Duzakh knocked on the table. "Shall we start the second game?"
Elyon scraped his chair back and stood up. He was ready to leave.
"Get up, Vigil, we are leaving."
Elyon didn't look at him.
Vigil didn't look at him either; he just stared straight ahead at Duzakh.
"You still have one coin left, Elyon."
Elyon turned around sharply. He stared down at the top of Vigil's head.
How does he even know?
"I don't have anything left. Because of YOU, we lost everything, Vigil."
Vigil kept staring at the dealer "Left pocket. Give it."
Elyon was hesitant; this was their last coin. If Vigil lost, he couldn't multiply them. And he didn't trust that Eve would have any more coins either.
With a sigh, he pulled out the last coin and handed it to Vigil.
"If you lose, I am killing you."
Vigil took the coin without looking at him. Elyon passed his chair and began walking elsewhere.
"You are not the murderer, Elyon," Vigil whispered.
Duzakh coughed. "Mister Vigil, it's your turn to place the bet. Do you want to do it with just one coin?"
Vigil silently threw the coin into the middle of the table.
The others followed. Once everyone had placed their coin, Duzakh took one for commission.
Methuselah started laughing. "A five-coin pot? Four, if you exclude the one we bet? This is insane."
"I will show all five of you why I am the best at this table," Devadatta grinned angrily at the people seated next to him.
Jerahmeel was silently putting the winning pot from the last round into a bag.
Taotie and Maryam remained quiet.
Duzakh gave everyone their cards.
"In this game, we will have only three villagers. The roles will remain the same."
-------------------------------------------
[DUZAKH]
╭───────────────╮
[TAOTIE] [DEVADATTA]
│ │
[MARYAM] O [JERAHMEEL]
│ │
[METHUSELAH] ██████
╰───────────────╯
[VIGIL]
--------------------------------------------
He tapped the table once more.
"At the end of the game, the card in your hand is your truth."
Elyon was in a far corner of the casino, pacing back and forth, trying to calm himself.
Everyone except the dealer closed their eyes.
"Murder, wake up. Who do you want to kill?"
The murderer pointed at someone, then went back to sleep.
"Detective, wake up. Who do you want to suspect?"
The detective pointed at someone, then went back to sleep.
"Let the village wake up."
Everyone opened their eyes.
"Taotie, you are dead; the murderer has killed you."
-------------------------------------------
[DUZAKH]
╭───────────────╮
███████ [DEVADATTA]
│ │
[MARYAM] O [JERAHMEEL]
│ │
[METHUSELAH] ██████
╰───────────────╯
[VIGIL]
--------------------------------------------
Taotie scoffed. "I didn't really want to play anyway."
Methuselah rubbed his belly. "My, my, what a predicament we are in. Because of Elyon, we need to vote in the first round."
Maryam responded, "I agree. Let's decide who to vote out first."
Jerahmeel nodded quietly, but Devadatta had to say something first.
"It's not like we can agree to vote someone out. So let's vote and see who gets out first."
Maryam looked taken aback, since she didn't think the brat could have a bone of sense in his body.
Despite not talking or agreeing to anything verbally, everyone voted Jerahmeel, the previous winner, out. The frail man didn't even have time to raise his hand to vote someone out.
"Jerahmeel, you have been voted out."
-------------------------------------------
[DUZAKH]
╭───────────────╮
███████ [DEVADATTA]
│ │
[MARYAM] O ███████
│ │
[METHUSELAH] ██████
╰───────────────╯
[VIGIL]
--------------------------------------------
Elyon returned and stood behind Vigil's chair, still furious, still unable to leave.
Everyone except the dealer closed their eyes.
"Murder, wake up. Who do you want to kill?"
The murderer pointed at someone, then went back to sleep.
"Detective, wake up. Who do you want to suspect?"
The detective pointed at someone, then went back to sleep.
"Let the village wake up."
Everyone opened their eyes.
"Maryam, you are dead; the murderer has killed you."
-------------------------------------------
[DUZAKH]
╭───────────────╮
███████ [DEVADATTA]
│ │
[MARYAM] O ███████
│ │
█████████ ██████
╰───────────────╯
[VIGIL]
--------------------------------------------
Methuselah scratched his chin, then did something no one expected from an old man.
The old man locked the fuck in.
"Let's show our cards. How about that?"
Vigil responded, "I agree."
But before the brat could respond, something landed on the table.
"Caw! Caw! Kraa!"
Duzakh stared in amazement at the crow.
The crow started flapping its wings wildly.
The old man's eyes shot open. "HOLD YOUR CARD-"
But before he could finish his sentence, someone kicked the table hard from underneath.
Each card on the table went into the air. The wings of the crow fluttered even harder. Cards scattered and spun above the table.
Then the table jolted again.
Much quieter this time.
Almost unnoticeable beneath the crow's wings and the shouting.
The crow took its leave and landed on Vigil's shoulder.
Duzakh glared at Vigil. "You are not allowed to steal others' cards."
Vigil responded with a simple, "I didn't."
Duzakh glared harder at him because he was basically correct.
Methuselah looked at his card. Then he threw it on the table, showing everyone that he was the murderer.
"This is not my card."
Vigil was the next to show his card.
"This is my card." Vigil was the fool.
Maryam's eyes widened in surprise, even though she was supposed to be dead.
Devadatta showed his card. He was a villager."This is my card."
Even though the brat talked a bit of game, this time he didn't know what to do.
The old man glared at the brat with anger.
"It's Vigil. Trust me, boy. Don't be an idiot and vote me out."
Vigil looked at the brat.
"You are the best at this table. So go kick some ass."
The brat felt a surge of pure happiness that someone at this table had realized how extraordinary his talent was.
He pointed toward Methuselah, and so did Vigil.
Methuselah was the last to point toward Vigil.
Once everyone voted, Duzakh spoke.
"Grab your original cards."
The gentle mother took Vigil's fool card and gave him the villager card.
Methuselah was so mad that he didn't even look at the table.
The dealer spoke.
"Show your cards in the order you died."
Taotie was the first... detective.
Jerahmeel was the second... villager.
Maryam was the third... fool.
Vigil was the fourth... villager.
Devadatta was the fifth... villager.
And Methuselah, whose card was already on the table... murderer.
Duzakh spoke, "The murderer has been voted out. The vill-"
His words were suddenly cut off when Vigil leaned over the table and switched his villager card with Methuselah's murder card.
Vigil looked at Duzakh.
"The murderer has won."
Duzakh's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He turned toward the old man.
"Was the villager card your original card?"
Methuselah looked back at Duzakh.
"Yeah. I was always the villager. Vigil was the murderer from the start."
Only Methuselah understood exactly what Vigil had done.
Vigil had not kicked the table once.
He had kicked it twice.
The first time, he switched his card with Methuselah's.
The second time, he switched his card with Maryam's.
That was how he claimed to be the fool.
That was how Methuselah became the murderer.
And that was how the murderer won.
After the game ended, the crow silently slipped back into Vigil's coat.
Elyon looked in amazement at Vigil
What the fuck happened?