Game of DIcE

Test of the Mind

It had been two days since the day they had been through the exhausting level twenty-one, and though that it was one of the most exhausting they had experienced for the rest of the days and the levels that they had been through, this one was fun, though they also feel sorry for those who just head to the Ssiss's cave without thinking which ended up them being deaf or dead, It was also the first time that they exerted so much effort into a game comparing to the past challenges, they exerted so much effort that they took a rest for two days as soon as they got out of the level twenty-one through the Berdock that they found pretty interesting to use as transportation and the Berdock seemed also be fond of them.

"Why is he still here?" Phil asked, brows furrowed upon the sight of the huge bird not too far away from them, drinking by the river peacefully, its black soft feathers were waving in accordance to the direction of the wind, its sharp beak buried in the water, as its two feet firmly grounded.

"He must have liked Riley, look at her, massaging him intimately, feeding him and all," Shone answered, watching the woman who emerged from the water from brushing the Berdock's head and playing with him as soon as she woke up.

Riley wore her shoes back, tapping the bird's side as if telling him to continue what he was doing while she would just go somewhere which earned a sound from the creature as an answer. She walked toward the spot where the friends were, Phil smiling at her playfully while Shone had a genuinely wide smile, Raelle was busy digging in her bag, preparing the food they would eat that morning.

"Had a good start with Berdock?" Shone asked, putting his hands inside the pocket of his jackets and perched his back on the trunk of the tree at his back where Raelle was there as well but crouching and had already taken out a few preserved food.

"Yeah. We need him and he needs us." Riley answered, then turned serious, "About merging with you,"

Xion who was still on the tree looked down upon hearing the word merging and Riley opening it up only after two days of being together when she promised to tell the answer soon after they finish the level. He looked excited about having Riley with them, and his eagerness did not become unnoticed by his companion.

"Have you decided?" Shone asked, standing properly, but picked a bun from Raelle's food and offered Xion some which the latter took.

"I think it should be your decision. I don't..." She stopped, remembering the times that she had companions but left her because they see her as a burden, "I don't want to burden you, I am sure you would be more burdened having me in your...team."

The word team somehow rolled off her tongue with a little bitterness, she had hoped, in times like this that she had her family, they were the only team she considered, and only have. Whenever they were together, she felt strong, or even stronger, because she knew she had people at her back, always ready to catch her whenever she falls and save her in danger, she always feels safe with them, the only team she could trust.

"We know,"

"Xion?" Shone protested at his remark, "I thought you want her in us?"

"Yes, but I won't butter up my words," Xion answered, jumping down beside Shone, "We are aware of the trouble you brought with you, and yes, you are a burden, honestly, all of us is a burden. We burden each other, but what's for sure is that we carry them all together. We help each other when needed. And I know what you are thinking,"

Riley raised her brows, stepping backward when Xion moved forward. She looked at the three who were also watching the scene unfold before them. She looked back at Xion when he stopped about four steps away from her. "What?"

"That we will leave you behind like what the others did to you. That we only want what we could benefit from with you, but we wouldn't. We're here until the end, and when I mean end, until the finish line, the last stage, the last level. We have the same goal as you, and we are someone we are sure you could trust. We could promise."

"He really liked her to be with us," Phil whispered to Shona and Raelle, "I can't even make him talk to me."

"You're not as interesting as Riley, stop wondering." Raelle shot back, stuffing her mouth with plain bread.

"How can I be sure?" Riley asked, it's not like she didn't want it to be them, God knows how much she wanted to be with someone, though she could also be alone since she had already been ever since before the announcement of the game, and it was not a problem to her, but she sometimes felt insecure of those at her same age and how they had people around them who could support them aside from their families.

"If the level that we've been through two days ago wasn't enough, then we could then keep the Berdock."

"What?"

"Are we allowed to do that?"

"Good deal."

The three remarked from Xion's words, Raelle was kind of surprised, Phil was more of confused, and Shone was casually agreeing and cool with the deal Xion made. Riley, however, was baffled by that, but then when the words finally had been properly decoded in her mind, a smile crept in her face, one bright smile.

"You sure I can keep Berd?" She clarified, squinting her eyes and intensely looking at Xion's face as if looking for something there.

"Yeah. It's his will if he wants to stay with you or not, what we meant is we're fine with it."

Riley stared at his face for a moment, then shrugged, "Deal," stretching her hand.

Xion immediately took it, shaking with a blank expression. Then the three also shook hands, Raelle being a little hesitant but her bratty attitude before was toned down especially that if not for her, she would probably suffering due to being deaf already.

They ate their fair share of food, Riley realized that they were only eating a little to preserve more food for the coming days, or months, but they were sure there was edible food inside like fruits so they don't really starve themselves whenever they feel hungry. After their meal, they already gathered their things, slipped on their backs and shoulders, and huddled together by the same spot.

They were now ready to go.

They all started rolling their dice, except for Raelle since her die was now just all white and empty, once the die was rolled, it would turn like that, and since Raelle's die rolled when the man tripped her and showed three, that's where she would end up with.

"Four," Shone said upon the stop of his die.

"I'm with Raelle," Phil said a little disappointment in his voice as he looked at the said girl who also rolled her eyes, clearly displeased by how their rolls turned.

Xion's die turned to five, and Riley couldn't help but exclaimed in happiness as she finally got the six that she had been wishing for since the very start. And like expected, the dice turned white as soon as they got it.

"Berd!" Riley called the Berdock, putting her pointing finger and thumb in her lips, and whistled, getting the attention of the bird.

"Of all the letters you could put together to form a name, really, Berd? We know he's a bird." Raelle snorted, shaking her head.

Riley didn't pay attention to the comment, instead smiled widely at Berd who tried placing his beak on her shoulder but since it was too big, Riley just pats it affectionately. "Are you good for a ride?"

Like he could understand, the bird nodded and made a noise again, almost like a purr, Riley looked back at her new companion, the people she could trust, for now, at least, hoped that it would be until the end, and they wouldn't break her trust. They were looking at her with amusement and fascination, except of course Xion who was always emotionless.

On their ride on the Berdock, Riley gave them the tip of the levels they would be in, and when they didn't know what this stage tests, now they know—mind.

"We'll see each other on the alley between levels twenty-seven and twenty-eight. We'll wait for each other there, Always remember that we wouldn't move forward not unless everyone has arrived."

Riley wanted to protest but gulped it down in the pit of her stomach since she would need to adjust for them, she had a team now that she could trust, and it didn't really matter as long as they would help each other toward the goal of the end.

When she came to her level after sending the rest to their respective station, she told the Berdock that she could go and not wait for her, and gave him another banana and tapped his beak before she went inside the level twenty-seven.

---

The level twenty-seven's entrance looked like an igloo but made of strong metallic materials and the inside, as soon as Riley entered, was also warm like a real igloo. If looking outside, the place was wide and seemed to be like a dome, however, when she was fully inside, what welcomed her, along with the other participants, were the series of metal doors forming a curve and the participants were in the middle, conflicted of which to choose among the many doors. Everyone was taking their time to think because apparently, there was a huge banner on the ceiling which goes:

"Be careful of your choices, It would lead you to your destinations—either good or bad. Good luck."

Riley looked at the people going on their own way, every door has been opened and choosing their own fate. She just decided to choose whichever, it seemed to her that whatever she chooses, there would be something waiting for her inside, and of course, she was not expecting any luck on her part, she knew whatever she chooses, it would turn out bad.

She strides toward the door in front of her, not thinking twice before taking the handle and opened it, She was welcomed by a blinding light, it was too bright that she had to cover her eyes for adjustment, had to blink multiple times before she finally gets to see what's inside, or not, since there was really nothing inside.

She flinched when the door behind her closed with a thud, when she looked back, her eyes widen upon seeing that the door was suddenly vanishing until it blended into the white wall. She tried to hold it, stop it from vanishing in anxiousness of where she would go out, but it was hopeless.

She let out an exasperated sigh and looked back in front, it was just a plain room, save for the square black patches with something color gray in the middle of it, they were everywhere when she counted it, there were eight, She had no idea what she would do, however when she stepped to one of the black square patches, it suddenly protruded and moved,

Riley moved back as it raised until her hips, then that when just she realized that the gray square in the middle was not a design but a thing separated—it was a paper. She walked toward it slowly, making sure not to step on the other square, she reluctantly reached over the paper, then flipped it to the other side and saw a letter there.

Congratulations! You have chosen your path among any other. Now sit on top of the square and let it bring you to your destination. All you have to do is to answer the questions that will be given to you and find the dice, once you already did, you are free!

Be careful of the traps. All the fortune on you.

Riley frowned at the instruction especially at the last, "So aside from tiring the brain out of my head, this level will also tire the whole out of my body? Great."

As instructed, she perched herself on the square, it was big enough to be comfortable above it. When she was settled, the square suddenly moved again, but now it was continuously moving downward, from the deepest on nowhere.

All she could see was black, it was dark inside, but after just waiting for a short while, she started seeing a blue light, it looked like a theme, until the square reached the end and stopped from moving. She felt like she was under a cave, or more like a headquarters under a cave, there was another metal door in front of her, but the square on the side was already enough to stress her out just by looking at it.

She walked toward it, the square moving up like an elevator. There was another gray paper with letters scribbled in white, boldfaced.

"Guess the password."