The Arbiter didn't speak again and Gabriel could no longer feel its presence.
Sound rushed back into the hub, voices echoing excitedly off the walls. Now, everyone was speaking English.
Must be the language chip thing.
"Well, well, well, Gabriel… Lucien, is it?" Cole asked with a smile.
Gabriel scratched the back of his head. "Yep, that's me."
"Should we go find out what money-bags here can buy?" Marcus asked as he started toward the newly lit corridor, gesturing for the others to follow.
The group followed Marcus into the purple-lit corridor.
The other corridors were sealed, their entrances smoothed over with the same material as the surrounding walls. This one remained open, stretching far into the distance—wide enough for roughly twenty people to walk side by side.
Cole piped up, "By the way, just because you were quicker than me in that corridor doesn't mean you're better than me! I just wasn't trying." He grinned, then slapped Gabriel hard on the back.
Ouch.
At the end of the corridor stood a door, a massive door. As the group approached, it slowly slid open.
Beyond it lay a gigantic open area—no longer a corridor, but something resembling a street.
They stepped through and into the center.
Above them stretched what looked like a sky. A night sky. A moon hung overhead.
"Is this sky fake?" the girl asked. "It has to be fake, right?"
"I can't recognize any of the constellations," Cole said, squinting upward. "If it's real… then we definitely aren't on Earth."
They stood on a long pathway, like a city street but devoid of cars. Buildings lined both sides. Shops glowed with soft light. Alleyways branched off into darker spaces. Vendors stood along the road—each of them clearly androids.
Marcus bolted to the first stall he spotted.
"Hey! Guys! This one sells weapons!" he shouted, pointing back at the android vendor.
The group joined him, and Gabriel immediately scanned the display.
A longsword… dagger... A maul and much more
They were identical to the weapons he'd seen previous trialists use on the broadcasts earlier on in their trials.
"How much for the longsword? And the maul?" Marcus asked.
"These are all the prices," the vendor said cheerfully, extending her hand.
A blue holographic screen bloomed above her palm.
"Damn," Cole muttered. "Five bronze coins for the longsword? That's everything I have. And the maul is fifteen?"
There's no point in buying these weapons. They break too easily. I guess the maul's not bad. But that longsword isn't even half as good as the black one Jae-Sung used… and that one broke at trial 15.
"Hey," Gabriel muttered, "maybe don't buy any weapons."
"Huh?" Marcus blinked. "Then what are you gonna kill the monsters with?"
"For the first trial? Unless there are better weapons I can buy…" Gabriel raised his hands, "I'll just use my fists."
"Ooooh, scaryyy," the girl said, putting on an exaggerated look. "Okay, muscles. What should I do, use my fists as well?" She lifted her thin arms dramatically.
Cole chuckled. Marcus snorted.
"Well," Gabriel said, "in your case, maybe get a weapon. Us three should be able to wipe the goblin without one of these… crap weapons. Better to save the money for something better later."
She smirked, before buying a dagger for 3 bronze coins.
"That sounds like a challenge," Marcus said. "Who can get the furthest without using a weapon?"
"I warn you," Gabriel said with a smirk, "I'm very competitive."
"Perfect!" Marcus said, turning. "Cole, you in?"
Cole facepalmed. "If I say no, I'll look scared."
"Settled! Now let's check out the other vendors, maybe there's something here that makes you stronger." Marcus began running to stalls checking their wares but quickly ran into an issue. Some of the vendors had their goods hidden, and said that they 'would be revealed when the trialists progress further into the trials.'
Most vendors who had good that could be viewed, sold similar things, weapons, bows, armour, clothes etc… The stores that had their own buildings were completely unavailable to enter.
By now, the four of them weren't the only ones in the street. There were a couple hundred other contestants all crowding around the vendors that sold weapons. Many inspecting their new steel.
The group soon left the street after a bit more exploration. Deciding it was the perfect time for lunch… or dinner, or breakfast. No one knew the time, only the time that it was until the next trial. The digital clocks that counted down were everywhere.
26:29:12
They were back in the hub now. Excitement had died down now. Most people were in the gym area, where they were practicing with wooden weapons, a few had bought steel weapons already.
The group headed over to the canteen area which was pretty sparse, even though there was over a hundred people here.
Gabriel went up to the android at the counter.
"Gabriel! And friends! Welcome back. Food, drinks… maybe a chat?"