“The timer tells us which circle is open,” Raider said.
“The number went down by one.” Devon nodded at the symbol above the circle. “Once occupancy is reached, they won’t allow any others through.”
Selene’s eyes closed as a look of concentration formed. “The higher numbers have a denser barrier. They will require a higher level of ki to penetrate.”
Which meant those circles with a lower number would be quicker to fill up.
Throw in the walls rising from the ground throughout the arena, each equipped with several drones, and this was no easy task ahead of them.
A group of Tuann stopped not far from them, their leader’s gaze on Alexander.
The man was around the same height as Alexander but bulkier and with a slightly more feral edge that Alexander lacked.
At least nowadays.
The present Alexander masked his aura of savagery through a neat, scholarly appearance.
“You have the look of Asanth,” the leader told Alexander. “Come with us. We can watch out for you.”
“No, thank you,” Alexander told the man. “I will watch out for myself.”
“Cadel, let’s go. He’s already said no,” someone urged the man when he hesitated.
“Should you change your mind, Asanth will welcome you home,” Cadel said before loping away to rejoin his companions.
“I’m surprised.” Kira joined Alexander. “That offer was downright respectful.”
Nothing like the one she’d gotten which was more along the lines of “you have no choice but to come with us.”
“Asanth has always respected independence. Their members are more likely to become wanderers than any other,” Alexander explained. “They also have the highest acceptance rate of those who return from wandering.”
Kira stared after Cadel and his companions. “That’s almost admirable.”
“They also fight each other for sport.”
“Oh no. Not that,” Kira said in a deadpan voice as the rest of them turned back to their group.
This time Kira caught the faint twitch of Alexander’s lips that hinted at the presence of a smile. One quickly hidden as they tuned into the conversation taking place around them.
“It’s pointless to make a plan without knowing the lay of the land,” Raider was saying.
“That’s easily solved,” Kira said with a glance in Selene’s direction. “Care to give me a lift?”
“Happy to.”
The consistency of the ground under Kira’s feet gained a slight buoyancy that required her to bend her knees and brace.
A transparent box lifted her into the air.
This was a risk. A higher vantage allowed her a bird’s eye view of what was happening below, but it also made her a target.
She’d have to be quick.
With that in mind, Kira scanned her surroundings.
The sand had turned the field of battle into a mine field strewn maze, leaving most of the initiates scattered over a large area. Though a few had gotten lucky enough to be standing next to a circle when it opened.
The rest were left to the uncertain fate of finding a circle to target and praying it would open before time ran out. It was going to be mass chaos with the circles containing a lower threshold for passage drawing the most competition.
