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all sound . But the voice seemed unaware or uncaring of his calls .

This was starting to feel less like some extremely elaborate practical joke , or a heatstroke , as everything felt just too real . Zac pinched himself and the sting told him he hadn’t passed out either .

Trying to glean any meaning from the ramblings from the odd voice only made him more confused as well . It spoke about Earth , but also used some terms that felt like it came out of a sci-fi movie or a video game . However , the voice gave Zac no opportunity to figure the situation out , as it heedlessly droned on .

Initiating Incursions . Spawning Heral-]

ERROR! Herald occupying same space as you! Adjusting

A more blaring version of the same mechanical voice interrupted itself .

The ominous voice and the message quickly accelerated Zac’s heartbeat , and he got a sinking feeling . This was all too real in its craziness , and if this was real he was in deep shit . He was told he occupied the same space as some herald , and no matter how he looked at it , it couldn’t be anything good .

Erring on the side of caution , he jumped to the side to avoid whatever would happen , but it was as though he was in space . He made the motions of movement but still was stationary at his spot .

Merge unfeasible . Protocol SL-34572 initiated

Phew . - At least he wouldn’t be turned into a half-human half herald , whatever that was . But the fact that the voice seemed to be ready to mash him together with another being was extremely unsettling , and unease was quickly turning into panic .

Zac mentally tried to force himself to awaken , and when that didn’t work he even slapped himself hard in the face . But nothing worked as he was still stuck in the darkness .

Roll for survival . Due to massive power-gap between Herald Ur’Khaz and you , odds heavily in his favor

SHIT! - Zac screamed , or rather squeaked . The panic was now full-blown , and adrenaline as coursing through his veins . - WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON ? -

But again the only thing greeting his inquiries was utter silence until there was a break in the darkness . Seemingly from nowhere , a screen popped up in front of him , hovering silently .

The window looked like something taken out of an old video game , blue with white edges and text . The surreal situation made him blank out a few second before registering what the screen actually said .

Ur’Khaz

1-100 000

ROLL

Zachary Atwood

1-100

ROLL

It looked just like a prompt from a video game , and the familiarity actually calmed him down for a second until he read what it said and realized the implications . At that point the panic came back in full swing , threatening on evolving into hysteria .

It looked like the window was a prompt for rolls between him and this Herald , but instead of loot , they rolled for their survival . And the roll ranges were clearly skewed in his opponent's favor , giving Zac abysmal odds for actually surviving .

Hello? This isn’t funny anymore , let me out! - He screamed , grasping at some last straws that this was all some insane experiment . But the reality of the situation was starting to set in . Zac just stared numbly at the screen in front of him for a few seconds as if to comprehend what he was seeing .

This is crazy . Wanting me to gamble with these odds? Why the hell would I roll? - Zac muttered . But the second he said - roll’ the screen changed , and the numbers next to his name started to rapidly change .

Protocol SL-34572 accepted by participant . Rolling

No no no wait wait , stop , let’s figure out a different solution! - he shouted , waving his arms in a panicked attempt to stop the proceedings . But no matter what he did , the numbers kept spinning . It was as though they were rapidly counting down his remainder of time on earth .

Panic was slowly turning into rage in Zac’s mind over the messed up situation he was in . Rage over the complete and utter lack of answers . Rage over the obviously paltry assessment of him by the voice , seeing the obvious disparity in treatment between him and this Ur’Khaz guy . Rage over the scammy way the voice started the roll , as though it looked for a loophole to proceed .

With a red tint that suffused his otherwise blue eyes , Zac roared and smashed the hovering screen in an effort to vent his fraying emotions . The screen , however , did not acquiesce to his feelings and shatter in a million pieces , but rather only flickered slightly .

Unheeding of any attempts at a physical catharsis , the numbers once again flickered slightly , and the spinning started to slow down until it stopped at a final number . Almost as an afterthought it also added an infuriating line instead of the roll-button .

Ur’Khaz

1-100 000

ROLL

Zachary Atwood

Re-Rolls unavailable

Something about the re-roll message just sucked the energy out of him . It really wasn’t a bad roll , if it was in a game he’d definitely have won the loot he thought with a morbid sense of humor . But he was quite aware that this was no game by this point .

He still held out some hope that he was still lying in the woods with a massive heatstroke . But if that was true he most likely was a goner as well . So either he was about to be killed by the sun , or by a video-game god . Neither was an ending he had expected nor hoped for . He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry so his face settled on a sickly grin as he blankly stared ahead .

Of course , all hope wasn’t lost as the other individual hadn’t rolled yet . But it didn’t really feel like it mattered when the game was rigged . He once again took a glance at the screen , and his eyes lingered for a second on the roll range of the other entity .

The smile slowly shrank away from his face . A sigh escaped his mouth like a deflating balloon , and he closed his eyes and slumped down to a sitting position . All of Zac's strength and energy were wrung out by the situation and the rollercoaster of emotions . Left was only a bleak sense of despair , realizing that this was it . Dead alone in the woods , never being able to say goodbye to his family loved ones .

Zac had no epiphanies or huge regrets at the end of his life , except that he wished he had been closer and better to his family . His mind drifted to memories of his past as a solace and escape from the insanity he was experiencing .

Hazy memories of his mother hugging him , her long brown locks cascading around him in her embrace . His dad giving him a quiet smile as he opens the door of their apartment to head to work , his eyes sad and tired but full of love . Spending most of his youth plastered in front of the computer , largely ignoring his smaller sibling . College years drowned in alcohol and partying . First day at his job , and the humbling realization how ill-prepared for adult life he was even after 17 years of school and university .

Protocol SL-34572 accepted by Herald . Rolling

The monotone voice one again droned , like an executioner giving final rites .

Congratulations!]

Zac didn’t bother with the voice anymore , and memories flashed past in his mind one by one . Friends , family , and events both happy and sad . Not the most exciting of lives , but it was his…

Wait , what , congratulations? His eyes snapped open and refocused on the monitor .

Ur’Khaz

Rerolls Unavailible

Zachary Atwood

Rerolls Unavailible

Stunned , he stared blankly at the screen until the voice interrupted his lack of thought .

Protocol results in the continued existence of Zachary Atwood . Ur’Khaz vanquished . Resuming standard protocols

A nauseating explosion of light , color , and sound took over , disorienting him and turned his insides to mush . His body suddenly felt like it was on fire , tearing and scorching him all over . The last things he saw before passing out was the small clearing he disappeared from , and a huge red