by Tamryn Tamer
“What indeed,” Talia said while trying to make sense of the situation. “How did she do that?”
“Idiots!” Jinx laughed uproariously. “She warned you that nobody in the house would play with her too! Fools! Nitwits!”
“What?” Cecilia glanced at Ariel then Eberis hoping for answers but he obviously had none. The poor priestess was in shock. “What?”
“You come across people like her every now and then,” Eberis patted Cecilia's shoulder. “I don’t know how it works either.”
“These are mine now, right?” Ariel grabbed all of the clothing and jewelry items in the pile. “Right? I can keep them? I won them.”
“Uh,” Cecilia looked like she was still in a daze. “Yeah. What?”
“Yay!” Ariel said grabbing the pile and rushing to Jericho. She quickly gave Talia back the items she’d borrowed and handed Jinx the jewelry she’d won. She held the bodysuit over herself, “Do you think if I show this to the Huit, Ocho, and Acht they can make one in my size?”
“Absolutely,” Jericho said envisioning Ariel in the lewd lingerie.
“Well,” Eberis sighed. “It seems you’ve beaten me in that game. I guess it’s time for game number two. Who’ll be representing your side?”
“Jericho,” Talia grabbed his arm before he could volunteer. “Let me. He wants you to play it and I have a plan.”
“I’m not going to let you get hurt,” Jericho argued. “I’ll play.”
“Don’t be an idiot,” Talia said harshly. “He picked this game because it caused physical harm. It forces you to play this instead of Strife which puts us at a massive disadvantage.”
“Unless I win,” Jericho smiled.
“Except you won’t because he’s not going to play,” Talia said confidently. “You forget that he knows you. He knows your reputation. Now, tell me what part of your reputation indicates that you’d be okay watching a woman suffer right in front of you? You think you’ll be able to play while watching somebody get chopped up and burnt? If I were him, I’d put Morgana in.”
“She’s right. Dummy. Dunce.” Jinx agreed.
“Let me take it,” Talia said assuredly. “I have a plan. Just trust me.”
“I’m waiting,” Eberis said mockingly. “Who’s going to play?”
“Talia,” Jericho said confidently. “I’m trusting you.”
“Thank you,” Talia smiled and turned to Eberis. “Who’s playing on your side?”
“Morgana,” Eberis said irritably. He was obviously annoyed that Jericho didn’t volunteer. “Give me a few minutes to set it up. Oh, and don’t worry about the rules for harm. Since pain is part of the game itself, King’s Command is exempt from the normal no harm rules of the area.”
“Great,” Jericho said.
Chapter 11
The Strategist and The Commander
“I forfeit,” Talia said immediately after the game began much to the derision of both Eberis and Morgana. Jericho tried to stifle his laughter as Talia implemented her plan. He had to admit it was better than his.
“What!” Morgana stomped. “You can’t just quit! We’re playing for your lives and you’re just going to walk away. What’s wrong with you?”
“She’s correct,” Eberis said even more irritated that his plan was falling apart. “You should at least play the game.”
“I don’t believe that was part of the agreement,” Talia smirked arrogantly while walking off her pedestal completely unharmed. “Sorry to disappoint.”
“What?” Jericho laughed as Morgana looked to Eberis for direction. “She’s right.”
Talia’s masterful maneuver revealed Eberis’ entire strategy. He’d created a grossly uneven contest while maintaining the illusion of fairness. King’s Command was always a sure loss for Jericho. That meant Eberis would only need to win either poker or Strife to win while Jericho would need to win both. The deck was stacked.
The order of the games was meant to play into the illusion of fairness since Jericho was always going to have to save himself for King’s Command, leaving whoever was left to play with his Strife deck. The only wildcard in the mix was poker.
He rubbed Ariel’s head approvingly as he realized her victory gave them the freedom to simply forfeit King’s Command. He grinned mischievously at the irritated god who likely never imagined things would get as far as they had. He’d set up three games and in the end it still came down to one.
“Good plan, right?” Talia teased as she walked back to the lounge area.
“Very good,” Jericho chuckled as he turned to follow. “Let me know when we’re ready to play!”
“You better be scared! My master is the best! Weaklings! Wimps!” Jinx laughed as she and Ariel went to refill their drinks.
“You have to beat him,” Talia whispered while grabbing a drink. “He won’t keep you alive like the others. He wants your power and the only way to attain it is to absorb your life.”
“So, absorbing my soul gives him access to my magic?” Jericho asked. “Is that how death magic works?”
“He gets to choose one ability,” Talia answered. “Think of it like binding to a familiar except you destroy the familiar in the process. Of course, you can’t just take anything. You need to also have the prerequisites. You couldn’t create a cosmic barrier without first learning all four cosmic magics. Eberis intends to use your soul to gain the ability to reincarnate himself.”
“Got it,” Jericho smiled realizing it was a basic skill inherit system used in collection games. Although he wondered how he could ethically use an ability like that in Forbidden Arcana. Additionally, the rules regarding the transfer of a soul seemed pretty strict. It wasn’t like he could run around sucking up people’s souls. “Once I defeat him and take Morgana as a familiar, I’ll have to figure this all out.”
“What?” Talia blushed. “You still plan on taking Morgana? Really?”
“Are you jealous?” Jericho grinned playfully. “She is your ex after all and she’s going to be all mine. And I don’t plan on sharing.”
“Now you’re just being mean,” Talia tried to hide a smile.
“You have to win first! Braggart! Blowhard!” Jinx said as Cecilia approached. She was still completely naked as a punishment for losing to Ariel.
“Eberis has set up the game room,” Cecilia said while standing in front of them, red with embarrassment. Jericho found that a little odd since she was previously so comfortable walking around in her lascivious garments. “You can follow me.”
“Coming!” Ariel rushed forward. “You’re not upset about our match, are you?”
“Of course not,” Cecilia lied as Ariel followed cheerfully. “Why would I be mad?”
“Everybody gets mad when they lose to me,” Ariel said. “That’s why nobody plays with me. So, when Jericho beats Eberis does he get all of you as well?”
“Excuse me?” Cecilia scoffed. “Your master will not beat Eberis. Strife is a game about building a perfect deck of cards and if you haven’t noticed by the architecture around here, Eberis is a masterful builder.”
“Right,” Jericho smiled while getting an idea. He pulled out his Strife deck and started switching out cards. Cecilia brought up a good point, Eberis was a builder and a planner. It was doubtful that he used one of the more volatile decks. He finished swapping out his cards. It was a bit of a gamble but if his prediction was right he might just pull off a victory, “But let’s humor Ariel. When I beat Eberis will you be joining me?”
“Can’t we just sell her to a brothel?” Talia grumbled.
“Yes,” Cecilia ignored Talia and answered the question. “Eberis would server you so I would serve you.”
“You’re going to love Dayrose,” Ariel grabbed Cecilia’s hand. “Do you think you’re going to want to live in our manor with us or are you going to want a temple? I’d prefer not to build one because we already told Talia she couldn’t have a temple and that’d be unfair. But if you move into the manor, we can have a welcome party! D
o you like dragons?”
“Dragons?” Cecilia glanced at Ariel. “You have dragons in your city?”
“Yeah!” Ariel said excitedly. “There’s Whippet, Nibbles, oh I should start with Lapis, she’s their mom…”
“Quit trying to make friends with the enemy! Insect. Bug.” Jinx interrupted.
“But she’s going to be our friend soon,” Ariel insisted.
“Your master will lose,” Cecilia grinned smugly. “But don’t worry. I’m sure he’ll be willing to keep the rest of you on as priestesses.”
Cecilia opened a set of large double doors and led them into a massive room with a glowing landscape. It was the largest Strife board Jericho had ever seen. Eberis was standing on a platform at the far end of the room with a table in front of him. A matching platform was on his end of the room.
“Do you like it?” Eberis yelled from across the large room. “It’s one of my favorite rooms.”
“I do like it,” Jericho laughed as he walked up the stairs to his platform. The table on the platform had a place to lock in his deck. He took a second look through his cards to ensure he had everything he needed and once he confirmed his deck was good, he slid it into the slot. “Let’s do this.”
“You know,” Eberis clicked his tongue. “It really is a shame.”
“What’s that?” Jericho asked as the battlefield, villages, and resource nodes randomized.
“Having to kill you,” Eberis shook his head. “I would have preferred to play against you under different circumstances. Maybe wagering the souls of our followers instead of our own.”
“I don’t plan on getting in the habit of wagering the souls of my friends,” Jericho said as the board finalized on a landscape. In order to keep things relatively fair the landscape always mirrored itself in some fashion while changing little things to keep it unique. One side might have a village of elves while another a village of dwarves. Similarly, both would have forests and mines of roughly equal value. Finally, both kings began on hilltops by themselves. “Tell me Eberis, do you have any friends?”
“Jericho,” Eberis smiled as he drew his five cards. The timer for the game started its one-minute countdown. “You know as well as anybody that the more powerful you become the more alone you become.”
“My experience has been the opposite,” Jericho pulled his cards. He grumbled at his initial draw. “The more power I gain the more friends I seem to have.”
Normally he’d be thrilled to draw a molten drake but he needed to take a mine before he could summon it and all the mines were far away from the starting location. He was going to have to wait a bit before he could earn the metal to summon it and his other four cards were enhancements. Which would normally be fantastic if he started with a usable monster. He was going to have to play it safe and take objectives while waiting for the timer on his next draw to count down.
“I never said power didn’t attract people,” Eberis chuckled while readying two cards he intended to play as soon as the timer counted down. “People naturally gravitate toward power in hopes they can use it. Sometimes they use you for protection, other times they use you for wealth, sometimes they just want to feel powerful themselves. It’s perfectly possible to be surrounded by people who call you a friend and feel utterly alone.”
“You just think too much,” Jericho smiled as the timer ticked down to zero. He gestured for his king to rush toward the nearest village and laid down a Winged Boots to triple his movement speed. “If people are going to be assholes, they’re going to be assholes. It’s not like you have any control over that.”
“Speak for yourself,” Eberis played a pair of elven scouts and sent them to claim a woodland and mine as his king headed toward the nearest village. “When you have somebody’s soul, you have leverage.”
“Fair enough,” Jericho said as his king took the village earning Jericho a supply of food. He immediately pivoted the king to a mine while drawing his next card. He now had a drake he couldn’t summon, three enhancement spells, and a control spell. He was not off to a good start.
“You must have a rough hand,” Eberis said after drawing his card. Eberis directed his elves and king to take more resources while he scanned the map. As Jericho expected he was a builder at his core. He was looking for the optimal places to build structures, traps, and siege weapons. After his wood reached the necessary requirement, he placed an Elven Archer’s Nest near the river. The god immediately followed it up by laying down an Eagle Eye card doubling the effective range of the tower. “Mine’s been pretty good.”
“My hand is fine,” Jericho said as his king took the mine. He drew his next card and immediately placed the werewolf he drew and sent it out to claim forests. “Besides, it’s not like you’re going to attack.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Eberis scoffed.
“You’re a builder,” Jericho grinned. “Builders don’t attack, they counter.”
“Oh,” Eberis was clearly irritated by the revelation that Jericho predicted his strategy as he set up another Elven Archer’s Nest near a chokepoint. “Well, it doesn’t really matter if you know my strategy. The only times I’ve been beaten was when I had horrible draws. That’s not the case today.”
“Yeah,” Jericho chuckled while summoning more units and taking more resources. He almost had enough metal saved to summon his molten drake. “The weaknesses of a builder deck are it takes a while to get rolling and immobility.”
“Immobility isn’t a problem when you know exactly where your towers need to be,” Eberis chuckled while increasing his influence on the map. He’d acquired most of his half and more battlements were popping up with every draw.
“Boring!” Jinx whined from the sidelines. “Boring! Boring! Boring! Numbskulls! Dullards!”
“I’m inclined to agree,” Talia sighed as the two sides continued amassing resources. “The longer the game goes on the worse position Jericho will be in as well. You’re not supposed to let a builder build.”
“It’s fine,” Jericho assured his familiars. “I have a plan.”
“Don’t worry about them!” Ariel was sitting on the sidelines looking at blueprints of Dayrose. “Jericho, I don’t know if there’s a good place to put a temple in Dayrose. Does a god actually need a temple? I think I found a spot for a shrine.”
“What?” Eberis glanced at Ariel then back at Jericho. He scoffed derisively, “Is this some type of mind game? Having your familiars make plans like you’ve already won?”
“No,” Jericho grinned roguishly. “It didn’t even cross my mind. Ariel’s just excited. She loves it when I acquire new followers and familiars.”
“Cecilia,” Ariel waved across the room at the priestess. “Do you and the other priestesses all have your own rooms or do you share one big room? Oh! But keep in mind Eberis can’t live in the main house!”
“She’s rather annoying,” Eberis jeered as he turned back to his deck and summoned more defensive structures. “Maybe I won’t keep her around after all.”
“That’s uncalled for,” Jericho said adding more troops to his side of the map. He looked everything over and it was taking shape nicely. While Eberis was building the ultimate defense, Jericho was assembling the ultimate offense. It was a good decision to pull out all of his defensive cards and swap them with offensive ones. In reality, it was a horrible deck that would have been defeated by pretty much anybody except for a player who benefitted from a long drawn out game. Even then it required a certain mindset to really bring out its true strength. He smiled roguishly at the priestesses, “Don’t worry priestesses, I’ll happily keep you around.”
“We are loyal to our master,” Cecilia stomped insistently. “Quit making a mockery of this.”
“Calm down Cecilia,” Eberis smirked scornfully. “It’s all bluster. The game has gone on far too long. My defenses are unbreakable and now I’ll start closing in on him.”
“You’re right about one thing,” Jericho chuckled while laying down another mon
ster card. He’d assembled a massive force of monsters with a variety of different rarities and abilities. Additionally, because of the passive play he was able to save up a solid assortment of spells and enhancements to support the units. “The game has gone on far too long.”
“What?” Eberis stared in shock as Jericho placed his cards on the table and walked down from the pedestal. “What are you doing? If you’re quitting you have to say you surrender. There is no break here. Whether you’re at the pedestal or not I can attack.”
“Jinx,” Jericho patted his spectral tigress on the head. “You said you wanted to beat a god, right?”
“Really?” Jinx rushed up the stairs before Jericho could respond. Her eyes glowed as she stared at the battlefield littered with monsters for her to command. She looked at her cards and then smiled maniacally at her opponent. “Finally! This game was so boring! You should have put me in sooner! Dummy! Ingrate!”
“You’re joking,” Eberis looked at Jericho confused. “Is this some trick to save face? If she loses to me then you can tell yourself you didn’t really lose?”
“I’m a mage,” Jericho said. “Do you know why mages don’t lead armies? Because we’re smart enough to leave it to the experts. And make no mistake, when it comes to fighting, calling Jinx an expert is an insult.”
It was really a horrible deck. There was no real strategy to it other than powerful enhancement spells and a wide variety of monsters. It wasn’t a deck for a person who loves research, strategy, and optimization. It was a deck custom built for somebody who thinks strategies are for cowards.
“Move you stupid mongrels! Slowpokes! Sloths!” Jinx roared at her troops as she rapidly reorganized them. She pulled up all of their information cards and instantly absorbed their combat stats. Simultaneously she looked at the board scanning for weaknesses. “Go! Go! Go! You’re a dragon, aren’t you! Act like a dragon you big stupid lizard! Imposter! Wimp!”