Chapter 525 - Day MMCXXII, Part I

The day came, and I woke up in the middle of the night, minutes after midnight. Since it was so early, I just decided to write a bit, then I took a shower, called room service, and went down for a breakfast.

I barely managed to order, before Adam Silvas showed up himself.

- Might I join you? - he asked.

I just nodded.

- Did you see yesterday's match between our guys, and yours? - he asked again.

- Yes, I did. It was very entertaining.

- I thought the same.. The one guy, Urho was it? He really surprised me. I didn't expect him to be this strong.

- It was a fight of failed expectations from both sides. I think both Mbeki and Andy could do better if they didn't lose focus.

- If our guys wouldn't think so little of yours, then the fight would be shorter. Trust me. Valentin is very strong, but he underestimated the bear guy.

I shrugged my shoulders.

- Well... We will never know.

- Yes, we won't - he agreed. - Anyway... I heard you will be having a tough fight today. That guy, Semenov, he seems to be very strong, and quite... Cold-blooded?

- He does. I bet you know what he supposedly did behind his gate.

- I heard... - he looked around, if any of the waiters wasn't in hearing distance, then lowered his voice. - I heard that he killed some soldiers, and also other hunters, so he was actually the only person in his city. It's quite strange since our device would keep summoning people if some of them died.

I nodded.

- The same was in our city. Well... Maybe one day we will find out.

Adam smiled.

- Maybe you can squeeze the informations from him, heh?

It was supposed to be a joke that would boost my morale, but I didn't need that. I wasn't feeling threatened by the guy.

- I don't think so.

- That's surprising. I thought you were quite confident in your skills. Don't tell me you are scared of him?

- I guess you will find out in few hours.

He chuckled shortly, as the waiter with my order showed up.

- I'm sorry for the delay. Might I take your order? - he asked, as he was putting my food on the table.

- Yes - said Adam. - I would like a coffee, some scrambled eggs, with bacon, and two toasts with jelly.

The waiter nodded and left us, so we could resume our conversation.

- Well... Despite if you are afraid or not, I'm sure the fight is going to be something since I've been warned to be careful of you, and him. I bet they told you the same bout me.

I just nodded.

- I heard you can summon a whole army of those black creatures, you showed during your match, and also teleport at a short distance - he continued.

- I heard you are good with fire - I responded.

He gave me a smile.

- Just good? Now I feel insulted. If they asked me instead of collecting the data on their own, I would tell them that I'm way more than good.

- You are confident in yourself. I see...

- You are not? - he asked, a bit surprised.

- I tend to not show what cards I have in my hands - I explained.

- Smart tactic, but they already told us, so there is no need for that.

- Or did they? - I said.

This made him smile a little. He then slowly nodded. The waiter showed up with Adam's food, so we stopped talking. After he was gone, we remained silent.

As we were finished with breakfast, more people started to show up. Many of them had matches on that day, so they had to prepare. Since nobody knew that I can jump to the arena, the people were in a rush, to make it on time.

Salem Ali's arrival meant the cars were already prepared. I used this opportunity to come to him, and tell him the I can take everybody to the place instantly, so there was no need for hours of driving. He took the information without surprise, which meant they already informed him about that.

He then announced that to everybody, and the tensions evaporated. People relaxed noticeably since there was no need for a prolonged discomfort and early morning rush.

As they enjoyed their meals in peace, I went to the bar, to grab a drink, but just after I ordered Vikram showed up.

- Please don't tell me you are worried, or even worse, scared - he said.

- Why? - I was surprised. - Because I ordered a drink?

- Yes.

I laughed at him.

- I ordered a drink, because I wanted a drink, not because I'm worried, or, what would be worse, scared. Relax.

- Good. Because I need you to get out there, and beat this guy ass senseless. You need to pound him to the ground. Destroy him! Fuck him up so badly, that even his family won't recognize him! - he said through greeted teeth.

- Calm the fuck down - I said with a smile on my face. - There is no need to give me this speech. I will win.

- I hope so. I bet quite a som on you.

- What?

- What?

- You just said...

- Said what?

- You know what, Vikram? Never mind.

He winked at me, and then he ordered a drink for himself. They both were quickly provided by the barman who was struggling not to smile, she heard the whole exchange between us.

- For your win - said the Indian as he rose his glass, filled with fancy brown liquid.

- For my win - I rose my glass of vodka.

Then we bot one-shotted it. I took it like a champ, but his face got all twisted, and he even coughed. Then he cleared his throat, pretending like nothing happened.

I wondered for a moment if it was because he wanted to lift my mood, because he was concerned, or maybe there was a different reason for such behavior. One thing I was certain of, he was acting, and he was doing it really well. I completely forgot about the fight for a moment.

We spent there quite a while, chatting about different things. Vikram was a great partner in conversation, as he easily juggled between topics, picking only those that would interest me, and keep me engaged. Eventually, though, the time to move came, and everybody who had a duel on that day gathered, holding hands like in elementary school.

The equipment was waiting for them in the arena, so there was no need to be concerned with that. I dropped the anchor in the hotel, and we shadow walked immediately to the spot.