The house always win

Roxanne was flying faster than the wind, the salt desert nowhere to be found. A location that appears and vanishes at random times in random locations. 

'It would be funny If it appears in the red zone.' She stood on the border, the edge of the orange zone. Radiation smakes her face, nose bleeding. 

'Maybe not today.' She turns back, searching the rest of the land. 

'It is what it is.'

Karaza dashed further away from the forest and the knocked over foes. She looked at the corner of her eye, now in the open grassy area, no metal shrubs or large shadows of big trees creating a place to hide. 

'Still being watched.' 

'And it's not one party around here.' 

Shadows of actual humans loomed over the seashell humanoids. The bandits exchanged looks between one another, while other members dragged the seaweed man, tying him up separately from the humanoids. 

They exchanged cues through the masks. 

"How valuable are these?" One with a thicker more intricate mask asked. 

"Let's exclude the seaweed thing, the others looks defenseless without their bows and spears. We can sell them to the duke's mercenaries or the dukedom black market."

The seaweed man slowly regained his awakening, the eyeball resembling coin of his disappeared from his face, diving slowly inside til it pocked through his back. 

Through the eye on his back he saw four humans cornering them in a circle. The coin dived inside again only to catch a glimpse of one seized bow with a very distinct golden feather attached to its edge one he knows well. Anger simmered again, his shaking gained him a caotuis sword poking his neck.

"Can't you see it? We are one of you." One humanoid was already up and preaching. 

"Shut it! No human is sane enough to walk here with no mask."

"It Just happen that we acclimated. Many tripes live outside the blue and green zone without masks." 

The one with pearl anklets explained calmly, voice soft spoken and confident.

It didn't move the swords from their necks but that was convincing enough to make some rookies exchange glances. 

"Don't fall for it, look how beautiful they are, they design themselves to mess with ya." A senior stated. 

"How proposturas-" 

A snapping swipee from a whip knock to of the bandit down. 

"Too much human nonsense." Stripes of seaweed fallen to a puddle to the dirt, melting the human sillouate and breaking free from the chains. In that position more whips of seaweed slapped the remaining humans uncousios to the ground. 

After claiming the weapons back the seaweed man stared from a distance.

"Why don't we collaborate?" He waves his frame to them. 

"And why would you be inclined to do so exactly?"

"Because this is not human land, more numbers mean better chance at finding the salt desert, better than who's stronger than us." He pointed at the sky.

"But we attacked you! Why would yo-" 

"Get over yourselves! Even that raggide human laughed at your faces." 

Karaza sat down, Grass tips swayed with the night breeze, tickling her nose.

"Raggide human huh? That was hurtful coming from a seaweed dude not gonna lie." She redirected her attention to other voices. 

"Frame! frame! frame!" Was all the whispers she picked up from who's watching. 

'They can disappear, and there's a lot of them. And I can't go. Annnd great! Here she's again.' 

"Don't do anything stupid. The desert maybe in the red zone now." Roxy supplied. Flying low, earning a guilty face from Karaza which didn't last long as a glows of red auras menaced the peaceful scenery. 

Masses of headless skeletons appear out of thin air, the parasite tilted her head to unnatural angle while the human squinted, they were headless skeletons but substitute the white bones with gray ones with snake skin pattern. 

"So cool!" The two exclaimed at the army walking slowly to their direction. They would've gawked for longer if not for a portal that opened under the human feet, spine thing wrapping around her ankle and dragging her down.

"...Hmm?" Disjointed pupils looked at the ground. 

Someone else would've been quite friegtend by the closing distance.

She flew higher non chalantly for a better view, the dense glow of the leader in the middle caught her attention. He had quite the cool dagger on his waist, gems, engravings and all on it. Excitement and dopamine ran in her brain and body. 

She dodged couple swords and lances they threw in the air. 

She snapped her fingers, Broomy disappeared.

She picked a sword aimed at her mid free fall. 

She landed on two skeletons, crushing them with the impact, the sword she picked was already launched and in another's rips.

"Frame! Frame! Frame!" The others walked toward her but she was no longer there, already jumping to the leader's spot. 

Too fast. Too accurate. Hitting the enemy before they get the chance to register her location. 

The fallen skeletons simply stood back up, walking toward her like nothing happened. 

Two skeletons cornered her, one sword waved to the neck. The lance was aiming to pirce her guts.

She flicked the sword with her fingers, metal shattered like glass. Her other hand grabbed the shaft before the blade met its goal. She shifted the force and tossed the foe away. 

With a back heel kick the foe behind her was also down. 

'So they're logical creatures, they should have a disappearing condition like the man in the corner of the eye.'

She thought while turning full circle, grabbing a skeleton by the ankles and hitting others with it.

The endless squabble seemed infinite, she hit them as they rose back up. 

'I can't tell what it is.' 

'Duuude, I'm still slow after all these years, I can't even handle a human language! I mean if it was ants signals it would make sense but humans? I'm a fraud.' 

She was punching, kicking and dodging on auto pilot at this point. Foes getting sluggish compared with the start.

'No logical creature gets tired with time...'

'Wait, are they mirroring me?' 

Pupils getting wider. 

A swift motion. 

Three were cut in half. 

Before they fall on the ground she was behind the leader, legs locking where the waist would be if flesh existed. 

She rose her arm, elbow strike to the leader's rips. 

She observed the fallen leader and followers, still raising up slowly. 

'So they're not mirroring the adrenaline in my system..' 

She smiled, picking up the prize of a dagger. 

They all rose so quickly as if gravity stoped working. 

'Ooh! they're mirroring my dopamine.' 

"Y'all too cool actually." 

The leader stood up, towering above her with a bony fist about to meet her head. 

But they all dropped dead. Almost all. 

"You see, I can suspense the release of that on command. At least I'm not a slow parasite." 

She talked to the collapsed leader on the ground. 

'Not anymore.' 

The only standing skeleton stood out like a strawman in a dying field. Still holding his sword. Legs or bones threatening to fall as the condition of appearing fades. 

"G- give it back." The smaller skeleton spoke in beetles vibration. Looking at the dagger. 

"You see, human need dopamine beyond pursuit and motivation, without it initiating movement won't happen." 

She told, making opening in her posture. The youngster charged to attack.

"I respect you. I tell you what, both of us gonna fall. Be the last standing and I'm giving the dagger back." 

As dopamine depleted from her neurons energy evaporated out of him. With the very last ounce of power he launched forward. 

She dodged the swing, lowering downward toward the rip cage for the final blow.

But the sword changed its direction, targeting her exposed neck. All remaining strength in a final swing.

Only for his vision axis to become horizontal. A kick to his legs.

"A great dual you put on out there, young fella." She stood above him, cool and all for a second before falling backward. Dopamine depleted.

"Come and fight me again!" She told as all the dark skeletons disappear, red glow getting fainter and fainter.

'I think I cracked something in my pelvis doing that kick...Ow.'