Edward’s grin was discerning.


    “Let’s play a little game shall we?” He moved around the pot-bellied man in a slow truant.


    The rotund man kept his nozzle fixed on the conceited deductionist.


    “What are you talking about?” was his inquisition in defense.


    “Oh yes, we can have quite the time with that gun of yours. I''m sure you’ve heard of this fancily cliched game of Russian Roulette?”


    The portly man nodded slightly “And why should I play this game?”


    “Well you want our item cards don’t you?” He held out his card in a lucrative manner.


    “If you win, we will give you both our item cards and their respective letter codes. You can do with them as you please.”


    “WAIT! Why do I have to give up my card as well?!” Isabelle was far from satisfied with Edward’s transaction proclamation. The podgy man had his doubts as well. But no one expected what Edward had to say next.


    “I’m not finished, if you win... you can also take our lives as well. That’s right just unload every shell from that revolver into our heads” He said so with a broad smile.


    Isabelle’s face was full of distress, her perplextion indisposed her tongue, she was so shocked that she couldn’t fight back. That was enough to break the portly man’s hesitation and he jumped at the deal


    “You talk much, black-haired man, but what happens if I lose?” “Well of course we will take all of your item cards” That caused the man to buckle a bit. Edward noticed the dubiosity and was quick to reaffirm.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    “Well we are betting our lives here, the least you can do is offer a few of your item cards, I’m sure you must have more Item Cards stashed away in a safe place” Edward swerved his head around to make it look as if he was searching around for the secret stash.


    “In fact here...” Edward extended his Item Card to the portly man’s associate “6-9-0-5. You can keep my Item Card with you. That should be fair down payment, shouldn’t it?”


    The man grabbed the Item Card like a shark snapped at an injured trout.


    “Well then, that settles it” Edward grinned.


    And that brought them to a rustic game of Russian Roulette.


    “The rules—” The chubby man explained “involve my six-barrel magnum revolver. There will be one bullet.” He popped the stock and cocked a single .44mm bullet. He gave it a good spin, and it clicked with every passing round. “I shall start. And we will switch on every empty barrel.”


    “May I see the gun?” Edward extended his palm. The leader recoiled as if by reflex.


    “I’m afraid we can’t have the chance of you messing with this gun. In this game, if we see you trying to play smart with the gun or otherwise—” He signaled one of his men. He stepped forward and took out a hidden blade and leaned closer to Isabelle. “We won’t harm your female companion but we will make sure that she shows us a good time” the grunt mischievously guided his hand around Isabelle’s posterior while the other men hollered and hooted in excitement. The leader continued,


    “We shall play by sitting on opposite sides of this tree trunk and will point the gun at each other every turn.”


    Edward retracted his hand and humbly sat down on the opposite end of the tree trunk.


    The podgy man sat down on the other end with a tremor.


    The showdown was centered at the heart of the jungle. Among the idyllic and seemingly lifeless woodland, lie a woman with so much life that the contrast was polemic.


    Edward noticed the discrepancy.


    “Before we start I would like a word with my evidently disorientated partner---”


    “WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!? Gambling away our lives like money!? What happens if we lose? What will happen to me?” When she finished, she panted, surprised at her own unexpected dissemination of energy.


    “Indeed, your arguments are worth recitation, but there’s one thing you routinely fail to consider.”


    He smiled.


    “I don’t lose”