Sometime earlier......

Time: 22:35 PM

Sal:

"Huh? Did the weather change?"

After leaving Hugo's house, I was headed further down toward the bottom levels of the mine, when I looked up to see clouds appearing in the sky out of nowhere, and a loud thunder strike following soon after.

"Shame. I can't see the other planets anymore. Ah well, time to get moving."

I continued heading further downwards, which wasn't really an issue for me as my map-card had synced to the planet terrain while I was unconscious.

"Ah, trash can dude. You're my savior."

I could see a circular walled arena at the very bottom. It was quite large, taking up a good portion of the lower levels. I didn't have many issues getting down there thanks to Hugo's cybermask tech, however I still arose a few stares thanks to the gun I had on my back. Hopefully they believed I could use it, otherwise who knows what could happen.

As I walked toward the arena, taking care not to get noticed too much and weaving through the people just casually going about their daily lives, I couldn't help but feel a strange uneasiness over me. I felt......... out of place, I knew I was being watched...... somewhere.

"Keep cool, Sal. We're not here to cause any issues. Find the white-haired girl, find our stuff and hi-tail it out of there as fast as we can."

I could hear people cheering, the closer I got, the louder it became. After a short while I stood facing the large arched entrance, people were rushing in left and right in excitement, as if this was the only thing they could enjoy. As I walked in, I felt something bump into my leg. I turned to see two young kids, a boy and a girl, probably not even above ten years old standing behind me.

"See, I told you it was him!!!!" the girl proclaimed.

"Fine, you were right. I'll give you some of my candy the next time dad gives us some." the boy replied

"Oh no, please don't tell me I look like someone they know." I thought

"Hey you?" the girl asked, "You were the guy who was taking a nap on the blonde guy's shoulder earlier. Are you all better now?"

Phew, looks like I'm in the clear. They must have seen Telsin and Miranda carry me in. I took a closer look at the two kids, they seemed excited for some reason. The girl tried to reach for my hand but I flinched at the last minute.

"You see..." the boy replied, "I told you that he wouldn't want to hang out with us. Let's just go."

They started to walk away, when I called out to them.

"It's not that... I just...... haven't had any contact with anyone else besides those two people you saw me with in a... very long time."

"Are you an outcast too?" the boy asked

"Mr. Hugo says all outcasts are welcome." the girl replied

"You two are sweet but I don't think I'll be staying long. My friends and I are just passing through." I told them

"That's what the orange-haired lady said too." the boy said

"Did she say anything else?" I asked

"She said you're nice..." the girl said, smiling

I took a deep breath. It was different, hearing words like that from someone other than Miranda. I didn't usually get these sorts of compliments. Then again, they can't see who I really am. They'd run the moment that they truly knew. It was almost like this face was a barrier, a persona I could hide behind.

"Yeah..., yeah she would probably say something like that." I said, crouching down to their level, "Hey, could you two help me out? I need to find Mr. Hugo's daughter. He said she's supposed to help me find a few things. Can you guys help me find her?"

They both looked at each other with concerned faces.

"You...want to see Alice?" they replied

That was her name, I hope she can actually help out. And I can find that thief before my stuff disappears forever.

"Yes, I want to see Alice. It's...important. Do you know where she is?" I asked

"Um..." the boy said, acting very twitchy, "Now is probably not a great time. All the other teenagers are busy in the matches, and today is a special day."

"Why is that?" I asked

As I said that, a loud horn noise sounded from within the arena, and everyone around began rushing in at full speed. The two looked toward the entrance, then back at each other and nodded in agreement.

"We'd rather just show you. It's gonna start soon." the girl said

They grabbed my hands and dragged me through the entrance.

15 Minutes Later

Time: 23:00 PM

The kids led me through a large passageway that opened into a circular area with two paths, one leading up and another heading downwards, the inside was just like the outside. Put together with large pieces of scrap probably from outside or within the mine itself, however the architecture did look sound. I looked toward the kids, who seemed to be talking between themselves softly.

"Uh...Where are we going?" I asked

"Hopefully there's still seats left; everyone is so pushy there." the boy said

"Can't we just go and sit at our secret spot?" the girl asked

"Don't be silly. He can't fit in the space there." the boy replied

They were so enveloped in their conversation that they didn't notice that the upward path they were leading me on was closed off.

"Uh, guys. It's closed."

"Huh?" they said in unison as they saw that the entrance to what I assume was the seating area, was closed off with a large metal grate. You could hear a crowd chanting from the other side.

"Aw... They closed it, what do we do now?" the girl asked

"I don't know." the boy replied

"What about that downward path we passed earlier?" I asked

"That's only for people who are... involved in the fights." the boy replied, "We're not allowed down there, or in the arena. None of the kids are."

I looked around for a moment, over to the left there was a smaller, narrower path upwards, hidden in the shadows.

"What about over there?" I asked, pointing at the smaller passageway.

"It goes to the top of the arena, it's where our secret spot for watching things here. But the door there is closed as well, and you can't fit through the hole in the fence." the girl told me.

"Let's check it out, maybe we can figure out something." I replied

The two looked at each other for a few moments. Looks like they have to both agree before they do anything drastic. The girl let go of my hand and ran up the small path, vanishing almost instantly, with the boy gesturing that I should remain with him. A few short moments later she reappeared. They both walked up to me.

"Come up in five minutes. We don't want anyone finding out about our way up, they'll close it off if they do." the boy said

"See you at the top. But if you take too long, we're gonna come back." the girl said

They ran off, disappearing into the shadows. I did as they asked and waited a few minutes before following in their direction. I was stopped by a small metal gate, with a "Do Not Enter" sign hanging off it. I tried to push it open, only to notice the shimmer of a metallic lock on the side.

"Must be chained shut. I wonder......"

I pulled the rifle off my back and inspected the stock.

"Seems sturdy enough."

I rammed the lock with the back of the gun until it broke off. Fortunately, the noise of the crowd deafened the noise I was making. After breaking the lock off in a few attempts, I opened the door and headed further upwards to the roof. It was pretty high up, you could see the entire interior from here. There were a few boxes that were put together as a makeshift seating area. I found the kids already there, watching the spectacle below.

"See, I made it." I told them

I sat between them, it seemed that they had already set up a box for me to sit on. They were silent, as they pointed towards a podium extension placed halfway down. There were only a few people in there, but it was hard to make out due to the distance. However, there was a shorter guy closer to the edge, he looked like he had a microphone. He was speaking to the crowd but they were shouting too loudly for us to hear him clearly.

"How do you guys even hear him from up here?" I asked

"It gets quieter after the fight usually starts." They replied

After a few moments of the roaring crowd's cheers, they began to quiet down. After hearing the noise of a gate opening, I looked down to see two people enter a ringed area, almost like a sand pit of some sort. One had a long staff and the other a blunt mace and a very shoddy looking shield, even from this distance.

"Wait, those guys are armed!!!! I thought you guys just went full on fisticuffs until one dude hits the floor."

"Where's the fun in that?" The girl asked me.

"I thought Hugo was kidding when he said these guys could get maimed, and you guys watch this......so casually?"

"Yes. There's nothing better to do around here. But no-one's died in a long time, so it's okay." The boy replied, pointing at the two contestants below, "Now shush, it's gonna start soon."

The guy with the microphone started talking again and we were able to hear him this time.

"Is everyone ready for a throwdown!!!!!" He yelled, "We have a good show here folks, these two fine gentlemen seek to make it big with the Gladiators this season. Well you know the rules people, two enter and only one leaves standing!!!!! Anything goes, use whatever dirty tactics you have on you, but remember the main rule. WE. DON'T. KILL. OUR. OWN. PEOPLE!!!!!!"

The two people in the ring raised their weapons in the air and each got into a stance.

"AND GO!!!!!"

The match was underway. The one with the mace charged first, hoping to gain the upper hand with an overhead strike. The staff-wielder dodged, countering with a side-swipe, but it was blocked.

"These guys look experienced; almost like they can read each other's movements." I thought

They broke off and began circling each other, waiting for the right moment to strike. The crowd roared as the spectacle continued, the two kids next to me kept their cool throughout all of this. This was...... 'normal' for them...... The fighters clashed again, the mace user managing to exact a strike on his opponents' abdomen, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers. The staff user doubled backwards; his one hand clasped on his side. That must have hurt...

The mace user charged in again, using the shield to knock the other off-balance onto the ground. One well-timed strike later, and he split the staff in two when the staff user tried to defend with it.

"Who do you think is gonna win?" The girl asked her brother

"I bet the mace guy, he's already got a hit in, and the other guy's weapon is useless. So, he's as good as in the med-bay already." The boy replied

"Yeah, I think so too." She said, turning to face me, "Who do you think is gonna win?"

The staff user was on the floor at this point, getting his face bashed in with a mace. I could see his hands desperately trying to stop his assailant, but the strange thing was that he was only using one hand at a time, each time he changed hands he reached out for the broken halves of his staff that were close by.

"Nah, I think the staff guy may just pull out a miracle." I answered

They looked at me in sheer surprise.

"That's impossible......" the girl said

"Yeah, have you even watched a fight before; the person that hits the ground first always loses." The boy replied, "It's a known fact."

"Watch..." I told them.

The mace user began to show signs of fatigue, as his attacks began to visually slow down, and he knew it. He decided to finish his opponent off with one final strike, and that's when his opponent trumped him, by throwing sand in his face. The mace user staggered backwards. The staff user scrambled for one of the staff halves and rammed it straight through his opponent's side.

The two kids looked on in amazement, while the crowd went crazy.

"Told you..." I said

While his opponent struggled to remove the embedded weapon from his body. The staff user lumbered over to the other staff half. Grabbed it, and began to senselessly beat the living daylights out of his opponent. Until he fell completely. All while the crowd roared incessantly. A brutal spectacle. But one adored by these people.

"How did you know the other guy would win." The boy asked me

"Well, I've been in my fair share of scraps before......" I said proudly.

Mainly escapes, but I think it's better they don't know that.

"And as long as you're determined to win, you can always find a way. No matter the situation."

The MC of the match returned to the front of the box, microphone in hand.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!!!! WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!!!" he boomed, "And we have a very special prize for the winner today. Show 'em Scarlet!!!!!"

Another person approached from behind, a redhead, presenting the prize. And the reason for all the nonsense I had to deal with ever since I arrived on this damn planet.

MY SATCHEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That white haired thief was here. I wish I could settle the score, but my priority is that satchel.

"Come on over and collect your prize. From what I've seen on the inside. It's pretty good." The MC said, placing my stuff on a small platform that lowered down into the pit.

I have to get down there. I had to take a safe approach though, I don't think they'll take kindly to an outsider looting someone's prize.

"Can you guys see Alice from here?" I asked

"She's usually in the box place, you should see her in a bit. She usually shows up." The girl answered

"You saw how crabby she was today." The boy chimed in, "We'll be lucky to see her at all."

"Why was she crabby?" I asked

"I dunno, but I've never seen her so mad. She didn't even say hello." The girl answered, "Maybe something happened yesterday, she didn't even show up to any of the matches, so I guess it was bad."

Either way, the match was over, the victor was decided. But............... the crowd cheered for more. The victor, clearly drunk on the notion of his victory. Instead of decided to showboat his win by grabbing his opponent by his hair and raising him for all to see. His opponent didn't take that lightly. A swift headbutt followed, knocking them both to the ground. Laughter erupted from the viewers, entertaining them. The staff wielder, enraged, plunged the other piece of his broken staff into his opponents' chest.

The act, brutal in essence, silenced the whole arena. The unmistakable growing red stain on the ground, the frantic jerking the body gave before it finally slowed to a crawl, and then nothing at all.

"Did he......?" the girl asked

"He...he did." The boy replied

"So that's it huh? You two have seen countless fights, but you've never actually seen someone die before. Have you?"

They stood there silent like the others, the new killer stumbled back, realizing what he had done. Having regained his senses, began to plead toward the people in the podium. Utter silence followed, he ran for the gate he had come in with, only to fall to the ground a second later as the sound of a gunshot rang through the arena.

From the podium, someone stood next to the MC, Armor-clad with a pistol in hand, none other than the thief I was looking for. Everyone remained silent while she stood, almost as if they were in the presence of a queen. I turned to the two kids.

"Who is she?" I asked, pointing at her.

"She, is who you're looking for. That's Alice, Queen of the Arena. She punishes those who break the rules."

You have got to be shitting me, the one who's supposed to help me find my stuff......is the girl who stole it in the first place......

"That's Alice, the armored, white-haired chick who just shot a guy. That's Alice!!!!!!"

They silently nodded, and I had a feeling that these two weren't in a capable state. I probably needed to continue alone. There was always the chance I could get found out, and I can't put these two in a bad situation.

"Kids. It's time for you two to go home. The fun's over." I said

I got them to stand up and started to lead them back downstairs.

"We're fine!!!" they protested

"Go. Home. Now." I said

"You're not the boss of us!" the girl shouted back

"No..." the boy said, "He's right. I wanna go home, come on sis."

I took them with me back to the entrance and after watching them leave, rushed back up to the roof. When I got there, I saw Alice standing at the front of the podium, microphone in hand.

"Somebody get someone down here to clean this up, and since the winner is disqualified, or in this case, dead. The prize will go to whoever wins tomorrow, as for today, all matches are cancelled." She said, with a soft and calm yet commanding voice.

There was a loud 'clack' followed by the sound of gears turning. The bottom gates were opening up. A few people walked in and began to remove the bodies of the two fighters on the ground.

"Time to move."

I walked back down towards the ground floor and saw the bodies of the two fighters being dragged away. Looks like this was a shock to all of them, as the people dragging them off seemed disturbed by the turn of events. So much so that they hadn't even noticed me standing nearby.

"The kids weren't the only ones affected by this..." I thought

I continued further downwards along the other path that I had noticed on the way in. It led to one of the large gates that opened into the main arena. It was open and you could still see the fresh blood that had mixed with the sand, or at the least I hope it's sand. Looking toward the podium I could still see my satchel on the platform that they used to lower it down earlier. They hadn't brought it back up yet, as the people above, including Alice, seemed to be deep in discussion.

"Alright, how should I do this?" I thought.

Rush it? No, too risky. I'd be shot faster than I could get to it. I needed some way to get close without looking too obvious. I turned back to see a guy pushing a wheelbarrow full of sand next to me. He was winded and took a moment to relax. It looked like it was too much for him to push alone.

"Need some help with that?" I offered

"Oh God YES!!!!!" he replied

Jackpot...... We lifted the wheelbarrow and began pushing it toward the pool of blood, and my assumption that it was sand was finally cleared. As we pushed, I could see that he was observing the gun on my back.

"Hey...... where did you get that??? I've never seen anything like it before."

"Put it together myself, pretty proud of the result if you ask me..." I said

"Cool." He said as we finally reached the center of the pit, "Thanks for the assist. I can take it from here. I haven't seen you around here before, are you new?"

"Just passing through." I replied, "I won't be around too long."

I turned toward the podium while he got to work, due to the podium being higher than the sand pit, I couldn't see the whole thing, so Alice and the others were out of view. I could only see the redhead from before...... who I only noticed now was operating the pulley that was pulling my satchel back up.

"No, no, no. You gotta be kidding me."

Fortunately, about half-way up, it jammed, causing my satchel to fall all the way down. She began to rage toward the MC.

"Damn it! Ryder, it's broken again!!!!" She yelled out

"I can see that, Scarlett!!!!!" He said walking into view, "Maybe if you were more careful with your gorilla hands, you wouldn't have broken it." He yelled back

"Oh, fuck you, Ryder. You can't build for shit...... Hey you, down there!!!!" she said, pointing over at me

"Uh, me?" I asked, pretty much just standing around over here at this point.

"Yeah, you. Who else is there dumbass?"

"Well there is that guy over there shoveling dirt." I replied, pointing over at the guy near the wheelbarrow who, upon hearing me, immediately stopped and began flailing his arms in an 'X' motion.

I looked back to see that I had pissed her off, I guess her temper matches her hair.

"Hey Alice, we've already killed two, no-one will notice a third, right???" she asked, cracking her knuckles.

Alice, who until now had been quiet, finally decided to join the conversation, she could now see me and vice-versa. But frankly, the look on her face told me that she was not in the mood for my nonsense.

"Shut it!!! I'm in a bad enough mood without you idiots making it worse!!!! Look whoever the hell you are down there just bring the damn......"

She stopped for a moment and began to stare me down intensely.

"Be cool Sal, the cybermask is on. She has no idea who you are, just act natural." I thought.

She continued to stare for a few moments and pulled her hair back slightly before turning away.

"Just grab the bag and put it on the hook I'm gonna toss down, and don't look inside." The MC said, "Thanks again bud."

I walked over and picked up the satchel, finally back in my hands after so long. Now I just needed my escape plan. Running's not gonna cut it. I could see the guy lowering a chain to collect the satchel. It was in my hands again, only for me to have to give it up. So close, and yet so far. The chain stopped near me. I reached for the hook when I realized...

"This feels lighter than usual. I'm sure this was heavier when I bought all the stuff from the Bazaar."

I tore open the cover to see that my satchel was empty. There were however a few bundles of paper shoved in to give it some weight. That meant my notebook, the parts, my old tools, everything. They were all gone, all I had was the satchel itself, just a hollowed-out shell. I looked up to see the MC guy looking over me with a disappointed expression.

"I told you not to look dude." He laughed, "Uh bro..., you alright there, you look pale."

I can't take this anymore, all this way for nothing. I walked a bit until everyone on the podium was in view.

"Yo dude, put the bag on the hook!!!! What the fuck man, don't walk away from me."

"Where is it?" I asked

"Uh where's what dude?"

"I'M NOT TALKING TO YOU!!!" I yelled out, pointing at Alice, "I'M TALKING TO THAT THIEF!!!"

Everyone went silent and stared at me, including Alice.

"Did you just call our leader a thief man, you have a death wish or something? Apologise now and maybe we'll let you keep a few fingers." He said, all the while I got glares from the people on the podium.

The guy behind me grabbed the wheelbarrow and ran for his life.

"Where are they!!!" I continued, "I came this far and they're not here!!! I endured Telsin's crap! Got shocked building this damn rifle! Had to deal with Kyosuke killing more innocent people! Crashed into a damn billboard chasing your ass! Had your dad whiz a bullet across my face! And to top it all off, Miranda got hurt because of me!!! I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!!!"

I pulled out the rifle and after readying myself, reached for the power button on the cybermask, no going back now!! I'm getting my stuff back; I pressed the button and heard the mask power down.

"Dude, I have no idea what the hell you've been smoking. But if you don't legit leave right now, you're gonna di...... OH MY GOD!!!!!!"

The others jumped back, leaving Alice in front of them all. Absolute silence drifted for a few seconds. I did nothing but stare at Alice the whole time. She did the same, and after taking a deep breath, jumped off the podium and landed right in front of me. The impact scattering dust and sand into the air.

"I knew those clothes looked familiar; you came all this way just to fight me and die." She said, pulling the pistol she had on her out of its holster. "Well then, Sal Arterius, let's finish off our little date! Shall we?"