Divinity's Divinations: Chapter 1 – Gambling for Direction

Chapter 1 – Gambling for Direction

“There’s only one card left for the dealer to play, Bonaventura. I have two aces and already have my four of a kind, meaning you either have to get the royal straight flush you said you’re aiming for, or you’re going to lose. What do you think your odds are?”

“Heh, pretty low, but the crowd and I are excited to see it happen. If it doesn’t, it was fun to almost see it. If I do, I break your short-lived winning streak of one over me.”

“Heh, I’ll be sure to even the wins and losses between us yet. Dealer. Play the last card, and give the crowd a show.” The dealer plays the last card, and sure enough, it’s a king, giving me a royal straight flush and making the surrounding crowd go wild.

Testardo doesn’t look as disappointed as I thought he’d be. He holds back his disappointment, smiles, and laughs. “I must admit. That was pretty cool to see.”

“That was a good gauntlet of games we played. How about we call it a day?” I say as I hold out my hand.

Testardo shakes my hand, then says, “Yes. I just got the idea for some better games to play. Don’t you go out losing to anyone else, but me. I have to be the one to beat you.”

“Sure, sure, sure. Take it easy, Testardo.” As I leave the casino, I hear people in the crowds say things like, “The Saint of Games strikes again!” and “The Golden Child always gets up from defeat!” People ask for my autograph, and girls ask me out, all of which I simply smile at in response as security helps me leave. Going out onto the boardwalk of Sapphire City, I take in the fresh, salty air.

Don’t get me wrong. The unique smell of casinos with its smoke, alcohol, and ecstatic atmosphere is unique, but the smell of the ocean is even better.

Finding a secluded space for myself and looking out at the horizon gives me quiet time to think and reflect on the same thought that’s been bothering me for years. Will being a gambling protégé be the only thing I will be known for? My family owns one of the best casinos in Sapphire City, and out of all my siblings, I’m the best at gaming and running the business.

“Hey there! Are you feeling lost? Looking for purpose?”

The sudden sight of the colorful clown startles me, but he seems harmless. “Yes? I’m not going to join the circus to find it, though.”

“You don’t need to. How about you play the new, exciting card game called Divinity’s Divinations? Have you heard of it?”

“Yes, I have, but only have passing knowledge of the rules and the so-called supernatural quality of it.”

“Well, you should go with your gut feeling and give the game a try, Bonaventura. It will surely give you the guidance you’re searching for. You can find the cards for it at your parish of Saints Patrick and Anthony.”

“Uh. Thanks?” I watch the clown skip away, while humming a tune. I guess that was the answer to my prayers to try out the game. I go to the church of Saints Patrick and Anthony, an Italian-Irish church, and see people in its lower halls, praying, lighting candles, being in adoration, waiting for confession, and talking.

I say hello to the older people I know; they call me the Saint Child, like they always do, and we exchange small talk before I ask where I can buy cards for Divinity’s Divinations, and they direct me to my aunt, Sister Margaret.

Finding her near the relics of Saints Patrick and Anthony, I say hello and ask her about the cards. “Oh, those? Are you ready to play such a game? It’s said to reveal aspects of your life that you may be overlooking and give you guidance on where to take it. Do you need such clarity and guidance?”

“I, uh…must admit that I do. I’m sorry to say this after asking you and Father Miriel for help and saying you gave good advice, only to come back for more clarity and guidance.”

“Pssh. There’s never any shame in asking for more help. Come with me.” Following Sister Margaret to the parish shop, she goes through a box of cards, looks at me, and hands me a deck with modifier cards, a dealer card, and a bunch of numbered cards.

“Hmm. What deck is this and why did you hand me this out of every other one in there?”

“No one buys or chooses a deck for themselves for this game. A spiritual director chooses it for them after examining their soul, and knowing yours, I think the Sufferer’s deck is best for you. You are a saintly child who knows the most about how to use the struggles of life for your sanctification, after all.”

Looking through the cards, I see that they’re pretty interesting. Reading through some of it out loud, I say, “The dealer’s effect is a multiplier of seven for every round when I give away a card, and its automatic win condition is if I give away a total of three times. The Penitent modifier is a chain that activates when a card on either side is given. The Lovers is an interesting card, and I like how its representation says that to love and live is to suffer. That’s certainly true.”

“Yes. Those are some very good cards. The game came out not too long ago, so there’s some balancing that needs to be done, but the imbalance between them is intentional, from what I heard. Be sure to take advantage of it before an official board of gaming ruins it and makes it boring.”

“Remember. The modifier cards have to be face down and spun around so it’s randomized whether or not you get the up or down effect of it, and your number cards matter as much as the modifiers. You can only have ten numbered cards in your deck, have three of one number, and the total number value of your deck can’t be less than fifty-five and no more than seventy-seven.”

“Right, right. I’m reading through the little rule list you gave me, and it looks simple enough to catch onto. Thanks, sister. How much do I owe you for this?”

“Nothing at all. Just have fun with them. I hope and pray that you find what you’re looking for.”

“Thank you as always, sister. I’ll see you later.” Heading out of the church, I think of where I can play with these cards, and the obvious answer comes to me. I go into the casino Testardo’s family owns with my cards in hand. While walking around, looking for him, it’s not long until he finds me instead.

“Bonaventura! I didn’t think I’d see you so soon.”

“I know your security lets you know when I enter the building, and how eager you are to settle the score between us. I think you know why I’m here.”

“Given those cards in your hand, I know why. It’s funny because I was going to tell you to get cards for Divinity’s Divinations so we can play it. Good thing I have my own deck handy, since the game is so popular nowadays. Let’s find a table and see who Divinity’s favor has.”

Testardo and I go to a plain, gaming table where a crowd starts to form and make bets on who’s going to win. To start the game, Testardo flips a coin and asks if I want heads or tails. I say heads, and it turns out to be tails. “I’ll go first. Since you’re new to the game, I’ll show you how it’s played. My experience also gives me an edge, so this’ll be you learning by being thrown into the deep end.”

“That’s fine with me. You’ll need all the advantage you can get against me.”

“Heh. We’ll see about that. Let’s start with round one. Draw three cards. I can only use up to three modifiers during each of the three rounds, but can’t use all of them during the last. First, I’ll flip over my modifier, The Thief. I got the Up effect, so I’ll take the highest value card from your hand.” Testardo takes a look at my hand and takes a ten. Next, I’ll use my Tyrant modifier, which I flip over to reveal that I must use its Up effect, so we play the top two cards of our deck and skip the next draw.” From Testardo’s top deck, he plays a five and a six, while from my top deck, I play a ten and an eight. “That’s some good luck.”

“I try to keep the odds in my favor.”

“Now, I’ll play the Criminal modifier. Turning it face up, I see that I have the Down effect, and I’ll have to command you to draw three cards from the top of your deck.” I do exactly that. Testardo takes a nine, and he gives me a three. “Shuffle the rest into your deck and draw a new hand of three cards.” Again, I do what Testardo says. “I play a ten and end my turn.”

“A thief, a criminal, and a tyrant. What’s the difference between them? They all seem like immoral characters.”

“Their profession is their only difference, but you know that each can be virtuous. There’s the good thief Robin Hood and the thief who died by Jesus’ side. Many people were called criminals who founded this country, and some people are criminalized for living out the true faith in other countries, such as the time after Jesus’ resurrection. People call the Pope a tyrant and crusader kings, even though they merely exercised their power against sinful and corrupting forces.”

“Ah, you’re right. Well spoken too.”

“Why, thank you, Bonaventura. Don’t forget my Dealer’s automatic win condition. If I give three commands, I win, and I’ve already given one.”

“Alright. Let’s see what I can do then. I flip over The Prisoner modifier to reveal that I have the Up effect and choose this modifier of yours to be face down for the rest of the game.”

“Tch, lucky and cheap, but smart gamble.”

“You know that’s my playstyle. Let’s try playing The Leader next. It’s given me its Down effect, so I’ll take a card from your hand, the ten that you took, and you can play the lowest card left.” Testardo smiles and plays an eight. “I flip over The Worker modifier. It’s given me its Up effect, so I’ll shuffle these cards I have and draw a new hand.” Since I can’t play another modifier, I put down an eight and a nine and end my turn.

“What does a Prisoner, a Leader, and a Worker all have in common?”

“I’d say they’re all slaves to who they work for.”

“Correct. You’re not doing so well. Your score at the end of this round is thirty-five, whereas mine is six hundred and nine due to my Dealer’s end-of-round multiplier for taking a card and giving a command, and we only have one more slot to play a numbered card.”

“Tch. You’re right, but you should know by now never to doubt my end-of-game comebacks.”

“Heh. You’re right. I did that during our last poker game, so I’ll try to keep my advantage. I flip over the Dogmatic modifier. Yes! The Down effect is in play, allowing me to command you to play a card from your hand on either side. Let me see your hand. Let’s play this nine on my side. All I need is one more command to win the game, so let’s not hold off my victory any longer. Turning over my Enforcer modifier…

The crowd gasps. “You got lucky. It’s the Down effect. I’ll change this five and six on the field with a nine and a ten.”

“Hmm. What about that remaining modifier and numbered card slots?”

“Oh, the modifier is a special card, only activated at the end of the game. Don’t worry about my last card slots either. Go ahead and make your move.”

“Don’t mind if I do. Since you’re taking this so seriously and I’m behind, I’m going to pull out all the stops. I flip up the Fool card, and seeing that it’s the Down effect, I give you a ten from my deck. Because I gave you a card, two of my modifiers automatically activate. With the Penitent modifier, the Up effect forces me to give you a card of my choice from my hand or deck. In this case, I’ll give you a three. Next, the Lovers modifier is Up, so I have to give you another card of equal or greater value, so have another three.” The crowd cheers and gasps at what happened, while Testardo looks a little upset.

“That’s it then. Even if my event card, my last modifier, Death, gives me good cards my next turn, I can’t win since you’re multiplying this round’s score by seven three times. You just have too many points for me to catch up to.”

“Do you want to keep playing, or are you saying that you’re calling it quits?”

“I’m calling it quits. I know when I’m beaten.”

I shake hands with Testardo while the crowd cheers for me, and those who made bets give away their losses and take their winnings. “That was a good last play. I guess Divinity does prefer you more. I should’ve seen it coming, not just because of the kind of cards you have, but because of all my losses against you.”

“Don’t sound so down. It’s always fun to play with you, and you’ve given me a good warm-up match.”

“Thank you, Bonaventura. I hope you find what you’re looking for. I’m actually surprised you’re playing it since I thought you had everything in your life set for you.”

“I’m set in terms of wealth, but not so much in purpose and what to do with what I have.”

“Heh. I guess I can find comfort in saying that I have that over you. Through this card game and soul-searching in adoration, I’ve found my purpose in my family’s business and my rivalry with you, both of which help me grow to greater heights. That’s why I want to keep facing you in games, and I think I’ve grown quite a bit, especially with my few victories against you earlier today.”

“I’m glad to hear you found purpose in our rivalry, and yes, you’re definitely catching up to me. Till next time, my friend.”

After shaking hands and then hugging, Testardo suggests, “If you’re looking for more opponents, you should try asking around here. Hosting this new and popular game is boosting profits for my family’s business.”

“Will do.” I walk around the Testardo family’s casino, seeing many people play Divinity’s Divinations. They keep going game after game, not allowing me a chance to play with any of them. I try asking the people around them if they want to play, but they don’t have the cards and are just interested in watching.

“Bonaventura!”

Great. I forgot that I shouldn’t spend too much time at one location. I try evading my stalker, Jess, through the crowds, but she eventually catches up to me.

“I heard you were here, playing games with Testardo.”

“What do you want, Jess?”

“My first, and most important question is about my wedding ring. Where is it?”

“I told you that we were kids when I told you I’d get you one. We’re just friends.”

“We’re not just friends to me. What about all the time we’ve spent together since we were kids? You aren’t close to any other women, right?”

“No, and we’ve only spent so much time together because you didn’t give me any other choice. I didn’t want to tell you no when you offered.”

“See? That means you do love me!”

“I don’t know what to call what I feel about you. I do tell you no, especially when you randomly show up in my room and pretend to be my girlfriend when other girls are around.”

“That’s because I am your girlfriend, and refuse to let anyone else have you. I’ve already spoken to your parents, and they’ve approved of our marriage. Heck, Sister Margaret and Father Miriel also say we should be together.”

This is what I don’t like about being around Jess. She grapples onto my arm and doesn’t leave until she gets what she wants, and even when she gets what she wants, she wants more. There was one time she had me against a wall and wouldn’t let go without a kiss, so I gave her one on the cheek, but then she kept kissing me on the lips and wanted that wedding ring she always brings up. I only got out of that situation because of security and friends. “Alright, what’s your other question?”

“My other question is, are you okay? I’ve heard that you’re playing Divinity’s Divinations, and people only play that when they’re lost or looking for a purpose. Don’t you know that I am your purpose? Your place of comfort to go to when you need help? As your future wife, you ought to come to me when you need advice or a shoulder to cry on.”

“I appreciate the concern, but I don’t think I’ll need your help.”

“I’m not done talking,” Jess says with a finger on my lips. “I also have cards for Divinity’s Divinations on me, so how about we play a game? Everyone here says you’re looking for someone to play with.”

I sigh then say, “Okay. Let’s play, but I feel like you want something if you win.”

“Of course I do! If I win, we have to immediately go get a wedding ring, you have to propose to me on the spot, and I’ll say yes.”

Why do I feel like my life is on the line? “Okay. Deal.” Going to a table, another crowd of people forms and places their bets on us. I think there are even more people here because they heard about what Jess wants in return, and many women are rooting for her.

We flip a coin; I bet heads, Jess bets tails, and I win the coin toss, letting me go first. We draw our cards, set up our modifiers, set down our Dealer, and start playing. Not wanting to mess around at all for this game, I play the one modifier I didn’t use with my game with Testardo, The Divine. “I got the Up effect with this modifier, so here, take this five, seven, and eight from my card deck. Because I gave you cards, my chain modifiers, The Lovers and The Penitent activate.”

“Ack! The Penitent’s down effect is active, so I have to give you a modifier that you have to immediately use. Umm…here.”

I give Jess The Fool. When she flips it over, she gets the Up effect and plays a ten from her deck. “Thank you, my love. Since you gave me a modifier, my own chain card activates. Innocence and Guilt is flipped up, and with its Up effect, I flip a coin. The result is tails, so I keep the modifier and use The Fool again, so I’ll gladly put another ten on the board.”

“Moving on, The Lover’s Down effect lets me take a random card from your hand.” Taking a card from Jess, I see that I’ve gotten a one.

“Because you took a card from me, another of my chain modifiers activates: Mercy and Justice. The Down effect tells me to flip a coin. Let’s see if I’m going to be extra lucky. I call heads.” Jess is right, and she takes back her one, takes a ten from my deck, shuffles it for me, and returns it with a kiss on it.

At least I gave away cards two times so that my score this round will be multiplied by seven twice. Looking at the rest of my cards, I play a nine and a six and end my turn.

“I’m feeling good about my chances of winning this! I can already hear the wedding bells! Did you intentionally use those cards to show your love for me?”

“No, it’s just the theme of the deck. Suffering is necessary for true love, after all.”

“Ah! You’re right. You’ve mentioned suffering because of me before, so that must mean you’re truly in love with me!”

“I was joking, and love can be more than romantic love. Can you please take your turn?”

“Yes! Since I don’t exactly remember the rules about whether or not using your modifier adds to my three modifiers per round limit, I’ll just put down the ten I took from you, then a ten and a nine that I drew, and end my turn.”

Why am I getting a bad feeling about this? Her end-of-round score may be forty nine and mine is five thousand one hundred forty-five, but her dealer can double the count of her cards and multiply them by how many times she called the coin flip correctly. There’s also her automatic win condition that’s still open.

Come on, I can’t let that possibility of her winning get to me. I still have the lead and the chance to automatically win. Jess and I draw two cards this round and start it.  Flipping up the Prisoner modifier, I see that it’s given me the Down effect, so I play a random card from my deck, a five, and now I have to draw one less card the next turn. Okay, now I’ll flip over the Leader, and it’s given me its Up effect. “Here, Jess. You can take this seven from my deck and play a random card from your hand.” Jess puts her cards face down, shuffles them around on the table, and plays one of them, an eight. “What? Do you just have a bunch of high numbers in your deck?”

“I do, but I even it out with lower numbers. You can’t be certain when someone is going to take one of them, so I have to keep a lot of lower numbers just in case.”

Turning over my last modifier, The Worker, it's given me its Down effect to give two cards, so I give two random cards from the top of my deck and take one random one from Jess’s. I play all cards: five, seven, three, and one, and end my turn. I’m done already. I don’t think there’s anything else better I can do. There goes my automatic win, but at least I’m far ahead of her in terms of points. Why did I throw it away?

“You may deny it, but Divinity is trying to bring us together into eternal marriage. I flip over Sun and Moon. With its Down effect, I’ll take your Lover’s modifier. Let’s see if I can use it how I want.” Jess flips a coin, landing how she calls it, so she uses the Down effect of the Lover and takes another ten from my deck that she puts down.

“Next up is Love and Hatred, and with its Down effect, I flip a coin again. Ah! I called it wrong, but I get to switch at least one card, so I’ll switch my eight with your nine.”

“Heading into the final round, I think my chances are good despite my total score being one hundred seventeen and yours being six thousand six hundred fifteen. Your automatic win condition is forfeit, so I can win if I call most or half of my coin tosses right, and right now, I’ve called two of three right.”

Keeping my composure, I say, “Let’s finish this then, if you’re so confident about your chances.”

“I’m always confident about my chances. That’s why I have this coin flip deck. Just like a flip of the coin, things can either turn out good or bad for you, but you can always turn a bad situation into a good one with the right know-how.”

“You’re right, but it doesn’t look like I can do anything about my situation, especially at the end of the game.” I draw my last two cards, play a seven, and pray for the best.

“I don’t see why we should keep our fate waiting any longer, then, so let’s skip to the end. With my dealer, I flip a coin and call it to double or leave the value of my seven cards as is.” Jess starts flipping a coin with the crowd around us silent and holding their breath. She flips it; calls it right, flips it; calls it right, flips it; calls it wrong, flips it; calls it wrong, flips it; calls it right, flips it; calls it wrong. “Come on!” Flipping the coin one more time, she calls it wrong, ending the game in my favor, with me winning in terms of points. Thankfully, she called it right only five times and wrong six times, depriving her of her automatic win. Thank you, God.

The crowd cheers, and the gamblers collect their bets or lose them. Tipping my hat, I say, “Good game, Jess. You almost got me there. Well, I’m sure I’ll see you later.”

Jess grabs my shoulder and says, “Wait, Bonaventura.”

“What? I don’t want another game with you.”

“That’s not what I want to ask. I want to know if this game has helped you. This is what this game is supposed to do, and I want to know if I played my part in helping you find what you’re looking for.”

“Hmm. You do have a point for me to think about.” Giving it some thought, I say, “My game with Testardo made me realize how valuable his rivalry with me is to keep both of us on our toes and growing stronger and smarter together, while our game taught me…I don’t know that I can’t escape you for better or worse, so yes, you helped me, but I need to play more. I’ve only just started after all.”

“You’re stuck with me forevermore, all for the better with no downsides. I’ll accept that answer. Now, for the second question.”

“Kiss me. On the lips this time, not on the cheek.”

“I didn’t say I would if you lost.”

“Come on. I feel so bad for almost marrying my husband-to-be. Can’t I have this sympathy prize?”

The crowd is tightly surrounding us and cheering for us to kiss. Jess is also right in my face, pursing her lips. Feeling that I have no other choice, I kiss her on the lips, and the crowd cheers louder than they did when I won. I feel Jess pulling my hand toward her, so I instinctively pull away and see that she’s trying to put a ring on my finger. “Hey, what trick are you trying to pull?!”

“Did you think I didn’t have a contingency if I lost? You will marry me, Bonaventura!”

I fight against Jess, trying to put a ring on my finger, while the crowd cheers, goes wild, and a few even try to help her by trying to pull away my other arm and push my other arm towards her.

The casino’s security comes in with Testardo leading the way and freeing me from Jess’s grasp. “Everyone clear the way and leave my friend alone. That includes you too, Jess.”

“I’ll never forget or forgive this, Testardo. I’ll get you one day, Bonaventura! I'd better see you seeing me sing tonight! Don’t forget that we’re meant to be together! You are mine!”

“I swear that woman. Thanks for the save. I owe you one. Add that as a hundred wins over me if you want.”

“I will. I must admit, though, that I’m not sure what I would’ve done if I saw her win and you having to propose to her. I’m sure she would’ve dragged you off to get married and had her way with you all night.”

“Please, don’t say that. She’s already tried. I would’ve appreciated the save then as well, even if I lost, just so I could’ve gotten out of marrying her.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want? You do seem close to her, even on dates she forces you to go on.”

“I…I don’t know, man. Maybe it’s a kind of Stockholm syndrome. I still need to play more games and pray to see what God wants me to do. Thanks again for everything.” Leaving the casino, I reflect on where to go next. There’s a clear road to go on, but I’m not sure where it leads, so I pray and move on, trusting that God will lead me to the correct place.