With some reluctance, I ate the hot dog as I made my way back to the throng of people still anxiously standing around. After a bite, I shouted at them. “There’s a food cart making its way around! Hot dogs for tokens.” A few people moved off from the crowd after that, but I kept walking through it looking for V and Willie. The smell of food sent more than half the crowd searching for it, and the cart was just rolling into view as they began to break off.

I found V leaning against a wall outside of a shop— well, it looked more like a gym. Willie was there too, panting and covered in sweat. “Whatsup?” I asked, biting down again.

“Is there food?” Willie asked. I nodded, pointing towards the cart, and opened my mouth to speak, but he was already heading off to it. I quirked an eyebrow.

“What happened to him?” I asked V, still looking at Willie’s retreating back.

“Just a little shook.” V said nonchalantly. He seemed to be sobering up, eyes staring up at the ceiling.

“Who isn’t?” I offered. There was a pause, a silence that I filled. “Do you know what the next game will be?” I made my way over to lean against the wall beside him.

V chuckled, then broke out into a full on laugh. “I… I wish I did.” He said, calming down. “C’mon, check this out.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, pointing at the room behind him. From a distance, it had looked like a gym, but now, it looked almost like a dojo.

What I had mistaken for Yoga mats on the floor actually looked more like spots to spar, and what I thought were dumbells and weights along the walls were weapons, blunt iron training swords, spears, and knives. I wrinkled my face in confusion, finishing the last bite of my hot dog and throwing it into the trash before stepping inside.

“What is this?”

“Its a dojo. One of the best ones in the world, actually.” V walked behind me, but stood outside of the room. I stepped in, walking along the wall and inspecting the various sparring weapons there. Several showed signs of immense age, wear and tear scarring dull blades and handles falling to pieces. A side panel in the back of the room slid open, and one of the masked attendants popped out.

A prompt appeared in front of me.

Mist Dojo Training

Cost: 10 tokens

Training will be selected for you.

Purchase?

Yes/No

“Is this worth spending on, V?” I looked back at him, then down to my token balance— it still hovered unerringly in the corner of my screen. After spending one on the hot dog, between my Saviour points and tokens, I had 224 remaining.

He shrugged. “Its good for the price, I guess.”

“So, can it teach sword play?” I asked, half joking, but V gave me a serious look.

“Is that what you got from your briefcase?”

I pulled the pocket sword out, twirling it in my hands.

“Yes—“ I said, and the room flashed into mist. I turned around, startled, but immediately realized what happened— I had accepted the prompt.

Mist Dojo TrainingEvaluating aptitudes…Searching for viable techniques…

Technique found: Imparting Mount Hua Swordplay

And then the prompt disappeared, and I was moving. I saw a mirror image of myself, matching the same bewildered facial expression I felt on my face, but I moved as if I was held in place by strings being moved by a puppet master, each movement deeply ingraining itself in my mind. I could feel it moving through my head, tracing neural pathways with fire as it ingrained something so deeply I was sure I would never forget it. The footwork, the steps, the movement, the thrust— and I stabbed into my own mirror image. My chest erupted in pain, and I gasped, my mirror image matching the expression, but when I pulled back there was no wound.

Again, this time, I spun and slashed, cutting into myself, and feeling an erupting line of burning pain.

Again, this time with different footwork, I circled and cut—

Again, again, again—

And then it was over, gone in a flash, and I was panting and sweating on the Dojo floor alone. The attendant had disappeared, and so had V from behind me.

That bastard knew what was in here and didn’t tell me! I clutched at my chest where the last stab wound was— there was nothing. Slowly, I poked and prodded at every inch of myself. There wasn’t so much as a scratch on my clothing. I looked down at the pocket sword in my hand, returning it to my pocket before heading out of the Dojo.

He might have been right, though. It might have been worth it. I felt the moves ingrained in my head, permanently. I didn’t think I would ever forget it. It was too vivid, not like a dream or even a memory. When I went over it in my head, it was like it was still happening, with the pain and all. I knew how to execute each technique, its in and outs, its flaws, and what each technique meant, what each strike would feel like to receive.

I stalked along the corridor of stores, now more weary about each one. There were all kinds— mall ninja shops that looked like they were packed with weapons from a chinese martial arts action movie, retro 80’s stores full of purple and blue lights and lava lamps, sci-fi looking installations full of retro-futuristic looking technology. My eyes wandered the stores, but on my right, one opened into an arcade.

There was one person standing outside, which attracted my attention. They were short, maybe 5’3, and completely covered in clothes. They wore a loose jacket over a baggy hoody, which they wore up, hiding the side of their face. Baggy pants covered tennis shoes, and as I walked closer, they turned to look at me.

Tattoos snaked around one of her eyes, a complicated pattern that looped down her face, and I saw her grab something in her pocket. Purple eyes flicked up and down as she inspected me, and then she turned and looked away, seemingly disinterested. Raising an eyebrow, I elected not to comment, stepping up to the arcade.

“What does this place sell…” I muttered to myself. “Not going to get blasted to bits in a video game to learn something am I?”

“You visit the Dojo, then?” She asked, her voice harsh.

I raised an eyebrow. I didn’t expect her to actually reply. “Yeah, sucks. You?”

“No, I haven’t been.” She spoke tersely. That was an interesting bit of information— the fact that she hadn’t been but knew what it entailed likely meant she was in the group of people that knew what was going on.

“What are you buying from the arcade?” I asked, eager to change the subject, but this netted me an angry look and her reaching for whatever was in her pockets again.

“Nothing, now that I didn’t get enough points. Listen— that stunt you pulled, saving everyone? Just stop. Let me give you a bit of advice. Don’t name all the animals in a slaughter house. Do yourself a favor and don’t get attached.”

Didn’t get enough points? Did she get denied whatever she wanted to buy because of me. I frowned at that, stepping up to the arcade. Immediately, the screens nearest me began to flash to life. Over them hovered system interfaces detailing different purchases that could be made.

Jumping Warrior

A game to raise Dexterity.

Dexterity allows a user to react quicker and retain greater control over their actions

Attempt cost: 40 tokens

Bonus clear reward: Double jump Drake Quest XI

A game to raise Intelligence.

Intelligence improves a user’s memory, increases their information processing speed and improves their natural capacity to learn

Attempt cost: 40 tokens

Bonus clear reward: Ignite Pluto

A game to raise Will.

Will allows a user to retain self control, resist terror, and maintain mental fortitude in dire situations

Attempt cost: 40 tokens

Bonus clear reward: Death Defiance

“You’ll be able to gain more tokens in the next game right?” I asked, stepping forward to scan more rows of games.

“You say that like its simple! Do you know how many people normally survive one of these?”

I stepped through the arcade, chewing on my response. She was following me in, now. For a place that looked nearly abandoned, it was in great shape. Someone had taken the care to dust the controls and clean the floor, though it still had a tear here and there from wear. As I moved farther back into the arcade store, the arcade games started to disappear, changing to tables on which sat board games, decks of cards, and farther back, sets of chess and checkers games.

The strange game store unfolded, larger on the inside than it was on the outside, as if it wormed its way around the edge of the building. The fanciful, colorful, retro carpet changed from patterns of space invaders and fighting game characters to an old shag, and the place started smelling like someone still smoked in it regularly. It was like the place had grown with the years, leaving more and more behind. Like the building was the living shell of a snail, each layer marking its past. This place was creepy as fuck.

I turned back to her to answer, but noticed that her gaze was fixated on a deck of cards behind me, her gaze intense, brow furrowed.

I brushed my hands over one of the decks of cards, and a new game appeared. This one must have been the one she wanted— I was likely the only person with enough points to get it.

Poker

A game to raise Intelligence.

Intelligence improves a user’s memory, increases their information processing speed and improves their natural capacity to learn

Attempt cost: 200 tokens

Bonus clear reward: Eyes of Providence

“If I have my way? All of them.” I said. “You’re mad because I didn’t let those people die? Because you wanted points?”

“You got no idea what’s at stake here.” She grit her teeth, walking off.

I briefly stared down the turning hall of the game store. Even going this far, this place gave me the creeps. I didn’t want to make my way down the tunnel to find games played with stones and dirt, so I turned to leave. I didn’t know what time it was after my time in the Dojo, but I felt exhausted, especially after that conversation, so I made my way out of the arcade and continued my walk, my eyes searching for V or Willie. Here and there, I saw people talking in groups. Several waved as I passed them. Others were passed out on the public seating or leaning against the floor. A few people were cradled up against walls or on the ground, holding their heads.

Eventually, the abandoned mall ended. A new door was open at this end, leading into a well lit hall.

Above it was a sign showing the current number of players.

Five rows of twenty each, all full except the last eight spots…

There were only 92 alive now. I turned and looked back down the mall, swallowing any thought related to that, and stepped through the door.

I found myself in a hotel lobby, staring at a masked attendant, and an interface popped up again.

Hotel Rental

1 Bedroom, 3 days: 10 tokens

2 Bedroom, 3 days: 15 tokens

3 Bedroom, 6 days: 30 tokens

Cheaper in bulk. It seemed like this place wanted people to form teams.

“The 1 bedroom…” I selected, and the prompt disappeared. There was a ding as an elevator opened, and I stepped inside. I nearly fell as it shot upward at horrific speed, metal squealing as it rode the chain, and then, just as terribly, it stopped. The Elevator was swinging from side to side as the doors opened, as if it was suspended in the open air and not a shaft at all, hanging loose from a crane. I could see mist floating through the cracks between the door way and the elevator, and gingerly, I stepped inside. There was another ding as the doors slammed shut behind me, and the elevator shot down the stairs.

I looked around.

The walls looked like the yellow was stained on from cigarette smoke, and the cloth of the couch was patched up in different places. Across the middle was a long scar, like someone had taken a knife to the couch and cut it.

It reminded me way too much of my childhood home.

I kicked my shoes off, sliding over to the couch and collapsing on it, before noticing the fridge next to it. I could reach it from here, popping it open, only to receive a menu that the drinks inside cost tokens.

Of course they did.