We spent the day perusing the nearby stores for equipment for Sally. Things didn’t go as I had planned, though, because while I was still able to get everything for free as I had coincidentally been the 10,000th customer of every shop in the entire village, apparently Sally’s clothes had a magical property that dissolved any piece of equipment he tried to use the second he touched it. We spent the rest of the day loitering in the guild hall, gambling with adventurers whenever they came by. I won every time, of course, and made enough to afford a small house.

After some discussion as to the correct way to introduce ourselves when we walked in, Sally and I made our way down the sewer hatch only to find an oddly posh man with a bowling cap, carrying a sign with our names on it as if he were a limousine driver at an airport.

“Good morning to you, sweepstakers!” He said, adjusting his monocle.

“Good morning to you as well,” Sally said politely, “I trust you can take us to the event location?” For all the abuse I’d given him, he was still awfully relaxed around me. Was he into it or something?

“Of course, mind your step here, please.” he gestured over to a small gondola in the middle of the river of sewage. 

We followed his instructions, getting into the gondola. For something found in a sewer, it was an awfully luxurious ride. The wood was easily identifiable as mahogany, fitting for one such as myself.

“And we’ll be on our way…” As he said that, the sewer hatch opened once again, and another person made their way down. 

“Hey, save a spot for me!” A woman donning a top hat with a smiley face on it, a crop top, and designer jeans. She had what appeared to be expensive sunglasses over the eyes of her hat and finished off the look with some sporty sneakers that looked like they’d been places.

Our eyes locked, and while any normal person would have been intimidated by this display of power, I knew my worth. It would take more than that to earn my respect.

The man stopped the boat and let her enter without saying a word. Despite there being several unoccupied seats, she decided to sit right next to me. Within striking distance.

The woman’s focus was diverted to the man, as if she had just recalled something sinister, and spoke with a smile, “Hey, by any chance, would I happen to be the 100th entrant to this sweepstakes?” She couldn’t help but let her lips curl upward. In that moment, the very second before the man responded, we both knew what was coming.

“Why… Why yes, I do believe you are. Actually, as a reward for the 100th contestant,” he parted his tuxedo and revealed a small ticket. “we had prepared to give such a person a second entry into the sweepstakes.”

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The gondolier gently put the ticket in the girl’s hand and she turned to look at me.

“I think, maybe you should be the one to have this. You’ll need it more than I will.” How could this be? Someone even cockier than myself? Unheard of. She attempted to put the ticket into my palm, but I put my hands into my pockets.

“If you don’t need it, then don’t put it into the box. Keep things fair.” I said this, but in reality, I realized that this girl was a threat to my odds at success. While I claimed to be promoting fairness, I was beginning to think of ways to kill her without anybody noticing. It was a practice that I had employed several times in my childhood, before my luck had fully developed.

“Sorry, I had just thought that 2 entries weren’t enough for you.”

I laughed.

“Oh no, you’ve got the wrong idea. This guy won’t be entering. There’s no point someone like him trying, now is there?”

“Oh… perhaps I underestimated you. What’s your name? I’ll remember it.” Her eyes sparkled. If she thought she was a rival, she was mistaken. I’d beaten several people more formidable than her in the past.

“Emma Longstone. And you?”

“Olivia Goldgetter.” She held her head up high as she told me that, as though I was supposed to be impressed or something.

“Oh, good to know, Ms. Goldgetter. I’ll try to remember that.”

As we were talking, the narrow, dark passageway began to widen. I looked down at the water and noticed that it was significantly cleaner than where we’d started.

“And why might you be entering these sweepstakes?” Olivia relaxed again, back into her cocky but somehow friendly tone. 

“Oh, I’m working for my... employer.” I said, trying not to give away too many details of my mission.

“Ah, I see. Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. Judging by your attire, though, would you happen to be a servant of Tchadd? I’d recognize that bathrobe anywhere.”

“Hmm… who knows?” I paused. “And who might you be working for, then?”

“A newbie, huh? The smiley face tophat should make that clear enough. So clear in fact, that I’m not even going to say.”

The surrounding tunnels had merged into one large area by now, maybe a bit wider than the length of a school bus.

“We’ve arrived at the venue.” The old man said, wiping his gold pocket watch.

Sally interjected.

“But I don’t see anywhere to dock. We’re in the middle of a tunnel. What could you mean by that?”

The old man smiled kindly.

“An inquisitive one… look up my boy. There’s more than meets the eye.”

We all looked up and noticed that on the ceiling was a small opening, though large enough for the gondola to fit through. Suddenly, the water below us began to rise.

For a moment, Sally looked panicked, something I hadn’t seen from him yet. I had figured he had no regard for his life but I guess that might have been wrong. He quickly got it back together though, upon realizing our destination.

After the water levels had risen to the point where we were starting to reach the ceiling, I caught a glimpse of the venue. With dim, red lights, and people in glitzy attire, I was immediately reminded of a time I had gone to a high end casino and bankrupted the company running it in less than an hour after my arrival. Good times.

The water stopped rising and the man invited us to exit the boat.