Mal'damba got up once the final battle ended, glimpsing behind his shoulder to see Evan, waiting patiently.

"...I will join," Mal'damba said.

"Is this your final answer?" Evan asked.

"Yes. I have seen everything and I wish to try this out myself," Mal'damba responded.

"Alright. You will meet everyone tomorrow morning-"

"No. I wish to join in secrecy. I will be in the dorms tonight, and join everyone else by morning," Mal'damba interrupted. Evan, unknowing on what to say, nodded in response and made his leave. Mal'damba followed after him, exiting into a grayish blue hallway. Knowing his way, he made it to the lobby and gathered his bags.

"Mal'damba wait," a voice said. He turned to see Matthew, with keys in his hand. "Let me get you there quick."

Mal'damba's eyes narrowed behind his mask, staring at Matthew in confusion.

"Using a car?" Mal'damba asked. Matthew chuckled, and gestured Mal'damba to follow him. They walked down the halls to a steel gray door. Matthew flipped through his keys, placed it into the lock and unlocked it. The door opened, to the sound of loud whirring. The room was dark but had multiple colors. There were contraptions of circular doorways, each with a glowing light emitting from them. The room itself was extended and long, like a hallway, but ended to a large blue portal.

"Pretty cool right? Portals are a way that the champions get around. We usually use them for those who want to get the high ground, but these are made for travel," Matthew explained. He approached a light green portal, using the same key again on a hole in the floor in front of the portal. The portal grew more bright but kept a calm intensity.

"You will be placed outside of the base. The walk maybe about an hour, but you will have to wait for three more for everyone to sleep, you sure you want to leave now?" Matthew asked.

"I could spend the time making healing gourds. Thank you again, Matthew." Mal'damba said.

"We will be watching," Matt joked. Mal'damba entered through the portal. Upon exiting, his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight. It was growing dusk, the sky turning into colors of pink and oranges. Mal'damba was in a town, however to his dismay, saw people staring in awe at the man that exited the portal. Putting his head down, he began walking towards the champions base.

A grumble came from Mal'damba as he woke up from the snake that flicked at his fingers. Mal'damba made it to the base and fell asleep upon waiting. The sky was dark, stars spilled across the sky, and the half-visible moon shone, providing light. The masked man got up, grabbed his bags, and walked around. He found an exit and entered through there. A long hallway was presented to him, multiple doors presented on each side of the wall. The hallway continued to a corner, and another corner a few feet ahead of Mal'damba. He began to walk quietly, observing the plates on the doors.

Viktor, Buck, Cassie- Seemed like this was the Damage area. Mal'damba turned the nearest corner, showing, even more, doors, most of them with no plating. He followed the names of each, remembering their class. Androxus, Drogoz... Flank class. Turned a corner again, to more names. Makoa, Ruckus… Fernando? This was the Tank class. He finally turned to another corner. Ying, Pip, … The New Champion.

Mal'damba opened his door. The room smelled damp, but an odd smell of vanilla tried to cover it up. The room was inviting and larger than what Mal'damba expected. It was all one room, except the bathroom and closet. There was a living room, with a small television and another chair. A small kitchen that had mostly cabinets, a microwave, and bedroom area was elevated, like a stage, with a large queen sized bed and a nightstand, including a dresser for extra items or clothing. Mal'damba placed his bag on a table in the living room, inspecting the room before him. The snake slithered from his shawl and onto his arm, flicking its tongue.

"We will get a cage for you, my girl, for now, we should rest. It will be a busy day meeting everyone," Mal'damba said. The masked man placed the cobra on the ground to get a feel for the room. Mal'damba began taking out smaller pouches from a bag, putting them into the kitchen cabinets. He took out a worn out robe and threw it onto the couch.

Slipping out of his original outfit, he showered (still new on how the showers work) and put on the robe. He turned on the sink, grabbing the snake again and placing it near the sink.

"Drink my girl, you must be thirsty," he insisted. The snake lowered her head and began drinking. There was a sudden recoil as if there was danger.

"Is there something wrong with the water?" Mal'damba asked. He cupped his hands, letting the water gather. He took a drink himself. The water tasted off, much more different than what he drank, yet refreshing.

"It is okay, the water seems cleaner. It is safe to drink," Mal'damba said. The snake continued to drink.

Mal'damba ate the leftover dry meat from his pouch, feeding half of it to the snake, then began to rest on the bed. It was soft, like a cloud and the sheets were warm. The pillows themselves felt light on Mal'damba's head, like lamb's wool. The man gazed to the snake, who flicked her tongue at him. He grabbed the snake, placed her by his head, and they both drifted to sleep.

Morning arrived and Mal'damba changed into his regular clothing. He took his mortar and pestle, scraping away at a herb that turned into a paste. He opened the gourd top, pour the paste into the gourd then closed it. He grabbed the snake, who was still asleep, and tucked her into his collar, and exited his room. He stood in front of his doorway, taking a deep breath.

"Wekono, I pray you will guide me, for this will be the first time in contact with a larger group."

He walked down the halls. He heard echoes of two people talking. He turned the corner to see two people and quickly rushed back. He did not want to be seen yet. He peeked at the corner, seeing their attention was nowhere near Mal'damba's direction. Mal'damba peered at the hallway that continued ahead of him. Like rapid snake movements, he slithered to the other side, the only sound was quick wind from his movement.

After a few minutes of walking, he came across a door with a sign called 'Cafeteria'. Opening the door, he saw a fairly large area with long tables and circular seats. There were other tables that were smaller with chairs. The smell of the room made Mal'damba's mouth water slightly. Whatever it was, it smelled amazing. He rushed to where the smell was coming from, seeing a buffet of food ready for him. Everything that his eyes set on wasn't or was new to him. Hash browns, black pudding, bacon, sausage, eggs, salmon, and even a salad. He grabbed a plate and began taking a piece of everything until his plate was overloaded. He walked to a table, sitting down at it and propped up his mask so he could eat. He took a bite of the hash brown, causing him to let out a sound of satisfaction.

These are so pleasant to the taste, Mal'damba thought, shoving the rest of the hash brown down his throat and chowing down the rest of the food before him. The sounds of loud crunching caused the snake to wake up, viewing what Mal'damba was eating.

"My girl, you must try this." Mal'damba insisted, helping the snake onto the table. He began feeding the snake but rejected the food he offered. His smile shifted to a frown. The cafeteria doors then opened, causing Mal'damba to quickly put down his mask to cover his mouth. It was a large man at the doorway, wearing a tank top and baggy black patterned pajama pants and his long hair was tied into a ponytail. He yawned loudly, stretching his arms and back in exaggeration. The man rubbed his eyes and stared at Mal'damba who was staring back.

"Well hello~," the man said.

"Hello," Mal'damba replied. The man took a seat in front of Mal'damba and inspected him carefully.

"You must be the new champion, correct?"

"Yes,"

"Y'know, I wasn't expecting a man behind a mask. You shouldn't hide your face," He began to reach for the mask, but the snake hissed, showing its teeth at the man. He quickly recoiled his hand and stood up immediately.

"Ah- I am guessing that's yours," he said.

"What do you want from me?" Mal'damba asked, his eyes narrowing from behind his mask.

"I wanted to get to know about the new champion! Why don't we start with introductions? I am Fernando, the best knight on this team,"

"Is there another knight?" Mal'damba asked. Fernando let out a snort.

"You are quite the comedian!"

"I wasn't trying to be funny," Mal'damba sneered.

"No, there isn't another knight. I am just the best fighter among everyone else." Fernando commented.

"Yet you lost due to distractions,"

"Pardon?"

"You are distracted during battle. I saw you battle that one day. You refused to continue when you killed what I presume to be someone close to you," Mal'damba said. Fernando was quiet.

"I will be outside," Mal'damba finished, taking his food and dumping the rest of it in the trash.