Chapter
2 – Against Experienced Risk Takers
As I wander through the neon-lit streets of
Sapphire City, I look at the many arcade bars, casinos, bar restaurants, party
halls, and card and board game stores, all of which have people playing
Divinity’s Divinations. After playing a couple of games of it, I see why it’s
so popular, and the promise of supernaturally finding your place in life and
more about yourself is a nice bonus. Still, I wonder where I should go next. I
have so many options, and yet, I don’t know which is the right one.
“Why don’t you go to the tavern where Jess is
singing?”
I jump back and say, “I don’t know what’s
scarier, you appearing out of nowhere behind me or that suggestion.”
“If the thought of marrying her is so scary,
why did you so easily accept a game where you could’ve ended up doing so? Also,
what are you going to do with that thing you’ve been playing with in your
jacket’s pocket all the time?”
“You seem to be a man who’s spiritually in
tune with the world, so I won’t ask why you know what I have, why you know what
I’m thinking about, and why you keep appearing out of nowhere. I only ask why
you think going there is a good idea.”
“If it’s Jess you’re afraid of seeing, she
won’t be there until you’ve finished your games with your opponents. There will
be two people there who will want to play with you, like Joey, the gambling
fanatic, and Regina, the criminal turned agent and sister of your friend
Testardo.”
“Thank you, strange man. Next time, can you
not scare me when you want to talk to me?”
The clown man laughs and merrily skips away.
What a weirdo. A helpful weirdo, but a weirdo nonetheless. Going to the Rabbit
Tavern, where Jess sings, I find it decently packed with people playing,
watching sports, and having a nice evening with family and friends. Sure
enough, as the clown said, I see Joey, the gambling maniac, sitting by himself,
itching to play something with anyone.
“No one wants to play with me? Come on! Who
doesn’t want a challenge or the chance to play with such a famous player like
me?”
“It’s because of your playstyle, Joey. You go
for high gambles, so people aren’t sure if you’re going to pull a win out of
nowhere or through a game for the sake of an exciting play. You are Joey, the
Crazed Gambler, after all.”
“Hey! Bonaventura! Whatcha doing here? I
thought you were afraid of being around Jess.”
“I should be gone before she arrives, and I’m
here as an answer to your prayers. I’m looking for someone to play Divinity’s
Divinations with, as I’m on a quest for more direction in my life,” I say as I
sit down with Joey at his table and take out my cards.
“Ahaha! Yes! You indeed are, and want to play
the exact game I want to play the most,” Joey says as he takes out his cards
and some dice. “Divinity’s Divinations is one of the purest manifestations of
God’s providence. Seeing this divinity show up in gambling is what makes it so
addicting and interesting. When we gamble, providence decides who wins and who
loses, and we see the hand of God choose a winner, a loser, or decide a draw. Lesser
men call it luck because they have no better word for such an invisible force
that somehow makes the impossible possible, but people like you and I know
better.”
“Alright, alright, let’s play the game, my
friend.” Joey and I flip the coin. He is giddy with excitement and tries to
keep himself still. Joey wins the coin flip, so he goes first as we draw our
three cards.
“Here we go! I might as well start big by
flipping over the All or Nothing modifier; its Up effect, allowing me to roll
for my automatic win condition.” Joey rolls a six, another six, and then
another six, the exact numbers he needed to roll to lose the game
automatically. It’s always funny to see him throw games like this when he wants
to be flashy.
“Hold up, hold up. I can use my Shake It Up
modifier to save me from an instant loss. It’s given me its Down effect, so I
shuffle my hand into my deck and draw a new hand with an extra card.” Joey
redoes his last dice roll and gets a three. “Ha! At least I got one of the
threes. If I roll another two threes during the game, I automatically win.”
“That’s great, Joey. Can you please stop
messing around and play the game seriously?”
“I am playing the game seriously, given my
personal deck’s playstyle. It’s all about the gamble and roll of the dice, just
like me, but I get what you’re saying. For my last modifier of this round, I
flip over One in the Chamber. With its Up effect, I draw a card, an eight,
place it in the play area, and roll my dice to add value to it. Alright!
Another three! I’m just one away from an automatic win! I place a ten, three,
and five, and end my turn.”
“That wasn’t too bad, but I am on the ropes
if you are going to win instantly. I might as well play along, so I play The
Fool. Okay, then. I get its Down effect, so you can take this ten from my deck.
Giving you a card activates my two chain cards. The Lover’s Down effect allows
me to take a card from your hand, and the Penitent’s Up effect tells me to give
you a card, so you can have this card back that I just took.” What I have looks
good so far, so I put down a five, seven, and ten, and call it a turn.
“Yes, Bonaventura! Thank you! You’ve made
this so much more interesting by putting both of us on the edge of our
automatic win conditions. I may have a total of twenty-nine points, and you
have one thousand seventy-eight, but going for the Dealer’s win condition is
always more interesting than multipliers and adding numbers. Let’s keep the
thrill of the game going!” Joey and I draw two new cards.
“I flip over the Shuffle modifier. Let’s roll
some dice.” I roll a two while Joey rolls a six. “Ah! Almost got that three
that I needed. I got a good result anyway, so I choose to swap our numbered
decks rather than hands to keep this interesting. How about we go with Business
Deal? I got the Down effect, so you have to draw a card, put it face down, and
roll dice to add value to it. You can see what the card is, but I can’t, and
you have to ask me which card you want to exchange it with on my playing field.
You also have the option of re-rolling to get a better value.”
I got a five and rolled a five. “How about I
take your ten?”
“Hmm. I think I’ll take it.”
“Aha! Good move. You get a ten for a ten.” I
put my well-earned ten in my playing field as Joey flips over his next
modifier, Pick a Card. “The Down effect is in play, so we must roll dice to add
value to our cards of choice.” Joey rolls two threes that he adds the value of
to his eleven and his ten, while I roll a five and a three, which I add to my
ten and seven, respectively.
“There we go! Now I’m back in the game.”
“Don’t tell me you have a pair of weighted
dice on you.”
“I’m shocked you’d suggest such a thing.
Something like that is for cheating scumbags and introduces blasphemous
certainty into a game of divine providence. No, I know how to throw dice to
increase the chances of getting what I want.”
“It sounds like cheating, but then again, you
almost instantly lost the match at the beginning.”
“It doesn’t always work. It’s a skill, and
much like card counting, can be misinterpreted as cheating, so I’ll forgive
you. I’ll play two sevens and end my turn.”
“You’re right in that true skill can
sometimes be seen as cheating. Speaking of which, I play the Prisoner modifier;
its Up effect leaves your last modifier permanently face down.”
“That’s fine with me, since it didn’t involve
a dice roll.”
“Alrighty then. How about the Divine? With
its Down effect, I take three cards from your deck, or rather my own nine,
eight, and five.”
“That was boring. You almost fulfilled the
condition for your automatic win!”
“Let’s give it one more try then. Turning
over The Leader, the Up effect makes me give you a card from my deck, in this
case an eight, and you have to play a random card from your hand.”
Joey puts his cards face down, shuffles them
around with a grin on his face, and puts down a ten.
“I don’t know what you’re so giddy about. I
just secured my victory. I put down the nine, eight, and five I took and end my
turn. Game’s over.”
“Don’t you have another modifier to play that
will let you give a card?”
“Yes, but that would jeopardize my win. With
my last match with Jess, I accidentally did so and barely won because Jess
called a single coin toss wrong.”
“We can sometimes sin, even though we don’t
want to, but we can also act stupidly, and yet, this is all allowed in the
grand scheme of Divine Providence. If you’re meant to win this game, you’ll get
your automatic win. You can also win with the stupid amount of points you
have.”
“Yeah, but what’s the point? You haven’t
fulfilled your instant win condition either, so I’ll be winning either way.”
“In the competitive version of this game, you
have to use all your modifiers, and it’s a rule of honor to allow your opponent
the chance to get their automatic win at the end of the game, even if you
fulfilled yours, so we can at least draw. Come on, do it for the love of the
game! What are you going to lose if you do?”
“Okay, fine.” I turn over The Worker modifier
and get its Up effect that makes me shuffle cards and draw the same number. “I
still have my automatic win.”
“I can still make this a draw. Let’s roll the
dice and see if Divinity will allow it!” Joey rolls a five, a four, a three,
another three, and then rolls three sixes, making him automatically lose the
game. For some reason, he doesn’t look disappointed or mad. In fact, he looks
quite satisfied.
“Ahaha! What a fantastic display of
providence! You were indeed favored to win, Bonaventura. It was ordained from
the start, given my near automatic loss at the beginning and automatic loss at
the end.”
“Haha, thank you for the game, Joey.”
“I should be the one thanking you for it. I
feel satisfied for my need to see divine providence manifested for the time
being. May providence ever be in your favor, as it always has been, my friend.”
I take my cards, Joey takes his, and we go
our separate ways. Regina is the next player the clown told me I would find
her, and despite looking around the tavern and describing Regina to people, I
can’t manage to find her, so I sit down at the bar and order a red wine.
“Were you asking for me, Bonaventura?” Regina
asks as she suddenly sits next to me and orders a white wine for herself.
“Yes, I was. A clown told me you were here.
Would you mind playing a quick game of Divinity’s Divinations with me?”
“Why should I? What are you hoping to gain
from it?”
“I’m just searching for direction in life and
was told by the same clown who told me where you were that this was a good way
to do so. Bartender, I’ll pick up her tab.”
“I might be tempted to play with you just for
that. Anyways, do you know this clown and who he is?”
“No clue. He looks like he has three faces in
one. I don’t think he’s a secret agent of any kind like you, despite him
appearing out of nowhere like you like to do and knowing more than he lets on.”
“Hmm. I’ll have to look into that clown
later. No one knows where I am or where I go, besides the agency. You caught me
at a good time to play a game. The agency has me on standby doing casual
surveillance.”
“You wouldn’t be surveilling me, would you?”
“If I was, then you’d never know. I’m only
telling you because no one else can hear us in this tavern. I know you won’t do
anything with the information; you’re trustworthy, and our families are friends.”
“That’s good to know that an agent trusts me.
Let’s get to our game.” Regina and I go to a table, put down our cards, and
begin the game. She wins the coin toss and goes first.
“Let’s start big with the Evangelist
modifier. Its down effect makes your Dealer have the same effects as mine,
except your automatic win condition remains the same.”
“Sheesh. Talk about an opening move, and what
an effect your Dealer has, flipping all values of cards.” For Regina’s Dealer,
all values are flipped, meaning ones are now valued as tens, twos are valued as
nines, threes are valued as eights, and so on.
“There’s no reason to strike if you don’t do
so decisively, and no better way to take advantage of your opponent by throwing
them off their game. Speaking of which, the next modifier I use is the Enemy
with its Up effect, so we have to draw cards from each other’s deck.”
“Last, but not last, I flip over the Outcast.
Its Down effect skips your turn, allows me to draw another card, use an
additional two modifiers this turn, and allows you to do the same on your next
turn.” Regina puts down a three, a four, a seven, and a nine. “I flip over the
Killer modifier, and with its Up effect, I block one of your playing slots that
is valued at seven, but can’t be affected by modifiers and multipliers.”
“Wow, your cards are ruthless. I can only
imagine how you are as an agent and were as the mafia queen.”
“If you think this is scary, then what I’ve
done in my past would have you running from me. I play my Outspoken modifier,
and its Up effect gives us both an additional playing card slot, a mediocre
effect at this point. The round is over.” Regina draws a new hand of two cards
and immediately puts them down: a five and a six. “All I need is one more card
to put down of any number, and I win. What I’ve learned from my life and these
cards is that ruthlessness can be a good thing in the right circumstances. Acting
decisively can get you what you desire and snatch it before anyone can have the
chance to take it from you, whereas letting worry and thinking too much can
ruin you due to inaction and the loss of what you could’ve had.”
“Yeah? Is that what happened when you sold
out your own crew to the feds and helped them rid the state of other criminal
groups? I find it astounding how you were able to avoid jail, given the rumors
of what you’re guilty of. What I wouldn’t give to have been a fly on the wall
during that conversation.”
“Just know that I came back to my senses
because of Testardo and my other brother Duraturo, who helped arrange a deal
with the government that I have. I still have many years of service to give
them before they let me go.”
“My condolences.” Regina ends her turn, so I
can finally play. I have to make this count and act decisively as she did.” I
play the Prisoner, get its Up effect, and force one of her modifiers to stay
down, a move that gets no reaction from her. Right, she would’ve used one of
them if it helped her better secure her victory, but I just wanted to be safe.
Next, I play the Worker, get its Down effect, and don’t even pay that much
attention to the cards I give and take. All that matters is getting the
automatic win to at least make it a draw. The Lovers flips up and gives me its
Up effect, so I can give a card, and The Penitent flips up, giving me its Down
effect, so I give Regina the Leader. She plays it and gets the Down effect, so
she takes a card from my deck and makes me play the lowest card from my hand, a
seven. That’s it. I got the draw I wanted.
Regina and I set our number cards down
without much thought to finish the game. “That’s it. Our game ends in a draw;
however, my last card, an event modifier known as the Downtrodden, flips over.
Usually, whoever lost gets to decide if the game starts over, but since we
drew, I’ll let you decide. I’m fine either way.”
“I think we can leave it at a draw. It was a
hard-fought one anyway. These games seem to be over by the second round.”
“It’s a smart move, and what Testardo told me
to aim for. Me, I aim for a victory by the first round.”
“I saw that, and thank you for everything.
What you’ve said resonated with me.”
“Did it? Does that mean you’re going to
propose to Jess?”
“I still don’t know about that, or even how I
really feel about her, but I am leaning towards one way.”
“You’d better decide soon. You never know
when the opportunity will go away.”
“Anyways, would you like to share a drink and
meal while you’re here? Yes, I’m buying.”
“Heh, I’d leave if you weren’t.” Regina and I
enjoy some drinks and food together, sharing stories of old times and crazy
stories. She shares her criminal and agent stories, while I talk about my
closest gambles. It’s a good time, so much so that I lose track of time and
don’t think I should leave until it’s too late. I don’t need to turn around to
see who’s putting their arms around me or staring daggers into me. Regina even
laughs to give it away more.
“Ahem. Yes, Jess?”
“I’m glad you’re here, my love, but why are
you eating and drinking with Regina? You aren’t being unfaithful to me, are
you?”
“We’re just talking and eating dinner. You
can stop choking me now.”
“Prove that you love me in front of her by
kissing me on the lips.” I look over to Regina, who’s waiting for my decision.
God, help me choose correctly. Without a second thought, I kiss Jess on the
lips, who starts kissing me more and getting fresh with her tongue and hands,
until I push her off. She sits on my lap and says, “See that, Regina? This is
true love. Bonaventura is mine.”
“I see that. I won’t interfere, and pray and
hope for a bright, shared future for you both.”
I feel like I just locked the door behind me
and threw away the key, and yet, I don’t feel bad about it. In fact, I feel
like choosing otherwise would’ve been a sin.
Since I’m here, I have to stay and watch Jess
sing, and doing so reminds me why I feel so attached to her. She sings the love
songs while smiling and winking at me as if singing them just for me.
She’s a good person, despite how possessive
she can be over me. She practices the true faith with me, goes to confession
when she sins, and does what she can to answer God’s call for her. In her way,
she’s decisive like Regina is, and maybe I should do the same.
“I’m so glad you stayed the whole three
hours! Will you be taking me out after to someplace nice?”
“Actually, I thought about going to church myself
to pray on something in silence. That was great singing as always, Jess. I’ll
see you later.”
“Church is a nice place to go! I’ll come with
you!”
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