Chapter 5: AGAIN
----------------------------------------
Gauging the distance between us, there was no way I could attack from where I stood or close the gap fast enough.
“How?” I asked.
“Do as I taught you. Try a battle card.”
“Uh, okay,” I loaded my hand and examined my cards.
Hand: [4/0] [2/5] [3/3] [1/7] [5/1]
I spun the [1/7] to make it a [7/1], and it floated into the air. Cragmarr chose his card, and it hovered the same way.
Every battle card required at least 1 Zii to activate, similar to mana in video games. Every player started with 100 Zii, like sitting at a poker table with a hundred $1 chips. Except Zii didn’t represent money, but your health, mana, and in-game currency combined. The objective was to reduce all opponents’ Zii to zero.
I touched my battle card and tapped it for a single Zii. After a slight rush, the card glowed with the number 1, signaling my battle card was committed.
Ember [Ninja]: Battle Card Committed [1 Zii Wagered]
- Current Total Reward: 1 Zii
Every player acted in turns, with the first-to-act position rotating each hand. For this hand, I went first and waited for Cragmarr.
The number 1 popped up on Cragmarr’s card, indicating his card was also committed.
Cragmarr [Golem]: Battle Card Committed [1 Zii Wagered]
- Current Total Reward: 2 Zii
As if I was shot from a cannon, my body launched and accelerated toward him. Without thinking, I extended my fist for an MMA Superman punch that hit Cragmarr square in the face. Three glowing red coins exploded into the air from the point of impact.
Pain ripped through my arm—my knuckles bent into unnatural angles.
I let out a blood-curdling screech. It felt like a blowtorch blasting my fist.
EMBER [NINJA] WINS THE HAND
- Wagers: 2 Zii
- Cragmarr [Golem]: 1 Zii
- Total Reward: 3 Zii
Cragmarr’s card showed a [2/7].
The three red coins had landed at my feet, now levitating about an inch off the round. The coins arced into the air and disappeared into my palm. But my hand was mangled with fingers bent in various unnatural directions.
CRAGMARR [GOLEM] CONCEDES THE MATCH
Do you accept? [Yes/No]
God, yes!
Exiting the Jingozi arena, the clearing reappeared as I fell to my knees, clutching my wrist. Although my hand was now fine, it throbbed with the phantom pain of bones popping back into place.
“What the hell was that?” I groaned, rolling face-first into some moss.
“You won the hand.” Cragmarr leaned over with a big grin, revealing his rocky teeth.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“The hand? What about my hand, you big dumb Golem!”
“You played a [7/1], and I played a [2/7]. Your attack was greater. So, you won, and your reward was the two Zii we wagered to charge our battle cards. Plus, one extra for your defense score as a reward from my Zii.” He watched me flex my hand a few more times. “All damage in the Jingozi arena stays in the arena.”
“That’s what they say about Vegas,” I grumbled.
“I do not understand.”
“Never mind,” I said, my face still smushed in the moss. “What if I played a [7/7]?”
“You would have been rewarded 7 Zii. Open your game log, please.”
I flipped over onto my back.
MATCH RESULTS:
Name: Ember [8160]
Faction: Ninja [Field]
Zii: 102
Cards: [Battle] 35 / [Spell] 1
Name: Cragmarr
Faction: Golem [Demi]
Zii: 98
Cards: [Battle] 35 / [Spell] 24
“What if you played a [7/2] against my [7/1]?” I asked.
“If neither of us played any spells to change our attack scores, our battle cards would have neutralized each other. It would be a tie turn, and the hand would continue with the remaining cards in our hands until one of us was a winner.”
“You mean we’d attack each other again with another card from our hand?” I said. “Like jousting?”
“That is a way to look at it, yes.”
“Okay, I think it’s starting to click. Since everybody has the same battle cards, you want to be careful which ones you use because you might run out of the most powerful ones. You’ll also have to rely on what gets drawn from your deck into your hand—random number generation.”
“Yes, that is wise. You are learning quickly. The game is designed to give every player an equal chance for victory.”
“It’s not pay-to-win, you mean.”
“What is that?”
“Sorry, never mind,” I sat up. “Then why did I break my hand? Can’t I just use a gun or something?”
“There are no firearms in Jingozi. But you have the right idea. You can use anything brought into the Jingozi arena as a weapon. Every faction has a different battle style according to their training and culture. But pain is a part of the game. You will be disadvantaged if you do not develop the proper mental fortitude.”
“Can I shoot lasers out of my eyes?”
“If you train for it, yes.”
“What stops me from creating armor and a battle axe against a lame redhead Ninja chick trying to punch me with bare fists?”
“Nothing,” he chuckled. “But you must remember manifestations that feel real during the game, including weapons, armor, or magic effects, are not real. They do not change the potency of your attacks, defense, or spells. Hand-to-hand combat can damage as much as a sword or fireball. They only change your experience of the game itself.”
“Well, at least that’s fair.”
Cragmarr walked back to the edge of the clearing, stretched his neck, and cracked his knuckles.
“Again.”
CRAGMARR [GOLEM] HAS CHALLENGED YOU TO A JINGOZI MATCH [TUTORIAL MODE]
Do you accept? [Yes/No]
* * *
We played one hand at a time in a series of mini-matches. Cragmarr chose weaker cards, allowing me to practice relatively unscathed. My old Karate and boxercise training resurfaced, muscle memory kicking in as I gained confidence. The injuries still hurt like hell, but knowing they were temporary made it somewhat bearable.
I also trained with weapons, testing various kinds in a Jingozi match. We practiced with wooden staves, rocks, and knives, each with a unique weight, balance, and style. But after a few rounds, I stuck to basic hand-to-hand combat—at least for now. In Vegas, the only weapon I ever carried was a can of mace.
After getting the hang of things, the pace intensified. We worked on combos and stringing together attacks. The training became more demanding, each round pushing me harder, but my skills sharpened with every exchange. Despite my constant complaints—about the pain, the confusion, the sheer exhaustion—Cragmarr remained patient.
After dislocating my shoulder, I was more than done.
“I can’t fight for shit!”
Cragmarr blinked, confused.
“Why would you fight for a shift?”
“I said, shit, Cragmarr.”
“Where would you like me to sit?”
“Really?” I said.
He just stared at me.
“Your language… it is confusing.”
Suspicious, I tried an experiment.
“If I say the word ‘fuck,’ what do you hear?”
“A word in a foreign tongue I cannot comprehend.”
I thought about it for a moment before it struck me. This was the most absurd feature the Jingozi could have added to their game.
I broke out in hysterical laughter.
“Of course,” I giggled. “A language filter.”
“What is that?” he asked.
I couldn’t stop laughing, plus I couldn't tell if Cragmarr was legitimately amused or tolerating my hysterics. So, I decided to lean into the absurdity.
“Hey, Crag. Can I call you Crag?” I said, catching my breath.
“Of course. Can I call you Em?”
“Be my guest, Craaaaaag. But I have one more question, if I may.”
“Yes?”
“What happens if I die?”
Cragmarr went quiet.
“Hello? Earth to Crag?” I snickered.
His smile vanished. Picking me up off the ground and planting me on my feet, he became intimidating for the first time.
“Again.”
CRAGMARR [GOLEM] HAS CHALLENGED YOU TO A JINGOZI MATCH [TUTORIAL MODE]
Do you accept? [Yes/No]