I weaved my way through the crowd, following Orbos as he led me to our destination. What that destination is? I had no clue. After I exited my room this morning I found him all alone in the living room and, after telling me that he was bored, he got all excited and told me to follow him. A surprise, he said. By now I had spent enough time with Nimma and her team to know that they were invested in my well-being, so following him around for a bit shouldn’t be detrimental.
That was about twenty minutes ago and we’d been walking ever since. He was walking with a clear destination in mind, that much I could tell. I was actually kind of looking forward to whatever he got so excited about since I needed a bit of a change of routine. I had been doing quests almost every day, most of the time with Redax, and I had already reached level ten. The quests weren’t anything special, truly. Go there, kill and/or collect thing, return to turn in. Sure there were quests that didn’t involve fighting, but I’d vetoed all of them so far. And yes, the fights were a pretty clinical affair with me dispatching the target monsters rather easily, but it still felt nice to flex my magical muscles.
Orbos suddenly turned into an alley and I almost bumped into a passerby trying to follow him. The alley I found myself in was very unassuming, looking just about like every other alley in this city. They had really done a nice decorating job with all the plant life that occupied almost every free space, but their city layout left much to be desired. As such, the city felt more akin to a grid of squares than a living, breathing city. Aside from the main thoroughfare tons and tons of alleys that ran between all the buildings could be found, almost always devoid of life.
I’d say that it was the perfect place for crime, especially since the tall buildings on either side blocked out the sun, which gave them a rather seedy look. Even so, I hadn’t heard a single report of a crime of any kind taking place in Lophan. Either they were an extremely peaceful people, or they were hella good at hiding it from me.
Believing this to be a simple shortcut to our destination, I was surprised when Orbos stopped in front of a wall, confidently stating “We’re here!”
“We’re where?” I asked, dumbly staring at the featureless wall Orbos was standing in front of. “All this walking just so you could show me your favorite wall?”
“No, obviously it’s not the wall,” Orbos chuckled, knocking on the wall with a peculiar rhythm. “It’s what’s behind it.”
The wall parted soundlessly as soon as Orbos finished his super secret knock and he ushered me into the dark hallway that was revealed. The wall shut behind us, plunging us into darkness for a second before a series of lamps illuminated some stairs leading downward. How incredibly non-suspicious and definitely not creepy.
“Is this where you kidnap me for your fucked up cult and sacrifice me in the name of your obscure god?” I asked, only half joking.
“Dude, if I actually killed you off and it ever got out, my life would be over,” Orbos deadpanned. “You still underestimate the value a traveler holds for us.”
“Well, if we’re not here because you want to make me a ritualistic sacrifice, what is it we’re doing then?” I asked as I followed Orbos down the stairs. “You haven’t exactly been forthcoming on the details of our little trip.”
“You’re about to find out,” Orbos reached the end of the stairs where another featureless wall awaited us. He once again performed a complicated set of knocks that caused the wall to open up. “Welcome to the hideaway!”
The hideaway, as it turned out, was a hidden bar. The wall opposite the entrance was dominated by the bar itself, with hundreds of bottles lining the shelf behind it. Behind the bar were two Asphons, one of them was mixing a drink while the other was engaged in a conversation with a patron. The rest of the spacious room was filled with comfy-looking armchairs and small tables in between them, the sparse lighting creating a soothing atmosphere. There were about ten Asphons lounging around while sipping on their drinks and holding leisurely conversations. All in all, a nice bar.
“Is this like, a super secret, invitation-only bar?” I asked while letting my eyes wander around the room.
“Precisely,” Orbos said while gesturing for me to follow him to the bar. “Nimma and Redax don’t even know this place exists! It’s somewhat of a personal retreat for me and Andrius. We come here when we want to unwind a bit, you know?”
“I must admit that this does seem like the kind of place where you could relax and forget about your responsibilities for a while,” I hopped on a barstool, not paying much mind to my mucus situation. I had been assured time and time again that it wasn’t an issue and that I shouldn’t pay it any mind, so at some point I’d given in and stopped trying to tiptoe around the issue.
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“Hey Murdoc, can I have the usual? And for my friend… how about the flavor explosion?” Orbos had waved down the Asphon that had been talking to somebody and proceeded to order. I was just about to bring up the fact that I didn’t have any tastebuds, but Orbos stopped me before I could say anything. “Trust me, you’re going to love this.”
Not wanting to make an issue out of it I let the man do as he pleased. Murdoc the barkeeper expertly mixed together the drinks at a blinding speed, yet if I compared him to Tim he almost seemed like a newbie. Orbos retrieved our drinks and paid for them, waving away my attempts at paying by telling me it was his treat.
“We’re going to the back,” Orbos said to the barkeep who simply nodded and returned to his earlier conversation. “C’mon, the back is even cooler.”
We weaved around a few chairs and eventually came to a dark corner. I previously thought that it was merely an unlit corner of the room, but as it turned out there was a door with a black curtain here. Orbos pushed it aside and waited for me to go in, and as soon as I was what was on the other side, I froze. There were six tables, two of them occupied. The Asphons sitting at these tables were playing a familiar card game, a whole bunch of playing chips stacked on the table between them.
This was a poker den.
Well, not poker, since they didn’t play it on this planet, but I immediately recognized that they were playing the same game I was usually playing with Orbos and Andrius. I stood there for a while taking it all in. I hesitated, a war taking place inside my head. On one side, my whole body was protesting against being here. This was gambling. Gambling was bad. Being here was bad. I thought that I’d left my gambling issues behind, but now that there was an opportunity right in front of me, I felt a mighty temptation.
After all, I had a ton of literal, quantifiable luck now. How could I possibly ever lose and spiral down the rabbit hole with weaponized luck on my side?
“Is it too much?” I heard Orbos ask behind me, worry evident in his voice. “I know you said that you had some hangups regarding the casino, but I can see that you still like to play… I thought that maybe… maybe this low-key setting with low stakes would be a nice change of pace?”
I turned my eyes to look at Orbos, realizing that I’d been frozen in the doorway while my mind was racing to comprehend the place I was in. I had been mentally spiraling to a place I didn’t much care for and his voice had dragged me out before things could get bad. The Asphons may not have a face for me to read, but I could tell by the rest of his body language that he was uncomfortable now, something that I considered to be very out of character for Orbos.
I had been avoiding the casino in the city like the plague, even if by all rights my luck should make me a millionaire within minutes of entering. Yet, every time I so much as looked at the inviting lights of the casino, I felt this sense of dread, like I shouldn’t go in there. I wasn’t entirely sure why I felt this way, but maybe it had something to do with being killed over the massive debt I’d accrued in casinos just like it in my past life.
I looked back at the Asphons playing a casual game at their tables in a relaxed atmosphere, completely different from the flashy and exciting place a casino was. And then there was Orbos. Awkwardly standing behind me with our drinks in his hands, waiting for me to answer him. I really couldn’t fault the guy for trying to bring me here. And, truth be told, deep down I didn’t mind. On the contrary, I could vaguely feel the excitement of playing a game of cards over money resurface. In my past life, I’d made the mistake of gambling away all the money that I needed to survive… sometimes even the money that didn’t belong to me.
Here? All of the money I’d received was essentially useless to me. Most of the things I wanted would be provided if I asked for them and basic necessities like a roof over my head and three meals a day were given to me as a basic right.
“Will you stop me if I let it go too far?” I asked tentatively.
I vaguely remembered my family and friends trying to stop me in the beginning. They begged and pleaded with me to stop before it was too late, but I never listened. I had been convinced that I was just one big win away from making it big. Just one last visit to the casino and all of my problems would be taken care of. They tried and tried, argued with me time and time again, and even went so far as to get me banned from my favorite casino. All for naught. I always knew better than them and was so sure that the next visit would be the last.
Looking back to that time, I felt a deep shame. Thinking about how I acted, and how I ostracized everyone I cared about made me feel full of remorse. I wondered how different my life could have been if I had just… listened. Thinking back on these memories felt like I was looking at a stranger through muddy glass. I wasn’t entirely certain how much time had passed since then, probably two years at most. It was incredible how much I’d changed in this small amount of time. I could clearly see the mistakes I had made, all the wrong turns I took until I ended up deep in a maze that I couldn’t escape from anymore.
I could clearly see what I had done wrong and, determined to learn from my past, I was resolved not to repeat those mistakes.
“Sure,” Orbos said. “If you’re willing to listen.”
“I am,” I replied. And I really meant it, this time. “So, how about a game or two?”
The awkwardness bled out of Orbos as he happily led me to one of the tables, introducing the three people sitting at it as his friends. They were all very welcoming and understanding. Apparently, Orbos had talked to them before bringing me here. I took my place on one of the chairs, my drink being placed before me when Orbos sat down next to me. I took a sip of my drink with the provided straw as the cards were dealt and was surprised that I could faintly taste cherries.
Maybe this would be alright after all.