Oddity Specialist: World Of The Occult
Page 16
Quinn’s vision starts to blur. “Stop! Calm down.”
The boy let’s out a breath. Centering himself, he begins to think clearly. “It’s a one in five chance he wins. That’s also the card he started with. Even if it was a four, I would still be safe. Statistically speaking, I should call this. However, if I had wanted to try and trick my opponent into activating my trap card, I would… Do exactly what he has done. That’s it, he didn’t claim I had a four, to trick me into thinking he had a five. It was to make me think, that it was a trick in the first place, when in actuality, it was always a five to begin with.”
“Question, could I perhaps see your card, even if I folded?”
The demon looks deep into Quinn’s eyes.
“Why should I take that deal? Since, I already know what your card is.”
“Hm, fair enough. I fold.”
Samuel bites his pinky finger. He thinks to himself. “He seems to have gotten over that psychological hurdle, already. Perhaps, I should attack on another front.”
Samuel flips his card over, revealing a red number five. Quinn stares at the card.
“Ah, dodged a bullet there.”
“You sure did… Well?”
“Hm?”
Quinn discards his card.
“What is it?”
“… Nothing.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“Heh.”
Lucifer lets out a chuckle.
The two draw their cards. “A three. Hm, that’s fine I suppose. Plus, I still have one-thousand, five-hundred chips, to play with.”
Quinn looks at his two cards. “Best to sacrifice this round, right? There might be an event that makes low cards high; but I shouldn’t base a strategy, around the random event rules.”
Quinn places his number two card down and Samuel places his newly drawn card down.
“Check.”
“Interesting.”
Samuel strokes his chin.
“Fine then, check.”
Quinn seems surprised by this sudden end.
“You can count us in. Make sure to say it the way I did.”
“Alright. Two, one, flip.”
Quinn’s blue number two card, beats Samuels number one card. Samuel’s eyes roll up to the top of his head, with a devious grin, he peaks up at Quinn and thinks to himself. “How’s that? Feel the pressure, of having let a good chance to win, slip by?”
Quinn is smirking at the cards, which causes the right side of Samuel’s face to twitch. The two players discard their cards.
“It’s time for another event round.”
Once more, the slot machine raises from the ground and Quinn once more pulls the lever. The reel goes around and around, landing on the words – Discard Round. Then it spins again, to the rule’s explanation. Rules: Both players can discard one-to-two cards and replace the discarded cards, with cards from the deck. “Alright then, that’s simple enough.”
Samuel draws his first card, as does Quinn. “A four, with one-thousand, five-hundred and twenty chips left.”
Samuel discards both his cards, drawing two new ones. “Interesting.”
Quinn focuses on his three. “It’s a fifty-fifty on drawing a better card; but the key here is information. The randomness value increases the value of the new card, so…”
Quinn discards his green number three card and draws a new one. “Tsk.”
He pulls another three from the deck. “Oh well, still a more valuable card, then if I had kept the old three.”
Samuel places his left card down. “I might be able to go for a play here. Statistically speaking, we both have an equal chance of winning if I choose the three; but since he has no idea what it is, I can be aggressive.”
Quinn places his three down.
“I bet one-hundred.”
Quinn stares at the chips.
“Raise, two-hundred.”
Samuel takes his time, thinking about his next move.
“Raise, one-hundred.”
Quinn looks at the pot. “Seven-hundred and forty chips. A pure fifty-fifty, for what would be a quarter of the total chips. Fine.”
“Raise, one hundred.”
“Raise, one hundred.”
Quinn nervously has his hand hover over his chips. “It can’t go much higher than this. I also can’t back down at this point. If I do, then he could slowly just drain me. Meaning…”
“Call.”
The pot now has one-thousand, one-hundred, and forty chips in it. Samuel takes his time, thinking his next move over.
“Check.”
Quinn examines the man. “That means he’s not confident, it can’t possibly be a five and it’s unlikely to be a four. Meaning the odds should, theoretically, should be in my favor. With that said.”
Quinn looks down at the nearly depleted grey chips.
“Check.”
There’s a tension, between the two players. Samuel reaches his hand towards his card.
“Two, one, flip.”
Both sides flip there cards over. Quinn let’s out a massive sigh.
“Tsk.”
Both sides had number three cards. “To close of a call. My anxiety was starting to go through the roof, there.”
Round seven starts, with both sides drawing their card. Quinn looks at his card and places it in his hand. He then starts to think.
“Interesting draw, I take it?”
“…”
“Hm. Fine, take your time.”
“I was planning to.”
Quinn pulls out his phone and begins looking through the shop. “Is there anything in here, that can help me?”
Quinn opens the item section. “A huge amount of what’s in here is medieval weapons, separated by region.”
The boy’s grey eyes widen.
“Heh.”
Quinn starts to smirk.
“What’s so funny?”
“Just imaging the look on your face after I do this.”
“Do what?”
Quinn taps his phone screen, buying an item for three points. Appearing in the boy’s other hand, is a small stone vase. He instantly tosses it at Samuel.
“Kh!”
Both Lucifer and Samuel recognize this object. Both being shocked by what’s going on, Lucifer unintentionally, audibly asks.
“A fire bomb?”
Quinn is focused on his phone and has bought another item, turning invisible. Samuel jerks his head to the side, unlatching his jaw, catching the bomb in his mouth. As it explodes, he slams his cards face down onto the table. Smoke starts powering from his mouth, as he thinks. “Did I place them down in time, before he could see them?”
Then, the sudden realization strikes him. Samuel looks at the deck. “Could he have taken cards from the deck. Wait, am I even sure he only bought two items? What if he bought a speed boost, or perhaps a mirror, or just any other thing that could have helped him cheat!?”
Samuel marinates in his anger, waiting for the invisibility to run out. Five minutes after activation, it turns off and Quinn appears in his seat.
“Shall we continue?”
Quinn maintains a cheeky smile.
“…Yes, we shall.”
Quinn places a card down. Samuel looks down at his hand and begins to think about his options. “I have a four and a two. If he saw my hand, that means… That means, ahhh! What does it mean?! So what, he has information? I’ll just put my four down and win, with a higher number. He had to place his card first, after all. The next couple rounds might be boring, but we will be back to normal, sooner or later.”
Samuel places his four face down.
“Bet, five hundred.”
“What?”
Quinn just smiles at the man. “He has to be bluffing. Right?”
Samuel looks at the chips on the table. “Two-thousand one-hundred and ten compared to his fifteen-hundred. That’s a third of his chips. It also isn’t a small sum of my own, either. I have a four though, there’s only one card
for me to fear and I know you don’t have it.”
“Call.”
Quinn slowly pushes another couple stacks of chips, into the center.
“Raise, five hundred.”
Veins are popping out all over Samuels head.
“You dare try and pull this against me, you filthy, uneducated, little human child!?”
“Scared?”
Something inside Samuel snaps.
“Call.”
“Raise, ten.”
Samuel grinds his teeth.
“Call.”
“Raise, ten.”
“Call!”
“Raise, ten.”
“Call!”
“Raise, three hundred.”
At this point, something dawns on Samuel. “There’s no reason for this kid to have any confidence, in his ability to out play me. For him to have gotten such a strong will this round, it can only mean one thing. No… He has a five.”
Mouth agape, Samuels hand shakes over his chips. Using all his will power, he forces his hand back to his chest. Samuel covers his eyes with his hand.
“I fold.”
“It seems I win this round.”
Quinn then, picks up his face down black, number one card and discards it. “Alright, now I’m up with two-thousand, six-hundred and ninety chips, against his one-thousand sixty. More importantly though.”
Quinn looks at the unmoving man, with his face still covered. “I’ve dealt a massive mental blow. All according to plan, I knew I had to end this before the next random event round.”
Samuel takes his hand down; he stares down Quinn, with focused amber eyes.
“Well played, Quinn.”
“Thank you.”
“Tell me something, will you?”
“What?”
“How come I couldn’t read you last round?”
“Oh that, simple. I didn’t look at my card, before placing it down.”
“And, what did you do while you were invisible, exactly?”
“Nothing at all.”
“…Che..”
Samuel lets out a faint noise.
“Chechhechhechhekika! I see how it is, yes that would do it.”
Samuel’s fingers tense up, pushing against the table, causing them to claw up. He then let’s out a sigh.
“Let’s continue, to enjoy this game then.”
Samuel draws his card. Quinn follows suit, drawing a number one card. Samuel looks at his two cards, both being the number two. He thinks about his next play. “He has more than double my chips. I feel like this game, truly came to a conclusion, in the last round. Since that’s the case, let’s let destiny take over, from here.”
Samuel calmly places his card down. Quinn looks at his two cards. “I should keep up the momentum, meaning it’s time to use my four.”
Quinn places his four down.
“All in.”
Quinn looks at the demon, wide-eyed.
“c-Call!”
Samuel closes his eyes, at the boy’s tone.
“Then I shall call us in.”
Both players place their hands onto their respective cards.
“Actually, shall we both?”
Samuel looks up to Quinn, with a somber look. Quinn nods his head. Simultaneously they say.
“Two, one, flip.”
Both sides flip their cards, resulting in Quinn’s victory.
“I did it.”
“Congratulations, on your victory.
With that, the alt dimensional space collapses, sending the three back to reality. They are standing on the sidewalk, outside Neri’s house.
“It appears you’ve won this round, Lucifer.”
Samuel, with his arms behind his back, glances to Lucifer.
“It was to be expected, I don’t lose after all.”
“And you, human boy.”
“y-Yes?”
“You did well. You actually managed to pull one over, on a demon. For a human, you aren’t that bad.”
“Thanks.”
Samuel’s ear twitches.
“And that other one, was also something, as well. Though, I’d hardly call her human.”
Samuel let’s out a sigh and claps his hands together.
“Oh well, I had fun at least. It’s always good playing against you, Lucifer. Though, maybe I should have had a different second round.”
“Really, that’s the one you would change?”
“Certainly, I couldn’t change the first one, with how much joy it brings.”
“I hate all riddles, but I especially hate your riddles.”
“I met the joy it brings me.”
“I know.”
“Then, since I’ve done everything there was to be done here, I will be on my way.”
Samuel starts walking down the road. Stopping for a moment, he turns back.
“Oh, and you can keep that app. Use it as you will.”
He waves his hand and continues on his way.
“…You know, I noticed something in that second to last round.”
Lucifer speaks up.
“That is?”
“Besides of course, the massive suicidal tendency that you often have, there was something else I saw. Every round, you had been putting all your chips in first.”
“Yeah.”
“I just found that interesting. It also got me thinking.”
“About?”
“You’re a goody-two-shoes. That good-hearted nature of yours, makes me sick; but it also might be exactly what I need.”
“Where are you going with this?”
“I’ve devised a plan. The person who put me into this state, is also the type to try and help a goody-goody such as yourself. Meaning, if I use you, I might be able to make a deal with them, in order to get my power back. All while, also ensuring your safety.”
“I see, so that’s what you were thinking about, while I was risking my life.”
“Well, you know.”
“I don’t.”
“Anyways, this was to say one thing.”
Lucifer extends his hand out.
“How about it, Quinn, do you feel like working together with me?”
“As partners?”
Lucifer gives a slight look of disgust.
“Fine, as partners.”
Quinn reaches out and shakes the man’s hand.
“Deal, partner.”
“Very good. I feel like I’ve just taken a massive step, closer to my goal.”
“Same, don’t think I’ve forgotten about turning you good.”
“Heh, you really think you can change the devil?”
“I just beat one demon; I’ll figure out a way to beat another.”
“Fine, give it your all.”
As the two men stare each other down, Neri bursts outside.
“Ah, Quinn! I was coming to see you. How did it go?”
“We won.”
“Really? That’s great. That was a demon oddity, right?”
“Uh, yeah it was.”
“Interesting. I would like to have had more time to examine him. You’ll tell me everything that happened, now, right?”
Quinn gives a satisfied smile.
“Sure.”
Quinn peaks at Lucifer, who while looking at the two of them, also has a small smile on his face. “I guess, I really have grown accustom, to the world of the occult.”