Paige simply watched on as Nick chowed down. He wasn’t sure if she was surprised at his carnivorous display or just had nothing to say. Nick didn’t mind though, satisfying his hunger was his primary concern. Eventually Nick finished the entire table of food and leaned back into his chair with a satisfied laze.

“Feeling better now?” Paige asked, grinning.

Nick nodded. “Heaps.”

“Good, it’s time for me to make good on my promise. You were asleep for like twelve hours, I told the Hogs we’d be around last night.”

With that, Paige led Nick out of the building and to a new one. This building was a little special looking compared to the rest he could see around the town. Unlike the beautiful architecture of the cathedral or the refined styling of most of the buildings here, this one was gaudy. Architectural beauty had been shamelessly traded for sheer opulence. Gems and crystals adorned the building, any space that could have a gem-encrusted decoration did. Nick fearfully activated his Treasure Sense, just because he wanted to see the reaction. The reaction was the building glowing like a christmas tree before his eyes. Whoever had designed this building had done it with Explorers in mind.

The glow of each gem or crystal was perfectly spaced apart to paint a beautiful image. It was a perfect amount to fill his vision with an array of colours, but just not enough to overwhelm him like when he’d used his skill at the market on the 75th. It gave Nick a newfound appreciation for the building. While to the normal eye it certainly looked like a garish mess that served only to display the wealth of its inhabitants, which it certainly did, it was a work of art to an Explorer.

Paige audibly sighed. “I just don’t get it. It’s such an ugly building, but you Explorers always react like this.”

Nick grinned. “Oh? I’m not your first Explorer?”

“Of course not.” Paige scoffed.

Before Nick could try and crack another joke, Paige dragged him into the building. The lobby of the building was just as lavishly decorated as the building's exterior, fine carpets, a crystal chandelier, even the windows had gems in them. Nick was sure that if Reggie had found this place he might have had an aneurysm, it put the man’s displays of wealth to shame. There was a receptionist desk that seemed to be manned by a small child.

“Hello, welcome to the Hall of the Hogs, what can we do for you today?” The child called out.

“Where’s Kim? He should be expecting us.” Paige replied.

Nick was very confused, why was there a small child at the receptionist's desk, why was Paige acting as if this was a totally normal and expected thing?

“Oh, head down to the main hall. They’ve been partying since last night.” The child said, sounding incredibly tired.

Paige nodded and then dragged Nick down a hallway. Nick began to hear loud laughter and shouts coming from a door at the end of the corridor. It was early in the morning, like before eight o’clock, how were people this energetic? Paige kicked open the door, not bothering to even try and open it normally. What lay before Nick’s eyes was quite a sight. Bodies were littered around the room, drinks still clutched in hands, anyone that wasn’t unconscious was sitting around a table. There were boisterous shouts and yells mixed in with the occasional bout of laughter.

Paige’s theatrical entrance barely drew the group's attention, her yelling did though.

“Kim you drunk fool, I brought the new Explorer!”

There was a wide chorus of cheers from the crowd at her proclamation. Everyone got up from their seats and stumbled their way over to the pair. A short man with glassy eyes separated from the group and approached the two of them.

“Whish one of yas is tha Splora?” The man slurred.

Paige pinched the bridge of her nose. “Kim. It’s him, Nick. The young man I was telling you about last night.”

The man’s eyes lit up. “Nick!” He yelled.

Everyone else in the room cheered at the man’s yell. The man appraised Nick with his glassy eyes, for a second Nick could have sworn he saw something deep hidden within. Like a glimpse behind the curtain that he wasn’t supposed to have gotten.

“Ya know, thish cawls for summin speshal.”

There was suddenly a tremor of excitement palpable in the air. Everyone in the group broke down into hushed murmurs, excitedly shoving each other around.

“Ladies and Gents, me thinks it’s time for a treasure hunt!” The man yelled with sudden clarity.

The entire room was flooded with booming cheers and yells of excitement, a chant quickly began to spread.

“Treasure hunt! Treasure hunt! Treasure hunt!”

People who had previously been out cold on the floor woke up and joined in, soon everyone in the room other than Paige and Nick were chanting along. The combined voices of fifty people began to shake the room, the noise raising to levels that hurt Nick’s ears. He had no doubt that every single person in the town could hear the mob’s raucous chant. It suddenly stopped when Kim raised both his hands into the air.

“Aiiight. Ya know the rules. Teams a five max. Get ya gear on, it’s time fa treasure!”

Suddenly everyone in the room was clambering for the doorways, pushing, shoving and yelling at each other as they exited the room. In no less than a minute the room had been emptied, leaving just Kim, Nick and Paige.

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“Kim, Reggie’s faction are currently tearing up the Gardens. There’s going to be an earthquake in a matter of hours tops.”

“Fuak em. Got us a new member, we gotta celebrate.” Kim said with a waive of his hand. “Nick, ya ready to go?”

Nick shrugged. He had all his gear on still, he just took his wraps out of his bag and started putting them on.

“Thatta lad.” Kim said with a nod.

“If he dies out there-” Paige started.

“Yall what?” Kim interrupted with a glare. “Yall do nuffin, that’s what. Not even ya bitch of an owner will do nuffin. Leave us be ya bat.”

Paige looked positively pissed. Her face went red and she began to shake in rage. Though she didn’t say anything in retort. Kim didn’t even bother to comment, he just turned him back on her and put an arm around Nick’s shoulders, or at least he tried to.

“Ya bastard, bend down will ya?”

Nick squatted a bit so the man could get his arm properly over Nick’s shoulders.

“Thatta lad, aiight so I ear you’ve got sum questions fa me?”

Nick didn’t even know where to start. He had a lot of questions about his class but absolutely none of them seemed appropriate to ask the heavily intoxicated man before him.

“Yeah well, I’ve heard Explorer’s go insane and well I’d rather not.” That seemed like a good place to start to Nick.

“Nawt a question lad. I get ya gist though. Quite tha secret that.” The man turned back to look at Paige. “Could ya like, fuak off missy?”

Paige looked ready to burst at the seams. Her anger was radiating off her. Not that Kim seemed bothered by it at all.

“Nick. Come straight back to mine when you’re finished.” Paige said through gritted teeth.

“Fuak off already.” Kim dismissed.

Paige stomped her feet as she left. Nick was shocked by the entire experience. Paige had always presented as quite the powerful person. Even Reggie had been very measured in his handling of her. Though here was a drunk little man, openly berating her and Paimon to her face. The man didn’t even seem slightly concerned though. Paige had said nothing in her defence and had even left after being dismissed. It made Nick appraise the man next to him in a new light.

The man had to be five foot five at best, he had long tied back hair and an equally long beard. There was no putting it kindly, the man was fat. He had a large belly that pressed against his shirt, looking incredibly bloated. He certainly was a man that enjoyed his beer. Nick could smell it on him, the man gave off a deep stench of alcohol and hops. The man was dressed in simple clothes, the only part of him that hinted at wealth was a ring. This ring was gorgeous, a beautiful creation. Some sort of white metal, studded with the most exuberant of diamonds Nick had ever seen.

“Ah yeah, like ma ring do ya? Maybe one dah ya will find something alf as good!” The man said, breaking down into laughter.

“Aiight so ya wanna know the secret to stayin sane?”

Nick nodded and leaned in closer to the man.

“Okay sonny, get ready.” The man looked around before leaning in himself. “Ya don’t!”

The man fell over laughing, when he looked up and saw Nick’s face he burst into laughter again, rolling around on the floor. Nick was just confused. That answer didn’t even make sense. The secret to staying sane was you just didn’t? Either that was terrible advice or Nick was missing something.

“What do you mean, you don’t?” He asked.

“Laddy, there ain’t no thing as staying sane in this place. Everything ‘ere is designed to fuak with ya head. Us Esploras just get a bad rep cause we find a new meaning quick yeah? Our skills give us something to focus on, a meaning. While everyone else is scurrying about, worrying about this or that, We Sploras got it down pat. None of it matters lad. None of it. So why not focus on the treasure?” The man said, wiping tears from his eyes.

Nick was stumped. The worst part about what the man just said was that it made perfect sense to Nick. Everything that he’d encountered during his time at the Complex served only to mess with his head. Illogical spaces, infections and monsters. How was anyone supposed to stay sane in a place like this? Even the Parklands were a mess. Mountains appearing where they logically shouldn’t, a lack of wind, a massive Garden being tended to by monsters? Where was the sense? It was in his skills. His skills told him exactly what to focus on, what he could make sense of.

“Nough thinkin lad.” The man slapped him on the back. “Thinkin too ‘ard don’t do ya any good ‘ere.”

The man then led him back out into the lobby of the building, where the roughly fifty people who had been in the hall were now gathered in teams of five. Apart from two, they stood at the front of the group and were clearly waiting for Kim. Everyone looked a little shaky on their feet, though the excitement was clear on their faces. Nick wasn’t sure that whatever they were planning was a good idea for a group of people so clearly intoxicated. That’s when Kim cleared his throat.

“Ta celebrate this momentous occasion, I call fa this treasure hunt!” Everyone cheered. “Ya all know the rules. Last one back cleans the toilets! Best treasure gets to host all the parties!”

Everyone cheered again and funnelled out of the lobby with great haste. Nick was shocked by their speed. He thought them getting out of the hall had been a fluke, but now he could see that every single one of these people had an impressive agility to them. Kim noticed Nick’s gaze and chuckled.

“Speed is a Sploras finest trait. No point spottin treasure if ya not the first to get it!”

Nick and the three others then left the hall and Nick watched as the teams of Explorers all ran off into the forest, towards the Garden. Then Nick was left in the dust by Kim and the other two.

“C’mon lad, no point standin around!” Kim yelled at him.

Nick then started running himself, desperately trying to catch up. They were all incredibly fast and Nick had to push himself to the limit to even try and eat their dust. The group all laughed at his efforts and slowed down a bit so that he could catch up.

“Ya not going to make it very far if ya this slow lad.” Kim commented.

That’s when the female in the group spoke up. “Brat’s only a 2-2 Kimmy.”

The other man in the group then spoke up. “That’s disappointing. What’s an Explorer doing so weak? What have you been doing with your time?” He questioned.

Nick couldn’t even respond, he was spending all of his effort just matching the pace of the trio. The only thing he managed to get out were pants and gasps for air.

“Shame. We’ll have ta stop off at tha 60s ta get some gems for the lad.” Kim said.

“Booooo.” Was the reply from the other two, clearly not happy with the proposition.

Nick was shocked. Where the hell were they planning to go? Why was the 60s only considered a stop off? What the hell was going on with this treasure hunt? As the group ran through the forest and down the cobbled road that led back to the Garden, Nick began to realise that he might be spending time with the craziest bunch of people the Complex had to offer.

Paige’s concern about whether he lived or died seemed a bit more pressing than he first realised.