[I will prepare the cards. They're not marked cards, I swear!]

While Ophelia and the catgirl walked toward the city, returning to the Adventurer’s Guild, the voices wasted no time and at the mere mention of poker and soon the game was on its way. Ophelia could almost imagine it happening—different, dark shapeless horrors with red and purple eyes, sitting at a regular oval poker table with cards in their misty appendages. If they’re stuck in this girl’s head, might as well find a way to kill time, right?

[Congratulations! Your Insanity Skill is now Level 3!]

[Insanity - lvl 3 (1%)
Passive. Magic. Physical.
Doing what sane Users would not do, will not make User saner. Degraded User’s resistance to voices with each level.]

Ophelia swiped away the skill tab barely glancing on it like she would an annoying pop-up ad. It was as if the written text didn’t even register with her.

[Here take mine. The little symbols are only for Style and don't have any meaning. By the way I raise the bidding with five Ophelia Sanity Points.]

What the hell are they betting? Ophelia wondered with a vacant expression on her face.

[I will double your raise, ten Ophelia Sanity Points]

[Weak I raise it to 50 Ophelia sanity points and no, I'm not cheating]

A clear bluff, Ophelia disregarded such a blatant attempt at winning with a pair of twos.

[Well I raise it with 100 Ophelia Sanity Points, I swear that I don't have extra cards in my sleeve]

That was true, as in the scene Ophelia was imagining the voice did not have any sleeves. So the voices hopes of pulling out a couple of aces were about to be dashed.

With the bets placed and the cards open it result was obvious—after the disqualifications for marking cards, attempting to add additional cards and other blatant cheating—a pair of twos won for being the only legitimate hand left.

Wait, if it got to that stage, doesn’t that mean they each bet 100 Sanity Points and lost?

SLAM. As if lightning had struck her Ophelia went numb and fell to the ground.

“Nya!? You alright?” Lucy ran over to Ophelia.

“Yeah... Kinda... I think,” Ophelia looked around trying to figure out what just happened.

[Congratulations! Your Insanity Skill is now Level 6!]

“Here!” The catgirl helped Ophelia get up.

[I never really got poker, and we don't have a fair dealer with this in and out thing we do, oh yeah BEWARE THAT GOOSE, it's also inside your head, i think i hear it, *Honk* RUN!! ITS GOT A MAID UNIFORM!!]

[Personally, I prefer BLACKJACK!!! But rayhem has a point]

The voices did not disappear, so what happened? Ophelia couldn’t understand. She felt the same, though still a little bit numb. And now there was a goose in a maid uniform running around. Oh, wait, it’s in my head.

[This coffee was a very good idea, you know? Do that for me:

Coffee tree seed
Effect: when she is in the ground and you take care of her, a coffee tree magically appear in a few years]

In addition to the [Pokeball], [Potion of Generation] and all the other strange items the voices gave her, Ophelia now also had a coffee seed.

[Coffea seed
Consumable
Grade: Special
Effects: A seed of a flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. Plant it, take care of it. In a few years a tree will magically appear.]

“When we’re in town I want to buy a plant pot,” Ophelia said to Lucy.

“Nya? Sure, but why?” Lucy asked walking with her arms crossed behind her head, as usual.

“To grow a coffee tree.”

“What’s a coffee?”

“It’s... You can make a drink that temporarily gives you a boost of energy and removes drowsiness.”

“Nya, they got potions for that. And buffs too!”

[I am very sleepy. I stayed up all night doing some academic things that needed to be done. Yes, Ophelia, you needed to know this.]

“Would you like me to arrange a therapy session for you?” Ophelia asked with all seriousness.

“Nya!?” Lucy looked at Ophelia wide-eyed. “Nyo, nyot from you. A good nyaghts rest will hopefully do the trick-nya.”

[Hey, any preference for a room like, I don't know some cookies, a blood altar, a shrine for your love and this is definitely not for when you sleep ;)]

A shrine for Felicia would be good, Ophelia drolled just imagining it. I need to find some pictures of her!

[I'll set up a poker table and bake some cakes for the next time you sleep. Be sure to join us in the made-up scenery I'll have built so we can discuss face to face. I'm a fair dealer.]

Another poker game, huh? Ophelia thought. At least it might be more interesting if I participated as the dealer. Something told Ophelia that the night would be entertaining.

[Do you know? I think you lack something very useful.

7-dimensional pouches
Grade: ??
Effect: Save Anything, Indestructible
Description: use your blood for ownership, all shipments of higher beings will be transferred in the bag.
How to use: Take items with imagination]

[Attention Duelists! Sending items and skills feature is temporarily blocked until further notice!]

“Huh?” Ophelia glanced at the tab. Did that mean she was safe from “helping” voices trying to get her killed? It’s a cause for celebration!

[Some items should never be sent. Clearly the guy with the mutation capsules needed to put more thought into what to send. Not sure what to say about the crazy fish or the pokeball. Regardless have fun, I'll check back in while.]

Ophelia couldn’t agree more! She did end up with some potentially useful skills and items though, which should give her a considerable advantage at her current level. All in all she was good to go! First get stronger, then find Felicia!

“First the Adventurer’s Guild—register there properly and get paid,” Ophelia listed off what she planned to do in excitement that nothing could go wrong anymore. “Then find a decent tavern. A hot meal and sleep.”

“Nyaaa,” the catgirl grinned in agreement.

The city was already in sight. Signs of civilization already appeared—a couple of figures, heading to the city, probably other adventurers returning from dangerous hunts. Two more girls emerged from behind a hill near Lucy and Ophelia. They seemed particularly weary—one of them was limping, the other had an arm missing.

“Nya! I remember them!” Lucy exclaimed when she also noticed the beaten-down adventurers.  “They were in another beginnyar group! Nya, most of them got slaughtered?”

[Get some new clothes! You two look like a couple of beggars now.]

“Corrupt Cheat! Forcefull Blood Donation!” Ophelia got out her throwing knives and got into a fighting stance. “Deadly Knife Throw!”

Before the two girls even realized what had happened it was already over. Ophelia threw a knife into the neck of the one with the missing arm, then threw another knife at the second one as she closed in for the kill. A moment later the second girl fell dead with a slit throat.

“I almost forgot!” Ophelia said, turned to Lucy and licked the blood off her knife. “We needed to get you some new clothes so that no one suspected you of killing Babette.”

The catgirl smiled nervously.

[If it makes you feel better you’re fated to meet Felicia again, believe it or not, the sheer relevance of this event guarantees it will happen]

Ophelia did believe it. She was grateful to the voice for reassuring her! And as she removed the equipment from her two victims she softly sang:

“…What's in your head? We're in your head…”