Remember My Name

Tempest Part 2

"I know how they track who's still alive. I realized it a long time ago. The chips they put in our neck on the first day... that's how they know." There were no cameras in this wasteland, so they were going to need some way to keep track of all of you. "I'm going to attempt to take yours out."

Eve's eyes immediately go wide, "N-no!"

"I know it sounds crazy, but just trust me." You gave her no chance to argue and you conjured a tiny blade at your fingertip. You felt for behind her ear and just went for it, taking the tiny blade and making a small cut. Being as careful as you could, you removed the chip. It surprisingly wasn't as deep as you expected, making it a lot easier for you. She hardly winced at the pain because she was so weak.

You instantly felt your watch beep, notifying you that Eve was 'dead'. "It worked!" She still had no idea what was going on. "You'll be alright. By the time you get some of your energy back, it will probably already be over. Rest here until then."

You dragged her into a closet nearby and shut the door. Just in case anyone would come across this house, they wouldn't see her. You didn't feel good about leaving her there, but now you had to keep yourself alive. You considered taking out your chip, but it was too risky.

You left the house and began walking toward the small patch of woods that was near this wasteland you were in. You still had no idea where this was. What kind of desert had a random small patch of forest? Maybe this place wasn't even real.

You weren't sure what you should do. There were six of them you knew would be grouped together like they always were. Rika would be at the head of them, along with Haru. Haru was always at Rika's side, and they were the two that always placed high on the rankings. You honestly didn't know a lot about Haru's abilities, but he was good at combat. Haru was very quiet, which creeped you out. He was tall and slim with black hair and greenish eyes. The only thing you knew about his ability was that it related to combat. One thing that scared you was that you knew nothing about Rika's nen ability, she never showed anyone or talked about it.

A lot of your peers were trained in the basics of nen but had no real specialized abilities. Only the ones who were really skilled had that. Like Eve and Val. But you considered the idea that they could be hiding it just like you did.

While you were walking through the forest, you heard a branch snap behind you. You turned around quickly, ready to defend yourself. If the entire group of them came upon you right now, you weren't sure if you would be ready. You needed time to create a plan and observe them.

But it wasn't any of them. "You're still alive, huh?" Val was standing there, with his arms crossed. You were somehow relieved to see his annoying face. You said nothing and ran at him, forcing him into an embrace.

"Is this some sort of manipulation tactic?" He laughed and returned the embrace. "You shouldn't trust me so much, I could kill you at any second, ya know?."

You pull away from the embrace and glare at him, he was always spouting nonsense. It was just who he was. You thought you were bad when it came to nonstop talking, but he was on a different level. But sometimes you appreciated the comedic relief.

"I'm just happy that it was you and not a group of them. I'm exhausted."

"Exhausted? It's only just beginning!" He gave you a concerned look.

"Yeah, I know. Let's go somewhere that's not out in the open before I say anymore."

He scoffed, "Why would I take orders from you? I have the advantage here, you should be doing what I say." In his mind, you were weak, which you knew he would hold over your head. But you knew he wouldn't try to kill you, not yet. Val's personality was too much for anyone to handle. No one else was going to align with him and you knew he didn't want to spend this whole test alone. The two of you were very similar and while he would probably never admit it, he liked you.