by Tamryn Tamer
“I have something else I want as well,” Jericho smiled.
“What might that be?” Eberis asked curiously.
“I want Morgana,” Jericho said playfully. “Talia asked me to save her and I like to spoil my familiars.”
“You what?” Morgana growled at Talia. “I told you that I don’t need saving!”
“I never asked you to save her!” Talia objected.
“Yes you did,” Ariel said.
“Yeah,” Jinx scoffed. “You told him that she uses death magic. You might as well have wrapped your arms around his leg and begged him to save her. Dolt. Dimwit.”
“Exactly,” Jericho smirked at Eberis. “So, what do you say? Can I have her?”
“Hm,” Eberis’ golden eyes were full of excitement. He glanced at Jericho’s familiars then turned back to him. “Who would you like to trade for her?”
“I’m not looking to trade,” Jericho answered. “I’m thinking we can play for her.”
“No!” Morgana said harshly. “You…”
“Quiet Morgana,” Eberis shot her a furious glance. “Don’t spoil my fun. It’s not every day somebody with a reputation like Jericho’s challenges me. What are you thinking Jericho? Do you want to play a game for her soul?”
“No,” Jericho smiled. “I want to play for yours.”
“What?” Cecilia and the priestesses stepped back in shock. “Ridiculous! You believe your soul is on the same level as a god’s soul?”
“You don’t get it Cecilia,” Eberis chuckled. “His soul is special. He’s a phoenix. Every time he’s killed, he rises from the grave. Tell me Jericho, how did you know it’d interest me?”
“You placed a barrier around your temple that prevents anybody from committing any violent act,” Jericho said. “I understand preventing destruction or damage to your temple but when Jinx couldn’t even bring herself to strike me it felt like overkill. The only explanation is if you’re preventing all violence to protect yourself. Maybe you don’t want your priestesses to see harm can befall you or maybe you’re genuinely afraid of being injured, but no matter what that barrier screams mortality.”
“Well done,” Eberis laughed. “I would have also accepted the explanation that there wouldn’t be god killers if gods couldn’t be killed. I can tell that playing with you is going to be fun. But my priestesses are correct. Even though I want your soul, mine is worth more. It’s not a fair trade.”
“Then I’ll offer mine as well,” Ariel nodded. “I am the Queen of Dayrose Ariella Pepperspring, slightly aged at the moment. Soon to be Ariella Voidcaller if all goes well. But everybody just calls me Ariel.”
“You’re not marrying him! Mosquito! Flea!” Jinx tried to strike Ariel but found herself again unable to. “Goddammit! I’ll offer my soul as well! I am the strongest spirit beast in the world! Soon to be Jinx Voidcaller! Cheat! Swindler!”
“I’ll add my soul to the pile,” Talia smiled. “Mine is the one you want after all.”
“Hm,” Eberis smirked. “This should be interesting. It’s been ages since my own soul’s been on the line. I wonder what we should play.”
“We could always just flip a coin,” Jericho smiled. “Make it fast.”
“You do understand the consequences of losing, don’t you?” Eberis asked. “If I take your soul, it’s mine. You won’t die and be reborn. You’ll just die. Jericho Voidcaller will cease to exist.”
“And?” Jericho grinned. “I always figured that I was was going to have to risk permadeath to acquire death magic. So, what are we playing?”
Chapter 10
The Queen of Cards
Jericho and his familiars sat around while as Eberis and his priestesses discussed strategies. He half expected Eberis to put forth some ridiculously impossible challenge but surprisingly enough he was putting real thought into it. He was smart.
“What’s taking you so long?” Jinx snapped angrily while finishing off her tenth chicken leg. “Just pick something so Jericho can take your soul. Cowards! Snails!”
“There’s no need to rush them,” Talia smiled puckishly. “It’s only natural that they’re frightened. Eberis is used to betting other people’s souls, not his own.”
“I’m okay waiting,” Ariel said while taking a sip of her drink.
Talia was only half right about Eberis. Yes, he was frightened but at the same time there was excitement behind his eyes. Her lack of respect for him was concerning and honestly it made her a liability.
Eberis probably put his soul on the line hundreds of times. Jericho was doing it once and he could feel the immense pressure of potentially losing everything. His heart was pounding and more than anything he wanted to run away. It took some big swinging balls to it again and again. It would be a mistake not to respect that.
“Alright,” Eberis wandered back to the lounge section and grinned wickedly at the group. “Since you have three familiars, I believe it’s only fair that I be permitted to use three of my priestesses.”
“That’s fair,” Jericho nodded.
“Good,” Eberis said. “Morgana, Cecilia, and Daphne will be my assistants in these games.”
“Games,” Jericho smiled. “Meaning multiple?”
“Three,” Eberis answered. “Obviously the winner is whoever wins two out of three. We’ll pick a representative for each game and no representative can go more than once and the fourth member can serve as an alternate which we can use whenever we want, but only once.”
“What are the games?” Jericho asked.
“The first is a game of Strife,” Eberis said while pulling out a deck of cards. “I assume you have a deck.”
“Of course,” Jericho searched his inventory and pulled out his deck. Admittedly it wasn’t a very good one. Most players optimized around a single strategy making them extremely efficient and sometimes capable of ending games within five turns. The downside of those decks was the strategy worked or you lost. Jericho’s deck was built on versatility which normally resulted in him getting steamrolled within the first five minutes or winning a long game. “Although I’m sure it’s not as impressive as yours.”
“Already trying to make me underestimate you?” Eberis grinned. “It’s not going to work.”
“Maybe I’m hoping you overestimate me,” Jericho smiled.
“The second game will be poker,” Eberis said. “Head to head five card draw.”
“Unusual choice,” Jericho said. While poker was offered at all of the gambling dens in Forbidden Arcana it was extremely unpopular. Almost any player that actually enjoyed playing poker preferred to play it in other games. “Any special rules?”
“Well,” Eberis smiled. “Since you asked it’ll be strip poker. Each player will have ten items of clothing with a single item ante.”
“Neither of us are going to be the ones playing poker, are we?” Jericho smiled lecherously.
“I expect not,” Eberis answered with an equally deviant smile. Jericho wondered if Eberis was counting on him playing Strife. Using another person’s deck was extremely difficult so trusting one of his familiars with his deck was probably a sure loss. It was also possible his deck was simple enough for one of his priestesses to use it. “As for the third game, it’s King’s Command. Are you familiar with it?”
“Yes,” Jericho answered coldly. King’s Command was a horrifically violent game. It was comparable to chess in that there was a board and pieces with unique patterns of movement and attack. That was where the similarities ended.
King’s Command was only over when all opposing pieces were destroyed or a player surrendered. Each time a piece was destroyed the player was punished. The type of punishment was determined by the type of piece lost. If you lost a soldier, you lost a toe. If you lost an alchemist, expect a glass of acid to be dumped on your back. If you lost one of your two mages, expect to stick your arm in fire. Your four spies cost you eyes or ears. The list went on.
“What order are we playing the games in?” Jericho asked. Eberis likely knew that J
ericho would force himself to play King’s Command. Jericho couldn’t risk any of his familiars playing that twisted game which meant Strife was a sure loss.
“We’ll roll for the order.” Eberis pulled out three dice. One red, one blue, one green. “Red is King’s Command, green is poker, and blue is Strife. You can choose high or low. If you choose high, the highest number goes first. If you choose low…”
“Low,” Jericho answered. “I get it.”
“Good,” Eberis rolled the dice and poker was first, King’s Command was second, and Strife was third. “Seems we have our order. If you’re still sure you wish to gamble your souls, we need to all shake on it.”
“Talia, is there anything we need to know about these agreements? Loopholes or tricks?” Jericho asked.
“If we were looking at a contract, I’d say read every word twice but handshake agreements and bets require all parties to be on the same page in order for the magic to take hold,” Talia answered. “Basically, if your poker rules were different then the magic wouldn’t work.”
“What?” Eberis smiled. “Don’t you trust me?”
“I trust you to do your best to win,” Jericho stuck his hand out. “But let’s get this started.”
Jericho’s familiars all followed suit and soon after the spell was complete. The feeling was similar to what he felt entering the temple itself. He wasn’t in full control of his actions and attempting to run away would be impossible. It was obviously powerful magic that forced the players to complete the bet.
“Alright,” Eberis said excitedly while rushing to the poker table. “Cecilia will be my representative for poker. Whose might yours be? If I recall Talia was a particularly good poker player.”
“Ariel,” Jericho smiled while pushing the slender fairy forward. Jinx stifled a laugh as Ariel nervously approached the table.
“I only have six pieces of clothing,” Ariel said pointing at her shoes, white stockings, and yellow dress while indicating she was only wearing panties. Talia offered a pair of gloves and two earrings to the fairy bringing the total to ten. “Thank you. Are you sure you want me playing?”
“It doesn’t matter who plays,” Cecilia said shuffling the deck like a professional card dealer. She didn’t even blink as she shuffled and cut the deck so fast Jericho couldn’t keep track. “I’m a priestess to the god of gambling. This is already over.”
“You’ll do fine,” Jericho assured his petite familiar as she walked toward the table and took a seat. Talia started to follow Ariel to the table but Jericho held her back, “No. We’ll watch from the sidelines. She does better on her own.”
“I don’t understand,” Talia glanced at the anxious fairy fidgeting in her seat. “Are you sure about this?”
“It’s fine,” Jinx stifled a laugh. “The insect is really good at cards. Idiot. Crone.”
“Ante up,” Cecilia said as she tossed a ring in the middle.
“Ante up?” Ariel tilted her head. “Oh! Right!”
Ariel dropped one of the earrings Talia had given her into the pot as Cecilia tried not to laugh. The priestess dealt the cards as Ariel waited patiently.
“Can I pick mine up now?” Ariel asked politely.
“Yes,” Cecilia chuckled while reorganizing her cards. All of the priestesses, as well as Eberis, stood behind Cecilia while maintaining perfectly stoic expressions. Jericho wasn’t surprised that they had fantastic poker faces but he also knew it didn’t really matter.
“I’m good,” Ariel said.
“I’ll bet two items of clothing…”
“Fold,” Ariel said while sliding her cards to the middle of the table.
“Hm,” Cecilia grunted. Jericho and Jinx both tried not to laugh. The fact was they’d both been there before. It was unnerving playing against Ariel because of how quick she was to make a decision. It gave a sense that she was overwhelmingly confident in her actions which was surprisingly unpleasant when her judgment was correct. “Your deal.”
“Okay,” Ariel said as she spread the cards all around the table and began mixing them up as if she were finger painting.
“What are you doing?” Cecilia asked while looking at Eberis for some type of direction.
“This is how I shuffle,” Ariel looked around embarrassed. “Mirage says it’s okay.”
“You’re fine Ariel,” Jericho gave the fairy an approving nod. “You shuffle just fine.”
“I don’t understand,” Cecilia glanced around the room at Eberis, Jericho, and anybody else who might clue her in on what was happening. “Have you ever played cards?”
“Nobody’s willing to play with me,” Ariel said as she put her other earring in the pile. “They get mad at me and say I don’t play right.”
“I can see why,” Cecilia chuckled as she placed her item in the pot and Ariel carefully dealt the cards.
Ariel picked up her cards and started reorganizing them and flipping upside down as if she were solving a puzzle. After several rotations, she finally seemed to be satisfied.
“Okay,” Cecilia sighed while dropping three items in the pot. “I bet three.”
“Can you do that?” Ariel looked at the pot anxiously. “Isn’t that too much?”
“No,” Cecilia said through clenched teeth. “Raise or call.”
“Oh,” Ariel pouted. “It’d be really nice if you only put in one instead. Three is a lot.”
“No,” Cecilia growled. “Now do you call or fold?”
“You don’t have to be mean,” Ariel scowled and threw in her gloves and a shoe. “There! Happy?”
“Okay,” Cecilia slid three cards to Ariel. “I’ll take three.”
“I want one,” Ariel said while placing her card on the table. She sat there glancing back and forth at the three and one. “Who gets their cards first?”
“I do,” Cecilia groaned as Ariel politely counted out three cards for her and then took one for herself. Cecilia looked at the cards but remained expressionless. “I’ll bet one.”
Ariel slowly peaked at her card and her face lit up as she desperately tried to retain her composure. Of course, she failed miserably. Her wings fluttered rapidly and no matter how hard she tried to keep a straight face the corners of her lips wouldn’t stop curling.
“I’ll bet five!” Ariel giggled excitedly while removing, her last few accessories as well as her white lace panties and threw them all in the pot. She put her cards down and clasped her hands together as if praying for Cecilia to call.
“And I fold,” Cecilia scoffed.
“What?” Ariel stomped angrily. “That’s no fair! When you bet earlier, I called you! Jericho! She’s not playing fair!”
“She’s playing by the rules,” Jericho assured the petite fairy as she grumpily grabbed her panties from the pile and put them back on. All of the other items she just moved to a pile next to her. “It’s fine.”
“But I had all reds!” Ariel said furiously while holding up her cards for everybody to see. In her hand was a complete junk hand. “See! And one of them was the king and Mirage says he beats everything but the ace!”
“What?” Cecilia looked like she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown as Ariel flashed her worthless hand. “You bet almost everything you had left and you had nothing!”
“What are you talking about?” Ariel pointed to her cards. “All reds! That’s good!”
“They all have to be the same shape as well,” Jericho reminded her. Her face turned red as she looked around the room. “Don’t worry about it. You still won.”
“Sorry,” Ariel blushed as she put an item in the middle of the table.
“It’s fine,” Cecilia chuckled as she rapidly shuffled the deck and dealt the cards. Based on her expression it clearly wasn’t fine. She looked just like Mirage looked when she continually lost to Ariel.
The problem wasn’t that Ariel didn’t know how to play poker but that she was always playing a different poker. People who didn’t know how to play poker could be read because they looked
confused, pensive, and often double checked their cards when they had something. Additionally, over time they’d start to repeat things that worked well.
The problem with Ariel was she thought that she had hands she didn’t and frequently didn’t realize she had great hands. Jericho had been on the other end of the all reds scenario where Ariel plays passively and lands a straight flush and thinks she has nothing.
There was a reason nobody in the house would play with her and it wasn’t the fact she didn’t know how to play. It was the fact that despite not knowing how to play she kept winning. Playing against Ariel was not fun.
Ariel and Cecilia played several hands going back and forth trading items. Before long the two of them had passed around every clothing item they owned except for Ariel’s dress and Cecilia’s bodysuit.
“All in!” Ariel said cheerfully pushing her pile into the middle of the table. She counted the items and since she had a lead, she didn’t have to add her dress. She clapped excitedly as she waited for Cecilia to either add her mesh outfit or fold. Unfortunately, even Jericho could tell she was trying to bluff.
“Call,” Cecilia laughed. The confident woman slid out of her fishnet bodysuit and added it to the pile while sitting there naked. “How many cards do you need?”
“Huh?” Ariel whimpered. “I didn’t expect you to call. You were supposed to fold. Oh no. Um. I can get a whole new five, right?”
“Yes,” Cecilia smirked arrogantly.
“Okay,” Ariel put all five of her cards down. “Can I have five.”
“Alright,” Cecilia chuckled while placing two cards down. “I only need two.”
Cecilia dealt Ariel her cards and upon receiving her own she flipped them over revealing four jacks and a seven. She waited patiently for Ariel to look at her cards and respond.
Ariel took a deep breath and looked at her new hand and did a double take. She glanced at Cecilia’s cards and back at her own and stifled an excited laugh before flipping over four aces.
“I win!” Ariel shouted while jumping up out of her seat. “Jericho did you see! I won! I did it!”
“What,” Cecilia’s cheerful expression turned to despair as she stared at the cards in front of her. “What just happened? No! No, no, no, no, no. Something’s wrong. No, no, no, no, no. What?”