The wind blew as usual; the three of them were always ready with large backpacks, walking and always on alert for any possibilities. Every step they took was colored with uneasiness; street signs swayed occasionally. Unfortunately, such a cool atmosphere wouldn't last long. Sometimes they rested, relieving their fatigue under a tree.
The city was still far away; they followed an old map to guide their direction. Worry was clearly etched on Rico's face, which seemed very serious. He couldn't even look at the map properly. Every time he glanced to his left, it was Merthyl, her gentle face wondering at Rico's behavior. Zappardi incited Merthyl to tease Rico, but Merthyl only laughed lightly, saying she couldn't do that. Rico turned his face away, at that moment patting his own shoulder. Zappardi laughed at him, Merthyl with her smile, and Rico, who kept trying to walk upright; the entire journey was filled with their laughter.
They saw a road sign 30km from the city and also noticed a red marked road. "Since we're walking, we might as well ignore it," they thought. They passed it, then arrived at an empty station. It was utterly silent, without the slightest noise. Due to events a few months ago, they found it difficult to analyze. This place was too empty and somewhat eerie, as the lights flickered non-stop, making them feel watched.
A large screen in the station crackled.
"Game Start."
A voice came from the screen.
"Hostages game. The rules of the game have been adjusted to the place, time, and circumstances. Hostages Rule: both teams will provide a hostage as a game guarantee. The challenger must find the defender. The total time provided is 17 minutes per person from the defending team."
"Damn it, I should have realized it sooner."
"We only have about 60 minutes left."
"Let's hurry, Zappardi."
The hostage has been determined.
This terminal was so massive that if someone tried to whisper, their voice might echo. With so many connected carriages, it would make the game even more difficult. Zappardi and Rico took slow steps, then split up. Zappardi began to search the carriages one by one, as did Rico, with great caution.
"This is so difficult."
"This is almost impossible," Zappardi said.
Rico, hearing him through the device, then calmed his friend while offering a solution. They gathered in one place to create a device. Rico planned to use this device to detect the possibility of the opposing team cheating. If the station was truly that empty, even heartbeats could be detected, unless they weren't here at all. After finishing, Rico asked Zappardi to scream as loud as possible. Zappardi did it; the detected vibration was enormous. Rico would take advantage of this by creating a loudspeaker. As a result, Zappardi's scream echoed extraordinarily; a normal person would surely be surprised to hear that scream, unless there was no one here. Rico checked the vibrations produced; there were two low-frequency vibrations, likely the heartbeats of Merthyl and the opponent's hostage. Someone was seen running out—that was the opponent's hostage. If they managed to catch them, the situation would turn around. The two chased the person until they didn't realize they were on a train track.
"Creak," "Creak"—the sound of an engine starting.
There was no mistaking it; that was the sound of a train. Rails grated, creating thrilling sparks of fire at incredible speed. Ordinary humans couldn't match its speed, but the two of them showed no panic at all. Zappardi clenched his fist, then opened it.
"Zwerith Release!"
Dust scattered, iron flew everywhere; the train was eroded, part by part, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
The game ended; Team Zapper emerged victorious.
The terminal screen lit up again.
"This game is highly appreciated. Both teams showed excellent sportsmanship. As a reward for the winning team, Zapper: 800 silver coins."
Zappardi again carried the heavy backpack, but he seemed unable; his body immediately slumped weakly.
"Zappardi, you don't need to do it that hard."
"It's okay, that was very draining. I'll hand this backpack to you, Rico, at least until the next city."
"Are you two okay?" Merthyl asked.
After that incident, they continued to look for new members in the next city.
Upon entering the next city, the environment was more ruined than they had imagined; many buildings had collapsed. An unpleasant smell was everywhere, so quiet that no one was visible at all. It was like a large-scale abandoned slum, without life. They believed that this city was one of the cities affected by the great war. The further they explored, the more it became clear that this place was indeed abandoned.
"This condition is terrifying," Merthyl said, who had been wanting to vomit.
"What else can we do? Let's just go to the next city. We'll look for a station that's still operating."
Soon after, the three of them found a train that was still crowded with passengers. The three of them boarded the same carriage to look after each other. Although crowded, it was relatively safe, but there was a possibility of threats. Soon after, the train suddenly stopped. Chaos ensued. They looked outside to check the situation.