[Mkguild] Fwd: Rimme's new part

[Indagare]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: cokane8116 at aol.com <cokane8116 at aol.com>
Date: Mon, Jun 26, 2023 at 10:41 PM
Subject: Re: Rimme's new part
To: Indagare <brenner.mike at gmail.com>


"It ain't normal to keep winning like that," Jerrod snarled. "You hav to be
cheating somehow. I just don't how."

   "Prove it or quit whining," the boy said. "And play. Not my fault if you
are such a poor player."

   "Are you using magic?" Jerrod asked. "Got to be it!"


******************


On Saturday, June 24, 2023 at 06:28:34 PM EDT, Indagare <
brenner.mike at gmail.com> wrote:


The Jolly Collie was a very nice inn. And thanks to Misha's ownership, it
was much cheaper than it had any right to be. Jerrod liked that quite a
lot. It made him more confident with his bidding.

With Rodrick by his side, he'd managed to gather a small fortune, enough
for him to split from the caravan and make his own way south. Rodrick
wanted more. He wanted enough for both of them. So they picked a new target.

Jerrod knew a trick or two when it came to gambling. He knew his deck. He
knew the four kings and the four deuces. He knew how to shuffle to force
them into his hand or his opponents'.

But this kid they sat down with... it was like Lady Luck were by his side.
Where Jerrod got a two pair, the kid got a three-of-a-kind. Where Jerrod
tried to force a four-of-a-kind, the kid would get a straight flush. The
kid must have been cheating, but how? He only touched the cards to cut. He
must have been bluffing the other times, but the kid was unreadable,
smiling blankly whether he betted or folded.

Jerrod's confident bids all dried up, and he was forced to bid his own
knife and spear and armor to win back his earnings. And now those were gone
too.

"Well, gee," the kid said, scrubbing his lip with ale-soaked fingers, "I'd
love to keep playing, maybe help you win back your stuff, but I see you
have nothing left to bid."

Jerrod wished he'd bought more than one drink at the start. This little
child was humiliating him at cards with a full pint. He needed another. He
wouldn't leave until he did. He looked around the inn. Rodrick had left the
instant he'd struck out, to be replaced by a frog morph who was also in
dire straits, but still a ways from going broke. There were no other guards
watching them.

"You know," Jerrod said slowly. "I'm in a caravan that's got some extra
carpets in stock. We always lose one or two of them during transport."

The kid quirked an eye. "You're trying to pay me with a cheap rug?"

"They're not cheap," Jerrod almost hissed. "They're in great condition, all
the way from Pyralis." He forced a smile. "You're not going to win anyway.
Your luck won't last forever."

The kid seemed conflicted... or was it an act? Finally, the kid put down
twenty gold crowns, at least five of which had once been Jerrod's. "Call,"
he said.
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