The Ranch

Central Market (1)

When Tih finished the final cotton candy, he hear a voice from afar. "-ih..ka-." Ast he voice got louder, the words became clearer," TIH!?... KAI!?" It was Private Scott.

Seeing Private Scott in the distance, Kai asks Instructor Maddox what time it is. Hearing the answer, he grabs Tih's hand and runs towards Private Scott,"Ahh!!! We're actually twenty minutes lateeee!"

Kai and Tih abruptly withdraws from the situation, leaving behind Axel, the Instructor, and the secret onlookers. They watch in bewildered silence, as the two dash off.

They catch up to Private Scott only to be reprimanded. "What have you newbies been doing?! When you're late, you not only hold up me, but the rest of the group as well. In the future, please be mindful of the people behind you. Next time I won't let you off with just a scolding!" It looks like Private Scott wants to continue, but the situation leaves him with a time restraint. He swiftly pulls the two boys along, as they head back to where they were supposed to meet up.

Kai was getting an odd sense of Deja vu. He was starting to feel bad about all the trouble he and Tih have been causing for Private Scott. Kai made a mental note to himself to watch Tih more carefully.

Actually, all of these incident can be contributed to Tih. Instructor Maddox held the two back with lessons in the dining hall, Tih snuck off when they met Instructor Raphael, and their current situation was caused by Axel, who has a grudge against Tih. In all of these scenarios, Kai was roped into Tih's mess.

Once they make their way back to the group, Private Scott says," Since we lost quite a bit of time, we're going to have to run to our next stop." A look of dread appears on the group's faces. But they know better not to argue back.

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After running for what seemed like forever, the group collapses a short distance away from the market. Private Scott takes pity on the newbies,"Rest here for ten minutes, I'll go buy some refreshments from the market." Although the newbies need it more, he, himself was also tired and parched.

Private Scott looks toward the person that wasn't affected by the run,"Tih, come with me. I need someone to help me carry everything."

Amongst the "dead" bodies panting on the floor, Tih stood out. Mostly because he was actually standing, without a drop of sweat on his face. Tih continues to breath lightly, like he hadn't just ran. There were no indicators of physical exertion from him.

He walks over to Private Scott and follows the man who's perspiring, as they head into the market.

While Tih followed Private Scott through the market's streets, he took this chance to explain it in detail,"The market, as a whole, is like a mini city. It has a circular structure that starts from the fountain in the middle and spread outward in a confusing amount of paths, lined by shops. If one were to look at it from above, they would believe it to be a circular maze. The market has districts, in which different items categorized into its own section. These districts include weaponry, clothing, snacks, and daily necessities, and can be further split up into small groups. The Market is run by and a part of the island, so it also has its own competition among the shops. There's a leaderboard in front of the fountain that displays the highest earning and most popular shops. The workers of those shops earn a bonus, so they have their own incentive for working hard and being on the leaderboard will give your shop a better reputation and will bring in more people, which is what the owner of the shop gains."

Private Scott cuts off there as they reach their destination. They enter a shop that sells refreshments. Private Scott pulls out a synthetic looking bag and sweeps enough drinks for the entire group into it. Tih notices on closer inspection that the bag has a recyclable sign on it.

Private Scott feels Tih's gaze. " Although it looks synthetic, it's actually biodegradable, most of the things we use on this island are. Bottles like the ones in this shop, electronics like watches and the electronic boards, even glass. Almost everything is made out of some kind of plant fiber or other biodegradable material. Almost everything on this island was created by scientific instructors from past generations. Although it's not the most popular profession, it's definitely the smartest. The brains of one scientific instructor is about the same as three martial instructors. All the genius, high IQ soldiers join a branch of the science professions."

Private Scott pays the cashier and they leave the shop and the cashier robotically says," Thank you for your patronage." The two make their way back to the group.

Seeing as they've mostly recovered, Private Scott hands out the drinks before announcing," You all have two hours to get familiar with the layout of the Market. You can also look for an electronic board and memorize the map. That's all."

The group quickly disperses into the groups they split into during their time at the colosseum, as they have gain some level of familiarity with each other. Kai hooks his arm around Tih and they head into the Market.