Chapter 7: Choose Wisely

Chapter 7: Choose Wisely

Andrew O'Kelley

andrewokelley.com

"Times up!" Shouted the Dark God as I felt an involuntary pull to look forward that dismissed the information I had been checking. "I will open the gates. You will not be trapped here. Now it is not my place or the place of the system I have created to tell you everything of Netherland, much is on you to discover." The Dark God held up a hand in caution. "But I will offer my last guidance, be mindful of others. The adventure today starts with a simple question, what path is it that you choose to begin your journey? Upon what foundation will you hunt for the monsters among you. How will you evade being hunted? The choice is yours."

"Choose wisely." The Dark God commanded. "Will you work with others to remain here at the Castle? Seeking to easily find whom I have placed the curse on? Or will you travel to the mountains in the North and forge for yourselves weapons and armor? Will you find fertile ground and begin to build a village and raise an army? Will you seek out the lakes, shores, and rivers go the path of the fisherman? You've options, explore them."

Without any further word, the Dark God turned and went back into Castle Bran. Leaving the group of people he had assembled and stolen to fight amongst themselves to decide the next course of action. Within seconds, the dozens of men and women that had been collected began to circle up, the majority of whom angrily demanded that everyone stay in place to work together.

It's a smart strategy. If everyone stays in one place, it will be easy to figure out the wolf's identity. The Wisp commented, but it will never work. I am sure the Dark God will prevent such a thing even if it was allowed. As you all are now, the Werewolf would massacre the lot of you, and what the Dark God craves is excitement and entertainment., Fel explained echoing my own sentiments, even as the crowd seemed ready to commit to the idea.

One man stood up, a youth in a brown bomber jacket with hair tied up in a bun and started to yell. "My name is Kurt, listen to me. If we all stay here and work together, we can take out this Werewolf and go home. I don't care who wins; I just want us all to survive."

Atticus stepped forward and put a hand on Kurt's shoulder, shaking his head in disagreement. "Like some of you, I won't say who, that's your secret to keep, just know I saw you, I've been a participant in this game before. I've seen firsthand the devastation the wolf can bring. This is not some mundane transformation, but a true monster standing as tall as a giant with talons as long as swords that can tear through the thickest of armor. This is not something any of you can handle right now."

Kurt looked at him with a face flashing annoyance, "And you can? Is that what you're saying? How are you standing here if you've been forced to play before, how do we know your not the wolf?"

Atticus shrugged. "You don't. But let me tell you what happens when you die here. If you make it past the first night, you get a chance to roam this cursed world as an undead. Then and only then if you manage to kill one of the other humans, you're allowed another chance at another game. You'll see, you'll all see. This place makes monsters of us all. Only the one who kills the wolf gets to go home. Maybe you missed that part."

Immediately a clamor broke out as people starting yelling over each other, and someone tried to say Atticus needed to be taken down. In response, the white-haired boy tensed up, adopting a stance I thought might be from judo, but nobody made a move on him. Fear kept them back. Instead, the crowd turned their attention elsewhere, elsewhere towards me.

But I wasn't having any of it. I recognized the looks they were flashing me, the looks of hate, of judgment, of being an outsider, it wasn't safe for me to stay, and I had no intention of being the scapegoat. This group was looking for an easy way out and wasn't thinking clearly, they were afraid, and fearful people make stupid decisions.

This suggestion to stay in one place as a group seemed like it would easily draw the ire of the Dark God, and I wasn't going to be part of it, I wasn't going to draw that kind of attention to me. If I'm being honest, I admitted to myself, I'm not sure I won't be the wolf, and I know a few of these people have come to the same conclusion. Little by little, some of the other participants started to trickle away from the group. When I walked away, plenty glared, but no one made a move to stop me as I headed towards the gate. My hands clenched into fists, ready to defend myself when an alert came and justified my resistance to staying.

!Alert!

This area is no longer considered a safe zone.

You will now suffer from an additional nighttime penalty of Cold.

You will also accumulate hunger and thirst points.

//System//

//Night Approaching - End of Day 1//

//5,4,3,2,1//

That was quick. Five whole seconds and no warning. I thought as I struggled to see as the light vanished. Rapidly the sky begins to grow dark. The coming of nightfall happened within seconds, and with the change, other things began to change. My eyes began to play tricks on me as every odd sound and creaking seemed to hide all manner of horrors, making me jump with fear. But there was one persistent sound that kept me moving back towards the Castle gate away from the garden. One sound I could recognize. A sound I was trying my hardest not to pay attention to it. The sound of something scratching against the rock of the castle walls.

I was thankful when I passed through the courtyard full of its statues and cleared the gate, but I didn't stop there, I kept going until I hit the treeline and then pulled myself up onto a low hanging branch of a pine to try and see a bit better what was happening to those left behind and to try and link up with Atticus. It didn't take long for the screams to start up as too late many who remained behind failed to notice the flakes of stone that dropped down from the sky.

I struggled to see, but from what I could tell, the formerly stone Gargoyals that had decorated the Castle were flying in mass attacking those who had not fled the castle grounds. People ran away in groups and pairs until only a few stragglers still remained behind, seeking desperately to find cover before they too were forced away from the courtyard. The rest had fled into the night, many running right past me, never knowing I was there, but Atticus never emerged.

With most of the crowd gone, I watched with morbid fascination, the only two people who were left behind, trying to run towards the gate. One was a heavyset girl who was starting to lag behind, and the other was a man who appeared to be trying to save her, not wanting to leave her behind. Just before the gate, with the Gargoyles just right behind them, she tripped and fell over. The man stopped immediately without any concern for my own safety and helped her get up, only for the girl to push the man over in the process. I couldn't see well, but I was certain there was a look of shocked surprise on the man's face. Sorry man, this wasn't a good time for somebody to have to learn that people can be scum.

The Gargoyles easily caught up to the man and tore into him with stone talons. I winced as the man screamed in pain as those talons rent the man's flesh and carried him off into the dark recesses of the Castle.

I'm sorry I couldn't help you. I thought as I dropped out of the tree and turned away, thinking Atticus must have taken enough way out. I towards to the North, suddenly very away of how much I needed a weapon and some armor. Even in the dark, I could still see the path that led away from Castle Bran, a minor benefit of having a Sol guide, though little else was visible.

It didn't take long for the notification of the man's death to follow.

!Alert!

//A Player (Clint Dean) Has Been Eliminated

//Error - Not enough playtime to be granted the status of "Undead" //

For those who fall, the only thing that awaits you is the dark of the abyss.