Terms and Conditions

Chapter 14

But when I tried to equip my weapon, I found not only could I not reach for it, there was a small red 'x' near its name. Problem number one.

Trying not to panic, I turned my gaze to my unread messages. Luis. Reading the one at the top, I held my breath. "The other workers think I'm a spy. We need to hurry the hell up, huh?"

Ho-kay. We're going to die.

"If you're thinking of attacking me, don't." Nhyx grinned as I looked at him. "This room is coated with anti-magic."

"Anti-magic?" I closed my menu. "Nhyx, you can't do this. You can't—"

"Says you." He rolled his eyes before pulling the door closed another inch. "I can do as I please. All my years of struggling have allowed me to do this. Now you—" His eyes slid up and down, looking me over. "You can't leave."

My jaw dropped.

"You can't." He shook his head before slamming the door shut. I heard it latch as I rushed over to it. Pulling at the knob did nothing but make it rattle.

On the other side of the door, he continued, "You see, I've told you all of my secrets, which I would never tell a soul. And you, dear mage, give off a scent of magic so potent, I couldn't let you walk out of here alive. You would surely notify the town official to have me arrested."

My fists slammed against the door. My heart hammered in my chest. I couldn't look away from the wood in front of me; I feared glancing back inside the room.

But I can't let him know I'm panicking. No, I can't let myself panic.

I slammed my fist against the door. "Nhyx, they're going to find you! These jewels aren't yours! And they'll reclaim what's theirs!"

"They might," he said on the other side. "But I'll be long gone before they find out. And you, sweet mage, have just ten minutes to consider your last moments in life. The gas should be painless, or so I've been told."

Gas...

GAS?

He laughed. "The Apothecary said those who inhale never see it coming. Literally."

I pushed away from the door. The hairs on my arm stood straight. Normally, in a game, this would've been when I cursed the villain, the crime. But as I stood in the midst of it all, I couldn't curse at anyone but myself. And as Nhyx walked down the hall, his footsteps echoing away from the shut room, I did just that.

"Shit!

Who wrote this storyline!

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One minute.

Two minutes.

Three.

I wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed. The thumps from my beating heart helped, but not in the way I hoped it would. It only made the situation worse. It suffocated me, strangling me with an invisible hand.

My first response was to rush back to the door and pull at the knob. When that didn't work, I opened my in-game menu and tried to log out. That was when I found leaving wasn't an option during a quest. This wasn't like real life; I couldn't pull myself out of the moment and run from the shadows of my panic and anxiety.

I had to get through this. Had to manage my emotions, pull it together, and survive.

With my back against the door, I opened my inbox and scrolled up through Luis' messages. After the last one I read, there was another.