Beyond the Abyss

Chapter 9: They are the power ranger!

The two player quickly draw card from their deck while I panically try to look for short range weapon from the deck. Because of my clumsiness in this game, I stupidly scroll my deck physically even though I actually can look for a card with my mind. The player on the stair door aim pistol-like weapon toward me, but suddenly he got stabbed by an invisible thing.

I almost forgot that Tom is guarding the stairs using invisibility. Tom swiftly move from the right to the left of the enemy. With a single gesture of Tom's hand, the dagger on the enemy's rib penetrate it's body and return to Tom's hand. The killed enemy fall but Tom quickly catch the corpse and push it back into the stairs. The second enemy unreadily catch his friend corpse and fall through the stairs. Just like in an action movie, Tom draws a sword and jump through the stair to chase the enemy.

Not for long,  Tom came back from that stair door panting a little bit.

"Whoa, the adrenaline is real. I thought they will get to us first!"

"That intense" and that is the only thing I said.

I heard a gun shot and quickly back to my scope to see the fight between the power ranger and the 4 player squad. Tom approach me and draw a binocular.

"Let see what happened down there" said tom as he try to look at the situation.

"Here, look at the main road the 2 o'clock, and around 9 o'clock right below us, two teams are going to fight" I explain.

"it cannot be real!" Tom's said.

"What? what did you see?" I actually confuse with Tom.

"You see the 5 player with the similar armor to each other?"

"Yep, the power ranger"

"They are called the [5 senses]"

"Are they a popular squad? Are you going to suggest that we forfeit now?"

"Some kind like that, they are the squad of the royalist, the [Ace] squad. And yup, let's forfeit"

I remember the Ace from the old man story, I need to be aware of this squad.

"Can we watch until the fight is over? I want to see" I said as I am curios about this squad.

"Sure, once they win the fight, let's forfeit, we got the loot anyway, it doesn't matter if we win or not"

So we continue to watch the fight. The 4 player squad seems engaging long range attack, especially the two player that pull out sniper and preparing skill. They seems attacking with sniper and several attacking drone, while the other two is nowhere to be found. 

Now I turn my scope toward the 5 sense squad, one of them with hand symbol on the helmet point his palm to the front that deflect all incoming shot from the sniper and the drone. The one with eye symbol seems drawing a card and clone himself into 4, one of the clone seems retreating, or I think hiding more accurately. The other two, step forward while drawing their own weapon, one seems like a railgun and the other seems like a sniper with a barrel that look like a diamond. The rail gun charging and showing a bright light from the tip of the barrel, while I see orbs of light appearing around the clone with diamond barrel sniper. Both weapon is aimed toward the two player that attacking them. Then, the railgun shooting a line of ray that penetrate the drone owner's head, while the orbs of light from the diamond barrel sniper flies like a homing missile hitting the player with sniper.

"Well that's quick" said tom. "Let's forfeit"

"Wait, there are two other players in their team" I said as I still want to see.

But, it is kind of disappointing when the cloaked player suddenly visible near the 5 sense squad while suffocating. Not long until they drop dead as I see the number of player left decrease. I see the member of 5 sense with kind of wind blow symbol on the helmet laughing and he/she seems very proud with his/her self.

"Well that's quick" said Tom again. "You only need to say, I am forfeiting" as Tom said it a card pop in front of him, "And press, Yes" he press the button as he continue. Tom disappear and there is text that said "FORFEIT" on his position.

"Well, I hope I will not fight them, like ever!", I said as my curiosity fulfilled and I about to forfeit"

"I am for..." My words stops as if there is something stuck on my throat.

And I hear that old man voice again. "No, you will win this match and obliterates those punk and teach the Ace a lesson. Switch with me!"

I cannot speak at all, but suddenly my body move on its own, I assume the old man already taken control. The old man look at the deck and press the profile menu.

There I can see the stat already changed.

"
Name: Hermit Dust
Type: Stealth
Gold: 1,344,643 Coin
Fav Card: Doppelganger/Bandit Armor/Pixie

Kill: 1092
Assist: 312
Win: 108
Defeat: 3

PWR: 987
DEF: 431
SPD: 892
DEX: 879
INT: 372
CRT: 927
"

I look in awe, as he scroll through the profile menu.

"See, If we switch, our status also switch, even though your character status such as power, speed, dexterity and critical actually the same as I am, but I use illusion skill card just to make your status is not as high and make a problem with your friend. But I think, I am not quick enough and choose the wrong number. But thanks god, he trust you. Now, observe and be a good apostle. First, your card drawing need to be improved, you can call the card if you already know the name without looking for the card on your mind or even worse directly on your deck. Watch"

"[Bandit Armor], [Pixie], [Summon Shadow], [Eliminator], [Maken]" as the old man call the card, the holographic card appear on his left hand.

He grab the Pixie card, crack it and throw it into the air, then he slam the Shadow summon card to the ground and shatter it, he take the bandit armor card and press it on his body until it shatter. Wait, I mean my body. Then he hold the Eliminator and Maken card on each of his hand then crush it. Almost at the same time, the Pixie card materialize into a tiny orb of light, the shadow summon turn into a shadow on the ground and something crawling from the shadow, my armor turn into a bandit armor that actually more look like an assassin coat complete with the hood, and both of his hand now occupied with a SMG-like gun on the right hand and a small black sword on the left hand.

"I didn't know you can do it like that!" I am thinking out loud.

"It is quicker this way" he reply. "Remember to watch, observe and learn".

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