The Blood Poker

The group gathered around a dimly lit table, the cards laid out before them. The atmosphere was heavy with tension, and a chilling breeze seemed to fill the room, making the candles flicker and casting eerie shadows on the players' faces.

The innkeeper and his shadowy accomplices sat on the opposite side, their faces obscured by the darkness. The burly man, now skinny and pale, coughed weakly, a reminder of the stakes they were facing.

Lisa, Aslan, and Lysander exchanged determined glances, knowing the gravity of the game they were about to play.

 Fray was called but also concerned as he looked at the cards in front of them as each one represented a portion of their life essence, and losing a round meant surrendering a portion of their blood to the sinister darkness that surrounded them.