The Gamble

Oh, an unfamiliar ceiling and the feeling of a fluffy mattress under me. So, I didn’t spend last night on the streets!

But then, I move my gaze down to find myself completely naked. Hmmm. The rest of the room looks elegant. Simplistic patterns on the wallpaper. Free of rats and roaches. A thick staff mounted on the wall next to a jackalope’s head. And I’m on a king-size bed with the duvet half-dropping off to the floor and my red hair messily spread across the mattress. Hmmm. Looks like the conclusion is clear…

Yep, this has to be a dream. A little less fat around my tummy area would have been better, but a gal can’t complain too much.

“Make me slim!” I scream, hoping that my words will manifest in the dream.

“A lady should speak more elegantly, not that I cared last night.” A figure comes out from behind a corner, so I hurry to pull the duvet to cover my body.

The man has a towel tied around his lower body, exposing the six-pack above it. Further upwards (which took some willpower to move my gaze to) are one rabbit’s foot made into a necklace and a face that has all the right proportions, except for slightly large eyebrows.

The illusion shatters once his visage brings up some inconvenient memories. Oh no, I’m not dreaming. I’m in a casino owner’s bedroom (I forgot the casino’s name), and last night… At least he is somewhat handsome. Not that I remember much of the actual deed…

“Any chance that you promised to pay off my debt if I slept with you?”

“Nope. This was part of the stakes in a game of roulette.”

“Any chance that you promised to pay off my debt if I won that game of roulette?”

“If you want to pay off your debt this much, I can tell you ways to do it.”

“Really?” My eyes light up and I drop the blanket covering me, exposing my goods to his sharp gaze. I rush to pick up the fallen duvet as if it were paper money.

“This… this is to thank you for giving me advice. Don’t think I’m giving you a freebie!”

“But I already saw it last night…”

“Anyway! What do you propose?”

He points at the floor in front of the bed. I have to crane my neck to see clearly what the item is. “Your dress. It’s worth a fortune. I can see the detailed seamwork and the color combinations. Why didn’t you sell this?”

I told my seamstress to surprise me with a design, but I’ll take the credit. “Think about it, smartypants. Who would let a person dressed like a hobo into a casino? You fell for it, didn’t you?”

“No, I understood the moment you staked your body in a gamble.”

“Nonetheless, I won’t sell the dress.” I even scramble to get myself back into the outfit, lest the lustful man take advantage of my naked self again or worse, take my dress for himself.

He shifts his greedy sights to a pair of black gloves by the couch. “Sell your magical artifact then. It should fetch a good enough price to pay off your debt with only half of the profits. If you sell it to me…”

“No thanks. I need them for… I need them for… something.”

“You can just say you need them for your work as a treasure hunter. Ms. Reckless Lady.”

“Oh right, something like that. And don’t call me the Reckless Lady; it’s hurting my reputation.” I almost stumbled to snatch my holy gloves from their resting place and put them on as if my hands were embarrassed by the exposure.

“That brings me to my last suggestion on how you can earn a big bag of cash. But I’ll have to change first. Give me a second.”

I wait. It’s not like I love to wait, but debt makes people do uncharacteristic things. He didn’t take too long to get into a suit, just longer than I thought a gentleman would take to get ready.

“Shall we?” He extends his hand as if he hasn’t just kept a lady waiting. I take his hand regardless, questioning my past self for my choice to sleep with this douche. We step out of his room and down a fancy corridor with patterned carpets and mahogany pillars, down the grand quartz stairway to a bustling scene that I can vaguely remember.

The main hall bustles with activities: roulette, craps, slots—any and all games. My eyes are drawn to them, and my heart longs for another round, but the owner’s hand tightened around my shoulder. “That’s not how you can win big.”

What are you? My mom? You should be encouraging me to gamble! I put on the best performance of a pout, hoping he would change his mind and let me loose. We stop in front of a grand door guarded by two muscular swordsmen. The sign at the top says ‘Treasure Hunt Section’.

“So what is this shady area you’re bringing me to?” I speak with displeasure imbued in each word. Surely he will get how much I want to hedge some bets on one of those enticing tables.

“The only spot you can gamble, now that I know you are in debt.”

“Gah.”

“Don’t fret. This will have higher stakes than any other game in this place. A game where you bet your life to find the treasure in an ancient dungeon we’ve found. Here’s how this works. We’ve set up portals to teleport…”

I exaggerate a yawn. Being forced to listen to a lecture in a casino… what has this world devolved into? My gaze stealthily wanders around the rich scenery of joy and wonder. They look like they are having fun… People smiling, laughing, crying… Maybe not all of them are having fun. But seriously? I’m held hostage by this yapping hunk of a buffoon while the rest of the guests get to wager their hearts out.

But little did I know, that isn’t even the worst part. As my eyes hope to satisfy my hunger by looking at the gambling, they also notice a certain suited figure with sunglasses and a medal on his chest that bears the Seabride crest.

A sharp scream, originating from my throat.

The casino owner covers his ears. “You sounded like a griffon.”

“Thanks for… whatever. But I have to go.” I rip myself off his grip and charge at the locked door. Now it’s the two guards’ turn to grope me. Yes, I consider it sexual harassment to grab a lady by her bare arms.

“Let me go!”

“What’s happening to you? I know you love to gamble, but this much?” The casino owner rubs his hands on his face. “Now you’re causing a commotion. I have to-”

“Let’s go gambling,” I utter the magic words. Shapes flash on the back of both my gloves. The thumps on my chest rise in frequency, as a smile dominates my face. What outcome will I get? Please be a good one.

The symbol of a small flame ends up settling on my left hand and the number two on my right. I was hoping for stronger magic but I can work with this. Fire bursts from my arms, the heat causing the guards’ grips to loosen.

I push the doors with my burning palms, causing them to detach from their hinges and drop to the ground, which reveals a reception room with a staff member behind the desk bearing an obviously fake smile. Whatever. The important thing is the glowing portal that lies at the end of the room. The bottom of my pumps explodes and that launches me straight to my target.

My surroundings warp from bricks to a thick forest. I don’t stop there, continuing onward and pushing through the thickets and bushes, until I think I’m out of the range of any detection. Then as I look around, a thought enters my head: Oh shit, I’m lost.

I shrug and mutter, “Let’s go gambling.”

Water. Five.

A jet of liquid shoots from the ground to propel me above the foliage, a little too high. While I scream my lungs out, I also keep my eyes peeled for any signs of where the treasure might be. Nowhere. Only an endless forest. Is the treasure even here? Why didn’t he tell me more… Oh…

Tree branches scrape the fabric of my dress as the leaves break my fall. Even when the clothing is made for endurance, hearing those noises unsettles me quite a bit. Because I know I wouldn’t have enough money to get another dress like this one. With a thud, I drop onto the soil below, and the first natural thing to do is check the state of my outfit. Nothing besides the grime is stuck to it. Should be fine, I hope.

I wipe some of the dirt off my ass and stand up. This is a rough start, but if I walk around aimlessly, eventually I’ll get to where the treasure is. After all, I use the same mindset when I play those slotboxes. Look how much money that…

Yep. This strategy will work.

As my confidence renews itself, I hear some rustling coming my way. Nuh uh. Not getting robbed today, especially not in the middle of nowhere.

“Let’s go gambling,” I whisper.

Wind. Nine.

Good enough.

A figure emerges from the darkness of the forest, and it is… an old man? With his thick beard, giant backpack, and wide hat. Yep, practically ancient. I can probably beat him with my bare fists, but since my magic attack has already been charged up, might as well…

“Eek! Don’t come closer!” I yell with as menacing a voice as I can manage, but since I have been cursed with cuteness, it only comes out as a harmless squeak. The spell though, is another story. Two streaks of air originating from my hand rip through the terrain, severing every tree that they come across and passing by the newcomer on both sides.

The man drops into a squat and raises both his hands. “Please. I mean no harm. I only came because I heard screaming.”

“That’s what he said. But jokes aside, how do I know you’re not lying?”

“Jokes? Well… Can I take something from my pocket?”

“What? A weapon? You’re challenging me to a duel?”

The man shakes his arm. “No. No. It’s a locket. And… my name is Harold, by the way.”

Wow, even his name is old. “Fine, you’re lucky that I respect the elderly.”

“But I’m only forty-four years old…” He isn’t lying about the item, as he proves to me by taking it out, and he even opens it to show me a picture of a little girl. “This is my daughter, Trisha. There’s nothing I care more about than her.”

And this shows that he is harmless because? Plenty of murderers have daughters. As a respectful gal, I’m letting him finish, though I reserve my right to protest this boredom with a yawn.

“I want to give her the best education, but I can’t afford the tuition of the Bellamos Academy though. That said. The school is mostly for nobles, and I’ve heard that their top student dropped out too, so the environment there can’t be that good.”

“Um… Excuse me.” I raise my hand, since the smell of his sweat is getting on my nerves. “Can you skip to the part about why you’re harmless?”

“I can’t… But we’re both here for the treasure, so can we work together to make sure we live through this, instead of fighting each other?”

His words aren’t convincing in the slightest, but… I glance at the sheathed sword by his belt. Looks cheap. That’s good enough evidence. I give him my bright smile regardless and point my hands to the side. “Sure, we can. If you’re serious about that, lead the way.”

He lowers his arms, while eyeing me carefully. Then, he reaches into another pocket and pulls out a folded map. Just how many things are hidden in those pockets of his? But the most important thing is that my gamble has paid off. He does know the way to the treasure, and I don’t even need to pay anything to him.

That is when the issue of splitting the treasure comes to mind. But… I’ll just leave that problem to future me to deal with.

We wander through the thick greenery for a while, and I start to wonder if his map will really lead us to our destination. I’ve tried peering over his shoulder, but to no avail.

Just when I’m close to complaining about the prolonged stretch where nothing is happening, we finally come across something—a small stone structure that has a stairway within that leads to the exciting unknown.

“Is this how we get to the treasure?” I ask.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?” I snatch the map from his grasp, and my mouth goes agape at how utterly empty that piece of parchment is, besides a few lines of a riddle that feel too pretentious to exist outside of the required readings from school. Something, something, following the songbirds sing, something something, the stones will show you the way.

“You’re right. It’s useless.” I toss the scroll into the air, and Harold hurries to catch it.

“Hey! I need to return this.”

“Tell them a songbird stole it. It can’t be more bullshit than what’s written on there. But lucky for you. I have a solution that can help us know for sure if the treasure is down there.”

Harold gives me an expectant look. To that, I pause for a smile. Old man, let me show you how this is done! “We just walk down there.”

Harold nods. “And?”

“That’s it.”

“What?” His face blooms in a deep red that reminds me of my fire magic.

“Don’t overthink things. Sometimes the greatest solution is the simplest one.”

“But what about the danger-”

I sense a trace of magic activation and pull Harold to the side. A burst of flame licks past his nose, barely missing his face. He wouldn’t be missing anything much in the looks department, but a direct splatter of fire to the face might just cook his brain.

“Let’s go gambling,” I say with my next breath.

Light. Three.

Terrible roll. I can work with that. Focused on planning my next moves, I toss Harold to the side but immediately regret it once I hear a crack from his body. Syncing with my sigh are my palms opening to bring forth one bright ball in each hand. The orbs rapidly expand until they flood my vision and definitely the vision of whoever is attacking us. Well, Harold is very affected too, judging from his painful cries about his failing vision.

The spell does more than stun our enemies. It also lets me detect where they are. Three enemies. One mage and two swordsmen. It’s been a while since I’ve had a three versus one. A surely pure smile makes its way onto my face.

“Let’s go gambling.”

Earth. Ten.

Perfect.

I slam my hand onto the rocky ground and the earth rumbles. Distant parts of the ground rise to form a circular barrier around all of us, while the pillars emerge from beneath my attackers to wrap them in stony restraints. Those cables then carry their prey out of the dense forest into my view.

The three dudes before me look… unremarkable, except for the fact that none of them have any hair. Wait… on second thought, they certainly seem a bit familiar. Maybe not.

“The Bald Bandits?” Harold exclaims. I’m mistaken then, because I’ve never heard of such a dumb name. Bald people are a dime a dozen here. The person I was thinking of must have been Principal Irwin.

“So you’ve heard of us? Then you must know that we show no mercy to- Mmmm. Mmmm!” Baldie Number One talks too much, so I command the stone cords to slip into all three of their mouths. They look like brothers, and brothers should share their fates.

I turn to Harold for a summary. “Are they a big deal? Please tell me in less than fifty words.”

“There are rumors that they are attacking their fellow treasure hunters, but there’s no concrete evidence. But… But… forget all that. They are an A-rank party. A-rank party!”

“Why are you yelling? Let’s move. They’re here so this entrance is probably the real deal.” I start towards the poorly lit staircase.

“And you’re leaving them here? If they break free, they’ll kill us!”

To Harold’s frantic squealing, I stop at the threshold of the stone monument and turn around, flicking my fingers at him. “Let them try.”

With that, I begin to tread downwards into the darkness. “Let’s go gambling.”

Light. Six.

I’m on a roll lately. Smiling, I point my hands downwards and a stream of light flows along the path, probably enough to illuminate the whole underground system. As I ignore him, Harold has no choice but to follow me.

While I’m confident in my magic, if another party appears, the bald trio might very well be set free. I assembled a barrier just in case, but everyone knows that the higher the obstacle, the more determined people will be to break it.

So, the real reason why I left those hunters unattended is something else. I simply don’t want to deal with them. Not when the promise of a treasure trove is upon me. I’m not even sure if something is waiting for me at the end of this tunnel. It can be nothing. It can be everything. That thought sends chills and spikes of heat through my body, and puts the biggest smile on my face.