The seating arrangement placed Audrey on the far right, followed by Jenkins, Miss Miller, and then Robinson. Robinson had eagerly claimed the seat next to Miss Miller, since Jenkins and Audrey were clearly a pair. In a situation , he needed an ally—someone else who was also alone.
“Do you all play cards?”
The man asked, his tone calm and steady.
Jenkins risked a cautious glance at the man's eyes, then immediately averted his gaze. They weren't human eyes at all, but two enormous emeralds.
More terrifying still, the emeralds could swivel just like real eyes. To be caught in their gaze was to feel your entire body plunged into ice-cold water. It was no illusion—those eyes could literally drain the warmth from a person.
“The rules are simple. We take turns. On your turn, you can play a card against any target. The target, in turn, can play a card to counter or defend. A single successful hit, and you lose. Each card can only be used once.
Your win condition is to defeat me.
Your losing conditions are to be defeated by me, or for all of you to run out of cards.”
When he finished, his terrifying emerald eyes swept over the four of them one by one. Then, he dealt a stack of cards to each.
All four cried out at once. The previously dormant spirit within them suddenly stirred, and points of light, representing their abilities, materialized before them. They solidified into tangible forms before sinking, one by one, into the stacks of cards.
Jenkins's own Bestowals, the Mysterious Object he wore on his ear, and every special item glowing with a spiritual aura carried by the other three—all of them dissolved into points of light and flew into the cards. Only items like talismans remained untouched, still hidden within their clothing.
Jenkins sensed that he hadn't truly lost access to his abilities and items. He could still use them if he wished; they had simply been relocated.
He soothed his agitated spirit and reached out with a trembling hand to pick up the stack of cards. Nineteen in all, he calculated—thirteen, plus five, plus one. The image emblazoned on the top card was, of all things, a grotesque human ear.
A peripheral glance at the others revealed that his stack of cards was the thickest.
The sea of fire sent the temperature in the room soaring, but it at least protected the four humans from having their body heat drained by the man's emerald eyes. Jenkins's palms grew damp with sweat, but the cards in his hand remained dry, unaffected by the moisture.
The young man, acting as a dealer, placed the rest of the deck to his right. Then, with a single, smooth motion, he fanned them out in a wide arc before him—at least a hundred cards, all face down.
Audrey glanced to her left, offering a small smile at the thick stack of cards in Jenkins's hand before her gaze shifted to Miss Miller.
Miss Miller's eyes met hers at that same moment. With her mask now transformed into a card, she could see Audrey's true face. The two women exchanged a nod, a silent greeting.
Mr. Robinson tugged at Miss Miller's sleeve, seemingly about to say something, but she simply gave him a nod. Robinson's face lit up with delight.
Just as they were about to ask who would go first, the strange man plucked a card from the arc before him and announced to the four of them:
“The game begins. I'll take the first turn. I play: [Arson]!”
Before they had time to curse his audacity, they saw the image on the face-up card: a burning claw. It shot from the card and plunged into the sea of fire. Instantly, the flames that had been held at bay beyond the table, along with the grimacing faces within them, began to churn and creep closer.
This wasn't a card game. There was no time to think. To play a card was to unleash an ability.
“[Blessing of Knowledge]!”
Miss Miller was the quickest to react, immediately playing a card. An ethereal book, woven from golden lines of light, flew from the card and instantly enveloped all four of them.
“Now it's up to you.”
She said to the other three, her eyes narrowing as she peered at Jenkins's hand, as if trying to count exactly how many cards he was holding.
The sea of fire surged forward relentlessly, the endless flames engulfing the round table without setting it alight. But even with the protection of the divine spell, the intense heat was still more than any human could bear.
The dealer's card targeted all four of them, which meant any of them could retaliate. Thıs text ıs hosted at NoveI★Fire.net
Mr. Robinson was next, slapping down a card. A yellow spiritual aura flared above it before shooting toward the strange man.
The sea of fire wavered for a moment, the flames seeming to roil in response to the opposing power. As the grimacing faces drifted through the inferno, the spell's energy dissipated into nothing before it could even reach the center of the table.
But the flames were not so easily appeased. To the sound of the ghost faces' maniacal laughter, a tendril of fire broke through the divine barrier and lunged at Mr. Robinson. He shrieked, reaching for Miss Miller's sleeve, but the shorter woman kicked him away.
As his screams died away, he was consumed by the fire, leaving nothing but ash.
“What's the meaning of this? It was our turn to counter. Why is your card still in play?”
Jenkins demanded, thinking it was a shame their "meat shield" had died without revealing anything useful.
“It is a logical use of the ability.”
The man answered calmly, his green gemstone eyes fixed on Jenkins. A violent shiver wracked Jenkins's body, and he stumbled sideways, only to be caught and steadied by both Audrey and Miss Miller.
“So, you know Mr. Williams as well.”
Audrey remarked to Miss Miller.
“Yes. We're friends, of a sort.”
With no animosity between them, the three naturally decided to work together to survive this ordeal. Once Jenkins had recovered, they conferred briefly, agreeing to proceed with more caution. It was obvious the master of this Mysterious Realm was still hiding some of the rules.
It was still the strange man's turn, but since his attack targeted all four of them, Audrey and Jenkins could still play their cards in response.
It was Audrey the diviner who played the card. Its face depicted a crystal ball resting on a cushion. The image slowly materialized above the card, and for a moment, Audrey's eyes seemed to glaze over before she gave a firm nod.
“A Mysterious Realm never presents a situation with no way out,” she declared. “The cards we hold give us a chance to defeat him.”
It was tantamount to saying nothing, yet it did wonders for their morale. Jenkins suspected Audrey wasn't telling them everything she had seen, but he chose not to press the issue.
The most vexing part of this particular Mysterious Realm was that, in order to win, he would likely have to reveal things he couldn't afford to. Half the cards in his hand would expose his illicit identity.