8 minutes before the Second Stage began
The "thing" pulled out a pack of cards from his pocket and opened them smiling
"So, what are we playing? Poker? Blackjack? Old maid?"
"Well aren't you enthusiastic?"
I shrugged slightly. There was no point in being nervous or uncertain, in games like this, a solid pokerface is important
I need to direct all my focus into one thing— victory. I might not be as good as my big brother, but I can still hold my own.
"The game we're playing is called Joker Whot"
"Joker... Whot?"
"Have you ever heard of the game of Whot?"
"Yes, it's that shape matching game, right?"
Whot, a game where players match the number or shape of card at the top of the pot, and the person who empties his hand first wins.
The game starts with a single card placed in the pot and each player holding 4 cards. The first player then places a card that has either the same shape or number as the one in the pot and that card then becomes the one the next player has to match. They keep going till one player runs out of cards in his hand.
Also, in the event you don't have a card that matches the one in the pot, you draw a card from the deck and pass your turn.
"Yes, this game is inspired from it. Although, there are a few modifications. Ofcourse, the suits will represent the shape since we're using a playing deck, and..."
His smile got five times more creepy then
".... In this game, the one who empties his hand first loses"
"W-What?! How's that supposed to work?!"
"Calm down, I'll explain everything in order— first of all, aside from the 52 cards, there's also a joker in the deck. In the event you get the joker, it could either grant you victory or make you fall in defeat"
He raised two fingers then continued
"Second, both players have a certain privilege— the call privilege"
"Call..... Privilege?"
"Yes. This is a privilege that can only be used if your opponent draws from the deck and passes their turn. Tell me, what is the first thing that came to your mind when I said the person who empties his hand first loses?"
"Well.... Do I really have to answer?"
There's no guarantee we're thinking the same thing after all, I could end up revealing information that could've helped with my strategy.
"Haha, well I'll answer.... Naturally, even if you have a card that matches the pot in your hands, you won't discard it...."
So he knew.... the game's fatal flaw
"... To combat that, if you think your opponent actually has a matching card, you can call them out on it and force them to reveal their hand. If you're right, they discard all matching cards in their hand while you draw the same amount. If you're wrong, you discard a card and your opponent draws another card"
"I see...."
"Still though, you only have three calls per game so use them wisely. Also, when you call, you have to specify if you're calling for a match or a joker— if you call for match and your opponent happens to have a joker, you lose automatically, same if you call for a joker and you're wrong. However, if you call for a joker and you're right, you win instantly"
So that's what he meant when he said the joker could decide victory or defeat.
One other thing that caught my attention was the fact both sides incur great risks due to the call function— if my call is wrong, I inch closer to defeat and in the event he has a joker, I lose. Same applies to him, still though, getting the joker is 1 in 53, so I doubt I have to worry much about a joker call.
The key to this game lies in how well I can read my opponent while also misdirecting him with my own gestures and fooling him into using his calls.
"Do you understand the rules?"
"Hmmm.... I think so"
I replied with a pleasant smile. Calm, deep breaths me, you're already an expert at fooling people, this game is right up your alley.
"We'll have a best of three match and we'll take turns shuffling the deck, you first then me. Well rotate positions next round, You ready?"
"Yes"
"Oh and, I probably don't need to say this, but it's instant disqualification if you're caught cheating. Now then, here"
I used my gaze to check for markings on the cards. I didn't ask to inspect the cards so as not to raise suspicion— in the event I get the joker, I'll mark it so I can use a joker call if he draws it in subsequent matches, and if he gets the joker, I'll mark it while shuffling.
I should be able to do it without him noticing, I have a little experience in sleight of hand from my....."dark chapter". There also doesn't seem to be any cameras in this room, I should be fine.
It shuffled first, then I did and we started the game.
The card in the pot was 2 of spades. I had a 4 of diamonds, 3 of heart, jack of hearts and ace of clubs. I drew a card
"Call"
Huh? Why? The game just started.
It was wrong and ended up discarding a card, I drew an extra card and continued.
For a game it chose, it was surprisingly terrible at it, although, maybe it's just because it was facing me— someone who not just fools everyone around her but picks up on their microexpressions and tailors her character and responses to match.
He watched me carefully and used up all his calls around halfway into the game— one right and another one wrong. In contrast, I used two calls and was right both times. I won the first round without much difficulty
He was a smart and strategic opponent, but he was at a disadvantage against me. And here I thought I'd lost my edge because of how those two are impossible to read— Adam and that black haired big chested cow.
The second round started with a similar trend and that was when I drew the joker. He was already wary of using calls so I guess getting him to use a match call wouldn't be so easy.
Still though, I can't deliberately fake a tell to make him use it— he might suspect I'm trying to make him use a match call and deduce I have a joker in my hand. I just have to play it cool and let him break, as his hand keeps dwindling, he'll be forced to use a match call to try and reduce the number of cards in my hand and that's where he'll lose.
Around four rounds after I got the joker, he used a call.
"You pride yourself on our ability to read people and fool them, don't you, miss"
"Hmmm..... I wouldn't say that, I'm pretty average"
"That's right, you are average"
"Huh?"
What's he talking about? Perhaps he's frustrated that he underestimated me?
"Your ability to read people is commendable, too bad you don't have the intellect to utilize that weapon effectively....."
Calm down, don't let him get to you. Smile... And maintain your pokerface
"... You've seen a lot of illogical, unexplainable things in this hotel. Did you even stop to consider that perhaps I have an illogical gimmick that grants me an advantage in this game?"
"Hmmm.... What exactly are you saying"
"What I'm saying.... Is that I have the ability to read minds"
What? No, it's just a bluff to break my composure, if he had such an ability—
" '—he would have used it in the first round'.... right?"
He read my mind?!
The thing started laughing creepily
"Kekekeke.... I just felt I should give you a glimpse of hope, that's why I gave you the first round. You obviously don't believe me, but there's an easy way to prove it"
He pointed at my cards
"You have a joker in your hand right now, don't you?"
I lost the second round right there and then.
The third round felt like an entirely different game, it was like he could read me like a book. His calls hit their mark and he got a lot harder to read, I was losing ground fast.
However, right when all seemed lost, lady luck smiled on me—He drew the joker I marked before shuffling. Since I was the first one to shuffle, I also gathered the cards, in that moment, I marked it.
"Call! You have a joker in your hand"
"Huh? Well aren't you taking a big risk? Are you sure about that? Do you really want to bet it all on intuition, miss?"
"Aren't you being chatty? You must not want to reveal your hand, huh? I'm going to trust my instincts here"
Except it's not just intuition, it's a little something called—
"—Strategy, right?"
"Huh?"
"I told you I could read minds, did you really think I wouldn't realize that you marked the cards?"
He said with a smile, but I could see through his bluff
"Last chance, miss. Are you sure?"
While it's true I marked the joker, I only did it as a last ditch backup plan and never actually thought about it until he drew it—I was busy thinking up a storm to shield knowledge of my immediate hand. Even if he could read minds, he wouldn't have known about it till it was too late.
As for his gimmick of completing my thoughts, it's similar to a fortune teller's prediction. First he exhibits a performance allowing him to limit the range of subjects I could be thinking of at that moment— like claiming he could read minds or the topic of the joker being marked, then he blurts out something along those lines making it seem like he's completing my thoughts.
His words could complete a number of sentences, but he'd already skewed my perspective before then.
"I say you're full of crap, you can't read minds and you have a joker in your hand, now then.....why don't you reveal your hand"
I win.
"Sigh..... Disappointing until the end"
He revealed his hand— and there was no joker among them. I... lost.
"W-What? How? Why?"
"Kekekeke, I gave you a chance to take back your call, It's your fault you lost— you were so caught up in the subject of my mind reading that you didn't even stop to consider the fact that I might have other spells, like one for swapping the joker for another. That's how I got out of your trap"
What the....HOW THE HELL IS THAT FAIR?!. But then...
"But then, why? Why were you so persistent about me taking it back?"
"Because I knew you wouldn't. I wanted you to be so confident of your victory then snatch it away. It is as she said, the look of despair on your face really is priceless"
She? Who's he talking about?
"Now then, for your punishment....."
"Being able to read minds is unfair! And you cheated!"
"But you didn't catch me, did you?"
It's only instant disqualification if you're caught cheating
"You never intended to let me go in the first place! This wasn't a game, just a useless farce"
"Hahaha, look at you desperately clinging to life, it's so cute. People really are interesting lifeforms, aren't they? It's always so fun to toy with them"
Is this really the end for me? For us?
He stretched out his hand.... I couldn't move, just watch, I was frozen in fear
*pat pat
He... Patted my head
"Relax, I'm just messing with you. Why will I get rid of my precious hostage?"
"W-What?"
"Like I said, people are such interesting lifeforms and watching their despair is one of the things that bring me great pleasure in this world. You are the only reason your parasites are even playing my game, there's no way I'll get rid of you and risk losing such fun playmates"
"You're sick!"
"Sure beats being stupid"
And you're a jerk too. What was the point of playing me anyway.
"You're probably wondering why I even bothered playing you, right?"
"Stop that, it's creepy"
"There are three reasons actually....."
He ignored me!
****************
Napmoth's POV
*****************
"... First, Before my game with your parasites, I wanted to test out my game...."
And strategy. My 'mind reading' was effective on a pokerface specialist like Michelle King, it'll definitely work on Adam Graves. He may be a bit smarter than this girl, but he's severely lacking in that area
"Second, I wanted to give you a little handicap for the next stage if you managed to impress me"
"Handicap?"
"You'll find out soon. And third...."
She was staring at me intently, waiting for my third reason
"... I was bored and needed a way to kill time, haha"
"WHAT?!"
"That said, the punishment is still very real, hehe"
I pulled out something for the drawer nearby
"I-Is that....."
"Yup. A bunny suit, and you're going to wear it"
She shot me a dirty glare
"This isn't up for debate, don't forget your 'parasite's' lives are in my hands
"Pervert"
She replied with a defeated expression. Sorry about this, but I promised her I'd get some embarrassing shots of you, sigh
Senior Sara sure never makes it easy for me.
She put on the bunny suit and I got a couple photos before beginning the second stage
******************
Adam Graves POV
*********************
Two messages came in shortly after. One was the image of a location on the fourth floor and the other—
Please designate a leader to hold this phone and head to the designated area while the others look behind aracade game #4 and select a phone, then head the locations designated on it. More instructions will come in shortly after
There really were phones behind the spot and everyone else grabbed a phone and turned them on. I took the original phone and exited the room
Judging by the setting of the game, the 'leader' role will probably play a major part in the game so it's best for me to take on the position.
I got to my location and waited for a bit
"You're here too, kid?"
It was the news lady.
"Seems like it. What role did you get?"
"Receiver"
"Receiver? Does that mean there's a sender as well?"
"Beats me, I left right after I got my designation"
Hardly any information from her. Still though, I have a couple ideas of how this game might go.
The news lady assumed her position back to back from me.
"Ouch, why did you pinch me, brat?!"
"Hey, have we met somewhere before?"
"Don't change the subject!"
She lifted her hand to grab me but
*BEEP
A message came in on both our phones
Welcome to Stage Two, The Chameleon Game
Chameleon game? Is he mocking me? I continued reading.
Rules for the Leader
• The game has 3 rounds, in each round, the leader passes a blue coin to one transmitter who also passes till they reach the receiver
• There are two types of coins—blue and red. If a blue coin gets to the receiver, all participants gain two positive points, however, a transmitter can choose to swap the blue coin for a red one and pass that
• In the event a red coin reaches the receiver, the leader gets to use one of his three perks (detective). If the leader guesses who swapped the coin, all members get 2 positive point except the swapper.
•The leader's second perk(mole) allows him a grand total of five minutes to call the collaborator or gamemaster during the game. He can ask anything as long as the person on the other end has clearance to answer
•The leader's third perk(help) allows him to ask the gamemaster for a hint once throughout the game
• The victory condition is finishing all three rounds with all members having positive points.
Goodluck
From what I gather, there are five roles— leader, who passes the coin, transmitter who passes but can also swap, receiver who receives, the collaborator, whose role is still a mystery, and the moth guy gamemaster
One thing is bothering me though, it said 'rules for the leader', which probably means
"Hey, news lady..... Could you show me your phone?"
"Huh?! Why?!"
"I think our rules were fragmented?"
"Fragmented? You're saying we were given different rules to follow or just the ones required for our role?"
"You must really enjoy stating the obvious, huh?"
She raised her hand to slap me but I caught it.
"Fact is, without a clear picture of the entire field, winning this game is a pipedream. My life is on the line as well and I'd really like to leave this place alive"
"Sigh— You're one rude kid, you know that?"
"Yeah.... I get that a lot"
She showed me her phone reluctantly and I did the same. Let's see...
Rules for the Receiver
•The game has 3 rounds, in each one, the receiver is the end point of the coin
•In the event a receiver obtains a red coin, he gets to use the receiver perk—he can call two transmitters and ask questions.
• The receiver is allowed to assist the leader should a red coin get passed but the receiver cannot take on the leader's role.
Hmmm.... Not much here. Still though, everyone wants to escape from here, is there really a reason why anyone will choose to swap a coin?
Self interest, maybe? I guess that could be it but I get the feeling that there must be something more.
Everyone had gotten into position— I could tell from the four people within range of my mind reading. I also got access to knowledge of their rules from that.
Like with the news lady's rules, I skipped the ones I already knew and read the new ones
Rules for the Transmitter
•At the start of each round, each transmitter receives the name of the next transmitter in their chain, but doesn't know who passed to them or their number on the chain.
•A transmitter can either pass a blue coin they receive or a red coin to that person and only that person (unless the receiver uses his one time perk)
•At the start of each round, all transmitters also receive messages of inspiration from the collaborator
•Should you receive a red coin, you cannot swap it into a blue coin. The converse can be done though
•If you choose to pass a red coin and the swapper is not identified by the leader, you earn 2 points, otherwise, you lose 2 points
•In the event even one transmitter has negative points at the end of the game, only the person with the highest points will be set free
Still no concrete information on the collaborator— guess my best choice is to call the collaborator the moment the game starts
I get the feeling something big being hidden among these rules. I have a couple ideas of what it might be but I need confirmation
The moment the game started, I passed the coin and called the collaborator immediately
*RING RING
"Hello? Is this the collaborator?"
"Hello, Challenger—"
I cut the call. It hasn't been that long I heard that annoying voice so I recognized it well.
But then, if Napmoth is the collaborator, who's the gamemaster?
I made the call
"Hello?"
"A-Adam...."
The voice was cracking, almost sobbing. However, I recognized that voice as well, I knew who I was speaking with... I didn't expect it to be you
"Michelle? You're the gamemaster?"