Chapter 6

Foreign artifacts detected.

Measuring mana orb cost.

No mana orbs detected. Cancelling transaction. Removing foreign artifacts.

Entering trial..

I was still shaking my head dazedly with my eyes squeezed shut from the overwhelming nausea scrambling my brains when I was bumped from behind.

“Yo, watch where you’re going dude.”

Surprised, I looked over my shoulder to find a skinny pimple-faced teenager wearing baggy jeans and a long T-shirt frowning at me expectantly, as though expecting an apology.

I swept my eyes beyond the youth and could only gape at my surroundings. I had been expecting that we would be joined by others, since the trial was for 100 people. Still, sweeping my eyes around, it was shocking to say the least.

All sorts of crazy scenarios had gone through my head when I entered the trial, but this was one of the last places I could have expected.

“Damn weirdo,” I heard the teenager say, before he walked away and blended into the sea of people around us.

There weren’t just 100 people in this trial. There were easily thousands. Maybe tens of thousands. They came from all walks of life, and belonged to all different ages and colors. They carried shopping bags and transparent plastic cups filled with colorful smoothies and bright curly straws. Both to my left and right, dozens of brightly lit shops extended as far as I could see, each bearing familiar signs: Banana Republic, GAP, Apple, LEGO, etc.

“A shopping center.. It’s a damn shopping center..” came Allie’s faint voice from beside me.

Only then did I realize that at some moment I had instictively reached down to grasp her hand firmly in mine.

“I don’t understand,” I said, shaking my head while taking in the massive complex around us. It was a shopping center alright - if such a behemoth could still be called such. Huge glass panels had been laid side by side to make up the entire ceiling several stories above. The entire structure was so ridiculously large that right in front of us stood a massive theme park, complete with roller coasters and a Ferris wheel.

What surprised me the most, however, was the sheer size of the crowds. There was a constant cacophony of sounds that generated a constant din in the background. People constantly jostled us as they walked past while giving us strange stares.

That was no wonder, since we had been wearing the best of Allie’s tactical gear when we set out for the trial. That meant we were both wearing grey camo suits of cut-resistant fabric like the one used by the military, high-laced combat boots, patrol backpacks with hydration packs, and a tactical harness with multiple pouches and holsters.

We had set out with the mentality to fight an all-out war if necessary, and we certainly looked the part - except for the weapons. They had all been taken away as ‘foreign artifacts’, whatever that meant. Still, if we were drawing attention with how we were dressed now, I could only imagine the commotion we might have caused if we had arrived toting a pump shotgun and full auto assault rifle.

At least we weren’t the only stupefied people in the crowd. In fact, now that I had some time to get my bearings, I could spot several other people around us whose expressions told me they hadn’t come for your typical shopping trip. In fact, most looked just as surprised as we did, looking around with wide, staring eyes as though it were the first shopping mall they had seen in their lives.

“Welcome to this Trial of the Ark, brave warriors. Please, gather closer and allow me to introduce myself. I am Orb Keeper Charon.”

The voice cut through the din of the crowd like a knife, instantly drawing the gazes of all the people who clearly didn’t belong to the rest of the shopping crowd. Turning in the direction of the voice, I saw Orb Keeper Charon for the first time.

He was a tall man of slim build with narrow eyes, thin lips and wide mouth. His skin glittered with gold paint, like that of street performers who pretended to be metal statues. He wore a tall top hat and leisure suit that also sparkled with the same golden hue. Gleaming white teeth flashed at us as he smiled brightly.

“Now, I’m sure all of you have many questions you wish to ask. Well, while I’m known for my kind disposition and charming nature, questions have a way of getting under my skin, so I highly discourage you from pursuing any such impulses. Along the same vein, please listen closely to each of my instructions, as I hate to repeat myself.”

A low murmur rose from the crowd at Charon’s words, but his smile did not falter at all as he kept on speaking.

“Remember this place well, as you will no doubt have occasion to return here,” Charon said, pointing to the sign above his booth that read ‘Charon’s Candyland’. Behind him stood several candy dispensing machines with different signs attached to them.

“Your purpose in the trials is simple: survive. Those who do shall earn the delightful prizes awaiting the champions of the trial. Simple, right? Now that we got that out of the way-”

A man’s voice suddenly jumped in. “Hey, what do you mean by survive? I demand-”

The rest of the words was cut off by a wet pop, almost like a balloon bursting, followed by a splashing sound. Several high pitched screams immediately followed.

“AAAH!”

“Oh my god!”

“H-His head!”

Turning toward the noise, I saw the headless body of a man sway violently from side to side before slowly tumbling to the floor. Blood splurted furiously from his neck, quickly creating a puddle around the corpse. Several people were reeling away in shock, blood splattered across their clothes and faces.

I could feel Allie’s fingers tightly wound around mine as she drew closer to me without a word. I placed my other arm around her shoulders while turning my head away, a blend of disgust and horror clashing in my heart. Just what sort of place had I brought my Allie to?

“Ahem,” Charon cleared his throat, still wearing that unsettling grin on his face. “Please, allow me to apologize for that. Like I said, I don’t deal with questions very well. I hope that addresses any further issues that might arise in the future, unless anyone else wishes to raise a question at this moment?”

He looked expectantly at the crowd of people around him. There was no one else who dared to so much as speak a word, let alone ask another question.

“Great, I’m pleased to see a group with such refined sensibilities. We may yet see a worthy champion arise here,” Charon said, clapping his hands enthusiastically. Then he caught several of us looking in confusion at the multitudes of passers-by who didn’t seem to mind the headless corpse sprawled on the floor.

“Oh, don’t worry about them. Only you chosen ones can see and hear me.”

As if to illustrate his words, Charon seized the arm of a curvy brunette who was walking past. He gestured toward the low-cut top the woman wore and it obediently parted open. As her clothes fell to the floor along with her bra, her generous, milky white breasts and pink nipples were revealed.

Charon seized one in his hand and squeezed cruelly, digging his fingers deep into her flesh. The woman’s expression didn’t change one bit, even as blood began to drip down her snowy skin. Charon took a moment to look around, meeting our eyes, before roughly shoving the woman away.

The woman fell to the floor without a sound. When she slowly picked herself back up, her expression still hadn’t changed at all. Seemingly oblivious to her state of undress or the bloody marks on her breasts, the poor woman smiled as she began to walk and vanished into the crowds.

“As you can see, my authority over this place is absolute. Mind that you do not forget that fact.”

Suddenly, a shrill female scream echoed from not too far away, in the direction where the woman had gone.

Charon licked the blood from his hand with a wicked grin that made me feel sick to the stomach.

“Now, as I was saying before that gentleman saw fit to interrupt me, and since there are no further questions, let us start the trial in earnest. Of course, I’m not unaware of the rigors of your journey to this unfamiliar place. Thus, you will be given two hours to settle yourselves before we gather back here for the first stage of the trials. I know, I’m all heart. You don’t have to thank me.”

At this point, I noticed a handful of people with grim expressions turning away and melting into the crowds.

Most of us, however, could only stare in horror between the growing puddle of blood around the decapitated corpse on the floor and Charon’s bright grin. The most unsettling part was how aside from the relatively small group of trial takers, the rest of the crowd around us seemed completely oblivious to both the corpse and Charon’s presence, milling around us and laughing as they walked past.

“Oh, just a couple important bits before I forget. For those faint of heart, allow me to point out that any attempt to run away from the trials will lead to rather unpleasant consequences. The same holds for any indiscrete soul who might feel tempted to tell any outsiders about the trial and its contents. Do pay attention to both points. We wouldn’t want any more accidents to happen, right?”

A collective shudder ran through the crowd.

Charon gazed expectantly around himself with a ghastly grin. “Well, what are you waiting for? Go on, enjoy yourselves! The frozen yogurt and hot dogs are particularly good. Get a move on while you still can, brave warriors. Tick tock.”

As though his last words had broken a spell, the masses of people around us suddenly began screaming.

“AAAH!”

“T-There’s a dead man!”

“Oh my god, look at all the blood..”

“Call 911!”

The crowd went wild. People were screaming and running away, while others were taking out their phones. Only some of them seemed to be making a call, while most simply raised their phone and began recording the scene.

I pulled on Allie’s hand and led her away. She followed me without a word while casting occasional looks over her shoulder.

Only after we had drawn a comfortable distance away, did I finally stop to grab her face between my hands.

“Are you alright?”

Allie nodded. “Yeah, I think so. You?”

I nodded back, then frowned in the direction we had come from. “He killed him, just like that.”

“Did you see how he did it?”

I shook my head. “No, but they magically summoned 100 of us here. I can’t say I’d be surprised to find he simply magicked his head away.”

Allie shuddered at my words. “I thought.. I thought they were trying to save us.”

“The Ark, right? Yeah, I thought so too.”

“I mean, I’ve seen dead bodies before while dealing with cases. Murder victims, accidents, all sorts of things,” Allie said, frowning deeply. “But that thing’s smile, that’s a sociopathic murderer who could decide any of us is next on a whim.”

I could feel the bitter sting of regret at having brought Allie to this terrible place, but I pushed it back with an inward snarl. For now, I had to focus on getting both of us out of here alive.

“He said we had two hours. Let me see what time it is,” I said, fumbling in my pants for my cellphone, but it was gone. “Damn, they took that too.”

Allie shook her head. “Use your mark.”

Following her suggestion, I placed my hand on the mark at my wrist.

Orb User Tier F

Orb User Level: 0

Mana Orbs: 1

Skill Orbs: 0

Special Orbs: 0

Orb Keeper Charon’s Trial of the Ark is in progress.

Users 99/100

Current Objective: Prepare for Stage 1 (1h 56m 11s)

“When did..?”

“I checked as soon as we came through,” Allie said. “The objective updates automatically, as does the number of users. Before, it said 100 out of 100, and the objective was to meet to Charon.”

“Damn, couldn’t he have told us about this?”

Allie shook her head with a grim set to her mouth. “I’m quickly coming to realize these trials are not the type where they lead you by the hand.”

I grunted at that. No kidding.

“It says we should prepare. I think we should do just that,” Allie said. “I don’t think we can afford to waste a single second in this nightmare.”

“You’re right,” I agreed. “Let’s get a feel for the layout of the place.”

“Not just that. We need a detailed map of the place, a layout of the security in place, a copy emergency plans, and supplies. That means weapons, water, phones, radios.. Anything that can help us.”

“At least we won’t have trouble finding supplies,” I said, eyeing all the shops around us.

Allie started nodding, but then frowned as she rummaged in her pockets.

With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I immediately did the same.

It was no use, they were empty. No cash or credit cards.

“All your stuff is gone too?” I asked.

Allie nodded grimly.

We were stuck in the midst of all the supplies we might need, but we couldn’t rub two cents together between the two of us.

“That’s fine, we’ll deal with that when we have to. First, we need to get a map and figure out where we are,” Allie said.

We found a large electronic display not too far away. Reading the words at the very top, we finally knew where we were.

“Welcome to the Mall of America?” I read, disbelief in my voice. I turned to Allie. “Wasn’t that somewhere out east?”

“Bloomington, Minnesota,” she replied. “It’s the biggest shopping mall in the US with over 500 stores.”

“Damn, Minnesota?” I repeated, shaking my head.

“There, the admin office,” Allie said, pointing a spot in the map. “First, we get a map. Then we familiarize ourselves with the place while we secure some supplies.”

“We have no money, remember?” I pointed out. “What are we going to do, beg and steal?”

“It’s only stealing if you get caught,” Allie said matter-of-factly as she led me away.

“Are you sure you’re a servant of the law?” I asked.

“Of course, that’s why I know all the loopholes.” She rolled her eyes. “If you feel so badly about it, we’ll mail them a check later.”

“Nevermind,” I muttered, and I couldn’t help but wonder if there would be a later.

After a few minutes, we arrived at the admin office, which was much more difficult to find than it had any right to be. It was tucked deep inside a side corridor, just around the corner from a restroom and an emergency exit.

“Hey, there’s an exit there. You think we should try our luck?”

Allie quickly shook her head, and I had to agree. Who knew if our heads would magically disappear as soon as we stepped through?

Instead, I turned to the admin office and rattled on the handle of its glass door. “It’s locked, and the lights are off.”

Allie frowned, then looked around furtively. “Cover me.”

“What?”

“Watch my back, make sure no one comes around.”

“What are you going to do?”

Allie took a couple hairpins from her hair, then knelt down before the door.

“I knew it was you who broke into Heather’s office and stole those photos!” I cried out, even as I moved to stick my head out around the corner.

“Just pay attention to your job and stop distracting me!”

“Do you know what happened after her husband found the pictures of her fooling around with his brother?”

“She deserved it for parading half-naked around you every chance she got,” Allie said without an ounce of remorse.

“I thought you were supposed to put away thieves, not join them! Where’d you learn how to do that, anyway?”

“It’s just a little something I picked up from a former client,” Allie said absently.

“A male client?”

“Yes, a hot hunk with a balding patch and cataracts in one eye,” Allie said, and I could hear the exasperation in her voice. “Now stop distracting me.”

As I did a mental catalog of all of Allie’s clients that I could remember and looked for a bald spot and cataracts, I heard a click and turned around to see Allie beckoning me while pushing the door open.

“Couldn’t we have asked for a map at the information booth or something?” I whispered.

Allie shook her head. “I want something more detailed, like floorplans. Besides, we need to know where alternate points of entry can be found, security distribution, and emergency plans.”

“Why do you always sound like you’re getting ready to fight a war?”

“Because that’s how far I’ll go to keep you safe and by my side, baby,” Allie said, winking at me.

That’s when it really hit me that we were literally about to start a war - a war for survival. Charon didn’t strike me as the type who would have us playing a round of merry-go-round to pick the winners. If that shop keeper at the pawn shop was right, then we would need every advantage we could seize to come out of this in one piece.

“You check there, I’ll search these desks,” I said, moving forward and getting busy.

We found a decent floorplan pinned to one of the walls. It clearly showed all the side corridors and maintenance tunnels that ran behind and under the skeleton of the mall. We also found a few sets of radios with fully charged batteries and matching ear pieces. We appropriated a pair of them after testing that they were working.

“There should be fifteen security guards on duty at any given time. As I feared, none of them carry a gun,” Allie said, frowning down at a document in her hand.

“Fifteen guards for this whole place? And they don’t even carry a gun?”

“Places like this don’t expect much trouble besides the occasional stoned teenager, drunk beggar, or distraught customer. That’s fine. I expect the police should be here any minute now due to the corpse from earlier.”

“I doubt they’ll be much help against a psychopathic demon, or whatever that Charon is,” I said.

“Yeah, but I really feel naked without a gun.”

I stared at Allie. “You can’t mean to..”

Allie just shrugged. “Girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do to feel safe, especially when her boyfriend is armed with nothing but a swiss army knife.”

I looked down at the knife I had ‘borrowed’ from a mall employee’s desk and frowned. I really needed something better if I had any hope of keeping Allie safe. A blade would need to be at least twice as long as what I had to serve as an effective killing weapon.

“Fine, let’s see what we can do about that. No unnecessary risks though, alright?”

Allie nodded, but her eyes told me otherwise. It was like she was ready to go all-in at any time in her wild hopes to find a cure for me here. She wouldn’t let anything stand in her way of accomplishing just that.

It alarmed me, but at the same time, I could understand exactly how she felt.

After all, I mused as I slipped the knife inside my pocket, I would use tooth and nail if necessary to tear apart any bastard who tried to harm my Allie.

As we exited the office and pushed the door closed, I heard steps coming from the corridor at my back.

“Hey, fancy meeting you guys here.”

I turned around to see a well-built man with a neatly trimmed beard and some gray at his temples nodding to us in greeting.

“And who might you be?” I asked cautiously.

“Name’s Dave,” the man said, holding out his hand. “I saw you guys back at the theme park. You’re here for the trial as well, right?”

I hesitated for a moment before slowly walking forward and shaking his hand. “Yeah, we are. I’m Kaizer, and this is Alexia.”

“Hello Kaizer, and you Alexia.” Dave smiled as he offered his hand to my girlfriend, who reluctantly stepped forward to shake it. “Good to meet some friendly folks, especially under the circumstances. What do you folks say we join hands for now?”

“Why should we do that?” I said slowly, studying the man.

Dave spread his hands to the sides with an easy smile. “Whoa, easy now. I don’t know if you realize just how dangerous a situation we’re in right now, but these trials are life and death stuff. Trust me, I’ve already been through one.”

“What?” Both Allie and I blurted out at the same time.

“You heard me. I was one of the survivors of the last trial, and let me tell you, you need to hear what I know.”