I step out onto the station, the same glass tube we encountered earlier appearing to spit out another weapon at me. This time it's just a regular splattershot and splat bombs. 6 makes her way out of the train after me, but there's not another weapon available.
"This seems a little unfair." She remarks, with a snarky tone. It does seem a bit odd to only give us one weapon to share.
The little sea slug speaks up; "Now that you've got a weapon from the equipper, you can go to the station's gate to pay the entry fee."
There's an entry fee to these things? I don't have any money.
"What do we do if we don't have any cash? All my stuff is gone." 6 cuts in.
"We don't use G down here, you two. We use credits. You will both be given 1000 credits to start off." My CQ-80 lights up again, showing a hologram displaying our total credits. 2000. I walk up to the station's gate and look at the small screen attached to it. 100 Credits to enter.
"Just put your CQ-80 up to the screen, and if you have the credits, it'll let you in." The sea slug adds.
I quickly say, before they make their way back into the train; "Thank you, can I have your name?"
"C. Q. Cumber." They finally say, before heading back into the train cart.
At least we have a name for them. 6 steps towards me, and I put the CQ-80 to the screen on the gate. It lets out a ding, before thrusting us headfirst into the station. I land on my face, while 6 manages to stick the landing perfectly.
Probably just luck. I get up and dust myself off, before looking around. Fake trees and grass line the floors. It almost looks like what I'd imagine the outside to look like, but- It all just feels fake. I wonder what we're supposed to- Do. Mister Cumber didn't really explain that part.
I guess we just explore. I start to make my way down the corridor, 6 following behind closely... It's very quiet. But then I hear something familiar. Something very familiar.
Native Octarian. Someone's speaking Octarian further up ahead! I quickly walk further ahead, until I'm face to face with some small pillars. Someone rises out of ink on the very top of it- It's another Octoling! She looks down at us, but she doesn't look... Right? Her skin is a sickly green, and her tentacles go from blue to green at the tips. Other then that, she's wearing standard octarian uniform.
"Target acquired." They mutter out.
I manage to mutter out a "Huh?" Before the Octoling drops down and starts shooting. I'm shocked, falling over and dropping my weapon. Before I can process just what's happen, 6 runs in, picking up my weapon, and before I know it, the Octoling explodes into a spray of ink.
...What just happened? It takes a while before I understand. Why would they attack me? They spoke weird, too- Are they also test subjects? 6 reaches out a hand to help me up, and I take it. She pulls me up to my feet, before scanning the area.
"I wonder what their deal was..." She speaks under her breath.
I kinda want that splattershot back. I'm on edge from that attack, and being without a weapon doesn't help, but I think she'd put it to better use then me. I think defeating that Octoling opened a door up ahead, so we start to proceed.
As we step into the new room, a checkpoint sparks to life under us. That's reassuring, but what isn't is the two new pillars in this room, on top of each one an Octoling. One has a roller, but the other wields a splat brella.
"Seek and Destroy." They both speak in unison, before jumping down. I take cover behind a tree, but 6 rushes in headfirst. She's going to die, she's-
I hear the sound of something being splatted- The voice doesn't sound like 6, so it might've been an Octoling. I hear something shatter, before the sound of 6 being splatted echoes throughout the station. The checkpoint whirs and steam shoots out of it, before 6 rises out of it again, good as new.
The gauge on the side of the checkpoint ticks down one third of the way.
We only have three lives to share.