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STATUS SCREEN
Name: Ayden
Level: 1
XP: 0
Attribute Points: 0
[ATTRIBUTES]:
Strength: 5
Speed: 5
Perception: 5
Intelligence: 5
Vigor: 5
[SKILLS]:
Error - No skills to be displayed.
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What the fuck is this?
I stare at the screen, my pulse quickening.
Error? What does that even mean? That… can't be right. Everyone's supposed to have a skill! Something that reflects who they are. Something useful.
But me? Just five across the board, and an Error message where my skill should be.
I exhale slowly. My finger hovers over the screen, trembling.
Something's not right. It's like they forgot to change my status screen—it looks exactly the same as before. This whole situation is off—waking up in a dark cave with strangers and a voice in my head laying out game rules? Not to mention, those same strangers are willingly giving each other information about themselves without the slightest bit of caution…
This feels controlled. Orchestrated. Are they all in on it? The only person I can reasonably vouch for is Isabella, but even she might be faking it. But is it really possible to shake that much and not be genuinely afraid?
My mind races, but I force myself to stop and take a deep breath. As I exhale, trying to calm down, a conclusion forms.
I won't trust them yet. My gut is telling me something is seriously wrong here.
Suddenly, an irritating voice calls out to me, waving a hand in my face.
- Kai: "Yo? You good? Why are you biting your fingernails?"
I hadn't noticed I was doing that.
I force my hand down and shake my head.
"My bad. I was just thinking about something, that's all."
- Kai: "Okayyyyy… Sooooo, what did you get? What are your stats and skill?"
If he's really faking his personality, he's very good at it. He should be an actor, if that's the case. Looks like I have to play along…
I glance at him, closing one of my light blue eyes as I run a hand through my equally colored hair.
"…Got something called 'Adaptive Reflex.' Increases my evasion slightly when I'm in danger. Not flashy, but it's useful. Strength 5, Speed 7, Perception 6, Intelligence 5, Vigor 4. Not horrible."
I lie straight to his face and finish detailing my fabricated information. The words taste bitter in my mouth, like poison I'm forcing down. Every lie chips away at me, making my chest tighten and my stomach churn. This sucks, wbut this information can't possibly be important enough to risk our safety.
I hate lying. Always have. But right now, honesty feels more dangerous than deception. Well, I guess what I said about my Strength and Intelligence stats are the truth.
Still, a part of me wonders… if they found out, would they turn on me? I wouldn't even be able to defend myself if they were to, since I have no skills. That thought alone makes my skin crawl.
- Christy: "That's not bad. Evade boosts can go a long way."
- Kai: "Yeah, but he's useless in a team fight!"
Lena chuckles a little at that. She seems pleased with our discussion.
They're buying it. Good.
- Isabella: "…Are you sure that's all?"
I spoke too soon.
Isabella asks me with a hint of hesitation. Her voice is soft, but there's something beneath it—a quiet pressure, like she's waiting for me to slip. Her tone stays gentle, but her eyes are sharp, focused. She's not looking for a fight, but she's watching me all the same. Closely.
That look makes paranoia coil in my stomach.
What if she suspects me? What if she already knows I'm faking it?
My throat tightens, and my hands twitch, itching to cover the part of me I can't show. I slow my breathing and relax, trying to remain calm.
I shrug, "I don't know what to tell you. That's all I got. Maybe I'm a good fit for an Assassin class?"
- Kai: "No, dude! You'd be better off running away!"
Christy hits him again, this time on the back of the head. This really got Lena laughing, as she damn near falls over onto the hard rocks. Christy, on the other hand, seems annoyed with how Kai's been speaking to the rest of us.
Honestly, I can't really blame her—he's really annoying.
- Christy: "Anyway, we should probably start moving. We don't know what might happen if we stay here too long."
- Kai: "Shouldn't we grab a weapon or something? We're not gonna walk around unarmed are we??"
- Christy: "Obviously not. But, I don't see any weapons we can use in here."
Sure enough, there are no visible objects that can be used as weapons in this room. Then, suddenly, I hear a sound of someone fidgeting.
It's Blair, and she's grabbed the torch hanging off the wall. Without saying a word, she lifts it toward the light.
The moment the torch nears the glow, it ignites—a white flame crackling softly, as if the fire had simply been waiting. Embers flicker as the light swells, casting a warm glow across the room.
Then, silently, she hands the now-lit torch to Christy.
- Christy: "Oh. I guess we have something now at least. Thanks Blair."
She offers no response and just stares at the dark hallway.
Blair came up with that on her own, while the rest of us were talking? She's smarter than I thought… That also explains why she was staring at that light for so long. It seems our stats really do reflect us. But then, what does that say about me?
My train of thought is interrupted yet again, as Kai speaks to Christy.
- Kai: "Okay then, I guess you should be up front, since you have the torch with you."
- Lena: "Ohhhh? You'd really make a girl walk up front in a dark, scary hallway? Some man you are."
- Blair: "You have the highest Strength stat here. You should be up front."
- Kai: "ME??? Why not Ayden?"
"You talked all big before, but now you can't act on it?"
- Lena: "Pussyyyyyyyyy!"
- Kai: "Hey! Why am I getting picked on here?!"
- Christy: "Enough! I was already planning on leading anyways."
- Kai: "Then what was the point of making me go through that?!"
His voice echoes in the small room. He throws his arms up, visibly offended, but no one really answers him. Christy just sighs and starts walking, torch in hand. Lena's still giggling at his outburst, clearly enjoying herself. Blair's expression remains the same. Blank. Detached. Not a flicker of emotion crosses her face.
How are they all so… casual about this?
It's like they've already adapted to this twisted situation. Laughing. Joking.
As the others start moving, I notice Isabella is still looking at me. It's as if she's analyzing me. Maybe trying to catch me slipping up? However, she immediately looks away when I face her, slightly blushing.
I guess my answer from before didn't satisfy her. What's causing her to be so bothered though? I thought I did a good job convincing them of my stats. Is it because of her higher Perception level?
I unconsciously start biting my nail again out of nervousness and follow the others, with Isabella closely behind me.
The hallway is dark, and narrow. It's so cramped there's barely enough space for three people to stand side by side. The walls feel as though they're closing in on us with each step.
The cold air clings to my skin like invisible fingers, sharp and biting, crawling beneath the thin fabric of my shirt. Each breath I take sends a brief frost into my lungs, making them ache just slightly. My arms prick with goosebumps despite the steady pace of walking. It's the kind of cold that isn't just physical—it seeps in, slowing my blood and weighing down my thoughts.
The floor is still damp, each step followed by a soft splash. The torchlight makes it easier to see our surroundings. Darker, more jagged rocks form to create the inner lining of the walls and the floor still has the same texture as the previous room.
This really feels like a cave now.
I glance back once.
Mistake.
There's nothing.
The room we came from is gone, swallowed by absolute blackness. Not even the faintest trace of light. It's just… void.
An eerie silence presses in, swallowing every sound—even my own breathing feels muted. A faint, hollow echo seems to whisper from the darkness, but it's impossible to tell if it's real or just my imagination.
A cold draft brushes past my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. For a moment, I swear I feel something behind me—waiting. Watching. If I stare too long, I start to believe something will reach out and drag me back into it.
I whip my head forward and pick up my pace, heart pounding a little faster.
Christy leads, her torch held high as it throws out just enough light to keep the darkness at bay.
Behind her is Lena, trailing just a step behind and to the side when space allows, the playful smirk still lingering on her lips. Next is Kai, grumbling quietly under his breath, probably still stewing over being teased. He's walking close enough to her that their shoulders occasionally bump.
Blair follows them. She walks in silence, a chilling presence between us. The light of the torch makes her pale skin and emotionless face seem even more ghost-like in the tight passage.
Then there's me. I keep my distance from the others, walking toward the rear. My fingers are curled slightly, still tense. Isabella is beside me, or as close as the hallway allows. Sometimes she walks right behind me, other times just over my shoulder. She hasn't said anything since we started moving, but I can feel her eyes on me—thoughtful, almost worried. Or maybe suspicious?
We've been walking for several minutes by now. Suddenly, the group comes to a stop. Something's stopped us. As I peer from behind Blair, I see the path splits off in two directions, one equally as dark as the other.
- Kai: "Um, what should we do now?"
- Christy: "The path splits into two."
- Kai: "Yeah, no shit. But which path should we take?"
- Christy: "I'm not sure. Maybe we should do a majority vote?"
- Kai: "Alright, I vote right! You know? Since right is always right."
His shitty joke didn't have the intended effect, as everyone is deep in thought, contemplating which path to choose.
Is he trying to lighten the mood, or is he just that clueless?
As I'm thinking this, I notice Kai's hand is trembling slightly.
I guess he's just coping in his own way…
My doubts on them further deepen, as now I don't know what to think anymore.
- Christy: "Aside from Kai's… odd way of thinking, I also think we should take the right path."
- Blair: "Research shows that people tend to choose the right when presented with two paths."
Everyone is taken aback by the sudden drop of knowledge, as we are now even more conflicted than before.
"So it might be a trap…"
- Kai: "How do we know there's even anything down here with us anyway? What if it's some kind of sick prank?"
"If that's the case, it's a really fucked up joke and whoever did it should put a stop to it."
What he said does have some merit though. What if it is a prank and there really isn't anything here? But how would you fake the status screens? Not to mention, the voice speaking in our heads sounded way too real…
- Lena: "I still think we should go right! Even if it's a prank, we still have to get out of here."
- Christy: "So it's a majority vote. Do you two agree with this?"
She says this while looking at me and Isabella.
They could be trying to force me down this way. Is the right path really a good choice? I guess I don't have much of an option…
"I'm fine with it."
- Isabella: "Um… I guess so."
- Christy: "Alright then. Let's get going."
As the conversation comes to an end, we take the right path.
I still have a bad feeling about this…