Chapter 201 - Russian Roulette

Suddenly a suffocating pressure began to emanate from the picture at the end of the room. Everyone, including Wain, felt like they were having trouble breathing. 

Then a huge amount of dark energy burst out of the painting, and the mask with an evil smirk flew out of the picture.

No one expected something like this to happen. Finch was about to attack. 

White flames appeared in his palms, but they immediately went out, and dark chains appeared around him. They chained him to his chair and prevented him from moving.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Shouted Finch.

The next moment the same thing happened to everyone else, even Dia, who didn't have a chair. 

Shackles appeared on her legs, and she was chained to the ground. No one could do anything, not actually Ayla, who was quite strong.

Whooooooosh.

The mask effortlessly passed through the barrier and hovered over the table. The next moment, everyone heard an eerie voice.

"Welcome. It's nice to see this place full of guests again."

"This mask can talk?" Shocked, Elmar said. The elf was surprised and didn't understand what was going on here.

"Please don't interrupt me. Haven't you been taught the rules of etiquette?" The mask said with a sneer.

"Fuck you!" Said one of Finch's mates. It was the second man in their group.

Whooooooosh.

The next moment, a dark spike erupted from the chair and pierced his shoulder. It was a non-lethal but very painful wound.

"I told you'd better just listen. You have no other options anyway. First I want you to rest and relax. There's nothing like hot tea for that purpose, don't you agree?"

A dark vortex appeared around the mask, and from it came a full tea service and a teapot. Everyone had their cup filled to the brim.

"Please, help yourselves. This tea not only tastes great and has a wonderful aroma, but it also speeds up regeneration." Said the mask looking at the wounded man.

The situation was extraordinary, but everyone who could get here was an experienced fighter, and they knew not to act hastily at times like this. No one touched the tea, it was too dangerous. Mask, of course, didn't like that.

"Hmm, it's been so long since we've had guests here, but even now, you refuse to drink tea. That's not good." Said the mask, and a terrifying aura began to emanate from it.

Everyone began to breathe heavily again, and it lasted about a minute until the wounded man shouted out, "Wait, I'll taste your tea!"

At the exact moment, the pressure eased, and the mask smiled.

"Glad to hear it. Please don't think I'm a mad killer. I've just been waiting too long, and I want to buy you tea before the show starts. I have no reason to lie to you, for you are in my power."

The wounded man nodded and brought the cup to his mouth.

"Stop! You are idiot! It's an obvious trap!" Finch said loudly.

"No, it isn't." The wounded man shook his head. "That mask easily hit my shoulder, and nothing prevented it. If it wanted to kill us, it would have pierced our heads. I don't know what the creature is, but obviously, we have to follow the rules to survive. This area is Purgatory."

No one said anything. His words sounded logical and plausible.

However, when the wounded man took a sip of tea, Wain muttered, "Fool."

"Agh!" The wounded man vomited a mouthful of blood, and foam came out of his mouth the next moment. This tea was a powerful poison, and even one drop would be enough to kill them all.

"AHAHAHAHAHA, he's right there was no logic in my actions, yet this simpleton has completely forgotten what elegance is. Is it beautiful to kill with dirty spikes?" Suddenly the mask laughed.

Everyone became alert, at that moment, they realized that their opponent was insane and not predictable. Their type of thinking was strikingly different, making it impossible to predict the mask's next move.

"However, my actions made sense, now there are six of you, and it's time to get to the fun part." Said the mask, and the next moment the chains around Dia disappeared.

She hesitantly made her way to the chair and sat in it beside her already dead mate.

"Good, now we can begin. I'm glad you decided to come here and have tea with me, but not everyone can go on. One of you will have to stay here, forever! AHAHAHAHA." The mask laughed menacingly.

"What are the rules?" Ayla asked.

Despite the situation, she remained calm and tried to find a solution.

"It's simple. You have one revolver and one cartridge in front of you. You will leave here when one of you is dead. Please have one of you take the revolver." Said the mask.

Everyone was afraid, except Wain. He took the revolver and cartridge in his hands with a calm face.

"Great, looks like someone is interesting among you. Now put the cartridge in the cylinder and crank it a few times. Then put the revolver to your temple and shoot once, then pass the gun clockwise to the next person." The mask explained the detail.

Wain nodded and did as the mask said. Then he rotated the revolver's cylinder several times so that it was impossible to tell where the cartridge was. 

The revolver was a six-shot, which meant that one of them was sure to die by the end of the round.

"Wait, do you really want to shoot?" Ayla asked.

She was surprised that Wain, weak in her opinion, who got here by accident, found the courage to do it. Ayla thought he was scared, but Wain was smiling like a madman, to her surprise.

"Of course, I fucking will! AHAHAHAHA, don't you feel that excitement coupled with deadly risk and hopelessness?"

The next moment Wain put the revolver to his head and pulled the trigger.

Click.

There was a loud click that echoed through the room like thunder and made everyone's heart flutter with fear and excitement.

Wain smiled and blew a club of steam from his mouth.

"Excellent..." Wain muttered and held out his revolver to the next contestant.

Keya hesitantly took the revolver in her hands and looked at Ayla.

"Take it easy. The chances that this step will be fatal are only 20%. Out of the five remaining shots, only one will be fatal. No need to be afraid." Said Ayla.

"Of course..." Keya muttered and put the revolver to her temple. She was about to pull the trigger, but she didn't have the courage. Her hand was shaking, and her back was drenched with cold sweat.

"Come on, go ahead." Wain said coldly. "Don't spoil everyone's fun."

Click.

Keya pulled the trigger and luckily managed to survive. She was breathing heavily and trembling from the shock she had gone through. 

She realized that whether or not she would live depended solely on luck. It was a terrible feeling.

"Keya, pass the revolver." Said Ayla.

"Of course..." Whispered the girl.

Ayla was more daring and immediately pulled the trigger. She understood that they had no other choice. 

Their powers were blocked, and the mask could kill either of them at any moment. What's more, her chances of survival were 75%, and that was no small thing.

Snap.

Ayla also survived, but now the situation has become more serious. 

There were only three rounds left, and every time someone fired a shot, the others felt death coming closer to them. They sensed the chill of the phantom scythe against their necks.

Next in line was Elmar. He tried to look brave and confident, but really he was afraid. 

Elmar looked at Wain and realized he wasn't as easy as they thought. He immediately took the revolver because his chances of survival were 83%.

Elmar only had 66%, and the next contestant would have 50%. The last one would have 0%. It was simple math, and given the rules, the path to victory was simple, speed.

Of course, Wain could also die and get shot in the temple, but that was the most unlikely outcome of all.

"Come on, did you chicken out?" Finch said with a smile.

He also accepted the game's rules and was ready to pull the trigger at any moment. His heart was pounding wildly, and his blood was bubbling like lava in the mouth of a volcano. 

It was an unforgettable feeling, unlike the mortal danger he had experienced so many times. It was exciting.

"Of course not!" Elmar said in a trembling voice and pulled the trigger the next moment.

"No!!!" At the same time, Keya screamed, looking at the exploded head of her mate and friend.

The flesh and brain were scattered to the sides, and blood poured all around. It was a terrible fate waiting for one of them.

"AHAHAHAHAHA, wasn't that wonderful? It was a great aperitif." Said the mask, and dark energy burst out of it.

It consumed the bodies of the dead and the tea set, removing them from the room. The blood and chains restraining Wain and the others also disappeared.

Finch immediately tried to attack the mask but failed. The dark energy protected it and prevented any attack from getting through.

"Easy, that was only the beginning. There are many more interesting things to come. Please come forward." Said the mask looking at the painting at the end of the room.

The next moment the picture moved, and a secret passage opened behind it.

'This area of Purgatory seems to be more interesting than all the others. This is beginning to please me.' Thought Wain and stepped forward.

He realized that they had no other option. They could only go forward and not stop. Every area of Purgatory had similar challenges, and Wain already thought it was a feature of these places.

Finch smiled and followed Wain. He, like the elves, had lost a mate, but he couldn't stop because of it. When they accidentally found their way into the Purgatory area, they knew what they were walking into.

The same seemed to Ayla. She looked sadly at where Elmar had been sitting a moment ago and nodded towards the painting. Keya and Dia had no choice but to join their leaders.

Ayla stared intently at Wain. She sensed that something was wrong with him, but she could not understand the reason for her concern.

'Is he strange... Is it the secret of the Inerians, or is the situation much more complicated?' Ayla wondered.

Behind the painting was a long tunnel that led them to a spacious room. It was a huge warehouse the size of a soccer field. It was empty except for a square, wooden table in the center.

On the table were five sets of three gold coins each. Wain and the others approached the table, and then a mask appeared in the air.

"Welcome to the next game. The rules are elementary. Each of you has three coins. Your task is to have the most coins by the end of the challenge. Whoever has the least coins will die." Said the mask.

"What happens if two or more participants have the same number of coins and it is impossible to determine the loser?" Asked Ayla.

"In that case, no one will die, but a monster will be summoned that you will need to deal with. The more coins you have, the stronger the monster will be." The mask responded.

"How do we increase the number of our coins?" Said Finch.

"It's simple. Each coin has a number on it. Initially, it is a '1'. You can combine all the coins into one to get a coin with a higher value. To increase the number, you have to flip the coin up to touch the ceiling. At that moment, the number on the coin is multiplied. Then you just have to catch the coin."

"Can we fight each other?" Finch asked.

"You can take the coins from the other contestant, but only when the coins are in flight. Otherwise, you will be disqualified. The test time is ten minutes. I give you three minutes to prepare." Said the mask and disappeared, disintegrating into dark particles.

Ayla wanted to say something, but suddenly the mask reappeared.

"Oh yes, I forgot to tell you something. Unlike the last challenge, there will be a loser here and a winner. Whoever collects the most coins will receive a reward whose quality will depend on the number of coins."

The mask disappeared again.

But, now the situation was very different. Everyone had a reason to fight and plunder others.

Ayla was the most upset. She didn't want to fight and put someone in mortal danger, she had another idea, and she wasn't going to give it up.

Finch headed to the table and wanted to take the coins, but Ayla stopped him.

"Wait a minute! There's no point in us participating in this ordeal!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Finch said grudgingly.

"We'll just follow the rules. If we each have three coins left by the end of the trial, no one will die, and the monster will be weak.." Ayla said confidently, trying to change the others' minds.