After Lucifer left, having decided to play the role of a mysterious stranger handing out quests to adventurers, Alex and Dean preferred to rest a little to catch their breath and finally relax. After all, from the very moment they woke up in this world, they had never managed to properly be in silence. Sprawled in the chair, Alex closed his eyes, trying to achieve temporary inner peace in order to think through several plans for the future.
He began slowly rocking on the chair, trying to relax. Dean, lying on the bed, also lay with his eyes closed, but unlike Alex, he was thinking about nothing — he was simply trying to snatch a couple of hours of sleep before the upcoming night outing. Time continued to pass, and the sun was gradually setting. During all this time neither Alex nor Dean said a single word to each other.
Dean was still lying on the bed with his hands behind his head, while Alex sat on the chair, slowly rocking and folding his arms across his chest. When the sun had almost set, Alex opened his eyes and raised his gaze to the ceiling. At that moment he simply couldn't help but think that only two days had passed since they killed Chuck, and they hadn't even managed to properly catch their breath before getting into yet another mess. Sighing at this absurdity, Alex shifted his gaze to Dean.
"Listen, Dean. I was just thinking…" Alex spoke, stopping rocking on the chair and taking a candy out of his pocket.
"About what?" Dean asked in a lazy tone, not even opening his eyes after Alex's words.
"Only two days have passed since we killed Chuck. We didn't even properly rest… If you don't count that crazy drinking session in Lucifer's company," Alex said, voicing his thoughts while slowly unwrapping a strawberry candy.
"Hmm… Indeed. If you hadn't said that, I wouldn't even have realized that only two days have passed since that bastard's death… Seems like we were just watching the explosion of an entire sector of the Galaxy, and now we're here," Dean said thoughtfully, slightly opening his eyes and turning onto his side to look at Alex.
"That's exactly what I mean. Where's our well-deserved rest? I was actually already planning a trip with the family," Alex said in a tired tone, restraining his desire to start complaining about life again.
"Well, it's always like that with us. If it's not one piece of shit, then it's another. But I agree with you, we deserve a rest. A normal rest on the beach, with a cocktail in a coconut, lying on a sun lounger under a palm tree," Dean nodded, fully agreeing that they needed a break.
"Eh, life is complete crap," Alex sighed wearily, putting the candy in his mouth and lazily stretching out on the chair.
"Yeah, life is pure shit. We should have gotten used to this by now, but somehow we still can't," Dean smirked slightly, making himself more comfortable on the bed and putting his hands behind his head again.
Laughing together with Dean, Alex bit into the strawberry candy and took out his pocket watch to check the time. He only remembered the approximate hour when the most interesting things start happening at the Wall Market. Seeing that the hands were approaching ten in the evening, Alex put the watch away and slightly shook his head from side to side, stretching his stiff neck.
Listening to the sounds in the house, he made sure that Aerith and Elmyra were in their rooms. Deciding to wait until ten before setting out, Alex rose from the chair and approached the sports bag that Lucifer had so carefully left for them. Opening his inventory, Alex took out three bulky round masks: a bear, a panda, and a hamster.
Hearing the rustling next to him, Dean turned onto his side and stared in surprise at Alex, who was trying to stuff three large round masks into the bag. Stroking his chin, Dean couldn't help but ask what he was doing. Alex only grinned, answering that it was still a secret and Dean would find out everything when they arrived at the Wall Market.
Hearing such an answer, Dean looked with deep doubt at the bag from which a piece of a plush Panda's ear was sticking out. However, Dean didn't dig into the details and turned onto his back again: he had long gotten used to such antics of his friend, who was always coming up with something funny. Finishing packing all the necessary things, Alex checked the pocket watch again. The dial showed exactly ten in the evening.
"Time to go. Get up," Alex said, putting on his blue coat.
"Finally. I was already thinking I wouldn't make it," Dean responded with a smirk, abruptly rising from the bed and grabbing his jacket.
Putting on the jacket, Dean approached the table, took Cain's Blade and with a habitual movement put it behind his back, inserting it into the sheath. By this moment Alex had also finished getting ready, attaching Murasame to his belt. Equipped, Alex and Dean exchanged glances and quietly began to leave the guest room.
Slowly opening the door a crack, Alex looked out, carefully looking toward Aerith's room. Making sure that everything was quiet there and the door was closed, he waved his hand to Dean and slipped into the corridor. Trying not to make noise, they began descending to the first floor to leave the house.
The moment their feet touched the last steps, Alex caught a light rustle from above. Looking back over his shoulder, he nodded understandingly to Dean, and they slipped through the door onto the street. Walking along the path through the garden, Alex literally felt Aerith's attentive gaze from the window on his back.
He knew her restless character perfectly well and that she definitely wouldn't miss the chance to tag along. When they reached the homemade tunnel, Alex heard how the front door of the house quietly creaked again and closed. Shaking his head, he only smirked to himself and continued on.
Coming out of the tunnel, Alex and Dean found themselves on the semi-dark streets of the slums, barely illuminated by rare dim windows. Looking at how poorly everything was with light here, Alex stopped for a moment, thinking. Another juicy plan of what he could pull off in the lower city of Midgar immediately formed in his head.
"Why'd you stop? Let's go already," Dean said, walking past and patting Alex on the shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm coming, I'm coming. Just got lost in thought," Alex nodded, following him.
Making a mental note about his next plan, Alex followed Dean through the dark alleys of the Slums so as not to stand out in front of the locals once again. Cutting through a couple of blocks, they came out onto the main road leading to that very hole in the wall that Aerith had told them about during the day.
They knew that through this breach in the wall one could calmly get into the Sixth Sector without attracting the attention of Shinra checkpoints. Looking around, Alex and Dean saw the darkening silhouette of the breach in the distance. Picking up the pace, they headed straight toward it to leave Sector 5 as soon as possible. But the moment they were one step from the hole in the wall and picked up speed, a familiar, barely perceptible floral aroma reached them.
Recognizing this fresh smell of flowers, Alex and Dean slowed their pace. The moment they got closer, Aerith jumped out from behind the wall with a bright victorious smile. Alex and Dean looked at her in surprise — but they were only surprised by how she had managed to get here faster than them, and not by the fact of her appearance itself.
"Look who's here! What a coincidence!" Aerith said with a chuckle, putting her hands on her hips and cheerfully looking at Alex and Dean.
"Yeah, a coincidence, I almost believed it. Exactly this much," Dean responded with a chuckle and showed pinched fingers with a tiny gap, making it clear how "strongly" he believed her.
"I somehow don't see how much you believe me," Aerith narrowed her eyes, humorously examining Dean's hand.
"And why did you decide to follow us?" Alex asked with interest, stepping a little closer to Aerith.
"Because you both left without me! And you're my bodyguards… Well, and maybe I just didn't want you to go far away from me," Aerith replied, cutely narrowing her eyes, jumping up to Alex almost point-blank and again lightly flicking him right in the nose with her finger.
Alex looked at Aerith, who was showing with her whole appearance that she intended to go with them. Looking back over his shoulder, he questioningly glanced at Dean, asking if he was against such an addition to the squad. Dean assessed the situation, nodded understandingly, but still didn't miss the chance to insert a remark, making it clear that the "flower girl" was entirely and completely under Alex's responsibility.
Agreeing with these conditions from Dean's side, Alex turned back to Aerith and nodded. Seeing the long-awaited sign of agreement, Aerith broke into a joyful smile, immediately firmly grabbed Alex by the arm and dragged him along — after all, she had wandered these alleys more than once and knew the way perfectly.
Having received such an energetic guide, Alex and Dean obediently followed her. Aerith cheerfully walked ahead, slightly hopping as she went and enjoying the anticipation of another small adventure. Following the winding path that traders usually used, they climbed a small elevation from which an excellent view of the brightly lit Wall Market opened up.
Stopping to examine the outlines of the district, Alex irritably clicked his tongue at the contrast he saw. While their Fifth Sector was drowning in almost complete darkness, the Sixth Sector was literally shining from the amount of electricity. Alex knew perfectly well what was going on here: the local mafioso Don Corneo had sold himself completely to "Shinra," happily devouring scraps from their table and sacredly believing that they were playing on the same team.
"As I understand it, we're heading there?" Dean asked, nodding his chin toward the blinding lights of the Wall Market.
"Yes. This is the lower part of the Sixth Sector, or as it's commonly called, the Wall Market. A rather specific place… And why did you even need to go to such a place?" Aerith confirmed, turning to Alex with sincere curiosity in her eyes.
"To raise some easy money for personal expenses. In places like this there's always a quick way to earn a quite solid sum," Alex replied, taking out a cigarette, taking a drag, and thoughtfully stroking his chin.
"I think I understand what you mean. People need somewhere to let off steam, so they built an entire district with hotels, bars, and shops. The faster the business flourished, the more people flocked here… And, as usual, the place quickly attracted rather dubious personalities," Aerith calmly told, unhurriedly walking forward down the slope.
"I have no doubt at all. In such seedy places the scenario is always the same," Dean responded, walking shoulder to shoulder with Alex, not at all surprised that the district was under the strict control of the local mafia.
"And I'm one hundred percent sure that this Don Corneo is being solidly covered by someone. Otherwise this bastard wouldn't be sitting so firmly on his ass, hiding his fat carcass behind the backs of his thugs," Alex added with a chuckle, exhaling a stream of smoke and making it clear that the mafia boss had stayed in power for so long clearly not on luck alone.
"And if you think about it… It really does look terribly suspicious," Aerith said thoughtfully, putting a thin finger to her lips and agreeing with Alex's logic.
Hearing Alex's words, Aerith thought about why Don Corneo could so calmly and with impunity commit outrages in the Slums. Quickly realizing that there was only one reason here — a direct connection with the leadership of "Shinra," she sighed with annoyance and shook her head. Deciding not to clutter her head with this for now, Aerith continued leading Alex and Dean further along the path.
As they approached the Wall Market, Alex and Dean discussed their plans for quick earnings in low voices. Walking nearby, Aerith caught that they were going to participate in fights at the underground arena. Slightly narrowing her eyes, she admitted to herself that for such a place this was indeed the fastest way to raise a stake, even if rather dangerous.
However, having managed to see what these two were capable of, Aerith wasn't worried about their safety at all. And having imagined how the guys would properly empty Don Corneo's pockets, she even chuckled slyly. Hearing this chuckle nearby, Alex and Dean simultaneously turned their heads, staring at Aerith, who at that moment resembled an evil hamster who had come up with a cunning plan.
Having no idea what sinister plan had matured in her head, Alex decided to simply pretend that everything was fine and stroked Aerith's head with a smile. Approaching almost right up to the Wall Market, Alex stopped and reached for the sports bag that Dean was carrying.
Unzipping it, Alex pulled out a bulky round Bear mask and immediately put it on his head. Before Dean could figure anything out or ask a question, a similar Panda mask was already on his own head. Watching this, Aerith began examining the plush heads with sincere interest, in which Alex and Dean were now standing.
"And this is for you," Alex said, holding out a round plush Hamster mask to Aerith.
"Wow! How cute! And why did you put them on?" Aerith exclaimed with delight, firmly pressing the mask to herself and curiously shifting her gaze from Alex to Dean.
"The first rule of such adventures: no one should know you by face," Alex said instructively, raising his index finger and adjusting the mask on his head.
"Rule two: the more ridiculous and harmless you look, the more chances you have to fleece the local idiots to the bone," Dean picked up, raising already two fingers and feeling, to put it mildly, strange in this plush gear.
"So that's how it is… Now everything's clear! And who are you? I've just never seen such animals before," Aerith nodded quickly with enthusiasm, clearly getting into the spirit of this venture.
"I am Fred the Bear, and he is Po the Panda," Alex replied with complete seriousness, pointing first at himself and then at Dean.
Hearing these words, Dean grimaced under the mask, barely restraining the desire to express everything he thought about "Kung Fu Panda." Alex gracefully ignored his heavy gaze and shifted his attention to Aerith, offering her to put on the Hamster mask. Smiling widely, Aerith put on the plush head without extra thought. Turning a little from side to side, she propped her cheeks with her palms and asked with coquettish curiosity whether she looked cute.
Slightly chuckling, Alex took out his phone from his pocket, took a quick photo and showed it to Aerith. Seeing herself in this image, Aerith literally squealed with delight, joyfully grabbing Alex's hand and pulling him toward herself. Finishing with the conspiracy, Alex, Dean, and Aerith headed further to the Wall Market.
As they approached, loud, rhythmic music reached them more and more clearly. But the moment they got almost right up to the first buildings, Dean abruptly froze in place and pushed Alex in the shoulder, staring at a giant yellow bird pulling a cart. Dean's first thought at the sight of this wonder of nature was that it was some kind of anomalously fluffy ostrich.
"Dude, what the hell is that?" Dean couldn't help but ask, continuing to point his finger at the giant yellow bird.
"That's a Chocobo! They're usually used for riding and transporting cargo, and they also race on them. They're incredibly fast… Haven't you ever seen them before?" Aerith responded, peeking out from behind Alex's shoulder and looking at Dean with sincere interest.
"Choco-what? Is that a local Pokémon?" Dean asked again, hearing another incomprehensible term.
"Chocobo… A rather cute bird. I would definitely want one for myself… Yes, I'm definitely going to buy myself a Chocobo. Every self-respecting guy needs a Chocobo," Alex said in an absolutely serious tone, nodding knowledgeably and folding his arms across his chest.
"I don't know why, but now I also want this Chococo. Of course, it won't come close to comparing with my Baby, but Sam will definitely freak out when we drag this thing into the Bunker," Dean picked up with the same ironclad seriousness, fully sharing the idea of getting himself a riding bird.
"Not Chococo, but Chocobo! And who is Baby… and who is Sam?" Aerith corrected him, thoughtfully tilting her head to the side.
"Well, that's what I'm saying — Chobobo. Baby is my car. And Sam is my little brother," Dean replied, nonchalantly stroking the chin of his plush Panda mask.
Hearing how Dean once again mangled the name, Aerith no longer tried to correct him. Only chuckling, she took Alex by the hand and dragged him closer to the Chocobo pen. Alex remembered that these birds belonged to Sam — one of the trio of authorities running the Wall Market and nominally subordinate to Don Corneo for the sake of protecting their business and people.
Looking around, Alex noted the workers in cowboy clothes with embroidered silhouettes of Chocobos on their backs. Shifting his gaze from the stable hands, he stared at the bird standing right in front of him, which curiously tilted its head to the side. Tilting his head in response, Alex repeated its gesture. A moment later they were both synchronously shaking their heads from side to side, repeating after each other.
Standing nearby, Aerith sincerely applauded this picture with delight, while Dean, folding his arms across his chest, thoughtfully nodded, finally convincing himself that he definitely needed his own Chocobo — though strictly not yellow.
While the trio was admiring the birds, the owner of the establishment himself came out of the stable — the legendary Sam Chocobo. A real cowboy with dense facial hair, he immediately noticed the strange company in plush masks near his favorites. Interested in the uninvited guests, Sam headed toward them, with a restrained gesture making it clear to his workers that he would handle it himself.
"So, who are you? And what do you need from my birds?" Sam asked, approaching closer to Alex, Aerith, and Dean.
"Just admiring. You have excellent birds, so we thought of buying a couple," Alex replied, turning his head in the Bear mask toward him and continuing to gently stroke the Chocobo on the crest.
"My birds are not for sale. For rent — please, but sell — never," Sam replied in a calm tone, making it clear that he would never sell his birds.
"Well, alright. Since we're talking… Can you tell us where the local arena is?" Alex asked with a shrug and stopped stroking the Chocobo on the head.
"Hmm… I don't know you. And I don't want to know why you're heading there. But my advice to you, guy: people like you and your company better not stick your noses into Corneo's Arena. You definitely have no business there," Sam narrowed his eyes, evaluating the trio in plush masks from head to toe.
"I think we'll figure it out somehow. So will you tell us or not?" Dean cut in, barely hiding his irritation at Sam's didactic tone.
"Looks like you guys are lively… Such people don't live long here, heh. Alright, since you don't value your health that much: go to the main road, and from there go up. You'll see the right place right away," Sam replied with a light chuckle, vaguely waving his hand over his shoulder.
"Thanks!" Aerith responded cheerfully, grabbed Alex by the elbow and dragged him along again.
Looking after the departing trio, Sam narrowed his eyes. Despite the fact that the company in plush masks looked wild and ridiculous, Sam felt with his inner sense: soon the Wall Market would face serious changes. Whether they would be good or bad — remained a mystery for now.
Deftly rolling a coin between his fingers, Sam sharply tossed it into the air and immediately caught it. Pausing a little, he decided to personally watch what was about to start at the Arena. Giving a couple of quick instructions to his workers, Sam entered the territory of the Wall Market and for a moment shifted his gaze to the trio of people in masks. Smirking, he adjusted his cowboy hat and walked in the opposite direction — to check on a familiar person before the fights, becoming more and more convinced that the evening promised to be extremely interesting.
Meanwhile, Alex, Aerith, and Dean had already come out onto the main street. Not paying attention to the bewildered glances of passersby examining the strange company, Alex raised his head and surveyed the luxurious, ornate palace of Don Corneo towering at the very end of the street.
Putting his palm to the chin of his Bear mask, Alex thought for a second: maybe spit on this Arena and go right now to beat the shit out of this fat pervert? He was already about to discuss this bright idea with Dean, who was fully examining the dubious sights of the local seedy district, when a rough, drunken male voice sounded right next to them.
"Hey, baby… You've got a pretty nice figure! How about taking off the mask, and everything else while you're at it, and coming to have fun with me?" the unfamiliar approaching man said with a drunken grin, examining Aerith's body with a perverted gaze.
"I think I'll decline," Aerith cut off, quickly hiding behind Alex's broad back just so as not to stand next to this unfamiliar type.
"Come on, cutie… We'll definitely have fun!" ignoring the refusal, the drunkard unceremoniously tried to push Alex aside with his shoulder to get to Aerith.
"Are you stupid? You were told — get out of here," Alex snapped, pushing the drunkard away from himself.
"Who the fuck are you?! Get the hell out, can't you see — I'm talking to the beauty… Khe-e-e!" the drunkard roared, pushing Alex in the chest, but in that same instant choked on his own yell, convulsively grabbing his throat with both hands.
With such characters who didn't understand basic rules of decency, Alex always had a short conversation. Ever since his life in Night City and Orario, he had learned a simple truth: trying to talk to street drunks in a civilized language is a useless waste of time, because they understand only one language — the language of violence. Clenching the sheath, Alex simply activated the internal mechanism of Murasame, and the katana's hilt shot out with a dull click right into the throat of the drunken man.
Passersby who had managed to stop in anticipation of a piquant spectacle recoiled in horror when this lightning-fast retribution unfolded before their eyes. The insolent drunkard, who a moment ago had been trying to get handsy with Aerith, was now writhing on the asphalt with a groan, convulsively grabbing his pierced throat and spitting blood.
Coldly looking down at him from above, Alex raised his leg and with a juicy kick from the toe drove it right into the mouth of the writhing man, knocking out several teeth. Aerith, standing behind his back, more tightly squeezed the fabric of Alex's coat, but didn't say a single word about how he was acting. She also noticed in time that, knocking out the boor, Alex simultaneously used light healing on the drunkard, not letting him choke or die.
Standing nearby, Dean only shook his head and smoothly released the hilt of Cain's Blade: he hadn't expected at all that some local alcoholic would decide to jump out at the most inopportune moment and spoil their mood. Kicking the man in the head once more for good measure and final knockout, Alex took Aerith by the hand and led her further up the street, away from the gathering crowd.
"You… you didn't kill him, right?" Aerith carefully asked, walking evenly after him and still squeezing his sleeve.
"No. But a wild headache and a visit to the dentist for the entire next day are definitely guaranteed to him," Alex calmly replied, barely noticeably shaking his plush bear head.
Hearing Alex's answer, Aerith sighed with relief: she perfectly understood that in such a seedy place his harsh behavior was quite justified, and she herself had seen something similar more than once. And yet she sincerely didn't want the drunk man to die just because he couldn't restrain his filthy impulses. Feeling Aerith's worries, Alex preferred to remain silent, because if she hadn't been nearby, he would have simply crippled the boor who dared to get handsy.
Dean also didn't comment on what had happened — he himself had more than once had to deal with alcoholics who didn't understand the word "no" and instantly switched to insolence. When Alex, Dean, and Aerith left, the crowd of onlookers only indifferently ran their gazes over the unconscious man with a bloody face.
For regular visitors to the Wall Market, such spectacles happened several times a day, and everyone had long gotten used to it. As soon as the show ended, people immediately returned to their business, leaving the knocked-out drunkard lying right in the middle of the road.
Meanwhile, Alex, Dean, and Aerith had already reached the entrance to the Arena. Stopping at the massive passage, Alex surveyed the stone dragons carved on the facade and looked inside. From the depths of the building came the deafening roar of the crowd, thirsty for spectacles and ready to spend huge money on bets. Exchanging glances with Dean, Alex stepped first into the thick of the crowd, beginning to make his way through the dense mass of people to the registrar's counter.
Pushing visitors aside with one hand, with the other he firmly held Aerith by the wrist so that she wouldn't get lost in this chaos. Aerith squeezed his hand in response, and with her free palm held her Hamster mask, saving it from falling onto the dirty floor. Alex didn't even look at whom exactly he was moving out of the way, and when one of the men tried to protest, Alex simply grabbed him by the face with his palm without looking and unceremoniously shoved him aside.
The employee on duty at the elevator to the lower levels watched with slight surprise as a trio in plush animal masks purposefully pushed toward him. And being an experienced employee who had seen many weirdos who came to Corneo's Arena, the employee showed his signature professional smile and took a tablet from behind his back.
"What do you wish? Came for a competition or to make a couple of bets?" the Arena employee asked when Alex, Dean, and Aerith approached the counter closely.
"Came to sign up for team fights," Alex replied, pulling Aerith toward himself, who had almost gotten stuck in the human flow.
"I hope you realize that applications are almost closed?" the Arena employee replied, continuing to show his usual professional smile.
"So we're just in time, aren't we?" Dean smirked under the Panda mask, lounging with his elbow on the counter and looking at the employee.
"I suppose you're lucky… So, are you participating as three? Or does your cute mascot prefer to watch the fights from the stands?" the Arena employee asked without changing his duty smile and opened the system for entering a new team.
"Yes! Register all three!" Aerith quickly shouted, leaving Alex and Dean not a single chance to object.
"Three, then. Excellent, your group is registered. Please go to the elevator and descend to the waiting area… As soon as your fight's turn comes, you will be called. Good luck," the Arena employee said, entering the data into the form and pointing with his chin at the opening cabin doors behind his back.
Seeing how the elevator doors swung open, Aerith immediately grabbed Alex and Dean by the wrists and briskly dragged them inside, not giving a second for thought or objections. Only when the doors closed did Alex and Dean look at Aerith, who innocently folded her hands behind her back and lightly kicked the air with the toe of her boot.
Looking at how she managed to flirt even in such a setting, Alex only shook his head and affectionately patted Aerith on the plush head of her Hamster mask. The moment the cabin started moving, Dean mentally addressed Alex, doubting whether they should allow Aerith to participate in the fights at all — after all, an open arena is not at all the same as an unnoticed strike in the back of an unsuspecting enemy.
Alex grinned under the Bear mask and assured Dean that, despite her entire harmless appearance, love of flowers, and constant smile, Aerith was quite capable of standing up for herself with the help of her magic. While Dean surprisingly raised an eyebrow, digesting the information about the girl's magical powers, Alex shifted his gaze to Aerith, who was already humming some simple little song.
"We're going lower and lower, lower and lower… What awaits us below — maybe treasures, or maybe miracles?" Aerith purred, slightly swaying Alex's arm to the rhythm of the tune.
"We're not descending into a gold mine," Alex responded with a chuckle, listening to Aerith's cheerful song.
"Really? What a pity! How deep do you think this thing will go?" Aerith asked cheerfully, lightly tugging at Alex's sleeve to attract his attention.
"Well, we definitely won't reach the center of the Earth," Dean hummed, lounging with his hands in his jacket pockets.
"Hmm… The center of the Earth. I wonder what it's like there?" Aerith said thoughtfully, looking at Alex as if he knew the answer to any question in the Universe.
"No idea. Maybe it's a huge ball inside a ball, spinning at breakneck speed. Or there's a completely separate ecosystem with dinosaurs," Alex replied with a chuckle and playfully poked the nose of Aerith's mask with his finger.
"Sounds insanely interesting! If there's another world there, then the flowers there grow completely different… I'd like to see that," Aerith said dreamily and spun in place with a smile, using Alex's arm as a reliable support.
Alex helped her spin with a light chuckle while she continued to reflect on the mysteries of the planetary core. Standing nearby, Dean didn't even think of spoiling this cute moment with his usual skepticism. After all, together with Alex he had fought just a couple of days ago in the very center of a desert planet and used a multi-billion-ton core to grind Chuck into minced meat.
While Aerith shared her theories about the center of the planet, a short quiet ring sounded, announcing the arrival of the elevator. The doors slid open, and the trio exited into a long, spacious corridor where the frenzied screams of spectators from the Arena stands were already echoing dully.
Looking around, Alex met the gaze of the duty employee, who with a smile pointed them to the massive doors of the waiting area. Nodding, Alex squeezed Aerith's palm and together with Dean headed inside. The room, more resembling a cramped utility room, met them with a hollow silence and the smell of dampness.
Sighing irritably, Alex sat down on a hard chair, stretched his legs forward and with a habitual movement shoved a smoldering cigarette right into the mouth of his plush mask. Dean threw the bag onto the table and sat opposite Alex, unceremoniously throwing his legs onto the tabletop. And only Aerith looked around with sincere interest, trying to find at least something curious in this gloomy little room.
To be continued...
(So, we've finally reached the Corneo Arena, and right after that, we'll head to Sector 7. But of course, first we need to beat up that horny fat guy a couple of times. And then we can go to Sector 7 to become an eco-terrorist who will blow up Mako Reactors. Of course, Alexi and Dean will do it. After all, the less-than-smart members of the Avalanche group think they can blow up a Mako Reactor and pretend everything's fine, and that part of the city didn't explode at all. At least we saved the planet, or not. Yeah, right. I'm my mom's indoor terrorist, and I make bombs out of manure. Hehe. Don't do that, it was a joke. I'm going to go eat. Peace, love, and Where's My Money, Corneo.)
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