Rogue Wars Online

Chapter One-Hundred-One: Russian Roulette

-chapter one-hundred-one-

FINN

I'm afraid.

Ang nararamdaman ko lang ngayon ay kung gaano ako natatakot na mamatay. And it's laughable, because I have never thought of life like that. I witnessed a lot of deaths that it must have made me immune to mine, but protective over others. I would die for them to survive, but right now, I wanted to survive too. I wanted for all of us, for those who remained, to complete this together.

I followed the NPC in small steps, while he walked to the table with confidence. He waited by the other side and I took the position opposite to him. The observing eyes of other players rested on us, even those who were playing was distracted. Hindi ko muna pinansin ang mga titig nila, especially that piercing gaze, at diretsong tiningnan sa mata ang NPC.

Or I don't know if he's even one.

"Are you... a game master too?"

The eyes behind the mask shined in amusement. A small smile grazed his lip, "Maybe. Maybe not."

But can a normal NPC answer like this? O baka naman specialized ang game na 'to to expect anything, kaya nakakasagot sila sa mga ganitong klaseng tanong.

"You mentioned that the game master was a him." naalala ko ang sinabi niya kanina. "So maybe it's you, and you'll help us once I beat you."

"I am not. There are various game masters in this game, some in the crowd of players, others not. There's a her and a him, so you shouldn't be too complacent."

I pouted at the word. Hindi naman ako complacent ah. Tsaka sinabi naman niya talagang him kanina, tapos ngayon ipapasok niya pa ang her. He's too late to give those excuses in order to confuse me.

But I think it's not him too. Although, nagdoubt ako kanina dahil wala namang chance na magsusurrender at magre-reveal ang game master ng walang mabigat na favor, so maybe he wants me to startle and catch him during the game. Kung saan wala na siyang masasabing excuses dahil nasa amin ang mata ng lahat.

My eyes fell on the two revolvers in the table. I made a move to touch them and he didn't hesitate. Sinubukan kong huwag ipakita ang kaba nang hawakan ko 'to sa'king kamay. The cold metal under my fingers felt foreign, and its heavy lead made my heart carry burdens too. I checked the cylinder, spinning it once and gulping at the future consequences of this game.

"Will this game end with one of us dead?"

My question seemed to have stilled the air around us. The cards that flew around the nearby tables slowed down and there was a familiar, loud gasp. I could almost feel the variety of curses that are tickling Eura's tongue.

"We'll play six rounds each and the bullets will increase every round." sagot niya na nagpalaki sa mata ko. "Whoever survives at the end, wins."

"What if both of us survive?"

It was a dumb question.

Kung magi-increase ng bullet every round then the gun will be fully loaded at the final round. Well, it depends on the amount of ammunition that the revolver can hold. Pero kung six rounds ang sinabi niya, siguro six bullets rin ang kaya nito. And, I doubt any of us can still survive a revolver with five bullets in.

From his answering smile, I knew he read through my realizations.

"Sparrow, there's no need to do this. The lives and decisions of others do not fall on your hands."