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Chapter 6 – Dice and Death
A brittle silence followed the morning mist, broken only by the crunch of gravel under cautious footsteps. The air inside the Nightmare realm was colder than usual today—like it could taste the tension building among the survivors.
Chester sat on a smooth boulder, mask tilted upward as he whistled a happy tune. His fingers danced over the six-sided die in his palm.
"You're oddly cheerful for someone stuck in a death game," Marlo muttered, adjusting the collar of his deep gray cloak. His gaze flicked to Keen, then back to Chester.
"Me? I'm terrified!" Chester gasped, placing a hand dramatically on his chest. "I mean, only four of us will make it out alive. I'm peeing bricks!" He grinned behind his mask. "Still… might as well roll some dice."
Roll 4 – Used.
He tossed the die. It bounced twice on the stone, then stopped.
[Decoy Luck] – For 24 hours, your fate may be transferred to someone else nearby. A mysterious force will randomly choose which roll of fortune or misfortune belongs to you—or your 'decoy.'
"That's... terrifying," Keen said flatly, adjusting his glasses.
"Or fun," Chester replied, voice light. "Like Russian roulette, but everyone's holding the gun."
Veyra remained silent, watching him. Always watching. Her calculating gaze unnerved even Marlo, though Chester found it comforting. Predictability was boring. He liked puzzles.
Roll 5 – Used.
Another spin of fate. The die glowed faintly this time.
[Ghost of a Skill] – Copy one random Tier One ability from a person in your group for the next 3 hours. Cooldown: 3 days.
"Oooh. Mystery box powers," Chester whispered. He didn't say what he rolled aloud. Let them guess.
"Five rolls already?" Marlo asked. "You're going to burn them all before the third day."
"Life is short," Chester said. "Especially here."
Keen narrowed his eyes. "We should move. Patrol in groups of two. You, with me," he pointed to Veyra. "Marlo and Chester, sweep east."
Marlo groaned under his breath but didn't object.
They moved out.
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An hour passed in the jungle-like fog of the Nightmare. Thorned trees reached like claws, and the ground squelched with every step. The monsters came without sound.
Gutterfiends—twisted, skeletal beasts with lantern eyes and blades for tongues.
"Behind you!" Marlo barked.
Chester ducked, rolled, and pulled a dagger from his sleeve. It was all too fast for someone as "foolish" as he pretended to be. He carved into the beast's flank and rolled again.
Marlo moved with eerie silence. One second he was beside Chester, the next, across the battlefield.
Veil Tier One: Shadow Step – teleport to any shadow within 10 meters. Cooldown: 15 seconds.
They were efficient. Too efficient for amateurs.
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As the group regrouped, breathing hard, Keen jogged in with Veyra behind him.
"South patrol saw nothing," Veyra said, brushing ash from her shoulder.
But then the horn sounded—deep, and from far off. It wasn't from their group.
It was from another.
Marlo squinted. "That's the emergency signal."
The four hurried toward the sound.
They found a campfire.
They found blood.
And they found a corpse—one of the sixteen had been killed.
Not by monster claws.
By human hands.
The group stood in silence.
Above them, the sky cracked with thunder, though no storm brewed.
Chester crouched, stared at the body, and then slowly, ever so slowly, began to chuckle. "Now… it's getting fun."
Behind the mask, his eyes glittered.
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End of Chapter 6
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