Chapter 51: Tick Tock

"No, the instant you call the system, your tongue will get cut off your body," warns Daki, taking off his mask.

"Now for the first question," he continues.

A hologram screen appears in front of them, displaying a message from the system.

Congratulations! Your union has won Monopoly!

Daki stares at it in confusion.

. . . What? But we still didn't claim the last two properties! Did Adora move and capture the other property? No . . . wait. Even if she did, I didn't get a log that we earned a property. Did he give up both at the same time? But it's not to me . . . it's to someone else in the union.

"Damn it, what did you do?" asks Daki in frustration.

"Wow! Why are you so stressed about it? You just won!" says Zahtan, smiling.

"Who did you give the properties to?"

. . .

"Answer me!" demands Daki.

Zahtan looks up at the roof.

The machine in front of him explodes.

"It won't work. You can't use the device to teleport anymore. I broke it after you got here, and there no inventions left around that will help you," says Daki, his blade touching Zahtan's neck.

. . .

"You know, they should give you a title as well. You are one of the four leaders of pilots and the Rope's after all, shame that you remain hidden and no one knows about you," remarks Zahtan, looking up.

"Tahara, The Mother of Mercy,"

"Chad, Of The Peak,"

"Kayn, The Lord of Triumph,"

"And, maybe something like . . . Daki, The Shrewd Brother? And the other gets to be the mad one!" muses Zahtan, laughing.

Daki grips his spear tighter and Zahtan starts to bleed slightly.

"Relax. My bad for the tasteless joke, let's have a chat and I am sure that I can give you what you want," he says, gesturing his hand over towards the seats.

"Would you like to have a seat?"

"Enough, shut it," snaps Daki.

. . .

"What brings you here . . . One?" asks Daki.

As he says that, One emerge, walking from behind him on both sides, then they turn around, facing Daki and Zahtan who Daki still has pinned.

"The deal is done, thee has't all the properties. T'is timeth to pay up," says the Male One.

"We shall taketh care of this trash ourselves," says the Female One, staring down Zahtan.

"T'wast thee that broke free a part of that ancient creature and tooketh control of it using Omega's offspring. We allowed thee to slide, and thee dareth bare your fangs at us? This behavior annoyed me, and thee will pay for it," she continues, glaring at Zahtan in agitation.

Zahtan simply smirks in response.

". . . Before I will fulfill my end of the deal, I need to ask him some questions which will take time," says Daki, looking at One.

The Female One shakes her head, "Nay, I has't wasted enough timeth,"

". . . Well, I am probably in this unfavorable situation because you did not protect Neo and Charlotte. Think of it as compensation," he says, looking at the Female One.

Standing cross-handed, the Male One's face switches to that of an annoyed look, and he lifts his pinky finger.

"Don't," interrupts the Female One.

". . . Hadst we decided to not toy with that thing as a warmeth up, we wouldst has't protected them, we ought to accepteth some of the consequences of our tradeth off," she says, twirling her hair and walking towards the couches.

"Fair enough, Daki. Thee hath bought yourself some timeth, make it quick. I has't no idea at which hour I shall runneth out of patience aga─"

"Wait, don't!" warns Daki.

Ignoring him, she takes a seat cross legged, and a trap is set off, causing a bunch of plasma beams to fire in her direction. The Female One stretches her arms up, as the beams travel towards her slowly.

Daki and Zahtan are practically frozen still, a drop of blood dripping down from Zahtan is also frozen in its fall.

The Male One walks towards the couches and sits on the other side, looking at his female half.

"Let me knoweth what names thee has't in mind," she says, looking at the plasma beams traveling towards her slowly.

She blows at them.

Daki watches the beams deflect upwards in surprise. He looks at the Female One, staring in disbelief.

"Tick tock," she reminds, glancing at him.

Then she looks back at the Male One but doesn't say a word, it's as if they are having their own conversation somehow.

Daki snaps back to attention, "You will answer,"

"Ooh, about that. Well, you see, I would answer, Daki, but it seems the situation has changed," says Zahtan, chuckling.

"You realized it too for sure, but an adorable attempt to play it off," Zahtan couldn't help but bare a menacing smile on his face.

"You see, I am no longer your hostage," he says, lifting his arm up slowly.

He points at the sitting One, "I am theirs,"

The Female One turns only his head around 180 degrees, Zahtan's face now facing Daki, still smiling.

Daki's eyes shift and they lock eyes.

"Tick tock," murmurs Zahtan.