Crossover Escape: Gotta be more than Lucky to survive

2.6 The New 'friend'

Luca gave them a quick glance before he focused on helps warning. “We need under cover now. Tents or whatever shelter we can manage as soon as possible.” None of Luca’s team asked questions they just set up the tents. What remained of Declan’s team also set up a tent the three of them quick and efficient. Three of the remaining four started making demands and asking questions but the fourth one stepped forward and tossed what looked like rolled leather at them and they flinched.

It was then that Luca realised the last man was not one of the competitors. He approached Luca with a smooth stride and offered a bow. Luca glanced at Tails who nodded slightly to the first of the two tents. Ghost grabbed Rӓv and Holly and went into the second tent while the three others got the leather shelter the man had tossed them set up. It looked larger but Luca would prefer to talk away from that group who would likely not be able to understand. Luca gestured to the first tent that Tails held open and went inside. The man followed and Tails came last closing the flap behind him. Derek had tossed Ghost a radio before he’d enter his tent with hie two teammates so Luca assumed that Ghost would be responsible for communication on that front.

Luca pulled out a glow stick and cracked it to yellow before sitting it down. When he raised his head Luca then looked the man over. Dark grey hair and midnight blue eyes. He had features that encouraged people to stare, handsome or gorgeous Luca couldn’t quite put his finger on the cause of the magnetism. With a focus Luca recalled the dangers of the pretty faces he’d encountered before and those had only been human. With his vigilance raise Luca focused not on the features as a whole but on the face and body twitches Luca for indicators of intent before they were completed.

“Good evening to you. I am Shade.” Luca’s mouth twitched at Shade’s pleasant introduction. Well if he wanted to play gentleman then Luca could do the same.

“A pleasure, I’m Lucky team leader.” Luca blandly responded deliberately not mentioning team leader of what. Shade blinked before he smiled slowly. Something in that smile made a chill run-down Luca’s smile it was reminiscent of an unfortunate encounter Luca had had with a crocodile. The thing had just eaten a deer and so shouldn’t have been hungry, but it still eyed Luca as if contemplating a bite. Luca had promptly put a blade through its head and used it as bait but that didn’t seem an appropriate response for Shade.

“You are not what I expected.” Shade stared at Luca as if trying to understand a complicated puzzle. In return Luca tilted his head to one side and raised a brow as if to say ‘No?’

[Lucky: How did he help?] Luca messaged quickly he needed more information the benign front Shade was putting on gave nothing away. There was nothing Luca liked less than working with insufficient information.

[Tails: He appeared from nowhere kicked the lead wolf like a soccer ball and smiled at the pack. The lead wolf howled it sounded a bit like words, but I couldn’t clearly understand. Shade smiled sharper and then turned to usher us forward.]

“When I helped this lot out. The witch and his pair of sorcerers might have gotten out, but the three baits stood no chance while your two made it look like a light jog. Then there is you having come through the Ent Forest and looking fine with a Luna Fairy on your shoulder.” Since he still hadn’t asked an actual question Luca just waited to see if he had more to say though he also posted a quick message up.

[Lucky: Who’s the witch? Declan?]

[Holly: That was quick conclusion. Yeah, almost fell over when he tossed a fireball at the wolves. Still it was a very good distraction.] Luca resisted the urge to shake his head. With all the chaos that happened up till the competition started how could different teams work easily together. Declan’s was an actual team of three while the others came from different teams it would be strange to refer to them as one and his two if they hadn’t been working together.

“Nothing to say?” after the silence stretched on for a time Shade once again broke it.

“You hadn’t asked a question,” Luca responded.

“Hmm, true though I expected you to ask questions.” Shade seemed completely relaxed going so far as to lean back on his hands. Such a posture was a comfortable means of supporting the body but also left the person poorly defended as the weight on their hands meant they would be unable to raise them to defend themselves quickly.

Luca considered the posture and then glanced at Tails before he matched it. Luca adjusted the Fae swords as he leant back and noticed that one of them had slid part out of its sheath and hummed slightly in place. Luca somewhat wished that Rӓv could be the one to have this discussion she was infinitely better at it. Still the matter had to be done so he would just have to see what he could drag out from behind the benign mask.

“Questions, is it?” Luca kept his tone idle as he mused aloud. “I have a name for you, I hardly have the time to hear your family history. You’re here after you helped some of mine. The wolves are wary of you at worst scared at best you don’t have the traits of the more common monsters so it is possible you would be a sort I wouldn’t recognise even with the name so that is quite irrelevant.” Luca eyed Shade for reactions but apart from the way his smiled deepened there was no particular response.

“I guess that only leaves one question what do you want?”

“Now why would you think I wanted anything?”

“The bounty on our heads is quite hefty promise of a part in a glorious invasion I believe? Really want nothing for giving up on easy pickings?”

Shade chuckled in surprise before he responded, “Easy pickings? I don’t think there is anything like that here let alone in an entire world.” Shade gave a meaningful look to the array of weapons Luca carried as well as the plethora of blood stains on his clothes.

Luca was forced to laugh in response as he inclined his head. Luca had no intention of being anyone’s meal ticket and would take as many heads as he needed to in order to drive his point home. “Fair enough but is the temptation of ruling so easy to discard?”

“Those that desire to rule have never faced the true hardship of leading. Who would want to work hard just for people who wanted your position?” the tone for that was dry and sounded deeply of a voice of experience. Luca considered that for a moment before he nodded slowly, he rather agreed with the point.

“So what do you want?”

“A peaceful life, I cannot have that here but from the scent of the witch and the baits it seems it is easily possible were you are. After all the only one of you lot that smells normal for this side is you.”