SHUFFLE OF FATE: A Deckbuilding LitRPG
CHAPTER 17: THE UNDERGROUND PIT
The entrance to the Pit wasn't marked on any map. It was hidden beneath a butcher shop in the slums, accessible only by knowing the password ("Fresh Meat").
Kai descended the spiral stone staircase. The air grew hotter with every step, vibrating with the roar of a crowd.
At the bottom, a massive cellar had been converted into a bloodsport arena. A rusty iron cage stood in the center, surrounded by wooden bleachers packed with screaming gamblers, thieves, and off-duty guards.
Kai approached the Bookie, a goblin with golden rings on every finger.
"I want to fight," Kai said.
The Goblin looked at Kai's slim frame. "Suicide booth is down the hall. This is for fighters."
"I need 2,000 coins," Kai slammed his hand on the table. "Put me in a high-stakes match."
The Goblin raised an eyebrow. He grinned, showing sharp yellow teeth. "2,000? That's the main event pot. But you're an unknown. No one will bet on you."
"Then give me an opponent no one wants to fight."
The Goblin checked his ledger. "Well... 'Beastmaster Rog' is looking for a plaything. He feeds his wolves live prey. Usually, people forfeit."
"I'll take it," Kai said without hesitation.
"Odds are 20 to 1 against you," the Goblin laughed, stamping a ticket. "Your funeral, kid. Enter the cage."
***
Five minutes later, Kai stood inside the iron cage. The floor was stained dark brown from years of dried blood.
The announcer—a magical loudspeaker floating in the air—boomed.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! IN THE BLUE CORNER, THE FRESH MEAT... KAI!"
A few people booed. Someone threw a tomato.
"AND IN THE RED CORNER... THE TEARER OF FLESH... BEASTMASTER ROG!"
The gate opposite Kai opened. A hulking man walked out, cracking a whip. But the crowd wasn't looking at him. They were looking at the two massive shapes straining against his leash.
**[Dire Wolf Alpha]**
**[Level: 9]**
**[Agility: High]**
**[Dire Wolf Beta]**
**[Level: 8]**
**[Agility: High]**
They were the size of ponies, with fur like steel wire and jaws that could snap a femur like a twig.
"Fight!"
Rog released the leashes.
"Feast, my pretties!" Rog laughed.
The wolves blurred. They were fast—much faster than the spiders or slimes.
Kai reacted on instinct. "Summon: **[Scavenger Rat]**!"
His rat appeared. Before it could even squeak, the Alpha Wolf snapped its jaws. The rat vanished in a puff of pixels. One hit.
"Too fast!" Kai cursed.
The Beta Wolf flanked him. Kai raised his **[Bone Shiv]**.
*Slash.*
The wolf bit his forearm.
**[-15 HP]**
Kai shouted in pain, stabbing the wolf in the nose. *DING!* The **[Gambler's Coin]** spun. **HEADS**.
**[Damage: 6]**
The wolf yelped and backed off, but it was barely a scratch. 6 damage against a Level 8 monster was nothing.
"Dance, boy!" Rog cracked his whip, staying safely in the corner.
Kai was cornered. The Alpha was circling left, the Beta circling right. He couldn't use **[Silk Binding]**; they were moving too fast to hit. If he missed, he'd be defenseless during the cooldown.
He needed a miracle. He needed the **[Wildcard]**.
But he couldn't show it. If the crowd saw a glitching, error-code card, rumors would reach the Iron Guild instantly.
Kai pulled his cloak tight around his body. He retreated to the cage wall, hunching over as if in pain.
"Please!" Kai begged, acting terrified. "Stay back!"
Under the cover of his cloak, hidden from the eyes of the crowd, his hand crushed the Wildcard.
*Please don't be a spoon. Please don't be confetti.*
The card vibrated. The mana rushed out of him.
**[Wildcard Activated]**
**[Card Generated: Grease Spill]**
**[Rarity: Common (Trap)]**
Kai stared at the notification. "Grease?"
The wolves lunged. Both of them. A synchronized kill strike.
Kai threw his hand out from under the cloak, keeping the card effect low to the ground.
"Slip!"
A massive puddle of black, viscous oil erupted from his hand, coating the entire center of the arena floor.
The wolves, mid-charge, couldn't stop. Their claws scrabbled uselessly on the slick surface.
*SKRIIITCH.*
Physics took over. The Alpha Wolf's legs flew out from under it. It face-planted into the floor with a sickening *crunch*, sliding uncontrollably across the ring.
The Beta Wolf tried to turn, tripped over the Alpha, and tumbled into a ball of fur and claws. They crashed into the metal bars of the cage with a loud *CLANG*.
Even Rog, who took a step forward to command them, stepped on the edge of the oil. His arms windmill-ed comically before he landed hard on his back.
The crowd went silent for a second, then erupted into laughter.
"Look at them slide!"
"It's an ice rink!"
Kai didn't laugh. He saw his opening.
The wolves were tangled in a heap against the bars, struggling to stand up on the slippery oil. They were stationary.
"Summon: **[Silk Binding]**!"
Kai fired his webs. This time, he didn't miss. He wrapped the wolves together, binding their muzzles shut and tying their legs to the cage bars.
The more they struggled, the more they slipped on the oil, tightening the knots.
Kai walked over carefully, balancing on the dry patches of the floor. He drew his **[Bone Shiv]**.
The wolves looked up at him with terror. They couldn't move. They couldn't bite.
"Sorry," Kai whispered. "I need the money."
He began to stab.
*Stab. DING (Heads). Stab. DING (Heads).*
It wasn't a fight anymore. It was farming.
**[Enemy Defeated: Dire Wolf Alpha]**
**[Enemy Defeated: Dire Wolf Beta]**
Rog scrambled backward, covered in oil. "I yield! I yield!"
The announcer boomed.
"THE WINNER... BY WAY OF... SLIPPERY FLOOR? KAI!"
The gate opened. Kai stepped out, bloody but victorious.
The Bookie looked at him with wide eyes as he handed over a heavy sack of gold.
"2,000 coins," the Bookie muttered. "I made a killing on the bets. No one thought you'd win."
Kai took the money. He felt the weight of it. It was enough to pay off the Iron Guild.
But as he walked out of the Pit, Kai realized something.
His **[Bone Shiv]** was cracked. It had barely survived the fight. And his **[Scavenger Rat]** was useless against fast enemies.
"I have the money," Kai thought. "But if I give this all to Kaelen, I'm back to zero. And next time, he'll ask for 5,000."
He stopped walking. He looked at the sack of gold.
He wasn't going to pay the tax.
"I need to get stronger," Kai decided. "I need to upgrade my deck."
He turned away from the Iron Guild headquarters and headed toward the darkest corner of the market. To the illegal Card Smith.