When does greed turn into pride? When one draws their sword to fight for their lies? Ever may it be, the consequences of our actions. So may it be, the honor and our violence. Hail to the rite, the radiance of our conquest. Heat of the battle, the beauty among the rest. Roses and her thorns, true of grace, none pain. In tall of this battle, of history, of name.
I could understand Alejandro and Yvette’s concern about me. After all, I did tell them not to do exactly what I am doing, but I only applied that rule to them. No such restrictions will be applied to myself. If I can’t get money for my house, I’m better off dead. Selling my soul will not change that feat. I flourished the pen and signed my moniker, leaving my real name out of it. With the contract complete, the man took the reins from the spectre to control the table instead.
“Are you fond of the game odds and crosses?” He asked.
“It reminds me of a battle of war while being a battle of wit.”
“Ah I see. It is a battle of sorts, but one made of luck.” He dealt out the cards faced down. “Odds or Crosses.”
“Odds.”
I turned over the first card. Jack versus three. I win. The trick of the game is not to win the card game, but bet on the odds of winning. Odds mean I’m likely to lose the battle. Crosses means I’m likely to win. There are four battles in total. I need to lose or tie the next battle or I will lose the game because I betted on the odds.
“Oh my. It seems you have the bad luck of always winning.” The man said with a bit of a smile.
I covered my face with my fan as I thought about my choices. They were set in stone now. Since the first card was turned over, I couldn’t change my choice. I moved to turn the next card. 2 versus 16. I lost. Now it was 1 for 1.
“In some aspects I suppose.” I put my fan over the next card when Alejandro approached, putting his hand on my shoulder.
“Are you sure about this?” He asked. I didn’t expect him to worry so much.
“It’s too late now to back out. If I do, I will lose either way.”
“Then let me take your place.” He said without hesitation. It surprised me.
“What are you saying?” I didn’t expect such conviction from a foot soldier.
“It’s my job to protect you.”
“...” I knew he was concerned but this was too much. We hardly knew each other and I didn’t expect him to give his life for me unless he was being paid to do so. “Right. I’ve heard enough. Step back.”
Alejandro looked surprised, caught off guard by my callous response. “But, my lady-”
“It’s your duty to support me. It’s not your duty to give up your life for me. Trust in your leader, soldier.”
Alejandro was quiet for a moment and during his hesitation, I turned the card. 4 versus 5. I lost. The masked man’s smile didn’t go away, but he was quiet for a moment.
When he finally spoke, it was in a polite tone. “Ah. Odds huh.”
“You seem surprised.” I said.
“Not at all madam. You are lucky after all.”
“Well I haven’t won yet.” I smiled behind my fan, settling it in my lap before I looked at Alejandro.
“Are you calmer now?”
“I can’t say I’m any happier, my lady.”
“Don’t pout.” That got him to cross his arms and indeed, pout.
Yvette appeared on my other side. “I tried to stop him.”
“No, you didn’t. You were panicking as much as I was!”
“You both are loud.” I pointed my fan over the last card and turned it over. “6 versus 10. I guess that’s a hundred times my bet right?”
The masked man was so still, he hadn’t moved or spoke after turning the number over. He clearly didn’t expect me to win, but there was no way I was going to lose.
Once more, his smile went wide. “Correct, you are madam. As promised: 100 times your bet.”
“Bring the horses around.” I looked to Yvette then to Alejandro. “Get the bags.”
“You can put the amount in the largest bills, distributed evenly. That will make it easier to carry.”
The money was piled into bags. There was no worry that all was there. Not when souls had been on the line. Alejandro packed it all between the horses.
“Shall we be going, my lad-”
“-Not yet.” Yvette’s caught off guard by the masked man as he stepped down the steps of the mansion. “It has come to our attention that you have not been quite honest with us. I apologize, but you can not leave.” He said, showing the 4 card I had displayed before setting in aflame in a purple glow.
Alejandro grabbed his sword from the horse, moving to stand in front of me and Yvette. “Come now, don’t be a sore loser.”
“Your mistress will not be leaving without paying the price of her soul.” The still man’s mask contorted into one of anger. In a burst of purple flames two large ghoulish creatures appeared on the steps.
I grabbed my rapier from my horse as I tucked my fan back into my pocket. Flourishing my rapier, I gave a smile. “Another game. So be it.”
By all accounts, I have no experience fighting for my life. I am but a girl of the aristocracy. However, if there was any time to put my knight training to use, it was now. I had no other choice, but to fight for what brought me here in the first place. Now was not the time to yield, I must be undaunting in the face of adversity.
My rapier flourished forward, grazing the skin of one of the large ghoulish creatures, but it was nothing more than scratch if anything. If I was going to pierce its skin, I was going to have to put my whole heart into it.
Alejandro guarded against a flurry of strikes from the other creature, countering the best he could to no avail. “Damn, what are these things made of?!”
The truth was, even if I could pierce its skin, it did little to drop such a bulky creature. We needed a new plan. I pirouetted away from the attacking creature, turning my body to bury my blade into its side. It didn’t even flinch. I barely managed to get my sword out of its side; my blade coated in black congealed blood.
“They’re undead.” The creature didn’t even flinch and if I didn’t jump back, it would have struck me back.
“Gah!” Alejandro’s blade is knocked back and he struggles to keep his footing, the creature taking the opportunity to try and hit him.
“Watch out!” Yvette shouted, throwing a rock in the creature’s face, blinding him for a second to give Alejandro the chance to recover his footing.
Stumbling back Alejandro shouted. “Good throw! I don’t suppose you know divine magic?”
Yvette shook her head. “You’re on your own buddy.”
This wasn’t going to work. We couldn’t hold out this way if we couldn’t knock them down. That’s when my eyes reached the masked man. It was far-fetched but undead is normally controlled, right?
“Alejandro, hold out for a second. Yvette, cover him.”
“Sure. No problem. Just another one is all.” Alejandro said, looking out of his depth, but he was better than Yvette who looked unsure with the rocks in her hands.
I needed to hurry before we got overwhelmed. There was no point in second guessing the idea. The large creature tried to block my path, but my small stature made it easy to gracefully avoid its grasp. Slipping between them I ran straight for the masked man, black tentacles shooting from his taut back towards me.
“Weak.” I stated, fending off the tentacles like they were a flurry of blades, striking at me; fencing versus fencing, and I was superior. I grabbed onto my dress and flowed the tailed skirt over his face, blocking his vision before piercing through the fabric. I struck him dead center in the chest.
He released a deafening inhuman squeal as black mist erupted from his body. This time I was overcome, suddenly engulfed in black smoke before I heard Alejandro’s voice.
“My lady!” He shouted, covering me with his coat before leaping from the smoke, carrying me away from what was going to engulf me. When my vision was cleared, I lowered Alejandro’s coat to see smoke coming from his burned shirt and a pained look.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
“Yeah. Just a few burns. Can you please stop risking your life? I’m too young to die and my hair is too beautiful to turn grey from stress.”
I stood up from his arms. “I’m sorry I can’t do that.”
The ghouls had stopped moving and as the smoke cleared, the masked man was kneeling on the ground.
“This game is over. I’m too annoying of a soul to catch. Just let us leave and we’ll never return.” I pointed my blade towards him. “Or we can keep fighting. And I swear to you, I don’t lose.”
“You’ve made that clear.” He said as he stood, seething. “We’re not fighters, clearly. Taking your soul is one thing, but killing your subordinates is another thing. They’ll sacrifice themselves before I get you and I can’t have that. We’ll let this go once. But don’t return.”
I sheathed my rapier and gave a nod.
Yvette helped Alejandro onto his horse.
“Yvette, I’ll ride with Alejandro since he’s injured. Just follow my lead and you should be able to maneuver the horse just fine.” I said as I climbed onto Alejandro’s horse, letting him rest his head against my back and shoulders.
“Ah, you’re too kind, my lady.” Alejandro sighed weakly, holding onto me at the waist.
Strange, his closeness is flustering me a little bit. I’m not used to it. Giving the horse a little kick, I beckoned it to go, Yvette following my lead. I decided to ignore it for now.
Once out of the city, it was like a big sigh of relief. Our shoulders relaxed and we didn’t need to watch our backs. Slowly, over the horizon, we could see dawn slowly approaching.
“I can’t believe that happened. You would think they would want people to win sometimes.” Yvette sighed.
“Yeah. They really were sore losers.” Alejandro mumbled against my shoulder.
“No, they had every right to be upset. I did cheat.”
“What?!” Yvette and Alejandro shouted simultaneously. They both looked at me shocked, Alejandro lifted his head off my shoulder.
“Yes, every time. I cheated the entire time.”
“Why would you do that?” Yvette asked.
“I needed to win.”
“What about honor?” Alejandro asked.
“I was gambling for money. There was no honor to be had. We needed money and I got it. Did you honestly believe I would bet my soul on luck?”
“So you…” Yvette didn’t finish her sentence.
“Yes. I used my fan and distractions to switch the cards out. I planned it from the beginning. I’m sorry you got injured.” I looked back at Alejandro. “But I’m no pinnacle of moral righteousness.
Alejandro stared at me wide-eyed before he burst into laughter, Yvette soon following.
“By his radiance, you’re insane.” He said.
Under the cover of the peaking dawn, I looked out over the garden of the palace in the distance. A smile slowly spreads onto my face. I could feel that sense of dread slowly leaving my shoulders. Insane? Perhaps. In this crazy mind of mine, unrelenting, like an ever growing garden.
Unrelenting and undaunting may my soul not surrender. Grace beyond my sight, may it be no hinder. Thunder in my heart, I shall not yield. I raise my sword on no shaky ground, on no honor and no tithes. My penance to my sin is by the mercy of my lies.
Comments (0)
See all