Chapter: The Ruby Game
The pit still hummed with tension. Fern's magic continued to unravel the last of the null-bind threads, releasing the dwarves one by one. Luke leaned against the wooden pillar, arms crossed, while Oliver sat on a mound of earth, his face pale as the light from his Systematic Guide flickered over his features.
> [SYSTEM UPDATE: GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT – SPECIAL CONDITION ACTIVATED]
⚠️ Ruby Game: Initiated ⚠️
Location Lock: Woodland Region (Zone 7-D)
Time Limit: Until Sunrise
Traveler Condition:
– All Travelers must obtain at least one Ruby before daybreak.
– Rubies are found in stumps, hollow logs, and caverns.
– If a Traveler fails to acquire a Ruby before sunrise:
• Their presence will be erased from the active field.
• Points will be subtracted from total ranking.
• The forest will reset—healing all damage as if nothing occurred.
• Progress made in this zone will be nullified.
Warning:
– An entity known as the Silent Stalker (Zack Erebus) is actively hunting Travelers during this phase.
– He is permitted to eliminate any Traveler attempting to claim a Ruby.
– Detection of the Silent Stalker is near impossible.
– Elimination by the Stalker will result in complete Ruby disqualification.
This is a Ruby Game. Hide, seek, survive, and earn your place.
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The screen dimmed.
Oliver didn't move for a long moment. Then, softly:
"…A game?"
No one answered.
He turned toward Luke, who was brushing dust off his vest, face unreadable.
"You knew something like this might happen?" Oliver asked.
Luke didn't reply.
Fern was the first to speak. "This isn't a normal quest system. This is... ritual-coded."
"What do you mean?" Oliver asked.
Fern looked up at the ceiling of the pit, where the moonlight barely filtered in. "The forest is more than terrain—it's aware. Someone's using it as a board. And the players? Us. And him."
She didn't need to name the Silent Stalker. They all felt his absence like breath on their necks.
Doli, one of the dwarves, muttered nervously, "So we've gotta find rubies before dawn… or we disappear?"
"Vanish," corrected another dwarf. "The message said erased. As if we were never here."
"I'm too young to be erased!" another one squeaked.
"I have snacks hidden in my beard!" cried Rindle.
Oliver stood up abruptly, closing the Guide. "Why would the system do this? Is it a test?"
Luke spoke at last, his voice low and gravel-rough.
"It's not the system."
They all looked at him.
"This game wasn't made by the system devs or the world managers. This is someone else's code. Someone higher. The Stalker's just the… enforcer."
Fern gave a slight nod. "A ritual like this wouldn't allow randomness. It needs purpose. Cycles. Targets."
Doli gulped. "What's the purpose, then?"
Fern looked directly at him.
"To decide who gets to stay."
The silence that followed was thick and crushing.
Luke pushed himself off the pillar. "Then we find the rubies. And we don't get caught."
"But he's everywhere," Oliver said. "He took you down, Luke. You—the monster hunter."
Luke's jaw tightened. "He didn't beat me. He just got clever."
Fern added, "He won't need to fight if we let fear do the work."
Doli nervously raised a hand. "Uh… question?"
"Yes?" Oliver asked.
"Can we still get rubies that are already taken? Like, do we have to steal them back? 'Cause that might be hard. Especially with him out there."
Fern's eyes narrowed. "That might be the point."
They all looked around at each other—dirt-smeared, exhausted, caught in the dark where every step might be a trap. And yet, the stakes couldn't be clearer.
Survive the night. Get a ruby. Avoid Zack Erebus.
If they failed—the forest would erase everything.
No glory. No reward.
Just disappearance.
Luke turned toward the sloping tunnel at the side of the pit. "We split into two groups. We cover more ground that way. Move smart. Stay in sight of cover."
Fern flicked her staff once. Roots climbed the wall, forming a quick way up. "The forest won't protect us this time."
Oliver took one last look at his Guide.
The timer had started.
The countdown had begun.
The Ruby Game was in play.
And in the shadows, Zack Erebus was already moving.
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