Chapter 30: Bingo
The faint smirk on Veythor’s lips widened as he looked straight at the masked man. The girl beside him was staring at him too, her black eyes gleaming with an eagerness that felt both childlike and dangerous.
"Prepare for death, he says? Heh... hehehe. I wonder about that," Veythor muttered silently inside, crimson eyes flashing for a moment.
The masked man suddenly spoke again, his voice calm, almost teaching.
"Dasha, it’s time for you to learn something. You’ve grown much, and soon you’ll step into adulthood. You must begin learning new things now."
He shifted his head slightly toward the girl.
So... her name is Dasha, Veythor noted quietly, his expression betraying nothing.
"What do you mean by learning new things?" Dasha asked, her tone curious, eyes flickering between the man and Veythor.
The man didn’t answer her directly. He kept looking forward, his voice carrying the weight of authority.
"For instance, I want you to remain with these three and guard them. Make sure they don’t escape. There are wild animals in the area too, so protect them. In simple words, I’m putting you in charge of them. If they escape, or if something happens to them... you’ll face the consequences."
Hearing this, Dasha’s eyes widened. Her excitement shone brighter with each passing second.
"Really? You’d let me do it?" she asked, her voice rising in disbelief and joy.
The masked man patted her head lightly.
"Yeah, yeah. Think of it as your first mission, a big step into adulthood."
Her smile stretched wide as she almost bounced on her feet.
"Yayyy! I’ll do it! Thank you!"
"Don’t mess it up," the man said flatly. "I’m going to rest now. And remember.... don’t listen to anything they say. Everything they’ll try to tell you is fake."
"Okay!" Dasha replied instantly, her voice bursting with excitement.
The masked man gave one last glance before walking away, his figure swallowed by the darkness until he was gone.
Dasha stepped forward eagerly, stopping in front of Veythor. Their eyes met her burning excitement clashing with his dead, unyielding gaze.
This girl... Dasha, Veythor thought silently. She could be important. In fact, she might even be a turning point on this board. If I manage to turn the table now... things will become very interesting.
"You," Dasha said suddenly, pointing directly at him. "What’s your name?"
Veythor’s face remained flat, but then a faint, cutting smile tugged at his lips.
"As I said before," he murmured, "I’m not obliged to tell anyone anything."
Dasha blinked, then smiled back with a mischievous glint. Without warning, she pulled out a small shard of glass. She pressed it to Veythor’s neck and dragged it lightly across his skin. A thin line of blood welled up.
Shimi and Raika tensed up instantly, their breath hitching in their throats. But Veythor remained calm, expression steady, even as the warm trickle slid down his collar.
Dasha leaned in, her lips brushing dangerously close as she licked the blood clean.
Shimi’s eyes widened, her heart aching in a way she didn’t understand. Raika only stared in stunned silence, unable to process what he was seeing. Even Veythor’s expression faltered for a moment, a flicker of shock hidden beneath his composure.
"Too bad, huh?" Dasha said, her voice playful but sharp as a knife. "If only you were fifteen... seventeen, maybe. I’d have chosen you in bed, lost my virginity to you."
Her words cut deeper than the glass. Shimi’s heart clenched painfully at the blunt confession, her body shaking as she bit down on her lip to suppress the ache.
Veythor smirked again, unfazed. "You know... you’re not as good as people think. Drop the cutesy act. You can’t fool me."
Dasha tilted her head.
"Yeah? So what? If playing the puppy lets me survive, what’s wrong with that?" His tone was sharp, yet dismissive. "To be honest, why am I even bothering to explain to you? I bet you all came from good families... had happy childhoods... unlike us tribesfolk."
The words lingered.
Happy childhood, huh?
He laughed coldly in his mind. Hahaha... what a joke. His crimson eyes darkened, reflecting a void deeper than the night around them.
I wouldn’t be the man I am if I’d had a peaceful, happy childhood.
He muttered the thought under his breath, almost too quiet to hear, before exhaling a long, steady sigh. His gaze lifted again, steady as steel.
"So, Dasha..." he said slowly. "I have a question for you."
She smirked at his words, lips curling with amusement.
"Oh-ho, a question? And what would that be?"
Her eyes gleamed with curiosity, eager to hear what he had to say. But before Veythor could open his mouth, new sounds cut through the night—footsteps. Not just one set, but many. The rhythm was heavy, deliberate, echoing against the silence. All of them, even Dasha, stiffened. From the shadows, figures began to emerge one by one.
Veythor’s gaze sharpened as he counted.
"...One, two, three... seven."
Seven more masked people stepped into view. They wore the same crimson clothes, their masks cut from the same style, though each bore subtle differences in pattern and shape. Their presence thickened the air, the tension stretching taut.
Dasha let out a sharp breath, almost a sigh of relief.
"Hahh, it’s just you guys. Don’t scare me like that!" she shouted at them, voice edged with irritation.
Some of the newcomers chuckled lightly, as if enjoying her outburst.
"Geez," Dasha continued, hands on her hips. "Why are you all even here?"
A skinny man among them stepped forward, his voice flat and cold.
"We’ve been instructed to handle something. A task... related to those three."
His finger extended, pointing straight at Veythor, Shimi, and Raika.
"Oh, I see," Dasha replied, her voice suddenly turning flat. Her eyes flicked toward Veythor again. She walked back in front of him, her steps unhurried, her gaze sharp.
"So... ask what you wanted to ask."
Veythor’s eyes narrowed. His expression betrayed nothing, his body utterly calm despite the noose tightening around them.
They’ve most likely caught us to eat us. But let’s confirm it first.
His thoughts remained steady as he spoke aloud, his voice blunt and direct.
"Are you all going to kill us... and eat us?"
The words dropped like stones into still water.
Raika froze.... he understood immediately, the blood in his veins running cold. Shimi, however, blinked, confused and horrified. Eat us? What does he mean... eat us?
But before she could say anything, Dasha and the other tribesfolk erupted into laughter. Their voices rang out, sharp and mocking, as though Veythor had just told the most ridiculous joke in the world. The sound of it cut through the night, loud and unsettling.
Dasha wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, still smiling.
"Interesting way to put it. Kill you and eat you, hmm... I wonder about that."
Her voice lowered, playful but edged with something dark.
"By the way, we don’t eat the dead."
Veythor’s lips curved into a smile.... cold, sinister and unshaken. He understood her meaning immediately. Their eyes met, predator against predator, and Dasha mirrored his grin.
"So..." his voice was calm, deliberate. "You’re basically telling me that you’re going to eat us alive."
The words slithered into the air, chilling. Raika and Shimi both shivered violently, a cold dread racing down their spines, squeezing their hearts tight.
"Bingo!" Dasha sang, her voice sharp with delight. She winked at Veythor, her expression one of cruel amusement.
Then she turned, her tone shifting in an instant.
"Guys. Do your work."
At her command, the masked tribesfolk began to move. Slowly, deliberately, they advanced toward the three captives, their steps crushing the silence with the inevitability of death.