Nightmare Game
Copyright© 2025 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 80
Wesley shuffled in from outside, clutching an envelope with their day’s task scrawled across it.
Head to the Cavern south of the village to retrieve Madam Arachne’s necklace for decorating her statue.
Note: The Cavern is Madam Arachne’s treasury, brimming with treasures. Don’t take the wrong one.
Deliver to the Village Elder’s House by four this afternoon.
Below, a sketch showed a pearl necklace, each bead the size of a quail’s egg, lustrous and full. A note clarified: Madam Arachne’s necklace, 24 black pearls strung on spider silk.
After breakfast, the group trekked south through the village.
Soon, they stood before the Cavern.
Its mouth exhaled a chill, a grim aura that prickled their skin.
Knowing the light inside would be scarce, they’d grabbed flashlights from the Guesthouse’s tool shed before setting out.
Ethan flicked his on, ready to step in, when Oliver blocked his path.
“Let me take point,” Oliver said. “I’ve got the Leopard’s Blessing. My skill, Extreme Speed, lets me bolt at the first sign of trouble, maybe even pull you guys out.”
Without waiting for a reply, he took a deep breath, switched on his flashlight, and led the way.
Ethan fell in behind, a curious edge to his voice. “Thought you were just gutsy at first, but you’re sharp, too.”
“Which makes me wonder.”
Oliver paused mid-step, glancing back. “Wonder what?”
He kept moving, Ethan’s voice trailing him. “You come off rough, but you’re careful. Hard to believe you’d spill about stealing Blessings.”
“Aren’t you worried I’d turn that knowledge against you, try for your Blessing?”
Oliver’s face twitched, his voice quickening. “I didn’t lie—”
“I know you didn’t,” Ethan cut in, steady and unruffled. “Spinning that kind of yarn would just stir up chaos, and you’re not aiming for that.”
“You wouldn’t have revealed your Blessing to save us if you were.”
“I just don’t get why you’d bare your weak spot like that.”
Oliver went quiet, then spoke slow. “I trust my read on people. When we were veering off track, you stepped up, pointed us right.”
“Maybe you did it ‘cause our deaths would screw you, too, but you never pushed anyone to take risks.”
“I figured you’re not the type to stab folks in the back.”
He paused, scratching his head with a sheepish grin. “Also, little selfish angle. You cleared Blackwood Castle, no Blessing. I wondered if something’s up with you, like you can’t get one.”
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