I was too short for the table, so they placed a footstool on the chair, and I climbed onto it.
"I guess you can play comfortably now," Hyness remarked, dripping with sarcasm.
"Oh, now I can see your faces clearly," I replied with the same tone.
"I'm dealing the cards now. Last chance are you sure you know how to play?"
"Less talk, more action. I'm not waiting until morning. Just start," I said with a smirk.
"Great, you've annoyed him. Now proceed calmly," Mnex warned.
Don't worry. I've got a plan made just for this.
"I hope it's not like that escape plan from the mansion."
No, this time everything's under control. Just feed me the necessary information at the right moment.
Each player received a total of 13 cards, distributed in multiple rounds two at first, then four, and finally seven more.
"Not bad, but not ideal either," Mnex commented analytically.
Doesn't matter. I'm going to lose this one anyway.
"Brilliant. Lose on purpose and earn yourself a lovely little minus point. Genius plan."
It's fine. Just watch. You'll understand in the next hand. Winning the game is what matters.
"I'll start," said Hyness. "I'm raising by 100 Mar."
The spectators murmured in surprise it was a bold opening.
See? He's trying to scare me.
"Yes, I noticed. I'm curious to see how you'll respond."
Charles opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it. He glanced at me.
"So..." I said, pretending to hesitate, allowing Hyness to grin.
Lowering my gaze to my cards, I muttered, "500 Mar."
Then I slowly raised my head, meeting Hyness's eyes.
Everyone froze. Hyness looked surprised, then grinned darkly. "So tell me..."
"Five trump. Hearts." I cut him off.
I had seven hearts, but only two face cards. It didn't matter. I intended to lose anyway.
Everyone checked their hands. Only Charles's expression shifted slightly before he looked away.
Hyness watched us all with narrow, calculating eyes.
"Alright… go ahead, boi."
I played recklessly, dropping high trumps first. After collecting two, I deliberately lost control of the game.
Diamonds, then clubs. I made mistakes no decent player would. Hyness won easily.
"Hahaha! Came in so confidently and lost with the safest number, 5 trump!" he mocked.
I earned minus 5 points. Hyness and the others each gained 1.
"You'd better sit the next hand out," Mnex grumbled.
Relax. I'm skipping bets until the 4th hand. We'll assess then.
In the second hand, Hyness opened with 501 Mar. Charles didn't raise.
A third player, Remy, a merchant, from what I gathered, pushed it to 550 Mar.
Hyness scoffed and raised to 600 Mar. Remy paused and stayed silent.
"Boi! Watch how this game is played. Spades. Trump count: 7."
"I see why he wins," Mnex muttered.
"He uses bluffing to corner weak opponents. If he's holding strong cards and judging by his pulse and breathing, he is, then this round will push him well ahead."
Mnex, maybe I failed in life, but in games like this… I never lost. You can check.
"I know. But this isn't online poker or chess."
Every game has rules. Know the rules, and you have a shot. Now, I've got you and that's an edge. 13 hands might sound short, but it's more than enough to shift the tide.
I tried to stop Hyness, but Charles and Remy played like amateurs.
Of course Hyness won again, putting him at 8 points.
Charles and Remy each gained a point and now stand at 2 points. I sank to minus 4 since I also gain a point.
In the third hand, Charles opened boldly with 650 Mar.
Hyness quickly responded with 660.
Charles fired back with 670 Mar, he must've had a solid hand.
But Hyness wouldn't let it go. The pot settled at 700 Mar.
"If betting keeps climbing like this, you'll have nothing left by the final hand," Mnex warned.
Relax. After the 5th round, I'll take control.
This time, Hyness declared 5 trump again, hearts. He tried forcing us to waste our trumps.
Remy briefly gained the upper hand, but a misstep gave Hyness the lead back.
By the time each of us had one card left, Hyness had collected four trumps.
Mnex, what hearts have been played?
"Someone still has the Queen of Hearts."
Please, not Hyness.
"Doesn't seem like it. His breathing's unstable. Pupils dilated probably nervous."
Let's hope it's fear, not excitement.
Charles played the Ace of Spades.
I followed with the 8 of Hearts.
Remy, please play the Queen. Just this once.
But Remy played the 10 of Spades.
The Queen? Of course, Hyness had it.
So it wasn't fear after all, just gleeful anticipation.
He reached 13 points.
Charles and Remy remained at 3. I moved up slightly to minus 3. We all gained a point again.
Remy won the 4th hand with 6 trumps. The new scores:
Hyness: 14
Remy: 9
Charles: 4
Me: –2
I got lucky in the fifth hand, nine spades in my deck. But I didn't rush in.
The pot was already over 800 Mar, and I let them battle it out.
Let them show their ambition first. I'd move when it mattered.
Hyness was behaving as if his balance were infinite.
Whatever someone said, he added one more Mar on top.
Eventually, the pot reached 900 Mar.
He turned toward us smugly. "Then I'll declare the trump."
"Wait a minute," I said, flashing a sarcastic smile.
Everyone turned.
Mnex, how high can I go this round?
"You can raise to 1500 Mar safely. Any more, and you risk not lasting until the final hand."
"Let's see..." I mused aloud. "1500 Mar."
"Hey boi! I don't know what stunt you're pulling, but this isn't the time for games. The pot's 900 Mar, why raise it like that?"
I rolled my eyes. If he calls me that one more time, I'm flipping this table.
"Seriously," Mnex chimed in, "what is he, a Spartan dad?"
"If you're scared," I shrugged, "then stop raising just call and pray. No one's forcing you."
His lip twitched... got him.
"Yes, keep pressing his nerves," Mnex whispered.
He wasn't worried. He'd already scanned my cards.
"Alright," Hyness muttered. "Just don't cry later."
"Hmph. Nine trump. Spades."
The room went silent, this was the highest trump declaration yet.
"Go ahead," Hyness said, still trying to maintain composure.
They're underestimating me. That's good. Mnex, confirm my plan?
You're holding nine spades. That leaves only four out there statistically manageable. Plus, you've got the ace of clubs, ace of hearts, and queen of diamonds. Strong foundation.
Perfect. I'll win the first two with the aces, then probe with a low spade to check who has trumps. Once that's clear, I'll steamroll with my high spades.
"Yes. That route ends the hand with 9 points bringing your total to 7."
And that's exactly how it played out.
The game shifted dramatically.
Hyness stayed in the lead with 14.
Remy stayed in the second place with 9.
I jumped to third place with 7.
Charles, despite scoring this round, stayed last with 5.
The strategic thinking in this era must be pitiful.
If we were playing back in my world, no one would let me win like this.
Here, when they declare "5 trumps," they collect exactly 5 trumps and stop.
They don't even try to collect more. But that's where the real risk and reward lies.
Declare 8, collect 9? Still 8 points. But every extra trick you take is one less pity point for your enemies. A single trick can change the scoreboard or ruin someone's week.
Yet, so far, they all aim only for what they declared.
Amateurs.
"Haha! I guess the Goddess of Luck gave you a kiss this hand," Hyness mocked.
"Let them keep underestimating you," Mnex said.
It was the first time he openly defended me.
…To be honest, I kinda liked it.
6th hand – 7th hand – 8th hand
I didn't participate in any of the bets.
Charles scored 7 trumps in one hand. Remy got 6 in another.
In the 8th, Hyness claimed victory again with a modest 5 trump hand.
At the start of the 9th:
Hyness: 21
Remy: 17
Charles: 14
Me: 10
I wasn't sitting out for fun. I just didn't have playable hands.
But that was okay. Five rounds remained.
The only problem?
The betting had already exceeded 16 Lumar.
But I had a plan. Worst case? I'd borrow from Hyness.
Just kidding. Probably.
Ironically, the 9th and 10th rounds went better than expected.
Charles went all-in and busted with a 6-trump bet. Then Hyness followed suit.
Ideal outcomes.
In the 11th, I stepped in with 8 trumps and won.
In the 12th, Hyness tried to dominate again.
He pushed the pot to 18 Lumar, just to shut the rest of us out.
Then won with 5 trumps. Typical.
13th hand – Final Round
The scoreboard before the last hand:
Hyness: 23
Remy: 21
Me: 21
Charles: 11
Charles was out of the running.
The only way for him to win would be to take all 13 trumps…
Statistically impossible.
Maybe if this were a team game, he'd have a chance. But alone? No way.
He stood motionless, face pale.
Probably bankrupt both in game and in real life.
"It would be wise to vacate the workshop as soon as possible, or repay your debt tomorrow," Hyness said smugly.
"Your total is now 40 Solmar. Unless there's a gold mine beneath your soap shop, that's impossible to repay in a day. I'll send someone to handle the transfer. Hahaha!"
The pot currently looked even bigger than 40 Solmar, but that amount included everyone's contributions.
The debt? That must've come from previous games.
Worst part?
The game wasn't over, Charles was about to sink even deeper.
"Think..." Mnex chimed in. "Charles owns a soap workshop. And he's deep in debt."
Ah! Mnex, if we play this right, we can gain more than just gambling profit.
This isn't a one time win, it could become steady income.
A soap workshop, dirt cheap. Have I told you I love you?
"No. And I never wanted to hear it. Also, thank your divine favoritism. I lost count of how many lucky breaks you've had today."
The 13th hand began.
With a smirk, Hyness played his final trump, shoving every last coin he had into the center.
Charles had barely anything left.
Remy, on the other hand, had about the same as Hyness.
"How much did you open the bet with?" I asked calmly.
"2900 Mar," Hyness answered with a wide grin. Almost 3 Solmar.
Remy panicked. "I don't have that much!"
"No problem," Hyness replied smoothly. "We'll just add it to your debt."
Charles's 40 Solmar debt instantly became 43.
The rest of my balance was the 3 Solmar I'd hidden away before the game started under my palm.
This was it, the moment I had been preparing for.
"All in." I said, letting the words hang.
Then I placed the 3 Solmar beside the lonely 50 Mar.
"3050 Mar."
"You only had 50 Mar left!" Hyness snapped.
"That's what you saw. I had 3050 Mar all along."
I smiled as the 3 Solmar joined the forgotten 50.
"Feel free to top it or take out a loan."
"Isn't that cheating?"
"The rules are clear: you play with the balance you put on the table at the start of the hand.
I just didn't show the money. Now, you can either add 100 Mar or borrow it."
...I was quoting Mnex word for word.
Hyness turned beet red then suddenly pale.
He accepted. He had no other choice. A rule is a rule.
The cards were dealt.
I just needed to declare 5 trumps and win.
And…
I won with 6 tricks. Away score +5 points
And left the table victorious.