Becoming Monsters is the creation and property of Ai Loves, setting used with permission.

  —

  Chapter 21: Games of Chance

  “I don’t like it, Todd. Nothing you’ve told us he said is right!” May was eating her sandwich with the others in the cafeteria, seated next to Todd. She was also managing to tease his crotch with her left foot while she was at it, which seemed improbable to Todd despite bountiful empirical evidence that she was accomplishing it handily. Or footily, as the case may be.

  He swallowed a mouthful of half-decent waffle fries. “I don’t like it all that much more than you do, May, but I can’t really find anything wrong in it if that makes sense. Definitely scummy, though. More red fgs than a Chinese parade.”

  “Oh there’s PLENTY wrong.” May had an unusual intensity about this one. Given where her foot was when she punctuated the point, Todd winced in extremely understandable pain and scooted backwards a hair. “Oh, sorry. Have you ever heard of FRIES?”

  Todd looked down at his pte and pointed at the potato dish. May’s right hand came to her forehead. Also at the table, Jem ughed sharply while Ghata and Song looked as confused as Todd.

  May shook her head. “Okay, I should have known you’d need expining about kink community things.”

  “I’d ask where you learned about them, but that seems self-evident.” Todd’s voice was absolutely level. Jem almost snorted water out of her nose, but held it together long enough to not spray the table.

  “Easy to forget since you’re so… nice. Not pushy at all.” May was thoughtful. And aroused, but that was hardly news. “So, FRIES. It’s a consent thing. In order to be valid, consent has to be Freely given, Reversible, Informed, Enthusiastic, and Specific. Make sense?”

  Todd thought for a moment. “Yeah, that makes sense. A lot of it. When you put it that way, what Tim is doing kind of viotes a lot of rules. It’s not Reversible, since they aren’t even able to want to say no while under the spell. It’s debatable whether it was Informed, given the contract. It’s definitely not Specific, they’re giving their entire lives into his hands for up to a year.”

  “Looks like you got the 101 version down pat. I can give you the advanced lessons ter, the administration looks down on doing that in the middle of the cafeteria.”

  Song chuckled. “Even if the other students would appreciate it, yeah.” She took a bite of what appeared to be a hot dog, got a disappointed look on her face, then swallowed. “I know they mean well, but the vegan hot dogs here are not that great. In case any of you were tempted to try one.”

  A chorus of “nope,” “I wasn’t,” and “ew” met that statement. Song shrugged, then regretfully finished her hot dog-ish food. Then some sad to get rid of the taste.

  Todd ate another fry. “Still doesn’t tell us what we’re going to do about it. His issue is thankfully insoluble. The only way he gets ahead is by either waiting or paying a king’s ransom in mana potions. Jem, if he gets a hold of the bracelets like you made, could he utilize them?”

  “If he has friends, sure. Not with his sves.” Easy enough to see which side of the debate Jem came down on. “If the permission is compelled in any way, these will fail to link up. Or worse, but I don’t want to experiment to see what that might mean.”

  “Alright. No need to worry about that, then. Most people won’t deal with a Mesmer looking to use their powers, fair or not, so the easy ways to get potions are out.”

  Ghata looked up at the ceiling. “Any clue what their Csses are? The people he’s controlling?”

  Todd shook his head. “The paper didn’t say. It was worded to let him demand Ability use, probably so that they could train their Csses under his influence, but it was vague enough to be anything. Also probably intentional.”

  Song let out her breath. “Okay. Then what he has access to could be any three of a literal million things. Three Beastfolk tells me that Theta Delta might be interested in it, too. Just too much that can go wrong with it. It’s not something I’m willing to take a chance on. Uh, guys? What’s that?”

  The sun had started setting, the light outside getting dimmer, but all of a sudden it was starting to come back up. That didn’t seem right, the sun not being in the habit of bouncing up from the horizon and deciding it didn’t want to go to bed, but something was obviously happening. There was also a sub-audible vibration that so many college students were familiar with. Music out of hearing range with a lot of bass. Add two and two together, and that meant an event was happening. Since none were up on posters, that meant it was a surprise, and surprise events around these parts could only mean one thing.

  “Looks like the Development League is back on. Finish up and let the others know, if it follows the same schedule as the tag game or the scavenger hunt we have about 30 minutes to get ready.” Todd looked at his pte, scarfed down the st couple of things on it, drank his juice, and stood. The others followed suit, scrambling to send messages and get outside. Todd in particur had a lot to send. Corey, Chester, Martin, and Tiny would want to know about this. To be honest, so would Jackson the Goblin and Astor the Malinois. Todd paused before he got outside. His network was starting to get sizable, and that didn’t even count the ones the girls were messaging. Todd had no clue how big those networks were.

  The open quad outside the cafeteria had been transformed once again. Several tables had been set up, each one had SOMETHING on it but each was covered with a red cloth. In the air hung various orbs, glowing with enough light to illuminate the field like it was daytime. The music, some kind of wordless club mix, was coming from what seemed like the empty air, Everyone was immediately on guard, they had seen this one before. The opening event, with a wide sample of things to try. It was looking like they were trying to get back to it, even if there wasn’t a huge center dispy this time. Just a raised podium.

  Jem elbowed him in what she probably meant to be the side. Todd’s shoulder hurt as a result, but he looked up at her. She pointed off to one side with her chin. “Looks like the mad scientist is back. What is Mr. Harrison up to?”

  Todd, Song, and Ghata looked over to the side where Jem was indicating, and sure enough he was there. Off to one side of the field, looking over the crowd, and checking his watch on occasion. There was a clipboard in his hand, and as they watched he checked something off. Todd’s eyes narrowed. “He saw something he was looking for. If it’s a particur kind of person, or a particur set of them, it can’t be that many. There have to be over a hundred of us out here already. If it was a broad category like Professor Otterly was checking this morning, he wouldn’t be able to stop writing until he got us started.”

  Song looked over. “What were they checking for?”

  “This morning? Not sure, but I think active ability use going in. Anyone who was buffed up.”

  Ghata looked around. “That would make sense. Now, one step further. If Mr. Harrison is out here looking for a few people specifically, who might it be?”

  “Too many things it could be.”

  Jem grinned. “I can narrow it down. Look at the table second from the left, the wind blew the cloth a bit up. See what I see?”

  Song’s eyes opened. “Casino tokens and decks of cards. So that odd shape to the right might be a roulette table, the stand-up boxes could be slot machines… a casino night event?”

  Todd shrugged. “That catches three kinds of people, if they keep up the trend of looking for System things. Anyone who can manipute Luck, and anyone who can see the future.”

  Jem looked down at him. “I thought you said three?”

  “Yeah, the third would be blue hedgehogs who need to be told how to use the down button on elevators.” Todd didn’t duck when Jem smacked him upside the head. He knew he deserved it for that one.

  “It occurs to me that you could have buffed our Luck scores for this, too.”

  “Sure, if you, personally, hadn’t made sure my mana was at zero percent at midnight st night. Want to try again?”

  Jem chuckled. “Yeah. Not counting direct manipution, you’re the best of us at both running odds and counting cards.”

  May’s throaty chuckle reminded them of other things. “There are other ways to get an edge, Jem. Same way I got to Todd at the chess tournament.”

  “My boobs aren’t as nice and my reputation isn’t as scivious. You have fun.”

  “Oh, you’re LEARNING in Literature!”

  “Alright, enough you three.” Ghata was having problems holding on to her own ughs, but managed to persevere. “We also know they’ve been trying to encourage teamwork. What do you think they’re going to do with THAT?”

  There was no time to respond. The crowd had doubled in size while they were talking, and Mr. Harrison was walking up to the podium. Todd looked around, and thankfully up as well. Tiny, Corey, and Chester were perched on a nearby rooftop listening in, Chester’s nauseatingly pink color clearly visible even from this distance. As Mr. Harrison began to speak, giving fairly normal introductions for a League event, Todd also spotted Martin skulking around the edge of the crowd, near the tables. Astor was talking quietly with the Goblin as well. Looked like the gang was just about all here. He could focus on the speech.

  “... and since pcement exams are still in progress, the initial score pcements will be deyed until tomorrow evening, just before midnight. Now, look around at the covered tables. For this League we are committed to testing a wide range of experiences. If you want to be the best, you need to be good at a wide range of trials. How are you going to handle that which you cannot fully control?” He cpped twice, and the red cloths pulled themselves off the tables. Staff stepped up out of the crowds to man the tables as the lights got brighter. The team was absolutely right. The quad had been set up to be a miniature casino.There were tables with card games set, the predicted slot machines were true, the roulette wheels. Bingo and Keno even had spots up. The only things missing were trivia games and event betting.

  Wait, it makes sense. Those are controlble. Todd was trying to get a strategy together. They don’t want people to be able to go somewhere they have a real ability to dictate outcomes. Influence, sure, not dictate. No games of pure skill.

  “The rules are simple. No money will be spent today. If you pull out cash or Coinage, you will be ejected from the event and receive no points. You have ten minutes to drop by any of the tables to pick up a thousand points worth of chips.. If you run out, come check in for credit and leave. If you feel like stopping, come turn in your chips to be counted. Otherwise, when the games stop in two hours the highest totals will get the good points.”

  Oh. “Alright, no teaming up today. Jem, can you use an Augurie to tell which one of the slot machines will pay out high?”

  “Not sure, but can’t hurt to try.”

  “Just avoid Bingo and Keno. Two hours isn’t enough to py enough rounds of those to matter unless you’re btantly cheating, and I have a feeling they might be looking for that. May, if you want to team up with me, I’m headed to the bckjack tables.” Todd’s mind was going in a dozen directions, but he knew this one.

  “What do you need me to do?”

  “Just be yourself. Nobody at the table, other than MAYBE me, will be able to even try to pay attention to the game. Just stay clear if I’m going hard, and the two of us should make out like bandits.”

  The Greater Succubus fshed a toothy smile, then started adjusting her clothing a bit to show more cleavage and fit slightly tighter in a few pces. Todd wasn’t a hundred percent sure of his ability to focus with her at the table, but given what his afternoon was like the day prior and the fact that he knew he’d get to rail her any time he asked nicely? It would help.

  “How about Song and I?” Ghata inserted as they got into the shortest-looking line.

  “Not sure if you have any abilities that are directly applicable… but here’s the deal. The game is zero-sum. If you get your chips and only py a few times when you know you have an advantage, you’ll probably get into the 3-point range. You can either go all-out trying to win the hard way, or you can scout for us.”

  “What are you looking for? I’ve never been much of a gambler.” Song was getting a bit withdrawn. The crowds were not being kind to her willpower.

  “Look for people pulling Status stunts. Luck maniputors like Karmics, anyone with foresight abilities like Oracles, and all manner of spellcasters. Look for them doing their thing, and if you see one in our vicinity let us know so that we can avoid them. If the three of us are ahead of the game near the end, we’ll offload spare chips to you to make sure you get better pcement.” Todd got his chips, soon followed by the others. “There is no way to 100% control the outcomes of this event if Mr. Harrison is to be believed, so be ready for anything.” One of the orbs of light above their head transmuted itself into a 30, which changed to a 29 immediately. “Pces, everyone, the rush to seats is going to be ugly.”

  Around the time it hit 15, enough people noticed that Todd’s prediction was borne out. There were significantly fewer seats avaible than there were people who wanted to py. Some people saw the brewing melee and wisely backed off, some deciding the event wasn’t for them, others watching games, or going to something like Bingo that could hold more. Others decided to py dirty trying to get to the tables. The people in the seats were more or less left alone, nobody wanting to interfere with a game and slow down the turns. Todd and May had gotten to their seats just in time, May taking the one directly in front of the Bckjack dealer and Todd off to the left at the same table.

  Jem was less lucky at the slot machines, but the people there made informal lines and traded off every few spins. She seemed to be listening to an inner voice, choosing lines seemingly at random. Todd hoped whatever she was doing was working, but he had his own game to pay attention to.

  More or less as predicted, between his ability to track cards and probabilities and May’s ability to be incredibly distracting, the two of them were making short work of most of the people who came their way. Some managed to hang on for a bit, but most either went to check out of the event or ducked out of the table when they managed to pull their eyeballs out of May’s cleavage for long enough to realize that Todd had picked up their tokens. Almost an hour in and it was becoming nearly routine.

  There was a flutter of wings, and Todd found that there was suddenly a pigeon standing on his shoulder. “Todd, you need to leave the table and head to the cafeteria entrance, right now.” It was Ghata’s voice.

  Todd muttered “got it” and finished the hand, signaling the dealer that he was headed elsewhere before pocketing his tokens. May quickly joined, much to the combined disappointment and relief of the others present. They made their rapid way through the thinning crowds, away from the tables and towards the edge of the lights. In a shadowy pocket where the lights of the cafeteria had just turned off, a scuffle was happening.

  “Let go of me! That was Megan, I know it!” Martin was struggling in the arms of a mostly-friendly Gargoyle.

  It is worth noting that Tiny was right about twice Martin’s size and five times his mass, but he was having some serious problems keeping hold of the Weasel. “You told me your ex is a standard-colored Fox Beastfolk, not bck with blue markings.”

  “I’d recognize her anywhere, it don’t matter what paint she got dipped in. She’s moving like she’s in trouble!”

  Standing to the side slightly, Corey the Raven was keeping a lookout. He sighed in relief as Todd and May approached. “Oh, thank the stars you’re here. Can you talk some sense into Martin? He won’t listen to us. How did you get here so fast, anyway?”

  “A little bird told me. What’s going on?”

  Corey shrugged. “We were pying baccarat when he looked up at something. Three animal-kin in that coloration were sitting down for poker and he went nuts. You know what’s up with that? Had to abandon a favorable hand.”

  “Yeah, I do.” Todd walked up to the still-struggling Martin. Slowly, inch by inch, Martin was calming down as Tiny’s granite embrace kept him locked in.

  “Todd, gd you could make it. I’m a freaking Rook and he almost managed to get away.” Tiny was rexing that grip bit by bit as Martin slowly stopped struggling.

  “Rook?”

  “Knight subcss. More defensive overall, less gear dependent. Pretty sure it’s locked to Earth elemental types.”

  “Good to know. Martin, I know what’s going on. You ready to listen?” Todd didn’t know how the Spy was about to react to the news, but he knew that the promise of information would at least get him to the figurative table. He was not disappointed.

  “I’m listening. Tiny, can you put me down? You were about to crack my spine there, and given how far I can bend it, that's saying something.”

  “Promise not to try to stab me again? It won’t hurt me, but the chips are a pain to polish out.” Tiny released him without waiting for the response.

  “Martin, you need to stay calm when I tell you this, no matter what.” Todd began.

  “I’ve never gotten good news with that start. Just say it.”

  “Alright, don’t say I didn’t warn you. That absolutely was Megan. She’s presently under the dominated control of a Mesmer thanks to the stress of your breakup, and will be for the next three weeks.”

  There was complete silence from the three people he was talking to. Casino noises were still coming from the event, but even they seemed muted until the single strangled word managed to escape Martin’s throat: “WHAT?”

  “Yeah, what he said.” Tony had an uncharacteristically sck-jawed look. “I know I heard the words, and I’m pretty sure I got the order right, but that makes no sense!”

  Martin’s face said quite clearly that he wanted to say about a hundred things, but they were all colliding in his throat. Todd decided to continue and get it over with. “Guy told me his name was Tim, full name is Timothy Royal if the paper Megan signed is to be believed, but he couldn’t enchant her without her agreeing to it. She was headed to exams and couldn’t get her head straight, so he did his thing and removed her stress.”

  “How did you even get this info? She spped me right before lunch, all this happened, and you know about it? Including seeing the contract?” Martin’s face had gone through seventeen distinct expressions, but settled on the shrewd focus that had let him come out ahead so often the st three years.

  “Tim already asked me for help. He’s overextended right now. Before you ask, no, I haven’t helped him yet. Pretty sure what he told me is true, but I don’t even know what to make of it yet.”

  “Make of it? What to MAKE OF IT?” Martin’s focused look gave way to one of pure rage as he pulled out and snapped open a pocket knife. “I’ll tell you what to make of it, a freaking CORPSE of a Mesmer!” He managed to take two steps before Tiny reached back out to grab his colr. And his neck with it, which probably made a difference.

  “Chill, Martin. If what Todd’s telling us is right, shanking Tim is probably the worst idea you could have. In case you missed it, he has at least three guards who would defend him to the literal limits of their body’s abilities. What Css is Megan?”

  “She’s a Sensate. Gathers up what she feels and pushes it into others.”

  “So you’re telling me she literally has a Heartbreak Ray and a Stress Shot locked and in the barrel right now? Plus two assistants, plus whatever mana a Mesmer has left to throw at you? Be reasonable.”

  Martin crossed his arms, a gesture Todd found less reassuring with the bde of his knife still out. “Fine.” He was clearly not fine. “This ain’t over. Not ‘till Megan’s free and Tim pays for ensving her. With interest.”

  May felt it prudent to interject. “You realize she is probably still going to turn you down afterwards, right?”

  “It don’t matter. I made a promise to protect her before she dumped me, and another one to support her while I was tryin’ to make things right. I can’t let it stand like this. You all finish the event, I’m out.”

  “Martin…” but Todd was too te. This time, Martin darted out of sight. He turned to the others. “You all think he’ll be alright?”

  May shook her head. “No way to know from that. I don’t think he’s going to go do something stupid tonight. You three managed to get him past the initial rage and remind him he’s got a duty to stick to. I hope it’s enough.”

  “You and me both.” Todd looked at the clock. “We’ve got about thirty more minutes to py if you all want to compete. I think I’m done.”

  May nodded. “I’m with you. Let’s find the others and cash out, getting to sleep sounds amazing right about now. After that we need to talk.”

  Corey gave them a sidelong gnce. “Isn’t it talk, then sleep?”

  She smiled back cutely. “You’d think so, wouldn’t you?”

  Corey shrugged. “I’ll take your word for it. I’ve got enough mana in the tank to try to get a couple more rounds in… but on second thought, maybe that’s not a good idea. Look off to the right.”

  Three students had been pulled aside by an older Human man, one who looked just a bit too clean-cut and precise to be anything but an agent of one kind or another. He was rather pinly asking them some very direct questions, and the students rather pinly did not enjoy being questioned.

  “I know two of those students. An Oracle and another Stargazer.” Corey was watching them closely. “Bit too rare a type for me to think it’s a coincidence. I had best keep that ability set to myself. The pce to cash out was at the center, I believe.”

  “Yeah. I think I recognize that pigeon coming down at us, too, which probably means there’s a fox I don’t see yet.” Todd was understandably not shocked when Ghata and Song materialized in their Human forms next to them. It was a matter of thirty seconds to expin the pn and for them to agree. The night was done. It was a slower and much more subdued group that went and turned in their chips.

  Todd and May ended up near the bottom of the 5-point tier, but likely to drop out of it once the st people come in. The others were solidly in the three-point range, other than Song who had not fared well in her few tries at various events. May had her tail wrapped around his waist again, and Todd felt he rather liked it there. They turned, ready to go back to the dorms, when Todd saw the exact st thing he wanted to.

  A giant wall of onyx-bck, a wave of heat against his face, the shape eight feet of angry Greater Demon. Bradley, the Greater Demon, stomping directly at him. “TODD! I told you never to touch May again!”