"WAKE UP WARRIORS!"
"What's happening?" Vik, uykunun kollarında rahat bir şekilde uzanırken aniden sesle gözlerini açtı.
"Uyanın, yemek vakti!"
"Oh... right, I'm still on this damn ship." She looked at her arms. The laser cuffs were still holding her wrists. "I still can't wrap my head around them having this kind of technology. Were they deceiving us all this time?" Vik raised her arm towards the ceiling, palm open. "Or maybe they had their own ace up their sleeve, just like me." She released her arm and let herself fall back onto the bed. "Well... but their ace didn't fail like mine did."
As the door opened, Vik got up from the bed and looked ahead. Another Akseroat she hadn't seen before was looking at her. "It's mealtime, warrior." It resembled Aarus. With a combination of dark green and purple skin, yellow eyes, two on the right, one on the left, a beard resembling octopus tentacles, and a spear in hand, it stood at the foot of the bed. "Captain Aarus said you're new here. So, I'll give you a few explanations, esteemed warrior."
"Ohohoo... now, this is surprising. Yes, esteemed bearded Akseroat, I'm all ears."
"Now, you'll join the other warriors for a meal. There's no fighting allowed in the dining area. After the meal, the first match of the day will take place. It's mandatory for all warriors to watch the match. Also, if you want to use a weapon, you can inform the attendants after the meal." With a snap of his fingers, the cuffs on Vik's wrists disappeared. "Don't be late for the meal." The attendant disappeared, and Vik began to rub her freed wrists. "Finally, freedom, and that fool didn't even tell me where the food is. If they told me anything outright, they'd probably drop dead." After rubbing her eyes, Vik stood up. "My whole body feels numb, a little stretching would be nice." Vik locked her fingers together and raised her arms up. "Ahgh! After all that inactivity, this feels amazing." She slowly bent towards her toes, locking her fingers.
As she continued her warm-up exercises, she didn't notice the uninvited guest behind her. Startled by the applause, she quickly turned around. "Bravo, bravo, that was perfect. It was a really nice sight."
"D-Did you just watch me?"
"Isn't that your fault for not noticing?" The man spread his hands to the sides, grinning. Vik was filled with embarrassment and anger. "Y-You creep!" Vik clenched her right fist and began to approach the man. The man continued to watch her with a dirty grin on his face. Vik swung her fist towards the man's stomach. The outcome was similar to her punch at Los, but there was a difference; the man, with his giant creature hand, grabbed her fist, and Vik managed to push his hand back slightly.
"Easy there, beauty." The man winked at Vik. Vik gritted her teeth and stomped her foot on the ground. "WHY DOES EVERYONE HERE KEEP GRABBING MY FIST?"
"Haha! Relax, beauty, how about coming to dinner with me?"
"Huh?..."
"I'm kinda asking you out, in a way."
"You-you're such a filthy pervert, aren't you?" Vik quickly pulled her arm away, freeing herself from the man's grasp. "You're right, you're right, I haven't even introduced myself yet. How rude of me. My name is Ricardo. And yours is Victoria, VicRic, I think it's a perfect match, don't you?"
"Y-you shameless, leave me alone!" Ricardo began to walk towards Vik. "Come on, don't be like that. After all, only one of us will survive, right? Don't worry, I'm ready to give myself to you, willingly."
"Look, I don't know who you are or what you're about, but it's a bit too much intimacy for someone I just met yesterday."
"You're right... then follow me. I'll take you to the dining hall."
"Huh?" Vik was shocked by Ricardo's sudden change of tone. Had she said something wrong? Whatever the case, she was glad to get out of that situation. Ricardo advancing on her was not a pleasant experience. "Alright, show me the way, big guy."
"With pleasure..." Vik began to follow Ricardo at a slow pace. Ricardo's energetic and perverse personality had vanished, replaced by a calm demeanor. Although Vik wanted to ask him the reason for this change, she decided to quietly follow him, not wanting to risk another change. Along the way, the rooms were arranged in a certain order. Vik was becoming more and more amazed by the organization of the Akseroats.
"Here we are."
As Vik entered the dining hall, all eyes were on her. Many men and women were observing her, each with a different expression on their faces. Some were laughing; some had angry looks.
Thud! With the attendant's staff hitting the ground, everyone turned their heads back to their own business. Vik could tell there was a lot she needed to learn here.
"Come on, beauty, let's eat together." Ricardo turned back to Vik, smiling innocently. "Looks like we're returning to our old flirtatious style."
"No, it's just... don't you want to eat together?"
Vik let out a small sigh. "As much as I don't want to, it seems like the best option right now. Alright then, let's eat together."
"I'm glad to hear that. Let's go get our plates."
As the Akseroat in front of her, Ricardo, served food onto her plate, he carefully scrutinized her. As he glanced at her, she turned her head to the side. The sight that met her when she turned was Ricardo's weary face. 'What's with this guy?' she thought to herself. When Ricardo looked at her, she quickly diverted her gaze to the plate she held. There was something resembling mashed potatoes on it. While Vik wasn't expecting a gourmet meal, having only one type of food left her feeling disappointed.
"Let's go to the table. I'm sorry I couldn't get us an extra table."
"Alright, I'm following you again."
Vik followed Ricardo and sat down on one of the two empty chairs side by side. Ricardo had pulled the chair for her before sitting down himself. Although Vik couldn't understand Ricardo's modesty and demeanor, she wasn't complaining. After all, Ricardo was the most normal person here. Everyone at the other tables had their eyes fixed on her as soon as Vik sat down. There were four-eyed people, four-armed people, people with wings, people with bat ears... There were all sorts of individuals at the table. Vik didn't know how to classify herself among these people. She felt uncomfortable, unable to reach for the spoon in front of her. How could she do that with all eyes on her? She turned her head towards Ricardo. While Ricardo calmly spooned the puree in front of him, Vik took a deep breath, a ritual she did to calm herself down. She finally took the spoon and dipped it into the puree. She began to bring the spoon closer to her mouth. And she tasted the puree. The taste in her mouth was quite familiar.
"THIS IS POTATO PUREE!" Her exclamation only drew more attention to herself. "Oww!" Vik fell silent with regret. She shouldn't have expressed her surprise like that. But what was in front of her was nothing but plain potato puree. Could the Akseroats grow potatoes? Or was this made from some kind of potato-like substance? The unanswered questions were piling up with each passing moment.
"Hahahaa... hahahahahaa!" Vik quickly turned her gaze to Ricardo. Losing all her fatigue, she laughed heartily while pounding the table. "H-h-h..." Vik was utterly embarrassed. Seeing Vik's state, Ricardo turned to her and began to pat her back. "Bon appétit, Vik."
"What?" Vik thought to herself. How did Ricardo know her name? She silently pleaded for no more questions. She was seriously tired of this situation. She shook her head and began to spoon her meal. Now, her only focus was on the plate in front of her and the food that resembled potato puree.
"The tournament is about to begin." Vik had just finished her plate when she received the call for the first battle. The tournament was starting. The first match of the The first battle of the Food Chain Arena was close.