Chapter 8-choose you champion

Radiant words in English surfaced on the ebony wooden table -

[The tales of man shall wait for the champions of old. Choose your fate, forge your destiny.] - the radiant words describe for us.

"Maddie, what the fuck are the four cards for?" Khaza asked out of curiosity.

"As a player, you get a chance to pick four cards: blue, red, yellow, and green. If you're dissatisfied with the cards you've drawn to customize your character, you can exchange one of your cards twice with a mystery card. All you need to say is 'hit me'. The first card—race and history, embodied by the blue card—will portray your character's race and past, from Elves to Humans, and so forth," Maddie explained.

"Cool, cool, are there any ranks to races,"

"Yes, common, royal, high blood, progenitor, are ranks for the races, and each race has skills and weaknesses, so most are far, expect dragonoid, or half dragon blood, those are beast in combat scenarios,"

"Now for your second card, these are the class paths, or the red cards. There's actually an unknown amount of these, so whatever you get to add extra depth to your character by providing a backstory. From hero to legend to myth, to divine, these are the ranks. You get four chances throughout the game to enhance your cards or obtain another from the same category. There are seven categories with varying abilities and skills of the class card representing occupational skills—from religion to jobs—which tend to relate to the card's title."

I'll be honest; listening to her explain was confusing, but I could glean some meaning from her words. What puzzled me was the divine ranks.

"So, what are the differences in ranks?" I asked to clarify.

"The ranks are divided into four tiers. A favorite number of the game seems to be four. Common is the lowest and the most found card. In simpler terms, ranks ascend from one to four. Rank one cards are the most accessible and are commonly used in most games. Rank two is a bit rarer and better for battles. Rank three is where the heavy hitters come into play. They're vital in a party and in any scenario. Rank four, which is used at least once in every game, are the game-changers. They're a level above, for example, the divine class. An 'angel incarnate' is one that I used back in the day. It can heal my party to full health, revive a party member, and purify any dark-type enemies."

Just hearing her speak about the rules was a mindfucker but from the sounds of it, if one of our groups gets a good haul, then we might have a fighting chance. Just gotta pray for some luck.

"Weapon cards, or the yellow cards, are ranked as, common, rare, epic, and legendary. There are two types of weapon cards. The first type is obtained only after receiving permission from the realm master, following a great battle for example like rewards after defeating a great foe. The second type is the most basic and is always given at the start of the game. These cards include daggers, swords, shields, and other weapons used to deal damage or block attacks. They are a fundamental part of every game,"

"So, the game is more luck based, then skill? I'm getting confused about which one is more important," Khaza asked.

"It's a combination of both. It's important to know which weapons are best used in different situations and when to fight or flee,"

"Gotcha." Khaza said.

"Now, for the last card, depicted in green, it represents life, pets, or companions. These cards can range from common to uncommon, rare, and legendary. They can come in humanoid form or as animals, such as trolls or Dire wolves. Legendary cards include dragons or mythical animals,"

Now, it was time actually play the game. Maddie pointed out the wheel in the center of the table, explaining that the realm master would spin it, and a number between one and seven would be displayed on each section, determining the actions and results.

At that moment, I felt grateful for Maddie being a geek for these fantasy games. I hoped that all the fantasy-related elements she had in her room were family-friendly, though that was highly unlikely. However, this was not the time for joking. She had done her best to explain the rules, and now it was time for action.

This was our only chance for salvation. I'd been high and drunk before, but I had never felt as awake, focused, and sober as I did now. This situation wasn't some dream my mind had conjured up from past trauma. No, it was real. I knew it because I had been living in reality all my life.

"We're good," I declared, receiving nods of agreement from the rest of the group. Maddie sighed, giving me the signal to begin.