Chapter 18: Ryuji's Rig
The stadium ruins were a silent graveyard, the air heavy with the sharp sting of ozone and burnt plastic, a bitter tang that clung to Kirito's throat. His phone hummed faintly, a nervous pulse against his thigh, his sweat-soaked shirt chafing his skin under the faint neon glow from the previous night's game. Usagi walked close, her boots kicking up ash, her scar faintly pulsing with each deliberate step, her machete glinting in her hand.
"Calm before the storm. Always ends in a fight, and I'm not ready for this one," Kirito thought, his sarcasm masking the dread knotting his stomach.
[SYSTEM: HOST STATUS.]
[STRENGTH: 8. AGILITY: 15. STAMINA: 7. SYSTEM POINTS (SP): 935.]
Arisu followed, his sketchpad clutched tight, his eyes scanning the debris for patterns, his charcoal-smudged fingers trembling slightly. Kuina trailed behind, her cigarette's ember glowing, her wary grin a quiet defiance as she scanned the ruins, her jacket dusted with ash. A makeshift card table stood amid the rubble, an odd patch of domesticity in the desolation. Ryuji, the Rig Dealer, leaned against it, flicking a pack of cards with a cocky grin, his cold eyes assessing them like a predator sizing up prey. His dice glinted in his hand, their surfaces catching the faint light, a subtle warning that prickled Kirito's instincts.
"Kirito! Arisu! Usagi-chan, looking lovely," Ryuji drawled, his voice a sly taunt laced with gambling slang, his fingers tossing the dice with casual precision. "Flirt with fate, did you? My dice don't lie, but I do. Care for a round, winner takes all?"
"Ryuji, you double-crossing snake. Thought we had a deal," Kirito thought, anger flaring at the betrayal of a former ally.
"Funny, Ryuji," he said, his voice light but edged with steel. "Thought we were friends."
[SYSTEM: WATCHMAN ECHO'S INFLUENCE DETECTED ON RYUJI. GAME: RIGGED DICE. RISK ASSESSMENT: HIGH.]
Ryuji chuckled, tossing the dice onto the table with a sharp clink, the sound cutting through the silence. "Friends roll or fold, Kirito. Roll or fold."
Kirito's hand tightened on the dice, their weight subtly off-balance, a faint hum vibrating through his fingers. "I'll raise you. I win, you give us your visas. You win, you get mine."
He rolled—a 4, 2, and 1. Seven.
"Bad luck, kid," Ryuji smirked, his grin widening.
[SYSTEM: QUERY: INITIATE 'DICE REROLL' (COST: 50 SP)?]
"Screw your luck," Kirito thought, his thumb brushing his phone.
[SYSTEM: DICE REROLL ACTIVE. COST: 50 SP. TOTAL: 885.]
He rolled again, quick and low—6, 5, and 4. Fifteen. "Not bad," he said, his grin a challenge.
Ryuji's smile didn't falter. He rolled, his elbow leaning subtly on the table, a faint click echoing as the dice flickered, settling on 6, 6, and 4—sixteen.
"Luck's my hustle," Ryuji gloated, reaching for Kirito's phone, his fingers greedy.
"The hell you are!" Usagi roared, her eyes blazing as she grabbed his arm, her strength pinning him in place.
Ryuji twisted, shoving her toward a pit of glowing ash, a vortex trap's pull dragging at her boots. She cried out, her machete clattering as she slipped.
[SYSTEM: QUERY: INITIATE 'METEOR ECHO' (ALLY PULL) (COST: 50 SP)?]
"Save her. Now," Kirito commanded, his heart racing.
[SYSTEM: METEOR ECHO ACTIVE. ALLY PULL DEPLOYED. TOTAL SP: 835.]
Kirito launched forward, a blur of speed, his arm snagging Usagi's wrist with a force that felt superhuman, yanking her from the trap's pull. His muscles burned, his breath ragged, the effort masked as raw adrenaline. Usagi stumbled into him, her breath sharp, her eyes wide with gratitude.
Ryuji's eyes widened, his cocky grin faltering. "What the—"
[SYSTEM: RESCUE SUCCESS. RYUJI'S TAUNT: 'MAD NOW, HERO? YOU'RE GONNA EXPLODE.']
"Not mad," Kirito panted, steadying Usagi, his chest heaving. "Just done with your cheap tricks."
Arisu's voice cut through, sharp and precise. "His elbow! It's an electromagnet, rigging the dice when he rolls!"
Ryuji froze, his secret exposed. He bolted, leaving his table and dice, vanishing into the ruins like a shadow.
[SYSTEM: RIGGED DICE VICTORY. VISAS EXTENDED: +5 DAYS. SP GAIN: +150 SP. TOTAL: 985.]
Relief hit, tinged with the bitter sting of betrayal. They huddled under the wasteland's sky, the stars soothing their skin, their visa wristbands ticking softly. Usagi rubbed her wrist, her voice flat but fierce. "He knew us. Knew how to hurt me. I trusted him."
Arisu traced circles in the dust, his voice low. "He was the Watchman's pawn. His greed was the lever."
Kuina's cigarette flared, her voice steady. "Doesn't matter. We had each other. Kirito didn't hesitate. That's what counts."
Usagi's eyes met Kirito's, her resolve hardening. "We're stronger now. We know a rigged game when we see it."
Kirito's smile was weak but genuine, his quip a spark of levity. "Yeah, we beat his dice. If he's back, I'll hire him as a professional jerk."
They shared a scavenged bottle of water, the lukewarm liquid a mundane anchor, grounding them in the moment. The dawn's glow warmed their faces, the ruins a silent witness to their resolve. Kirito's phone projected Ryuji's likely path, a faint glow in the morning light.
[SYSTEM: PUZZLE INITIATED. COST: 0 SP. OBJECTIVE: MAP RYUJI'S MOVES.]
"He's a gambler," Kirito said, pointing to the map. "He'll run another game or chase us for a win."
Usagi's voice was wary, her machete resting across her knees. "The vortex traps are worse. They almost got me."
Arisu nodded, his sketchpad showing a vortex map. "They're tied to the Borderland's collapse. We need to find their source."
[SYSTEM: PUZZLE COMPLETE. RYUJI'S PATH MAPPED. SP GAIN: +50 SP. TOTAL: 1035.]
Kirito stood, his quip a rallying cry. "We'll dodge the traps, outsmart Ryuji and the Watchman. Let's move."
Their footsteps crunched toward the next arena, the neon's hostile pulse a challenge they were ready to meet, their unity a flame that burned brighter than any trap.
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