Chapter 222. The Gambler.
“When we head downstairs, I need to watch where I’m sitting. Position yourself at a table directly across from me. Give the game some time to get started, then, whenever a new hand is dealt, lift your book, like you’re really trying hard to see something on the page. Make sure the top of the book is over your shoulder. Have your gnoll set at the table next to you and do the same,” Barrett explained.
“What happens, is there a mirror in the book or something?” I asked, flipping through the pages. The book was written in a language I didn’t know, but even while flipping through, it started to translate a few words for me.
“Don’t sweat the details, just do what I’m asking of you. Summon up your gnoll so I can get a look at him,” Barrett asked, brushing off my question about how the magic book was supposed to operate.
I summoned Khurr who was dressed in his normal tunic. The system randomization for gear hadn’t been kind to my gnoll scout and he had blanked on any upgrades. Barrett looked him over with a frown plastered on his face, somehow not approving of my minion.
“He’s dressed all wrong, and he’s not my size or I’d just give him some of my clothes to wear. Hmm, I got a coat that might fit, have him wear this,” Barrett said, heading to a small wardrobe on the far wall where he took out a long duster coat that was a match for the one that he wore, except this one was a light tan where his was a dark grey color.
“What about my gear, will it pass inspection?” I asked. This place had an odd almost cowboy vibe, and I was dressed in leather armor, with a sword at my waist and a shield strapped on my back.
“You look like a visitor, should be no problem, but gnolls. They’re always working for one outfit, and they always dress to match the others, or they’re not allowed in town. As long as Gillman’s boys don’t show up tonight, we should be good. They’re supposedly driving a herd of mukok out to Dairnland, and won’t be back for a while,” Barrett explained.
“Are you sure you want to cheat? Can’t you beat them on your own skill?” I asked. While it wasn’t a life-or-death situation, I did feel bad for helping the man cheat others at cards. It wasn’t the sort of thing I’d burn a Notice of Cessation for, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.
“Cheat? Why that’s expected at this kind of game. I wouldn’t be considered a top card player if I wasn’t doing everything that I could think of to win. You can rest assured everyone else at that table will be running one scheme or another to give them an edge,” Barrett said, trying to assuage my conscience.
“And what happens if one of them spots us helping you?” I asked. It wasn’t like I was James Bond or something. I’m sure the other players would notice something suspicious about me or the gnoll if we kept raising our books up each time a hand of cards was played.
“The stakes for the game are high, but not so high that anyone would want to kill over them. Should you botch this up and get caught, the worst you can expect is a brawl with the other players’ bodyguards. You’ll get the snot kicked out of you, but you’ll live,” Barrett said.
“I’m not worried about me, I’m worried about having to hurt someone else,” I explained.
“Bah, don’t worry none, this is going to go smooth as silk. One last thing to remember, and this is the most important piece. No matter what happens, you cannot admit that I was the one that summoned you. If you get caught, I don’t want to get implicated,” Barrett said.
After our brief discussion, the sun had set, and Barrett lit a lantern on the table to give us a bit of light as he explained how we needed to hold the book. Apparently, you had to touch the bottom left corner of the cover to get it to do its thing. I couldn’t see any changes, but I did feel it give off some mana when I activated it.
It took me a bit longer to get Khurr squared away. My minion wasn’t the type to understand complex commands, and in the end, I just told him to mirror what I did with my book. It might make it easier for us to be spotted when the gnoll and I raised our books at the same time, but Barrett seemed to want us both rather than just me out there.
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Deciding it was time, Barrett led us downstairs. We had been in one of the rented rooms on the top floor of the saloon, and there were several others coming and going from their rooms. Barrett never told me the name of the place, but in whatever town we were in, this saloon was sure a popular spot.
Down on the main floor, a band was starting to play, the music was odd, something that sounded to me like country and new wave were somehow mixed together. Several tables covered in felt were positioned around the room, many already filled with gamblers. Servers wandered the crowd, taking drink and food orders as they went. Luckily, I had been pulled for my summoning just after lunch, so I wasn’t hungry or thirsty yet.
Barrett made his way to one of the tables, giving a friendly greeting to the other three men seated around it. The table was at the edge of the gambling area, allowing me to find a spot at one of the dining tables nearby. Khurr parked himself at the table on my right, and I could see that each of us had a good angle on a different gambler.
We would be able to get a peek at two people’s cards, but Barrett would have to figure out the remaining gambler’s hand on his own. Thinking about what Barrett had said earlier, I looked around the room, trying to spot others cheating in some way. Maybe he had another team working to spy on the last player.
“Can I get you a drink dear?” An older server asked as she approached my table. She gave a jolt as she got a closer look at my face. I must look rather disturbing to the locals with my human features just different enough from their own to cause a shock.
“Whatever you recommend,” I said, smiling as I passed over a couple of silver coins.
I had no idea how much a drink would cost here, but the server seemed more than happy with what I paid, vowing to return soon with my drink. I tossed a single silver coin to Khurr, who handed it to the server that approached his table. Gnolls didn’t need to speak to order here, and they must have been common enough that the server just took the coin and left, assuming that Khurr would want whatever the other gnolls typically ordered.
While I waited for my drink, I began to take a look at the book Barrett had given me to spy with. Words began to form as the strange script was translated by the system. Before long, I was thumbing through a rather dull story about a farmer who spent his days digging for treasure on his land instead of planting his crops.
The cards at Barrett’s table were being shuffled now, and I waited for the players to pull up their cards and look at their hands before activating the book like Barrett had instructed me. Khurr watched me, doing the same with his book when the time required it. I felt silly, but it was my job for this summoning.
About four or five hands into the game, Barrett shot up from his chair, raising his voice for the whole saloon to hear. “Hey, those two are using scrying devices. Galavan, Gemwich, they can see your hands!” Barret said pointing toward me and Khurr.
The place grew quiet as everyone looked at me and my minion. I sat there, unsure what to do. This wasn’t what Barrett had explained would happen, but I had no choice but to follow my summoner’s commands. Several burly bouncers with clubs tied to their belts moved through the crowd to surround the table I was at. A few more of these bouncers were also blocking Khurr.
“Is there a mage in the room? Someone who can detect a scrying device?” Barrett asked. At least two people offered their services, happy to join in the evening’s excitement. One walked up to me and cast a spell, causing the book in my hand to glow with an orange light.
“He’s right, this book is a scrying device, line of sight only, so he would have been,” the mage, an older man dressed in sturdy work clothes said, pausing as he stooped over to see who I had been spying on. “There, that man’s cards would be visible to him, and the gentleman to his left would have been the target of that mangy dog,” the mage concluded.
“Zed, you’ve been cheating, and you’re caught red handed,” Barrett accused the one player we hadn’t been spying on.
“What in tarnation! You set this up, I didn’t hire no cheaters,” the player, Zed, replied.
“If he was cheating, why would he expose himself. No, I think we know who the cheater was at this table,” the mage claimed, pointing an accusatory finger at Zed.
“No, I’m not a cheat, and I’ll not let you claim that I am one,” Zed said, his hand dropping to the blade at his side. The response from the crowd was a swift one. Several throwing daggers, a crossbow bolt, and a barrage of magic missiles from the mage next to me ended this Zed guy before his blade could clear its sheath.
“Now it’s your turn, cheater,” the mage said as mana began to build. A bright flash blinded me, and searing pain burned into my head before it cut off and I was floating in the void once more.
A Searing Doom spell has melted your brain. Your summoning session is complete.
Your performance rating is calculated as Average.
Your rewards will reflect the summoning tier of 2, rank 1, and your performance rating of Average.
You have earned 11 experience points.
You have earned 7 summoning points.