Chương 4: Cards On the Table

When Oscar woke up, he saw the rest of the group sitting at a table speaking casually. Well, Gita had her head lowered, staring down at her feet, seemingly in her own world. He wondered what her story was, but not enough to ask. It was strange, despite them all having this shared experience, he didn't feel connected to any of them except for Brock. He should feel something as they had all just died after all. That should be more than enough of an experience to bond people together. It just didn't for him, though.

While he knew that one night out wasn't enough to fix his loner issues, however, he expected to at least feel just a little different. Perhaps it would just take more time, but the issue was that unpredictable nature of this world made it hard for him to care. Anyone of them could die at any moment, so why should he bother to get close with them?

"Did you enjoy your nap? I think everyone was jealous that you managed to get even a little bit of sleep. They're all discussing our next moves, but… how do you make plans when you've essentially just been born again?" Brock asked as he plopped down on the ground next to Oscar.

"I saw Friend again."

"Thought you might have given how you look right now. What'd he have to say this time?" Oscar shook his head.

"Everyone else should hear this, I can't keep the truth from them any longer. He wants—no, he's demanding that we retrieve the soulstones."

"Well, we got the place to ourselves for a bit longer. Terry just went out back with Darlith outside to speak privately. No sense in waiting then." Brock got up and gave Oscar a hand, then the pair joined the group once more. Oscar declined to sit with them and instead stood at the head of the table. There was no sense in babying them, so he told them all the whole truth. The reveal of Friend and his quest for them all ended up causing a brief bout of panic, but Amari managed to calm everyone down a bit.

Chloe looked especially rattled at hearing how cruel the man who brought them to this world could be.

"What if he all decides to kill us all right now? Maybe now that he knows how weak we are, he will realize it's not worth it to keep us around."

"No, he needs us still. As things stand he can't interact with this world at all. Killing us would have made the summoning spell he performed worthless, and I'm sure it wasn't easy for him to do in his current state."

"So, this world operates on a class and skill system? Is magic tied to a [Wizard] class or do you gain that class by practicing magic?" Josiah asked, changing the topic.

"Friend said there was a lot of debate surrounding how an individual acquires a class. Desire and perception are at the forefront of leading suggestions for gaining a class," Oscar said.

"I don't know much more except for that. From what I've seen, it seems that skill is a spoken phrase that evokes some effect. Assuming this is like a game, then there might be passive and active skills, aura skills, and who knows what else. Until we know more, it might be wise to avoid actively seeking a class." Terry and Darlith returned then, the creaking of the door alerting them and making everyone shut up. The two looked serious for a moment, but returned to normal when they addressed the group.

Oscar had a feeling that Terry was more than he let on, but perhaps that was paranoia due to his meeting with Friend.

"Ya folk doing alright? Thanks for the help bringing in the produce. Here's a little advance for the work ya did. Go round to the tavern if ya'd like and get a bite to eat." Terry placed a small bag on the table, which Amari quickly grabbed.

"I'll join in a bit. Got one last little piece of business with Miss Darlith first. I wanted to do more for y'all, but there's been a change in my plans. Don't ya good folk worry 'bout it just yet." That concerned him, but everyone else was focused on the idea of eating too much to really care right now. He was admittedly starving himself, so they all quickly scurried off to find the tavern. The tavern was easy to locate thanks to the drunk man slumped outside.

After ordering food and finding a secluded table, discussion for what to do next resumed. The place was pretty empty except for an old couple chatting with the barkeep and some guy alone in the corner shuffling a deck of cards.

"So, this old soldier guy might be nearby and has one of the stones we need? How should we go about asking around for him?" Jane asked.

"How about asking the barkeep first? They always know local gossip," Chloe suggested.

"There's also the drunkard outside. He might have loose lips right now."

"All we really need to ask about is about where Ardeo buried that person. Tell them we are all admirers of him and want to pay respects or whatever. This is like a tutorial level quest, let's not make it so difficult, yeah?" Josiah said. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Brock and Oscar at the same time shushed him for speaking too loud. Josiah was far too relaxed and careless.

They were dealing with so many new unknowns that they couldn't afford to be anything less than completely focused on the task at hand. Appearing out of nowhere and without making a single sound, a man spoke.

"Did I hear you people talking about the great [General], Sir Ardeo? He's not spoken about much these days, so I have to ask…" Everyone tensed up, unsure at how much this man might have heard.

"Are you guys a couple of [Historians]?" All around the table, Oscar saw everyone's shoulders relax.

"Not quite fully fledged [Historians] yet, but we do have an interest in history! We would all love to visit the grave he made for some of the citizens that lived here. Would you happen to know where it is?" Oscar asked, resuming the role as the groups dedicated liar. The man scratched his chin before he replied.

"Hmm… no, sorry! I'm not from here! I just know the name and thought you guys could give me a quick history lesson! Anyway, the name's Bruno. Your local nomadic [Gambler] and [Trickster]; anyone of you interested in a quick game?" No one knew how to reply to this guy, and so, no one did. They all stared at the man and he stared right back. Brock was the first to formulate a thought, which he would end up regretting.

"How can you be a local and also a nomad? You just said you're not from here as well, so… which is it?" Brock asked.

"Well…we are all, in a sense, locals in this room, right here and right now, are we not? Once I, and you all as well, leave this place, then I will become a nomad once more. Glad I could help clear up any confusion!" Bruno said with a large toothy smile.

"So… are we going to play a game or what?"

"Wait, why would anyone play a game with you? You said that not only were you a [Gambler], but also a [Trickster]! How could anyone willingly want to gamble against you?" Gita asked, her first sentence in a long time. Bruno threw his arms up in a dramatic fashion.

"Therein lies the crux of my dilemma! How is a man to practice his craft when no one trusts him?"

"Well, you could try for starters, not telling people you're also a [Trickster]," Oscar pointed out.

"No, no, no, no, no, that wouldn't do. After all, I am known as Bruno 'The Honest and Fair Gambler' for a reason. But, perhaps you're right… maybe that old self-given title is holding me down," Bruno said with a frown. His frown disappeared almost as quickly as Oscar's IQ was going down in the midst of this conversation. Bruno snapped his fingers and proposed his idea.

"I've got it! Let's make a little wager. If you beat me in a game of my choosing, then I'll take you to the graves." Once again, everyone was throw off balance by this strange mans even stranger words. Amari was up next in line to humor the guy.

"I'm not going to say the obvious thing, but I'll bite for a bit. What game?" For the first time, Bruno seemed to be shocked.

"Oh, really? I… didn't expect that. I don't really know any gambling games. To be quite honest with you, I'm pretty opposed to gambling." At this point, it was like Bruno was a toxin that Oscar's body was beginning to learn how to neutralize.

"Okay, how about we each draw a card from my lovely little deck and… whoever…draws the larger number… wins?"

"That's your game? Just draw the higher number to win?" Amari asked, more perplexed than ever. Bruno nodded with newfound confidence.

"That's essentially what most games involving gambling boil down to after all. If you think about it, we're just cutting the fluff." He then placed his deck of cards onto the table and began shuffling it. Once he finished shuffling, he offered it to Amari to shuffle himself so that he could ensure there were no tricks.

"Ah, I forgot to establish what I get if I win… hmm… Eh, whatever, the experience is more than enough of a reward." Bruno grabbed a card off the top of the deck with Amari doing the same.

"On the count of three, we both reveal our card."

"Alright, let's just get on with it," Amari said.

"One… two… three!" Bruno exploded with a burst of energy and slammed his card on the table revealing a two. Amari, with far less enthusiasm, revealed an eight." Dammit, how? Wait!" Bruno snapped his fingers once more, flipped his card back over and spoke.

"[Reroll]." When he flipped the card back over, everyone saw the same card had changed into… a four.

"That's unlucky, isn't it? Well, a deal's a deal. I'm a man of my word, so I shall take you lot to where I believe Sir Ardeo's sacred grave spot is located," Bruno said while giving the group a graceful bow.

"In the morning, though, it'll be dark soon, and I'd rather not deal with any monster lurking about."

"That's fine by us. Assuming you're not lying of course. You don't happen to plan on leaving in the middle of the night do you?" Gita asked.

"I mean, it's not like any of us truly believe you know where the grave is, it's just that we don't have any other options."

"My good lady! Did I not tell you my title is Bruno 'The Honest and Fair Gambler'?" Bruno said, feigning offense.

"But you just tried to cheat…"

"Key word: tried. As I failed in my attempt, I think I speak for all of you when I say… we forgive you, Bruno." Then with that, Bruno hastily left the tavern, leaving the group to wonder what the hell just happened to them. After some more fruitless discussions about what had happened, Terry rejoined the group and informed them he must quickly leave to head for the city of Dynarus before the morning.

Oscar wondered what a city looked like in this world and almost asked to ride with him, but he didn't want to risk losing a lead on one of the stones.

"I'd planned on offering you folk a ride, but there'd be a strong chance that I'd have to leave you in Dynarus. And I just couldn't do something cruel like that to ya, so here's some extra coin to help." He placed a slightly larger bag of coins on the table, which Amari grabbed.

"The roads to Dynarus are pretty safe, so I'd recommend ya all head that way after resting a bit in this town. I hope to see all of ya again and next time in better spirits… and wealth!" He added with a laugh and a short nod, then promptly turned around and exited the tavern. Oscar may have only known the man for a short bit of time, but he would sorely miss his company and generosity. Especially compared to the man who was, in a sense, effectively taking over in his stead.

Assuming Bruno hadn't lied to them, of course. Everyone ordered one more drink before finally heading off to find a spot to stay the night. With the money that Terry gave them, they had more than enough to rent their own rooms. The local inn was a cozy two story building, made of some type of exotic looking redwood. Or maybe it was just regular wood in this world. Regardless, the place looked nice. The lobby was wide and had a fire going, but didn't warm up the room at all it seemed like.

Which was good, because the weather outside was a little hot already. Amari handled the payment, and had seemed to be a normal transaction. Then someone else had entered the inn and called over the inn's worker for a private chat. It had seemed pretty urgent, but when the worker had returned, it was business as usual. After they had rented their own rooms, Oscar climbed into his rented bed and collapsed. The weight of everything he had learned and been through today had caught up.

And despite how draining and terrifying it'd been to meet Friend again… he had some of the best sleep he'd ever had. Well, that was until he abruptly woke up to the smell of smoke and discovered that his room was burning.