{RIKU POV}
"P-Please don't kill me..."
Riku narrowed his eyes at the woman that just so happened to stray right onto his path. In all honesty, he should've just killed her and be done with it. One less Champion in the game meant an easier time for him to win, after all. However, something in him just felt bad about this woman that clearly had no idea what she was doing. In the same vein that she saw Nyx as a bumbling goddess earlier, he saw this wandering card-wielding Champion as someone that has clearly never hurt anybody in her whole life. Her demeanor screamed of her being a civilian, a class of people that he never really bothered hurting out of basic professional principle.
/This is... Shizu, I think,/ Nyx informed him. /Tyche's Champion, last I checked./
'So you know who the other Champions are then?' Riku immediately thought back, his knife still aimed squarely at Shizu's trembling neck. 'If so, why didn't you tell me about them earlier?'
/In my defense, my siblings agreed to never know about the others' Champions unless their own Champion happens to met them on their journey,/ his goddess defended herself. /And even then, we're not allowed to divulge too much information about them beyond their name and patron deity./
Scoffing, Riku shook his head as he stared deep into Shizu's cerulean eyes. If Nyx wasn't going to give him answers, then he would have to do it himself.
"U-Uhm..."
"Stay still if you know what's good for you," Riku coldly told his captive.
"Yes, sir!" Shizu desperately yelled.
Ignoring her obvious desperation, Riku looked deep into her soul, trying to determine whether or not letting her go would be the best idea in terms of his own chances. Again, she was a civilian through and through, but that didn't mean that she couldn't pose a threat to him even in the short term, especially since if his hunch of her having a power from her patron god was correct. If he recalled, Tyche introduced himself as a God of Fate, so perhaps she had powers that dealt with looking into the future?
"What's your name?" he asked despite already knowing it.
"S-Shizu Arks!" the card user stammered, her tears running down her cheek even as she clearly did her best to remain calm. "W-What about-"
"You're not the one asking questions," Riku bluntly cut her off, gently pushing the tip of his knife down her throat for added emphasis. "What are you doing here?"
Her eyes widened, her confusion clearly etched onto her face. "I... I don't know?"
"You're lying," he insisted.
"I-I'm not!" Shizu insisted with teary eyes. "I'm not even sure why I'm chosen as a Champion!"
Raising a brow, Riku let the woman start crying as he pondered his options. Again, the smartest move here would be to kill her and be done with things. It would trim the competition down to twelve, and the risk of this woman backstabbing him would be reduced to zero. However, just because the game dictated that only one Champion should win didn't mean that all of his enemies had to die. Forging alliances could be a good way of shoring up his weaknesses, and judging by how this Shizu held onto her cards earlier, he had a suspicion that she had ranged capabilities that he was sorely lacking.
"Can you fight?" he asked her.
"N-No?"
"You're lying again," Riku insisted, gauging her reactions to see if she would be suited for his needs.
"Why do you keep saying I'm lying?!" Shizu whined. "I'm just a fortune teller!"
The former assassin assessed the supposed fortune teller's stance and gait. Wearing nothing but a plain shirt and skirt, Shizu seemed to look the part as well. The deck of cards hanging from her hip also told him that she was indeed telling the truth on this matter. However, he had also seen agents in very deep cover almost practically blending into their role.
"You're being too paranoid, Riku."
His eyes widened at the sudden interruption. Turning his gaze, he was surprised to see Nyx casually standing beside them with a faint smile on her face.
"Oh, don't mind me," Nyx beamed at Shizu for a quick second before returning her gaze back to Riku. "And as for you, don't act surprised. I told you earlier I was going to sample the sashimi you made for me."
"At the very least, announce your presence, Nyx," he coldly grumbled as he turned his sights back to his captive. "As you can see, I'm in the middle of something here."
"And that 'thing' is not going to hurt you in anyway shape or form," the goddess chuckled as she sat on the low wall and began eating the lion sashimi. "We could use allies, you know? This game isn't a sprint. It's a marathon, and we'll need all the help we can get."
A terse silence settled between them as Riku narrowed his eyes at Shizu. To the fortune teller's credit, she was doing everything a civilian should do when faced with insurmountable odds, which was to freeze up and hope that something happened to save them from the mess they were in.
"S-She's right! I can help you!" Shizu desperately nodded. "We don't have to kill each other if we can help it! And I'm a quick learner too!"
The former assassin clicked his tongue in thought. He was getting rather convinced that keeping Shizu around might just help them win. Still, he wasn't the goddess in the scene, so he gave her a sideways glance to check her thoughts on the matter.
'What do you think?' he mentally asked his goddess.
/I don't know,/ Nyx telepathically replied with a shrug, her mouth still full of lion sashimi. /You're the Champion here. I'm just along to be your guide and all that. Also, this is delicious!/
A short beat passed as Riku made a decision. With a sigh, he lowered his knife, allowing Shizu to let out a breath of relief as she quickly took a step back.
"Fine, you get to live," the former assassin shrugged as he returned his knife to its sheathe. "However, you will have to-"
"I promise you won't regret it!"