Chapter 147
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"Please remind me again, why the hell Greg insisted on you going with me?!" - Ryan grumbled through his teeth, parking in front of the cemetery entrance. Irritatingly tapping on the steering wheel with his fingers.
Frank exhaled slowly, tried to endure and not to roll his eyes. It was the fifth time as Ryan asked him this question already during their ride here, apparently hoping that he could irritate the hell out of Frank by it. But Franky grew up with Greg, the man who would take first place in the contest for being annoying while just breathing if such competitions existed. And most likely Tony and Paul would have made in the top three with him. So Ryan had absolutely no in getting on Frank's trained nerves. Instead, it seemed kind of cute.
"I think Greg wanted me to be there in case your ass would be beaten to bloody bubbles, to get you out of this dungeon. Or if you will be winning, then I will be fangirling like crazy. Someone should support you, right? I'll be your best fan!" - Frank stated smiling cheerfully.
"I even took pompons!" - He added, showing red and blue fluffy balls, which he pulled out of a huge black duffel bag at his feet. Ryan rounded his eyes in shock, not expecting such a turn, and given that he was partly a reptile, this expression on his face looked exceptionally great.
"I hope you're not wearing a cheerleader costume under this jacket?" - Asked Ryan with horror on his face, glancing at the bright face of a man in the next seat.
"Well, that depends on how to put it ..." - Frank drawled, unbuttoning the jacket and showing the contents. As soon as Ryan saw what the guy was hiding inside, his eyes became even bigger.
" I have a couple more hidden in my pants, do you want to see?" - Frank offered with pride, Ryan immediately recoiled and grimaced.
"No thanks." - He muttered, hurriedly opening the door and stepping out.
"As you wish! So? Now, are you glad that you have such a good cheerleader?" - Frank quipped, following him.
"I would prefer one with fewer muscles and dynamite." - answered Ryan, looking around. - "And maybe purple hair."
"Speaking of purple hair." - Immediately picked up Frank. - "I am curious, from the very beginning you knew that you were Mates, right? Shifters, after all, should feel it. Why didn't you try to seduce her then?"
Ryan was ready to cross the road, but hearing the guy's question, he stumbled a bit.
"I have my own methods." - He replied vaguely, looking away. Frank peered at his face surprised by a strange reaction, and for a second it appeared to him like the guy was flustered.
"Wait a minute, let me guess, all this time you have been diligently planning, probably you have thought it over and over in your head." - said Frank, squinting at the shifter, who kept avoiding his eyes. - "The way you confess to her and open up about your other side. I bet you even prepared a couple of phrases to show all the advantages of your second half. It should be something like ..."
Ryan did not let him finish, turning sharply and hissing straight into his face. Through a parted lips, his forked tongue stuck out, wriggling like a snake.
"Whoa!" - Frank recoiled back. - "Why so edgy? Did I hit the nail?"
Ryan didn't answer, and turning on the heels, quickly walked to the entrance of the cemetery. Although Frank still managed to notice a pair of copper scales that appeared on his cheeks.
Barely holding back the laughter, Franky hurried after him.
"You know, there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has their own methods. Besides, I didn't ask out of idle curiosity. Maddy grew up before my eyes. And I see her as a sister." - Frank told finally catching up with Ryan, who was already walking along the main road. The shifter threw a sidelong glance at the man and raised his eyebrow skeptically.
"I don't care about the blessing of her relatives. You are just a human. Do you think you can stop me even if you are against our relationship?" - He asked mockingly, arrogantly looking at Frank.
" I think I should show you what I have in my pants after all." - Sigh the guy, forcing Ryan to flinch back. Noticing this, Frank chuckled and shook his head.
"Relax, buddy. You can flaunt your uniqueness around whatever you want. But if you really wish Maddy happiness, you will have to accept the idea that she comes in a pack with a whole crew of mere humans, each of which is a little unique in its own way. The same as you. And if you will say something like this in her presence, Maddy will be the first one to beat your ass." - Frank informed in his older brother like voice.
"And why else do you think I am here in the first place?" - Ryan growled through clenched teeth, turning into a narrow path between old crypts.
"Well. Then you should also understand, that I am here for the same reason." - Frank nodded, glancing around. At this moment they reached the entrance to the dungeon. Surprisingly, the door was open, as well as the hole in the floor inside the crypt that led down.
Frank stiffened and reached for his gun, but Ryan stopped him right there.
"If anyone sees a gun in your hands, they won't even ask questions. Just rip you to pieces on the spot. No shifter use guns." - He whispered and stepped on the stairs first. Frank had no choice but to follow.
The path to the hall with Sniffers was exactly as Lana described, but as soon as they went out into the spacious lobby, everything around was literally filled with sounds. There were so many people in the spacious room that you couldn't even see the floor. Most of those present were dressed in black military-like uniform, but some of the shifters looked like ordinary passerby, which can be found anywhere.
Frank halted at the entrance, not expecting to see so many watchers in the first minute of their arrival. Ryan, noticing this, immediately grabbed the man by the elbow and dragged him to the side, slowly trying to blend into the crowd.
Fortunately, no one paid much attention to the new arrivals, since all the Watchers were looking somewhere ahead, waiting for something.
Frank and Ryan stayed away from the big crowd, chose a position on the edge.
For the first few minutes, they simply stood and listened, trying to figure out what was going on. Ryan was ready to offer to leave because the situation did not look very good, as Frank suddenly moved forward and went to the nearest guy in civilian clothes.
"Listen, what's going on here?" - He asked in a concerned tone as if just talking to the neighbor about the weather. Shifter glanced at him suspiciously.
"Didn't you hear the message?" - Watchers asked narrowing his eyes at Frank. Hearing this, Ryan froze, holding his breath and trying to calculate how much time this crowd would need to rip them apart. But Frank didn't even flinch. Shrugging carelessly, he answered in a calm tone.
"My partner and I just returned from the mission. We were away for a long time. We heard that something strange was going on, but there was no time to find out the details. So what's up?!"
The shifter scanned Franky's figure one more time, then fixed his eyes on the honest face of the guy. Outwardly, Frank really looked like an ordinary meathead, who is not able to such significant mental activity as acting. Much muscles and a minimum of the brain. Ryan barely had time to hide the surprise on his face when the Watcher looked at him.
" My partner really wanted to participate in the tournament this year, so we rounded the mission early. Is it because of this such a big crowd? Why not in the arena?" - Meanwhile, continued asking Frank, distracting the attention of the Watchman from Ryan.
"Well. Yes and no." - Finally answered the shifter apparently not finding anything suspicious in them. Fortunately, Frank's calculation turned out to be correct, and a big concentration of shifters around made it almost impossible to sniff an ordinary human in him. There was a lot of Watchers, so it was quite possibly not to know everyone by face.
"I heard that today someone actually barged in here and made real mayhem in the arena, while all the available watchers were on the mission. If you have not been here for a long time, you may not know. But lately, something bizarre is happening." - the man began, looking back at his colleagues nearby.
"Yea, today I almost had a heart attack. Mr. Winterbourne's daughter has completely lost her mind." - confirmed another one, who stood in a couple of steps and listened to their conversation. - "She got together with some shady human who almost made our secret public today. That was freaking crazy! I am just amazed at the councilman's resolve. We barely resist, so as not to jump onto the stage and split the throats of these jokers. I bet that the invasion here is somehow connected with it. Nobody knows what the hell going on, but it all smells fishy."
"Exactly, but I also heard that strange rumors circulating this morning in Winter Corp as if some kind of record had hit the network. I don't know the details, but a friend who works there was so shocked. She promised to tell everything when it becomes clear what is actually happening." - added the girl, standing on the left. - " Something is coming, and we all here like a bunch of blind pups!"
" OMG! Isn't that a conspiracy or something? " - Frank proposed, making big eyes. - "But why the daughter of Mr. Winterbourne needs all this?"
"Maybe she was brainwashed?! As if it didn't happen a million times before! That human, they say, is wealthy, and he also works with the military. Who knows what his plans are?" - suggested the first shifter. - "As if you do not know these filthy humans?! They are all greedy bastards. Once they learn about our existence, they immediately begin to either hunt or try to use for their own purposes."
Ryan came closer, listening to the dialogue. The mood among the shifters for him did not become something surprising. Many of those present became Watchers after encountering hunters. And if outside the shifters regarded people as equals, among the Watchers the hatred for the others bloomed like crazy. Although in recent years, hunters attacks have become less frequent, horror stories and rumors about underground black markets, where they sell the shifter as an existing stock, still circulated around, fueling the rage again and again.
Ryan was ready to enter into the discussion, as a loud thump attracted everyone's attention. A huge man, at least a head taller then Franky and much broader in the shoulders, jumped on the table, making it creak and began to stomp on the tabletop.
" Hey, everyone shut up!" - He snapped, instantly forcing the crowd to quiet down. - "I'm already fed up with all this clucking. So I'm not going to wait anymore for you to gather your butts. I am not even surprised that today we were forced to run like a pack of stupid dogs anymore. Look at yourself, morons! You act like a bunch of brainless fools! A bunch of wretched little humans had us by the balls, and now they probably giggle and sip whiskey, remembering our stupid faces. Aren't you ashamed of yourself?!"
His harsh words provoked at first hum of dissatisfaction in the crowd, but it quickly changed to calls of support. The speaker looked at the audience with a look of rage and continued.
"Today, Mr. Winterbourne could not come to the tournament, as he had done for many years before, because he decided to clean up after us. He can no longer rely on such spineless dogs as we have become!" - He yelled angrily. - "So I, as the leader of the Night Watchers, made the decision. The tournament this year will go under the new rules. We are not a school football team. Enough games! Our survival is at stake! Therefore, only those who are genuinely worthy will be able to lead us further!"
The man threw up his hand, giving a signal to his assistant. The guy pressed some kind of inconspicuous lever on the wall, and a part of the bas-relief to the right of the table shifted, opening a dark passage.
" This is the entrance to the old tunnels." - continued the leader. - "You all must have heard that the lower levels are more like a maze and have not been used for a long time. But today we will use it for our tournament. Those who believe that they deserve to be the next leader or captain of their squad will go to this maze. There is only one exit, and it leads to the chapel on the south side of the cemetery. The first twelve, who will be able to reach the chapel, will stand at the head of the Night Watchers. After that, the entrance will be blocked."
As soon as his words reached the people in the crowd, a whole hurricane of discontent arose. But a sharp roar made everyone quiet down immediately. Even Ryan flinched involuntarily, moving closer to Frank, who looked with interest at the man whose face had partially transformed into a bearish muzzle.
"Yes, That's right!" - The leader shouted looking around at his people with darkened eyes. - "This is a battle to the death. And whoever of you is not ready to put your life for the sake of the survival of our species, is not fit to be among us. So cowards can leave this room right now! Those who think they are worthy to lead their brothers should be ready to fight to the end and tear apart any throat!"
Having finished, he jumped off the table and walked toward the entrance to the old tunnel without looking back. The crowd watched with bated breath as his broad back disappeared into the darkness of the passage. His assistant immediately followed his leader. And then, one by one, other shifters began to emerge from the crowd. The other was cheering them with admiring exclamations.
Frank turned to Ryan and raised an eyebrow inquiringly. The guys with whom they talked earlier also turned, staring with expectations at him. Ryan just smirked and silently began to cut through the crowd forward. Not many people recognize him here since Ryan was the Watcher not for a long time, and those with whom he communicated back then left this place forever. Therefore, as soon as he entered the empty space in front of the entrance to the labyrinth, no one paid much attention to him.
Immediately after the gate, the spiral staircase started down. Thus after a few steps, the light from the hall disappeared around the bend and silence hung in the air, broken only by the noise of footsteps on the stone steps.
Ryan paused, hearing the sound behind him, it seemed someone else had followed him. Should he expecting an attack right now, or would the battle itself begin after everyone steps into the labyrinth ?! He did not have time to think it through as a wide-shouldered male figure appeared in sight, and only objects in his hands made Ryan case the attack.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" - Frank asked out of breath, smiling broadly and shaking pom-poms. - "Couldn't you wait for your best cheerleader?"
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"Please remind me again, why the hell Greg insisted on you going with me?!" - Ryan grumbled through his teeth, parking in front of the cemetery entrance. Irritatingly tapping on the steering wheel with his fingers.
Frank exhaled slowly, tried to endure and not to roll his eyes. It was the fifth time as Ryan asked him this question already during their ride here, apparently hoping that he could irritate the hell out of Frank by it. But Franky grew up with Greg, the man who would take first place in the contest for being annoying while just breathing if such competitions existed. And most likely Tony and Paul would have made in the top three with him. So Ryan had absolutely no in getting on Frank's trained nerves. Instead, it seemed kind of cute.
"I think Greg wanted me to be there in case your ass would be beaten to bloody bubbles, to get you out of this dungeon. Or if you will be winning, then I will be fangirling like crazy. Someone should support you, right? I'll be your best fan!" - Frank stated smiling cheerfully.
"I even took pompons!" - He added, showing red and blue fluffy balls, which he pulled out of a huge black duffel bag at his feet. Ryan rounded his eyes in shock, not expecting such a turn, and given that he was partly a reptile, this expression on his face looked exceptionally great.
"I hope you're not wearing a cheerleader costume under this jacket?" - Asked Ryan with horror on his face, glancing at the bright face of a man in the next seat.
"Well, that depends on how to put it ..." - Frank drawled, unbuttoning the jacket and showing the contents. As soon as Ryan saw what the guy was hiding inside, his eyes became even bigger.
" I have a couple more hidden in my pants, do you want to see?" - Frank offered with pride, Ryan immediately recoiled and grimaced.
"No thanks." - He muttered, hurriedly opening the door and stepping out.
"As you wish! So? Now, are you glad that you have such a good cheerleader?" - Frank quipped, following him.
"I would prefer one with fewer muscles and dynamite." - answered Ryan, looking around. - "And maybe purple hair."
"Speaking of purple hair." - Immediately picked up Frank. - "I am curious, from the very beginning you knew that you were Mates, right? Shifters, after all, should feel it. Why didn't you try to seduce her then?"
Ryan was ready to cross the road, but hearing the guy's question, he stumbled a bit.
"I have my own methods." - He replied vaguely, looking away. Frank peered at his face surprised by a strange reaction, and for a second it appeared to him like the guy was flustered.
"Wait a minute, let me guess, all this time you have been diligently planning, probably you have thought it over and over in your head." - said Frank, squinting at the shifter, who kept avoiding his eyes. - "The way you confess to her and open up about your other side. I bet you even prepared a couple of phrases to show all the advantages of your second half. It should be something like ..."
Ryan did not let him finish, turning sharply and hissing straight into his face. Through a parted lips, his forked tongue stuck out, wriggling like a snake.
"Whoa!" - Frank recoiled back. - "Why so edgy? Did I hit the nail?"
Ryan didn't answer, and turning on the heels, quickly walked to the entrance of the cemetery. Although Frank still managed to notice a pair of copper scales that appeared on his cheeks.
Barely holding back the laughter, Franky hurried after him.
"You know, there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has their own methods. Besides, I didn't ask out of idle curiosity. Maddy grew up before my eyes. And I see her as a sister." - Frank told finally catching up with Ryan, who was already walking along the main road. The shifter threw a sidelong glance at the man and raised his eyebrow skeptically.
"I don't care about the blessing of her relatives. You are just a human. Do you think you can stop me even if you are against our relationship?" - He asked mockingly, arrogantly looking at Frank.
" I think I should show you what I have in my pants after all." - Sigh the guy, forcing Ryan to flinch back. Noticing this, Frank chuckled and shook his head.
"Relax, buddy. You can flaunt your uniqueness around whatever you want. But if you really wish Maddy happiness, you will have to accept the idea that she comes in a pack with a whole crew of mere humans, each of which is a little unique in its own way. The same as you. And if you will say something like this in her presence, Maddy will be the first one to beat your ass." - Frank informed in his older brother like voice.
"And why else do you think I am here in the first place?" - Ryan growled through clenched teeth, turning into a narrow path between old crypts.
"Well. Then you should also understand, that I am here for the same reason." - Frank nodded, glancing around. At this moment they reached the entrance to the dungeon. Surprisingly, the door was open, as well as the hole in the floor inside the crypt that led down.
Frank stiffened and reached for his gun, but Ryan stopped him right there.
"If anyone sees a gun in your hands, they won't even ask questions. Just rip you to pieces on the spot. No shifter use guns." - He whispered and stepped on the stairs first. Frank had no choice but to follow.
The path to the hall with Sniffers was exactly as Lana described, but as soon as they went out into the spacious lobby, everything around was literally filled with sounds. There were so many people in the spacious room that you couldn't even see the floor. Most of those present were dressed in black military-like uniform, but some of the shifters looked like ordinary passerby, which can be found anywhere.
Frank halted at the entrance, not expecting to see so many watchers in the first minute of their arrival. Ryan, noticing this, immediately grabbed the man by the elbow and dragged him to the side, slowly trying to blend into the crowd.
Fortunately, no one paid much attention to the new arrivals, since all the Watchers were looking somewhere ahead, waiting for something.
Frank and Ryan stayed away from the big crowd, chose a position on the edge.
For the first few minutes, they simply stood and listened, trying to figure out what was going on. Ryan was ready to offer to leave because the situation did not look very good, as Frank suddenly moved forward and went to the nearest guy in civilian clothes.
"Listen, what's going on here?" - He asked in a concerned tone as if just talking to the neighbor about the weather. Shifter glanced at him suspiciously.
"Didn't you hear the message?" - Watchers asked narrowing his eyes at Frank. Hearing this, Ryan froze, holding his breath and trying to calculate how much time this crowd would need to rip them apart. But Frank didn't even flinch. Shrugging carelessly, he answered in a calm tone.
"My partner and I just returned from the mission. We were away for a long time. We heard that something strange was going on, but there was no time to find out the details. So what's up?!"
The shifter scanned Franky's figure one more time, then fixed his eyes on the honest face of the guy. Outwardly, Frank really looked like an ordinary meathead, who is not able to such significant mental activity as acting. Much muscles and a minimum of the brain. Ryan barely had time to hide the surprise on his face when the Watcher looked at him.
" My partner really wanted to participate in the tournament this year, so we rounded the mission early. Is it because of this such a big crowd? Why not in the arena?" - Meanwhile, continued asking Frank, distracting the attention of the Watchman from Ryan.
"Well. Yes and no." - Finally answered the shifter apparently not finding anything suspicious in them. Fortunately, Frank's calculation turned out to be correct, and a big concentration of shifters around made it almost impossible to sniff an ordinary human in him. There was a lot of Watchers, so it was quite possibly not to know everyone by face.
"I heard that today someone actually barged in here and made real mayhem in the arena, while all the available watchers were on the mission. If you have not been here for a long time, you may not know. But lately, something bizarre is happening." - the man began, looking back at his colleagues nearby.
"Yea, today I almost had a heart attack. Mr. Winterbourne's daughter has completely lost her mind." - confirmed another one, who stood in a couple of steps and listened to their conversation. - "She got together with some shady human who almost made our secret public today. That was freaking crazy! I am just amazed at the councilman's resolve. We barely resist, so as not to jump onto the stage and split the throats of these jokers. I bet that the invasion here is somehow connected with it. Nobody knows what the hell going on, but it all smells fishy."
"Exactly, but I also heard that strange rumors circulating this morning in Winter Corp as if some kind of record had hit the network. I don't know the details, but a friend who works there was so shocked. She promised to tell everything when it becomes clear what is actually happening." - added the girl, standing on the left. - " Something is coming, and we all here like a bunch of blind pups!"
" OMG! Isn't that a conspiracy or something? " - Frank proposed, making big eyes. - "But why the daughter of Mr. Winterbourne needs all this?"
"Maybe she was brainwashed?! As if it didn't happen a million times before! That human, they say, is wealthy, and he also works with the military. Who knows what his plans are?" - suggested the first shifter. - "As if you do not know these filthy humans?! They are all greedy bastards. Once they learn about our existence, they immediately begin to either hunt or try to use for their own purposes."
Ryan came closer, listening to the dialogue. The mood among the shifters for him did not become something surprising. Many of those present became Watchers after encountering hunters. And if outside the shifters regarded people as equals, among the Watchers the hatred for the others bloomed like crazy. Although in recent years, hunters attacks have become less frequent, horror stories and rumors about underground black markets, where they sell the shifter as an existing stock, still circulated around, fueling the rage again and again.
Ryan was ready to enter into the discussion, as a loud thump attracted everyone's attention. A huge man, at least a head taller then Franky and much broader in the shoulders, jumped on the table, making it creak and began to stomp on the tabletop.
" Hey, everyone shut up!" - He snapped, instantly forcing the crowd to quiet down. - "I'm already fed up with all this clucking. So I'm not going to wait anymore for you to gather your butts. I am not even surprised that today we were forced to run like a pack of stupid dogs anymore. Look at yourself, morons! You act like a bunch of brainless fools! A bunch of wretched little humans had us by the balls, and now they probably giggle and sip whiskey, remembering our stupid faces. Aren't you ashamed of yourself?!"
His harsh words provoked at first hum of dissatisfaction in the crowd, but it quickly changed to calls of support. The speaker looked at the audience with a look of rage and continued.
"Today, Mr. Winterbourne could not come to the tournament, as he had done for many years before, because he decided to clean up after us. He can no longer rely on such spineless dogs as we have become!" - He yelled angrily. - "So I, as the leader of the Night Watchers, made the decision. The tournament this year will go under the new rules. We are not a school football team. Enough games! Our survival is at stake! Therefore, only those who are genuinely worthy will be able to lead us further!"
The man threw up his hand, giving a signal to his assistant. The guy pressed some kind of inconspicuous lever on the wall, and a part of the bas-relief to the right of the table shifted, opening a dark passage.
" This is the entrance to the old tunnels." - continued the leader. - "You all must have heard that the lower levels are more like a maze and have not been used for a long time. But today we will use it for our tournament. Those who believe that they deserve to be the next leader or captain of their squad will go to this maze. There is only one exit, and it leads to the chapel on the south side of the cemetery. The first twelve, who will be able to reach the chapel, will stand at the head of the Night Watchers. After that, the entrance will be blocked."
As soon as his words reached the people in the crowd, a whole hurricane of discontent arose. But a sharp roar made everyone quiet down immediately. Even Ryan flinched involuntarily, moving closer to Frank, who looked with interest at the man whose face had partially transformed into a bearish muzzle.
"Yes, That's right!" - The leader shouted looking around at his people with darkened eyes. - "This is a battle to the death. And whoever of you is not ready to put your life for the sake of the survival of our species, is not fit to be among us. So cowards can leave this room right now! Those who think they are worthy to lead their brothers should be ready to fight to the end and tear apart any throat!"
Having finished, he jumped off the table and walked toward the entrance to the old tunnel without looking back. The crowd watched with bated breath as his broad back disappeared into the darkness of the passage. His assistant immediately followed his leader. And then, one by one, other shifters began to emerge from the crowd. The other was cheering them with admiring exclamations.
Frank turned to Ryan and raised an eyebrow inquiringly. The guys with whom they talked earlier also turned, staring with expectations at him. Ryan just smirked and silently began to cut through the crowd forward. Not many people recognize him here since Ryan was the Watcher not for a long time, and those with whom he communicated back then left this place forever. Therefore, as soon as he entered the empty space in front of the entrance to the labyrinth, no one paid much attention to him.
Immediately after the gate, the spiral staircase started down. Thus after a few steps, the light from the hall disappeared around the bend and silence hung in the air, broken only by the noise of footsteps on the stone steps.
Ryan paused, hearing the sound behind him, it seemed someone else had followed him. Should he expecting an attack right now, or would the battle itself begin after everyone steps into the labyrinth ?! He did not have time to think it through as a wide-shouldered male figure appeared in sight, and only objects in his hands made Ryan case the attack.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" - Frank asked out of breath, smiling broadly and shaking pom-poms. - "Couldn't you wait for your best cheerleader?"
"Please remind me again, why the hell Greg insisted on you going with me?!" - Ryan grumbled through his teeth, parking in front of the cemetery entrance. Irritatingly tapping on the steering wheel with his fingers.Frank exhaled slowly, tried to endure and not to roll his eyes. It was the fifth time as Ryan asked him this question already during their ride here, apparently hoping that he could irritate the hell out of Frank by it. But Franky grew up with Greg, the man who would take first place in the contest for being annoying while just breathing if such competitions existed. And most likely Tony and Paul would have made in the top three with him. So Ryan had absolutely no in getting on Frank's trained nerves. Instead, it seemed kind of cute."I think Greg wanted me to be there in case your ass would be beaten to bloody bubbles, to get you out of this dungeon. Or if you will be winning, then I will be fangirling like crazy. Someone should support you, right? I'll be your best fan!" - Frank stated smiling cheerfully. "I even took pompons!" - He added, showing red and blue fluffy balls, which he pulled out of a huge black duffel bag at his feet. Ryan rounded his eyes in shock, not expecting such a turn, and given that he was partly a reptile, this expression on his face looked exceptionally great."I hope you're not wearing a cheerleader costume under this jacket?" - Asked Ryan with horror on his face, glancing at the bright face of a man in the next seat."Well, that depends on how to put it ..." - Frank drawled, unbuttoning the jacket and showing the contents. As soon as Ryan saw what the guy was hiding inside, his eyes became even bigger. " I have a couple more hidden in my pants, do you want to see?" - Frank offered with pride, Ryan immediately recoiled and grimaced."No thanks." - He muttered, hurriedly opening the door and stepping out."As you wish! So? Now, are you glad that you have such a good cheerleader?" - Frank quipped, following him."I would prefer one with fewer muscles and dynamite." - answered Ryan, looking around. - "And maybe purple hair." "Speaking of purple hair." - Immediately picked up Frank. - "I am curious, from the very beginning you knew that you were Mates, right? Shifters, after all, should feel it. Why didn't you try to seduce her then?" Ryan was ready to cross the road, but hearing the guy's question, he stumbled a bit. "I have my own methods." - He replied vaguely, looking away. Frank peered at his face surprised by a strange reaction, and for a second it appeared to him like the guy was flustered."Wait a minute, let me guess, all this time you have been diligently planning, probably you have thought it over and over in your head." - said Frank, squinting at the shifter, who kept avoiding his eyes. - "The way you confess to her and open up about your other side. I bet you even prepared a couple of phrases to show all the advantages of your second half. It should be something like ..." Ryan did not let him finish, turning sharply and hissing straight into his face. Through a parted lips, his forked tongue stuck out, wriggling like a snake."Whoa!" - Frank recoiled back. - "Why so edgy? Did I hit the nail?"Ryan didn't answer, and turning on the heels, quickly walked to the entrance of the cemetery. Although Frank still managed to notice a pair of copper scales that appeared on his cheeks. Barely holding back the laughter, Franky hurried after him. "You know, there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has their own methods. Besides, I didn't ask out of idle curiosity. Maddy grew up before my eyes. And I see her as a sister." - Frank told finally catching up with Ryan, who was already walking along the main road. The shifter threw a sidelong glance at the man and raised his eyebrow skeptically. "I don't care about the blessing of her relatives. You are just a human. Do you think you can stop me even if you are against our relationship?" - He asked mockingly, arrogantly looking at Frank." I think I should show you what I have in my pants after all." - Sigh the guy, forcing Ryan to flinch back. Noticing this, Frank chuckled and shook his head."Relax, buddy. You can flaunt your uniqueness around whatever you want. But if you really wish Maddy happiness, you will have to accept the idea that she comes in a pack with a whole crew of mere humans, each of which is a little unique in its own way. The same as you. And if you will say something like this in her presence, Maddy will be the first one to beat your ass." - Frank informed in his older brother like voice. "And why else do you think I am here in the first place?" - Ryan growled through clenched teeth, turning into a narrow path between old crypts."Well. Then you should also understand, that I am here for the same reason." - Frank nodded, glancing around. At this moment they reached the entrance to the dungeon. Surprisingly, the door was open, as well as the hole in the floor inside the crypt that led down. Frank stiffened and reached for his gun, but Ryan stopped him right there. "If anyone sees a gun in your hands, they won't even ask questions. Just rip you to pieces on the spot. No shifter use guns." - He whispered and stepped on the stairs first. Frank had no choice but to follow. The path to the hall with Sniffers was exactly as Lana described, but as soon as they went out into the spacious lobby, everything around was literally filled with sounds. There were so many people in the spacious room that you couldn't even see the floor. Most of those present were dressed in black military-like uniform, but some of the shifters looked like ordinary passerby, which can be found anywhere. Frank halted at the entrance, not expecting to see so many watchers in the first minute of their arrival. Ryan, noticing this, immediately grabbed the man by the elbow and dragged him to the side, slowly trying to blend into the crowd. Fortunately, no one paid much attention to the new arrivals, since all the Watchers were looking somewhere ahead, waiting for something. Frank and Ryan stayed away from the big crowd, chose a position on the edge. For the first few minutes, they simply stood and listened, trying to figure out what was going on. Ryan was ready to offer to leave because the situation did not look very good, as Frank suddenly moved forward and went to the nearest guy in civilian clothes."Listen, what's going on here?" - He asked in a concerned tone as if just talking to the neighbor about the weather. Shifter glanced at him suspiciously. "Didn't you hear the message?" - Watchers asked narrowing his eyes at Frank. Hearing this, Ryan froze, holding his breath and trying to calculate how much time this crowd would need to rip them apart. But Frank didn't even flinch. Shrugging carelessly, he answered in a calm tone."My partner and I just returned from the mission. We were away for a long time. We heard that something strange was going on, but there was no time to find out the details. So what's up?!"The shifter scanned Franky's figure one more time, then fixed his eyes on the honest face of the guy. Outwardly, Frank really looked like an ordinary meathead, who is not able to such significant mental activity as acting. Much muscles and a minimum of the brain. Ryan barely had time to hide the surprise on his face when the Watcher looked at him. " My partner really wanted to participate in the tournament this year, so we rounded the mission early. Is it because of this such a big crowd? Why not in the arena?" - Meanwhile, continued asking Frank, distracting the attention of the Watchman from Ryan. "Well. Yes and no." - Finally answered the shifter apparently not finding anything suspicious in them. Fortunately, Frank's calculation turned out to be correct, and a big concentration of shifters around made it almost impossible to sniff an ordinary human in him. There was a lot of Watchers, so it was quite possibly not to know everyone by face. "I heard that today someone actually barged in here and made real mayhem in the arena, while all the available watchers were on the mission. If you have not been here for a long time, you may not know. But lately, something bizarre is happening." - the man began, looking back at his colleagues nearby."Yea, today I almost had a heart attack. Mr. Winterbourne's daughter has completely lost her mind." - confirmed another one, who stood in a couple of steps and listened to their conversation. - "She got together with some shady human who almost made our secret public today. That was freaking crazy! I am just amazed at the councilman's resolve. We barely resist, so as not to jump onto the stage and split the throats of these jokers. I bet that the invasion here is somehow connected with it. Nobody knows what the hell going on, but it all smells fishy." "Exactly, but I also heard that strange rumors circulating this morning in Winter Corp as if some kind of record had hit the network. I don't know the details, but a friend who works there was so shocked. She promised to tell everything when it becomes clear what is actually happening." - added the girl, standing on the left. - " Something is coming, and we all here like a bunch of blind pups!"" OMG! Isn't that a conspiracy or something? " - Frank proposed, making big eyes. - "But why the daughter of Mr. Winterbourne needs all this?" "Maybe she was brainwashed?! As if it didn't happen a million times before! That human, they say, is wealthy, and he also works with the military. Who knows what his plans are?" - suggested the first shifter. - "As if you do not know these filthy humans?! They are all greedy bastards. Once they learn about our existence, they immediately begin to either hunt or try to use for their own purposes." Ryan came closer, listening to the dialogue. The mood among the shifters for him did not become something surprising. Many of those present became Watchers after encountering hunters. And if outside the shifters regarded people as equals, among the Watchers the hatred for the others bloomed like crazy. Although in recent years, hunters attacks have become less frequent, horror stories and rumors about underground black markets, where they sell the shifter as an existing stock, still circulated around, fueling the rage again and again. Ryan was ready to enter into the discussion, as a loud thump attracted everyone's attention. A huge man, at least a head taller then Franky and much broader in the shoulders, jumped on the table, making it creak and began to stomp on the tabletop." Hey, everyone shut up!" - He snapped, instantly forcing the crowd to quiet down. - "I'm already fed up with all this clucking. So I'm not going to wait anymore for you to gather your butts. I am not even surprised that today we were forced to run like a pack of stupid dogs anymore. Look at yourself, morons! You act like a bunch of brainless fools! A bunch of wretched little humans had us by the balls, and now they probably giggle and sip whiskey, remembering our stupid faces. Aren't you ashamed of yourself?!"His harsh words provoked at first hum of dissatisfaction in the crowd, but it quickly changed to calls of support. The speaker looked at the audience with a look of rage and continued."Today, Mr. Winterbourne could not come to the tournament, as he had done for many years before, because he decided to clean up after us. He can no longer rely on such spineless dogs as we have become!" - He yelled angrily. - "So I, as the leader of the Night Watchers, made the decision. The tournament this year will go under the new rules. We are not a school football team. Enough games! Our survival is at stake! Therefore, only those who are genuinely worthy will be able to lead us further!" The man threw up his hand, giving a signal to his assistant. The guy pressed some kind of inconspicuous lever on the wall, and a part of the bas-relief to the right of the table shifted, opening a dark passage. " This is the entrance to the old tunnels." - continued the leader. - "You all must have heard that the lower levels are more like a maze and have not been used for a long time. But today we will use it for our tournament. Those who believe that they deserve to be the next leader or captain of their squad will go to this maze. There is only one exit, and it leads to the chapel on the south side of the cemetery. The first twelve, who will be able to reach the chapel, will stand at the head of the Night Watchers. After that, the entrance will be blocked." As soon as his words reached the people in the crowd, a whole hurricane of discontent arose. But a sharp roar made everyone quiet down immediately. Even Ryan flinched involuntarily, moving closer to Frank, who looked with interest at the man whose face had partially transformed into a bearish muzzle. "Yes, That's right!" - The leader shouted looking around at his people with darkened eyes. - "This is a battle to the death. And whoever of you is not ready to put your life for the sake of the survival of our species, is not fit to be among us. So cowards can leave this room right now! Those who think they are worthy to lead their brothers should be ready to fight to the end and tear apart any throat!"Having finished, he jumped off the table and walked toward the entrance to the old tunnel without looking back. The crowd watched with bated breath as his broad back disappeared into the darkness of the passage. His assistant immediately followed his leader. And then, one by one, other shifters began to emerge from the crowd. The other was cheering them with admiring exclamations. Frank turned to Ryan and raised an eyebrow inquiringly. The guys with whom they talked earlier also turned, staring with expectations at him. Ryan just smirked and silently began to cut through the crowd forward. Not many people recognize him here since Ryan was the Watcher not for a long time, and those with whom he communicated back then left this place forever. Therefore, as soon as he entered the empty space in front of the entrance to the labyrinth, no one paid much attention to him. Immediately after the gate, the spiral staircase started down. Thus after a few steps, the light from the hall disappeared around the bend and silence hung in the air, broken only by the noise of footsteps on the stone steps. Ryan paused, hearing the sound behind him, it seemed someone else had followed him. Should he expecting an attack right now, or would the battle itself begin after everyone steps into the labyrinth ?! He did not have time to think it through as a wide-shouldered male figure appeared in sight, and only objects in his hands made Ryan case the attack."Why are you in such a hurry?" - Frank asked out of breath, smiling broadly and shaking pom-poms. - "Couldn't you wait for your best cheerleader?"
