[6] The Rules of the Game

[Friend or Foe]

In between the players of the game and the manipulators of it was a wall of machine-gun wielding soldiers, all survivors of the battle that had just ensued and claimed the life of Balrog Tast.

The nine warriors all standing together were looking up. Some were in shock, some in awe, and most in anger. Sage and Zena were in the middle of the group, with Jackson, Wizard and the dog Champ behind them. Ashe was near Sage, and on the other side was Kaden and Piper, along with Juno and Sophia.

Kai Demolic was standing between Trisha and Ares, and Sebastian and Rosemary. He was clapping.

"Bravo," he said with a grin. "Seriously, truly...bravo, my friends. I couldn't have asked for a better show."

"Balrog is dead and all you can do is congratulate us on a good job?!" Jackson shouted out loud. "What happened to you, Kai?!"

The tanned man in the middle of the posse ignored the cries of his former best friend. He had more important things at hand, and being around this many angry, powerful people made him nervous. The risk, however, was necessary. The public had to see him, the villain, in the flesh. Put a face to the name.

"I'm here to explain the rules for the next portion of the show," he said aloud. "Before we get to that, I just want to remind all of you that in addition to the fighters on either side of me, and then gunmen in front of me, there are dozens more around you, most that you probably can't see.

Kaden could see them though. Kai wasn't lying. There was a lot of them.

"What makes you think we'll play?" Somebody asked. It was Juno.

"You'll play," Kai promised, "You don't have to win, of course. But everybody plays." There was a moment of pause and Kai continued up. "My three remaining Demons up here will all be given an Emblem. This Emblem opens up Ruins to the north of this island, where I will be. If you want to fight me, fair and square, no strings attached, you'll gather the three Emblems from my lieutenants. You'll split up into groups of three...one will have four, since I doubt Jackson is leaving anytime soon. After successfully getting the Emblems, by any means necessary, you will meet at the Ruins and proceed to challenge me. If you survive that far."

There was no response. Or if there was, it wasn't heard by Kai.

"My wife, Trisha," he pointed to the side, "Will have the Eagle Emblem. Sebastian, to my left here, will have the Snake Emblem. Finally, Rosemary will hold the Raptor Emblem. Their locations will be listed in this bag, along with further supplies for the three groups."

One of the soldiers at the front of the group caught a bag that was thrown from Sebastian, and then threw it to the group. Wizard caught it and set it down.

"That's all I have for you," he told the players. "Bye bye now."

He turned around, preparing to leave.

"Why?" Somebody asked. "Why are you doing this."

Kai turned again. He looked at the watery eyes of the cute blue-haired girl. She looked like a child, even if she was officially an adult. She was still kneeling, holding her sister who was listening to the whole speech, but still paralyzed from the electric shock she had endured.

The man could have told her because it was for profits. Or because he was under contract for a network. Or the truth, which was that he wanted to psychologically test the social barriers of the average, common man or woman in a real, life or death situation. He had a whole list of lies in his head ready in case this question was asked. But for the sake of cameras, and his role on this show as the villain, he answered true to his station.

"Because I can."

Then he truly did turn and walk away. Slowly by surely, so did the soldiers. Nobody reacted. Nobody fought.

Olde Town had enough bodies to bury under it's sand.