The Game of Fools, Part 2 (Patreon)

“Huh. Doesn't say what it does.” said Chelsea, clearly disappointed. “Cool picture, though.”

“Well, I guess we can just put it back in the deck.” said Staci. “Since we're not really playing yet.”

Rose didn't respond for a second. She seemed lost in thought. “Eh, that isn't necessary.” she said finally. “Let's just start playing. It'll probably make sense once we get going.”

Staci shrugged. “If you're sure. Whose birthday was most recent? Mine is next month, so that's out.”

“Mine is in May.” said Chelsea

“February.” said Stacy, looking disappointed.

“I guess it's me then.” said Rose. “Mine was in July.”

“Wait, it says here the Fool always goes first. It's like a communal turn.” said Stacy.

There were five pawns already sitting at the start of the row of boxes that made up the game's short progression meter. One had a jester's cap, and the other three had a round, pointed, flat, and swirly head respectively.

“I'll roll for the joker.” said Rose, and threw the die before anyone could object. The die was big and made of metal, so it looked rather intimidating as it tumbled across the metal surface of the board, producing loud clicks as it did. It came up five. Rose moved the Fool forward, and  landed on a red square. She reached for the royal deck.

“Wrong one. Fool always gets commoner.” rebuked Staci.

Rose rolled her eyes and stood up to reach the cards marked with a sickle. She laid the card on center of the board, in the space showing a cap and bells. Staci read out the card, which showed a picture of a cute creature that looked like a small deer with wings.

                                                                                      The Hunt

                                                  Fleet of Foot, I Flap toward Freedom.

                  An elusive creature is loose nearby. You must capture it and bring it back to the board before five minutes have passed.

                  Success- Move forward two spaces. You may choose whether to draw when you reach your destination.

                  Failure- Add a silver coin to one black card in front of you. If none are available, draw a black card instead.

“A creature? What does that even mean?” said Chelsea.

“Yeah, how are you suppose to complete the challenge?” asked Stacy. “Go into the back yard and find a bug or something?”

“So lame.” whined Chelsea.

“Uh, guys?” said Staci, her voice suddenly sounding worried. “You did see a picture of a little flying thing on that card, right?”

The four women's eyes immediately returned to the card. Where the flying creature had been, there was now only a blank space.

“No friggin way.” said Chelsea. “I know that thing was just right there. You guys are screwing with me, right?”

They all looked at each other suspiciously. They all heard a fluttering of tiny wings upstairs.

“No...friggin....goddamn way.” said Chelsea.

“That is just impossible.” said Staci.

As though to punctuate the atmosphere of doubt, the board began to move. The container of coins suddenly suddenly lifted up above the board, revealing an hourglass underneath. The sand in the hourglass was already pouring downward, but that was nothing odd compared to the fact that there was no space which could have concealed the object. It sprang from the flat board, as though from a hidden compartment under the table.

No one bothered to say that this was impossible. That was obvious. The hourglass just sat there, the sand gently hissing away, a big middle finger in the face of sanity and reality.

For a while no one spoke, or even moved. Then, Staci jumped to her feet. “We have to get that thing.” she said, an edge of panic in her voice.

Rose arched an eyebrow. “You're not taking that seriously, are you?”

Staci pointed a shaking hand at the hourglass. “Look at that fucking thing! Yeah, I take it seriously! This is some bad mojo shit! We need to win this challenge, or bad shit is gonna happen. Who's with me?”

Stacy stood up, feeling swept along in Staci's proactive attitude. Chelsea looked less certain. Rose just crossed her arms.

“Chelsea, the Fool moves for all of us. That means if we fail the challenge, we all get a black card. Except Rose, she gets a silver coin on her...Black Heart.” said Stacy, her voice suddenly full of suspicion.

Chelsea stood up and edged closer to Staci. Staci narrowed her eyes.

“What does that “Black Heart” do, Rose?” she asked.

Rose looked puzzled. “What are you talking about? You read it. It just sits there.”

“You're lying.” said Staci. Stacy felt a chill shoot up her spine. “Aren't you?”

Rose got up, shrugging and shaking her head. “Girls, I think we've all had a little too much to drink. It's late, and you're taking this whole thing way too seriously. Maybe we should just put a pin this and pick it up tomorrow morning, yeah?” Another sound of fluttering wings came from upstairs. Rose didn't react.

Staci started  around the table toward the door. “C'mon. We have to catch that little thing and drag it back her. It doesn't make sense, but that's where we are. Let's just do this.”

Stacy and Chelsea started followed Staci. Rose stepped back and block the passage back to the foyer.

“What are you doing?” asked Staci.

Rose assumed a martial arts stance. “What do you think, genius? If you guys pass the challenge, I lose my Black Heart. But if you fail, you all get black cards of your own, and mine gets a silver coin. Win-win! Now, the rules say I can't just stop you from taking your turns, but there's no rule that says I have to let you win the challenges. You bitches ain't going nowhere.”

“No...fucking...way.” said Chelsea. A bit redundant, but it did sum up the mood of the room.

Staci stepped up to Rose. Rose shoved her back, knocking her to the kitchen floor. “I've been doing Tae Kwon Do since I was thirteen. Don't even try it. I think the three of you need to sit down and chill out for about...oh, five minutes. Just a little break. Whatya say?”

Staci was on her feet in an instant, and rammed herself against Rose's legs. Rose kicked and pushed, but Staci held on tight. Chelsea grabbed Rose's wrist and tried to knock her off balance. Stacy was the last to react, but she clenched her jaw and gave Rose a hard shove, knocking her to one knee.

Chelsea piled on top of Rose and Staci, shouting:“Other Stacy! Upstairs! We got this!”

Stacy struggled to keep up with situation, but she finally manged to slip past the tangle of bodies and charge into the foyer and up the stairs. The sounds of struggling and cursing from the kitchen faded in the distance, and she listened for the flapping of wings. The creature was being quiet. Stacy checked Staci's room, then Chelsea's, then her own, but nothing was out of the ordinary. She knew that precious seconds were ticking away as she opened closets, peeked under beds, and pulled back curtains. She was just finishing her own room when she heard the faint sound coming from the bathroom. She looked inside and turned on the lights. The shower curtain was drawn. She could hear the fight continuing downstairs. Rose had reached the stairs, which meant that she would have to get past her again in order to return the creature, even if she caught it. She pulled aside the curtain.

Something headbutted her, knocking on her ass. The thing was about the size of a large housecat. It had off-white speckled fur and feathers, bluish goat-like horns, hooves on its front legs, and padded paws on its rear ones. It fluttered over her and head ed for the door. Stacy was determined not let her new sorority sisters down. If she failed, she knew that they might all be saddled with some terrible curse, like whatever the Black Heart was doing to Rose.

She jumped up and ran after the thing at top speed. She managed to grab it by its rear legs as it flew toward the foyer. It kicked and flapped wildly, but she managed to hold on.

She slowly dragged the struggling creature down the stairs, where Staci and Chelsea were still struggling to restrain the much-stronger Rose. Stacy made a mad leap past the pile, but at that moment, Rose threw  onto the floor again, grabbed the struggling creature, and yanked it free of Stacy's grip.

“Fly free, ya little bastard!” cheered Rose as it took to the air. The three women struggled desperately to capture the creature, all while Rose did everything she could to stop them. In the end, the thing smashed through a front window and fled the house. The four women watched it go, knowing that there was no chance of catching it now. Rose pumped her fist in triumph.

“Yaaaah! In your faces! In your stupid faces! C'mon dweebs, lets go collect our prizes!”

Rose strode confidently back to the kitchen. The others, tired and bruised from the struggle, sheepishly filed in as well. There was no need to fight anymore, and doing so would certainly carry penalties. They sat around the table, watching the hourglass descend into the nowhere from which it had sprung, sharing the shame of defeat. Rose triumphantly took a silver coin and placed it on her black card. As she did, her clothing transformed before their eyes. She now wore an all-leather biker's outfit, with metal spikes protruding from the shoulders, elbows, and knees. Patches of black greasepaint materialized under her eyes. She definitely had a villainous demeanor to go with her newfound lack of empathy.

“Fuckin sweet! Alright bitches, draw your cards and see what you got!” she said with a sadistic grin.

Staci, Stacy, and Chelsea shared a moment of compassion for another and shared loathing for Rose, but they knew they had no choice. Failing to draw when the rules required it would only make things worse. Staci bravely went first.

                                                                                   The Mouse

                                                          Squeak, Squeak, Tiny and Meek.

                 Place this card face up in front of you. Whenever you complete a Challenge, you may discard it, or remove a silver coin from it. Whenever you fail a Challenge, add a silver coin to it.

Chelsea and Stacy watched helpless as their tall, imposing leader shrank before their eyes. She became shorter and shorter, until even Stacy was taller than her. She was barely over four feet in height when the effect finally slowed down and stopped. When Stacy thought of how intimidating Staci had seemed to her at first, how fearlessly she had fought for and lead their group, and how pitifully small she looked now, it made her sick. Her clothing shrank with her, so that it seemed like she had always been small.

“Nooooo! Nooo!” said Staci, burying her face in her hands. Rose laughed cruelly, both from her reduced stature and the fact that her voice was now squeaky and high-pitched, like a cartoon chipmunk. No one would find her imposing or intimidating now.

Chelsea drew her card with a trembling hand.

                                                                                     The Walrus

                                                     A heavy burden for anyone to bear.

                  Place this card face up in front of you. Whenever you complete a Challenge, you may discard it, or remove a silver coin from it. Whenever you fail a Challenge, add a silver coin to it.

Rose was already cackling like a fairy-tale witch before the change even began. Chelsea's well-toned figure began to soften and swell before their eyes. Within seconds, her butt was spilling over the sided of her chair, and her breasts and stomach were pressing against the table. She also began to cry as Rose teased her mercilessly.

“Damn, girl! Better hope the next challenge is a pie-eating contest, Butterball!”

After seeing what this twisted game had done to each of her companions, Stacy was tempted just to run out of the house and never set foot in it again. Sadly, she knew she wouldn't get anywhere like that. This thing was magic, and now that they were playing, their only hope was to win. The fact that they now had to win with one companion evil, another small, and still another nearly spherical didn't help, but there was some hope, anyway. Stacy pulled her card from the hateful black deck and tried to make peace with her fate.

                                                                                    The Skunk

                                                                     Better hold your nose!

                 Place this card face up in front of you. Whenever you complete a Challenge, you may discard it, or remove a silver coin from it. Whenever you fail a Challenge, add a silver coin to it.

Stacy hung her head when she read the card. Strategically, this wasn't as bed as The Mouse or the Walrus, but in terms of the effect on Stacy's sense of self, it was possibly worse. Stacy felt her guts gurgle as she obediently placed the card in front of her. A loud, wet fart erupted from her butt, and the stench was worse than any gas she had ever had. Even Rose stopped laughing when the smell hit her. The card wasn't done yet, though. Stacy felt something soft and plasticy swell into place around her crotch. Leak guards protruded from her waist-band, and she could feel the muscles in her sphincter melt into weak uselessness. She was diapered, and fully diaper dependent. She started openly balling as putrid shit began oozing past her defenses and into her waiting diaper.

“Oh my god!” said Rose, holding her nose. “This is gonna be too easy. Look at you dorks!

I thought you guys stunk before, but..."

“Shut up! Just shut up!” squeaked Staci in her new high-pitched voice. This cause Rose to laugh even harder.

“Just adorable! Are you gonna make a dress for Cinderella?”

“It's your turn. Roll the goddamn dice!” snarled Chelsea.

“Die. There's only one of them.” corrected Rose.

“Die, then. Seriously, die!” said Chelsea.

“D'awww, I love you too!” said Rose. “I just want to pinch your chubby little cheek!”

Rose reached over and waggled her fingers barely an inch from Chelsea's face. Chelsea shifted her seat away, not wanting to earn a punishment by physical contact outside of a challenge.

“Are you gonna go?” asked Staci wearily. Another loud, whistling fart erupted from the back of Stacy's diaper. She couldn't show her face.

“I think Other Stacy is one that's “going”. Be patient. I've got five minutes, so I think I'll go use the restroom, or as Other Stacy would call it, the big girl potty! Smell you later, dorkwads!”

Rose left to use the bathroom upstairs, chuckling to herself all the way.

“What a pain!” said Chelsea.

“It's not really her fault.” pointed out Stacy.

“Yes it is! If she just followed the damn rules in the first place, she wouldn't have gotten that card and turned all psycho!” said Chelsea.

“It doesn't matter.” squeaked Staci. “Whatever happens, we absolutely have to work together to win this. The Black Heart has a coin on it, so that means Rose has to win two challenges to get rid of it.”

“But she likes the Black Heart!” said Chelsea. “She won't even try to pass a challenge, and she'll sabotage us!”

“Her getting that card at the start puts us at a horrible disadvantage.” admitted Staci. Even Stacy had to resist the urge to laugh at her voice. “But the game has just started. We have to make sure she wins her challenges, whether she likes it or not.

“Why did she have to go for the Royal Deck?” said Stacy, rejoining the conversation in spite of the disgusting mess behind her. “I think those are the real, heavy-duty ones.”

“I think you're right.” squeaked Stacy. “Those are there to make things more intense for the players that are ahead of the Fool. The bad cards are worse, but I bet the good ones are better too.”

“A good card would be nice for a change.” moaned Chelsea. “It's been nothing but a constant spray of shit so far. No offense.”

Stacy glared at her.

“Cut it out. I'm serious.” squeaked Staci. “We're up against a wall. If Rose gets to the end and wins, we're all stuck like this for good. We need to pull together in a huge way.”

“No offense.” said Stacy. Chelsea rolled her eyes.

“There's only eleven squares.” continued Staci, as though Stacy hadn't spoken. “Two Black, Two White, Three Blue, Four Red, including the last one. This game might only have a couple rounds before someone gets there. With average rolls, we'll three or four turns apiece.

“So, we know what the red and black ones do.” said Chelsea, more thoughtfully. “What about the others?”

“I think the white ones should be positive rather than negative.” said Staci. “The blue ones just say Twist, so they're probably like wild cards. I have no idea when the gray ones come up. They're aren't even squares for them.”

“Not plotting against me, are you?” said Rose. Everyone jumped.

“Might as well move on with my inevitable victory.” she strode confidently up to the table, grabbed the die again, and sent it across the board. It came up a one.

“Yes!” squeaked Staci.

“Whatever.” said Rose. “One bad roll won't save you losers.” She selected the twisty-top pawn and moved it forward one space. As it arrived, the pawn softened and reshaped itself, becoming a very accurate miniature of Rose herself, complete with tiny protruding spikes. The first square was black.

Rose reached for the royal black deck, then hesitated. Everyone was silent, hoping she would make a fatal mistake.

“Wait, you all picked from the other side. Why?”

No one said a word. Another wet squelch came from Stacy's pants.

Rose got up and looked at the rules. Staci rolled her eyes. Now that she was working against the group, she was suddenly a reader.