A Bidding Game (1)

It was true - Adamax could hear every conversation Gizoro had with every person and groups. And as he listened, he began to suspect that Gizoro might be a public figure of some kind, with a high-ranking position in the government.

But screw that! In this place, people drove cars that looked like bulls, and flying objects were as common as rain. The whole place seemed like a fantasy, a far cry from the real world, how can there be something like government?

"Now that I think of it, I've never seen rain in this place either," Adamax mused aloud. "I wonder what the rain would look like - would it be colorful, like a rainbow? Or would it be more like a mist, or a flaming falling inferno?"

As he thought about it, Adamax started laughing uncontrollably. "Imagine if the rain was yellow, like urine," he said, giggling at his own joke. "And the texture was like little rocks!"

He couldn't help but find the whole thing hilarious.

Gizoro's voice, coming through the car speaker, harsh and sharp boomed. "Respect yourself in there and pay attention," he said, sounding like he was giving a stern warning.

Adamax rolled his eyes and replied, "Yes, sir." His tone was sarcastic, but he tried to sound respectful.

Gizoro spent a while greeting people who hailed him as he approached the building, which the people of Ulaetsria called a "glowhouse." Finally, he entered the massive structure, which looked more like a palace than a casino.

Gizoro made his way to a table where eight men were already seated. As he approached, the men's faces turned sour, but he ignored their reaction and sat down, his posture confident and regal.

His gaze shifted away from the other men at the table, landing instead on the man seated directly across from him.

The man's blue hair and sea-blue eyes began to shimmer with a strange blue light.

If Adam had been present, he might have fainted from the shock. In his experience, he had only seen young teenagers having the ability to use mystical powers which they called Talent, but he hadn't seen fully grown men in their Talents.

Gizoro let out a dry chuckle, his voice taking on a sinister tone. "Relax, Coletto," he said, crossing one leg over the other. "I'm only here to get my money back - the money your boys stole from Cian."

The blue man, Coletto raised his hand, his body still glowing blue. As he did, the light rushed from his body and condensed into his palm, forming a ball of energy.

"You're not getting anything from us!" he yelled, launching the ball at Gizoro.

Gizoro moved quickly, dodging the ball of energy with ease. His fangs extended from his mouth, and his eyes glowed like those of a snake.

"I wanted to resolve this peacefully, but it seems you have other ideas," he hissed, his voice now higher-pitched and filled with venom.

With each word, a low hissing sound escaped from his mouth, as if he were speaking through a mouth full of snakes.

To anyone who didn't know him, Gizoro would have looked like some sort of snake-man. But that was only part of the story - he also had claws for fingers, and his ears were growing longer and hairier by the second.

He was something more than a snake-man, something that even Adamax had never seen before. He was a Goumard - a blood-sucking, shape-shifting Goumard.

[A/N: I'd explain what Goumards are as the story continues (⁠;⁠ŏ⁠﹏⁠ŏ⁠)]

"Gizoro, Coletto - both of you need to calm down," a third man interjected, his voice firm but gentle. "If the head of the glowhouse, Gibron, hears about this, he won't be happy. You both know what he's capable of."

Adamax let out a deep sigh. This was the second time he'd heard the name Gibron, and he was curious to know more about him. "Is he some kind of Mr. President or a team leader?" he wondered to himself, careful not to say it out loud.

The last thing he wanted was for Gizoro to think he was a threat or an enemy.

Adamax couldn't help but blurt out his thinking, "Gizoro just hissed like a snake!" He was equal parts curious and terrified by the sounds he heard in Gizoro's words.

And to think that this same man (Gizoro) had offered him protection even when he barely knew anything about him.

What kind of place had he landed in?

.

(Glowhouse)

"Let's settle this with the Bidding Game," the third man suggested, his tone calm and measured. "What do you say?"

Gizoro nodded in agreement, shifting back to his usual form. "Of course. After all, I came here for the Bidding Game," he said, a smug smile on his face. "And screw Gibron!" he added, raising his voice and crossing his legs.

The Bidding Game started between Gizoro and Coletto.

So the Bidding Game is like chess, but with much higher stakes - it's about life and death, and the winners gain money, power, and glory, while the losers are tortured until they die.

But since the people of Ulaetsria are similar to immortals due to their current situation, this is no easy feat - they can't die, but they can be tortured to the point of madness.

It's a brutal and cruel game, but it's the ultimate test of skill and strategy. A game of chance and cunning.

A third party involved in the Bidding Game, who's role was introducing elements of chance and luck, stood forward. He placed two balls on the table, which began to roll around and then stopped, revealing the numbers 8 and 3.

Before then, Coletto had been asked to choose a color according to the balls available, and he chose blue. Gizoro was then given the choice of red or any other color, and he chose red. So the two balls were blue (with a 3) and red (with an 8).

Since Coletto had chosen blue which had the smallest number -3, he would be the first to play.