A Rigged Game

      If you have illicit goods or services to offer, then Krawk Island is where you want to be. Everyone knows that, of course - pirates made the island famous, and they keep it famous too. There are plenty of famous pirates: Captain Dread, Garin, Captain Scarblade... The list goes on. Grimtooth never thought of himself as a pirate before he travelled to Krawk Island. He loved gambling, but it was just a means of making money. He'd heard that Krawk Island gave the best gambling opportunities: big risk, but enormous potential profit. He'd soon learn that they were exaggerating.

      He grew up on the streets of the megalopolis of Neopia Central, learning the hard way that life was rough and that he wouldn't always get what he wanted. He did menial jobs for a few Neopoints, but after a while the streets became more crowded, and he couldn't find enough work. He turned to gambling as a last resort before he had to go to the Soup Kitchen. Grimtooth had a good poker face, and he soon found a knack for Jubjub Blackjack. He was soon getting back five times what he put in every day, but the bets weren't very large because of game restrictions. He introduced himself to other games, all of which he mastered, but he thought he could get a better income somewhere else. He turned to Krawk Island.

      After landing on Krawk Island on the Empress of the Blue Seas, the ship owned by his friend Brian, Grimtooth wandered into the Golden Dubloon. He didn't know where he could go on the island to find some money, but he figured that there would be someone in the saloon that he could talk to. Sure enough, he saw a Grarrl in the corner, golden dice glinting from the top of his pocket. He went over to the booth and sat down opposite the pirate.

      "You look like a knowledgeable man," Grimtooth said courteously. "Where might I be able to find a game?" He casually placed a pair of dice on the table - a peace offering of sorts.

      The Grarrl was silent for a moment. "That depends. Do ye prefer cards or dice?"

      "Whatever brings the most money."

      Another short silence. "Card games are two buildings down, the way I be facing, but I think I know something better for ye. Come." He stood and began to walk out of the saloon. Grimtooth followed.

      The pair walked in silence all the way to Warf Wharf. Grimtooth got the feeling that the old Grarrl knew exactly why the Krawk had come to the island. He supposed it was just an innate sense that came with years of being a pirate.

      "Here it be," the Grarrl said. They had stopped at a small shack, inconspicuous, which was a good quality for gambling places. Quiet gambling is better than large rooms full of cacophony. "Here they play Bilge Dice."

      "What's Bilge Dice?" Grimtooth had never heard of it.

      "It be a new game, created by the man who lives here. Ye'll find out more inside. Make sure to ask fer Edward, otherwide ye'll get thrown out."

      "Thanks. By the way, I never caught your name."

      The Grarrl turned and began to walk away. "Me name be Gooblah. Ye'd do well to forget it."

      Grimtooth was mystified, but he shook it off, took a breath, and confidently walked into the shack. Inside were three pirates rolling dice and a bartender who was eyeing the stranger warily.

      Grimtooth walked up to the bartender, a Kyrii. "I was told to ask for Edward."

      "That be me," the old Kyrii said. He had the appearance of someone who was once a pirate, years and years before. "Who be ye, and who sent ye?"

      "My name is Grimtooth, and I was directed here by Gooblah."

      "Gooblah, there be a name I haven't heard in a while. Well, he didn't send ye fer a Lemwart Fizz, nay matter how good mine may be. Why are ye here?"

      "He said I might be interested in playing Bilge Dice."

      At this, the Kyrii looked Grimtooth over again. "I see." He turned to face the trio who were playing dice. "Hey! This be a new customer." He turned back to Grimtooth and said, "Ye can go play a few rounds."

      Grimtooth thanked him and went over to the table. A Meerca and an Eyrie, both pirates, sat in wait while the customer, an Elephante, gave him a sour look before exiting the shanty.

      "I be Monty," the Meerca said in a probably intentionally exaggerated pirate accent, "and this be Deadeye. This be yer first time playing?"

      "Yes," Grimtooth said, and continued, "and your accent needs some work."

      "I know," Monty growled.

      "I say the same thing every day," Deadeye chimed in, not trying to fake an accent, "but he never listens."

      Monty, a scowl etched on his face, decided to change the subject. "If this be yer first time, ye need to learn the rules. There be six dice in each player's hand. Ye'll see slots carved on the table.

      "To qualify, ye need to roll a 1 and a 4. If ye don't have both o' those, ye lose. After that, all of the other numbers ye roll added together make yer score. If ye roll four 1's, yer score be 4. Got it?"

      "Got it," Grimtooth said, and he did get it.

      "Good. We'll play a game, then."

      Grimtooth took his six dice, accompanied by his two opponents with their dice. They all rolled. Monty rolled a 1, 6, 6, 4, 3, 2; Deadeye got 6, 5, 4, 2, 1, 5; and Grimtooth, a 5, 1, 2, 1, 4, 3.

      Monty told him, "Ye can pick as many dice as ye want to keep as the number they rolled, and ye can roll the rest again. On yer next roll, ye need to keep at least one die before ye can go again."

      Grimtooth nodded. He picked his dice, keeping only two of them, and rolled again. This time, he got 6, 5, 6, 2. He kept three of them, and rolled the last one. It came up a 4. He now had both of the qualifier dice, along with: 6, 6, 5, and 4. A score of 21, which he thought was pretty decent. The other two players were already done with their dice.

      "Well, let's see what we've got," Monty said with a grin. "Grimtooth, ye've got 21; Deadeye, 19; but I have a 23." He eyes glinted mischievously. Grimtooth began having suspicions right then.

      After five more games, in each of which Monty's score was perfect or very near to it, Grimtooth had had enough. "Monty, I want to see your dice," he announced, drawing the attention of Edward the bartender away from polishing his bottles.

      "Why?" Monty asked, glaring at the hint Grimtooth was giving.

      "Because I have a feeling you're not playing properly. Now, give them here."

      "Absolutely not!" The accent was gone from Monty's voice, replaced with a note of aggression.

      "Monty...," Deadeye began, "just give them to him. We'll get nowhere if you don't."

      Monty relented, still glaring at Grimtooth. He placed his dice down on the table. Before Grimtooth could reach for them, however, Edward the bartender snatched them up. He inspected them, nodded to himself, and pocketed them.

      "Grimtooth, ye've a lot to learn," he said in a quiet voice. "We be pirates, and rigging the game be what we do. If we control the game, we can get customers to return, and give them a small profit but not so much that we don't make money. If ye be looking fer fair play, then you came to the wrong island.

      "Ye give me a strong impression, Grimtooth. I'd like to invite ye to play here full-time against the customers. If riggin' the game bothers ye, we won't stop ye from saying nay, but... I think it'd be best for ye if ye accepted."

      "You should join us," Deadeye urged. Monty stayed silent, clearly unhappy about it.

      "Well... This isn't what I had in mind when I came to the island," Grimtooth said, "but I'm willing to try it."

      "Thank ye," Albert said. "Methinks you'll enjoy the life o' a pirate."

      The End.