Chapter 187 – Floor 20: Part 1
Mathew appeared in a hotel room, instantly recognizable by the cookie-cutter design familiar to anyone in North America. A beige carpet, a king-sized bed, and a small wooden desk occupied the room. A small bathroom with a shower and toilet was just off to the side.
“I’m home.” Mathew muttered as he slowly explored the room. When he reached the desk, he stopped. There was a flat-screen television, a technology that he hadn’t experienced in decades. Tentatively, he reached out and touched the ‘on’ button.
“Welcome to the Stardust Illusion Hotel and Casino on the beautiful Las Vegas Strip! Enjoy our world-class spa, our two-star Michelin Rated Restaurant located on the main floor and our Casino, now open twenty-four-” Mathew tuned out what the commercial was saying after staring at the moving images on the screen for a moment.
He was in Las Vegas! A modern-day Las Vegas, not some fantasy Earth without electricity or one ruled by kings and queens. Not a world inhabited by ferocious monsters or creatures intent on killing him. He was on a normal Earth!
Maybe this was possibly his own Earth! Mathew was about to rush to the landline phone next to the bed and dial the operator in the hope they could connect him to his parents in New York, when he paused.
“What a second…calm down and think for a moment. Do you honestly think the gods would bring you back to your own Earth after everything they’ve done to you? Why would they do that?” Mathew whispered as he retracted his hand from the phone receiver.
“Right, I need to know more about this world before I waste time looking for people who probably aren’t even on this floor.” Mathew looked around for a moment before locating a magazine on the desk. On the cover was a group of performers advertising their ‘Amazing Acrobatics Show’, which was only available at the Stardust Illusion Hotel.
Flipping through the pages, Mathew walked to the closed curtains of his room and peeked outside. It was nighttime, the Las Vegas strip was brightly lit, and he could see people walking down the sides of the street while cars travelled back and forth below.
He was on one of the higher floors with a great view of the other hotels. The Stardust Illusion looked like a smack dab in the middle of the strip as the street stretched in both directions. But Mathew couldn’t see the familiar casinos and hotels he vaguely remembered from television and movies when he was on his Earth.
He couldn’t remember the name of one, but he recalled it had a large fountain in the front that would put off shows, and there was another that was white and named after some famous Roman. But as he stared out the window, he couldn’t find either.
There was a neon purple hotel that looked like a palace out of medieval Europe and another that was blindingly bright in the darkness, with a shiny façade and large towers that curled like a soft serve, multicoloured ice cream cone.
“I’m getting the impression this isn’t my Earth.” Mathew said dejectedly. He came to that conclusion after reading through the shows available on the strip and did not recognize a single name. Apparently, a singer was in residence that was incredibly famous, having sold hundreds of millions of albums, but Mathew had never heard of her before.
He threw the magazine onto the couch, and idly flipped through the television channels, and again, he had no idea what any of these shows were. Even the sports channels were showing strange events, like people racing chariots in a coliseum and jousting.
With horses! There were cameras recording it, and people were watching it while using cell phones, but the sports used old-fashioned armour and horses!
“This is definitely not my Earth.” After watching a man in armour fall off his horse after being struck by a lance with a large corporate logo on the side. Frustrated, Mathew turned off the TV and threw the remote onto the bed next to him.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
The elation he felt at being somewhere that resembled his home was wearing off quickly, and at that point, his wristband began to vibrate.
Floor 20: A City of Sin
Summary: Las Vegas, the City of Sin, is where any pleasure can be found or any item procured if you possess the means to purchase it. It is a city that only truly comes alive when the sun sets, where people from all corners of the map converge to exchange objects, ideas, or, in some cases, bodily fluids.
Gamble away all that you own, or perhaps become rich beyond your wildest dreams. Anything is possible in Las Vegas, a City under the watchful gaze of the god of Arbitrary Fortune. Be careful in this place, for no one desires to be on the wrong side of fortune.
The god of Ubiquitous Exchange has requested your assistance in conducting a business transaction. Collect the briefcase from the vault beneath Stardust Illusion and attend the Auction.
Reward: Blessing – Decoy (Lvl 1)
Decoy: Create a lifelike simulacrum of the user who will draw attention to itself. It is unable to defend from attack and will be destroyed after sustaining damage.
This Blessing can be upgraded via the Shop.
“Business transaction? What kind of purchase requires someone from the Tower to complete it?” Mathew wondered as he lowered his arm. While he was considering the message, the phone on the table next to the bed rang.
Cautiously, Mathew picked up the receiver.
“Hello?” He asked tentatively, unsure who would contact him or even know he was in the room. He had just suddenly appeared here, after all.
“Mr. Larson? This is Katie from the Front Desk. I’m calling to inform you that the item your company sent via courier has arrived, and we have placed it in our vault as per their instructions. You can come down to the lobby to collect it at any time. Thank you for staying at the Stardust Illusion Hotel and Casino!”
“Umm.. thanks?” Mathew replied. He heard a ‘you’re welcome’ and the line ‘clicked’ and went dead. Placing the receiver back on the cradle, Mathew stood up from where he was half lying on the bed and adjusted his jacket.
He was grateful that he hadn’t bought armour and could at least blend in a bit. His items were magical, but no one would notice unless they knew what they were looking for.
“Well, since I don’t have any money, I’ll get this over with, and hopefully, Ubiquitous Exchange will leave me a few bucks to get something to eat.” Mathew said as he walked out of his room. Finding the elevators at the end of the hall, he pressed the ‘down’ button and waited for the doors to open.
A couple joined him after a few moments, a middle-aged man and woman wearing suits and dresses. They were clearly ready for a night on the town. They were whispering to each other in voices just loud enough for Mathew to make out what they were saying.
“We’re going to be late.”
“Don’t worry about it; we’ll get something to eat and hit the tables. I can feel my luck turning around; this is going to be my night!”
“I hope so because that’s the only luck you're going to have tonight if I miss the show!”
Mathew chuckled silently at the argument as the elevator doors opened, and they all filed in. Pressing the button ‘L’ for the lobby, he leaned against the side and rested his bad leg for a moment.
The lobby of the Stardust Illusion was incredible. It was filled with people, and music could be heard during the conversation. But it was the lights and holograms that really drew the eye. The hotel’s namesake, ‘illusions’ lit the ceiling, showing off stars, planets and all sorts of other images.
Mathew marvelled at what they had created; even without magic, it was impressive. A dragon flying in the air, a construction made of light and smoke, roared loudly over the sound system. People were standing around and watching it, occasionally clapping at a particular splendid illusion.
“Not bad.” Mathew remarked, nodding his head.
He soon made his way to the front counter, his outfit and appearance blending in with the crowd enough that he didn’t stand out.
There was a young woman in a uniform standing behind the counter, and she smiled at him as he approached. He saw a red nametag on her chest: ‘Katie.’
“Hello, Sir. How can I help you this evening?” She asked, and Mathew leaned against the counter slightly to take the weight off his right leg. The short walk had caused it to ache a bit.
“Hey, I’m Mathew Larson. We just spoke on the phone. I believe there’s a package for me in the vault.” Mathew replied, and the young woman typed something into her computer.
“Ah, of course Mr. Larson! I can take you down to the vault right away; I just need to confirm your identity.” She answered, but Mathew was at a loss for a moment.
“Ah, ID? I’m afraid I don’t have anything like that on me at the moment.” Mathew responded. Katie smiled and shook her head.
“That won’t be necessary; just place your hand on the pad.” She explained, pointing at a small screen that rested on the countertop next to her. Mathew reached out and placed his hand on the pad, not expecting it to work.
This wasn’t his world, after all.