Chương 6: 5. Rules, Rest, Gambling, Death

The card selection continued as expected. Marcus, Cathy, and the goth girl took the paladin cards, leaving everyone else with archers. When the last person made their choice, the final card disappeared from the wall.

"Congratulations, participants!" Harlequin, said in a loud voice.

"You have come to the end of your first trial." The phasing almost made me feel nostalgic. After another few times, his congratulatory messages would drastically change, revealing the true nature of the game. Looking around, the people were still fooling themselves into thinking that there was a way out. Pass the trials, reach the end, obtain everything you desired and more… I could almost hear the fake promise. There was a time when I had believed it. If it hadn't been for Avon, I still would.

"After each success, you will be given a while to prepare," Harlequin continued.

"I would encourage you to examine your cards during that time." I raised my hand. The creature's head turned around to face me.

"You have a question?"

"How exactly do we use the cards?" I asked. I already knew the answer, just as I knew that the first person to ask would get a minor reward.

"A good question again." Harlequin was getting even more annoyed with me. I could feel the sensation weighing down on me. Regardless, I had to push through. This early on, any question would get noticed by the deities. Once boredom set in, we would have to work for their attention.

"Look at your card closely," Harlequin ordered. I complied. THE BARD (IV, MAJOR, CHALICE) (Rarity – Exceptional) SKILLS (1/3): 1 MUSIC: (music instrument required) Manipulate emotions 2??? 3??? Details not present moments ago emerged. Most people wouldn't even have noticed the difference, but in truth we were only seeing this because Harlequin let us. One needed the Observer card to see all that, as if it would become clear after the second trial.

"All cards of the grand arcana are divided among four houses," the rule master continued.

"Sword, Chalice, Chain, and Ring. The significance of the houses is the deities observing you." It was incredible how many misdirections there were in three sentences. There were more than four houses. All special cards of the Grand Arcana went beyond the houses. The really powerful ones were in a class of their own, only appearing when the deities decided someone was worthy. That was an insignificant lie, though. It very much mattered what houses the cards belonged to.

After half a year of trials in my previous run, I had learned that the deities reacted differently based on the collection of cards one had. It was a goddess who had told me in return for a favor. Even back then I knew how important that was, but things didn't end there. Collecting all cards of a house provided an additional benefit. Avon had managed to obtain all Chalice cards of the Grand Arcana, earning him a very special gift.

"What about the numbers?" someone asked. Yellow cloth shot out from Harlequin's left hand, wrapping around the man's mouth. Writhing in pain, the man fell to his knees, desperately trying to plead for the rule maker to make it stop. The muffled sounds gave no illusion as to the intensity of pain he was subjected to. Understandably, everyone moved away, afraid not to join in his experience.

"If you want to ask a question, raise your hand," Harlequin said.

"As I said before, interruptions won't be tolerated." The cloth slid off the man's face, allowing him to collapse to the floor. Lucky bastard, I thought. If it had been the red cloth, he'd have been dead by now.

"The numbers have no significance." The monster looked around, waiting if there were any other questions. To no surprise, no one dared say a word or raise a hand.

"The skill slots indicate the number of skills a card has. A card has at least one, but depending on its rarity, there could be more. After you've completed the second trial, you will be told how to unlock those skills." So, even when asked directly, he was unwilling to give the details. That was tricky, since there was no universal method of unlocking. In my previous run, the only way was to stack up cards of the same type.

Players who'd undergone trials with a different rules master had told me they needed to sacrifice cards they had in order to do the same.

"You already have the knowledge to perform the skills you're shown," Harlequin's voice rang throughout the room.

"Those with prerequisites must meet them in order to use it. Those that have conditions must follow through with them during the trials themselves." The creature spun around in the air several times, then moved up to me again.

"Does that answer your question?" The porcelain mask tilted to the right.

"Yes," I was quick to say, sweat trickling down my forehead.

"It… explains everything."

"Good! For your inquisitiveness, you'll be given a gold token. If you survive the second trial, you can exchange it for a single gold coin." Gold already? That was a relief. I would have preferred to have it now, considering what was in store, but a gift was a gift.

"I suggest you make use of the next twelve hours to rest, relax, and talk amongst yourselves." Harlequin floated back to the middle of the room.

"The only rule is that you cannot kill or harm another participant." He rose toward the ceiling.

"Enjoy your feast and thank the deities that provided it." The jester transformed into puffs of red and yellow smoke as he passed through solid stone. Simultaneously, a large table covered in food appeared in the center of the room. While the selection of food was impressive, there were two notable things missing: alcohol and utensils. The deities didn't want people to arm themselves with forks and knives this early on. They did, however, want us to be in peak physical condition in order to provide a better show.

Everyone remained still. As much as the aroma made people's mouths water, no one wanted to be the first to risk a bite. Inadvertently, I looked at Marcus only to see him looking back. Even intuition was useless in times like this. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Aware that food always came in limited quantities, I went up to the side and grabbed two meat-and-vegetable sandwiches.

I could feel the intense gazes upon me as I sank in the first bite. A few seconds later, the floodgates broke. Everyone rushed in, eager to claim as much as possible. I caught a glimpse of several people shoving sandwiches into their shirts and pockets in a disgusting display of greed and fear. The actions were quickly followed by shouting and minor scuffles as people were pulled away from the table and onto the floor. I paused chewing for a moment, waiting to see whether the action would merit a punishment.

It didn't.

"You've got good intuition," Cathy said as she came up to me. Her choice of words almost made me choke. Thankfully, I managed to hold it.

"Know anything I don't?" She sat down beside me.

"I've tested a lot of online games," I lied.

"No one gets rid of the participants early on. Goes against the return on investment." As I spoke, I glanced across the room at Carl. Aware that his antics wouldn't work, he had resorted to keeping a low profile and attempting to suck up to anyone who could be of benefit.

"Except for the troublemakers," I added and took another bite.

"That makes sense," Cathy agreed.

"What do you think this is?"

"You heard the clown—a game for the gods. Or something like that."

"Yeah… The only problem is, I don't believe in gods." That was just like her. Not that it did her any favors. Despite everything that had transpired last time, Cathy continued to insist that there was something else behind it. Psychedelic experiences, deep hypnosis; she even touched on the topic of aliens once. At first, the powers that be were amused with her antics, until suddenly they weren't. The trial after she vanished.

A minor god I had occasional dealings with assured me that it was a coincidence, but I still had my doubts. Bottom line, insulting deities was never a good idea.

"Doesn't matter," Marcus said as he joined us. I could tell by the way he looked at Cathy that he still hadn't made his mind about her.

"They have the power, so best play along."

"You really think a bunch of deities scooped us from the world and brought us here?" Cathy didn't back down.

"Why? If they wanted amusement, there are a thousand other ways to—""One more thing," Harlequin's voice echoed, drowning out all other chatter.

"During your resting periods, gambling is allowed." The room doubled in size. In the empty section beyond the feast, a new set of tables could be seen. They were a lot smaller, just enough for two people to sit at once, facing each other. Here we go, I said to myself. Four rows of five tables. At first glance, it appeared that there were more tables than needed, but that was because no one other than me knew the details.

"All games are permitted as long as they are games of chance or skill. As long as they can be played on the table and both parties have a chance of winning, there are no restrictions."

"What do we gamble with?" Carl asked.

"I'm the only one who has anything."

"All of you have many things," Harlequin said. To my disappointment, Carl received no punishment.

"You can wager your cards, your clothes, even your very lives. And to make it fair, you don't have to gamble against one another. You're also allowed to make bets against the Grand Arcana." The low murmurs that had been gradually building up instantly ceased.

"If you choose to do so, just take a table and challenge the Arcana openly. An opponent would appear." On cue, the girl and her goths went up to the gambling section and took three tables. Three life-sized mannequins emerged to face them. Dressed in red or yellow, they resembled Harlequin to some extent. The only difference was that the porcelain masks that passed as a face had no features on them.

"Three-card monte," Eleanor said. I stood up. This hadn't occurred last time. The other two goths followed her lead. Three cards appeared on each of the tables. Slowly, the mannequins revealed them one by one. Unlike the normal game, two were left completely blank. The third had a stylized picture of Harlequin on it.

"What is your wager?" the mannequins asked in perfect sync.

"My card," Eleanor replied.

"Are you certain?" The mannequin facing her tilted its head.

"You only have one card. If you lose it, you'll be killed."

"Killed?" whispers circulated. That was the first mention of that particular detail. It was just like Harlequin to omit that cards also represented life in the game of the Grand Arcana; lose your cards, lose your lease on life. The goth girl nodded.

"Reckless," Cathy whispered to me and Marcus.

"It's calculated," Marcus whispered back.

"Next trial is a death trial. This will double her chances of success." I didn't say anything. Both of them were right. I certainly never would have taken the gamble. The girl undoubtedly knew something. After the next trial, I was going to find out what. The mannequin turned the cards face down and started moving them about. After about half a minute, he stopped and pulled his hands back, leaving the girl to choose. Eleanor's hand initially went for the middle card.

There it hesitated before briskly moving to the left. Everyone held their breath, focusing on the contents of the card. To my astonishment, the picture of Harlequin was there.

"You have won a rare card." The prize appeared on the table in front of the girl.

"Do you want to go double or nothing?"

"No," Eleanor picked up the card and stood up. The moment she did, the mannequin turned to smoke, along with the table and chairs.

"What happened?" someone whispered.

"Betting doesn't last forever," Harlequin's voice boomed.

"When someone is done, the table they used is removed." Anyone with a bit of gaming experience would catch the manipulation. The fear of missing out proved too strong, causing half the people to rush towards the remaining tables, even if there was no danger they'd be left out.

"The same she did!" The woman who had faked the injury during the previous trial pointed at Eleanor even before the mannequin had fully formed.

"Are you certain? You only have one card. If you lose it, you'll be killed."

"Yes, yes." The woman rolled her eyes.

"Get on with it." One by one, the cards flipped face up, then face down again. Then the shuffling began. I looked to my side. Neither Marcus nor Cathy seemed willing to take the chance. Personally, I found that to be a relief.

"You have lost," the mannequin told one of the remaining two goths playing. The unfortunate player tried to leap out of his chair, but it was already too late. Crimson light enveloped his seat, extending like a flame that consumed everything in its path. A blood-freezing cry filled the room, then quickly stopped as everyone witnessed the first real casualty.

"What happened?" The faker asked at her table.

"He lost his card," the mannequin replied as it kept moving the cards.

"Wait!" the woman shouted.

"It's unfair! I was distracted!"

"I cannot restart the game," the faceless minion replied.

"It's not fair!" The woman raised her voice even further.

"The bet is void!"

"Do you want to forfeit your bet?"

"Yes!" the woman replied. Internally, I shook my head. That was the worst choice she could have made. Otherwise, she at least had a one in three chance of getting it right. The unfortunate victim didn't even realize before a set of crimson flames consumed her as well. The message was clear: during gambling, forfeiting was the same as losing. Half a minute later, the first gambling session was effectively over, resulting in four dead and two doubling their starting cards.

Finally, reality seeped in as the participant realized what the true nature of the game was.

"Stupid," Marcus stated the obvious.

"They shouldn't have quit." He glanced at the goth girl. She seemed to be handling things rather well, given that she'd lost a companion. The other survivor of her group seemed a lot more shaken up, almost as if he didn't expect this could happen.

"I'll go take a nap." Marcus went to the far corner of the room. I kept on staring at the gambling tables. Fourteen of them remained. The results were a lot worse than during my previous life. Then, only one person had bet his card, promptly losing it against another player. Everyone else had wagered clothes and water just to get a feel of things.

"We should sleep as well," I told Cathy.

"Next trial will be tough." Finding a semi-comfortable spot on the floor, I curled up and closed my eyes. The memory of my past experiences kept me from falling asleep. Although it was early in the game, there was a slight chance that the people who had tied me up were present. Time dragged on. For hours I listened to every word, every sound the others made. Some cried, others went to sleep, possibly hoping that all this would disappear when they woke up. I used to think the same.

When that became boring, I tried to remember the details of the trial. It was said that one never forgot their first trials. To some extent, there was some truth to that. However, the details of the final trials were a lot more vivid. The first trials always involved weak creatures and simple traps. The greatest challenge, if any, would be the boss at the end. I had put myself at a disadvantage by picking the Bard card, but could easily make up for it with my experience and knowledge of events.

"Wake up, participants!" Harlequin's voice broke my train of thought.

"Your second trial has begun!" Had twelve hours passed already? I cracked an eye open. The room was gone. All of us were lying on a field, surrounded by a dome of cyan light.

"The protective dome will disappear after five minutes. Get whatever weapons you can find and prepare to survive." Survive?! I jumped to my feet. This wasn't the trial I had gone through before.