The smile, probably meant to be friendly, gave me the idea of someone ready to scam you by selling a faulty product.

Diann still kept her hunched pose, so I tapped her back, and nothing, I knocked lightly, and also nothing. Finally, I gave a half-hearted punch and that finally got a reaction as she turned her head to me.

"Move, I'll talk to the man," I moved my mouth exaggeratedly, enunciating every word, and it seemed that she understood as she started to move forwards, and I followed, using her back to keep myself upright.

"Let's say I believe in what you're saying. I need answers." Each word came strained as I struggled to walk and speak at the same time.

"Isn't that the truth? Everyone is looking for answers. What is this strange place, why is everyone frozen, why does that itch on my back never disappears?"

"You're not as funny as you think. What is this place? and why did someone try to kill me?" The smile on his face never falters as he listens to me, he believes that he caught me in his offer,

"Most call this place The Colosseum. In this place, it is survival of the fittest." Acting theatrically, he puts his arm wide and upwards, like someone worshipping the sun as water starts gathering between his open arms, "But it seems like whoever is watching us finds normal bloodbath boooring. So everyone here gets a welcome gift," The water stops coalescing when it gets to the size of a fist and starts orbiting around him.

I can't take my eyes out of the ball, its orbit keeps deviating slightly, together with its speed. "What are those Hula Hoop people? I saw and not too far from here and just looking at them felt like looking death in the eye."

The man shivers and the ball loses its cohesion for a second before becoming firm again, "We call them Enforcers, they make sure no one escapes the limits of the battle. For you to have found one and still survive, you must be truly lucky."

I can't help but swallow his words, thinking about the boy's expression, "How is this possible? Time freeze, controlling water, shining eyes, this?" My hands gesture around us, before stopping at Diann.

"The great viewers care not for logic or the laws of nature. All they want is entertainment," His voice dripping with mockery. The ball stops its orbit, now floating near his head.

"Can you help me?" I finally asked seeing him not answering my question. He can clearly see my situation, and right now we're no more than ten steps away from each other.

"I don't know, will you let me help you?" A serious expression is on his face as he takes a step towards me, and Diann twitches, lifting her hands. Before she can get further, the water ball shoots, slamming on her chest, caving it, and sending her a few steps back, but as she prepares to charge again, I throw myself at her, mouthing 'no'.

"So it has a mind of its own," The man murmurs, remaking the water ball.

Ignoring the man, I press my forehead against the half-empty screen, "Calm, deep breaths, in and out," Diann is frozen for a few moments, before her chest starts rising and falling, almost like breathing.

Turning back to the man, I see him sitting at one of the tables. In front of him is a small vial filled with what looks like green glitter.

Diann helps me sit at the other side of the table. I wince while sitting as the thing in my stomach slices me further, "What's that?"

"Fairy Powder. Quite expensive, but you'll get certain discounts after joining us," He slides the vial across the table.

Picking it up, "How do I use it?" The sound of wind-chimes and the smell of apples float off the Fairy Powder when I open it.

"You rub it in the wound, it should get inside it. It'll itch. A lot." He stifles it, but I notice the start of a yawn coming from him.

Grimacing, I look at the recently applied bandages and start removing them. Dried blood makes the bandages stick and burn, pulling the skin when I unwrap them. When I dip my finger in the vial, ready to rub it over the wound the man stops me.

"You need to take that thing out," The man points at the pink patch in my stomach, "Or the powder will close the wound but leave that thing inside you."

Slowly, I look at the patch, touching and pressing the area around it, trying to pressure it to go out but my hands shoot back as my body jolts from the pain. It's a unique sensation, the pain becoming a backdrop to the sudden feeling of my insides moving and the stomach muscles contracting against something that shouldn't be there.

"Do you want any help with that?" The man calmly asks, keeping an eye on me and Diann.

I shot the man a disapproving glare, as I continued my struggle, pressing both sides of my stomach and trying to almost get it out like a giant pimple. Sweat runs down my face as the last ounces of strength leave my body. This won't do.

Looking at Diann, I point at the wound, making gestures of pulling. Whatever this thing is, it seems to make part of her judging by the material looking the same and the fact that it did come from her.

I hope this works, It takes a while, and lots of gesturing, but Diann eventually walks up to me, and after covering the wound with her hand, she lifts it. The block comes out attached to her hand, slicing me further and fusing back to her, being sucked from her palms. As the block leaves, blood rushes. Yet, before fear, there's confusion. Where all this blood is coming from? I should've passed out long ago.

Taking the vial, I dump the contents inside the wound, and in the next instant, an inhuman itch covers the area like a million waps are stretching and stichting my skin cell by cell, yet there's a distinct lack of pain as skin covers the hole.

"Superficial wounds close quickly but your missing insides will take a few minutes, that is if you didn't damage any organs."

The man is irritantly calm as he stands up and walks to a place with cotton candy and ice creams on display.

I try to glare at his casualness, but any feeling of resistance scatters like sand between my fingers. From toe to head, I lose all feeling, "Oh yeah… you will feel very tired after using Fairy Powder. I would not fight against it as you can worsen your state."

I fight a losing battle against the powder as the world fades around me, "Don't freak out when you find yourself in a black space. It's boring but you better get accustomed to it."

I finally lose the fight and my eyes close as sleep takes hold of me.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

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When she finally falls unconscious, her companion starts searching for something wrong with her, and after seeming satisfied, it rudely throws the table away, together with my cup of gelato.

It didn't disappear, maybe it's autonomous. Judging by how it treated me and the woman, it has some level of intelligence. Very useful for recon. If I can convince her to join, my bonus should be substantial, especially if she's poached by one of the big names.

Keeping an eye on the golem, I walk back where I got the gelato. While eating a popsicle I go over what I got from our exchange. The golem has decent durability, some level of shapeshifting, and is capable of self-healing. Its limit is shown by the strange liquid behind its face, so it could be broken and the blocks collected before letting it regenerate. Maybe one of the builder factions would be interested, but that would depend on how the liquid acts outside The Colosseum.

Watching the woman's chest rise and fall, I decide on my next steps. I should have a few hours before she wakes up.

I can't trust the golem but the woman seems on board, As I lean back, I can't help but yawn, my sleep has been interrupted twice and exhaustion started showing its ugly head.

I should have at least four hours before she wakes up, especially given the fact she already seemed exhausted, she shouldn't be able to fight off the side-effect.

As I stand up, so does the golem. Lifting my hands, I walk back, showing that I mean no harm as I decide to make some extra profit before she wakes up. It should be relatively safe, if she dies I'll have lost a few hundred bucks on her, but I already made more profit than most other times from that businessman so the damage isn't as big.

I mull over exactly what to do, before deciding to stay close. I had been wanting to visit this place for some time, the online reviews talked very well of this place.

Tyler and Kayle should be visiting here this year, There were quite a few teenagers frozen around this area, so there should be something teens like here. What do they like? Didn't Tyler like animals? Instead of looting, I found myself thinking about the last time my nephews visited as I eyed the attractions, and trying to map in my mind where to take them.

After two hours, I catch movement from the corner of my eye. Shaking me out of my stupor as I blend with the frozen scenario, walking towards the movement. Two in one day would complete my quota.

The person doesn't notice me, but when I pick up my pace, gathering water around me, I'm stopped by something cold touching the back of my head.

"No need for anything drastic. I'm with The Labradors. If you want more specificity, I'm Vortex," My voice is even, and composed as I pull some of the moisture from my hair and head, forming a sheen of solid water in front of what I believe to be the barrel of a gun, slowly letting it trickle upwards and towards the chamber.

What I believe to be a gun stops touching the back of my head the next moment. The voice that comes next is heavy with sarcasm, "Oh no… The great Vortex, I'm so sowwy. Pwease don't hurt me."

My body unwillingly relaxes when I hear the voice. I growl out a reaction, "Where are you, Trevor? You scared the shit out of me."

From atop one of the shops, Trevor stood up and jumped down, the roof was two and some meters. He could have just landed normally but he makes a show of slowing his fall and pulling his hair upwards, making it float as if underwater before landing on his tiptoes.

"It's so good to find you, in the last 3 battles I found no traces of you. but that may be because I actually care about getting stronger and was out and about in the third layer," His casualness grates at my nerves, but there's little I can do.

A groan escapes my mouth as I look him up and down. Silver white hair that goes to his hips, sharp face, and annoyingly white teeth that everyone knows he paid a fortune and a half to keep shining that way.

"I see that you spent another small fortune to paint your hair. How much did you spend on healing your scalp just to keep your hair from falling from all the products you use?"

"I'm so happy you noticed it," He cheerily says, touching his hair and parting it, letting it float like a wall above his head, "How's your work? Oh yeah, you don't have one because you're a brute who cannot spend five minutes without punching someone."

"As pleasant to speak to as always. Now can you tell me why you put a gun to my head?" I question, pulling the layer of water from my head and throwing it at him, letting go of my control as the water forms a wide net.

Finally letting go of theatrics, his hair falls back down as the water parts before reaching him, barely wetting the corners of his clothes, "I noticed someone following the person I was planning to recruit and decided to make a show of power."

Rubbing my eyes, I sigh and turn around, not wanting to deal with him anymore. Why couldn't it be someone wanting to blow my head?

Before I can get far, his mocking voice reaches me, "Leaving already? I was so excited to spend some time together. Anyway, see you at headquarters, oh yeah, you can't go there. Oopsies!"

I continued to walk while ignoring the blabbering coming from behind me as I beelined back to the woman, whom I should've asked the name of before giving her the Fairy Powder.

The woman is still heavily asleep when I get back. Yawning, I look at my phone, and see that four hours passed. I need to find somewhere to rest soon. It has already been over twelve hours here and I've not rested once, that's dangerous.

The golem is occupied caring for the woman, and when it finally notices me, it blocks her with its body.

Another hour goes by before the woman finally stirs awake. "Welcome to the world of the living, I hope you had a fruitful rest because you're about to join me on my journey," I say between bites of a sweet crepe.

Her eyes are half open as she groggily tries to sit upright in the chair, "Journey?"

"Yeah, I would normally wait but you seem like a capable person. Your companion should be more than enough protection."

"What?" She's still confused, the fog brought by Fairy Powder still hanging over her mind, "Where am I?"

"You're at The Colosseum, and now I'm gonna show how to get the adoration of our beloved spectators," I explain, walking closer to her, ducking under a punch from the golem before pulling the woman to her feet, keeping her between me and the golem.

"Colosseum?" Her mind slowly stirs back to functionality, the dots connecting in her mind as she shoves me away, "Don't get so close."

Seeing the opportunity, the golem picks a chair and throws it at me. A quick jump to the side gets me out of the way.

"But we're gonna be brothers in arms soon, what's a little skinship?" Another chair flies at me, before stopping mid-air as if hitting a glass wall, "Even if not for some group bonding, you should be ravenous. Another side effect of Fairy Powder, and I didn't see anywhere selling anything substantial on the way here."

The woman swallows thickly, licking her lips, seeming to finally notice, "The restaurants are past the zoo, and I saw that creature inside."

"I know of a good bakery not too far," Turning around, I begin walking.

It takes a moment but the woman starts following me, "I'm called Vortex, pleasure to welcome you to The Labradors."

"I'm Edina."