The Gambling Pirate Skeletons

We walked through the final corridor. All the halls and rooms in this place looked the same. It would be nice to have a change of scenery for the first time in over seventy years. The way out was now in front of us... but there was an issue. The entrance was closed off by a grated gate, which was usually kept up. I looked for the mechanism to lift it. The lever to activate it was on the wall. Unfortunately, it was inside of a heavy duty lock box, of which I didn’t have the key for.

"How are we going to get out if we don’t have the key?" Erika asked, a bit worried.

"Most likely the key is with this floor’s boss. Lucky for us though, I’m on pretty good terms with him."

"I want to believe you, Mr. Arno, but you haven't exactly had the best track record with your 'friends' so far." She responded.

We wandered a bit looking for the floor's boss. Nobody was in the main chamber or corridors. Eventually we heard some noise coming from a side room. We peaked in and saw a group of skeletons sitting at a table. They were playing what looked like blackjack and were wagering an assortment of random items in place of money, since none of us thralls actually have any.

They were all dressed as pirates. One in particular wore a typical pirate captain outfit. The rest wore garbs a crew would wear. The captain looked like he was raking in most of the winnings.

This round, the dealer dealt the cards out. Right off the bat the captain got an ace and a jack. The dealer had a ten and a queen. He had black jack! Which meant he won against the dealer instantly. No one else won that round.

The Captain's name was Francois, but everyone referred to him as Captain Chainbeard. Due to the fake beard he wore made from chainmail. He was probably the greatest gambler I ever met. He had what I would call the "devil's luck" because he ALWAYS managed to beat all odds.

The dealer was his first mate, Hugo. He himself is also a pretty good gambler. He was quite observant and could spot a cheater from a mile away.

Lucian found the Chainbeard and his crew while we were investigating an old shipwreck many decades ago. The ship didn't have any treasure, but for Lucian an entire crew of skeletal corpses was even better.

They were actually pretty decent thralls too I had to admit. Their floor was always well maintained and quite organized. The only issue was they all had major gambling addictions. I personally didn’t mind these guys. Over the years, I myself would occasionally come up here to gamble with them.

"Look maties! It's Arno... Ahoy there Arno. Ye come up t' make some wagers?" Chainbeard said, noticing me in the doorway.

"What language is he speaking?" Erika whispered.

"Afternoon captain. Unfortunately, I'm not looking to play at the moment. I was just hoping I could borrow your key."

Chainbeard shook his head, "I wish I could help ye, but I 'ave direct orders from Master Lucian t' keep that gate shut."

"Come on, can't you just do this one favor for an old gambling buddy." I pleaded.

Chainbeard stopped to consider for a moment.

"I know I was ordered, but wha' if we made this interestin'."

"What are you proposing?" I said.

"Why don't we settle this wit' a few games."

Part of me knew I shouldn't take this bet, but what other choice did I really have.

"Ok I'll accept your challenge, but first I want to hear the terms."

"We'll play best two out o' three games. Each o' us on a team o' two. Me wit' me first mate 'n ye wit' the lass.

I nodded.

"Sounds good, but what are we playing?"

"It be three different games. First will be me versus ye. Second will be both pairs against each other. Last will be that poppet versus me first mate. We'll do a coin toss each round, the winner can choose any game they wants."

That didn't sound so bad, especially if I could choose a game I had an advantage at. There was one thing I wondered though… "hey, girl, are you any good at games?"

"Yeah I guess so. I've played things like rock, paper, scissors and jacks and stuff when I was a kid. But what does that have to do with the key?"

Some told me she probably has never played any gambling games like cards or dice before.

"Listen here, I'm going to need you to completely focus on winning. Is that understood?" I spoke to her in a serious tone.

Erika spoke a bit hesitantly, "yes but-."

Captain Chainbeard cut her off, "Are we playin' or wha'."

"Yes, but one last thing. If we get the key if we win, what do you get if you do?"

"It's simple ye 'n this girl will jus' 'ave t' become hands o' me crew forever."

The stakes just got even higher. We had to win this at all costs.