Things are really starting to pick up now! So excited.

Dare to Flare

Trent brushed sooty hands against his similarly colored vest and with the swipe of his wrist he smeared a large black mark against his watery forehead. He stepped out of the mouth of a cave and was surrounded by a swampy forest. Coming from behind him in the rock tunnel followed a natural light and an echoing chorus of pops and bubbling. He drew a tarp over the mouth and pinned it with stones, leaning against the wall to breathe a few moments. For a few seconds it was quiet, the loudest sound his own raspy breathing. However it was only for a moment, and the cracking of forest movement drew his attention.

"Hello?" He called into the foliage. A rigid hand shot for the knife at his belt, drawing it in front of himself in a swift motion.

"Oi, ello?" A voice returned.

Trent's head cocked. "Who's there?"

"One sec," the voice mumbled amidst grunts. Out of the bushes came the lad marked by a green strip of hair. "Oh, hey, I remember you." A smile lit his features, casting a warm expression on the shorter man's face.

A sly grin crawled up Trent's own cheek. "Yeah, Jay, was it?"

"That's right." Jay nodded, his eyes scanning the empty rock platform interrupted only by muddy water pools in front of the cave. "Here on your own?"

"Yeah, just me." Trent shrugged, repositioning the knife at his side. "What brings you around this way?"

"Looking for people!" Jay snorted. "One moment we're all together, the next I'm on my own wondering where everyone went. I've been rather on my own for most of this mess," Jay explained, sitting in the clear space. "You as well?"

"Yeah, me as well." Trent nodded. "But I've kept busy." His eyes drifted towards the tarp. He didn't let them drift down again until Jay looked up to notice him staring.

"What you got behind there, then?"

"Oh, sort of a game." His toothy grin returned. "Interested in playing?" Trent pulled a black handkerchief from his pocket and coughed into it a few times. After which he cleared his throat and crumbled the square back into his vest.

"You're out here making games?" Jay scoffed, giving the man a stern look. "I'm just trying to survive. Hate to say it, but with people already dropping lives, I don't think we've got much time here. Sooner or later, we're going to have a lot of red eyed people running about making a mess of things. I just want to be ready."

"So you're not interested?" Trent's face fell. He fiddled with the knife at his side, drawing it once again to scrape it against the rock. Jay sunk into his shoulders.

"No, I'm interested in alliances." Scratching the back of his neck, Jay began to stand. "What sort of game?"

A small chuckle graveled itself to the top of Trent's throat. "The kind that wins you life saving gear and an alliance. With me."

"Sort of a chaotic character, you are." Jay chewed at his lip. "But fine. What've I got to do?"

"Make it to the end of this cave." Trent hopped to his feet, twisting the knife in his fingers. "There's a chest on the other side."

Jay swallowed, "What's the catch?"

"Catch?" A toothy grin pulled at his cheeks. "Does there have to be a catch?"

"Well of course there has, what sorta game hasn't?" Jay approached the entrance slowly. "So are you going to tell me now or not, because if not I'm walking." He shook his head. "I'm not an idiot."

"I wouldn't take you for one." Trent put his hands up in a mock surrender. "Of course I'll show you," he pulled the sheet down and hot steam bellowed from inside. Looking down the tunnel, there was an array of furnaces and metal tracks as well as some modern conveying systems. Black soot stained the floor, walls, and ceiling. There were switches and levers towards the entrance. At the far end was a chest and the only other opening, a window in the roof. Damage to some of the furnaces had been crudely fixed by running a concrete track from its hole and across the room in zig-zagged shapes.

"What is this place? It's a hundred degrees in there!" Jay choked on the heavy smog, turning his face away from the steam. "Some sorta smelter?"

"Something like that." Trent shrugged. "The rails are hot, that's your catch."

"So that's it?" Jay narrowed his eyes, unbelieving. "I'm finding that hard to believe."

"I don't just mean hot. I mean really, really hot." Trent's smile worked farther up his face. Taking a branch in his hand, he poked the metal, igniting the wood. It dropped from his hand and he backed to the entrance.

"Right." Jay gulped. He tested the heat by poking a hand further into the room. After a few more considering moments, "Well, I suppose there aren't many metal tracks. Looks easy enough to step over. And if I do this, we'll be in an alliance?" He turned to address the madman.

"Absolutely." His teeth looked like daggers for a quick second before Jay blinked. "What do you say?"

Terrible idea, Jay. But we've got to start somewhere, he stared down the tunnel. And I suppose I've always got two more lives… right?

"Fine." With a deciding nod, he sighed. "I'll do it."

"Excellent." Trent drove his dagger into a moss blotch on the wall and leaned against the stone, gesturing flippantly with one arm. "Whenever you're ready, then."

Drawing an unsteady breath, Jay made his way slow at first. Tiptoeing about every piece of metal. Steam sputtered out of a few furnaces as he passed and the hot air stung at his bare skin without burning it. The temperature only increased as he progressed forward, and sweat poured down the man's face. Whilst stepping over one of the concrete tracks, a thought occurred to him. "Have these been run recently?"

"What's that?" A not-so-ignorant reply came from the taller gent. Trent pulled the moss delicately off a hidden lever.

"They shouldn't be so hot. Not unless," glancing over his shoulder, Jay watched the handle come down by Trent's hand. "What're you doing?"

"Bring on the flare." He hopped out of the cave and out of sight, enveloped by thick smoke. Jay attempted to bail, moving towards the entrance to the cave, and the heat rose more quickly. Bubbling to his side, one of the furnaces began to ooze with a red hot metal. Moving back was not going to be an option, he was forced farther into the cave.

"Trent… Trent!" Jay stumbled backwards and his shoe clipped a pole. The leather began to melt, burning a place onto his heel. Cursing under his breath, his only hope was to make it backwards. Two more of the furnaces spewed a lava-like substance, nearly catching his feet as they passed. Surprising himself greatly, he made it to the chest. "Oh my gosh." A nervous laughter met his lips. "Ok, now to make it… up." He climbed atop the chest and jumped for the window. His fingertips were just shy of the glass. A cracking in the rock above him drew his eyes southward of the vent. Just above his head, the cave top split open and dripped the red metal atop him. A shrill scream filled the smog. He stubbed to the side and fell against the ground.

"See, Jay." Trent leaned against the entrance, no longer able to see him, but anyone in the swamp would be able to hear him. "Thing is, I don't think my eyes were ever meant to be green." The screams stilled, and quieted completely. "I think they were always supposed to be red."

The next morning was a hard one to wake up to.

"Well, well, well." A shiver went down my back. Surrounded in minutes, Redge came about to face me. "Seems we don't even need to go to you. You've come to us."

I should have never entered the gate. "I just came to see the table." The magical relic, possibly the most important element we added to the game.

"And why would we let you do that?" Mark, at Redge's right side, pointed the tip of his iron sword towards me. The sun sparkled off it like the pond water near our base. Funny what things come to your mind when you're facing your own demise.

"Scout's on his last life," I sputtered. "I just wanted some protection."

I didn't realize it was his kingdom when I wandered in.

"You killed him again?" Redge peered over the shades.

My breath caught in my throat. "No! It wasn't, I mean, I didn't…" I stopped with a swing of Redge's hand.

"Stutter all you want, all you've done is save us a trip to the sandlands." Redge stepped away as Mark came forward, driving the sword quite near my side. If I hadn't jumped, it would have hit me for sure. My head turned in the presence of something behind me. Ethan grabbed my arm from behind, spinning it around until it was pinned against my own back. Something slammed against my head while I was turned around, and suddenly nothing felt quite real. Something large, maybe a thick boot, shoved into the bend of my knees, forcing them to the ground. It belonged to a man with a bright blue sweater, but I couldn't make out his face in the rush/ Another swing of his boot jammed into my abdomen and I was on hands and knees shortly after. Gasping for a breath, it took all my power not to hurl. As my vision danced I looked up the tip of the sword centered on my nose. Redge stood just a few steps behind his jockey. "Do it."

"Ay, Sir." Hands drawn backwards, the sword cut through the air.

I guess not every part of the game was broken.

My eyes shut in terrible anticipation of a blow that never landed. The sword was mere millimeters from my neck.

"What are you waiting for, Mark?" Redge growled. "Finish it."

"I'm trying, Sir." The sweat began to form droplets on his forehead. "I can't."

I could see Redge's face turn hot, "Why not?"

I let out the breath I was holding, "Because he's not a red life."

"Scout?" I call down towards the river. "Are you down there?" Still wearing a few bruises and scrapes, it seems wise to wear my sweater today just to cover up the marks of that moment. Scout knows, yet only what I wanted to tell him, but I don't want the whole map knowing how terribly I lost that fight.

"Scout's not here right now, leave a message." Came his mumbled reply. I jog down the slope and sit next to him. His bare feet are dipped in the water, trousers torn at the knees to reveal a jagged scar, and without his shirt the burns and bruises can be seen plainly from his first death. I have to look away from him. It is still early morning and the sun has not fully risen.

"You know," I begin in hesitant anticipation of the answer to my dreaded question. "I could be red, too. Then you wouldn't have to do it alone."

His eyes widen as he spins to look at me. Whether with shock or delight, I am unsure. "What? That's crazy, don't say that." Given that he had been talking to voices in his head, I am still unclear if his words are meant for me. He is looking past me, not at me. "I'm not going to knock you down to red."

I couldn't lie, that was a little relieving. "Just an offer." I draw my knees to my chest. "But just so you know, I'll still serve you. It's you and me. Red or not, I'll be by your side."

His hands clutch the loose grains, "What if I kill you?" With a tone so somber, I hardly believe this is the same guy I have known the past few days. But, it is a valid question. Would I return to him in my yellow life? Especially if he was the one to take my first.

He did it for me.

"I've sworn you my service, my life. All of them, if I have to." There is a bit of uncertainty when I say it. I hope I keep my promise, but I can't be sure. Scout is different now.

We stayed in the village after his second death a while, while he recovered from the shock. A fever came over him pretty quick and he grew strangely quiet. After what he said when I first arrived, not much conversation had passed between us, and I couldn't get his words out of my head. He just kept saying it. "I don't want to kill anyone." A noise pricked my ears, cackling from the bed where he had been resting a while. Scout jumped to his feet and took my shoulders in his hand. "You know what this means?"

"What?" I could feel my body quivering, my back arched in the grasp.

"They can't mess with us anymore. I can kill them for you."

"What?" I jumped, backing away from him. "No, you can't."

"I can't?" The laughter continued. It was darker, more malicious than his other laughs. "It's my purpose now."

Who's to say I won't change too? But he's not stable. Something is compelling him to murder, but not all the time it seems? I just don't know.

My eyes drift to the tearful man, swishing his feet in the water. I don't believe he'd hurt anyone. It's like there's a war going on inside him. At this moment, everything is just still.

But in the very next, everything turns to chaos. That awful laughter worked its way up his throat again. "That's right, you did swear your life to me." I gulp. Springing to his feet, he grabs my shoulder and hoists me upwards. "So it's time to train you how to fight."

"What?" My voice squeaks. "No, Scout, you can't ask me to kill anyone. Not if I'm still green. Remember? It saved my life yesterday. The game won't let me."

"Just let him go," Redge mumbled, looking away from me with an angry glare. One more thing for him to be mad at me for, I guess. They pulled me to my feet, the world still swimming around me, and let go. I stumbled a bit, attempting a turn around to head out, but Redge pulled me closer to himself. "Don't come back here unless you intend to let us out of this game, got it?"

"Got it." I gulped. And somehow, I walked out of there. Alive.

He considers my warning and I wonder if he is rethinking my invitation for him to kill me. "Fine," he shrugs. "I can't ask you to kill people directly. But, as self defense, you can. And, I think you may have forgotten what I died for." His smile twists into a wicked grin.

I had forgotten. "No, Scout, I can't."

"You can, you must." He chuckles. "Because I'm ordering you to do so."

My face pales. After Scout had recovered from his second death, I showed him what I'd found that led us into the desert that fateful moment. In the sandy field were fallen mobs he had slain, some of which were the same that I took his first life with. The explosives still intact, ready to be used. I remembered that we designed them to eventually be useful for making weapons. I thought maybe we could use them as a last defense, or maybe just a warning sign, since it seemed people were so desperate to kill us.

"But not yet," he continues. "I'll make a plan. First, you need to learn how to wield a sword."

Back on our mountainside, he sections off a plot in which to train me. There is a cactus ring centered around the top portions of the sandy dune. Here, he supposed, would be as good as any. It starts out as useful and I soak in all he has to say about wielding a sword properly. Even if I would strictly try to avoid killing, I figure if I stood at his side I might as well know how to protect myself. I can only see this ending in war.

Not that I have a choice. He was determined to make me into a killer. I try not to be frightened, knowing it isn't really him. Hoping I can still reach that kind heart in his battered chest. Yeah, wait, why can't I? Maybe I could, with some clever thinking. But how?

"It's getting rather hot," My chest puffs with heavy breath. "Maybe we should take a break. We can go down to the pond, if you'd like." I smile, leaning on one leg. Maybe not my most subtle attempt, but he wasn't exactly a subtle sort of guy.

"You're giving up?" His face tightens, glaring down at me. There was a stillness in the dry air. One that could knock a much bigger man to his knees. I chew at my lip, curling my fingers tighter about the holt.

"No, but,"

"But nothing," he marches in a General-like fashion, arms crossed behind his straightened back. "You've hardly learned a thing. And you're ready for a break? I don't think so," his lips curl. There went my idea. "In fact," he pauses in front of me. Sweat streams down my temples. It felt like an eternity as he looked me up and down. "Time for your next lesson." Advancing, the sword was out of my hand and into his in seconds. I hardly understand how. I put some distance between us.

"Scout, snap out of it!" Unsure if he can, I take up a defensive stance. I don't want to hurt him. And I definitely won't kill him if I have any self restraint at all. Who am I kidding? I don't stand a chance in this fight. "This isn't you."

"I'm more me than I've ever been!" He announces loudly, a wild look in his eyes. His arms fall loosely near his side. He was the much better fighter, given his stature and endurance, but losing his mind. This is the only chance I stand.

"It isn't. Not the Scout I know." Shaking my head, I am forced to doge a swing of his sword. It was sloppy, tittering in his hand as he slouched to hold it up.

"And how well did you really know me?" Rushing towards me, I have nothing much to do but attempt a backwards run. I slip through the cactus ring with a few prickles in my arms, still facing him and walking backwards. Can't turn my back to him, can't keep on the way I am. My foot catches on our fire pit and I take a major blow from the live ashes. I roll out of the charcoal and into the sand, stinging as the grains slip into the burns but putting out the embers. I start to think this is where I lose my first life. Unlike Mark, Scout has the ability and insanity to pull it off.

Spinning onto my back, he's standing just above me. The sword is pointed at my chest. He drags the tip down a bit until it is centered above my stomach. He won't do it. He won't. His hand drifts, the tip pushing into my side but without drawing blood."Next time, you won't question my orders." The blade pushes into the flesh just above my hip. Gosh, oh crap, I didn't think he would actually… my hands cover the injury as he pulls the sword out. Blood soaks through my fingers. The stench of iron makes me gag, and my watch buzzes to pull my health bar up to view. Two hearts. One and a half. One. A half.

But it stops there.

The empty hearts shake, but stay stable at a half. I need to bandage this, but I'm afraid to move. If I do he might just strike again. "Scout." I plead, eyes watering. "Help me." Please. Please, snap out of it.

The tightness in Scout's face softens. "G?" His voice is light, and his chin drops slightly. "H-hold on, I'll get something," he runs back into our hut and I hear a lot of shuffling. I take my hand away just a little. The blood is still coming, but slowly. I realize the cut was not very deep. Most of the damage likely came from the fire. He returns with some torn clothes and ties a patch around my side. With the bleeding mostly stopped, my health begins to go back up. Slowly. Two close calls in one day. "I'm sorry," he mumbles several times. "I didn't… I mean, I didn't want to do that."

"I know," I reassure him with a smile, but I'm shaking. "It's ok, it wasn't a bad cut. It'll heal."

"Oh, gosh." He runs a hand through his hair, painting the brown locks with my blood. I try not to gag. "I can't believe I've done this."

"Really, it's not a big deal." Well, it was a big deal. I really didn't think he would get that close to ending my first life. That voice has more of an influence on him than I previously thought. But I was more concerned about what was happening to him. "I'm fine. Aren't I?" But he didn't answer. After he'd confirmed I was ok for the millionth time, he sank over the hillside. I intended to follow, but for some moments, I just needed to rest. At least we heal quickly in this game, right? But that doesn't help whatever is happening to my partner.

Does he allow himself to suffer such losses?

With power like his, yet all this pain and tosses?

If I do recall, it was you who made him this way.

It was he, not us, who took on such nature.

And is it our responsibility to intervene in a favor?

Do you still not see what he's fighting for? Have you no pity at all? Shh, look at this.

I dipped my hands into the pond water, watching as the blood disperses into swirling lines and then disappears. I did it. I dirtied my hands with his blood. Are you satisfied now?

I need more. Not enough. I need his life.

"No," I snarl, "this is all you get." I step down into the water. With a deep breath, I dunk my head into the cool waves and brush through my hair. When I come back above, I am mostly clean. Apart from a few stains on my trousers, the worst of the blood is gone. But the image is forever stained on my hands.

Then take the rest, take them all.

No. I can't, I won't.

I will help you. Why don't we go after Redge? Afterall, it is he who caused this mess! If he hadn't made you mad, you wouldn't have needed to train Gideon. You wouldn't have needed to put him in his place.

This… this isn't Redge's fault! Sure, maybe he is partially to blame but– no, no this is your fault. And mine.

You did everything right, except for holding back. Here, another opportunity. I hear another approaching.

"Ah, now I get it." Jay announces as he steps out of the woods. I jump, surprised to see him, despite having been given a warning. His eyes are yellow, as is the strand near the part in his hair. Did it change as his eyes did? I was sure it was green before. "They must've smelled the blood."

"They?" My brows furrow at the base of my forehead. There is some crackling in the woods behind him. Seven gray timber wolves trod out into the open. "Oh, my gosh," I jump out of the water and scramble to my feet. The water drips down over my face. He looks me up and down. I do my best to hide my face from him, ashamed of my soiled eyes.

"I'm their alpha now." Jay's mouth twists into a smirk. "They listen to me."

"You?" I don't hold back a snort. "You got lost in a desert, and they think you can lead a pack?"

"Hey, shut up," He points a finger at me. One of the wolves jumps forward and barks. "No, no," he shushes the dog. "Not him."

I stare at the beast. Is it true? Do they listen to him? "Sorry. It's been a stressful day." And that was an understatement.

I think today has been wonderful. The first blood spilled. Next time, gather your guts to finish the job.

My head splits with the sound of its voice. A voice so familiar, but I can't place it.

He startles me again when he asks, "Is it yours?"

"Mine?" I repeat.

"The blood." He motions to the pond with a nod. Near my feet, the crimson roots were getting thinner, "Is it your blood?"

"No," shame settles in my chest. "It's not mine." My teeth nearly shatter as my jaw clamps shut.

"You did it, then?" To my disgust, his face brightens. He checks the name list. "What? But he's still green. Who did you… you're red." He closes the screen, face now unsettled and body a bit more rigid. "Who did you kill?"

"I didn't kill anyone." I shout, startling nearby wildlife. The wolves growl, lowering their heads towards me. "It was just an accident."

An accident, you say? It didn't feel like an accident to me.

"And you shut up!" I clench my eyes, speaking through gritted teeth.

"Who are you talking to?" Jay's eyes tighten. "Are you ok?"

"No, I'm not ok!" My voice cracks with frustration. What a ridiculous question! Of course I'm not ok! Can't he see that? Maybe he needs to see it. Then he'll understand.

You're more than ok. You are absolutely brilliant.

My head spins, and when I open my eyes again I'm seeing through red. "But I could be." I stagger forward towards him and his pack.

Don't be an idiot! Those dogs will tear us apart.

Silence, I'm in control now.

"Stay away from me, Scout," he stumbles further into the pack. "We both know who would win this fight. Do you really want to lose your last life?"

"Dare you to try to take it." I lick my lips, still hot with iron. "But no. I'm not going to fight you. If these dogs will protect you, as you say, I don't intend to force you into any deals." Just a few feet from him now, I stop. Swaying.

His interest is perked. "What sort of deals?"

"A promise that I won't kill you. A promise to stand together when this map inevitably goes to battle." I push a sopping wet handful of thick hair out of my eyes. Proud for him to see what they've become.

"Team with you?" He scoffs. "Why would I do that? You've sided with the person who got us all stuck here." He's right. That idiot is dragging me down.

Don't talk about Gideon like that.

"How did you lose your life?" My head cocks to the side.

He turns his face from me. Apparently, he's not proud of its color. Don't worry. Just one more step to go, and it will be perfect.

Get out of my head!

Hush. It's my turn to talk.

"I'm guessing, since you've surrounded yourself with dogs, that you've not got many strong alliances with people."

"You've not got to make it sound pathetic," his arms crossed over his chest. "I still want nothing to do with that snake."

"That snake just figured out a way to change the odds on this game, to our favor. Perhaps You would reconsider." Got him.

"In what way?" Most of the wolves have curled up at his feet. "What does that mean?"

"Let's just say things are about to get a lot more explosive." Glancing at my own burn scars and those left on my legs. A banner of my toils, how even now I survive. My throat tingles with laughter.

"Right," Jay narrows his eyes on me. "Well, I suppose an alliance between the two of us would suffice. I do not promise to defend your buddy, if push comes to shove."

An alliance without Gideon is no alliance at all, do not take that deal.

"Jay," A chuckle escapes past my lips, "I'm red now. I don't need him." The closer I get, the more unsettled the dogs become, but I throw my arm around his shoulder anyways. "You and me, however, we could make a great team."

I won't do this to Gideon!

Oh, shut up. I didn't mean a word of it anyhow. It's a good thing you're gullible, let's see if he is too.

"Yeah, ok." He beams. Well, he's gullible or he's lonely, not sure which. "Let's do it. And as a sign of friendship, I've got something to show you."

"See? I knew we could be of service to each other." Offering a toothy smile, I follow him to his shack. If you could call it a shack. With mossy walls and a canopy of leaves on a low hanging branch for a roof, it was barely tall enough to walk in. Especially for me. Still, with his height, he had to lean over. It's not much better than ours, though. At least he's got a tarp on the floor. And a…

"What is that?" I approach the beautiful table, a sparkle in my eyes. "Wait, I think Gideon may have told me about this." Its velvet cloth and leather book sat atop a dazzling black cube. Yes, I have heard of this. "He said the mountain people had it."

"They have one," Jay shrugged. "I have another."

"Well, well, the tables really have turned for our side." Pun intended. Pun always intended.

"Our side? You mean the two of us and your lackey?" Jay scoffed. "If we really do go to war, how do you expect to win it?"

"Don't you worry," I rubbed my hands together, still transfixed on the beauty before me. "I'll make us an army."

A heavy cough announced Trent's exiting of the sadistic game he'd constructed. Soot covered nearly every inch of his body. After claiming his first victim, a lot of work had to be done to clean up the tracks. He pulled thick heat-protecting gloves off his calloused hands. Another cough puffed a spout of dust from his lungs.

"Trent?" A voice echoed through the woods. The man in question did not make a motion to respond. He dipped his feet into the swampy water at the edge of the entrance. Washing some of the soot away coated his face in mud with the thick water. Issac broke through the forest and braved the muddy sinkholes, breathing heavily once he made it to the cave. "Not an incredible position for this thing." He snarked. "How are we doing? Has anyone tried?"

"One victim," Trent huffed. "That Jayden fellow." Issac checked his watch and Trent sank farther into the murk. "He nearly made it. Down there at the end, that's what got him."

"Now we're talking." Issac grinned. "I didn't think we'd get anyone in here."

Another smoke relieving cough echoed out of his chest. "Trick is to not tell them that hot metal is going to pour from the ceiling."

"That would discourage people, I think." Issac climbed up the rocks and peaked behind the curtain. "Did the body burn?"

"Disappeared like the others." Trent closed his eyes and leaned his head against a tree. "Made the cleanup easier."

Issac moved to sit and dip his boots in the water. "It's ready to go again, then? And he didn't win, so I've not got to find another prize?"

"No. But I've moved the prize out here. Burnt the chest to a crispr when his body began to burn, wouldn't want to lose the merchandise." Trent moved some branches to reveal the chest.

"That's smart." Issac snorted. "I guess we should have thought of that beforehand."

"As long as they make it out the window up top, I'll give it to them when they come back around." Trent huffed, letting his eyes close. Issac sorted through the chest and sat back once satisfied with it. He looked around, and opened his mouth to speak, just before they were both alerted to incoming sounds.

Forest noise alerted both of the occupants to potential victims, "Oh, I've got an idea." Issac smiled. He pulled the tarp down and jumped into the cave.

"What do you think you're doing?" Trent growled under his breath. He grunted, lifting himself over the roks. From the battered walls at the entrance, Issac covered his face and arms in soot. "That stuff isn't good for your lungs, I would be careful." Trent crossed his arms. "Do you have a plan here? Other than to get black lung, I mean."

"Shh, they're coming. Play along." With a swish of his hands, he motioned for Trent to move away. Albeit confused, he did.

"Oh, there's better light up ahead." A dangly man with blue hair stepped cautiously about the muddy depths, followed shortly behind by a boy wearing a superhero costume. These were the youngest looking of the players, appearing to be no more than about twenty each. Both were green eyed and dirtied with swamp water. "Oh, look Kim, we've got people up here."

"Really?" The caped individual stumbled and barely caught himself in the mire. "Oh, good grief. I'll be glad to get out of this stupid swamp."

"Wow!" Issac shouted with overly exaggerated excitement, jumping to his feet outside the cave. "That was really fun, Trent! Thanks for letting me try out your new game." A quick wink caused Trent's smirk to widen.

"Yes, of course, another satisfied contestant." He nodded, clasping a dusty hand on Issac's back. "Do come again whenever. We have plenty of prizes to win."

"What's this, then?" The teal haired lad pulled the unbuttoned blue dress shirt up his shoulders as it slid off his multi-colored tee. "A game?"

"A little help, Sean?" His buddy complained, the one called Kim. Sean spun to lend him a hand. They made their way to the cave.

"Only the best game!" Issac continued his show, hands wide with explanation. "And it's so easy. Just have to get to the end of the cave and climb out the window up top." He pointed to the skylight. "I just did it."

"Yeah, and he's won this shiny pair of boots," Trent rustled through the chest and revealed a glistening pair of blue armored boots. "Feeling lucky, either of you?"

"What's the catch?" Kim peered inwards, examining the rubble of furnaces. "Not much of a game if it's that easy."

"Well, see," Trent handed the boots to Issac and hopped into the cave. "These metal pieces are pretty hot. Don't want to touch them. Even your shoes would burn through."

"This seems dangerous and stupid." Sean narrowed his eyes. "Just because we've got three lives doesn't mean we should gamble with them."

"Don't you see, though?" Issac dismissed with a hand gesture, "Everyone is frightened, right? No one wants to be here, but we've got a whole world to explore! Don't you boys want to relax a bit? We're stuck here, anyhow." Issac finished, looking at Trent for approval. And approve he did, he was rather impressed.

"I want to try." Kim grinned.

"No, absolutely not," the slightly shorter man grabbed the arm of his friend and pulled him to the side. "Are you crazy?"

"It's fine. Look at it! It's a cake walk." He shrugged. "And we're going to need protection. You know how Redge has been getting. I think we need this." His face fell. They silently argued the matter with convincing looks, but it was Sean who gave in.

"Fine." A dissatisfied sigh accompanied crossed arms. "But I do not support this."

"Wonderful," Trent followed after him to position himself next to the lever. Sean noticed him, but far too late. It went just as before. Sean even rushed to the top, extending a hand to help Kim out. Their fingertips touched, but the lava pulled down at the flesh of the lad. It dragged him to the bottom of the cave, burying him in liquid metal until his screams ceased. A stench filled the air.

"This was a trap." Sean hissed, eyes welling with tears. "You're both sick." His hurried feet hit the water. Once he was gone, Trent's stomach heaved with laughter.

"That was amazing." He continued, re-setting the room with a flick of the lever. The heat poured from the cracks and holes in the rock. The bubbling slowed and the partners moved to a cooler spot away from the cave. Issac's own expression had dropped.

"I'm not sure I feel so good about that." He swallowed. "We lied to those poor boys."

"I know, you did great." Trent chuckled. But Issac didn't look any chipper. "Don't look so disheartened," Trent scoffed. "Don't you remember what we said?"

"Well, of course, but–"

"It's us or them. That doof building sandcastles and having water fights isn't going to do a thing to help us. Which means there is only one way out of this game, to win." He finished behind clenched teeth. "So I don't think you do remember."

"I, uh," Issac shrunk behind his gaze. The forest whistled and creaked. With a few timid nods, Issac straightened his features. "Yes, yeah, you're right." Another silence overtook them as the last of gurgling iron ceased. "Anyways, Brock and Chloe accepted your invitation to join the alliance."

"Perfect." His voice lacked excitement. "Well, I better get back to cleaning. Or it won't be ready for our next contestant."

"Right, yeah, I should get back to the others as well." Issac scrubbed his face. "I'll be back around later." Hopping off the rock, he trekked the sludge. Trent watched him go, face frozen in a grimace.

Alright, so today's question is... who is the bad guy of 3rd life? Is there one? Let me know in the comments.