Chapter Nineteen[XVIV]: Shifting of Residence (I)

Xenos Waters makes a puzzled expression as he realizes what his uncomfortable feeling is: other people. Exactly eighteen other people, to be precise, making twenty in total. These must be. . . the other participants. Oh, that's not good, not good in the slightest. Xenos tugs on the back of Felix's shirt, making him stop in his tracks and look back at Xenos.

"What is it?" Felix asks, looking confused.

Right, Xenos can see further than him. "There are eighteen other people in front of us, I think they're the other participants."

Felix grimaces a little. "What are they doing?"

"Sitting around a campfire, I. . . don't know if they're aware of what the Audition is." At least, Xenos doesn't think so. He can see no enmity in any of their faces, maybe a little annoyance in one or two, but nothing indicating they know they'll have to fight each other to the death in three months.

His grimace deepens. "How cruel of whoever brought them here."

". . . Should we tell them?"

Felix shakes his head. "They won't believe us, there's no point in trying. Let's just get to our cabin quietly. According to Mr. Balanius, we get number ten."

Although Xenos feels that judgement is harsh, Felix does have a point. In addition, it might be better for them if the other participants are thrown off balance by the sudden news later. Xenos frowns at his own thoughts. Is he really thinking about how to kill them easier? What the hell is wrong with him? Even though he's reprimanding himself, it's more out of moral obligation than actual guilt and shame.

Pushing his thoughts away, Xenos nods at Felix's suggestion and walks over to Faeryn, who was carefully carrying a black sack that had his armour inside. The gentle silver shimmering from within tells him as much. "Thanks, Fayrne, I appreciate it." Faeryn puffs out her chest and lifts up her chin, clearly pleased to be thanked but too proud to admit it.

He takes the sack from her mouth, petting her head for a brief moment before walking over to Felix and puts the still sleeping Inari into his arms. Xenos puts on all his armour, strapping it on much quicker than the first time he got them because of his familiarity with the process. He decides to keep his mask off this time, interested to see just how good the illusion on his body is.

Hooking the mask on the rim of his pants, he takes Inari back into his arms and gently rubs behind her ear, laughing quietly at the way her leg twitches. Xenos gives the sack to Felix, and they walk forwards beside each other, Faeryn a little ahead of them like a guardian. After walking for about a hundred more meters, the figures of the eighteen people become very clear.

There are eight women and ten men, twelve including Xenos and Felix, all looking to be between the ages of sixteen and twenty. They're of a variety of ethnicities, which makes sense since Xenos doubts the people from Vaedreola only came to North America or something like that. Interestingly enough, they all seem to be communicating with minimal issues despite any language barriers there may have been.

Soon enough, one of the guys notices their presence, alerting the other people around the campfire of them. Most of them turn around in their seats to look at Felix and Xenos, some waving with smiles. There's one man who pointedly ignores them, not even sending a glance in their direction, not that Xenos minds. In fact, Xenos much prefers that guys approach than these friendly gestures.

At least he won't have to feel guilty if he kills the guy.

Xenos tries not to grimace at the thought, simply waving his hand lazily in greeting, his gaze focused on cabin number ten. When three of them stand up, presumably to walk over to them, Faeryn growls lowly, the fur on her back rising from agitation. Immediately, the people around the campfire looked at each other, smiles fading from their faces and being replaced by wariness.

Aside from one of the guys to stand up, that is. The guy, a blonde-haired blue-eyed pretty boy in posh clothes that look far too impractical for this world, simply chuckles. "What a cute little dog you have there." His tone was mocking, perhaps a little arrogant. Though to others it may seem that he's full of hot air, Xenos can clearly see volatile purple mana covering his body.

Faeryn growls again, displeased to be called a dog. Inari wakes, sensing the tense situation around her, and sits up with her ears swirling back and forth. Xenos glances at Felix to see he's not happy either and nudges him with his shoulder. Felix looks at Xenos, half of his attention still on the pretty-boy. Without a word, Xenos just shakes his head, gesturing toward Faeryn.

Felix frowns but nods, Faeryn stopping her growling soon after but not quite letting down her guard, green strands of mana snaking around in her mane of leaves. Xenos takes the lead, sending an apologetic glance towards the group as they pass them but doing nothing more to quell the uneasy atmosphere.

It isn't his business what they do.

<>

Kurtis Mann watches the two new guys and their pet's entire cabin number ten, keeping in a satisfied smirk. He sits down calmly in his chair, taking a drink from his water as he looks around the campfire, smacking his lips together in displeasure. The friendly atmosphere he worked so hard to make was ruined in the matter of a few seconds, how can he not be annoyed?

"Guys, it's fine, they're probably just on edge since their newbies," Kurtis says reassuringly, acting unbothered by the whole thing.

A girl, one of the prettier ones, named Akira nods, relaxing in her seat. "Let's just enjoy this campfire before the bugs come out." Her Japanese accent is thick, making it a little hard to understand her. Then again, around seven of the people around the campfire hadn't learned English before the information transfer, so it's expected to a degree.

"Seriously, just relax, you're ruining my mood," Rasmus, a bulky and arrogant Danish boy, says, scoffing a little. After talking some more and getting the conversations flowing again, Kurtis finally manages to regain the nice, peaceful atmosphere he had before the newbies' rude interruption. He needs it to remain like this if he wants to easily stab them all in the back later, since it seems the rest of them know nothing about what's going to happen. Well, better for him.

The two newbies seem to know something, but Kurtis can't be sure. What he can be sure of, however, is that Batyr, the uninterested guy from somewhere called Turkmenistan, knows exactly what the Audition is. He needs to make sure Batyr doesn't tell the others even a single thing.

After all, it's easier to kill someone when they don't expect it.