The Game Arena - A Sci- Fi Fanfiction

II - Major Arcana - II

The chamber was freezing. It bit into Ver's skin through the metal armor, he shivered. His footsteps echoed all around the empty space, all four corners being just a tall white blank slate. He cautiously walked in, every inch of his being telling him to run, butterflies in his stomach a clear warning sign. The metal suit he wore was incredibly tight but gave no hindrance to his movements, hence with it's light weight and cat soft footsteps for stealth. The long sleeves of his suit now has been given an upgrade - slightly round edges on both of his lower arms with a smooth holographic control panel. He wanted to test them out but wasn't entirely sure where to start. Ver also had access to clear glasses that encompassed half of his face, giving him not only infrared but also enhanced vision. For anyone that suffers horrible short-sightedness, these glasses would have been a blessing in disguise. These highly advanced technology probed Ver to wonder just how and where exactly they came from or how it was made. Unfortunately, as Ver had also came to realize that without those glasses, his eyes became awfully blurry and was not able to see anything past 5 feet. Strange sorcery at play here, creeping him out. 

-Player spotted, commencing first boss into Arena-

That made Ver jump out of his skin. Right in front of him came a glitch. Stepping forward with caution and anticipation, the lights flickered and blinked until they took shape. A table with a mysterious woman sitting on it appeared. She was wearing a clean white suit that matches the color of her hair. Frightening pale skin and pupil-less eyes gazed back at Ver. On the woman's forehead was a bright red mark in the shape of a downwards arrow, pulsing from within. Ver walked up to her and looked down to see a stack of cards. He gulped, dreading the worse. 

"Ready for your first game, kid?" She began to speak. Her voice sounded as if a dozen robots have started to talk at the same time. At her voice, Ver furiously fought the urge to tear his ears out and run away. 

He nervously swallowed and forced himself to meet her freakishly calm eyes. "What am I looking at then?" 

"This here is a stack of Tarot cards. All you have to do is to guess what the first card is, whether it be the major or minor arcana, before you flip it. If you have guessed it right, you will be spared a life." She trailed off hesitantly, then added in an almost mocking tone. "But if you fail, well......." At that moment, the walls began to click into movement. Panels slid open with a hiss and out came tons of machines. 

Red spots of light instantly appeared all over Ver's black metal suit, even on his forehead. He knew right away, his heart sinking along with his hope. Giving up already? He has barely even started. The woman sensed his tension and smiled, amused. 

"This isn't fair." He commented flatly.

"Is it? Oh, you poor thing......have you never bet on anything at all? Even with your life on the line, this is just child's play. Who doesn't like a good old fashioned guessing game?" She teased. 

"What do you think are the odds of me winning and failing here? It all bows down to my luck. How is this even a game? This is a bloody death trap." He protested, clenching his fist, struggling to hold back from strangling the woman before him. 

Glancing down at an innocent sight of cards facing downwards, he could not think of any idea on what to predict. Ver has never done tarot reading ever in his entire mortal life. Paperwork was all that filled a majority of his schedule, signing them and reporting to the council. As a student president, he had always remained objective on his priorities while keeping the other members in line on a daily basis. With the pressure he struggled day by day, Ver had somehow grown accustomed to unexpected twists and turns sometimes. But this......was a whole new level of plot twist. His heartbeat increased, feeling it thrum deep within his chest.