The Reef was one of the most infamous betting halls of all the Seven Seas. Situated near Bermuda in Swindler's Cove, a pirate's holdout of deplorable repute, the debauched den was host to all manner of lucrative vice. Glamorous gambling and easy-to-come-by loans provided a steady pipeline of indentured slaves to serve The Reef's degenerate interests. These hapless servants staffed and maintained the ramshackle compound in the dim hopes of one day working their compounding debts off. The gainful establishment employed only the burliest of enforcers to maintain order and exact debts. These thugs glittered with jewelry and pompous finery in testament to their salacious salaries. Ultimately, The Reef's immoral profits and chain of command all snaked back to a central, enigmatic figure, known as the 'Card Shark'.
The Card Shark had survived the scheming, underhanded politics, which defined the criminal nexus, for decades, a testament to her perfidious mastery. Rumored to have once been a slave herself, the shark woman reportedly tore her way to the top in a frenzy of double-dealings and dastardly deeds. A terror of disappearances and grisly murders heralded Card Shark's rise to power, her rule cemented through decades of strident villainy and intoxicating profits. Through her steady management, The Reef had became known for hosting outrageous spectator events. One of the most popular gambling contests was The Reef's beloved all-female, open-entry, strip poker tournament.
With a steep buy-in to sweeten the winner-take-all pot, each female gambler was allowed seven specific items of clothing to stake. Each womanly wagerer was pitted-off in bracketed, multi-round, single-elimination, five card draw poker matches. Upon gambling away their last article of clothing to the winner, the disrobed loser was subjected to a lengthy march of shame past the surrounding spectator stands. Leering onlookers thronged to the titillating championship, spending big to observe the systematic baring of so many haughty highrollers. Extracting profits at every turn, vendor boys sold sachets of powdery dyes among the raucous bench rows. It was considered great fun to pelt the defeated with such armaments, staining their bared hides with adhering, prismatic ignominy. Favored spendthrifts were even allowed to pinch or slap the disqualified from over rails at a narrow gauntlet zone which lead to the arena's exit. It was testament to the competition's prestige and prize that so many woman risked such debasement to participate.
The gecko girl Ploy Chen would have been like the other nubile fools unwisely entering the competitive tournament, if not for her unique gift. A childhood accident had disgraced the scaly Ploy with a malformed, split tail. Eventually, by pure chance followed by systematic testing, the lizard girl found her defacing deformity miraculously tilted the odds of fortune in her favor, to an astounding degree. Chasing a Reef tournament's legendary winnings, Ploy entered into the strip poker match, hedging on her uncanny fortuity. Wearing an assemblage of loose-fitting island attire, Ploy was confident she'd be keeping her breezy outfit on, despite the fact that at least a thousand other women had entered with similar hopes.
The first few rounds were held in batches on the open-air arena stage, flanked by packed, rickety bleachers. A cluster of tables and chairs were set up, each manned by an obligated croupier, the lot of them baking under the equatorial sunshine. Ploy became increasingly nervous as she awaited her bout, sticking to the corners and avoiding confrontation with the diverse women assembled in the waiting hall. Every manner of scaled, feathered, and furred lassie was accounted for among the entrants, each having their own method of preparing for the high-stakes game ahead. The petite gecko woman shrank away as a brawl erupted to her left, a bristling, porcine harridan plowing into a bellowing heifer. The attendant enforcers just laughed and held their own private wager on the scuffle, both women limping away bloodied and cussing by the end, with no clear victor. When the third batch of the first round was to be held, Ploy was grateful for a chance to finally see if her posteriorly perched luck would see her through to the final round. The shy reptile certainly didn't want to join the defeated, slinking away under the gawking stare of thousands.
Ploy's first challenger was a scrawny jaguar woman, her patchy fur lined with gruesome scars. The gecko woman was grateful that the actual poker betting was held in the open, as her feline opposition grew increasingly agitated as the hands progressed in Ploy's clear favor. The gecko had only taken off her dainty gloves, before the incensed jaguar was down to her knickers, revealing the woman's malnourished body and scraggly fur. The nearly-eliminated feline wildly glanced between Ploy and the avian croupier at their table, suddenly shrieking, "What's this tripe? Every hand that cheatin' cardrack's layin' down aces, you on her take, dealer?" Before the parrot man could squawk back a defense, the enraged jaguar woman was on him. They tumbled on the packed, dirt arena floor, the enraged jaguar holding a previously hidden blade to his beak as she shrieked incoherently in an exotic patois. The enforcers were much more prompt to intervene this time, immediately rounding on the scene and disarming the despondent loser. The guards skillfully added to the enraged feline's collection of bodily injuries while they lowered the her bloomers and dragged the wailing jaguar off. The recuperating croupier declared Ploy the winner, as the lizard woman immediately took the opportunity to scurry away from the glaring arena to await the next round.
The next few hours were a blur of rousing successes for Ploy, each of her adversaries dejectedly marching off buck-naked to endure their humiliations. She tried not to think about what those girls were going through, but couldn't help but watch the procession of the defeated's bombardment with staining projectiles. Refocusing on her own affairs, the elated reptile girl eventually noticed an increasing air of scrutiny surrounding her as the competition drew down to the last few contenders. A grizzled wolf man was repeatedly serving as Ploy's dealer, the old hound giving the gecko a scrutinizing glare whenever he dealt out cards. Ploy kept repeating to herself that she wasn't actually cheating, that it wasn't her fault an old curse had transformed into a blessing. She just coyly played innocent under the man's withering stare. Her next opponent was clearly unnerved by the small gecko's consistent string of victories, while the stands chanted, jeered, and yelled out in a cacophonous roar around them.
Ploy was up against a heavy-set crocodile matron, who seemed aghast upon being reduced to her lacy undergarments in only five hands. Ploy felt piteous for her competitor, until the rounds suddenly swung in the other direction, forcing the gecko girl to begin peeling off her own clothes, many pieces for the very first time. The lizard girl kept her cool though, despite her rising body temperature under the hot sun. Fidgeting with her tails to try to elicit a bout of fortune, Ploy laid-down cards, and somehow triumphed with a measly pair. Ploy was put on edge as the big, scaly crocodile began trembling when she was reduced to her final piece of clothing, the petite gecko fearing another violent outburst if victorious. But Ploy's opponent just sank down onto the table and blubbered into her stubby fingers upon losing the final game, making the gecko feel sorry for her. The gruff table attendant unsympathetically shoved at the crocodilian's back, eventually rousing the crying woman to sit up and lower her huge, lacy panties. The huge, scaly female numbly marched forward, and was immediately assailed by a hail of whizzing dye packets, her large frame making for an easy target. As the cloud of particles settled, Ploy felt bad for the panicking loser, her scaly frame now garishly marked with defeat. The demure lizard tried not to think about the 'fondling gauntlet' she'd heard of earlier, at the end of the loser's march to the exit.
Her wolf croupier gazed down at Ploy with a barely concealed scowl, whispering lightly, "Someting' be stinkin' wit you, missy." But right afterwards, the angry man howled out, "We have our tournament champion! The feisty little gecko girl, Ploy Chen, has defeated 'Memaw' Matilda for the final hand! Everyone, give a round of applause for our final poker player, the new 'Mistress of Cards'! What a shame, to think we never even got her top off!" Ploy felt utterly stunned as the lupine man pronounced her victory, so caught-up in the disorienting competition she hadn't even realized it was the championship match. But suddenly, a loud proclamation from across the tournament field startled Ploy to an even greater extent.
"Ach, s'pose I aught ta be offerin' congratulations to ye, 'Mistress o' Cards', but perhaps ye be interested in a true wager?" Ploy turned to regard the voice's originator, seeing a hulking, grey-skinned woman rounding on her quickly, flanked by numerous enforcers. The strident shark woman continued, "In all my years, I ain't never seen such a performance. Allow me to offer congratulations, by ways o' offerin' a unique opportunity!" As the newcomer approached closer, Ploy could tell by the woman's dorsal fin and bejeweled eyepatch that this was none other than the infamous 'Card Shark' herself. The Reef's owner calmly sat down at the gecko woman's table, mounting the chair backwards as she drawled on in a gravelly voice, "I'm willin' ta wager me whole operation here, on a last set o' hands between us. I'm eager to really put yer luck to test, what say ye, missy?"
The lizard woman felt overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events, realizing she had already won a great deal of money, but excited beyond measure at the prospect of such outrageous fame and fortune. "B-but what would I be wagering? My prize winnings? W-would you really do that?" Ploy stammered out, quailing as Card Shark's henchmen ominously gathered around her chair.
The shark woman laughed in response, gruffly answering, "To start with, but that ain't quite settle the ante by my reckonin'. Nah, I'd need you on the scale to even the sum, yer scaly ass in contractual servitude to myself. What say ye, waif? Be ye a true cold-blooded 'Mistress o' Cards', or is ye a rich chicken?" The gecko girl looked around, realizing the stadium audience had been reduced to shocked silence by the inexplicable exchange, everyone hanging on her response. She was about to politely decline, before feeling a sharp poke at her back. Ploy turned around in confusion, only to see a brutish monkey man with his hand on her shoulder. Concealed under his fingers was a straight razor, signalling the gravity of the proposal, which she was clearly not allowed to refuse. It took several moments for Ploy to respond, her scaly body paralyzed with electric terror as she realized she was all alone and out of her depth among these lawless scoundrels. Her chirpy voice reduced to a quiet rasp, Ploy tensely responded, "Y-yes, well...I-I'd be a fool...I'm honored, of course I accept your w-wager, your highness!" She felt a bit embarrassed about that last one, not knowing how else to address the overbearing shark woman in front of her.
Card Shark just responded with a big, toothy smile, as the wolf man grimly laid their cards down, the game afoot. The first three rounds went to Ploy, emboldening the lizard girl as the stands erupted in excited murmurs and sporadic applause, many of the attendants clearly afraid of upsetting Card Shark by openly supporting the rising star. But, just as quickly, the winds turned, and Ploy repeatedly lost five hands, now reduced to a silk brassiere and panties. Mentally focusing on her tail, Ploy willed her supernatural powers to activate, the next four hands reducing each woman to their final garment. Upon losing her sixth round, Card Shark elicited to remove all of her undergarments, flaunting her muscular, scarred frame before all in attendance. She turned to Ploy and winked, saying "Me eyepatch be my final dressing. Fine playin', missy, fine playin' indeed. I see yer heart be in them cards sometin' fierce. Well, no use postponin', deal us out, Georgie." The wolf man tensely dealt the women their cards, gulping slightly as he slipped the final one to Ploy. The gecko woman's face sank, as she saw her paltry hand, and realized she'd need to return all five cards. But upon receiving a new deal, Ploy brazenly cried aloud in wordless triumph. Fearing someone might try to subvert the outcome, the little lizard girl slammed her cards on the table, shouting aloud, "Royal Flush! To the ace of diamonds! I'm... I'm going to rename this place 'The Diamond Reef' in honor of my victory!"
Card Shark shot Ploy an unreadable, but slightly ominous, look, before wordlessly slapping her own hand down. Ploy's squamous face fell, as she despairingly realized Card Shark had her own Royal Flush, ending in the ace of clubs. Ploy looked between the two hands in confusion, before timidly sitting back down, and promptly answering, "Uh, okay, well...I guess we'll play another round, r-right, 'Georgie'?"
Grinning wide and displaying her rows of sharp teeth, Card Shark answered instead, "Ain't ye read the rules o' The Reef before comin' here, missy? 'Tis written, 'house always wins a tie', now get them britches off, and come sit in me lap. We're gonna 'ave ourselves a little palaver." Ploy opened her mouth to shrilly complain, before noticing the shadow of numerous bruisers looming around her, her words of protest dying in her suddenly dry throat. The wolf croupier Georgie gripped under Ploy's armpit, lifting her up and whispering, "Don't make a scene, girlie." The gecko woman was numb with shock as she was lead to where Card Shark sat, the exuberant shark woman extending her hands and beckoning the defeated lizard girl over.
"Stand right here for me, pretty thing. Look at dem' shiny scales on ye, I bet ye be polishin' them like a prissy little poppet, eh?" Card Shark said mockingly, as she ran her hands over Ploy's narrow body. The gecko girl had a toned, boyish frame, her small breasts barely protruding from her sunken, scaly chest. The leering shark woman hooked her thumbs around Ploy's underwear, drawing down the girl's final article of clothing with triumphant relish. "Oh my, don't look like many've been plunderin' yer tight 'treasure', eh, girly?" Card Shark teased, as she leaned forward and planted a languid, obscene lick over Ploy's scaly mound, making the gecko's little vaginal slit tingle at the molestation.
"Y-you cheated! I-I know it! There's no way you got a Royal Flush just when I did--Hey!" Ploy hissed out indignantly, as Card Shark brusquely dragged the lizard down into the her moistening lap.
"Heh, and ye didn't? I jus' be usin' a different means, and didn't you notice neither, so simmer down and take yer lumps. I ain't gonna treat ye like any ol' hole for sailors, no ma'am, yer my private prize. I intend to see if any of yer luck can ah...Rub off on me, so to speak," Card Shark intoned, firmly gripping Ploy's pubic mound for emphasis, wiggling a knuckle up into her quivering vent, eliciting the first few pearls of reactive wetness from the inexperienced gecko girl. The shark woman was firm and unyielding as she guided Ploy into a submissive embrace, posing the smaller lizard female like a child about to be nursed. "Go on, give 'em a taste. Ain't no milk for ye from here though, that'll be yers to sup from me downstairs!" Card Shark said, finishing with a lewd wink. Ploy almost protested, before her stubby snout was pressed up against the domineering shark lesbian's left knocker. The gecko stubbornly resisted for a moment, before Card Shark gave one of her tails a powerful pinch, immediately instigating Ploy to meekly envelop the gray, rubbery shark teat in her mouth. "That's it ye wee scallywag, no regrets now, yer my squeezebox and I like me toys," Card Shark whispered down in a husky tone, as she provocatively slipped several digits into Ploy's scaly snatch. The gecko woman's twin tails curled anxious around her forceful lover's thick thighs, as Card Shark leaned down and began wantonly licking into the defeated gambler's reptilian ear hole. Ploy groaned out heatedly around the bigger woman's nipple, trying to wriggle away from Card Shark's probing fingers and invasive tongue.
Before Ploy knew it, gravity shifted as she realized the big shark woman was carrying her off down the arena stage. The shocked lizard girl looked up at the domineering lesbian plaintively, not daring to stop suckling at her breast. Card Shark looked down, and intuitively answered, "Well now, considern' yer loss, I've no right ta deny the crowd yer march of shame, do I, lassie? I'm eagerer than horsespit to see what color the crowd be decidin' to paint yer shiny scales, me quiverin' dolly. And then, I'll get to introduce ye to all the rich gentlemen that paid so nice n' dearly to get a little peak and peck of ye, that'll be a sight t'see, I reckon." Ploy desperately clutched at Card Shark's chest, quaking from the lesbian's cruel taunting. Even as the shark woman carried her, she kept wantonly fingering the gecko's roused vent. Suddenly, the big shark woman heaved Ploy unceremoniously onto the dusty ground, her digits withdrawing from the gecko's sex with a little squelch. "Right then, get ta walkin', lucky girl. I'll be right behind ye."
Ploy reluctantly got to her wobbling feet, and timidly began marching along at Card Shark's behest. As soon as the petite gecko girl took her first few steps forward, several colorful dye satchets whizzed about her, thudding into the ground and puffing out their colorful contents. The gecko girl yelped slightly, before screaming aloud when the first packet slapped into her bare, scaly skin, leaving a stinging pain and drenching Ploy in vibrant, blue powder. This was only the beginning of her ignoble decorations, as the overlooking crowd among the stands began raining their humiliating projectiles upon the vanquished lizard girl, who resentfully marched through the increasingly gaudy fusillade. Ploy had never felt more embarrassed in her entire life, suddenly realizing she hadn't even gotten to the 'fondling gauntlet' that Card Shark had promised yet.