The Grothlins

Chapter XXXVI - Meeting the Enemies

The three walked towards the backstage. There, they met Heitzberg, who was just standing still and staring blankly to their direction.

"See that big guy in a golden suit?" Vincent asked almost whispering. "He is Enma, the leader of 'Goliaths'. They are mace experts and wildcats coming from that team won't hesitate to hit you on the head. They are quite brutal"

"That beautiful lady on the left wearing a black gown is Aicam Ng, the leader of 'Cherkin.' She believes in girl power so she used to send beautiful hot females in the game. They are also strong."

"That thin small guy on glasses with spiky hair, he is Haile. Don't be deceived by his small frame. He became the leader of 'Scrisms' after challenging the previous one with a fight 'til the end."

They then reached Heitzberg.

"Ready?" Heitzberg asked.

"The two of you, along with Mr. Heitzberg will go up on the stage when 'The Arkimans' are called," said Vincent. "You will just make some eye contacts with the audiences."

One by one, each group was called off the stage. Vincent noted that the teams were called according to the ranking last year. The Arkimans were called fifth.

The three entered the stage with Heitzberg in front. Rem can hear clap everywhere, but the loud shouts were coming from their table. Based on what he heard a while ago, he thought that they were one of the underdogs.

His theories were correct; when the last year's champion, "The Pacharees", was called people went wild. Rem looked at the two contenders from the defending champions.

One was a tall slender woman and from her looks, she's the fighter type. She had long curly hair and a noticeable scar on her shoulder. She was wearing a dark blue body-hugging gown. Her dark makeup made her more defiant. Her Partner was a tall slender man and from the way he carried himself, he was definitely a member of the homosexual society. His hair was Mohawk with the side were completely shaved while the hair on top was colored pink. He was wearing a silver tight-fit overhaul and a thick cape.

Rem suddenly found out that the gay contender from "The Pachrees" was looking at him. The man winked at him and pouted his lips it seemed like he wanted to give him a kiss. Rem just looked away and into the audience.

*****

After some chit chats, Ocampo declared that the game was already on. Confetti suddenly fell that prompted the audiences to roar.

Right after they went down, Rem, Marybeth, and Heitzberg were met by Vincent who informed them that they will dance along with other leaders of The Grothlins and this year's contenders.

"Rem, Marybeth, this dance will make you closer to your enemies," said Vincent. "Befriend those powerful for a chance of getting an ally."

Rem thought having an ally was just a suicide. They were all trained fighters and he knew that the first and every move will be to hunt everyone down. He also had no thoughts in his mind but sticking only with Marybeth.

Lolita appeared from the crowd, took Rem's hands and put them on her waist. She also put hers on his shoulders and smiled.

"I just wanted to have a dance to my beautiful fighter," said Lolita while looking at Rem.

Rem never felt the sincerity of the compliment. He just gave her a smile and looked at the side and allowed her to dictate the phase of the dance. After a few minutes, a couple bumped into them. They were Enma and his partner, the lady representative of his team.