Marvelous Game

"If I could offer you a test for a virtual reality game, would you like to try it?"



-------------------



"Done?"



Duke breathed a sigh of relief, but the slightest movement sent a sharp pain through his body.



He looked down at himself in the dim light of the torches outside his cell. It was a scarred, emaciated body, crisscrossed with whips that had torn away from the linen clothes, revealing ferocious swelling and bleeding wounds.



Stinking wet ropes hung from above, binding his hands and holding him so upright that only his toes could barely touch the ground for support.



The unbearable pain of burning, tingling, and spasms, accompanied by the aching muscles of being fixed in one position for too long, constantly invaded Duke's brain.



But it was also these feelings that reminded him that he was still alive!



"Finally, it's gonna be over." Said Duke with a wry smile.