BOOM. BOOM. CLANG.
"FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!" a pirate captain bellowed from the deck of a floating ship.
Above the chaos sat a boy with golden letters reading KING hovering above his head. He sipped from a cup of cocoa, eyes scanning the carnage below with a lazy sort of interest. A smirk crossed his face—then faded.
A timer blinked into existence beside him:
Event Duration: 40 minutes remaining.
"Hmm…" he murmured. "Where is that group with the dog chest?"
He tapped his fingers on the armrest. "I made the dog a chest—thought it'd be funny. A sign they were my favorite. But they've vanished."
Just then, a pirate burst onto the deck. "Captain Jack! We found—"
The boy stood instantly, eyes flashing.
"Don't call me by my real name. Just Captain."
"Eye-eye, Captain Captain," the pirate corrected himself, sweating.
"We found a group. Hiding. No chest with them."
The boy's expression fell flat. He peered down at the alley from his ship and groaned.
"Brown diamonds? Ugh. Boring. Kill them. Let me know if any silver icons appear."
Then, the boy—Captain—snapped his fingers.
A new pop-up flashed in front of him:
All pirates will now seize the land.
King's Game: 5:20:00 | Event 6 | Duration: 20 minutes
"Let's make this more interesting," Captain whispered, sipping the last of his cocoa.
In a basement, away from the thunder of cannonfire, the dog named Coco barked once, tail wagging nervously. A red diamond icon glowed above him.
The boy—Jack, —watched a digital map on the wall. He sighed.
"Now I can't hide. They'll swarm the land. Pirates are gonna flush everyone out."
A boy with glasses sneered. "Will that mutt shut up already?" He adjusted his frames smugly.
Everyone glared at him.
"Be quiet," Jack muttered, more to Coco than the kid.
Across the room, the redhead men leaned against the wall.
"So what now, fearless leader?" he asked. "You've kept us alive this long. What's the plan?"
A girl, Rose, folded her arms. "It's only 20 minutes. We wait it out."
"Time flies by," Eve replied dryly. "Especially when you're surrounded."
Arguments flared—options tossed around like sparks in a dry forest. Jack stayed silent, thinking. Why would the King add a new rule mid-event? It didn't make sense—unless…
"He's getting bored," Jack muttered. "And when he gets bored… he makes the rules worse."
He stood, grabbed Coco.
"Let's go. Staying here is a death sentence."