Game 4: Poker Under Pressure

“Are you sure this is the way to Slicer's hideout?” Takeshi asked. “We've been walking for three days!”

“Vehicles exist in The Game, Takeshi,” Rita answered. “It's just that vehicles are extremely rare outside of the major cities. Slicer must have used something like a speeder to travel between his hideout and Innsbruck faster.”

“So you want to go towards the danger in order to retrieve the townsfolk's items?” Takeshi asked.

“Hey, you decided to tag along. Technically, none of this Innsbruck business is your business.”

“It became my business once the Slicer threatened to pound us into the dirt.”

“Us? Why are you being so nice to me, anyways? I've only known you for a few days, and you've willingly thrown yourself into danger on multiple occasions. But NOW, walking straight into danger is the problem?”

They've traveled a considerable distance from Innsbruck by now. The climate has grown increasingly drier and hotter. Hardly any life could be found as far as the eye could see.

“I should ask the same thing about you,” Takeshi replied. “You could have defeated me back in that forest on day one. But you didn't. Why was that?”

Rita scoffed, “It's not like I like you or anything. But some company every now and again would be nice.”

“Some company? What about the villagers? They sure seems to like you.”

“Yeah, but they're villagers. They're nice to be around, but I need something more… my style.”

“I've been forgetting to ask. How do you have five Life? I thought we started The Game with only four?”

“Oh, that. So you can heal and increase your Life by acquiring certain items,” Rita explained. “The most common healing item is the Heart Cookie. Taste like dirt, but they do the job."

“Heart Cookies, ragbunnies, magic arrows, and a bunch of people who want to kill you,” Takeshi noted. “What a strange place this is.”

“You signed up for it.”

•

Takeshi and Rita came across a small town in the desert. At the entrance, a sign read “Welcome to Single Pigeon. Population: Depends on the mood.”

“Does this town show up on your map at all?” Takeshi asked.

“Nope. It's like this place shouldn't exist,” Rita answered.

“Well, we're here. If there's anyone alive, I could really use some water.”

Right after Takeshi finished his sentence, he and Rita heard the sound of breaking glass and a loud thud. A man had just been thrown out of the town's saloon. His body then began to disappear, accompanied by the disembodied chant of “Game Over”.

Takeshi and Rita entered the saloon curious to know what's happened. But as soon as anyone heard their footsteps, everyone in the saloon locked eyes on the two of them. One villager said “Hey, Eagle-Eyes, scan ‘em.”

“Eagle Eye, see-through!” was the chant done by Eagle-Eyes. His job, presumably, was to scan visitors for items they may possess. “They got some pretty rare items, boss. Lots of libras, Heart Cookies, a map cube, and even a ragbunny.”

In no time, a brawl broke out inside the saloon, with everyone inside trying to fight Takeshi and Rita (and each other) for the items in question. Nobody knows how much Life was collectively lost in the brawl before someone finally decided to intervene.

“What's all this gol-dang ruckus going on about?!” An elderly man wearing a sheriff's badge entered the saloon.

“All rise! The honorable Doc Holiday presiding!”

Everyone immediately stood up, even Takeshi and Rita, out of respect for the town's leading lawman.

“Listen up, cowpokes!” Doc commanded. “We gots a rule in this here town about wanting items from other players. Shall we recite the rule?”

At the snap of his fingers, everyone in the saloon except for Takeshi and Rita recited the rule in question.

“All items in Single Pigeon are subject to the rules of The Game, and must be acquired from other players by way of fair play.”

“That's right! And the game we like to play ‘round these here parts is HOLY COMBAT!” Doc threw down a deck of cards onto the center table.

“That's a poker deck!” Rita realized.

“How very observant of you, little missy,” Doc replied. “Ya know the rules of this here game?”

“I… I dabble.” Rita tried to feign confidence. It might have worked because Doc immediately challenged her to a poker game on the spot.

“The only way you and your boyfriend are gonna get to leave this place is if you beat us in Holy Combat.”

“He's not my… Never mind. I'll play your game.”

•

Rita took her seat at the center table. One of the villagers hooks her up to a machine set up behind the bar.

“What's with the setup?” Rita asked.

Doc answered, “The way we do poker in these here parts is a bit different than you city slickers might be familiar with.”

In total, ten people took their seats at the table, including Rita, Doc Holiday, the town's mayor, and various other villagers.

“Let's begin Holy Combat with a prayer,” the mayor said. “Holiest Set, bless this here deck of cards, and may your favor touch whomever you will, and allow the best player to win. So be it done.”

“So be it done,” the other villagers added. 

“Set?” Takeshi wondered from the sidelines. His mind began to wander back to his meeting with a Mr. Set.

Each player was dealt two cards face down, and had to choose carefully whether they would wager anything. The mayor called out “I'll wager one.” His call caused the machine to generate an electric shock that pulsed through his body, causing him to lose one Life.

“Can't you guys just keep score, or wager, like, money?” Takeshi asked. “Does it really have to be electric shocks?”

“The electric shocks IS how we keep score. The money we wager in Holy Combat is our Life points.”

Another villager wagered two Lives, and was shocked accordingly. Each other player matched that bet. Finally, it was Rita's turn.

“I'll call,” Rita said, expecting the shocks to happen. Her Life total went from 5 to 3 as a result.

The mayor caught onto Rita's Life total. “We gots someone trying to be slick, I see. We'll teach ya what happens when ya try to be slick.” He called for the man operating the machine to shock Rita again, reducing her Life to just two.

“That's cheating!” Takeshi protested.

“Quiet! The rules say each player enters with four Lives, no more, no less.”

The dealer now dealt three cards face up at the center of the table: a ten of clubs, a jack of clubs, and a six of diamonds. “Who wants to raise the ante?” he asked the other players. None of them would budge. The total wager remained at 20 Life.

Another card gets dealt: a eight of spades. After giving it some thought, the Mayor decided to raise the ante, forcing everyone to wager an additional Life or fold. Three players folded, not willing to risk any more of their Lives for some outsiders' inventory. Everyone else called the bet, putting the total wager at 27 Life.

The final card now had been dealt: a queen of hearts. Two more players immediately folded, realizing their cards weren't going to win the game. The remaining five players then revealed their face down cards: Rita revealed a nine of hearts and a three of clubs, giving her a best hand of a straight. The other players' hands couldn't compete with that, giving her the round win.

Relieved to have won with her life still intact, Rita told the others, “Well, it's been fun. Now, uh, can you let me out of this thing so we can leave?”

“Oh, you ain't going nowheres, little missy,” the mayor answered. “Holy Combat goes on until there's only one player left.”

“What kind of sick and twisted game is this?!” Rita asked, absolutely horrified at what she just heard. Takeshi, likewise, could only look on as Rita was now risking all her remaining Lives on a single game of poker.