The mischievous gamer God

Everyone gathered in the living room, sitting by the fire, their faces lit by its flickering glow and shadows dancing across the walls. The tension was thick, the air heavy with fear and uncertainty, as they listened to Mike recount his story.

His voice was low but intense, tinged with lingering adrenaline. He told them how Jessica had been dragged off into the forest by some kind of creature. His hands clenched slightly as he described giving chase, following after them through the dark, snow-covered woods until he ended up in an abandoned mine.

"I found her…" he said, voice catching. "She was sprawled out on this old elevator. And just before I could reach her, something—something broke the chains holding it. The whole thing dropped. She just… vanished. Down into the mines."

A hush fell over the room. Zoe sat by the edge of the firelight, her arms crossed and expression unreadable. But she was listening carefully.

Mike continued. "While I was down there, I spotted someone. An unknown guy—wearing a mask. He was moving carefully through the mine tunnels, like he knew where he was going. I followed him… and ended up in this old, abandoned sanatorium."

He shook his head, his face pale in the glow. "I ran into more of those… things in there. I don't know what the hell they were, but they weren't human. I managed to avoid them—barely—and eventually found a tunnel that connected to the lodge."

He leaned back in his chair, exhausted. "That's how I got here."

For the first time in a long while, Zoe felt a flicker of respect for a man. Mike could've run, she thought. Left Jessica to her fate. But instead, he'd followed to try and save her despite the danger. That mattered to her.

She stood up, her posture tall and steady, voice calm but resolute.

"Rest, Mike," she said, her tone soft but commanding. "I'll go and look for Jessica. If she lives—I'll find her."

Mike's eyes widened, and he immediately tried to stand. "No—you can't go alone!"

Zoe raised a hand, stopping him in his tracks. Her expression was cool and composed, but there was a steely glint in her eyes. "More people means more targets for whatever creatures you encountered. I stand a better chance alone than I do with you."

She looked toward the others, her voice unwavering. "Go to the basement. Barricade the door and stay there."

Chris spoke up, his voice shaking slightly. "For how long?"

Zoe's gaze remained locked on the fireplace for a second, then she answered quietly, "Until the sun rises."

There was silence. No one wanted to leave her to face whatever was out there alone. But the way she stood—unflinching, determined—left no room for argument.

One by one, they began to move, reluctantly making their way toward the basement. Mike lingered behind. Before descending the stairs, he reached into his coat and pulled out something wrapped in cloth.

"At least… take this," he said, his voice low. He handed her a revolver—one he had found in the sanatorium. His hand trembled slightly as he offered it to her.

Zoe looked at it for a moment, then took the weapon with a quiet nod of gratitude. "Thank you."

Their eyes met briefly. Mike's face was lined with guilt, worry, and frustration. Zoe's was calm, focused—like a seasoned hunter preparing for the final stretch.

She turned, shoved the revolver in her bag and walked out into the dark night, her silhouette swallowed by the shadows.

It was now 3 a.m.

Four hours until dawn.

Zoe quietly crept through the forest, careful not to make any noise. Her strange bow was at the ready, held low but firm in her grasp. She froze when she heard a loud, screeching, scream-like roar in the distance. It echoed through the trees with unnatural force.

She immediately crouched and moved behind a thick tree, lowering her profile. Her breathing was silent, measured.

Movement in the underbrush caught her attention. She shifted just enough to peer out from behind the tree.

From the bushes emerged a large, hairless, feral-looking humanoid creature. Its limbs were grotesquely long, its skin tight against its bones, and its face twisted with an eerie expression of hunger and rage. Zoe didn't hesitate—she nocked an arrow, pulled back the string, and took aim.

She was just about to fire when Artemis' voice rang clearly in her mind, calm and commanding:

"No. Wait, Zoe. Don't fire. Don't move."

Zoe froze, her grip steady despite the sudden warning.

"If I'm right about what that creature is," Artemis continued, "your arrow will not penetrate its hide. If I'm remembering correctly, its perception relies heavily on movement. So keep still—and wait for it to pass."

Zoe leaned into the tree trunk, completely still, and slowed her breathing until it was barely there.

After a tense moment, the creature snarled and bolted off into the woods, oblivious to her presence.

Once it was gone, Zoe whispered softly, "My Lady… I've never seen a monster like that. What was it?"

"If I'm not mistaken," Artemis replied, thoughtful but alert, "that was a Wendigo. I've only heard of them. I've never hunted one—they're not from our pantheon, and they're rarely seen in the U.S. If that is a Wendigo, you'll need fire to kill it."

Zoe began mentally sorting through what she had on her, her mind already racing with solutions. Acting fast, she wiped off the top of a nearby rock and laid out her arrows and the bullets from the revolver.

She carefully broke open the bullets and poured the gunpowder onto a piece of cloth. Then, moving to a nearby pine tree, she dug into the bark with her knife, causing it to excrete thick sap.

She dipped the arrowheads of all eight arrows into the sap. Before the resin could harden, she rolled the tips in the gunpowder. Pine sap on its own was already flammable, but with the added gunpowder, the flame would be intense—more than enough to ignite a Wendigo if she could hit it.

She then picked up a decent-sized stick, tightly wrapped some torn cloth around one end, coated it in more sap, and strapped it to the side of her bag like a makeshift torch.

With everything ready, she moved forward once more—quiet and low to the ground. Every footstep was calculated. Every shadow checked.

Eventually, she found an entrance to the mine tunnels.

She stepped inside, bow at the ready, scanning for any sign of Jessica.

---

Outside the game, Tet leaned back lazily, hands tucked behind his head and a mischievous smile on his face. "I'm pretty sure it doesn't take much to ignite a Wendigo. Was mixing gunpowder into the resin really necessary?"

Artemis didn't even glance his way as she replied curtly, "Better to be thorough. And besides, she wasn't going to use the revolver anyway. None of my Huntresses use guns."

She folded her arms, her voice calm but cold. "Not that the gun would've helped much in this situation. At best, it might've stunned the Wendigo."

They returned their attention to the screen just in time to see Zoe, deep inside the mine, carefully following a set of human footprints across the dirt and rock. She moved through the dark tunnels with practiced silence, never letting her guard down.

As she rounded a corner, she spotted the back of one of the Wendigos ahead, lurking in the passage.

She began reaching for an arrow—but before she could do anything, someone grabbed her from the side and yanked her behind a wall.

Her hand flew to her knife, but she didn't strike. The man facing her wore a bandana and welding goggles. He held a finger to his mouth in a signal for silence.

Together, they peered around the corner. The Wendigo sniffed the air, paused, and then wandered off.

Zoe relaxed slightly, though her eyes remained sharp as she turned to the man. "Who are you?" she asked in a low, controlled voice.

The man pulled down his mask, revealing a weathered but focused face. "The name's Jack. Jack Fiddler."

"I'm Zoe," she replied, her tone still guarded.

Jack gave a short nod. "Nice to meet you, Zoe. Now what in the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for my acquaintance—Jessica," she answered. "Have you seen her, by chance?"

Jack's brows lifted slightly. He glanced over her gear and makeshift torch, unimpressed. "That was foolish—coming out here alone with nothing but a strange weapon and a homemade torch that's not even lit."

Zoe stood tall, unshaken. "I didn't want to light it until I needed to use it. As far as I know, their vision is based on movement. I didn't want to light the torch until I needed to kill one."

Jack rubbed his jaw, then gave a small nod of approval. "Ah. So you already know they're killed by fire. Good. Flaming arrows might do you some good—if you can hit them. They're wicked fast… and very lethal."

He hesitated before adding, "Now, ordinarily I'd say your friend would already be dead. But Wendigos don't always kill right away. Sometimes they drag their prey back to their nest—kicking and screaming—and keep 'em alive as long as possible, so the meat stays fresh."

Zoe's face tightened. "Do you know where the nest is?"

Jack nodded grimly. "Yeah. I do. Took me years to find it, unfortunately. But for the past few weeks I've been going there routinely—rigging it up with explosives."

"Explosives?" Zoe asked, keeping pace beside him.

"Yep," Jack said. "Prep work's just about finished. Once it is, all I gotta do is wait for all of them to come home one night—and then boom. No more Wendigos."

He slung the strap of his flamethrower across his chest, glancing down the tunnel. "I'm not naive enough to believe it'll take out all of them… but having to hunt down a few strays is far better than taking on the full nest."

He gave her a sideways look. "I don't imagine I can talk you out of this… So just stick close. I'll take point—since I've got the better weapon for this."

With that, the two of them set off down the mine tunnels—toward the Wendigo nest.

5:00 a.m.

Two hours till dawn.

After about an hour of walking through the twisting tunnels, they emerged into a massive open chamber. The air was damp and cold, filled with a low, eerie hum that made the hairs on Zoe's arms prickle.

As they walked, Jack pointed out various places where he had planted the explosives. His finger traced over support beams, cracked pillars, and half-collapsed stone.

"Every one of them's placed in structurally weak areas," he said, voice low and steady.

Zoe studied the placements with narrowed eyes, her thoughts focused. "What about other possible exits?" she asked, glancing at the various tunnels branching off from the chamber. "Could they not escape through those in the ensuing chaos?"

Jack gave a short, tired grunt. "Already thought of that. Those tunnels are rigged too. Took me forever to set it all up. If it was just this area I rigged, it wouldn't have taken so long."

He motioned for her to follow. "The meat lockers this way. Stay close. This next passage ain't as open, and there's only one way in or out—and that's back the way we came."

Zoe nodded silently and followed him into a much narrower tunnel. The walls pressed in around them, and the deeper they went, the more overpowering the stench became—thick, wet, and rotting. Zoe's face twisted slightly, but she didn't complain. She merely clenched her jaw and pressed forward.

The smell grew worse with every step.

As they reached the end of the tunnel, Zoe's breath caught in her throat.

Her eyes widened slightly as she took in the horrendous sight before her—animal carcasses stacked in gruesome piles, and human corpses mangled and torn, some barely recognizable. Bones jutted from the walls like twisted ornaments.

Jack came to a stop and pointed ahead grimly. "Look."

Zoe followed his gaze—and there, half-buried beneath a mound of bodies, was Jessica.

He hurried over, crouched beside her, and carefully checked for a pulse. Relief flickered across his scarred face. "She's alive," he said, glancing back at Zoe. "We should be able to get her out of here without much issue. We move quiet—"

Zoe's tone was flat, but urgent. "No, we won't."

She quickly pulled the torch from her bag and stabbed it into a crevice in the cave wall.

Jack frowned. "Why not?" he asked, confused.

Zoe struck a match, her hand steady despite the tension thick in the air. Her expression was grim.

"Because they're here."

She lit the torch with a swift flick of her wrist, and the flame roared to life, casting wild shadows across the cavern walls. The sudden light revealed what had been concealed in the dark.

All around them, crouched in corners and slithering between the rock formations—several Wendigos. Their twisted forms moved with unnatural speed, their gaunt eyes locked on the intruders.

Jack's eyes widened. "Shit."

He raised his flamethrower and took a defensive stance.

Zoe wasted no time. She reached for one of her modified arrows, lit the tip in the torch flame, and drew her bow.

She fired at the closest Wendigo—her posture perfect, the shot precise. The flaming arrow hit dead center in its chest, and the creature shrieked, flailing wildly as it ignited in a burst of fire.

It thrashed and wailed, crashing into others in its frenzy. Several more Wendigos were caught in the chaos, their flesh catching fire as the first creature stumbled into them, turning the chamber into a growing inferno.

Jack took point without hesitation, moving in front of Zoe. "Let's go!"

Zoe slung Jessica over her shoulder in one smooth motion, grabbing the torch with her free hand. Her face was taut with focus, her every move exact and efficient.

More Wendigos blocked their path.

Jack sprayed them with a long burst of flame, the fire roaring through the tunnel and lighting the beasts ablaze. They screeched and writhed, but Jack and Zoe did not move until the dying screams of the wendigos faded.

Their pace quickened.

Zoe gritted her teeth and pushed forward, carrying Jessica's limp body with practiced strength. Jack held the path ahead, burning down anything that tried to get close.

They finally reached the end of the tunnel, lungs burning, the stench of scorched flesh lingering behind them. As they emerged back into the main part of the nest, Zoe spared a single glance behind—face hard, eyes sharp.

They heard the animalistic screech of multiple Wendigos echoing from every tunnel around them.

Jack gritted his teeth and said, "We've got… ten, maybe fifteen minutes tops before they get here." He glanced at Zoe, his expression grim and weathered. "We can make a break down one of the tunnels and fight our way through, but in all likelihood… we'll just get trapped between two different groups of them."

He looked around the chamber, already calculating. "Our best advantage now would be to take a stand. But this is their home turf."

Zoe scanned the walls and the ground quickly, her sharp eyes darting across the debris. Old boards, sticks, and branches were scattered everywhere—materials that could be used.

She straightened and said firmly, "Then we turn it against them."

She moved fast, laying Jessica gently down against the far wall, away from any tunnels. Then she immediately began arranging wood piles in strategic locations around the chamber, each one in line with the main tunnel entrances.

Jack watched her for a moment, then gave a small grunt of approval. "I see what you're going for. Not a bad idea." He nodded and joined her, gathering wood and spare cloth he found strewn across the floor to help build the makeshift barriers and bonfires.

The minutes passed quickly. The distant howls were getting closer.

Zoe turned to Jack and asked, "Jack, how long would it take you to get the explosives ready? And what order would they start going off in?"

Jack placed a hand on his chin, his eyes narrowing as he calculated. "It'll take me about five minutes to get the detonator ready," he replied. "Luckily, the fuse is behind our defensive line. As for the order—the escape tunnels will blow first."

He then pointed to a narrow tunnel close to their position. "That one doesn't have any charges in it. I intended it to be my escape route. As soon as the charges go off, we'll have to make a break for it."

With the plan set, they lit the wood piles. Flames roared to life, casting long shadows across the walls. The chamber now flickered with firelight and tension.

Zoe stood tall and ready in front of Jessica, her face unreadable but her posture radiating fierce determination. Jack was beside her, his flamethrower primed and aimed.

Then—they came.

The Wendigos burst into the chamber with fury and hunger, their screeches echoing like knives through the cavern.

As they rushed forward, they immediately felt the scorching heat of the flames and hesitated, snarling and pacing. The fire had broken their blind aggression—they were now cautious, circling, searching for a way past the bonfires and toward their prey.

Zoe's eyes narrowed, and she took full advantage of their hesitation. She lit another arrow and fired through the flames, the shot whistling true and embedding itself in the nearest Wendigo's chest.

The creature burst into flames, shrieking in agony and stumbling backward—crashing into others. One after another, Wendigos caught fire, their screams filling the cavern as a fiery chain reaction spread across their numbers.

The tide was turning.

But Zoe's quiver was nearly empty.

She reached back and realized she only had two arrows left. Her breath steadied as she nocked the second-to-last one. Just as she took aim, a deafening roar split the air—louder, deeper, and far more menacing than the rest.

Another Wendigo barreled into the chamber, this one larger and faster, with a commanding presence that made the others flinch. Its movements were more precise, more aware.

Jack's eyes went wide. "Oh great," he muttered. "The big one's here."

Zoe didn't hesitate. She fired at the alpha Wendigo. But it moved—fast. It sensed the danger and dodged her arrow, darting toward the wall and scaling it swiftly, heading for the ceiling.

Zoe looked up, watching it as it repositioned to pounce. "Well, that's not good," she muttered, lighting her final arrow and taking aim.

But before she could fire, one of the other Wendigos broke through the defensive line and lunged toward Jack. Without hesitation, Zoe turned and shot it in mid-air, killing it instantly.

The alpha leapt at her.

Zoe dove to the side, barely avoiding its talons. It hit the ground and pounced again. She was forced onto the defensive, dodging its swipes and lunges, keeping herself between it and Jessica.

She tore her bag from her shoulder and reached inside, grabbing her hunting knife and one of the road flares. She struck it and waved the bright flare in the alpha's face, the sudden fire forcing it to recoil.

"Jack!" she shouted over the chaos. "Is the detonator ready?! Hit it!"

Jack didn't hesitate. He slammed the plunger down, igniting the fuse.

Then he scooped Jessica up over his shoulder, turned to Zoe and shouted, "Let's move!"

Zoe threw the flare at the alpha Wendigo, forcing it to stumble back, and took off after Jack.

Halfway down the tunnel, Jack passed Jessica into Zoe's arms and turned around.

He grabbed his flamethrower and unleashed a stream of fire down the narrow passage. The Wendigos behind them screamed in pain as the flames slowed their advance.

The first explosion went off behind them—rock and flame erupting violently as one of the escape tunnels collapsed.

Zoe's eyes widened. "Jack! What are you doing?! We've got to go!"

"GO!" Jack roared over his shoulder. "I'll catch up. Don't worry about me!"

Zoe knew he was lying. Her throat tightened, but she still said, "Okay. I'll go on ahead. You catch up soon, okay?"

Jack smiled, a rough, nearly toothless grin that carried both sorrow and pride. "Don't you worry now. I'll be along soon."

He pressed forward, fire roaring from his weapon, holding back the swarm as the walls around them began to crumble.

Zoe ran, Jessica held tightly in her arms. The tunnel behind her shook, filled with fire and falling debris. She barely made it out before it collapsed entirely—sealing the way forever.

She stood outside, breathing heavily, staring at the sealed tunnel. Ash and dust swirled around her.

"Farewell, Jack," she whispered, her voice quiet, and respectful. "You were a good man."

With a heavy heart, she turned away and made her way through the forest, back toward the lodge.

She made it back safely and laid Jessica down gently on the couch. Then she stepped onto the front porch.

The first golden rays of dawn lit the treetops.

Zoe stood there in silence, watching the sunrise, her face still and thoughtful. Then, as the light touched her fully, she shimmered in a golden glow—and disappeared.

Moments later, she reappeared at the Huntresses' camp, surrounded by cheers and applause from her sisters.

Artemis stepped forward with a warm, proud smile. "Well done, my lieutenant. You succeeded."

Zoe looked down, conflicted. "But, my Lady… Jack still died. I was unable to save him."

Tet appeared beside them with a casual shrug and a small smirk. "As cruel as it may sound, Jack was not on the list of people you were supposed to save. In fact, in the original script, he was supposed to die—beheaded by the alpha."

He leaned forward slightly, his voice playful but sincere. "Look at it this way—you changed his death from being taken out way too easily, in my opinion, to a heroic last stand. Not only that, but he succeeded in his goal of freeing the mountain from the Wendigo curse."

Zoe allowed herself a small breath of relief. A faint comfort warmed her chest.

Tet snapped his fingers. "And to the victor goes the spoils!"

With a flash, he produced the Key to Until Dawn and handed it to Zoe.

Then he turned to Artemis with a playful bow. "I haven't forgotten what I promised you either. Your Huntress completed the challenge, so you'll be given what you requested."

He pulled out an ornate key, dark steel with a massive wyvern engraved on the head, and passed it to Artemis.

"I request," he added, more serious now, "that you wait to explore the world that key goes to until after you've completed the job I assigned you."

Artemis accepted the key and nodded. "Of course. I haven't forgotten. The imposters will be taken care of soon."

Tet chuckled. "I assume you'll want to focus on the fake Greeks. So, I'll grab you an additional helper—then they and Strife can handle the other fakes."

Artemis raised a brow. "I've yet to meet Strife. But from the way you've spoken of him, he sounds… dependable. Do you have another of his caliber somewhere?"

Tet grinned slyly. "I do, in fact. You'll meet them soon."

And with that, Tet vanished in a kaleidoscopic flash of color and light.

A moment later, he reappeared on a Las Vegas street—right outside the Lotus Hotel and Casino.

He strolled toward the entrance, hands in his pockets, looking up at the neon lights. With a smirk, he said to himself:

"I'm sure no one will notice if I borrow him for just a little bit…"