After descending a corridor, the darkness slowly peeled away. Inside a massive chamber stood a brand new town that would have compared favourably to the most impressive neighbourhoods from before the Dark Dawn.
Luke was left in awe. He had visited a few safe zones across the city, but none of them could compare to the one in front of him. For someone to have created this after the Dark Dawn was a feat that Luke would have thought was impossible. It was hard to imagine that it was all underground or had once been a metro station.
The cavern was carved out of the rock like a large dome. Lights hung from the ceiling and neon signs advertised the dozens of immaculately built buildings of various sizes that lined the sides of the cavern. In the centre of the space impressively built stalls formed a market.
The area was bustling with activity and every single person that walked around was impressively well-dressed. Luke would not have guessed that they were living in an apocalypse.
"Pretty amazing place huh." The guard said.
"Yeah, I haven't seen anywhere in the city like it."
"Well, you won't. This is the best the city has to offer."
"The station couldn't have looked like this before, right?"
"No, a lot of this place was built by the boss. If you think this is amazing, this little cavern is just one of many. Anything you need you can find in Pleasure. Might just have a lofty price."
Looking around Luke didn't doubt the words. He could see all sorts of shops, selling things he hadn't seen for months like soft drinks and fresh food. Despite being underground the smell that wafted around was delightful. The scent of the cooked food made his mouth water.
"Where do you normally live kid?"
"Well, I don't really live anywhere at the moment. But I used to live in the Sanctuary."
"Rough. Whichever bastard came up with that name has a sick sense of humour. I hear just as many die from disease there as from the creatures."
"Yeah, it wasn't great but better than nothing."
"Well if you do well in the arena you might be able to stick around here."
Luke followed the guard to a small stall at the edge of the cavern. It was busy with a small queue of people lined up in front. The people in the queue didn't look the same as the other people wandering around the settlement. They were far rougher and their clothes far more worn. A young woman sat behind the counter and chatted to the head of the queue.
Behind her, a young man who looked around Luke's age, or maybe a little older, stood watching over her. When he saw the guard next to Luke a curiosity spread across his face.
"Hey, I have brought a challenger to the arena." The guard said.
"Really? It's rare that you let anyone in. Something special about him?"
"Don't know. But I got a good feeling about this kid. Look after him."
"If it's coming from you I will."
"Thanks, I better get back now can't leave the door unmanned." The guard turned to Luke. "When you get your slot I will come and watch the fight. Good luck."
"Thanks," Luke responded and the man walked back the way they had come from.
"Wow, not bad if you got his backing. Not the most driven guy in the world, settling for the door duty, but not many who would want to pick a fight with him around here." The young man said stepping out from behind the counter to talk to Luke. Up close the young man wasn't tall. His brown hair was slicked back so you could see his narrow face and green eyes. He wore a dress shirt and designer trousers, which still somehow seemed new. He was clearly attractive, but his appearance looked a little too polished, such that it had the reverse effect.
"Yeah, he is a nice guy."
"Never heard anyone ever say that before. I have heard people call him a lot of things... but not nice. That guy got pretty far in the arena himself and might have got further too but he was content to settle once he got himself a permanent place here. His name is Julius. Handy to have in your corner." Hearing this Luke was impressed that the title was able to sway a guy like him.
"Anyway, I suspect he didn't explain much about the rules. What has he told you so far about the arena?"
"Well, pretty much nothing. Just that I could get in here if I competed."
"That's it? This is interesting." The man looked up and down Luke once more and he started to feel a little uncomfortable. "Well, you are inside Pleasure now so it might be best if we wait until tomorrow. From the looks of you, you have had a long day. Might be best if we chat after a rest. I can tell you the full rules as we watch a match. How about that?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
"I'm Jasper by the way what's your name?"
"I'm Luke."
"You got the money to rent a room for the night, Luke?"
"I have some Azure Gems, is that okay?"
"Yeah, but you will have to go and get them converted, we pay for everything with tickets here."
"What sort of price are we talking?
"Well depends, are you paying for company as well?" The man gave Luke a smile that stretched from ear to ear. The man did a good job of making Luke uncomfortable.
"No just me," Luke responded.
"Boring, but okay. The prices for a week usually start at around 1000 tickets which is about what you'd get for a small Azure Gem."
"That's crazily expensive!" Luke couldn't believe his ears. That was enough to get a good place in the sanctuary for a month.
"What do expect you are in Pleasure." Jasper laughed maniacally.
Thanking Jasper, Luke escaped the guy who was a little unusual. The first thing he set out for was one of the stalls where he could get some of the currency.
It proved easy as they all had large glowing signs that read "Exchange." Luke decided to hand over 4 of his smaller gems and just as Jasper had said he received roughly 4000 tickets. And tickets were the right description for them. They were made from old rail tickets but with values and "PLEASURE" printed on them.
Walking around the settlement Julius had been right that the place was big. On the four sides of the Dome-like cavern, there were corridors that led to even more large caverns, all with their own shops and buildings.
The caverns were split into districts, with some containing casinos, and others restaurants. At one point Luke ended up in a red light district where he was solicited by several women. He politely declined the propositions. While it had been a while for Luke, he wasn't interested in paying for the experience.
Eventually, he found the sort of hotel that he was looking for. He had gone past a couple before but they had looked like they would be expensive and more than he needed for the moment.
The Hotel was called "The Oak" and the reception was fairly quiet. It seemed that not many people hung out in the hotel, while they could enjoy the lights of Pleasure.
"Welcome" An older woman greeted Luke as he came in.
He asked for a night and was charged 125 tickets, he then wasted no time in heading up to his room.
Finally, alone in the room he had the chance to look at the notification he had received when he entered pleasure.
*ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED*
[Tourist] Bronze Achievement unlocked for discovering a settlement for the first time (+3 to Health)
Looking in the mirror Luke could understand why Jasper had sent him off for the evening. He looked like a mess. His clothes were torn up and they had patches of blood soaked into them. However, there was something more that stuck out.
Luke looked different, but not dramatically so. Yet, it was enough for Luke himself to notice immediately. His face and body had changed. It was as if the small imperfections in his face had subtly been removed. Equally, his body shape was different, in just a day his muscles were a great deal more pronounced. To Luke, there was no doubt that the Completionist system was responsible and he was excited by the idea of looking even better cleaned up.
For the moment though he was happy to finally rest after a very long day. He was even happier when he lay down on the bed. He melted right into the soft mattress and the sheets were both silky smooth and clean. He was confident that he could get one of the best nights sleep he'd had in a long time. It appeared that his new mantra of enjoying life was working.