Chapter 4The Glitch That Deletes Gods

At my command, the players scattered, a frantic search beginning.

Only the scar-faced man remained, squatting in a corner, unmoving.

"Why aren't you looking?" I asked, approaching him. "Not tempted by that extra ten million?"

He shook his head, a bitter laugh escaping him. "It doesn't matter. You're not going to let any of us leave anyway."

Was he implying I was untrustworthy?

Just then, a few players ran up to me, out of breath. "Forget it. We don't want the bonus. Just let us go."

"Useless," I snarled. I grabbed their necks, and in an instant, the two of them dissolved into a fine red mist. The scar-faced man watched, his eyes wide, not daring to blink.

"That traitor is a real piece of work," I mused aloud, looking at him. "Getting so many innocent people killed."

He swallowed hard and gave a stiff, jerky nod.

A short while later, a tall player came running over, his face alight with excitement. "Warden! I found the Shade! You can let us go now, right?"

The scar-faced man's head snapped up, a look of genuine surprise on his face.

"Where?" I asked.

The tall player pointed triumphantly at a set of ancient, crumbling remains in a dark alcove. "Right there. That's him."

I almost laughed. Did this idiot truly think I was a fool?

I arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Lying to me has consequences."

A flicker of doubt crossed his face, but he firmed his jaw and nodded. "I'm sure. That's him."

"Excellent."

I placed my hand on his head. The six-foot man collapsed into a neat pile of splintered bone.

The other players who had come to report their findings saw this and their legs gave out from under them.

"You... you go first. I'm not..."

I signaled to Lank and Gallows, who herded the rest of the search parties before me. "Report. What have you found?"

Their voices were so faint with terror they were barely audible. "N-nothing... w-we searched... everywhere... not a trace."

Good. At least these were more honest than the last one.

I let my fangs descend, two feet of polished ivory, and gave them a smile that wasn't a smile. "The traitor," I said slowly, "is standing among you right now."

That single sentence shattered their fragile unity.

"It's you! You're the traitor, aren't you? You know where the Shade is!"

"Bullshit! Warden, he's the one!"

The chamber devolved into a brawl, players turning on each other. But I noticed something interesting. No one dared to confront the scar-faced man.

"Why are they afraid to question you?" I asked him quietly.

He looked completely unfazed. "I'm a dead man walking. They're not wasting their time on me."

I just smiled.

After the fighting died down, the players were bruised and bloodied, their paranoia now cemented. They were more convinced than ever that the traitor was one of their own.

"Warden, you know who it is, don't you?" one of them pleaded. "Please, stop torturing us."

"Fine," I said. My eyes landed on the scar-faced man. "Let me see that sigil again."

He hesitated for a moment before handing it over.

I tossed the small, cold token in my hand, a true laugh finally bubbling up.

The traitor had just exposed himself.

You're mine now, I thought. My rogue Shade.