chapter 7

The traders sure were optimistic, calling on passers by to check on their goods.

"Woah!" Derrick exclaimed. His stomach grumbled to a fault, indicating he needed something to eat and fast. The place was filled with different varieties, jewels, food, veggies, name it, but all except actual game stuff.

Eiden stopped in his tracks upon seeing a poster with a familiar face. It was clearly painted and attached to a wooden platform. The man on it resembled the one who had saved them earlier.

Although there were slight changes. In the painting, he had on shiny armor and wielded a sword and shield. It was very well detailed, almost like it was taken as a picture and not a painting.

Eiden sighed out, pondering. He thought of retracing his steps from the very beginning.

First, right when he was about entering the game, the status screen changed its color, he went through a painful teleportation into the game, something no one who had played the game ever spoke of.

Next were the sudden changes in their characters, the 'game' bringing their real selves into it instead of the characters they designed.

The rummaging beasts called Hexamyths, a name he had never heard before until now, saved by an unknown man who was neither a player nor a non playing character, and now this market…..

No store had in it gemstones or potions, no swords, no shields, plus, the burning sensation of hunger he felt inside.

The salivation of his mouth reacting to the freshly baked bread, the way his stomach grumbled...all felt real.

He had an inkling but it was too ridiculous. Transmigration and reincarnations were simply legends and myths, things he only saw in movies and anime series which were just products of imaginative animators.

What was the case?

"Hey Eiden!" Derrick's voice snapped him out of his imaginations. He looked over to see Jason and Derrick both standing next to a store stand filled with freshly made sweets.

He hurried to them.

"Check these out, don't they look good?" Derrick asked, unable to contain his hunger.

Eiden stared at them on display, the more he stared, the more the sensation in his stomach grew.

"These are the best sweets you'll ever find here" said the trader woman with a nice smile. "No doubt, they're tasty and can satisfy any amount of hunger you're feeling. Buy one, you'll see I tell no lies" she urged them.

Eiden wanted one but they didn't have any money on them, did the traders take dollars as payment?

Derrick reached out to one, his eyes sunken in hunger.

"What about Gabbie, I'm sure she's hungry as well," said Jason.

Derrick completely forgot they were four. He looked to Jason, then at Gabbie and a cocky smile curled up on his lips.

"I have an idea," he said hastily.

He picked up one of the displayed sweets which was still fresh and had on its aroma.

He waved it back and forth in front of Gabbie's face.

Eiden stared helplessly, "what in the world are you doing?".

Derrick, Jason, Eiden and even the sales woman watched in amusement how Gabbie's nose wiggled. Derrick kept trying to hold back his laughter.

Soon, not just her nose but her mouth as well began to follow the movement of the sweet. Like a lion pouncing on its prey, her eyes snapped open and she swiftly engulfed it, including Derrick's fingers into her mouth.

He pulled it out, scrunched up his face in disgust "ewww Gabbie" he wiped it on his clothes.

Jason and Eiden chuckled.

Finally aware of her surroundings, "where are we?" She spoke while she chewed. Last thing she remembered was hearing Eiden's voice and receiving a debuff alert on her system before blacking out.

"Are we still in the game?" She asked, Jason brought her down from his back slowly and she dusted herself.

"Apparently yeah" Derrick replied.

The taste lingering in her mouth forced her acknowledgement "gosh that was super tasty" her eyes trailed to the display of sweets, "are these the same?" She asked, her eyes widened, they sparkled like tiny stars.

"The very same" the sales woman smiled.

"I told you it was the best you'll ever see here. Now, that'll be 2 coins please" said the woman with her hand reaching out to them.

They exchanged uneasy looks and gulped. The woman was asking for payment for the sweet Derrick just fed Gabbie, but they didn't have any money or coins.

"Uh…well", they mumbled while taking slow steps backwards and pretending to search their pockets. "you see err..", "yeah…well", "it's um…", "...yeah.." they spoke at the same time, confusing the sales woman.

"Hey, where are you going?" She asked suspiciously.

"Run!" Whispered Derrick and they moved immediately, swiftly disappearing into the many groups of people.

"Thieves! Thieves!" The woman screamed at the top of her voice, it alerted so many people but Eiden and his friends were long lost in the busy market.

"Where are they?" A man took it upon himself to help her.

She scrutinized him before waving him off, she knew men like himself who couldn't afford proper jobs, they would take up opportunities like these and ask for rewards later ….or at least, that's what she thought.

"Don't bother," she hissed in frustration.

…..

Panting, they found themselves in an alley, they collapsed there on the bare ground, catching their breaths.

Derrick exhaled deeply, "Jason this is all your fault" he started

Gabbie intervened "hey! Don't you blame this on him, you were the one who stuck your finger in my mouth"

"When did you become so perverted huh?" He asked

"Perverted? How dare you!?"

"I didn't stick my finger in your dirty mouth" Derrick sneered

Gabbie stared at him, amused "did you just call my mouth dirty?" She asked him, her eyes went dark.

Before things would escalate, Jason had to step in. Sometimes he felt like a third wheel always coming in between the two but it couldn't be helped.

"Enough you two, people might still be after us, besides it's indeed my fault. I told everyone that you might be hungry so that's why Derrick tried to feed you. Don't fight here for god's sake" he pleaded.