CHAPTER 133

"Some months back, I underwent an experience where myself and the people I live with were pulled into a board game much like this one." She shivered as a few memories immediately surfaced, but chased them away in case the angel was trying to read her mind. "From our perspective, the game was real. In fact, our memories had been wiped and we were stuck in the roles assigned by the game. After multiple days, we finally beat the game, only to discover that we had been sitting around and playing it for about an hour in the real world. It was very similar to the Dreamscape in this manner."

What she didn't say was that Jenny had taken over the game completely, filling the house with Eldritch horrors. While everyone had been trapped inside the game, Jenny had been able to move in and out of it at will while manipulating events from the outside. She had added pieces from other games, and shifted characters around for her own amusement. It had been a flare-up of the magic Jenny had absorbed from Yuki's emerald months past, one final blast of Jenny/Janey insanity that had led to the destruction of the game and a vow to never discuss the events that had occurred while inside it.

She definitely didn't need to bring up the fact that their memories had also been messed up. For most of the game, she had been under the firm belief that she was, in fact, Professor Plum.

"Why would I even care?" asked War. "What makes this game so special?"

"It's a game of strategy. Here." Beth handed over the rules. "We each command our own armies in hopes of achieving global domination--"

"Ah!" War snatched the rules and looked them over. "Global domination, you say!"

Famine looked uncertain. "You are challenging us, actual horsemen of the Apocalypse, to a game of global conquest?"

"Six people can play. Since the three of you would be playing, we would get to have three players as well. Of course, this really only works if Mehkhkahrel is willing to essentially construct a parallel universe for us to destroy. The key to making this work, though, is that the board's condition determines what happens inside. We roll dice out here, but see soldiers slaughter each other in there."

Murray's eyelid twitched. "This could be arranged, if all parties agree to it. You would also have to agree to a set of rules."

Pestilence waved their hands around, and the air filled with buzzing.

"Good point. Who would your three players be?" asked Famine. "I assume our brother is one?"

Death narrowed his eyes. "I am no good with games. You know this."

"Who does that leave?"

Beth hid the smile from her face as she pointed to Reggie. "Our players will be me, the rat, and Jenny." She held up the doll for everyone to see. "These two have played more board games than anyone else and are quite good at it."

War laughed so hard that the others stepped away from him. Large tears formed in the corners of his eyes as he pointed at Beth.

"You challenge...us...with a rat and a child's toy?" He held his belly and crouched down as if holding in his mirth. "Oh, this is rich!"

Reggie closed the distance between the two of them until he stood at War's feet. The horseman laughed again when the rat put his hands on his waist.

"I will have you know that I am no mere rat," Reggie declared. "I am a king. You would be nothing without the greed of monarchs like myself. So if you think my diminutive stature is equivalent to my abilities, then you have already lost."

Play with me! Jenny's voice was distorted as if playing through an old speaker.

War wiped a tear from his cheek. "I'm sorry, this is too much. I can't wait to crush all of you! So how do we do this?"

"Simple. We agree on the rules first." Beth pulled them out. "What happens out here translates to in there. You get to choose what your troops look like and how they act. You are free to make alliances. Whoever wins the game decides the fate of the world. It will be just like a real war."

War rolled his eyes. "And that is why you will lose. While we are inside the game, it will feel real. The first time you see a man's skull explode, you'll forget how to play this game. You will freeze as we take everything from you, one by one. Your mind isn't strong enough, little girl. And once we are finished, we will do it on your planet, with everyone you've ever loved."

"All is fair in love and war. That's something that we can all agree on, yes?"

War's smile faltered. It was almost as though he sensed the trap. He looked at his siblings, who both nodded their assent. With a shrug, he looked up at Mehkhkahrel.

"On behalf of my party, we agree to these terms."

Murray's eyes flashed, and a large table appeared. The board was already set up, and thick chairs made of stone appeared. Runes burned themselves into the stone, and fiery symbols now glowed.

"Here." Beth handed Tick Tock to Death, who grabbed hold of the bag. "Make sure nothing weird happens to us out here." She didn't want her body blindsided while her mind was inside the game.

"It's a little late for that," the Grim Reaper muttered. He held Tick Tock as if the mimic were dirty. "This business is already weird enough. Also, one cannot wear a backpack properly in robes."

"You'll figure it out." Her palms were sweaty as she took her place at the table. Reggie sat on her left, and she set Jenny on her right. The mists swirled around Mehkhkahrel as if trying to consume the angel, and Murray's eyes drifted apart so that he wasn't looking at anyone in particular.