A man at a hobby shop

“...And that is 6 damage,” The thin man in the ponytail said as he finished playing the cards in his hand.

“God damn it...good job, Max. Dude, I'm going to need you to look over my deck,” the plump guy sitting across from Max said as he collected his cards and shuffled them.

“Your deck is fine, Eric, mine is just a strong counter. I can still look at it though,” Max said as he held out his hand.

Charlie, another friend of theirs spoke up, “Your deck is broken.”

The three had been spending their afternoon at their favorite hobby shop in the mega mall. He had been here for hours, lost in the game and enjoying the peacefulness of the shop. The air was thick with the scent of pizza and old cardboard as they played. The sounds of dice being rolled and cards being shuffled filled the air. The occasional outburst of laughter and friendly banter could be heard from the other customers in the store.

Max glanced up as the door chimed, announcing the arrival of a new customer. The man who walked in was tall, with a thin frame that was almost comical in comparison to his height. His clothing was flamboyant and expensive-looking, and he was a man with a wild reputation.

"Hey, Ralph!" Eric called out. "We didn't expect to see you here!"

Ralph strolled over to their table and leaned down to look at their game. "Looks like you guys are having fun," he said with a grin. "Mind if I join?

Ralph didn't wait to be welcomed, sitting next to Max as he placed a shopping bag between the two of them. While they began another game, Max kept glancing at the contents of the bag, just barely peeking out.

Out of what appeared to be nowhere, Ralph asked the room, “Who wants to make $1000 today?”

Everyone paused and looked at Ralph. He had a reputation for tossing his money around and occasionally that involved dares with prizes. Even so, he had never offered that much all at once before. There was silence for a time before anyone spoke.

“What is the dare?” Max asked.