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Sam stood at the counter, waiting for the meat to be distributed, ignoring the looks he was getting from the people unable to approach the center of the room. It was a bit awkward to be the center of attention, but after competing in three fights with dozens of reptilian spectators, he was getting better at ignoring unwanted attention. Also, he was focusing on the pulsation his root chakra was emitting, so he didn’t have time to care.
After a while, the counter lit up and made a whirring sound. Plates popped out of the counter, seemingly shooting through the stone surface like magic. Sam stopped meditating and grabbed several plates before changing his mind. The portions on the plate were embarrassingly small—one piece of meat per dish, so Sam simply grabbed the raw, uncooked meat off the plate and placed it in his pocket. He placed the dish off to the side before running around the counter while taking the pieces of meat, placing them in his pocket before the rest of the hungry people could arrive. He didn’t have much time to store the food, but he was sure four pockets, all the available ones in his pants, was enough to pass the stage especially if he added granola bars too.
Sam glanced around, locating Dee while taking note of the hoard of people coming his way. He frowned, realizing there wasn’t a way for him to get out, and it looked like a group of people were running straight at him, figuring they could beat him with numbers if not individually. He had plenty of meat for each of them to snatch a single piece. Sam’s brow furrowed as he realized he didn’t have a way to deal with multiple people charging him at once, so he did the next best thing. He pulled the meat out of his back pockets and curled up into a ball, hugging his meat supplies to his stomach while using his elbows and forearms to defend his front pockets. Then, he used Toughen.
The crowd of people rushed at him, pulling at his limbs, but his arms didn’t budge a single inch. Someone tried pulling his hair, and, well, Sam gained a bald patch. His clothes were stretched, some parts torn, but he didn’t complain because he had obtained the clothes for free, and he also physically couldn’t open his mouth or speak while using Toughen. After a while, most of the crowd gave up, choosing to fight for the scraps on the table Sam hadn’t touched.
Sam stayed in place with his hardened muscles. He would’ve loved to stay there until the alarm turned back on, forcing people to scatter from the counter, but a large man crouched beside Sam. The man’s hands slid underneath Sam’s body, and with a grunt, the man flipped Sam over, causing him to clink against the ground and roll onto his side in an awkward position. Although the meat in his pants were still guarded by his elbows, his hands couldn’t hold all the strips of meat against his stomach; a few pieces were sticking out from between his fingers, and like vultures, the surrounding humans saw Sam’s weakness.
They rushed at Sam grabbing at his fingers. Sam wanted to stop them, but if he undid his Toughen technique, he’d be trampled and physically hurt. A thought came to Sam’s mind, and after a brief moment of contemplation, he put it into action. He closed his eyes, and his root chakra thrummed as a wave of chilliness surged throughout his body. A high-pitched ringing sound reverberated inside of Sam’s head, and he opened his eyes to see everyone close to him backing away as if they had been shocked. The large man, who had flipped Sam over, was covering his ears and wincing with hunched shoulders.
As expected, Sam had obtained a new technique from the new chilling frequency his root chakra had created by absorbing the vibrations caused by the alarm. He wasn’t quite sure what it did, but if Sick Attack made him feel sick and his opponents feel sick, then this technique, which felt like pins and needles attacking his brain through his ears, must’ve caused headaches for the people who made contact with him. If Ellie were here, she’d probably name it Sound Attack. What Sam hadn’t been sure about was whether or not it could be combined with Toughen, luckily, he was successful.
Sam disabled Toughen but kept Sound Attack on, realizing the name was a bit misleading considering he had to touch someone to attack them instead of simply shouting in their general direction. He stood up, and someone grabbed him before immediately wincing and releasing their grip. Sam looked around before walking back towards Dee, ignoring the shrill sound inside his head. Luckily, he didn’t have to pay too much attention to where he walked because the crowd parted, making way for Sam as if he were a wagon carting around horse poop.
Sam took a seat beside Dee and stopped his root chakra’s pulsation, turning off his new technique. He placed a piece of meat on the grill in front of him, and it sizzled upon making contact. It wasn’t on earlier, so Dee must’ve believed in him enough to get the fire going.
“I’m impressed,” Dee said to Sam as he stared at the sizzling piece of meat on the grill.
Sam wasn’t the only one eyeing it, but he was the closest, and he was holding the knife in a particular way, speaking in universal human body language, saying, “I’ll stab you if you try to take my food away from me.”
“Flip it over,” Dee said. “If you keep it on the grill for too long, it’ll burn.”
Sam awkwardly used the knife to flip the piece of meat over. He might’ve been given access by Ellie to any ingredient and any video to teach him how to cook a certain meal, but laziness won out, and he only ate meals that were already prepared and ready to be eaten. Why would he cook when he didn’t have to? After waiting for a bit more, Sam glanced at Dee.
“It’s ready,” Dee said. “Go on. Try it. Make sure you dip it in the sauce first.”
Sam stabbed the piece of meat with his knife, and the people watching from near the counter swallowed down their saliva as Sam dipped the meat into the sauce before putting it into his mouth. His eyes widened as a burst of flavor flooded his tongue, and his vision faded away as a droning sound echoed through his ears, blocking out the ambient sounds. All he could focus on was the taste of the dissolved fats within the meat as the juices flowed down his throat. He chewed, and at some point, the meat seemed to dissolve, turning more liquid than solid.
“How is it?” Dee asked, her voice barely registering in Sam’s brain.
Sam swallowed and exhaled. “Delicious,” he said, stating his honest thoughts. He glanced at the pieces of meat he was holding in his hands; he didn’t seem to mind some were touching the hilt of his knife. “It would’ve tasted better with ketchup though.”
Dee let out an exaggerated sigh as she shook her head. “Unbelievable,” she said. “You’ve literally eaten the most delicious food a human can eat, and you think it’ll taste better with ketchup.”
Sam placed a piece of meat onto the grill and reached inside his backpack, taking out a packet of ketchup. “Won’t know until I try,” he said. He looked at the grill, but the piece of meat he had slapped on wasn’t there anymore. Chewing sounds caught his attention, and he turned his head towards Dee. “Did you just…?”
“No,” Dee said, covering her mouth with her hand as she spoke. She swallowed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She laughed before placing her hand on Sam’s arm. “You have so much meat; you won’t get upset if you lost one or two pieces, right?”
Sam rolled his eyes before placing another piece of meat down onto the grill. Dee was right. He had a lot of meat, and one or two pieces wouldn’t make a difference in whether he was satiated or not, but some people took miles when given inches. Sam held his knife in the stabbing position as he stared at the cooking meat, flipping it over after a puddle of juices formed underneath the piece. A hand reached for the piece from the side, and Sam stabbed downwards without hesitation. There was a clinking sound as his knife collided with the grill, the thief having retracted their hand in time to save themselves from a gruesome fate.
“Wow,” Dee said, clutching her hand to her chest. “I guess your owner doesn’t feed you, huh?”
“She feeds me,” Sam said, stabbing the piece of meat before dipping it into the sauce. He ripped open the ketchup packet with his teeth and squeezed the red condiment onto the table before dipping the sauce-covered meat into the ketchup. Then, to Dee’s disgust, Sam brought the knife up to his lips and put the piece of meat into his mouth. It tasted like ketchup.
“So?” Dee asked.
“Delicious,” Sam said, lying through his teeth. “Even better than before.”
Shouts filled the air as the alarm around the counter reactivated, the crowd dispersing in an instant. Instead of returning to their table, most of them gathered around Sam. “Hey,” someone wearing a green vest said. “I’ll buy some meat from you; name your price.”
Sam frowned. “What kind of price can you even pay?” he asked the person eyeing the meat in his hands. “We’re all pets here.”
“Vouchers, of course,” the man said. He raised an eyebrow. “You’ve never traded with another person before?”
Sam turned his head towards Dee, and the woman nodded. “Pets trade each other vouchers,” she said. “For luxuries like snacks, drinks, or drugs. Some owners aren’t willing to give their pets access to certain activities, and vouchers allow you to partake in said activity without your owner’s permission—if you’re sneaky enough to not get caught.”
“I see,” Sam said before turning towards the man. “Not interested.” Ellie was a nice owner, and she always gave him what he wanted because she couldn’t resist his derpy face. Sam didn’t need vouchers to enjoy his experience at Et Serpentium; besides, it wasn’t like any experience was worth trading for the meat he was eating.
“C’mon,” the man said. “Please, just give me one piece.”
“If I give you one,” Sam said, looking behind the man. “Everyone else will expect one too.”
“Well, you don’t have to give it to them,” the man said. “You just have to give me one; ignore the rest.”
Sam ignored the man and plopped another piece of meat onto the grill. The man’s hand reached for it, and Sam stabbed downwards with his knife. Surprisingly, there wasn’t much resistance; the blade must’ve avoided the man’s bones as it went through his flesh. The man screamed and jerked his hand back, his blood dropping onto the grill, the liquid sizzling and bubbling up. Sam turned towards Dee. “Let me borrow your knife.”
“Sure,” Dee said and smiled as she handed over the knife on the table in front of her to Sam. “In return, you’ll give me a piece, yeah?”
“Fine,” Sam said, flicking a piece of uncooked meat in Dee’s direction.
“Score.” Dee grinned and placed the meat on the grill not too far away from Sam’s.
“You stabbed me!”
Sam turned his head towards the man with the green vest, who was clutching his bleeding palm to his chest. “Yeah,” Sam said. “Better hurry to the jiggler if you’re afraid of losing blood.” He turned back towards the piece of meat on the grill and flipped it with the knife Dee had given him. After thinking for a second, he flipped Dee’s piece over as well.
The green-vested man glared at Sam before turning to walk away. The other people, upon seeing Sam’s ruthless behavior, decided the meat pieces weren’t worth having a hole put in their hand. Well, most of them made that call. Some decided to test their luck, or their perceived agility, and were stabbed by Sam as well. Luckily, he had two knives now, so even if one got blood on it, he could still cook with the other. As for why no one tried to stab Sam with a knife to kill him and steal his meat; well, it was only food worth getting stabbed over but not dying for.
It didn’t take long for Sam to finish eating all the meat he had gathered—with Dee picking up scraps like a vulture. He became more comfortable with guarding his food, cooking more pieces at a time. After eating a full meal, he placed his hand on his stomach and was about to let out a burp but remembered he was supposed to be on his best behavior. Instead, he took in a deep breath and exhaled before turning towards Dee. “So,” he said. “Shall—”
Before he could say anything else, Dee shook her head. “You don’t have to wait for me to be full,” she said. “There isn’t much time left in the day. If you want to impress your owner and complete more rooms, you should go on without me.”
“It’s alright,” Sam said. “My owner told me to have fun.” He reached into his bag and took out his emergency supply of granola bars. “How about you eat these until you’re full and come with me? That way, we can save time, and I won’t have to leave you behind.”
“Aww, you care about me,” Dee said, smiling at Sam as she grabbed a granola bar and tore the wrapper open. She munched on it before glancing at the ketchup still on Sam’s table. She dipped the end of the granola bar into the ketchup and held it up towards Sam’s mouth. “Here, since you think ketchup makes everything better.”
“I’m full,” Sam said. “You eat it.” He stared right at her. “Don’t waste food.”
Dee rolled her eyes before eating the rest of the granola bar. It tasted like ketchup. She shook her head before opening another bar. It didn’t take long for her to feel full, only having to eat four granola bars total. The duo got up and left, heading towards the wall they had entered from. Dee waved at the ceiling, and the door opened, allowing her and Sam to leave. They were once again shifted, and in the darkness of the room, Sam’s mind couldn’t help but drift to the meal he had just eaten, wondering if Ellie could procure him whatever meat ingredient that was and its accompanying sauce.
A portion of the wall slid open, and Sam headed towards the light, followed by Dee. Sam glanced around, taking in his surroundings. There was a bench with several people seated on it, and beside the bench, there was a closed door. If Sam had to take a guess, the people on the bench were waiting in line to enter the room. Sam glanced at Dee, and the woman shrugged. “I’ve never been here before,” she said as she walked towards the bench, “but you can’t go wrong following people’s examples.”
Sam watched as Dee plopped herself down and patted the empty space beside her, indicating for Sam to sit. He went over, and while he was walking, the door opened, and Sam saw a familiar face seated inside: Wendy’s. He froze midstride as a stranger walked out of the room and spoke to the person seated closest to the table. “You’re up.”
The seated person stood up and walked inside, closing the door behind him, but not before Wendy looked up to make eye contact with Sam. Sam swallowed and finished walking over to Dee, taking a seat by her side.
“What’s wrong?” Dee asked. “You don’t look too good.” A smile appeared on her face. “I bet it’s the ketchup.”
Sam shook his head before leaning forward, looking past Dee. “Hey,” he said, asking the man sitting beside her. “What kind of room is this?”
“Some kind of interview, I think,” the man said, glancing to his right for confirmation from the people ahead of him in line. After receiving a few nods, the man turned back to Sam. “Yeah. There’s a mind reader in there, and we have to answer a bunch of her questions.”
“I see,” Sam said. “Thanks.” He sat back in his seat and furrowed his brow. Could Wendy hear his thoughts from where she was? Maybe she could read the thoughts of everyone present in the HKC, but given the amount of people inside, Sam didn’t think that was possible.
“I don’t suppose we’ll be allowed to leave until after the interview, huh?” Dee asked, watching as the wall closed on the person who had just been interviewed. “Am I the only one who doesn’t want to have their mind read?”
“I don’t think anyone wants to have their mind read,” someone on the bench said. There were four people ahead of Dee and Sam, and in Sam’s eyes, they all looked uncomfortable. Since the reptilians were in charge of who went to what room, perhaps these humans were pets of interest, ones the reptilians wanted to know the true thoughts of.
“How about you?” Dee asked, turning towards Sam. “Scared? Nervous?”
Sam grunted in response.
“That kind of answer won’t work on the mind reader,” Dee said. “They’ll know what you’re really thinking.” She leaned back, resting her head against the wall. “I wonder what it’s like to be a mind reader. You have a conversation with someone, and they think one thing but say another. I bet it’s very easy to get confused.”
Sam grunted again, not paying attention to Dee’s words. What was he going to say when he met Wendy? What was she going to say? A sigh escaped from Sam’s mouth as he scratched his neck. Someone must’ve raised the temperature because it was getting uncomfortably hot.