The Rules of the Island

David's mind was a whirlwind of confusion and fear. Namaah was a force to be reckoned with—he had no illusions about that. She could have killed him and taken the Amulet by now, so why hadn't she? What was stopping her? The question gnawed at him, and in his desperation, he found himself voicing it out loud.

"If you're so powerful, why don't you just kill me and take the Amulet?" David demanded, his voice tinged with a mixture of anger and frustration.

Namaah, still controlling Lisa's body, tilted her head slightly, a wicked smile playing on her lips. Her eyes, dark and malevolent, seemed to mock him.

"Kill you?" she echoed, as if the idea amused her. "Oh, darling, if only it were that simple."

David's brow furrowed, uncertainty gripping him. "What do you mean?"

Namaah's laughter was cold, sending a chill down his spine. "You really don't know, do you? This island has rules, David. Rules that even I must follow."

"What rules?" David pressed, his frustration growing.

Namaah's expression shifted, becoming more serious, though the dark amusement never fully left her eyes. "If I were to kill you and try to take the Amulet, I'd get nothing. The Amulet would simply disappear, lost to both of us. You see, items like the Amulet are what we call quest items. They're special, bound by the island's rules. After the death of the host, these items vanish and reappear randomly somewhere on the island."

David's heart sank as the implications of her words hit him. "So… killing me won't get you the Amulet?"

"Precisely," Namaah purred, her voice laced with satisfaction. "The only way to obtain a quest item is if the host willingly gives it to another player. In that case, the connection between the item and the player doesn't break—it belongs to both of them simultaneously, and they can complete the quest together."

David's mind raced, trying to process this new information. "And if someone steals it?"

Namaah's smile widened. "The item would simply reappear in the host's inventory. Again, it's not something that can be taken by force. If you die, the Amulet would vanish and appear somewhere else on the island, likely far from anyone's reach."

David felt a cold realization wash over him. "So killing the host is the worst decision?"

Namaah nodded slowly, her eyes gleaming with dark satisfaction. "Exactly. Which is why I'm here, talking to you, darling. I need you alive… for now."

David's blood ran cold. Namaah's words confirmed his worst fears—he wasn't dealing with an ordinary enemy. The Amulet had made him a target, and Namaah was playing a far more complicated game than he had realized. She needed him alive, and that fact alone filled him with dread.

But there was one small solace—if she couldn't kill him, then he still had a chance. A slim one, perhaps, but a chance nonetheless.

Namaah's mocking smile suddenly faded as she froze for a moment, her eyes narrowing as if she had sensed something. Then, with a cold, calculating gaze, she spoke again, her voice devoid of the amusement it had held moments before.

"I don't have much time to play with you, David," she said, her tone dangerously low. She tightened her grip on the weapon pressed against Sarah's throat, drawing a small scratch just deep enough to draw blood. A single drop began to slide down Sarah's neck, glistening in the dim light.

David's heart plummeted into an abyss of despair. The sight of that tiny drop of blood sent a wave of panic crashing over him. His mind raced, and his instincts screamed at him to act. He couldn't let Sarah die. He couldn't lose her too.

"Okay! Stop!" David shouted, his voice breaking with urgency. "I'll give you the stupid, shitty Amulet. Just don't hurt her!"

Namaah's lips curled into a satisfied smile, but David was already moving. As he spoke, his mind had been working furiously, formulating a plan that might be his only chance. Silently, he activated his Flame Mark skill, targeting the Amulet in his possession. The ancient rune glowed faintly as the mark took hold. Of course, only David could see this rune marks. 

With a quick, decisive movement, David threw the Amulet toward Lisa—toward Namaah. The artifact sailed through the air, and as it did, Namaah's attention snapped to it, her eyes locking onto the prize she so desperately sought. In her eagerness, she released her grip on Sarah, who stumbled forward, free from her captor's hold.

Namaah's hand reached out to snatch the Amulet from the air, her expression one of triumph. The world around them froze, and in that split second, David activated his Flame Mark.

He teleported.

The Amulet hovered in the air between them, just a meter away, and in that heartbeat, David's Haste skill surged through him, increasing his speed to unnatural levels.

Namaah's eyes widened in shock as David appeared before her, his movements a blur as he lunged toward the Amulet. She had miscalculated—underestimating the desperation and resolve of a man with everything to lose.

The world returned to full speed, and in an instant, David's hand closed around the Amulet, the red glow of his Hellflame skill igniting as he moved to strike.