“Man’s enemies are not demons, but human beings like himself.”

Lao Tzu

“In the contest, you will see a person’s true nature, brought out when life and death are at stake.”

Diana's words echoed in Bethany's head as she saw the resignation in Daniel's eyes.

“I’m sorry, Bethany,” said Daniel, his voice shaking. There were tears building in his eyes.

“It’s okay, Daniel,” Bethany said, taking a step backwards towards the sink. “I’m sure we’ll find another way. We…”

Suddenly, Daniel reached and grabbed Bethany tightly, pinning her arms to her side. “What…what are you doing?” she asked, struggling to to break free. “No! Let me go!”

“I’m so sorry, Bethany,” Daniel repeated, his grip tightening, “It’s the only way. None of us want to die here, and I need to protect Becka.”

He grunted, and his arms flexed as he pushed her down to the ground. The back of her head struck concrete, and the world around her started spinning. Daniel straddled her waist and held her hands down, using his weight keeping her from escaping.

Bethany’s courage failed her, and fear took over.

“Please no, please no! Don’t do this. Please don’t hurt me. Please,” her final word came out only as a whimper, as Becka grabbed the red wine bottle and tipped it into Bethany’s mouth.

Bethany tried not to swallow. She had never tasted alcohol before now. Even the scent of it triggered memories of her home she would rather leave behind. She felt its sting against her cheeks, and she held on as long as she could as the liquid filled her mouth and cascaded out the sides. Becka stroked her throat, coaxing her to swallow.

“Drink, Bethany, drink. Just drink, damn it!” shouted Becka, her voice lacking any semblance of remorse. With her free hand, she reached up and pinched Bethany’s nose closed.

Struggling to breath, Bethany thrashed on the ground, trying to break free. Daniel held her fast, tears streaming down his face at what they had done. The wine filled her mouth, but Bethany left her mouth open so the wine spilled onto the floor below. She could not swallow. She must not.

“Daniel, help,” shouted Becka.

Daniel released one of Bethany’s hands, and for a moment Bethany thought he might have had second thoughts. Her hopes were crushed as Daniel’s hand fell over Bethany’s mouth and forced it shut.

“Just swallow, Bethany!” commanded Daniel. For the first time, his voice was laced with the same desperation as Becka. “Just swallow.”

He was more practiced at this than Becka was, and moments later Bethany swallowed against her will. The wine burned as it went down her throat, and her heart pounded in terror at the thought of being poisoned.

Daniel released her mouth and went back to holding down her arms. Bethany coughed and gasped for air. Tears blurred her vision, and she stopped struggling in Daniel’s grip. She no longer had the strength to fight.

He held her for a few minutes until her eyes cleared and she stopped coughing.

Becka nodded approvingly to Daniel, and Bethany watched helplessly as Becka grabbed the yellow bottle and knelt over Bethany.

“Please…no…” pleaded Bethany, her voice feeble and scared.

“Sorry, better you than us,” said Becka, and she thrust the bottle into Bethany’s mouth.

Bethany resisted. She tried to close her throat and struggled in their grip, but they were coordinated this time. Daniel’s palm immediately fell over Bethany’s nose and mouth as Becka held the bottle and stroked her throat. Bethany swallowed.

As the liquid flowed down her throat, Daniel released Bethany’s hands and stood up. He grabbed the bottle of wine from Becka’s hands and placed it back on the table. Becka gave him a self-satisfied smile – a smile of triumph – as she stood beside her partner. She gave him a tight hug that said, without words, ‘I’m proud of you.’ Daniel did not return her embrace. He stared at the bottles, trying not to think about the line he had crossed.

Bethany rolled onto her side. Her chest heaved, her stomach lurched, and her tears flowed freely. She vomited, the wine in her stomach spilling across the concrete floor. She vomited again and again, until she felt hollow and empty inside.

Bethany crawled along the floor, her shaking limbs pulling her as far away from the couple as she could get. She found a corner and huddled in a ball, arms folded over her head and chest. There she lay, whimpering, regressed to the abused child she had been only a few days ago.

“The green bottle,” concluded Daniel, sounding as hollow as Bethany felt. “The green one is poisoned.”

“Yes, the green one,” echoed Becka, a touch of smugness on her voice.

It was Becka's answer that sparked a new emotion inside Bethany. One she had buried so often as a child.

Anger.

She felt the heat rise within her, driving away the shame and fear. Her hands shook with fury, her breath quickening. Her gaze fell on her hammer, resting on the sink only a few paces away.

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Hatred burned in her eyes as she struggled to her feet and Becka looked towards her.

“You need to guess too,” said Becka casually, as if they were now best friends. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Bethany ran forward towards her hammer. Eyes wide with surprise, Daniel tried to stop her, but Bethany reached the sink first. Her hands closed around the hammer’s grip, and she spun around, staring daggers at the couple.

Becka retreated until her back rested against the cold concrete wall. Positioning himself protectively in front of Becka, Daniel raised his fists in defense.

“Bethany, just tell the man in the ceiling that you pick green, and it will all be over,” Daniel instructed her, as if she were a patient.

Bethany raised her hammer. “Fuck you!" she swore, the curse sounding strange on her lips. "I don’t trust a word you say. You used me. You tricked me! You…”

In the depths of her intense anger, a moment of complete certainty came over Bethany. She remembered the plaque on the outside of the washroom.

G.A. 1-32, Dolos

“God Arena. Number 1-32. Dolos’ challenge. The god of trickery. The master of deception. Could it be?” spoke Bethany, staring at the green bottle and scolding herself. She had forgotten the most crucial element of the God Arena – the god who had designed it.

Bethany knew her blood experiment had not failed. It had given them the right answer.

“None of them are poisoned,” Bethany said confidently, her eyes never leaving Daniel. "It was all a load of... of horseshit!"

Daniel and Becka gasped as the impressed voice of Dolos filled the air around them.

“Well done, Bethany. Very well done. The vast majority of my fellow gods did not bet that you would be the one to survive. You have proven them wrong. Congratulations, you are victorious!”

There was a tiny pop above her head, and rainbow confetti floated down over Bethany.

"Now, in celebration of your success, you may choose your reward."

Three golden discs appeared in front of Bethany. Bethany knew what they were. They were the same size and shape as the ones she had seen in her dream, when Diana had given her the Oracle Eye.

The discs hovered in the air, slowly rotating as the light from the eye cameras gleamed off thier shiny surfaces. The first disc was engraved with a man playing darts, the second with shining hammer, and the third with a monkey swinging from a branch.

With little thought, Bethany grabbed the shining hammer disc and stuffed it into her pocket. The other two discs disappeared after she made her choice. After all, there was only one winner in this God Arena.

Sunlight becan to stream into the stuffy concrete room. The exit reappeared, its doors open to reveal her day-use site at Wascana park. A warm evening breeze blew through Bethany's hair and the earthy scent of rain about to fall filled her nose. The rustling of elm leaves and the quacks of the ducks on the lake called to her. She had never before heard a more welcome symphony than the one emanating from beyond that door.

“Yes! Daniel, let’s get out of here,” exclaimed Becka with immense relief. She pushed past both Daniel and Bethany, accelerating towards the door.

Becka was violently thrown backwards by an invisible force the moment her feet touched the threshold. She struck the table hard, and collapsed to the floor, the wine spilling to the floor. A sickening crack accompanied her collapse, and Becka screamed in pain.

Daniel rushed over to her, ignoring Bethany and her still raised hammer. Becka’s left arm was broken, the bone ruptured through her skin.

“Oh, but you were wrong, Becka. There's no exit for you. Your time in the God Contest is at an end. Such a shame. The audience did enjoy your ruthless nature though, if that is any consolation. Many of them had thought you would survive.”

“No! But we…but Bethany…guessed correctly. We got it right. We should get to leave. Bethany, you can’t leave us here!” Daniel’s pleaded, his eyes filled with abject terror.

Bethany turned and ran through the exit, as fast as her feet would carry her.

She left them behind.

“Bethany!” shouted Daniel, his voice frantic. “You can’t! You need to save us! Bethany! No!”

As Bethany stepped into the park, the light of the early evening’s sun warming her skin, the metal door behind her slammed shut. She watched the plaque on the door fade sway, as Dolos' God Arena vanished from the Contest, completed.

Her legs weak and unstable, Bethany lurched towards her Civic, ignoring the winged eye that fluttered around her excitedly. She climbed in the driver’s seat, set her hammer down, and started the engine. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she was sick to her stomach. She needed to get away from there.

She sped away from the day-use camp that had been her home for these past few days.

She never looked back.

* * *

Daniel watched the metal door shut behind Bethany and vanish, replaced by the solid concrete wall.

Becka lay below him, his hands cradling her head. He removed Becka's shirt and tied it around her forearm to stem the bleeding.

The winged eyes vanished one by one, robbing them of their remaining light, until Daniel and Becka were left in total darkness.

The minutes slowly ticked away, and all Daniel was left with was his guilt.

“Was it worth it?” came a voice in the darkness. It was not the voice of Dolos. This one was deep and malevolent, with an amused inflection as it asked the question.

Daniel felt empty inside. He had given up his humanity for the woman who lay injured beside him.

“No,” Daniel answered simply, staring into the darkness.

“I can give you a second chance, Daniel. Would you like that?”

“Yes,” responded Daniel, breathlessly. He did not want to die. He did not want this guilt to be the last of him.

Daniel felt a skeletal hand encircle his own. The coldness of its touch burned him, yet he did not draw away. The hand pried open his fingers and pressed a blade into his palm. Beneath him, Becka stopped shaking, her breath shallow and irratic.

“She made your sacrifice your humanity. She deserves to die. Kill her, and I shall free you from this place. You shall be my servant in this Contest. Or you can die here and become my plaything in Xibalba.”

Daniel’s hand closed on the blade. It was heavy, cool to the touch, and sharpened to an impossible point. It seemed to call to him, whispers in his mind that poisoned his thoughts.

He straddled Becka's body. He could feel her shallow breath pressing against his legs. In the darkness, he knelt over her heart, blade raised in his shaking hands.

Could he do it? Could he pay the price? He loved Becka. How could he even consider…

Becka’s blade slid into Daniel’s chest, carving its way through his ribs and piercing his heart. Daniel felt his final breath leave his lungs, and his last sensation was the hand of his beloved shoving him backwards onto the cold floor. His body landed with a thud as the life in his eyes died.

“I’ve paid your price,” whispered Becka, trembling. “Now get me out of here.”

A malevolent, skeletal smile appeared in the darkness.

“Oh yes. You will do nicely.”

Name: Bethany Fox

Job: Player

Attributes:

Strength: 3

Agility: 3

Toughness: 6

Magic: 5

Unspent Attribute Coins: 1

Talents:

Oracle Eye (#error#)

Unactivated Talent