Ron was stunned; for a moment, he couldn't grasp the deeper meaning of this sentence:
"Do you mean...?"
"Look around, clever child."
Savis pointed with a bony finger at the edge of the arena, his tone carrying a hint of "the authorities are clueless" mockery:
"What do you notice?"
Ron glanced around, suddenly realizing an important detail he had completely overlooked.
Those contestants belonging to the core forces:
Baroque, other elite members of the Burning Scale Clan, tribal leaders of the Native Alliance, and even some powerful loners, had all vanished.
Throughout the arena, aside from that distorted amalgamation and some entirely mindless parasitic forms, only a few of them remained conscious.
"They... have all escaped?"
"Not escaped, but transported away."
Savis corrected, the soul fire in his eye sockets flickering more vigorously:
"These elite members from various forces brought along emergency evacuation mechanisms prepped by their elders.
