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Chapter 17 – Shadows Within Shadows
Their bodies still twitched.
Kael's broken gauntlet smoldered in the grass. Mira's pain-throne lay shattered, glowing faintly as it faded. Throne's iron skin was peeled and cracked like tin, twisted by strikes that shouldn't have been possible.
Three on one, and yet…
Chester stood. Alone. Masked. Unscratched.
The battlefield was silent—until he laughed.
Not loudly. Not maniacally. Just a chuckle, subtle and sharp, like dice tumbling across a wooden table.
He walked from the corpses, blade humming at his side. The Sword of the Lord of Chance had eaten well. Its hunger for impossible odds had been sated… temporarily.
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Later… back at camp
Seven people remained now. No one asked what happened to Kael, Mira, and Throne. They all knew. Or guessed. Or feared.
Chester sat under a tree, hood pulled low, fingers dancing through his inventory screen, one by one.
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Inventory: Chester – Day 8 (2 Days Left)
Sword of the Lord of Chance (Mythical)
> "The worse the odds, the stronger I become." The weapon shimmered faintly now, seemingly satisfied. Chester stared at it, then smirked.
"Three on one. And you loved it."
Dice of Providence (Mythical) – 1 use
> Reality twist. Chester tapped it thoughtfully. "Not yet. The game isn't wild enough."
Ghost of a Skill: Shadow Step – 1 use left
> Borrowed from Marlo. Still stored.
Luck Decoy – Unspent.
Six Rolls – Resetting… 2 Days.
Survivors Left: 8
Time Remaining: 2 Days
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Chester stared at the flame. His smile, hidden beneath the mask, widened.
> "The traitor got back faster than me. And he said he was going to watch butterflies."
"Heh… people lie so easily."
He turned toward the tree line, watching Marlo's shadow disappear into it.
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Elsewhere… minutes later
Marlo moved silently through the forest.
"I'm just going for air," he had said to the others. No one stopped him. He was still part of the group—Chester's group.
But now, he wasn't.
Not fully.
Ahead, five shadows waited around a twisted violet flame.
The Destruction Pillar user stood among them, grin razor-sharp. "You came."
Marlo nodded.
"We're down to eight," he said. "Three died tonight. That leaves us. You five. Us three."
"You want to make it five vs. three?" one of them asked, warily.
Marlo's voice lowered. "I know their movements. Chester has gear you don't understand. He's dangerous."
"And you're offering help? Why?"
Marlo's eyes sharpened. "Because I'm not planning to die in this nightmare."
The Destruction user laughed. "Welcome aboard."
But behind Marlo's calm expression, his thoughts churned.
> I didn't lie.
I just didn't tell them everything.
This isn't betrayal.
It's survival.
And maybe… it's the long game.
In the darkness above, unseen, Chester's gaze lingered just a moment longer—before fading back into the woods.
> "Let's see what you're plotting, Marlo," he murmured.
"But I've already rolled my odds."
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