The silence became dangerous.
After Owen ran, no one spoke for a long time. Not because we were shocked, but because they were thinking about who to trust, and who might betray them. The forest felt more dangerous, every noise felt like a threat.
Only seven players.
There was no leader.
Not a bit of trust.
We moved before dawn, moving around the broken plains and heading toward a jagged hill in the distance. Higher ground meant more visibility. And more visibility meant that they had more time.
Or so we hoped.
My perception kept tugging at me, making me notice tiny things. Like a shift in wind. A small sound stopped suddenly. I hadn't noticed those sounds before allocating. Now they pressed at the back of my skull.
Mira walked slightly ahead of me.
She was never relaxed.
Not even when we paused or when we slept.
The siblings stayed close together, whispering to each other. The healer looked hollow, like she'd spent something she couldn't get back. The others kept glancing over their shoulders.
No one wanted to be next, the next traitor or the next one dead.
The walk to the hill took longer than expected. The path became more narrowed, forcing us into a single line. The rocks poked out of the ground like teeth.
That's when the system chimed.
EVENT TRIGGERED: RESOURCE SCARCITY
A new window opened.
SUPPLIES WILL NO LONGER RESPAWN.
The meaning settled slowly.
Someone laughed.
"Of course they won't. Nothing will help us out here."
We checked our packs.
Not enough supplies there were too little food, not enough water. Our crude weapons were already damaged.
The siblings argued quietly over their rations. One of the others snapped at them to stop. The sound echoed farther than it should have.
"Get down," I whispered.
It was too late.
Something struck him from above.
Not a creature this time.
A trap. Made of rocks.
Stone slammed into the group, knocking one man off his feet. He tumbled down the slope, screaming until his scream was cut short.
The system chimed.
Six.
No monster showed itself.
Just, death.
We didn't stop moving after that. We didn't have time to mourn, unless we wanted to die.
By midday, the healer collapsed.
"I can't heal anymore," she said. "My mana's all gone. I can't do this, I don't have a bit of talent for recovery."
No one answered.
We all kept walking.
She tried to stand again.
Fell.
The system didn't chime immediately.
She was still alive.
Just barely.
Mira looked at me.
I looked away.
We waited.
When the chime finally came, no one reacted.
Five.
The hill finally opened into a plateau littered with stone pillars, some ancient markers, maybe graves. Symbols were carved into each and every one of them.
The system spoke again.
SAFE ZONE DETECTED.
DURATION: 1 HOUR.
Relief hit hard.
People sat down, they drank, ate the little food they had.
I didn't.
I opened my status window again.
Six points left.
Still unallocated.
I could feel the system waiting for me.
End of Chapter 8.