Luke had, of course, freed himself of the ropes Nikola had left him in like three minutes after making sure she was gone. It was awesome and terrifying just how real it had felt when the blood rushed back into his ankles and feet; they had even gotten the tingles right.
The World of Wills had always been one of the most true-to-life gaming experiences in the world. In it, blood gushed from wounds, getting sliced by a knife felt sharp but almost like nothingness until the wound was discovered; everything felt as it did in the outside world. They had achieved total realism when it came to violence.
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That was what had spawned their idea for a No Deaths Run. Clearly, they had messed that up, but before plodding up to Nikola's house they had been deeply cautious. Their gaming experience had been peppered with splooshing level one slimes all over the grass and shopping with the meager amount of coppers that got them.
And speaking of his friends; since Nikola had gone to bed, he had opened up his Blue Box and used it to frantically message each of his comrades separately. He even had shot off a few messages in their group chat.
They hadn't replied.
While waiting for them to acknowledge his words, he had scoured the room for secret exits, loot, and anything that could help him escape. Short of using the basement cleaver to fail spectacularly at his No Deaths Run, there was nothing useful to be found. The room was bare bones and utilitarian, despite its nefarious purpose.