Tao didn’t look surprised to see me step forward.
“You want to give it a shot?” he asked.
I nodded.
I thought we were going to meet Walden, Sys groaned, dragging his hands down his face.
“It’s just a little side quest,” I muttered back while walking forward.
“Hey, that kid looks familiar—” A voice broke through the crowd. “BERIC?! What are you doing?!”
I turned to find Zachary staring at me in horror. His panic spread quickly through the people around him.
“What’s a kid doing there?”
“Isn’t that Beric?”
“Hey, kid! You’re not going to like this game!”
Tao only smiled and waved me over. “If you really want to play, I’ll humor you.”
I barely took a step before multiple hands yanked me backward.
“What were you thinking?!” Zachary yelled, shaking me so hard my words vibrated.
“I-I-I wanted to—” My voice bounced with every shake.
“Zachary, please,” Nyra sighed. “Let the boy go.”
Once freed, I tried to explain. “I wanted to give it a try.”
“And why would you do that?” Zachary demanded. “Did you not just see Volk get obliterated? You’ll lose all your money too!”
I stared at him.
“Why do you care so much?”
He froze. “I.... uh—”
“Zachary was a close friend of your brother,” Mayern said with a smirk while smacking Zachary’s back. “Arthur, Zachary, and Rune were quite the troublemaking trio at village gatherings.”
Rune?
“They were an annoying trio,” Kaelyn corrected.
“You’re still angry about the time they dumped water on you?” Nyra asked.
“It was freezing water,” Kaelyn snapped.
“Honestly, you needed it,” Malo said through a mouthful of food. “You were even more hot-headed back then.”
“Oh, shut up.”
“We were talking about Beric,” Zachary cut in, flustered. He looked at me again. “Yeah, what they said is true. I hung around Arthur a lot when we were younger, so I-”
He cleared his throat and looked away. “I just don’t like watching you walk into that cursed old man’s scam.”
Mayern slung an arm over his shoulder. “Zachary means well. He’s just trying to protect you. And he’s lost quite a lot of money trying to beat Tao.”
“You lost just as much!” Zachary fired back.
“Yes, but I lost it all in one long match, and you lost yours across multiple first-round—”
“Okay, okay, that’s enough!” Zachary snapped, shoving Mayern’s arm off.
He turned to me again. “Beric, listen. I know you’re smart. Your fight with Malo proved that. But Tao is smart too. He knows exactly when to throw a coin, when to make you think you’re close, when to whisper hope into your ear so you’ll bet bigger, right before he guts your entire wallet.”
“The darkness he casts blinds you from seeing your own hands,” Noll added cryptically.
All of us stared at him.
“……..Yeah,” Mayern said slowly, “no idea what that meant.”
“Maybe he means Tao manipulates you into abandoning your strategy?” Nyra guessed.
“Nah,” Malo grunted. “Probably just means you feel lost when Tao starts trying.”
Kaelyn blinked. “You interpreted that? I’m genuinely shocked.”
“What does that mean?” Malo glared.
“You’re not exactly the type I’d expect to understand Noll.”
“And you can?” Malo said while pressing forward.
“I never said I did, but why are you assuming I can’t?” Kaelyn moved forward as well.
“Let’s maybe calm down?” Corven tried weakly. “Everyone’s looking at u—”
“Shut up, Corven!” they both snapped.
“Ok.” Corven meekly said.
“Oh, here they go again,” Mayern chuckled.
Zachary and I stood by side as we watched it all unfold.
He sighed heavily, and he turned back to me. “Beric, please. Don’t do it. Tao’s been running this hustle since before you were born. Kids, adults, travelers, it doesn’t matter. If you have coins, you’re just another idiot for him to empty.”
He’s probably right, you know.
You don’t have to do this.
True. Aside from needing money for Volk’s weapons and my own Artifact, there wasn’t really a great reason.
Actually, there is one. But it’s kind of embarrassing.
So I’ll go with the less embarrassing reason.
“Hey, Zachary.”
He looked at me.
“When I win, I want you to tell me what happened between Rune and my brother.”
His expression flickered to surprise, then conflict. “You……want to know about that?”
I patted his side. “Thanks for worrying. You’re a good guy. But don’t worry, I’ll win. I’m pretty good at gambling.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
And before he could argue, before anyone could stop me, right as the others noticed my absence and turned,
I stepped out of the crowd.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I stepped back up to the table.
Tao and the referee were already waiting.
Tao glanced toward the group behind me. “It seems that you know those kids,” he said mildly. “Not surprising, given your performance at the tournament.”
He watched me fight. That shouldn’t mean anything, I hope.
“Sorry for the wait,” I said, plopping into the chair with the most innocent grin I could manage. “My friends wanted to give me some last-minute advice.”
What are you doing? Why are you talking like that?
Sys noticed that I was now speaking in a very kid-like tone, which I hoped Tao would notice as well.
While the referee turned his back to hide the cups, Tao spoke again. “That’s good to hear. Friends are a blessing in this world. Their help, their advice-” He let the thought trail off, wearing the expression of someone pretending to reminisce. “You know, those friends of yours have all played against me before.”
I widened my eyes in fake curiosity.
“Really?”
He nodded. “Mayern even reached the third round once. Though, the others failed in the second, like everyone else.”
Three rounds. It was the limit that had been formed, or rather, it was the farthest anyone could go.
Tao leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing just enough to show a lethal interest. “Do you think you’ll do better than them?”
This is important.
“I dunno for sure…....” I said, puffing out my cheeks in a pout, then snapping back into a wide, innocent grin. “But I’ll try my best!”
Tao didn’t react.
Not a single twitch.
Dude. Stop acting like a baby. You’re stressing me out.
The referee returned and finished setting up the cups. “Beric, do you know how the game works?”
Yes. Yes, he knows. Let’s start and—
“No,” I said immediately.
Sys choked. Huh?!
Tao blinked. “What?”
“Then why did you come to play?” the referee asked.
“Can’t you just tell me now?” I tilted my head, layering on the innocence.
The referee let out a stiff smile. “Ah, sure. I can.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“What’s he doing?” Zachary whispered to the group. “Didn’t we explain the rules to him earlier?”
“And why is he acting like that?” Kaelyn added, squinting. “He looks like some clueless kid who wandered in by accident.”
“To be fair, he is a kid,” Malo said.
“A kid that beat you,” Nyra shot back.
Zachary tried to stifle a laugh.
“Hold on,” Malo snapped. “Why are you laughing? You lost too.”
“Okay, but you’ve got to admit,” Zachary said, raising his hands defensively, “Rune’s way stronger than before. Like, the guy can use all four elements now.”
“He resembles Zin more and more every day,” Corven agreed.
“At least Rune isn’t nearly as much of a dick,” Zachary sighed. “He was actually pretty chill after our fight.”
“I heard he used to be some kind of bully,” Malo said.
“I heard that too. I just hope what I saw wasn't some act." Zachary wondered out loud.
“A shadow will always remain a shadow,” Noll muttered.
“Word, brother, wait, no, hold on. We’re getting off track.” Zachary leaned forward. “Why is Beric asking about the rules? And acting like that? It’s like he’s trying to be seen as easy prey.”
“I think he is,” Mayern said quietly.
They all turned to him.
“What do you mean?” Nyra asked.
“He might be doing it to lower Tao’s guard,” Mayern said slowly. “Though I don’t know why.”
“Why?” Kaelyn asked.
Mayern hesitated, then swallowed. “We’ll just have to watch and see.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Do you understand now?” The referee asked after he gave me a brief summary of how the game worked.
“Yes, thank you!” I said gratefully.
“Good, now we can-”
“But, um, wait!” I blurted, raising my hand like I was in school.
The referee paused mid-sentence. “Yes?”
“If I start losing…....can I quit?”
The referee blinked. “Quit the game?”
I fidgeted, rubbing my thumbs together. “I-I only have my allowance with me. If I lose it all, my sister’s going to yell at me again.”
I looked down miserably. “She says I’m not supposed to spend it all in one place.”
The referee winced, unsure what to say, and slowly turned to Tao. “Uh.....that’s…...new.”
Tao laughed softly and waved a hand. “Let the boy quit if he wants. I’m not here to bankrupt children.”
Zachary crossed his arms. “Didn’t stop him from bankrupting me.”
The referee cleared his throat. “Since Tao agrees, yes, Beric, you may stop before losing everything.”
I brightened instantly as I clapped my hands. “Really?! Thank you!”
Tao nodded with a smile. “Good, now-”
“Hey, hold on!” a voice rang out.
We all turned.
It was Volk, pushing through the crowd with an angry expression.
“Volk?” Tao called.
“Change the referee!” Volk barked. “I’m not letting you cheat a kid like Beric too!”
Tao let out a long, tired sigh. “I’m telling you, it’s not the referee.”
Volk didn’t care. “Switch the ref! Switch the ref! Switch the ref!”
“Switch the ref! Switch the ref!" The crowd began chanting, picking it up like a tavern riot chorus.
Tao frowned. “Fine.” He glanced at the referee. “You heard them.”
The referee only shrugged.
Tao raised his voice. “Alright then, who do you all want as the new referee?”
A few hands lifted, to only get immediately got accused of being an accomplice of Tao, forcing each volunteer to sheepishly lower their hand again.
“Anyone?” Tao tried again. “No one? Not a single person you all agree is truly ‘impartial’? Someone with zero chance of ‘secretly’ working with me?”
Then something like lightning rippled through the crowd. A wave of heads turning, people shifting aside, drinks sloshing, all attention funneled toward one man sulking alone over a mug.
“Huh? Why do I feel like—” The man turned, revealing Adam.
Instantly the crowd erupted.
“Get up, lazy drunkard!”
“C’mon, ref the game!”
Adam stared back, dead-eyed, taking a long sip. “Why would I? It’s my break. I’m not wasting it on some dumb game.”
“Just do it!” someone yelled. “It’s not like you’re doing anything important!”
Adam’s head snapped up. “Who said that?! I’m not doing anything important because I just spent the entire day cleaning all the spectator seats!”
“So?”
Adam ordered another drink. “I busted my ass setting everything up. All I want is peace and quiet. That’s it.”
“Is it really work if you don’t get paid?” another voice chimed in.
“Yeah,” someone else agreed. “Is it a job if you don’t get paid?”
Silence.
Adam froze…….then hunched over.
And then—
“THAT’S WHAT I SAID!” he wailed, bursting into tears and hugging the table. “Why do I spend hours doing all that work when I don’t even get a single coin for it?!”
No one answered. They all just looked at each other awkwardly.
Volk stepped forward. “Come on, Adam, it’s alright. We really do appreciate everything you’ve done.”
Adam hiccupped. “I don’t give a rat’s ass. All of you can go suck it.”
Ouch.
Volk forced a smile. “We just need you to oversee one game. That’s it. And hey, if you do well, maybe people will tip you?”
“Here’s a tip,” Adam slurred, shoving Volk away. “Leave me alone.”
“But it’s Beric!” Volk tried.
Adam glanced at me. “That kid again? So what? Not my problem. And I don’t plan on making it my—”
“I’ll pay for your next drinks!” someone shouted.
Adam shot to his feet instantly, face switching to serious mode like flipping a coin.
“You know,” he declared, “I’m something of a gambler myself.”
He sobered up real fast.
“Nothing is more sobering than free drinks.”
