Going off to the side, Norbert ran parallel to the stadium back the way he had come before until he believed he was on the same pathway as he first started walking down. Not knowing what was happening, staying with the Morenas group seemed the most influential.
Walking forward, Norbert saw the sea of people running about the city as others came from side alleys to either walk along the path or continue cutting across just like Norbert had.
Whistling once more, Norbert made his way down the street, looking at the sites as the fox on his shoulder, now awake, looked about the place, taking in the sights around them.
Norbert continued going forward, not noticing more and more people heading towards the stadium now. He wondered when the other people he would notice appeared around him or how many others would point at him, asking where he had been for the past day.
Making his way forward, Norbert saw the others around him form up in a crowd. Nor. Bert could almost feel himself in the shade of the stadium. Making his way through the crowd, moving this way and that to continue his progress forward as he watched those around him stop.
Panning a gaze around the houses here, the same height, one-story buildings with an occasional second story, found guards looking down at the rabble underneath them. Norbert looked around at them, wondering if he was on a watch list or something similar for his previous actions. Not caring about it, he continued going through the crowd, finally popping out on the other side.
Surprised there was nobody there as well, he spun around, seeing a definite line drawn in the figurative sand that nobody crossed. As he looked down at his own feet, having crossed the line. Moving around slowly as he watched the guards just eyeing him in return, not doing anything ugly towards him. Breathing out, a breath he didn’t know he had been holding in. Norbert continued walking to the stadium, now under its shadow.
He continued to walk forward, and Norbert entered through h the gate in front of him. As he entered, he saw the metal gate pulled up, the spikes that plunged it into the ground, just visible, hanging from the ceiling, and Norbert walked underneath.
Hearing shouting and people pointing at him Norbert waited, a thing coming out of the crowd, Norbert so caught by what the creature that was going for him as it caught him unawares as the green slime creature bobbled its way towards Norbert, little bubbles going up where Norbert assumed the mouth was.
He was standing still, and the creature came face to face with Norbert. Sounds of a country Norbert didn't understand coming out didn't mouth.
"I'm sorry, but can you please repeat it? I don't think my ears are working." Norbert said to the greenie creature, going up to his waist and fighting the temptation to kneel at the creature.
"You are in the wrong section. The gate for Morenas is three to the right." The slime said curtly, its voice seemingly sliding around the octaves, unable to be a constant tone. It is pointing to its left for a moment. A point came out of the creature as Norbert nodded. The slime instantly turned around and moved away.
Shaking his head, Norbert walked backwards, seeing everyone else staring. Knowing why they hadn't gone further if they hadn't meant to, not knowing that the guards could have peppered the people if someone pushed too hard.
Walking back into the crowds of people, waiting for the guards not to be immediately on him on the rooftops, Norbert hopped up onto them himself. Looking at the colosseum, eyeing out the gate a hundred meters away on the oval structure of the colosseum. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Norbert quickly made his way over there, feeling the eyes of the guards as they followed his progress. Landing on the pathway again, heading towards the third gate, Norbert moved in with the crowd as he watched those around him.
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Once more, Norbert made his way through the crowd, the fox on his back wrapping its tail harder around his neck. The white guy does not want to fall off and get lost in the crowd.
As he passed the invisible line, Norbert continued walking in the tunnel. Another of those slime creatures appeared out of nowhere and headed towards Norbert, who stood still, waiting for the slime to come towards him.
"Norbert here, I was notified "that this was the Morenas gate. Anywhere you want me to go?" Norbert asked the slime before it could stop and asked him what he was doing there. The slime sat for several seconds, Norbert wondering if it was broken.
"Not specific enough, more in "formation required." The slime said to Norbert, "ts voice once more climbing up and down in the range. Norbert hoped he would pass this thing quickly, but the sound was already giving him a headache as he stood there, thinking what else he could add to allow him entry.
Thinking back to the board with everyone's numbers next to everyone's 101 for the man that bested him easily in his mind, as he tried to rattle his brain what his own was.
“1543?” Norbert proposed the question, hoping that it would be correct.
The slime was still momentarily, and no words came out of Robert. He stood there, moving his weight from one foot to another as he waited expectantly.
"Thank you, Norbert 1543 from "arenas, for coming here, please follow." The slime said as it moved "away from Norbert, not turning around.
Weirded out by the creature, Norbert followed an arm's reach behind it as he warmed to the archway. In the corridor, Norbert sees other slimes appearing and moving around, people following behind them like himself before leading them away.
The one he was following, looking the same as all the others, happy that they didn't move too close to one, didn't, or Norbert would have lost who was accompanying him. Looking around the side, Norbert was led through a corridor. Looking at the others lining the walls on either side, Norbert saw one going forward, the other raised higher, and the one he was being led towards was going underground.
The tunnels were wide enough for two slimes to pass each other without hitting, Norbert looking as they continued in this pattern several times along both walls. He could not look at the structure's immensity before being taken into it and eaten by the beast.
Following down, light runes paced the hallway, giving Norbert enough illumination. He went further down, his Achilles heel screaming at the steepness he was climbing downwards, quickly going further underground.
He could visibly see the steepness he was going down, hating for someone needing to pull a cart up this incline he was currently going down. Continuing this for several meters, Norbert was surprised that he hadn't hit anyone else following his go, either up or down.
As he thought the path extended outwards, someone appeared to his right as the two looked at each other, continuing to follow their lines.
Like this, Norbert continued following, the first turn he found right surprising him as he had been travelling so far in a straight line. All of them walked in silence; whenever they tried to talk to each other, the slimes would interrupt them, stopping them from speaking nearly instantly, and the sound could not leave anybody's lips properly.
Like everybody went, going deeper and deeper, until finally, it levelled out into an open area. Open is the decisive word, as Norbert saw lines of beds on one side, with no dividing curtain between them. Looking out, Norbert noticed some faces, realising all the contestants were sitting there already.
A black object came from the roof several meters above, diving, bombing him as Norbert saw the white-speckled object land on his shoulder. Norbert just stared at Obsius, hoping this wouldn't be the normal greeting the bird would do after she separated. Thinking of times being dive-bombed by a bird would be pretty frustrating and possibly dangerous to those around him.
He was patting the bird's head, doing the same to the fox on his right, stopping the fox from trying to strangle him with its tail. The two finally appeased Norbert, looking towards the bird. "How did you even get here?" He asked it.
No reply coming from the bird other than a puffed-up chest. Shaking his head at the birds antics Norbert looked around the room he found himself in, others already walking off, looking around for something as they passed bed after bed.
Norbert following with them as well, going to the first empty card, seeing a little placard there written a number and a name, Norbert assuming it was the information given. Seeing it was number thirteen, as he looked over the beds, it was time for him to find number thousand five hundred and forty-three.