17 Tarot Reader

{SHIZU POV}

{REALM: THE DICASTERY}

{DEPTH 1}

Shizu had no idea what was happening. The last thing she remembered was getting stabbed in the chest by the one person that she really thought wouldn't kill her. Then again, maybe doing an unfavorable card reading to a literal mobster wasn't the best of ideas in hindsight.

"What am I supposed to do here..."

The humble tarot reader did her best to stop herself from crying as she found herself alone once more in a fantastical foreign world. The gold and marble around her all seemed to blend together in her mind even as she tried her best to navigate the place, at least knowing that she had to go down to the very bottom of what she now knew as the Deep Blue, the home of the gods.

Also, gods actually existed. Who knew, right?

"I'm not built for this," she couldn't help but whine as she did her best to stick to the silver road beneath her. "I don't even know how to fight..."

Truly, she had no idea how or why she was even in this situation in the first place. She got that she was chosen as a Champion by Tyche, the literal God of Fate, but again, why her? She had no clue how to fight. Her hands had never seen blood on them ever, and all she had on her person were the clothes on her back and her deck of tarot cards that were now supposedly strong enough to kill people.

/You should have more faith in yourself, my Champion,/ Tyche spoke to her in her mind, his voice sounding both condescending and reassuring to her for some reason. /You're more than capable. You simply need to trust in your abilities./

"But I'm not a fighter," she whined back. "I haven't even slapped someone in the face yet!"

Well, there was one time when she slapped her ex in the face, but even that wasn't as strong as she would've liked it. In fact, she chipped a nail doing that, much to her own pain.

/And yet you have all the power you need to win this game,/ her patron god insisted. /You have the power of Fate's Edict, a power that will allow you to trump your opponents with laughable ease./

Shizu frowned even as she hesitantly nodded at her god's words. Palming the deck of tarot cards attached to her hip, she couldn't help but think of the new power she now wielded. Her god had told her that each card she now drew would have different effects that could help her. And on top of that, she could even throw them as projectiles of some sort, something that she had already done to the one lion that almost killed her if it weren't for her getting lucky with where she was standing.

/Shizu, you said it yourself before. The arcana is the means by which all is revealed, correct?/ Thych cooed. /Trust in yourself, and you will surely be rewarded./

"R-Right..."

Shaking her head, the fortune teller did her best to stay calm, her right hand wielding a few cards ready to be thrown at a moment's notice. It didn't feel like much, but the memory of seeing the lion that attacked her get bisected in two by a single card was still fresh in her mind. No, these cards were her lifeline now, something that would keep her alive hopefully long enough for her wish to be granted... that was if she even had one.

"Focus..." she told herself. "You're in a life and death game now, Shizu... Stay calm and survive..."

Doing her best impression of a person ready to strike at a moment's notice, the fortune teller scrunched her up brows and took a brave step forward. Then another. Then she was doing it faster than she was walking. Before she knew it, she was running, and she didn't know why.

"S-Stop!"

With an awkward scream, Shizu stopped herself by a random street crossing, her chest heaving as she did her best to stop her hands from shaking. Sighing, she clenched her fists in an effort to calm herself. It wasn't much, but she liked to believe that it would-

"Hmm... This is surprising..."

Shizu froze, her blue eyes widening as an unfamiliar voice alerted her of the new presence. Who was it? A fellow Champion?

"You can do this, Shizu..." she whispered to herself, her left hand hovering tightly around her deck of cards. "I just have... I just have to get through this..."

She was a Champion, right? And she had to win, so that meant she to... to kill the others. She really didn't want to, but the way the game worked almost sounded like the gods were encouraging them to kill one another, and Shizu didn't want to die. At least, not again...

Her eyes narrowed with hesitant determination, the tarot reader slowly made her way to where she thought this other person was located. Slowly but surely, she inched her way to her quarry, her cards raised and aimed as she saw the man that she heard just a while ago. He had black hair and was wearing a black chef's uniform. He was by some kind of low wall, eating what looked to be... sashimi?

"W-What is that?"

The next few moments that followed would then threaten to traumatize Shizu for the rest of her life. In an instant, the chef turned around and aimed his knife at her without so much as a moment's hesitation. His mouth still stained with hints of blood from his meal, he looked downright murderous as raw killing intent flowed off him in spades, making her want to bow down in submission to what was clearly a more experienced combatant.

"Drop your weapon if you don't want to die," the other Champion murderously ordered.

Left with no other choice, Shizu eagerly nodded. "Y-Yes!"

Letting her right hand relax, her cards dropped to the ground unceremoniously as she hoped for the other Champion to do the same with his weapon. Only, he didn't. Instead, he simply stared at her, his piercing gaze making her heart flutter with fear as she swallowed down the anxiety bubbling up inside her. Deep inside, she just knew this man would kill her without hesitation...

"P-Please don't kill me..."