As the situation took an unexpected turn, the druid's face paled in an instant, like the moon over forest obscured by a swift-moving cloud.
He appeared as if he wanted to shout, but no sound emerged from his throat. A flicker of blue light flashed, and he was banished, just like being kicked out of a game match.
A message from the tower infiltrated the minds of the remaining few.
[The druid has escaped. He is not the vampire.]
[You have two more voting chances.]
Their eyes widened with a mix of shock and curiosity.
"What does that mean?"
The mage asked, voicing the doubt that plagued them all.
Everything had happened so fast they barely had time to process the events or take any action.
The druid had left before he could explain himself, leaving them all in a state of confusion.
They subconsciously chose to believe the 'tower's hint,' although they seemed to have no idea what the druid's abilities were or how it could contributed to this task at all.
The qi master stroked his chin thoughtfully, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he thought about current state.
The weight of their predicament hung heavily in the air, as if an invisible hand was pressing down on their shoulders.
The source of this tale, the coffin, remained silent, an eerie presence that that only added to the tension, senting chills down their spines.
Zed, hidden within the coffin, let out a sigh of relief.
He carefully stopped releasing spores, lying as flat as possible without making a sound. His heartbeat echoed in his ears, drowning out the thoughts that swirled in his mind.
Thankfully, the word "escape" appeared in the mission prompt again, confirming his thought. Most importantly, the hint he received from the tower added even more ideas.
[One Awakened captured. Collect after task completion.]
'Capturing an Awakened... It seems like I'm truly competing with that wolf outside for food. I wonder what they received?'
Zed mused, a thin layer of sweat forming on his brow.
He let out a long sigh, shaking his head, finding it hard to believe how deviously the task's description was crafted and how complex the thoughts of the people involved were.
'The druid had to go. His leadership was too freaking strong. Mainly, he just talked too much...'
'At least the final hint said everyone still had two voting chances. That qi guy out there doesn't seem a stupid one, but...'
In the end, he couldn't help but mutter a few curses under his breath.
"This hint is really far-fetched. Escape? Huh? Does the tower always give out tasks like this? Word play?"
Zed's tone carried a blend of uncertainty.
While Zed contemplated, the vibe outside grew even more tense.
Their countdown timer was running low.
[00:07:45]
[00:07:44]
[00:07:43] ...
The numbers on the countdown continued to drop relentlessly, like the falling grains of sand in an hourglass, and the decision had to be made.
At one point, the priest seemed unable to bear the slow torment any longer.
"What are you waiting for? Why don't you just vote me? Haven't I told you I'm the vampire?"
His voice trembled with a blend of anger and desperation.
He glared fiercely at the coffin, which exuded an evil aura and almost merged with the shadows, as if wanting to charge and tear it apart but not daring to.
His hands clenched into fists, knuckles white with the force of his grip.
Now, all he wanted was for the remaining two to vote for him as quickly as possible. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat a painful reminder of the predicament he found himself in.
From the priest's perspective, one could say he was rather pathetic. He too was an Awakened but ever since the task began, he knew he wasn't on the same side as the others.
He got information about vampires, but he had received an additional too.
[There are no vampires among the players. You cannot vote, nor can you be voted out.]
The priest's victory condition was to stall for time and ensure that at least one person remained. Based on this clue, he deduced from the very beginning that the players' goal was to escape – from what, he had no idea.
He knew there were only three voting opportunities, meaning if he were the primary target once, at least one person would be left behind.
It seemed so simple, didn't it?
Especially when the druid suggested that everyone let the magician inspect them in the last minutes and make the vote, the priest had nearly laughed out loud.
This practically guaranteed that at least one would be left behind, as there wouldn't be enough time. Moreover, he had subtly guided the others to believe that they had "driven him into a corner."
But now, look at the coffin lying there, silent and still, like a tombstone marking a grave in a forgotten graveyard.
FK.
Suddenly, he felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
He had anticipated that things wouldn't go so smoothly – the tower always seemed to meddle in the strangest of ways.
However, you couldn't ever really fight the tower. If it imposed a sanction on you, as an Awaken, you had no choice but to accept it.
It sounded quite unfair, but that was the state of an Awaken. They struggled through different eras and hardships, being drowned into the tower to play "games" at the right time, acquiring various abilities and flaws, just to endure another day in their torturous reality.
Yes, the priest also came from a world filled with monsters and scars. He despised that world yet had no choice but to live.
He looked up silently at the two Awakens before him, a hint of pleading in his eyes.
'They must have come from same kind damn world too, so perhaps they can understand and help me...'
But when his gaze met the wise eyes of the qi master, he immediately realized that it was all his own fantasy.
"Miss Magician,"
the qi master suddenly spoke, his tone tinged with uncertainty.
"You mentioned earlier what would happen if there's a tie in the votes, right?"
The magician turned her face towards him, surprised by his lengthy sentence, only to find that the qi master's eyes were not even on her, but fixed intently on the priest.
A strange smile slowly spread across his face.
In the end, he just laughed.
"Ok, brilliant. I finally understand... Miss Magician, I'd like to ask for your help."
It was then that the qi master looked at the magician, putting away his smile, bowing politely, and drawing closer to her.
His act was gentle, and the magician couldn't seem to find a reason to avoid him.
Soon, she heard the qi master lower his voice and speak.
"I can now confirm that the priest is indeed the vampire. Miss Magician, could you uoplease vote me, and I will vote you. For Just now, I didn't see the priest vote, but the druid left. I think we can use this as an opportunity given by the tower to waste this vote, voting for each other. If successful, we can then send away..."
He didn't finish his sentence before raising his hand.
Fearful and tense, the magician reflexively voted for the qi master.
And he, in turn, raised his hand.
Pointing at himself.
[Qi master has escaped; he is not the vampire]
[You have one vote remaining]
Watching the qi master disappear from her face, the magician suddenly sat on the ground, disbelief etched on her face. Her eyes widened, losing focus as her mind raced to comprehend what had just happened.
The sentence qi master never finished was:
"...then send away yourself."