The Champion's Exam promises riches, adventure and the title that creates legends.
Only on problem; it is known for killing its applicants.
Eko Malone, a twelve-year-old boy stuck on an island his entire life, has only known one thing about his pa...
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Robots took the applicants throughout the hallways, first showing them to, what the robots called, the Common Room. Here it explained how anything involving food or other goods was to be used in the Common Room and no where else. Eko had never seen a room so large dedicated to eating food.
He recalled once when the Elders of Emerald Island set up a strange little sleep out for all the kids, they had made a large wooden cabin for the three kids on the island to have a real camping away experience. He recalled four wooden picnic benches and an omelette bar with half a dozen toppings. He also remembered not eating a thing because he hated eggs.
But the Common Room had rows of metal picnic tables, a cafeteria window with empty buffet baskets, and cutlery. One entire wall was dedicated to windows looking out to where the ship was going, on the opposite side was a collapsible table with a coffee machine, tea satchels and other niceties including sugar, salt and little chocolate biscuits.
Eko wanted to grab a biscuit.
The robots continued down the hallway, prompting all the applicants to run after it.
The walls were a polished white, while the floor was a carpeted red. It rolled forwards and gestured at a door, waiting for the applicants to pool around the door before it pushed it open. "The sleeping quarters," it labelled.
Glancing inside, the applicants noticed a large room filled with mattresses for the applicants to sleep. However, there were no bedframes, only mattresses placed side by side on the ground, hiding the floor. There were several lights attached in the walls and a large window, but otherwise there was nothing else in the room.
At the sight of mattresses, applicants collapsed to the ground and crawled onto the bedding, seconds after closing their eyes their snores cooed throughout the room. Jackson rolled his eyes at their exhaustion, "Weak!" he announced leaving the entrance to the room when he felt other men push forwards to sleep.
Eko wanted to go over to the window, but decided against it to follow Jackson.
Zakora felt uncomfortable watching these people grovel on the ground, sleeping on the floor. "Very undignified..." he admitted looking away from it.
Nira rested her hand on the door frame as she leaned in to look at the room herself. The robot released an alarm, quickly rolling in front of Nira and pushing her back with its presence. "There is a women's quarters, all females follow me." Despite its statement, it didn't move.
Nira glanced around at the applicants, some had already walked off to go to the Common Room, others had started unpacking their goods in one of the other rooms provided.
The robot started rolling down the hallway, and a handful of girls followed the robot. Eko counted three; Nira, the white hooded woman and another lady dressed in some battered metal armour. The two women followed the robot, Nira waited by Eko and Jackson.
