Goal of the day: 1057 words. Written: 1082.
Antonio looked calmly at the Stone. Then into my eyes, raising an eyebrow. Then, as if remembering something, he said:
- Ah yes!... Aha... - he brushed his short hair.
„???”
"You have a lot to learn," he continued with a sad smile, before I could ask what that meant. - but let's talk about more important things.
„???”
"Um," I muttered quietly, not knowing what to expect and what to expect.
"What do you remember, Gil?" Antonio asked seriously, biting his lip.
"Acorn?"
- Uh... Gil? - I asked back without understanding. I knew I wasn't giving an answer, but damn, I had more questions here than he did. And it seemed to me that I heard this word not for the first time.
- Acorn. Yes, that's your name. Antonio said with a nod. "You don't remember that?"
- My God! Cone! - Naoki burst out laughing suddenly, and I looked at him for a few seconds, and then gritted my teeth and turned back to Antonio after spitting.
“Stupid Naoki. A real idiot. ...But by the way, my name is Acorn? What does it mean??"
I looked back into Antonio's eyes and shook my head.
"No," I whispered, still shaking her.
- I thought you already knew that. You caused quite a stir in the town. Or at least the Council blamed you for everything, Antonio shrugged, still biting his lip.
"Council?"
- Council?? Naoki, who was about to stop cooing, stumbled.
- Council? What else is the Council? I rolled my eyes at Antonio.
Out of the corner of my eye, I felt several of the men sitting closest turn to me. But when Antonio raised his finger almost imperceptibly, they immediately looked at each other and slowly resumed the conversation that had been interrupted for a moment.
- Eh. Antonio sighed, "It's a long story, but they're the same ones who shoved you under the same Arena that exploded yesterday." It took me a while to find you in town after that.
"Pala, who is Antonio?"
"You were looking for me?" Who are you? - I asked in disbelief, returning my hand to the Stone again.
Antonio looked me in the eyes, then was silent for a moment and rubbed the small blue crystal on his neck.
"I'm Antonio, haven't I already told you?" I'm Antonio, you're Acorn and you knew me before.
- Aha... - I started to think of a new question.
- Wait, don't interrupt. - Antonio raised his finger in disgust and turned away to slurp a little more drink from his cup. The cup seems to have never ended. "I'll tell you everything right away, okay?" To make it shorter?
"Okay…"
I shrugged and nodded. Anyway, whatever he says - let him continue. I am listening.
- So here we are, we know each other. I'm from one such gang," he said the last word more quietly, "and you were once a member of ours. Well, or you are now. Some time ago you were kidnapped by the City Council during our field trip, stripped of your memory, and thrown into the dungeons of the Arena to entertain the City's populace.
"Hmm," the Stone mumbled, but didn't say anything else.
"Council? Why me??"
- Why? - I gaped.
- Wait, I say don't interrupt, - raising a finger, Antonio silenced me, - you were one of the most useful members of our... Gang... You had invaluable knowledge about helping inside City Dresses. And, of course, they wanted to take your knowledge. Peeled them off.
"What is the city??"
- Dresses? - I quickly asked, impatient.
Antonio raised his finger again, fixing his angry face, but he couldn't say anything as he gaped. There was a deafening explosion behind me and a wave of air washed over me from behind.
- Aaah! - I made a mistake. A few men with me, the saxophonist immediately stopped on an unfinished note, and Antonio immediately jumped off the bar stool and looked behind me and somewhere towards the windows with bulging eyes.
I immediately jumped off the chair just as the window panes exploded as well. They somehow looked at me. The stone fell from my lap as I jumped, but immediately I felt its weight in my palm again.
- BEHIND YOU! - shouted Akmuos, heating up his palm.
Although I managed to cower at the moment of the second explosion, instinctively avoiding the glasses and whatever comes with the glasses, I cowered even more and scurried past the standing men at the table, leaping over the back of the fallen chair and over Antonio's shoulder.
There was an instant of dust behind me, I guess the retaining wall collapsed and a bright light.
- EVERYONE STOP, YOU ARE SURROUNDED, - a male monotonous and at the same time deafening voice was heard.
I crouched and jumped behind Antonio's palm tree as if it were some kind of protection and looked ahead through him.
Flashing red and blue lights shone through the smoke and large black silhouettes could be seen.
- Be careful, Kutvela! Naoki shouted.
"Shit," Antonio cursed loudly at the same moment and immediately pulled out a bright red guitar from the side of the bar.
A few other men I saw also drew their weapons - at least one had a sword, and a few more I don't know what, no doubt crystal objects.
"DROP YOUR WEAPONS," said the voice again.
Antonio just picked up the guitar in his other hand, as if he was holding a sword in a holster - at his side, at the same time as if he was going to play with it or do something like that.
But the men were not so stubborn, and soon several dropped their Stones, which fell to the ground with a clatter.
"Gile," Antonio spoke quietly without turning around...
– I REPEAT, STOP–
– …RUN, THE DOOR IS FOR YOU! Antonio yelled at me in a repeating voice and gripped the guitar even tighter.
"The door?"
“…WEAPONS,” the voice finished, shining an even brighter light on Antonio.
The light behind Antonio dazzled me, and I turned hastily in search of the door he had mentioned. There was indeed a blue door behind me. The men between him and me stood frozen in the light with their arms raised, their weapons dropped to the ground.
"Run!"
I turned on my heel and jumped on the ground. Behind me, at the same moment, I heard two sounds - the clash of voices and the strumming of guitar strings. However, I didn't turn around and hurried to the door.
The men with their hands raised watched me with bulging eyes as I ran past into the blue-lit narrow stairwell. The guitar chords played again.
- Call me... Antonio! - I heard Antonio's voice over the prison and the noise, - ...Because that's my name!
After running into the stairwell, I immediately rushed up the stairs. I ran to the right turn and took it - there was nowhere else to run. I went up the stairs, and they turned right again. I rise again.
The floor beneath me and the walls around me suddenly shook considerably and a tremendous thud came from below and beyond the walls. Then, after a brief pause, before the feast was over, there was a tremendous thump.
The stairs and the blue lights flew past each other, until finally, after going up the stairs and going around like six circles, I stopped to catch my breath in another lot.
"What's now?"
"The door?" Naoki asked.
Without understanding, I looked around while breathing deeply and trying to catch my breath. And that's right - there was a wall-colored blue door with a small golden handle in the parking lot next to me!
I pulled the handle, but the door wouldn't open. I pushed it, but the door didn't budge either.
“Um. Locked.”
- And did you try to spin? Naoki asked with a slightly sarcastic command.
"Oh yes..."
The building shuddered again and someone made a loud snapping sound. I quickly grabbed the handle and started turning it. But that didn't help either and the door wouldn't budge, not at all.
- Then leave me! - suggested Akmuos.
I decided to do that. After taking the Stone, I took a few more steps as far as I could to the edge of the field and reached out with my hand.
- There you are! - behind me, before I could do anything, I heard Antonio's choked shout! -Go ahead, climb up!
I turned my head back. Antonio, who was really standing on the stairs, all dusty, carrying a guitar, went up a few steps and pushed me from behind.
- Well, what are you waiting for! Go ahead! - he ordered impatiently., - We have little time!