Blessed Combat

14 - Friends and Four Reasons Why

Arma felt his consciousness slowly synchronising with his mind and body as he soon roused himself from a short deep slumber. When he opened his eyes, he felt the back of his head throbbing furiously as if someone was continuously hammering on it mercilessly. The tall lad tried to shift his body up to a more comfortable position when he felt something tugging around his arms. Blinking to get a clearer vision than the pixel dots he was seeing, Arma glanced down he was bound.

A long rope was wrapped over his arms around five or seven times till it was tied to a neat knot. It was difficult to move when his hands were behind his back. Fortunately his hands weren’t tied as well but Arma knew sheer strength won’t get him out of the ropes easily. If Stabs were here he would but Arma wasn’t Stabs and he wasn’t angry enough to depend on adrenaline rush to pull him through. Gazing at the sky absentmindedly, Arma estimated it was late noon and evening was soon crawling near. How long had he been knocked out?

“Urgh...” Arma flinched when he heard someone grumble in pain beside him. He wasn’t fully aware of the situation he was in to expect someone else was accompanying him. He turned and found out it was Caterpillar, also bound like he was but was hunched over and was grumbling about in pain. Arma couldn’t stop a gasp of surprise from escaping from his lips but thankfully it wasn’t as loud he would usually do since he had gotten used to sudden ambushes thanks to someone in particular.

However, he was surprised that Caterpillar was beside him because one, last time he saw him was when he went flying from a red mini canon ball of blood launching straight to his navel and two, he actually survived from the impact.

“Caterpillar...hey you alright?” Arma asked and was surprised to find it hoarse. It was barely above a whisper and felt like he hadn’t used it for a long time. The tall lad heard Caterpillar wheezed lightly and then grumble in pain before answering.

“...No way...” Caterpillar wheezed before having another coughing fit again. Arma then recalled the second round of the game they were in.

“Hey, how are you still here if the AI disqualifies the four teams that got knocked out?” Arma asked curiously.

“Coz I didn’t. I didn’t pass out from that bloody ball. Wish I had though...Damn...my stomach hurts...” Caterpillar whispered quietly. Arma glanced around and found the culprit behind all this, Fog, sitting under one tree with both his eyes closed into a seemingly deep thought.

“That’s because he hit you there...Caterpillar, you don’t know him right?” Arma asked quietly as he could. Caterpillar glanced over the sleeping guy before shaking his head.

“Yea I don’t...do you?” Arma tried to recall a guy that wore bright red rimmed glasses and a mind reader only to find out none came up. Either he did unwittingly made an enemy out of this particular guy and forgotten about him since there were so many, or he was using them as bait. Arma’s eyes widen in realisation and almost stood up abruptly.

“Zessica!” The tall lad hushed loudly, causing the lad beside him to jump from surprise. Panic as evident on the taller male’s face. He had left the girl all alone in the cabin. How long had she been there? Had one hour passed by already? Was she taking the medicine right now? Or had this Team fourteen caught her too? If so, where was she right now?

“Zessica? Is that the girl you are partnered up with?” Caterpillar asked curiously. Arma immediately turned to the other lad beside him and nodded, hoping he had any relevant information that would prove useful. His first priority was the girl after all, even if it meant being bound with a rope.

“You don’t have to worry about her... yet. While you were out cold, I heard that guy, Fog yelling his head off to no one in particular. It only occurred to me later that he was using his mind reading skill and passing his message in the form of telepathy to his partner. Seems like your friend is lucky and got away before the other guy could reach her but her whereabouts are still unknown.”