Game of Fools, Part 6 (Patreon)

After about twenty minutes of sitting in silence in their stench-filled shelter, the coins that littered the floor suddenly vanished, signaling that the challenge was over. Chelsea, Dana, and Gale ran outside to the garden for fresh air, followed by a much less hurried Stacy.

“Victory!” shouted Rose from the living room. She was waving an entire oak door that she had apparently ripped off its hinges to use as a weapon. Fluttering beside her, panting heavily and gazing at her Mistress with canine admiration, was Staci.

The six women gathered around the table once again. There was now no sign that the horde of creatures that had washed through the house had ever been there. The windows in front of the house were no longer broken, the front door was un-battered, and the table where the magical gameboard sat was entirely undisturbed. Rose propped her broken door against the wall with a loud bang. The opposing team, armed with their swords, were all tempted to attack her as she gloated, but they knew that it would only result in another penalty.

“What a bunch of twerps! I could have held them off with my pinkie!” Rose bragged as she sat down.

“But I helped you, didn't I Mistress?” asked Staci, pleading pathetically for approval.

“Sure, whatever. Why don't you lick my boots while I pick up my prize?” responded Rose dismissively. Staci eagerly got on on her hands and knees to do just that.

Stacy sighed. “Well, at least you lose a silver coin off that fucking Black Heart card. You did win a challenge, after all.”

Rose stuck out her tongue. “Wrong again, dumbass!” She pointed to the card. “It says I 'may' take a silver coin off it. I think I'll just pass on that, thanks.”

Stacy groaned. The one time the game offered a choice, it went to Rose.

Rose picked up a coin and set it on “The Bull”, instead. Her already impressive muscles bulged out even more. A pair of horns sprouted from her head, and a ring appeared in her nose. She looked more like some kind of demon than the attractive young woman she had been when the game began.

“Annnnd I believe a another white card is coming my way. This game is practically in the bag!”

“Just draw and stop milking it!” snarled Chelsea. Dana merely stared coldly at her as she reached for the Commoner white deck. She picked up the card and flipped it onto the table with a flourish.

                                                                               The Wheel

                  Place this card on top of any card in play of your choice. If that card is removed from play, discard this card as well.

The image showed a large cartwheel suspended on a frame, like the ones once used as a method of execution in medieval times. A man in a jester's costume was tied to it. He was suspended upside down.

Rose stared at the card, unsure of how to proceed. The card only stated how it should be played, not what it would do. Stacy immediately had some idea of what its effect might be, but bit her cheek to keep from saying anything. The last thing she wanted was to give Rose and idea that might help her.

Rose stroked her chin. “Hmmm...” she thought aloud. “It's white, so it should be a straight-forward benefit. I can apply it to any card, not just mine...

“Oooh, ohh, I know Mistress!” said Staci excitedly. Stacy, Chelsea, Dana, and Gale joined together for a chorus of groans.

“Oh? What do you think, bitch?” said Rose with a smirk.

“The picture is the clue, Mistress!” announced the delighted dog-bunny-bird-woman. “The jester is upside-down! I bet that means that this card can reverse the effects of any other card!”

Chelsea moaned. Stacy hid her face. Staci may well have just handed the game to Rose on a silver platter, and the worst part was how pleased with herself she looked.

“Damn! Nice work bitch!” said Rose, patting Staci's head condescendingly. Staci's panted and wagged her ass back and forth with joy. “May I hump your leg again, Mistress?” she asked hopefully between pants.

“Perhaps later.” said Rose, grinning evilly. “Now let's see: what can I reverse that would really screw with you losers?”

The other four women winced as her eyes darted from card to card.

“Make your Mommy disobedient and useless? Interesting. Make you hate your diaper as much as the rest of us? Maybe even more? Not bad. Make Chelsea slow as a snail? So many choices!”

“Just pick something.” spat Dana. “There's still turns to go. Whatever you reverse can be reversed again.”

Rose showed Dana all her teeth. “That's a very determined, even stoic, way to look at it Dana.”

With a sudden motion, Rose slapped “The Wheel” down on “The Knight”.

“No!” said Chelsea, who was a step ahead of the others on this one.

They watched helplessly as Dana changed before their eyes. The worst part was her eyes. The glint of steel, the invisible determination that had only been partly a product of the card that had summoned her, gradually faded. Her whole face seemed to soften like butter on a warm day. Her bottom lip quivered. Her eyes became shiny with tears. Even before her armor began to change, she jumped up from the table and hid behind her younger sister, bawling pathetically.

“Waaaahhaaaahaha! Sis...help me! The big scary lady is bein' mean! Waaaaahaha!”

Chelsea hung her head in embarrassment as her elder sister cowered behind her. All the strength and courage she had had a moment ago had been replaced with weakness and fear. Instead of a protector, Dana was now in need of protection. The impressive black armor melted away, taking the set of blades with it. Soon, Dana was decked out in a ridiculous pink princess's costume. She had multiple layers of skirt, high-heeled shoes, long white gloves, and huge white puffs at her shoulders. Her bandanna headscarf became a delicate little golden tiara.

“I'm sorry!” she wailed from behind Chelsea. “I wanna be brave an stuff, but I...I'm scarrrred!”

Chelsea winced. Her cheeks glowed. Rose was howling with laughter as the new damsel hid behind her sister and whined pathetically.

Finally Chelsea sighed and turned around. She embraced her sister and patted her back to comfort her. “Shhh...its alright sis. Its just a game. I know you can't help it. Shhh. Don't worry. I'll keep you safe now.”

The speech would have been more effective if not for the shrieks and snorts of laughter coming from Rose. Gale and Staci merely watched, passively waiting for orders from their respective Mistresses. Stacy wondered how she could possibly turn this situation around. With one card, Rose had turned their strongest asset into a useless liability. Apart from Chelsea's speed, their side now had almost nothing in the way of real power, and Rose was now stronger than ever.

Still, she had to try. Gritting her teeth in determination, she reached for the die. It was her turn, after all. Rose continued to to chuckle at Dana as the die rolled to a halt. Stacy got a four. She moved her pawn to a blue square, just two spaces behind The Fool.

“That's the commoner blue deck.” She announced, although only her mother seemed to really be paying attention. She drew the specified card and pressed it down on the board gently but firmly.

                                                                                     The Envy

                Play this card as though it were a duplicate of the card that was most recently played before it.

The image on the card was of a peasant wearing dirty rags watching a king pass by in a golden carriage. Stacy's eyes widened as she read the card. Rose abruptly stopped laughing. A hush fell over the kitchen. Then, everyone began talking at once.

“Ohmygawd! That is so good!” squealed Chelsea excitedly.

“That is such bullshit!” shouted Rose.

“Ooooh! You could turn Dana back to normal!” said Gale.

“What? No, I don't wanna fight anybody!” whined Dana from behind Chelsea.

“No wait! Use it on 'The Bull'! Rose'll be as weak as a friggin kitten!” suggested Chelsea.

“Why don't you use it on 'The Skunk', so you won't have to walk around with a load in your pants!” suggested Rose.

Stacy willed herself to block out all the noise around her. This was the most important choice the game had thrown at her, and she had to get it right. Her eyes shot from card to card, considering what the 'reverse' of each might mean. After a long pause, she decided that there was only one option that really made sense.

With a triumphant slap, she brought “The Mirror” down on “The Black Heart”.

The table fell silent. All eyes turned to Rose. Her left eye twitched. Her teeth were bared in a silent snarl. Chelsea grinned as she realized what Stacy had just done.

“You'll pay for that. One way or another. This is not over.” said Rose through clenched teeth.

Stacy jumped and backed away from the table. She knew the rules prevented Rose from just attacking her physically, but the look in Rose's eyes would have frightened anyone, especially considering her enhanced strength. Stacy wondered for a moment if she had completely misread how this game was played. Then, she saw Rose's eyes begin to glisten.

“I will...I'm gonna...uhh!” Rose shut her eyes and began shaking her head violently, as though struggling to dislodge something from her mind. Staci watched Rose from her position on the floor with concern in her eyes. Dana peeked out from behind Chelsea, still trembling and whimpering, but curious.

“Mistress? Are you okay?”

Rose held her head and groaned, as though in pain. Her spiky leather biker outfit began to steadily transform, just as Dana's had a moment earlier.

“I'm...I'm...I'm so, so sorry!” Rose's voice was a pitiful wail. Tears began streaming down her cheeks as her outfit completed its conversion. Rose was now wearing a white tunic. She had golden bracelets on her wrists, a golden choker around her neck, and on her feet were leather sandals that laced up around her calves. The outfit made Stacy think of a Greek goddess. With the muscles, horns, and nose ring, she might have been the goddess of cattle. “Oh my gawd! I've been so mean to you guys! I've been calling you names and breaking things and trying to get you to lose the game! Can you ever forgive me?”

Chelsea stared goggle-eyed at Rose. Her head was spinning with all the sudden changes the game was throwing at them. Stacy saw that the ball was in her court. She embraced Rose and patted her back soothingly. “It's okay, Rose. We're just glad you're on our side!”

“But I've been so terrible! I just feel awful! Oh, look what I did to Dana!” sobbed Rose. Stacy found herself struggling to breathe in Rose's hysterical embrace. “And your stinky diaper! That was my fault! I'm a horrible person!”

“She really doesn't seem to mind.” remarked Chelsea.

“Can I hump your leg please Mistress?” asked Staci, still panting and humping the air beside Rose.

“Oh my gawd, of course you can! I'm so sorry, Staci! Here, you can hump me all you want!” said Rose, letting go of Stacy and offering her leg to Staci. Stacy breathed a sigh of relief and took her seat at the table. Everyone averted their eyes as Staci eagerly followed her Mistress' command.

“Sooo...” said Chelsea, listening to Staci's breathing finally relax as she finished. “Does this mean we're all on the same team finally?”

“You bet!” said Rose with an eager grin. If Rose had said something like that before Stacy had played The Mirror, or even before the game began, anyone would have thought she was being sarcastic. But under the influence of the reversed Black Heart, Rose gave every impression of being completely sincere. “We're gonna beat this game together! Sisters!” She pumped her fist I the air.

“...great.” said Chelsea, rolling her eyes. She picked up the dice and shook them around in her hand. She knew they had just been incredibly lucky, but if she had learned anything this turn, it was that this game loved to throw curveballs. With a sigh, she tossed the dice onto the board.