no order from our leader yet. We need to have a plan as a team. As we can see right now, the gold team is planning on something, but we have nothing on our sleeves.
"'Yaaaa!"
"Get 'em!"
"Don't let them win!"
My groupmates also shouted. Third did something so our dracodile that it suddenly forged ahead. I almost fell but First caught my waist. I clung tightly to Fourth. Our safety depended on Third.
"I'll manage to control this monster since I already know the technique on how to do it. The three of you will steal that necklace." Third ordered us. "We'll attack first..." I looked to the right where Third pointed out his finger. "That one!"
The first one we will shoot the necklace with is the gold dracodile 1 that Fifzen maneuvers. I saw Fifth attempts to get the necklace on the dracodile that Ninezen oversees control. Gold dracodile 1 is just flying in the air and its riders enjoy it, they seem to have forgotten that they are already fighting.
"Yow, Third!" Fifzen greeted and waved at us.
Third ignored him. He didn't answer and didn't react either. He stopped our dracodile and faced Fifzen's group. "Hehe, you're too serious, bud."
Then they rushed at us. We dodged the attack, but they came closer to us. They went below us in an instant that I didn't notice their fast movement. Sevenzen who is sitting last near their dracodiles tail was about to touch the pendant of our team's silver necklace.
"Third!" I alerted him. It made a sudden movement as he controlled our dracodile to make a turn.
"Tch!" Sevenzen grunted. He almost got ours because we paid attention more to their dracodile than them. Luckily, he was not able to reach it and Third turned left right away.
They repeated this strategy to get ours but as they keep on doing it, we can read their next move that prevented them from their goal. Not long after, Third ordered us to attack and enough of defense. We also went under their dracodile so that we could grab the necklace that was hanging on their beast's foot, but it was too far away and none of us can reach it. The height of our flight was staggering at about 100 meters high. I keep altering my mindset to take handle this ride a bit longer before my guts gush out.
"Second," Third calls out to me that he wants me to grab the necklace.
I was lifted slightly from the dracodile's back where we were sitting and First supported me. First volunteered to do the task but Third insisted for me to do it because I am more flexible than him and First will hold me so I wouldn't fall. Fourth also helped First by holding my thighs to stand still while still on the ride. Among the four of us, my position is the most perfect one to grab the necklace from the gold team.
The target is approaching us. We flew down to its feet and Fifzen looked surprised at what we suddenly did as if he hadn't expected that. We plan to trick the gold team and its dracodile as well as their controller faints. We will fly down but will not pick up the necklace first. We will cause a distraction to their group by calling out their names and initiating a fake attack. Then all of a sudden, we will fly down then I will grab their necklace. Third is in charge of maneuvering while First and Fourth will support me.
10, 9, 8,
I can do this! I bit my lower lip. This will be intense yet I have given the chance to do this for my team.
7, 6, 5,
"Now!" Third commanded. I stand up. Fourth hugged my waist tightly and Fist clung to my legs. I raised my hands. The target has already passed above.
4, 3,
"Stop it! You're gonna fall!" I heard Third stop me, but it was too late. He halted me because what I did is something reckless. I reached my hand far from my limit, but I felt that—that I am holding the pendant! I tightened the grip.
2, 1
I grabbed it and... Yes!... Wait, I felt hot. Uh-oh
"Second!"
I went out of balance earlier and I think First's hands that were holding my legs got stuck and... I was falling. I was unsteady because Fifzen's dracodile spewed fire that we didn't expect. Our dracodile suffered damage that's why it twitched in pain and to avoid the fire. That explains the heat that I am feeling. The light burn that I got made me twitch. I'm not sure but when I fell, I saw the grin of one of the gold team's members riding on Fifzen's dracodile.
"Ahhh!!!" I screamed out loud.
This is even worse than our elevator ride. Is this it? The end of me? I still want to get to know myself and gain all my memories back. I can't die yet.
As my tears rolled down my cheeks before I'll completely land on the ground, I saw a dracodile approaching me. Is that Third? With so much distress I am feeling, I just closed my eyes. I am waiting for them to catch me, hopefully.
***
"Hey! Second, hey!"
I can hear a boy's voice. I opened my eyes, and my vision became blurry. I blinked and saw them all around me. Ninezen? Why is he here with me? I am lying down, and my head rested on his lap. Aeizen, Sectwen, and Thirtwen are also here. Why am I with the gold team? What happened after I fell?
"Second, are you okay? How do you feel?" Thirtwen asked me.
"Good thing we caught you," Sectwen commented.
"Yeah, just on time," – Aeizen
I smiled at them. I sat down and coughed. Indeed, this is a miracle. I thank them for saving me. If it wasn't for them, I'd be dead. I did not expect that the enemy team would save me. Friendship beats this game, huh. "W-Where are they?" I sat up straight.
"There," Ninezen pointed at my group who had just landed. First, Third, and Fourth ran closer to us.
"Second," Fourth is crying and hugged me. This girl has always been tearful. "Please don't do that again."
I looked at myself, I had no severe wounds. Just a few scratches, my tracksuit is dusty, and my hair is messy.
"Thank you," Third thanked them.
I got up and shook myself. "Thank you. Words might not be enough to express my gratitude but…" I bowed at the four of them. "Really, thank you!"
They smiled at me and Aeizen, Sectwen, and Thirtwen got on board. Ninezen talked to us before boarding. "Pardon our team's behavior." Then he ran and rejoined his group to fly.
Third just nodded and we left speechless. "Let's go," he commanded. Even though we act as two teams, the gold team has a certain gap to each of their own.
"Oh, Third," he turned to me. "This is it." I handed him the gold necklace I had gotten earlier. Well, I managed to hold it tightly as I fell into the thick air. Thank goodness. My sacrifice was for something.
He looked surprised. "I didn't foresee you to even get the necklace from them despite you falling off." He adjusted his eyeglasses. "Good job." He smirked and he took the necklace and hid it in his pocket. I was glad because Third praised me. I feel like my boss commended me and promoted me to the job. "But next time try to be more careful. Stop digging your own grave, okay?" I chuckled at what he said. Have I always been this reckless? This is the second time I got almost got scolded for being one. The first is when First and I was in the maze. I should really reconsider my actions to protect myself and my team. First patted my back and gave me a warm and reassuring smile. He looks like he agrees with what Third said.
We ran because we have one more necklace to seize to finally clear our goal for this category. To be honest, I feel guilty for stealing their necklace because Ninezen's group helped me from the instant death fall. Do I deserve this second life of mine? Do they deserve to lose like this? I am doing such dirty work. I don't deserve their kindness at all.
We stopped running in front of our silver dracodile to ride when…
"Oh my! Our silver necklace is missing!" Fourth shrieks.
Huh? I saw that the necklace hanging from one of our dracodile's feet has gone missing.
"Shit! We're tricked!" Third cursed angrily.
Because of my accident, they didn't keep an eye on our dracodile and the necklace on it. The gold team took that chance to steal and trick us. I don't know if it was Ninezen's group that while Third parked our dracodile to check on me or the other gold team of Fifzen did it.
I did not anticipate for this to happen, but it is not impossible. Ninezen's group as a culprit renders a higher chance of doing it since I didn't recognize Fifzen's group landed near our dracodile. I abruptly remember the grin I saw earlier before I finally fell. An accident has happened on our team, but it gave the gold team an unprecedented chance. Now, I feel worse. I don't know anymore if I helped my team or got baited which can lead to our loss. I bit my lower lip out of frustration. Not a bad move, gold team.
"Argh!" Third is trampling on the sandy ground out of annoyance. "Hop on, we still need to seize the remaining one." The frustration is evident in Third's voice and tone. Only now have I seen him become troubled like this. He is your type of leader who is competent and afraid to be beaten but in the right way. We obeyed his command but even before the dracodile spread its wings and flap it in the air, we saw Fifth's group land by our side.
"Fifth, what happened?" Third's astonished question surprised us all as well.
Fifth frowned as if he is troubled. "We landed when the gold team said that you guys are in danger, but you guys weren't even there so when we are about to go back to fly…T-They got ours."
We are stupefied after Fifth told us that. We're doomed. All the dracodiles have landed on the ground. However, I wonder why the gold team told Fifth's group. We saw the gold team go down off dracodiles' back. Fifzen and Ninezen holding two round silver pendant necklaces. Third is holding a round gold pendant necklace. I saw one gold necklace that we hadn't gotten from Ninezen's dracodile.
*bell rings*
"Congratulations, gold team. You are the winner for wealth level stage 3, air category!"
Some shouted, applauded, others did not care. I was also happy with the gold team's win, but I wonder why I seem to be happy with their win? Some of us congratulated our enemy team except for First, Third, and Fifth who showed their faces that they were not satisfied nor happy with the results.
"And now your scores: silver team got 70 points from land category while the gold team got 100 points from air category."
They are 30 points ahead of us. I'm sure that it is bad, but I don't know its severity.
In a flash, when I looked to the front to see the four dracodiles, they disappeared like melting chocolate but in gold and silver color. The necklaces that Fifzen, Ninezen, and Third used to hold have also turned to sand.
Author continues. "The necklace from the air category is now gone for another restart. You will now focus on the water category."
"How can we play again if the two of us in our team died ?!" Fifzen asked furiously.
The faces of the gold team turned into gloom and the silver team frowned out of confusion/
"Huh?" Fourth asked worriedly.
"Forzen and Sevenzen are no longer with us... A dracodile went aggressive so Forzen fell. Sevenzen tried to help her, but they fell together. We can't even help them." Sixzen's explanation has stunned me. "Their bodies are nowhere to be found." She sobbed and ran to Fifzen for comfort. I can also see a hint of grief from Fifzen's eyes.
"Two members of the gold team died." Just like when someone died, it's just as easy for Author to say what bad has happened. It's always like this.
Forzen is a good person. Her cute face, pink curly short hair, and bangs embody her traits. There are times that we would play different kinds of board games when we were in the castle. She taught me how to play some of those. She also shared her recipes when we cook dinner. Sevenzen is a close friend of Fifzen. He has long dark hair with dreadlocks and tanned skin. They both excelled in a basketball game in level 1 stage 2. They share the same hobbies and memories that have ended to this day. Starting in the land category, 3 of the gold team's members have died. I don't know if I'll consider our team fortunate, but I am grateful that our team still has nine of its members. I wish nothing, but we win all the games altogether. I wonder if Author will do something because the gold team lacks members making it unbalanced, so we have a greater chance to win the next game.
"Just as I thought," First whispered to himself grabbing my attention. I turned to the left where he was, and he also turned to me. My eyes ask what he means.
"Right from the start, the gold team is trying to trick us. It started when the dracodile led by Fifzen ambushed us with repetitive attacks. It was to provoke us and made to lure us into snatching their necklace. They planned that someone from the silver team should fall from the accident so they will come to rescue a member from the opponent's team, as Ninezen did. As they came to help, of course, our group will come after their member. And then they will covertly steal ours while we left our beast. This method is easier than having a battle on air. After stealing ours, Ninezen's group flew away and stole our second necklace by tricking Fifth and the others by probably saying 'Second caught in an accident, which is partly true, but they used it as an opportunity. Fifth and others will be concerned about it, so they stopped and steadied their beast. While preoccupied with what happened, they stole our second necklace."
Is this what Fifth talked about when he said that the gold team approached them and told them that our group is in danger? But when they went to the place that the gold team claimed, we weren't present. They lied to Fifth's group to lure them to land then suddenly stole our second necklace.
"But the conflict rose when they didn't learn how to control the beasts properly. I observed how Third manipulates the dracodile. He leans forward, backward, and sideward to control it, while the gold team controlled it in a forceful way which made their monster aggressive that led to an accident and the death of the two. "
I am in awe of the revelation I found out. I couldn't quite believe this, and I heard it from First. Now I know that he's not just silent but also analyzes the people around him and his surroundings. I am more impressed with him being like this. From his explanation, I missed a lot of important details.
He loosened himself a bit. That conversation led to a heavy atmosphere. "Well, that was all hypothetical." He smiled while scratching his nape.
Hypothetical or factual, to think that the gold team has done that, makes me feel doubtful of them that I might be distant from them from now on. I am aware that all of those are part of their game strategy but my trust in them is taking the edge off. It's true that I am greatly indebted to them when they saved me, but it seems off.
"Third and Fifth must've known this by now." He shrugged. "What's done is done."
I looked at Third and Fifth. Is that why they don't celebrate the gold team's success because of their scheme?
"Be ready. Water category will begin momentarily." then Author disappeared again.
A few minutes later, we were all shocked at what happened next.