BLUFF [AIB]

Stage One: XIII

[Started: 1/1/2023]
[Ended: 1/1/2023]
[Song: End Of The Line But Better by forreally.]

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Alice In Borderlands
BLUFF
STAGE ONE: Rubatosis
"The unsettling awareness of your own heartbeat."

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Chapter Thirteen
"Three Tokens."
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Lots of women now and days choose not to have children. Some even say they hate kids. Y/n was one of those people. But like most of them she did secretly have a soft spot for them. She didn't know how to act around them or take care of them but she cared deeply.
Children are full of hope. They are naive and stupid. Some are brats. But every last one of them deserve the world. Yet sadly, we don't give it to them. Instead society hurts them, exploits them, abuses them, and crushes their dreams.

"So this is it."
The group stood outside a lit up museum by an old car. Chishiya gazed up at the glorious architecture. With him was one of the militants, a random guy, and Y/n. She however was looking down the road. The building was close to an actual beach, one that she was likely longing to go to.
"Are you coming?" The militant member asked Y/n.
She nodded and followed after him.
The group went in and registered into the game. There were three other men, one of which was dirty beyond belief, and hunched over talking to himself. Then there was something Chishiya never expected to see. A nervous looking woman and her child.
A feeling of dread washed over Chishiya. He looked over at Y/n trying to find a glimpse of what she might be thinking on her face. She was staring right at the little girl but he couldn't determine what she was feeling.
"Registration closed."
"Difficulty, 7 of hearts."
Whispers spread through the group. Y/n clutched her phone with a death grip.
"Game, Tokens."
"There are three tokens hidden in the arena. Those who have the tokens at the end of the timer will live."
"You have 30 minutes to find the tokens."
"Game starts now."
Chishiya looked over to where Y/n had been standing but she had already left his side. He was surprised and shocked at how quick she was to leave him. Maybe she really did hate him.
Y/n stepped forward. "I hope we can all be adults about this. Two of the tokens are for the mom and the kid. We will gather again at the end to discuss who gets the last token."
One of the random men spoke up against her. "What determines who get the last token? Who's to say what the value of a life is?"
Y/n stoic face left no room for doubt. "You cannot determine the value of a life. But you can determine if someone deserves to die."
"I vote the last token is up for grabs, first to find it, gets it." The militant member suggested.
The others mumbled in agreement.
Y/n sighed. "Fine then. But we all agree, the first two go to them."
Everyone looked at the mother and her daughter. They all agreed.
"Now that we're settled. Let's start." The militant member left followed by the other beach member.
Everyone behind going off on their own. Y/n walked by the mother and was stopped. "Thank you." The mother said.
Y/n glanced at her. "It's basic human decency."
Chishiya watched as Y/n left. "So your not heartless."

"One token has been found." An announcement played on the speakers in the building.
Y/n was walking down a hallway full of paintings. Some of them were just down right ugly. But others were captivating. At the end I of the hallway was a door leading to a courtyard of oddly cut bushes. There was also a painting that caught her eye.
It was of a woman on her knees, she wore tattered rags and a pile of gold sat in front of her. She looked up with tears pouring from her eyes, her hands were lifted towards the sky with gold falling from her palms. It was as if she was trying to give back the riches in front of her.
But what was most captivating were her eyes. She shimmered like silver and drew you in. Something about them have a feeling of dread. On her face there was a sliver of the painting that seemed to be lifting.
Y/n stood closer and scratched at it with her nail. She peeled back the paper revealing a compartment with two silver tokens in it.
"Two tokens have been found."
"All the tokens have been found."
"There are 15 minutes remaining."
Y/n looked down at the tokens in her hand. Her mind immediately went to the mother and the little girl.
She left the hallway and moved into the courtyard. The bushes creeped her out but she continued on.
"Hey!" The militant jumped out of a bush. "Do you have one of the tokens?"
She shook her head no. "Do you?"
"Of course not!" He scowled. "Just figure out who has it!" He then ran off.
Y/n kept walking through the courtyard eventually finding the mother and the daughter at a water fountain. The mother was on her knees taking to her daughter. She placed a silver token in the girls hands before standing up.
Y/n looked down at the two tokens in her hands. She had an extra token. She very well could give one to the mother and keep the last one for herself but it's like she said before. You can determine if someone should die. In this situation, she didn't believe she should live over someone else.
So even though he annoyed her to no end, her mind went to Chishiya. She didn't know him well but it was down to him or her. She was choosing him.
"Excuse me." Y/n approached the two. "I have a token for you."
She held out the silver piece. The woman just looked at it then back at Y/n. "There are 15 minutes left still. Someone could take them." She opened her hand to her daughter. The little girl placed the token in it.
"Will you keep them for us until the timer goes off." The mother asked holding out the token.
Y/n nodded. "Yes, but I have to give the third token to someone."
The woman looked at her in admiration. "You are truly selfless."
Y/n looked down. "No....I just don't deserve it."
"I don't know what you've done with your life to think that but I believe you deserve to live." The woman said.
"Thank you." Y/n said pocketing the tokens. "Have you seen that ugly blond anywhere?"
"Hey!"
The dirty man from the start of the game approached them. He smelled of iron and it sounded like he was wet. She couldn't be for sure because of the darkness and his already dirty appearance, but Y/n guessed he was covered in blood.
"You have tokens." He said.
"We don't." The mother said pushing her daughter behind her.
"They don't." Y/n said sternly.
He pointed at her. "You have gave them tokens!"
"I didn't."
"Yes you did!" He launched at her his hands grabbing at her throat.
She ripped his hands off and kicked him in the stomach sending him to the ground. She rubbed her neck off the burning sensation he had left on her.
On the man's waist band we're two knives. He pulled one out and lunged at the mother. Y/n got in front of her to block the man. He drove the knife through her thigh leaving it there. He pushed her into the water fountain and held her under by her throat. She kicked and thrashed about.
The mother took the other knife from the man's waist band and drove it into his back. He howled in pain and got of Y/n. Her head immediately broke the surface as she gasped for air.
The man grabbed the knife in Y/n leg pulling it out swiftly. She grunted in pain and grabbed at him to try and pull him into the fountain. She missed as he turned back to the mother slashing at her.
"No!" Y/n jumped from the fountain as the man stabbed the woman in the nape of her neck.
"Mommy!"
The woman collapsed to the ground and the man turned back to Y/n. He flipped the knife in his hand as he smirked at her. "Scared girl?"
"Never."
He stabbed at her and she jumped out of the way. She kicked at his leg making him fall and hit his face on the side of the fountain. With his nose gushing blood Y/n jumped on his back and fought with him for the knife.
"ARGH!" He pushed himself backwards and began falling back.
Y/n's back hit the ground hard. The extra weight from the man knocked the wind out of her. Taking his chance the man grabbed her hair dragging her into the fountain and banged her head on the bottom making her go limp.
"Drown bitch."
Breathing heavily he looked over at the little girl. Her lip quivered as he stared her down.
"Your turn."