73) King of Hearts [4]

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"Everything in this journal has been written from the bottom of my heart. No amount of psychology can hide someone's true goodness. Everything I've done has been in an effort to save as many lives as I could; that's precisely why all my games have a no-death solution."

Players left: 112/116
Round: 2

Added rules:
1. Volunteers allowed for trials

===Aulia Choi===

I had dragged one of the bodies I killed earlier to the chute, then unlocked the grate with the first key.

Upon opening, it revealed the metal rollers that would crush and dispose of the body. I pushed the body towards the crushers, looking away as I fed its head into the device. I yelped, turning away and closing my eyes, as the corpse crunched, bones splitting, blood spewing from the chute.

After a few moments passed, I opened my eyes; the corpse had been fed completely through, and only a bloody mess remained. My clothes remained clean except for a few blood splatters.

"Hint number one: Recall that the original Ten of Hearts had a unique solution, where no players had to die. Do with that information what you will."

"Another no death solution?" I questioned, turning around. Dotike remained afar, watching me, her arms crossed.

I shook my head. "No time to waste, I have to keep going from room to room." With that, I made my way to the largest room, the room facing the lobby that was inside the square hallway.

Upon entry, the room was a surgical room, six operation tables covered in partitions, counters and carts lining the sides. Dotike didn't follow me in.

My heart twisted; such a vast place had to have dozens of hiding spots. And as soon as I had that thought, two faceless figures charged, knives raised. I gasped, flinching, before raising my gun and shooting through them. They both dropped in a puddle of their own blood.

16:34

Kills left: 6 players

I stepped backwards, my eyes glued to their corpses, which led to a revelation: there was a large crease running through the middle of the floor which split the room perfectly in half, as if the floor was a massive trapdoor. And, across the room on the other wall was a massive red lever.

It was locked behind a glass case, with the number four embellished.

'The trials are probably linear, with me having to get each key in order. With that being said, each trial is probably harder than the last.'

I exited out of the room, moving onto the left room. But in that hallway were three other people hiding, behind a fortress of desks and cabinets. Their figures peeked through the furniture, and the light caught the glint of a gun, I gasped, diving out of the way, as a bullet struck where I had just stood.

Huffing, I checked my toolbelt, and my fingers brushed against a hard, round shell. It was a grenade.

'If I throw this, I might kill three people. But I have no other way of accessing that door.'

"Decisions, decisions..." Dotike muttered from behind me.

Shaking my head, I pulled it out; I had no choice. Spinning it around in my hand a few times, my fingers stopped on a small ring. "Is this... How I do it?"

I pulled, and something sparked. Without hesitating, I threw my arm back, before pausing. I needed to time this so it blew up when it made contact, so they don't have time to run and shoot. Biting my lip, I counted another second, before hurling it across the room. The three of them dove from their cover, but it incinerated the hallway, shaking the foundations of the hospital. They were all engulfed in the puff of flames, and my watch ticked down, signifying I had only three kills left.

As the wisps of flames cleared out, the smoke faded to reveal that the hall didn't give out whatsoever; aside from burnt scarring, the walls didn't crumble.

Without wasting any more time, I made my way to the next room. Inside, there were four people hiding in one corner, and upon seeing me, they all froze. Not reaching for any weapon, I left the door open for them, and they all ran out.

The room was another recovery room, a few hospital beds and tables pushed to the side, yet a cabinet of vodka. I approached it, reading the labels, which said it had a 60% alcohol content.

"Sixty percent." Dotike said from the doorframe. "That's very strong."

"Thanks for the head-up, I guess." Turning around, the other side of the room had a hole carved into the wall, and the key was within it. However, blocking me and the key was a net made of rope, which led down the wall and across the floor.

There was a matchbox at the end of the rope. I opened it, and inside was a single match. The objective became apparent: light the rope, then let it burn to the other end, which would release the key.

"Did you know?" Dotike asked. "Most beers are actually completely inflammable due to their low alcohol content."

"Again, thanks for the notice." I grabbed the matchstick, striking it against the side of the box, then bent down to light the rope. It caught alight, and the fire began moving down the fibers.

Then, the door slammed shut. "Huh... Okay. That's expected; I've started this next trial, so it makes sense I can run midway through–" A drop of moisture interrupted my monologue.

I looked up; the ceiling had begun seeping a dark, urine-shaded liquid, which collected in the crevices and dripped down. It was beer.

"Damn it!" I cursed, leaping to the flame, where a splash of liquid leaked nearby, threatening to snuff it out. I only had that one match; if this flame went out, it had to be Game Over. This was my trial: keep the fire going. The downcast of beer thickened, and flickers of moisture began hitting the flame, which faltered.

Beer had begun bubbling out of the drains in the floor too, and off to the side, one erupted with a geyser of alcohol. I grabbed a nearby table, shading the flame, as an entire ceiling tile collapsed, surging in more beer.

Biting my lip, I darted back to the hospital beds, grabbing the pillows and blankets, mopping up the liquid surrounding the flame, and using the pillows to push back the surging beer.

'I can't keep doing this. There's still at least another minute the flame needs to travel. It's going to go out any second now.'

I continued blowing on the fan, pushing back surges of alcohol with the pillows, when I turned back, eyeing the vodka cabinet.

Dotike had told me it was sixty percent alcohol, but beer wasn't very flammable due to its low alcohol percentage. 'If... If I used the vodka...'

Not wasting another second, I sprung up and sprinted to the cabinet, grabbing two bottles and chucked them across the room towards the flame and the end wall. They shattered, vodka spilling everywhere, a light blue flame consuming the splatter and engulfing the nets. The rope pulled back, charring into burnt, black wisps, as the key revealed itself. I rushed forward, grabbing the key as the door unlocked and the downpour ceased.

Less than ten minutes remained and I had only completed two trials. I retrieved one of the corpses from the grenade and pulled it towards the chute, unlocking the grate with my second key and pushing the body through the grinder.

"Hint number two: Put more energy into the trials then hunting down the Enemy. They're more vital to the solution than finding the Enemy."

"A sign I should go to the third trial." I said, getting back up and running to the back door, pushing it open.

It was a storage room, and there were four people inside. They charged at me, and I gasped, grabbing the knife and slicing through one of them, as the rest of them slipped past me and ran off. Again, my watch ticked down to reflect my kills left.

7:46
Kills left: 2 players

Again, there was a large button identical to the one in the operation room, but this time, it was unlocked. "This must be trial three." I said aloud, taking the time to analyze the room. There were shelves that wrapped around every wall, each filled with cardboard boxes and piles of paper.

With time continuing to tick down, I ran forward and smashed the red button. The shelves shifted, gears beneath the floor clanking as they spun, causing the shelves to sink, revealing stacks of kegs behind them. Rows of kegs laid on top of each other, each imprinted with a key and a question mark.

"What?" I asked. "What am I supposed to–"

Every keg burst at once.

===Benkei Furetcha===

"No." I said, sitting down. "That's not right."

Me, Ashikaga, Niko, and Judumai were sitting in a circle, as everyone else had left to find the code.

"I feel so damn useless." Ashikaga said. "I haven't done anything all game."

I shifted forward in my seat, and groaned, my eyes watering. An aching jolt of pain had pulsed from my stomach, washing throughout my body. I lifted my shirt, observing my yellowed bandages that wrapped around my abdomen. The area was hot to the touch.

"Your wound is getting worse." Niko said.

"We're all running out of time." I said. "And I can't help but think... About Rafferty. I know that man isn't evil. I have faith in him. And I know you all may not agree but... We have to pay attention to his words, and what he is and isn't saying. "We learned a long time ago that the world isn't meant to be fair... But we can make them fair. We've gone to hell and back to make sure no one has to die, so that the games we played did not cause casualties. And now..."

"And now...?" Judumai asked.

"And now I think I know how to beat him." I answered.

The energy between the four of us shifted, as each of them leaned forward, and my voice dampened.

"But I need everyone on board for this. If we think back to what Rafferty said in his journal... He said that every one of his games has had a no-death solution, and we know that is not a lie. The Three of Hearts, Five of Hearts, and Ten of Hearts have all had no death solutions. If we can figure out how to win this game without anyone dying, including Rafferty, then we can all get out of here!"

"But Benkei," Ashikaga said, "those were only true for pip cards. For Face Cards, it's only us or the citizens."

"Rafferty said that each of his games have always had a no-death solution. None of the other Face Cards are made by him... Except for this one. Why would this one game be the exception from his ideals?"

They remained silent. Niko's eyes were clouded, aimed downward as he picked at the corner of his lips, unsure about my idea. Something about him had shifted; he wasn't the definitive altruist that had gone through those doors.

"If everybody wins, then nobody dies, not Rafferty. This doesn't break any rules. It's physically possible, Rafferty isn't harmed, and he can still change future rules.

"That's the solution! We make a rule that allows everyone to survive!"

===Aulia Choi===

I screamed, as a towering wave of alcohol crashed into me, crushing me against the wall. The weight slammed into my chest and I choked, taking in hagged breaths of half air and half acrid, burning wine.

Three colors of wines swirled together; yellow, red, and clear, sparkling wine. The carbonation tingled my skin, creating a thick, dense layer of foam on top which I fought to stay afloat on. As the liquid sloshed, tiles from the ceiling burst, dispensing more alcohol, continuing to fill the room higher and higher.

I panted, my feet clicking furiously on the surface of the thick, sizzling foam, wiping the hair off my face and swallowing a mouthful of bitter beer. I shed the toolbelt and rifle weighing me down, both of which sank into the murky depths. 'Each of the kegs had a key and a question mark. One of the keys must contain the key, and is now somewhere floating in this room. I have to get the key, which will cause the door to unlock, before I drown in alcohol.'

Thrashing, I swam through the foam, running my fingers through the white bubbles as the flooding alcohol creeped past halfway up the room. 'If the key is metal... It should sink, right? So I should only be looking at the bottom, right?'

My feet were growing sore. Despite that, I took a deep gulp of air, and plunged myself under the surface, kicking downwards, my eyes glued shut. After a few seconds, my hands met the floor, and I felt around, sweeping the tiles. With the adrenaline from my heart pumping throughout my whole body, the oxygen in my lungs quickly expended, and I rose back up again, taking in a big gulp of air. 'No, I can't just dive blindly. I need to go systematically, from one end of the room to the other. I can't miss it that way; the key won't be freely floating everywhere this whole time.'

With that, I swam to the other side of the room, lining myself against the wall, then diving downwards, repeating the process. I sweeped my hands in wide arcs, as the pressure of the liquid above me continued increasing. Out of breath,. I shot back up, gasping.

The liquid was approaching the ceiling, which meant I was running out of time to be able to take breaths. Again, I dove down, taking a wide sweep of the next area of the floor, yet felt nothing. By now, there was only a few centimeters of room left. I took another breath, as the muscles in my body began quivering with each stroke I made against the surging liquid, the remaining air becoming more tainted with the mist of crashing and falling alcohol.

I surfaced again after my next dive, the space only enough for me to press my mouth against the ceiling, before diving back, feeling the next section of floor. By the time the air in my lungs began running low, I had still felt nothing.

My lungs burned, and every muscle in my body roared. There was no other option left, so I opened my eyes. Immediately, I closed them and winced, letting out a small scream, the burn radiating through my entire head. But before I even had a chance to soak in the pain, I opened them again, swimming despite the burn, thrashing my head to catch any glints.

Every muscle in my body screamed for air, as the pressure built in my chest to simply scream and cough. I kicked forward, resisting the urge, my brain fighting for oxygen. My thoughts began melding, growing fuzzier, as one thing became certain: I am going to drown right now.

In the corner, underneath one of the broken kegs, something shone. I kicked towards it, and the figure of the key came into view. I grabbed it, clutching it close to my heart, closing my eyes again, as an alarm sounded. The door opened again, and the room of liquid, alongside my exhausted body, poured into the hallway.

The wave threw me against a wall, but all I did was take a breath of air, panting heavily as my eyes pounded with waves of sharpness. The rifle and tool belt poured out afterwards, and I caught them, dragging them behind me as I headed towards the middle room, using one of the sinks to rinse out my eyes.

The burn faded, but a faint stinging persisted. I looked at my watch.

2:26
Kills left: 2 players

"Oh no..." I muttered, turning around and stopping. In the corner, I could distinguish two people hiding behind an operation table. Ignoring them, I ran back to where I had killed the first two players, dragging their body into the third grate. I unlocked it, then pushed their body into the shredder, turning away as the blood and specks of flesh splattered.

"Hint number three: The Enemy is someone you wouldn't expect."

I connected the dots instantly. "That means it's either Dotike or myself."

"Oh?" Dotike asked, emerging from behind the corner.

I grabbed the rifle, which I had left on the floor prior to retrieving the next corpse. "I don't even have the time to get the fourth key. And considering how I almost died getting the third key, I don't even want to see what the fourth key may be!"

"So... What will it be?"

The clock struck one minute left, and I took a deep breath. 'It can't be any of the players. They belong here. Any of them would've been too obvious. But between me and Dotike... She is part of this simulation too. Me, I'm the only one that doesn't belong here. But I have two kills left. I can test her out.'

So I raised my gun and shot through her. Nothing happened; the clock continued ticking down. 'So it's not her... That's what I thought. So... I have one kill left. It has to be me. Surely, right?'

I turned the rifle towards me, and closed my eyes.

I fired.

Yet, time stopped passing. It's like the shot never came. Then, it was as if I had woken up from a nightmare, my body shooting up from the ground, panicked breaths racking my body.

My clothes were still soaked through with alcohol, and my lungs ached. I clutched my chest, patting the floor beneath me, ensuring this was real. I was in a solid white room that seemed to street h for infinity. However, there was a single door, with a large sign above it.

Trial Clear: Kill yourself by going into 4th chute (Requires obtaining all 4 keys)
Trial Survive: Kill yourself through any other means
Trial Over: Die mid-game OR fail to kill Enemy

The Trial Survive was highlighted. I had managed only to survive, yet not enough to earn us a new rule. But regardless, I was alive. I opened the door, making my way to the antechamber, where Rafferty and Kai stood.

Kai was soaked in blood, his hair dripping crimson. Cuts and gashes were scattered across his arms and legs that had torn through the fabric of his clothes, and a few darts were stuck on his back.

Whatever I had just gone through, he had clearly had it worse.

"Did you clear it?" I asked.

"Yes. Did you?"

"No, I only survived."

"Is that booze?"

"Yes."

"I just came out; all I saw on the broadcast was you shooting yourself."

"One victor, one s-survivor, and one victim." Rafferty tallied. "Not bad at all. Kai, begin considering what your new rule may be. In the meantime, you two may head back."

As we approached the exit door, he held out his hand, and I shook it firmly, smiling. We opened the door.

The lobby was much emptier; only a few dozen people were present. They stood up, applauding and cheering when we returned, prompting some people to reenter the lobby.

Behind me, Rafferty retrieved a remote from his coat with a large yellow button, pressing it and bringing it to his mouth. "Round two has concluded. Everyone has two minutes to make their w-way back to the lobby."

Everything he said was broadcasted to the intercom system; I noted down the yellow button for future reference.

"Aulia!" Benkei shouted, waving me down. I ran down to him–Niko, Ashikaga, and Judumai were next to him. Judumai rose to give me a hug, but pulled back upon sight of my alcohol-soaked body.

"Um..."

"I nearly drowned in alcohol. Um... I didn't manage to clear the trial, but Kai did."

"Yeah, we saw." Niko said. "You reached 77%, but then, your bar flashed and turned solid. It didn't turn red and then disappear like the people who've died, but also didn't turn gold and cause a cheer, so we assumed you survived but didn't clear it."

"Good shit, Aulia." Gabura said, still in her seat, keeping her eye on Akagi. "Kai, are you good? I mean, besides you being drenched in blood."

"As okay as I can be." Kai said, pulling out a dart.

"It's probably best if we rinse off in one of the laboratory showers." I said, wringing my sleeves.

"Aulia! Kai! You two are

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