"Maybe I will next."  Eris said smiling to Wiz who was recovering from her first male sex organ orgasm.  Chris had 'played' with her a bit too much and gave no real assurance that it wouldn't happen again, much to the dismay of the brown haired Lich.  "We're running low on cards, so I think I'll take your last one Aqua."  She said causing the lone card the water goddess held to teleport to her hand.  "Oh yay!  A pair."  Eris cheered, setting down her pair of '2's.

"Oh no, I'm cardless!"  Aqua thought, reaching for the deck.  "Whatever, I'm still one of the leading players."  She said acting calm as she looked at her card.  "A 'JOKER'!  Crap, I have to be smart about this..."  She thought while motioning for Megumin to take her turn.

"I'm not going to lag behind forever!"  Megumin declare, taking a '6' from Wiz.  "Just you wait and see."

"Next round perhaps, Megumin, but this round is mine."  Darkness countered, taking a card from Megumin.  "A pair of 'Shrink' card!"  She rejoiced, revealing the cards.  "I'll make myself as small as I can then, 1/100th."  Darkness vanished in a flash of yellow light, instantly appearing on the game table about half as tall as Wiz.  "So small... I'm the most vulnerable one here...  Any of the others could handle me without a fuss..."  She mumbled to herself as she looked up at the looming figures around her.

"I suppose I will follow suit... sorry Megumin-san."  Wiz said, taking the crimson demon's '1'.  "No match, it's your turn Chris-san."

"Well, it seems like it would be a burden for you to hold even one card at your new size."  Chris mused aloud, taking the millimeters tall woman's last card.  "So I'll hold onto it for you Darkness."  She giggled, looking at the '9' and realizing it wasn't a match to any of the other cards in her hand.

"Your hand is looking pretty big there, Chris."  Eris said, staring at the thief's hand.  "I think I'll lighten your load."  She decided as the 'JESTER' card Chris held was magically whisked away to Eris' hand.

"Okay, so it is very unlikely that that last card in the deck is the other 'JOKER'..."  Aqua thought as it came to her turn.  "Yeah, I'll go with that."  She reasoned, drawing the last card on the table.  "A 'Pet for the Game' card?  If I were to use this on that Lich nobody would be able to complain how much I torment her, right?"  Snickering to herself, Aqua began to think of various things she could do with a 'pet' Lich.

While Aqua was off in her own little world, Megumin took her turn.  "Ku-fu-fu, I hear the call of fate once more, my greatest triumph will come only if I brave the greatest adversity."  She announced pointing a finger at Eris.  "Twas your power that brought us here, your luck.  I shall plunder that which you have gained from your luck."  She said, pulling the brim of her hat down with one hand while thrusting the other in the air as the card she designated from Eris' hand appeared in her fingers.  Looking at the '9' she had acquired from Eris, Megumin hung her head.  "Breaking through the shield of your good fortune will not be so easy.  Go Darkness."  She admitted, breathing a heavy sigh.

"Right, I'll be taking my card back Chris."  Darkness said as a card disappeared from the Chivalrous Thief's hand in reappeared in the miniscule Crusader's, but the card she got was the '1', not the '9'.

"I suppose I shall take a card from Eris-san then."  Wiz decided, receiving the '6' card the sorceress held.

"Okay, well since your hand is the biggest right now Wiz, I'll take one."  Chris said, getting the '1'.

"Yet another boring turn... Why don't we see what's still in play, shall we?"  Eris suggested as a translucent list manifested floating over the center of the table.  Majority of the items on the list were crossed out though a glint of excitement sparkled in Eris' eye as she read what was left.  "Oh my, oh my!  'Pet for the Game', 'JESTER', and 'JOKER'?  Oh, that is quite interesting, the '1', '6' and '9' not so much."

"Well, don't keep us waiting!  Let's finish this."  Aqua said impatiently.

Eris sighed at the water goddess in disappointment, usually those who hold the water element are known for their patience.  "You're still new to being a goddess, aren't you Aqua."  She stated, plundering the 'Pet for the Game' card the deity was holding.

"What was that!?"  Aqua asked, insulted and furious.  "I'll have you now that I have been worshipped for thousands of year.  While I may have (temporarily) lost my position in the Axis Cult, I am still worshipped fanatically and am the Senpai to that lucky little upstart Eris."

"Oh my, thousands of years you say?"  Eris questioned, genuinely surprised.  While none of Aqua's companions believed her claims of godhood, Megumin, Darkness and Chris shook their heads in disbelief that Eris was buying into it.

Puffing out her ample chest and allowing her assets to bounce a bit Aqua beamed with pride.  "That's right."  She said, happy that someone at least believed she was a goddess.

"The fact that you still keep track of the time goes to show how young you still are."  Eris said, deflated Aqua's inflated ego.  "I mean, I'm only hosting these games because I took a nap and apparently 10 000 years passed... needless to say all my other playmates are long dead now."  She commented offhandedly as she took the 'Pet for the Game' card Aqua held.

"10 000 years!"  The collective choir of the four guests exclaimed in unison.

"Yeah, though days and years are longer here than for you guys, so to you it's much longer but that's beside the point."  Eris explained.  "In my younger days I was a goddess myself, gave it all up though, too limiting."

"The higher-ups do get really fussy when you try to play around a bit."  Aqua agreed, solemnly nodding her head.  "Though most of the boring stuff you can force on your Kouhai."  She blurted out laughing.

"And cause no end of stress for them!"  Chris retorted in frustration, slamming her fist on the table.  After taking a couples breaths and calming down she looked at all the surprised faces looking at her.  "Oh, sorry.  I actually have a Senpai who is constantly pushing duties on me..."  She explained.

"Right, well I have a game to win and you're holding my card to do so Lich."  Aqua said as a card in Wiz's hand teleported to her own.  Suddenly a hideous laughter resonated from the water goddess' hand accompanied by a loud buzzing sound and a giant red 'X' appeared above her.

"Oh, this is good."  Eris said with a smile.  "Looks like someone got the 'JOKER's."

"Wait, no!  This can't be happening!"  Aqua cried out in desperation, quickly slamming her hands over her pile of cards as they began to glow.  "I am a goddess, this isn't how it's suppose to be.  A do-over, I want to take my last turn back."  She continued to despair, not accepting reality and trying to bargain with Eris who looked at her with indifference.  "I take back my move, so please?  No, no, no, wait!"  Aqua could feel the cards under her hands disappear one-by-one until all that was left were the two cards in her hand that caused her misfortune.  Everyone sat quietly at the table, most ignoring the childish tantrum while some, Eris and Chris mostly, seemed to enjoy the former goddess break.

Hesitantly, a tiny figure approached Aqua who was crying into her arms with her face on the table.  "It's alright Aqua-sama, I'm sure you can still win."  Wiz said trying to comfort the blue haired girl, slowly reaching out to touch her arm.

Suddenly, Aqua stopped crying and poked her eye up just enough to glare at her tiny consoler.  "You."  She hissed, snapping her hand out and pinning the poor Lich beneath it.  "This is all your fault, you filthy undead!"  Aqua continued to apply more and more pressure on Wiz, standing so she could use her entire body.  "You tricked me!"

Unable to reply or even defend herself, Wiz was helplessly held immobile by the former water deity.  She now truly understood that they were indeed protected from harm as she could feel her bones bend and compress but not break.  The pain was still there and she was sure that had she not been protected her body would have been reduced to paste almost instantly, but then as quickly as Aqua had crushed her under palm Wiz was laying back on her side of the table, looking up at the ceiling.

"That was going too far Aqua!"  Darkness chastised, though her miniscule demeanor could not portray the anger she exhibited.

"It was your fault, you've been targeting her all game."  Megumin agreed.

"Honestly, I think you deserved it."  Chris said, heaving a heavy sigh.

"I don't appreciate what you just did, Aqua."  Eris stated in a deathly serious tone, one that caught everyone's attention.  A heavy tension built in the air as Eris' frame began shaking and she dress and hair fluttered in an unnatural wind.  The cute, light hearted smile and demeanor she had been presenting this entire time disappeared as she glared at Aqua with stoney gaze.

Trembling slighting in fear, Aqua sat back down in her seat and squished herself as far into the corner as she could.  "I-I d-d-di-didn't do anything wr-"

"You had a run of bad luck."  Eris continued, interrupting Aqua.  "Wiz was kind enough to try to comfort you, and that is how you repay her?"  Standing, Eris began to float over to Aqua, looking down on the cowering girl.  "If I were to classify that as 'unsportsmanship' behavior, I'm well within my right to punish you however I see fit."

"W-w-what?"  Aqua was beginning to understand just how powerful the woman before her, Eris Chaos, truly was.  The magical reserves of the self-proclaimed 'Ultimate Sorceress' were already so vast, she couldn’t even begin to compare it to her own; it's not like anyone would compare a raindrop to the ocean.  With each passing second her power increased still, as if it had no limit.

"Please stop!"  The plea from an unusual source caught Eris attention as she checked her rage and turned to look at the miniature Lich bowing on the table.  "It's alright, please don't hurt Aqua-sama."

"Oh don't worry Wiz."  Eris replied with a sweet smile.  "It's not like I can break anything physical."

"Let's just continue the game, this round is almost done."  Wiz requested, still bowing.

Eris glared down to Aqua and then looked back to Wiz.  "Aqua has done nothing but torment her since they got here, which seems to be the nature of their relationship, and yet she would still stick up for her..."  After a moment Eris was able to calm herself down and returned to her seat.  "I guess I'll just give her a warning this time."  She said.

"Thank you very much, Eris-sama."  Wiz replied, smiling genuinely.

Aqua merely huffed and puffed out her chest and crossing her arms as she looked away from her savior.  "I'm not going to thank an undead..."  She pouted.  "Whatever, I'll get it all back next round anyway, so prepare yourself."

"Yes, Aqua-sama."  Wiz said hesitantly.  "So she's still going to target me then?"

"I suppose it is time I meet my destiny then?"  Megumin asked, as she stared at Eris.  She was sure everyone else was able to feel Eris' magical power just moments ago, just as she had.  "The call of fate was not wrong.  My greatest adversity, my greatest reward, it all rests in your hand Eris."  She began to monologue as she held out her hand.  "As such I shall reach out with this hand of mine and hold fast to my destiny!"  One of Eris' card teleported to Megumin and when the young crimson demon saw what she had gotten she couldn't contain herself.  Squealing in glee she beamed with enthusiasm and revealed two 'JESTER' cards.  "This isn't my request, but is there somewhere I can unleash an Explosion around here?"

"Congratulations Megumin!"  Eris exclaimed, mirroring the young Arch-Wizard's happiness.  "I'll grant your request at the end of the game, so until then think about what you want."

"Well done Megumin."  Darkness said, happy for her friend.

"Damn, so close."  Chris cursed her luck a bit.  "She took that from me last turn and I was going to target you next Megumin... well, make sure it's a good one."

"Yes, I'm very happy for you too, Megumin-san."  Wiz added.

"I already know what I want, but if I have to wait I'll hold this in until the moment after the game and release the largest Explosion ever to celebrate!"  Megumin said.

"I guess I'll take a card from you again, Chris."  The tiny blonde said as a '1' card appeared in her hand.  "Just a normal pair, your turn Wiz."