"I have no reason to fight you people, or interfere with whatever you were doing on Arsenal Island, so leave me alone."
There was nothing much on this island other than the forest that covered it. We were all standing on the beachside. The concept of teleportation stones was new to me, so I didn't understand how I got here.
But one thing stood out about these guys, they didn't seem so legal.
"And who gave you permission to speak? You're the one in danger here, so you shouldn't be talking or making demands."
'He must be the dumb one in the group. If he keeps talking, I'm gonna silence him, permanently. I'll wait for them to leave, then I'll contact HQ to send me a boat or something.'
Finding no reason to continue with the conversation, I turned to leave them to their peace.
"Hey! I'm talking to you."
He continued to talk as he approached me.
"You speak much yet you're the weakest one here. You should at least have the power to back your words before you speak."
I guess the blonde girl was the smartest and most powerful one there. The dumb guy didn't even see the dagger reach his head. She had reacted almost instantly the moment she saw me turn to throw it.
As for the dumb one, he was left speechless. For a second, the girl and I maintained eye contact, counting our chances of winning if a battle sparked.
'She moved so fast to catch it despite wearing that armor. She must be a seasoned swordsperson.'
"If he was willing to send you here, that means you are of some importance to him. Important enough to risk the mission for. I'm sorry, but I can't let you leave."
My respect for her went up a notch. The others also prepared to attack.
"I assume you are Lexie, the one he was talking to on the ear pod. You must be in charge when he's not around. You are the members of the elite Squad Dalet, right? You seem to have confidence in your capabilities as a squad. But are you sure you wanna take me on?
"I trust that Danny knew what he was doing by bringing you here, so if you won't comply, I'll have no other choice but to engage you."
She said this as she handed the dagger to the noisy one.
"So be it."
And with that, she charged.
'The way she moves, she must be one who uses swift attacks, aimed at finishing the battle quickly.'
I jumped back to avoid her sword, and started running towards the guy with the dagger. He also started running towards me and jumped in the air to stab me.
"Die!!!"
'Too obvious.'
He missed, and granted me the pleasure of having my dagger back before he crashed to the ground. Lexie appeared behind me with a half swung sword aimed at my neck. The blades clashed against each other, before sliding off.
One of the other guys aimed his pistol at me and started firing.
'This is taking too much time and Danny will arrive here any minute.'
I quickly jumped back to dodge.
"Passive Skill: Unluck."
A blue glow lit up in my eyes.
The guy with the gun fired at me, only for the gun to fail. Lexie dashed towards me, but tripped just before she got to me. I punched her with my now glowing fist, sending her meters away.
The talky one took out a grenade. He was just about to pull the key out when,
"Garrison, wait." Lexie shouted.
She struggled to get up as he turned to look at her.
"He has a passive skill that brings us misfortune. The weaker you are, the unluckier you get. You should probably refrain from continuing with this battle."
By the time he turned back to me, I was right behind him.
"You're not paying attention."
I could almost see the fear in his eyes. The dagger sunk deep into his shoulder. He screamed, tears of pain forming in his eyes and passed out due to pain.
"That's what happens when you're weak."
Lexie arrived where we were and furiously swung the sword at me.
I leaned back, stabbed my dagger into the ground and threw a handful of dirt at her face. She reacted on time, blocking it, only to feel something hit her chest.
"The grenade!"
Boom!
'Two down, one to go.'
By then the remaining guy knew all hope was lost.
"I give up."
He said, looking at his comrades. Trying to fight back would only get him bruised up. I slowly walked up to him, "Good choice." and knocked him out.
"Took you long enough to show yourself. You could have stopped me earlier, you know."
Danny was standing a distance behind me. I felt his presence a few minutes after the fight started.
"Why did you attack me back at Arsenal Island?"
"I just felt like it. That's all."
"They're lying to you."
"Am I supposed to ask who?"
"The leaders of the Union of Echo are lying to you all."
He was dead serious as he said this. I remained silent.
"It's all a scheme by the Deities. If you want proof, look for it yourself. But you'll come round with time."
"Well, if you have nothing more to say to me, I'll be leaving. I see you have an escape boat, so I'll take the speed boat you stole…"
"Who said you're leaving?"
I stopped walking. Upon turning, I saw him aim an RPG at me.
The trigger clicked smoothly. I didn't react on time for some reason. Almost as if some force held back my body. I felt a muscle cramp form on my left leg. There was nothing I could do.
The explosion sent me flying in the air.
I struggled to stand up, blood dripping from my forehead. I couldn't get the ringing sound out of my ears, with my vision turning blurry. In an instant, he charged at me.
'His speed almost rivals mine. If he lands this attack, I might not even survive. How the hell did that missile hit me? Something's off here. I guess I have to do it."
I was so absorbed in my thoughts I didn't notice the energy build up around me. He was right in front of me, holding Lexie's sword.
"Order Break."
Time stopped, as if to pay respect for what was coming. Everything went silent. Utter shock flashed in Danny's eyes.
"I've tried my best to stay out of your business, but since you insist, I want you to tell me everything you know about the Union of Echo and what you just stole from Arsenal Island. Otherwise, the four of you won't be leaving this place alive."