Beginner's Luck: 42

"That particular perk will end at sundown and can be reactivated at sun rise. Your mask bears the 'Green Gambler' pattern, which means that as long as you have potential energy, you can gamble another toss of the coin... It's funny- I never would've pegged you for a degenerate." Jinx bit her lower lip and squinted at Fluke.

"What happens if I lose a bunch of tosses in a row?" Fluke contemplated the ramifications of having a bad losing streak. What was the true cost of tossing the coin over and over? Was there any downside to trying his Luck over and over?

"If you were to wager a thousand potential energy points, you will incur a stackable loss of (-25%) on all boons harvests and rewards for the day. Each toss would be another wager of 1000 potential energy. 2 losses would become (-50%). 3 losses in a row would be (-75%). And it would take as many wins in a row to get you back to even. But that's the wrong question from a true degenerate." Jinx rolled her eyes and shook her head at the young man, before continuing to speak.

"The real question is what happens if you WIN several tosses in a row." She pulled herself up from the recumbent position she was in, jumped off the bed, crossed the room to get right next to Fluke. A glow of greed, danger, and excitement could be seen in the light of her eyes. Speaking rapidly like she couldn't contain herself; she began to ramble off the possibilities.

"On the first wager 1000 potential energy is spent, and you double the rewards and harvest for the day- and you double the potential energy that you wagered. On the second wager, it is 2000 potential energy risked, or the original wager plus your winnings, and the rewards would double again." Jinx smiled at the boy waiting for him to finish doing the math in his head, and just as he was starting to understand; she continued with her rapid math lesson. Her fingers wiggled in excitement.

"And as long as you have energy to spend, there is literally no limit to the number of times you can win! So, 1 becomes 2. 2 becomes 4. 4 becomes 8! 8 becomes 16! That means if you were to chop down a tree, you would get 16 times the material and experience from that single tree! Every crab you killed, every stone you mined, every quest you completed would become a tidal wave of opportunities and growth!" The hunger and greed glistening from her eyes was overwhelming, her hands were balled into fists on either side of her face, panting with short breaths, her mouth in an open smile, she practically salivated. Fluke's eyes widened with illuminating comprehension and his heart began to race at the thought of the next 30 days of trials. Jinx then suddenly coughed and regained her composure.

"But... of course... if you lose at any point in the sequence of wins, it will be like you lost from the start. And your win streak won't really restart until you have won twice after that loss." Jinx dropped her gaze to the floor, and straightened her shirt, before she walked back to the bed and flopped down on her belly.

Fluke's mind began to work quickly and swirled with the possibilities of risk versus reward. Luckily, the Librarian was there to bring him back to reality.

"That's a really risky venture. Didn't you explain to me that you only get to unlock those points when you go to that Liminal place? Wouldn't you run the risk of stunting your growth and progress by gambling your potential energy?"

Fluke turned and looked the older man nodding in agreement.

"I'll have to set limits. Otherwise, I could spend an entire day working and have nothing to show for it."

"Or you could work a whole day and suddenly have a month's worth of progress to show for it! All it takes is a little Luck... you could easily win 5-coin tosses in a row. " Jinx suggested from across the room.

Fluke shook his head stifling a chuckle. Despite his efforts to remain responsible, he couldn't deny the fact that she technically wasn't wrong. An internal battle of probabilities, statistics, addiction, excitement and growth all began to weigh in on his subconscious desire. The allure of winning was dangerously seductive. The chance of having a good day turn into a REALLY good day seemed so much more likely than a bad day turning into a terrible day. He had to remind himself that the being that was encouraging him to be reckless was in fact the Mistress of Misfortune. But at the same time- it was Lady Luck who had left him the stones that had allowed him to gain this perk. Finally, after going back and forth in this internal war of ideas and chance Fluke made an announcement.

"I am going to have to sit down and do some math to figure out where the costs start to outweigh the benefits. But until then, I am going to have to play it safe."

"BOOO!" is all Jinx shouted.

The Librarian stood and put his hand on Fluke's shoulder nodding once, before stating his support. "That is a wise decision."

Fluke sighed with relief and decided to not try and think about it anymore. Though he could feel the turmoil inside his subconscious- he wasn't 100 percent convinced yet. What also disturbed him at a deeper level was how Lady Luck had known this about him. Or was it something else entirely? Emblems appeared based on a deeper desire. Perhaps the mask itself was the one responsible for laying this potential stumbling block before him. Or was it the Mistress of Misfortune that had twisted the perk to tempt him this way?

Regardless of who or what was responsible, there was one phrase that came back to nag at him from time to time. A phrase that he had said himself, and had almost cost him his life:

What's life without a little risk?