Niko was staring at the man for quite awhile. "You seem quite excited to ask a kid to help you out. My mom told me to not trust grown adults who want my help?" The man snickered and laughed "Oh please, I would have kidnapped you already if I had something malicious in store for you." He said that in a matter of fact tone which to be fair he could have just as easily knocked Niko or killed him.
"But why do you want my help?"
"I need you and the other five to get off this island. That's a really dumb question kid i'm sure you messed with your implant at least once". Niko's face twisted in a disgusting manner " Yeah i did but you could have other intentions with me?"
"Ah yes i wanted to take you out to picnic on the mountain".
"Okay that's not what i thought"
"Than what did you think then"
"I uhh i uh thought… damn i forgot"
"Really that's what i thought so are you going to help me?"
Shaking his head in mirth Niko smiled and grinned " I mean I guess you're not really giving me a choice". The man gave him a half-smile and waved his hand in a "well, here we are" sort of gesture. "Kid, you're sharper than most of the people I've dragged through this rock. But let's clear something up—you do have a choice. It's just that your other options are... unpleasant."
Niko's eyes narrowed. He still didn't trust this guy, but he could feel the weight of his words. They were stuck on this cursed island together, after all, and even though the man's offer came wrapped in sarcasm, Niko knew he wasn't joking about the stakes.
"Alright, but if we're doing this, I want to know more," Niko said, crossing his arms. "You keep saying there are others like me. Who are they?"
The man glanced out over the jagged cliffs where waves crashed and echoed below. "Five others.
Niko's eyes widened. "Ninety-nine? I thought you said 'kids'—"
The man chuckled. "I said there were five others like you, not exactly like you. Most of you are teens, sure, but let's just say that one of you has been around long enough to have a few... perspectives."
Niko felt a strange mix of dread and curiosity. "So, this 99-year-old... they're still, like, strong enough to be here?"
"Strong enough, and sharper than a blade," the man replied, a flicker of respect passing over his face. "The oldest one has managed to survive on Deadcross longer than anyone else, mastering the island's cycles and learning to navigate every twist and trap. If we're getting off this place, you'll need their knowledge."
Niko shuddered. "So, I'm supposed to team up with a 99-year-old survival master?"
"Yeah, and that means you're gonna have to up your game," the man said, giving him a hard look. "On this island, age doesn't matter. Survival does. Remember that."
Niko bit his lip, processing it all. The thought of five others—each with their own abilities and possibly their own motives—made his head spin. And now he'd be meeting someone who'd been stranded here for decades, with who-knew-what in mind for their "rescue mission."
"Alright," he finally said, squaring his shoulders. "Where do we start?"
The man grinned, something sly and approving in his eyes."You're catching on. Follow me. I don't know exactly where we're headed, but I knew roughly where to find you because the obelisk in the sky lit up."
Niko shot him a skeptical look. "So, you're just winging it?"
The man shrugged, unfazed. "Trust me, kid, this island has a strange way of guiding you where it wants you to go. I might not have a map, but I've got instincts—and that obelisk lighting up is a sign. Besides, finding one of you already was a stroke of luck. The others… they'll see the signal too."
Niko rolled his eyes, trying to play off the nervous flutter in his chest. "Great. A rescue mission led by 'instincts.' Real comforting."
The man laughed again, the sound blending with the eerie silence of the jungle. "It's not just instincts. This place… it changes. Paths appear and disappear, the terrain shifts. The obelisk only lights up for something important—it's our way of navigating the madness. Trust me, we'll find the others."