I knew from the start Aion would cheat in some way. This was an easy conclusion to come to from just the way he is, it was bound to happen. But the hard part was to figure out how, and how to use it to my advantage. Luckily, I've figured all this out.
"Also, Freddy." Aion said as I started walking back to my side of the table. "You cannot bet the same number of beads twice in a row, I'll explain why after you bet."
What?
"Alright." I said nonchalantly and continued back.
What did this mean? My plan doesn't change much from this, but I had to be a bit more careful. Out of the eight remaining stones I had, I placed one into the betting box. I have an idea of how the round will go, and if it does, then it'll secure my win.
Aion and I finished our turns, and made our way back to the investigation area.
"Alright, Freddy." Aion began slowly. "There's now a new rule that we'll have to add. You'll understand why I didn't explain it until now soon enough."
I nodded in understanding, the rule obviously had something to do with not being able to bet the same amount of stones consecutively.
"Here's what's going to happen. The game will now implement a 'call' system. Basically, we will take turns guessing if our opponent bets higher or lower than they did last round. For example, say I bet 5 stones last round, then 4 this round. If you guess lower, then you'll get an extra minute of guessing time. If you guess higher, then you'll lose a minute of guessing time. Understand?"
Makes sense, but as of right now, this system was rather flawed for me.
"Yeah, I understand. But what if-"
"What if there's only one option for you? No worries, the opponent cannot guess that round. Since this round, you can only bet lower, I won't be given this opportunity."
"Got it."
This system was surprisingly thoughtful. If all this was managed by Aion, he really did want a true game. In that case, I'll give him the best game he's ever played.
"Alright, Freddy, do whatever you please to try to guess if I bet higher or lower. When you're ready, there's a button you can press to your left to choose."
Here are the options. I guessed 5 last round and was off by 4. This means Aion either bet 1 or 9. If he bet 1, then he can only bet higher this round. But if he bet 9, then he can bet both higher or lower. Aion's thought process probably went something like this: Freddy is a very logical person. He will definitely try to out-think me and bet some weird ass number like 8. Then he would use magic to figure out if that's right. Aha! I got you, Freddy! In our little game, I will get all 8 of your stones! Now, for my turn. I am going to take a shot in the dark and guess Freddy will guess 5. 5 is the safest bet if you can't get any information from your opponent, since the most you can lose is 5. So I will put 9 stones in there, so Freddy has to choose between 1 and 9. This was Aion's strategy. Very well-thought-out, but he doesn't know that I already can see through his deception.
I've been playing him like a fiddle.
"Alright, Aion. I've made up my mind."
He grinned with a look in his eyes that screamed I've won!
"Understood, Freddy." Aion turned to look away from the screen. To my left, I saw two buttons on the giant stone slab that served as a monitor. One said higher, one said lower.
I pressed higher.
Once I pressed higher, he turned around and started laughing hysterically.
"Ohoho! Freddy, you fell for it! You fell for my trap! Now let's get on with the game!"
Then Aion looked at the screen and saw it.
Fredrick +1
Aion -1
Then, he turned back towards me with a twitch in his eye. His face void of all emotion.
"Enough games, Aion. I'm going to finish this right here."
"Go on, Freddy! You've already secured your fate."
The clock already started ticking, but I didn't even need it. I started at Aion and then turned back to the stone slab.
"Aion, you bet…"
10.
"10 stones, didn't you?"
Turning back to Aion I found him standing completely still. Then, he fell to the floor, writhing in pain. His screams filled the room as he began frantically clawing at his skin. I saw the stone change.
Aion -10 (Total: 21)
Fredrick +10 (Total: 19)
I had guessed it correctly. Aion's plan was to bet 9 in the first round. His thought process went like this: Freddy will realize I bet with the new rule in mind. So he will think that I am going to bet 9, so I have both options. Then choose lower, since that's the only thing that makes sense!
Or something along those lines. I saw right through him. Lying to me never works.
After Aion had recovered from the loss, I felt my body start to repair itself internally. I hadn't realized it, but my breathing had grown staggered and shallow. Now, it's returning to normal. I felt strength return to my bones.
"Alright, Freddy. That's really impressive. However, I didn't really appreciate that. I'll be taking that stone that you bet."
Aion +1
Fredrick -1
"That's alright, Aion, I know I can win next round as well."
"Haha! Try your very best, Freddy."
It all came down to if my reasoning was correct.
But, Aion missed a critical detail, a detail that will lead to his demise.
"Alright, well played Aion. However, you know I'll win that back next round, and I'll also take all your stones with me."
"Okay, Freddy. I sure hope you do!"
With that, we both made our way back to our sides of the table.
Now, time for my game winning strategy. Although first, I need to test something. I picked up the stones and shook various amounts in my hands to test how they would sound together. Ultimately, I decided on doing something else completely. It was a bit of a gamble, but if it paid off, it would lead to my complete victory.
I also wanted to test something, so I put 1 stone into the betting box.
After about 20 seconds had passed, Aion and I made our way back to the investigation arena. Now, it was Aion's turn to go first.
"Now, Freddy. We have a unique experience on our hands. Both of us already know that the other can only bet in one direction. That means we skip that part."
"Alright, makes sense."
"Yes. Now Freddy."
"What's it, Aion? What do you think I bet?"
Aion grinned widely and shouted.
"YOU FOOL! I KNOW YOU BET 10 STONES, DIDN'T YOU?"
He walked right into my trap, as well as my game winning strategy.
Aion -9 (Total: 13)
Fredrick +9 (Total: 27)
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?" Aion screamed, then fell to the ground, screeching in pain. "IT HURTS, IT HURTSSSSSSSSSSS. AHHHHHHHHHH!"
He started frantically clawing at his own skin, digging his nails into his flesh until he started drawing blood. What I saw surprised me. His blood was blue. You only have blue blood if you're possessed, or possessing someone else. This can only mean one thing.
'That Man' planned all this out from the beginning. Impressive, I would have to contact him about this sometime soon.
"HOW?? HOW DID YOU FIGURE IT OUT!?" Aion roared. His eyes were bloodshot and his arms and torso were bleeding.
"It's rather comical, Aion. You used magic vision to see how many stones were left behind. The betting boxes were made out of material that blocks magic, this was a trick to lure me into thinking there was no way to use magic to cheat. However, the truth is easy to figure out from there. You would use magic to see how many stones I left behind on the table. With that information, you do simple math to figure out how many stones were in that box. However, your lack of observation and knowledge is what lead you astray."
Aion looked up at me from the floor, raising one of his eyebrows.
"You didn't notice my magic blocker."
Aion suddenly looked at my neck, noticing my magic blocking necklace was gone. He smiled, then grimaced in pain.
"I wondered if you had something like that, I couldn't see through your clothes until this last game. That should've tipped me off."
"Yes, it should've. However, you were blinded by your greed and ego. You've probably guessed by now, but I hid my extra stones off to the side, then put my necklace in front of them to shield them from your view. At first, I wanted to have a sure-fire way to win by keeping my necklace on, then hiding my stones in my pockets. However, in order to maximize my gains I have to hide 9 stones, which would make a ton of noise. Since I only have 4 pockets in my jacket, I would need two of them to have 3 stones and the other 2 only needed to have 2. There were optimal places to reduce the likelihood of you hearing the stones, but nothing concrete. So, I settled on the risk of guaranteeing you couldn't hear them clanking against each other. If you did see through that, it would still be an effective strategy, since you didn't know for sure how many stones I would've hidden."
Aion slowly picked himself back up, then wiped off some of the blood that was oozing out of his body.
"Very impressive, Fredrick. It seems that I've underestimated you. But, there's one thing you forgot."
"And what is that?"
"You still have to guess how many I bet! Good luck figuring that out!"
"Well, Aion. I actually learned something rather valuable just now."
"Oh yeah?" Aion said, crossing his arms. "What could that be?"
"You remember when you told me that I couldn't bet the same amount of stones twice in a row?"
"Yeah, wh-" As Aion asked, it suddenly dawned on him.
"You fucking lied to me."
I just bet 1 stone round, which is the same amount I bet last round. That rule was made up so Aion could use it later in the game, trying to trick me. I figured this out by his behavior. When explaining the rules, Aion was very proper and composed. After we started playing, something changed. He started acting extremely confident and cocky, which is rather different from the initial behavior he was giving off.
This is typical of someone who's trying to put on a show for someone else. Very common in modern psychology. For example, you probably act differently when around your strict parents than when you're with your friends at a bar. This was the behavior I observed in Aion. I suspected this from the beginning, but remember when I noticed his blue blood this round? I actually lied.
In truth, I noticed it last round, I just didn't want to make it a big deal since Aion would've seen my reaction. It was entirely possible that after seeing I noticed the color of his blood, he would see through my strategy, and I couldn't let that happen. Anyway, after noticing the blue blood, I immediately realized what was going on.
There is someone above Aion that is watching over us. Or, more accurately, was. This person's magic was judging the game for itself, so he wasn't lying about the fact that magic itself cannot lie. However, he used his magic ability to cheat. I ultimately realized that after he explained the rules, the person above was satisfied and left. This person clearly has a lot of power over Aion, and wanted to ensure a fair fight. After leaving though, Aion was free to do whatever he wanted, meaning his additional rules were lies. The only reason the magic played along was because we both believed the rule, was because the calling rule was part of the game. However, Aion left out a bit of information.
We were allowed to bet the same number twice, and one of the things he didn't mention was that we can call if our opponent bet the same number twice. Something else he didn't mention, he never said we had to bet anything at all. However, I'm not going to reveal that I know that just yet, since I have a plan.
"I see, so you know how many stones I bet then, don't you?" Aion said solemnly.
"I do. 10 stones!"
As I said that, Aion fell onto the floor, screaming.
Aion -10 (Total: 3)
Fredrick +10 (Total: 37)
Aion stumbled forward, his breath ragged. His skin started to crack—deep, glowing fissures forming across his body. He clawed at his face, his screams turning hoarse.
"No.. NO! It wasn't supposed to end like this!"
His body trembled, the cracks deepening, spreading to his arms, his chest. Then, in a blinding flash of blue light, Aion shattered.
The pieces of him dissolved into dust, carried away by an unseen wind. Silence fell upon the room. The Guardian of the Maze… was no more.
"Well done, Fredrick."
A voice from above called down, and I looked up to something rather remarkable. Their light illuminated the dark corners and their voice shook the surrounding ground.
A figure masked in light descended upon the scene.
"You win the game, Fredrick. Aion didn't explain to you that if you drop to 3 stones or lower, you don't have enough life force connected to you to continue living."
I was stunned. So, this was the person I was referring to.
"I am the God of Archon. This is my maze. Until now, Aion has gone undefeated as the Maze Guardian."
The God of Archon radiated a serene and divine aura. All woe seemed to be disposed of in an instant.
"I see… So, you're the person who's been controlling everything until now."
"Correct. You know, I noticed Aion's lies. But, something about you was different. So, I wanted to test you. I let him lie, and I wanted to see the outcome. How much did you figure out?"
"All of it. I knew he planned to bet nothing next round, and I was going to do the same. The rules never specified we had to bet anything. I figured that would be his ace, since you had to be paying really close attention to figure it out."
"Very impressive. You've proven yourself, Fredrick. I will now entrust you with the Glass of Eternity."
Suddenly, in my pocket appeared what I was sent here for in the first place. Now, all the pieces of my plan were starting to come together.
"Thank you, very much."
"Of course, you will now be teleported out of the maze. You may go collect your necklace and anything else you want. Your life force is no longer attached to these stones. You have won the game. Let me know once you've collected everything you would like to take with you."
"Alright, but one thing."
"What may that be?"
"Who will trust over this maze now?"
"No one, since the glass is gone the maze no longer has any reason to exist. Much like Daedalus's labyrinth, it will fade away along with all of its knowledge."
"I see, if that's the case, can I request something?"
"Of course, ask away."
"Can you keep the maze up for one more week. A friend of mine wants to do something here."
The God of Archon turned to me, skeptical. Well, I assumed it was skeptical. Its face was just pure light.
"Sure. After one week the maze will cease to exist, and nothing will change that, anything else?"
"That is all."
I went to pick up my necklace, and then told the God of Archon I was ready to go.
"Alright, farewell, Fredrick. Best of luck with the other 3."
And just like that, I was back in the Ruins of Babylon. Right outside the temple. At last, I was free. That was a lot of fun, hopefully more things like this will happen. Just then, my phone must've received Wi-Fi again, since I got a text message from a good friend, I would even call him my brother from another mother. The person who told me to come here in the first place, Viktor Hale.
V: Hey, Fredrick. I need some help with the plan, could I ask a favor?