Quick note: As I mentioned, since I wanted to wrap up this arc quickly, everything will conclude in a single chapter. Truth be told, I decided to just rush through this chapter, and it probably would have been finished a day or two earlier, but some real-life matters came up, so I had to put it on hold for a bit. Feel free to skip this chapter if you want because it's kinda bad, but you should at least read the ending. The chapter where Cedric wakes up and reunites with everyone should be out around tomorrow! That's all :3
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...
...
The silence following Game 3 felt infinitely heavier than the apocalyptic roar that had preceded it.
A few moments ago, the stadium had vibrated with chaotic, bloodthirsty noise.
Millions of voices had crashed together into one enormous, incomprehensible wall of sound, rising and falling with every desperate, agonizing movement Cedric made inside the labyrinth.
The grinding gears of the clockwork arena ceased their eternal motion.
Vast sections of the labyrinth folded inward, their concrete surfaces breaking apart into countless geometric fragments before disappearing in flashes of cold blue light.
Cedric stood in the exact center of the emptying arena.
His chest rose and fell in slow, ragged intervals. A deep, bone-aching exhaustion settled into the very marrow of his body.
His defeat in Game 3 burned like a physical ember in his chest.
He had reached the very edge of victory. The radiant gold had literally brushed his fingertips before it was ripped away.
He lowered his gaze, staring quietly at his empty, dirt-stained hands.
Then, the world disappeared.
When Cedric opened his eyes again, the sprawling arena was gone.
He found himself in a white room, seated on a flimsy plastic chair beneath a sterile, featureless ceiling, while a spherical camera drone hovered mere inches from his face, its single red lens unblinking and utterly intrusive.
The sudden, absolute stillness disoriented him entirely, pressing heavily against his eardrums and creating a suffocating vacuum of sensory deprivation.
There was no wind, no cheering, no grinding of gears—only the dead air of a waiting room.
The camera's red light flared with a sharp bzzzt.
"Challenger Cedric."
The mechanical voice echoed slightly against the cramped walls, utterly devoid of warmth or empathy.
"You suffered a crushing defeat by a margin of mere inches. The cosmic audience demands an assessment. Is your spirit broken?"
Cedric did not flinch. He stared directly into the cold glass of the lens.
"No."
"Elaborate. State your overarching strategy moving forward into the final, definitive trial."
Cedric leaned back against the cheap plastic chair. Its metal joints groaned beneath his shifting weight, the only organic sound in the room.
"Nothing."
The camera remained motionless, buzzing with a faint, irritating electrical hum that gnawed at the silence.
"State your reasoning."
Cedric's purple eyes narrowed slightly.
The thick layer of exhaustion remained, but beneath it something colder had surfaced, sharp enough to cut through the fog in his head.
"Because it hasn't started."
Silence hung heavily in the room.
BZZZT.
The screen behind the camera turned completely black. The red recording light died instantly.
A heavy metallic sound echoed through the sterile room, vibrating through the floor.
CLANG.
The reinforced steel door violently exploded open, striking the wall with a deafening crash.
"There you are!"
The Dealer strode through the doorway with his arms spread wide in a grand, theatrical gesture. The ridiculous neon-floral shirt was gone.
In its place was an impeccably tailored three-piece suit of midnight-black silk that seemed to absorb the harsh overhead light rather than reflect it.
He wore a wide, anticipatory smile, perfectly mirroring a grandmaster taking his seat at a championship chessboard.
Cedric's gaze locked onto him. His expression remained an impenetrable mask of stone.
"You look highly entertained."
"I am!" The Dealer laughed, a rich, booming sound that vibrated through the tiny room.
His eyes remained fixed on Cedric.
"Not because you lost." His smile widened. "Because you lost after coming that close."
He turned elegantly and gestured toward the open doorway, where there was nothing beyond it but darkness.
"You made it through three games. You forced your way into the final. Most challengers never get this far." His voice remained cheerful, almost conversational. "So now I want to see what you do when I stop holding the game at arm's length."
He paused.
"Come. The audience awaits your final performance."
The transition did not wait for Cedric to stand. It began instantly.
The white linoleum floor dissolved beneath Cedric's wet sneakers like sugar in boiling water as the sterile walls stretched outward, tearing themselves apart into ribbons of blinding light.
Above him, the ceiling split open like the enormous mechanical shutters of a cosmic observatory, exposing the vast darkness beyond.
A terrifying darkness filled with swirling, radioactive nebulas, dying stars, and galaxies bleeding violet light opened directly overhead.
Then the lights ignited.
Thousands of them.
Millions.
Colossal pillars of solid, gleaming gold erupted upward from the abyss, forming the structural ribs of a new reality.
Massive, continent-sized crystal chandeliers floated freely in the zero-gravity atmosphere above, casting a warm, intoxicating amber glow over the expanse.
Endless oceans of deep crimson velvet unrolled across the void, creating a floor where there should have been only empty space.
The breathtaking architecture of a celestial casino violently overwrote the entire arena. It commanded the cosmic space with absolute, staggering opulence.
And everywhere, filling infinite terraces and floating grandstands—
People. Entities. Spectators. Millions of shifting holographic silhouettes in hues of sapphire, ruby, and emerald.
The roar hit Cedric exactly one second later.
RAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!
The concussive shockwave struck him like a solid wall of physical force, shaking his bruised ribs and vibrating his teeth.
The Dealer laughed again, throwing his head back to embrace the sheer magnitude of the noise.
"Much better."
High above the casino floor, suspended in the artificial stratosphere, the opulent VIP boxes illuminated one by one.
A raspy voice emerged from a box filled with rolling black mist.
[Rider]: "This is the final round. Shall we play that secret betting game again?"
A synthesized voice answered from the blue chamber beside him.
[Observer]: "As always."
A colossal framework of shifting gears turned once with a heavy metallic groan.
[Architect]: "All right."
Gambler leaned against the railing, idly turning a golden coin between his fingers.
[Gambler]: "Good. I want to see the reveal after the game."
A hulking silhouette shifted within the next box, light seeming to disappear around it.
[Glutton]: "I haven't placed mine yet."
A figure woven from glowing silver threads leaned closer to the glass.
[Weaver]: "Neither have I."
A spectral gavel struck the railing once.
THOOM.
[Judge]: "Then they remain hidden until the result is decided."
A hazy shape stirred lazily within its cloud-like chamber.
[Dreamer]: "Wake me when the wagers are opened."
Golden light flickered from the highest box.
[Joyful]: "Hehe. This part is always fun."
From the highest shadowed chamber, Abyss finally spoke.
Below the boxes, the Dealer stepped onto a raised circular platform illuminated by a single spotlight.
The roaring crowd immediately quieted, hanging on his every deliberate movement.
A single table rose seamlessly from the velvet floor.
It was a masterpiece of dark polished ebony, topped with deep blood-red felt and lined with gleaming gold trim. Two high-backed leather chairs sat opposite each other.
The Dealer walked toward the table and stopped halfway.
He turned toward the audience, raising a golden microphone to his lips.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
The response became a deafening, unified scream.
YESSSSSSSSSS!!!
"Entities from every corner of existence!"
Another wave of noise rolled through the casino.
YEAHHHHH!!!
"Welcome."
He snapped his fingers.
CRACK.
The lights went out.
For one suspended heartbeat, absolute darkness swallowed the entire casino.
Then blazing letters of golden fire ignited above the ebony table.
The Dealer did not announce the name of the game immediately.
He let the golden light hang above the table for several seconds before turning toward Cedric.
"Before we begin, there is a tradition you should know."
The crowd quieted just enough for every word to carry.
"When the Challenger enters the final game while trailing two victories to one, the fourth game becomes the deciding game."
A second line of golden text appeared beneath the first.
1–2 — FINAL GAME
"Winner takes all."
His smile widened.
"Win, and you overturn the entire match with a single victory. Lose, and your run ends here."
The audience erupted.
RAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!
The Dealer raised one hand, silencing them again.
"That tradition predates this table. It is one of the oldest rules of the arena: when the Challenger stands one game from defeat, the final wager is made immediately."
His eyes settled on Cedric.
"Everything you have done so far has led to this."
Only then did he turn back toward the title suspended above the table.
GAME 4
ARCANE BLACKJACK
The crowd exploded.
YEAHHHHHHHH!!!!!
The Dealer bowed dramatically, lowering the microphone.
"Arcane Blackjack."
A deck of midnight-black cards materialized perfectly in the center of the crimson felt.
Cedric walked forward, his wet sneakers sinking silently into the thick velvet carpet. He pulled out the heavy leather chair and sat down.
The darkness beyond the single low-hanging golden lamp above the table obscured the chaotic lights of the stadium.
For a few seconds, there was nothing left in his world except the Dealer, the cards, and the narrow circle of light between them.
The Dealer took the opposite seat. He casually picked up the deck and shuffled it with one hand in a flawless cascade of fluid motion.
Ffsh—ffsh—ffsh.
The sound of the cards sliding against one another was razor-sharp in the sudden quiet.
"The objective is familiar," the Dealer said smoothly. "Reach twenty-one without going over. Higher wins. Bust, and you lose."
Massive holographic screens appeared above the table.
The first displayed the ordinary card values.
2–10: FACE VALUE
J, Q, K: 10
A: 1 OR 11
The next display changed.
NATURAL BLACKJACK
A + 10 / J / Q / K = BLACKJACK
"A Natural Blackjack occurs when your first two cards are an Ace and a ten-valued card. It defeats any ordinary twenty-one."
Three diagrams appeared beneath it.
NATURAL BLACKJACK
↓
FIVE-CARD 21
↓
ORDINARY 21
"A five-card hand totaling twenty-one is stronger than an ordinary twenty-one, but weaker than a Natural Blackjack. Two hands of the same rank tie. A Natural Blackjack cannot be created retroactively by any Arcane effect."
Another screen appeared.
HIT — DRAW ANOTHER CARD
STAND — KEEP YOUR CURRENT HAND
DOUBLE DOWN — DRAW EXACTLY ONE MORE CARD, THEN STAND
SPLIT — DIVIDE A PAIR INTO TWO HANDS
The Dealer added, almost as an afterthought, "Double Down is declared after the first two cards and forces exactly one additional card before Stand."
"Split is available when the opening cards have equal value; each resulting hand must win for the round to count as a victory."
Cedric's eyes moved steadily across the display.
The Dealer continued.
"But this is not an ordinary Blackjack."
The next image showed a second deck appearing beside the first.
This one was smaller and marked with strange symbols.
Eight distinct cards appeared in the air.
Each had a black border and a different arcane symbol glowing beneath the surface.
"The deck contains sixty cards in total. Fifty-two are ordinary playing cards. The remaining eight are Arcane Cards."
The Dealer gestured toward them.
"Arcane Cards have no numerical value."
He turned the deck slightly in his fingers.
"When you draw an Arcane Card, you may resolve it immediately, or Set it facedown as a Trap. A Set card remains on the table until its trigger occurs, even if the round changes. You may have one facedown Trap active at a time."
"Some Arcane Cards are not traps. If their effect requires you to hold them, you may retain them in your hand instead."
Cedric's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The important part is the Chain."
The Dealer lifted one finger.
"When an Arcane Card is activated, the opponent may respond with a Set or retained Arcane Card whose condition allows it. That response becomes part of the same Chain. The newest effect resolves first. Once it has resolved, the next effect in the Chain is checked."
He tapped the black card in the center of the table.
"The cards are still subject to the rules of the game. They cannot alter a body-part wager, erase a loss, or ignore the Fixed Dealer requirement."
The cards turned one by one.
ORACLE — Reveal the top three cards of the deck and reorder them.
MIRROR — Choose one Number Card in your hand. Your next Number Card draw is treated as having that value.
REVERSAL — Reaction: when a Number Card is revealed, reduce its value by 2, to a minimum of 1.
FATE — Reveal the next card before a draw, then either keep it on top or send it to the bottom of the deck; rejecting it ends the current turn.
EXCHANGE — Trade one Number Card in your hand for the top card of the deck before your next draw.
BARRIER — Reaction: negate the first Number Card that would make you Bust this round.
NULL — Reaction: cancel the Arcane effect currently being activated or resolved.
JOKER — Keep it and end your turn, or discard it and draw one forced card. Under Fixed Dealer, the Dealer cannot use Joker to end a mandatory Hit.
The eight cards vanished.
"Arcane Cards can be drawn by either player," the Dealer continued.
"If an Arcane Card appears during the initial deal, it is revealed, placed into the Arcane Discard, and replaced with an ordinary Number Card. Every starting hand therefore begins with two point-bearing cards."
"Set cards are public only in existence, not identity. You will know that I have a Trap on the table. You will not know whether it is Reversal, Barrier, Oracle, or something else until I activate it."
Cedric gave the table a long look.
Then the screens dissolved and were replaced by a glowing diagram of a human body.
Specific limbs lit up in pale blue.
"Before every round, we wager one body part each. I announce one of my sides first. You take the matching opposite side."
LEFT LEG ↔ RIGHT LEG
LEFT ARM ↔ RIGHT ARM
LEFT EYE ↔ RIGHT EYE
His tone remained almost conversational.
"The pairings are fixed. Left leg against right leg. Left arm against right arm. Left eye against right eye. Whoever speaks first chooses the body-part type and side. The other player has no choice in the type—they take the corresponding opposite side."
"There is no required order for the three types. We do not have to begin with the leg, then the arm, then the eye. You can choose an eye first, then a leg, then an arm. You can choose leg, eye, arm. The order can be as irregular as you like."
The Dealer tapped the table once with one gloved finger.
"The important part is the cycle. Once a type has been wagered, that type is locked out until the other two types have each appeared once."
"So if someone wagers an eye, the eye cannot be wagered again until an arm and a leg have both been wagered. Those two can come in either order—eye, arm, leg, then eye again, or eye, leg, arm, then eye again."
"And because only one body part is being wagered in a round, there is no skipping ahead by declaring two types at once. One round, one type, one pair of opposing body parts."
The Dealer raised another finger.
"The player who announces the body-part wager first will alternate after every round. I will announce first in Round One. You will announce first in Round Two. I will announce first in Round Three. Then you again. It continues like that until the game ends."
He tapped the table again.
"Do not confuse that with the Blackjack turn order. The body-part announcer changes from round to round, but the Blackjack action itself does not. You always play your hand first. I play mine only after you have stood or busted, and when I play, the Fixed Dealer restriction determines every decision for me."
Cedric listened without interrupting.
"Do you understand?" the Dealer asked.
"Understood."
The Dealer's smile widened slightly.
"Good. Now the body wager has room for strategy."
The Dealer tapped the table once with one gloved finger.
"Every lost body part changes how you play."
He pointed to the eye diagram.
"Eye. If one eye is disabled, you can clearly read the numerical value on no more than two Number Cards in your active hand. A third Number Card and anything after it will still be visible, but its value will be blurred to you."
He tapped the Arcane symbols.
"An Oracle projection is outside your hand, so the three revealed cards can still be read. Once one of those cards enters your hand, it counts toward the limit of two."
His finger moved to the arms.
"Arm. If one arm is disabled, you cannot activate, Set, or deliberately respond with any Arcane Card. A Trap that was already Set before the arm became disabled remains armed and may still trigger automatically."
Finally, he touched the legs.
"Leg. If one leg is disabled, you cannot choose Stand while your current total is below fifteen. The game forces another Hit."
Cedric's expression tightened.
The Dealer continued.
"These effects remain active for as long as the body part remains disabled."
"Now the wager itself."
"Lose the round, and the body part you wagered becomes completely disabled. It loses its color and sensation and becomes dead weight for the remainder of the game."
He raised another finger.
"Win a subsequent round, and you may restore one of your own disabled body parts. The choice is yours."
"For a round to resolve, the loser first loses the body part they wagered. The winner may then restore one of their own disabled body parts. Only after both effects are resolved do we check the resulting body state for the game-ending condition."
The Dealer raised another finger.
"If you have lost your right arm and your left eye, for example, you may choose which one returns when you win. One victory restores one body part."
The diagram highlighted both hands, then both eyes.
"The game does not end when a single body part is disabled. It ends only when both corresponding parts of one type are disabled at the same time—both eyes, both arms, or both legs. The first player to reach that state loses the game."
The diagram highlighted both hands, then both eyes.
"And that covers the game itself."
He let the deck rest between them for a moment before looking back at Cedric.
A faint smile returned to his face.
"But today, there is one important difference."
The Dealer leaned back in his chair.
"Today, I will be participating personally."
The Dealer rested both hands on the table.
Cedric's eyes lifted from the cards.
For the first time since sitting down, his expression shifted.
Only slightly.
"You?"
"Me."
Cedric looked at the Dealer, then at the deck.
"Wouldn't that let you cheat?"
The Dealer stared at him for half a second.
Then he laughed.
Not loudly this time. It was almost incredulous.
"Cheat?"
He slowly removed his gloves.
"Cedric, using my authority to manipulate a game of chance would defeat the entire reason I came to the table."
His smile sharpened.
"When I deal, I am the Dealer. When I sit here, I am a player. The cards decide what happens."
He tapped the deck once.
"No hidden hand. No altered cards. No changing the result because I dislike it. I will play the same game you do."
Cedric studied him for a moment.
"Okay."
The Dealer's smile widened.
"Good. Then let us make it a little more interesting."
"And because I want to make this match a little fairer, I have decided to place three restrictions on myself."
Cedric's eyes narrowed.
The Dealer smiled.
"Three restrictions for me. Three Boons for you."
He lifted one finger.
"Six advantages in your favor before the first card is even dealt."
A second finger.
"Do not mistake that for generosity."
A third.
"I am removing every excuse you could possibly have for losing."
Cedric's expression hardened.
"Three restrictions?"
The Dealer smiled faintly.
"You will know exactly what they are before we begin."
He raised his hand.
Golden fire erupted across the surface of the table, carving three sentences into the ebony wood.
LIMIT ONE — OPEN FACE.
"Both of my starting cards will be revealed face-up. You will know my entire opening hand before either of us begins playing it."
LIMIT TWO — FIXED DEALER.
"If I have sixteen or less, I must Hit. If I have seventeen or more, I must Stand."
LIMIT THREE — NO PUSH.
"If our completed hands would otherwise tie under the normal ranking, the result goes to you."
He leaned back in his chair, completely at ease.
"The rest is Blackjack."
The Dealer snapped his fingers again.
Three pillars of light erupted behind Cedric.
The trembling puddle of Jerry, the rigid and cracked form of Bob, and the dirt-covered head of Tim appeared for only a heartbeat.
They looked at Cedric in silence before dissolving into white light.
The three fragments of brilliance spiraled toward him and condensed into three softly humming cards in his hands.
The Dealer gestured toward them.
"Your three Boons. They are outside the ordinary deck. Each may be used once."
The Dealer's voice softened slightly.
"Three advantages. Three chances to bend the game away from me."
He smiled.
"Use them well. I would hate for you to waste them."
He pointed to Tim.
"The Shovel replaces your entire initial hand with a completely new starting hand. Use it after your first two cards are dealt."
He moved to Jerry.
"The Tremor forces a complete reshuffle before the next card is dealt. The remaining deck and discard pile are collected and shuffled together."
Finally, he indicated Bob.
"The Shield adjusts your final numerical value by exactly one point, either plus one or minus one. Use it after your hand is complete. It cannot create a Natural Blackjack."
Cedric turned the three cards over in his hand.
The Dealer gathered the deck.
"Now," he said, placing it between them, "It's time to duel."
Round 1
The first round began with an oppressive quiet.
At the table, the silence felt almost physical.
There was no elaborate announcement this time.
The Dealer simply looked across the felt.
"I wager my left leg."
Cedric's eyes dropped briefly toward the Dealer's legs before returning to his face.
"I wager my right leg."
Grey rings formed around the two chosen legs.
For the first time, Cedric felt the wager settle against his body rather than merely seeing it happen on a screen.
The Dealer shuffled.
Ffsh—ffsh—ffsh.
Two cards slid toward the Dealer first.
The first landed face-up.
10♠︎.
The second followed.
K♥︎.
Twenty.
Cedric's opening cards slid into his hand.
2♣︎ + 5♦︎.
Seven.
He stared at his hand.
Seven against twenty.
There was no clever route out of it.
He had to climb.
"Hit."
The next card came.
8♥︎.
Fifteen.
Cedric's thumb rested against the edge of the table.
Fifteen was playable.
Against twenty, it was not enough.
He chose to risk it.
"Hit."
9♦︎.
The total flashed.
Bust.
Cedric did not move.
The Dealer did not celebrate.
He simply watched as the grey ring around Cedric's right leg tightened.
Color drained from the limb through his jeans and sneaker until it became a dull, lifeless grey.
Cedric tried to move his foot.
Nothing happened.
The leg was still attached.
It simply no longer obeyed him.
The Dealer gathered the cards.
"One down."
Cedric slowly lifted his gaze.
"Again."
The Dealer's smile widened by a fraction.
"Good."
Disabled Body Parts: Cedric — Right Leg; Dealer — None.
Round Winner: Dealer.
Round 2
Cedric was the first to declare.
The leg had already appeared in the first cycle, so it was locked. Eye and arm remained available.
His gaze settled on the Dealer's face.
"Left eye."
The Dealer answered immediately.
"Right eye."
The paired rings appeared.
Cedric's right leg remained grey beneath his clothes.
He understood the first practical consequence immediately.
From now on, if his total remained below fifteen, he could not Stand.
The game itself would force him to keep drawing.
The cards came.
The Dealer's opening hand appeared face-up.
9♠︎ + 7♣︎.
Sixteen.
Cedric received 9♥︎ + 4♦︎.
Thirteen.
Thirteen was below fifteen.
His disabled leg made the decision for him.
"Hit."
A black-backed card carrying the image of a translucent shield slid into his hand.
ARCANE CARD — BARRIER
Cedric read the effect once.
Barrier could negate the first Number Card that would make him Bust that round.
He turned it facedown beside his hand.
Set.
The Dealer's eyes moved to the facedown card, but he said nothing.
Cedric still could not stop.
"Hit."
5♣︎.
Eighteen.
He could Stand now.
"Stand."
The Dealer's sixteen remained face-up.
His restriction forced the next decision.
"Hit."
An Arcane card appeared.
REVERSAL.
The Dealer looked at it.
Then he placed it facedown.
Set.
His total remained sixteen.
He had to Hit again.
The next card was 4♥︎.
The Reversal Trap activated.
The value of the 4♥︎ dropped by 2.
4♥︎ became 2♥︎.
Sixteen became eighteen.
The Dealer stood.
Cedric had eighteen.
The comparison settled between them.
Eighteen.
Eighteen.
The Dealer's No Push restriction gave the round to Cedric.
TIE — CHALLENGER WINS.
Cedric had won.
The grey around his right leg dissolved.
Warmth returned through the limb.
He flexed his ankle.
It worked.
Across the table, the Dealer's right eye turned grey.
The Dealer blinked once.
His expression barely changed.
Cedric noticed the difference anyway.
He could still see the Dealer clearly.
But one of his eyes now carried the same dull grey as Cedric's leg had moments ago.
Cedric gathered the still-facedown Barrier.
It had not triggered.
He left it on his side of the table.
The Dealer looked at it once.
Then he looked back at Cedric.
"Interesting."
Cedric said nothing.
Disabled Body Parts: Cedric — None; Dealer — Right Eye.
Round Winner: Cedric.
Round 3
The Dealer was first to declare.
"I wager my left arm."
Cedric answered.
"Right arm."
The rings formed around their arms.
The Dealer's right eye was already grey.
Cedric's body was whole again.
The Dealer shuffled.
The opening hands were dealt.
Cedric received 9♣︎ + 9♦︎.
Eighteen.
The Dealer's opening cards appeared face-up.
7♠︎ + 5♦︎.
Twelve.
Eighteen was strong enough to stop, but Cedric wanted an answer in reserve before the Dealer began drawing.
"Hit."
A black card bearing a silver eye slid into his hand.
ARCANE CARD — NULL
Cedric read the effect.
He kept it.
Eighteen remained eighteen.
He had the contingency he wanted.
"Stand."
The Dealer's twelve remained.
Fixed Dealer forced another draw.
"Hit."
The next card was Arcane.
ORACLE.
The Dealer activated it.
Three cards appeared above the deck.
MIRROR.
6♣︎.
2♠︎.
The Dealer studied them.
He reordered them.
MIRROR.
6♣︎.
2♠︎.
He drew.
MIRROR.
The card activated.
The Dealer selected the 7♠︎ in his hand.
"Seven."
Mirror took effect.
His next Number Card would be treated as a seven.
Cedric's fingers tightened around Null.
He had one chance to interrupt it.
"Cancel."
Null shattered.
The Mirror effect failed before it could apply.
The Dealer's expression did not change.
His total was still twelve.
He still had to Hit.
The next card came.
8♦︎.
Twenty.
The Dealer stood.
Cedric had eighteen.
Twenty beat eighteen.
The result appeared.
DEALER WINS.
Cedric's right arm turned grey.
His hand dropped slightly against the table.
The fingers still moved, but the limb no longer responded normally.
His Arcane options had just been cut off.
The Dealer's right eye was already disabled.
Now Cedric had paid for the round as well.
Disabled Body Parts: Cedric — Right Arm; Dealer — Right Eye.
Round Winner: Dealer.
Round 4
Cedric was first.
The first cycle was complete.
Leg.
Eye.
Arm.
Now the cycle had reset.
He looked at the Dealer's grey right eye.
Then at the Dealer's legs.
"Left leg."
The Dealer took the opposite side.
"Right leg."
The rings formed.
Cedric's arms were healthy.
The Dealer was carrying one disabled eye.
Cedric's last remaining Boons rested beside his hand.
Tim.
Bob.
Jerry.
He picked up Tim.
"The Shovel."
His opening hand was dealt.
6♥︎ + 7♦︎.
Thirteen.
The Dealer's opening cards appeared face-up.
8♠︎ + 8♣︎.
Sixteen.
Cedric replaced his hand.
The two cards vanished.
Two new cards appeared.
9♥︎.
9♦︎.
Eighteen.
Cedric studied the pair.
Eighteen was enough to fight with.
"Stand."
The Dealer's sixteen remained.
He had to Hit.
The next card was black.
JOKER.
The Dealer picked it up.
Under ordinary circumstances, he could keep it and end the turn.
Fixed Dealer overruled that option.
He had sixteen.
He had to Hit.
The Dealer discarded the Joker.
The forced draw landed.
3♣︎.
Nineteen.
The Dealer stood.
Cedric had eighteen.
He looked at Bob.
The second Boon.
"Plus one."
His eighteen became nineteen.
The two totals matched.
No Push.
Cedric won.
The Dealer's right leg turned grey.
At the same time, the grey ring around Cedric's right arm dissolved.
Warmth spread through his shoulder.
His fingers flexed.
The arm worked again.
Cedric had won the round.
The Dealer now had two disabled body parts.
Right eye.
Right leg.
He could have been visibly disadvantaged.
Instead, he merely looked at the grey marks.
"Not bad."
Cedric placed Tim and Bob aside.
Only Jerry remained.
Disabled Body Parts: Cedric — None; Dealer — Right Eye, Right Leg.
Round Winner: Cedric.
Round 5
The Dealer announced first.
"Right arm."
Cedric took the opposite side.
"Left arm."
The rings formed.
The Dealer's right eye remained grey.
His right leg was also disabled.
Cedric's body was whole.
The Dealer studied the table.
For the first time, he had to decide what to repair if he won.
The cards were dealt.
The Dealer's opening hand appeared face-up.
9♠︎ + 7♥︎.
Sixteen.
Cedric received 9♣︎ + 6♦︎.
Fifteen.
Cedric had no leg debuff.
He could Stand.
But fifteen was not enough against the Dealer's sixteen.
He drew.
"Hit."
An Arcane card appeared.
EXCHANGE.
Cedric read the effect.
He chose the 9♣︎.
"Exchange."
The 9♣︎ left his hand.
The top card replaced it.
4♥︎.
His hand became:
6♦︎ + 4♥︎.
Ten.
Cedric's jaw tightened.
The Exchange had not saved him.
It had made the hand worse.
He needed another card.
"Hit."
Another Arcane card appeared.
FATE.
Cedric activated it.
The next card was revealed.
8♣︎.
He kept it.
The 8♣︎ remained on top.
Cedric drew it.
Eighteen.
He stopped.
"Stand."
The Dealer's sixteen remained.
Fixed Dealer forced another draw.
"Hit."
The Dealer reached for the deck.
JOKER had already been discarded.
The next card was a plain Number Card.
3♠︎.
Nineteen.
The Dealer stood.
Nineteen beat eighteen.
DEALER WINS.
Cedric's left arm turned grey.
His hand dropped onto the table.
The Dealer had won.
He looked briefly toward his own disabled body parts.
Right eye.
Right leg.
Only one could be restored.
He chose the leg.
"Right leg."
Warmth returned down his leg.
The grey vanished.
He flexed his foot once.
Then he looked back at Cedric.
One eye remained disabled.
Cedric's left arm was now disabled.
The Dealer had recovered his leg.
The match had narrowed again.
Disabled Body Parts: Cedric — Left Arm; Dealer — Right Eye.
Round Winner: Dealer.
Round 6
Cedric was first.
The second cycle was complete.
Leg.
Arm.
Eye.
Now everything was available again.
But the final choice was obvious.
The Dealer's right eye was still grey.
Cedric needed only one thing.
The matching eye.
"Right eye."
The Dealer's gaze hardened.
He took the opposite side.
"Left eye."
The rings formed.
Cedric's left eye was healthy.
The Dealer's right eye was not.
But if the Dealer lost his left eye now, both of his eyes would be disabled.
The game would end immediately.
Cedric's own left arm remained grey.
That meant he could not activate, Set, or deliberately respond with Arcane Cards.
His only remaining advantage was Jerry.
He looked at the yellow card beside the deck.
The Dealer noticed.
Neither spoke.
The cards were dealt.
The Dealer's opening cards appeared face-up.
6♣︎ + 10♠︎.
Sixteen.
Cedric received 10♦︎ + 9♥︎.
Nineteen.
Cedric did not need another card.
"Stand."
The Dealer's sixteen remained.
Fixed Dealer.
He had to Hit.
Cedric watched the deck and picked up Jerry.
The Dealer's gaze followed the yellow card.
"It seems like you've decided to go all in, huh?"
Cedric nodded.
"Yeah."
Cedric placed Jerry on the table.
"Jerry."
The Tremor activated.
Every remaining card in the shoe was gathered together with the entire Arcane Discard.
Oracle.
Mirror.
Reversal.
Fate.
Exchange.
Barrier.
Null.
Joker.
Everything returned to the deck.
Everything was shuffled together.
The information Cedric had spent several rounds collecting disappeared.
He could no longer make a meaningful prediction from the old shoe.
That was the point.
The Dealer squared the deck.
Then he drew.
The card turned black.
Silver.
A golden eye opened across its surface.
ARCANE CARD — ORACLE.
The Dealer activated it.
Three cards appeared.
2♣︎.
8♥︎.
9♦︎.
The Dealer had sixteen.
8♥︎ would make twenty-four.
9♦︎ would make twenty-five.
Only 2♣︎ kept him below twenty-one.
He selected 2♣︎.
He drew.
2♣︎.
Eighteen.
The Dealer stood.
Cedric had nineteen.
One point separated them.
The result appeared.
CEDRIC WINS.
The Dealer's left eye turned grey.
Color drained from it.
His right eye was already grey.
Both eyes.
The game-ending condition was met.
GAME OVER — CEDRIC WINS.
The Dealer remained completely still, and then he smiled.
"I lost."
The silence broke.
RAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
The golden runes beneath the table flared.
The body wagers dissolved.
The grey marks around the Dealer's eyes vanished as the game released its final wagers.
Cedric looked down at his own grey left arm.
He had won.
Warmth spread through his shoulder and down to his hand.
And the grey vanished.
The Dealer then slowly removed his sunglasses.
"GG, kid."
And the light swallowed Cedric.
...
...
...
...
...
...
In an unknown space.
At a time after the tournament hosted by the Dealer had ended.
"Hic, uwahhhh, I finally got to play a game with our little boy for the first time. Hiccup, I'm so happy," The Dealer sobbed to the woman beside him.
Seeing this, despite the disdain clear on her face, the woman could only let out a resigned sigh.
"Hahhhh~~. There, there, stop crying now. Hush."
"UWAHHHH." But The Dealer refused.