Hello one and All! Welcome back to Hell. As you know Dante and Charlie are together now let's see if this will cause problems down the line or a great big advantage! But some Q&A first.
Pirohiko-Baltazar and darkmessiah17: If I did offend you, I apologize, it's just that I'm a Deist, I tend to make fun of all religions. Don't worry Pirohiko, he will get a pair of boots and gauntlets soon. As for Alucard, Dante, and Alastor would get along? I think they could sit at a table together and have drinks but not be buddy-buddy. And yes darkmessiah17, I made a compromise.
Jebest4781: One day it will happen, but not for some time. They can stand one another in some way but they are on good terms.
A.S.P 110: Already met her. As for Striker, well, I think I'll come up with something.
Clown2107: I made Charlie's outfit similar to Trish's outfit but a flame corset instead of a lightning bolt. But if Dante and Charlie did have a kid, that child would be 75% demon and 25%, human. Or 50% demon, 25% human, and 25% angel. No other items or the Divinity Statue will be in this fanfic. Devil Trigger will happen but I'm saving that for a special foe.
Nintendo-Marvel64: If you mean as a cool uncle you want to hang out with then I think so. I'll see if I can involve them.
That will be all the Q&A of this Chapter, so let's dive right back into Hell!
Mission 14: Place Your Bets
At the hotel, Dante was sitting at a poker table with Angel Dust, Cruiser, Terry, Bullet, and Husker. The six were all playing cards while Vaggie, Charlie, and Niffty all watched. "Alright, I'll raise," Bullet said as he put in a blue poker chip.
"I'll call that," Angel Dust responded with a smirk as he also put in a blue chip.
"I fold," Terry said, throwing his cards down.
"Same," Cruiser echoed, folding as well.
"I'll stay in," Dante answered, throwing in his chips.
"You sure you want to do that? I mean, out of all of us, you're the one who's on a losing streak," Husk asked the Demon Hunter as he only saw what could be called chump change.
"Don't you worry. I have a good hand. I can feel it," Dante said coolly as he fanned himself with the cards in hand.
"You said that the last round and the rounds before that, but still lost," the winged cat said with a smile as he counted his chips. "But I beat you every time."
"Hate to admit it, but Huskey does make a solid point. For a guy who is good at killing demons, you're a shitty poker player," Angel commented to the Demon Hunter. "If I knew that from the beginning. I would have played you and made the bet to suck your dick a long time ago."
"We know, Angel. I swear you can be such a man whore, even if Val's a backscratcher now," Bullet said as he rolled his eyes and showed his cards. "Three 8s! I'd like to see you beat that!"
"Ha! Gladly," Angel showed his hand. "Three 10's!"
"Looks like luck is finally on my side because I have three kings," Dante said as he threw his cards down. As both the Hellhound and the spider looked at cards in shock. "I think I'll take my winnings thank you."
"Not so fast, hotshot. I still have my hand," Husker threw his cards down. As he had a 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. "Straight beats a three of a kind so I win the whole pot and you have to clean the lobby!"
"Damn. Oh well, a bet is a bet," Dante sighed as he picked up a broom and started to sweep.
"Since the half-demon is doing that, how about another round," Husk suggested with a grin as he started to shuffle the deck. "Loser has to clean the second-floor public bathroom."
"This game is rigged," Terry mumbled as he had to throw in a dollar chip.
"What do you expect from a demon with wings that have card suits," Bullet mumbled as he put his own chip in.
"If you don't want to play, then that automatically makes you the loser. Besides, it's not my fault I'm good at cards," the cat demon said as he gave everyone at the table their cards.
As the boys continued to play their poker game, Vaggie turned to Charlie. "Should we really have them playing any kind of card game where you gamble? I don't think it would help with what we do here," the one-eyed moth demon voiced.
"Hey, it's not hurting them. Most people with gambling addictions just don't know when to quit until they end up in debt. They associate risk with getting all the money they could ever need or want," Dante stated.
"Why did you even bet on chores if Niffty was going to do them later, anyway," Charlie questioned as she looked at the Demon Hunter while he swept.
"Come on, babe. You did say the place was looking filthier than before with all the new people, so I thought this would be the best way. Besides, it gives Niffty a breather and makes everyone help out. After all, cleanliness is next to godliness," the Demon Hunter said as he kept cleaning.
"Says the guy who leaves pizza boxes around while talking to demons," Vaggie said wanting to point out the hypocrisy. However, she couldn't complain too much since it did make everyone pitch in with the work. "But couldn't we have gone with a chore wheel or something like that?"
"Vaggie, be more realistic. If we did have a chore wheel, no one would follow it," Dante told the one-eyed moth demon. "And I know you like to see the look Angel makes every time he loses."
"NNNNOOOOO!" The spider demon screams as he slams his fist on the table as Husk collects his chips.
"Looks like you lose, Angie. I hope you brought an apron," the cat snickered as the former porn star flipped the bird at him while going upstairs. "And don't be naked with it as the only fucking thing you wear!"
"You're taking all the fun out of it," Angel said.
"Okay, you got me. That was fun to watch," Vaggie admitted while trying to hide the small smirk she was making.
"We'll keep it for now. Just until we get a better system and more money to pay for the repairs," Dante told the moth demon.
"Speaking of money, didn't Dad pay you a lot last time," Charlie asked the white-haired Demon Hunter.
"He did. But I used most of it to pay off my debts," he admitted.
"How can one man that's so famous for killing demons be in so much debt," Vaggie asked as she was amazed that one person could be so deep in financial trouble.
"Demon hunting is no easy job," Dante stated. "First off, property damage. Most of the big missions I go on tend to look like a truck sped through everything because a driver had a lead foot. Then, there are the jobs themselves which don't pay much since it's not every day someone gets attacked by a demon. But it's what I do best, so I can't complain too much. And on the bright side, I'm one more paycheck away from paying my debt in full."
"I hope you get it soon, then you can focus on that money for Charlie," Niffty told the Demon Hunter.
"Whoa, hold up. Who said anything about him buying anything for me? I'm perfectly okay with what I have," Charlie exclaimed feeling slightly embarrassed. "I don't need anything. All I want is for everyone to get a better life and get a second chance to go into heaven."
"And it's a noble thing, babe. Wanting to let others get a second chance and not be damned for eternity," Dante said as he finished sweeping. "There, all done."
"You missed a few spots," Vaggie pointed out to the Demon Hunter as Niffty quickly ran and swept all the dust and dirt away.
"All done," Niffy saluted while holding onto the broom.
"Since that's done, I might do my next chore of the day," Dante said as he took a seat at the poker table. "Husk, I'm back in the game."
"Sorry, but all the chores are done," Husker said as Bullet, Terry and Cruiser were all moaning from their losses to the winged cat.
"I swear, he cheats at this game," Bullet said as he had a hammer and nails. Terry had a mop and Cruiser had a squeegee. "How else do you explain that last royal flush he got? Probably keeps cards in his wings."
"Stop fucking complaining and get to work. This place ain't gonna clean itself, you know," Husk told the boys as he collected all the poker chips and headed back to the bar, opening a bottle of cheap booze to drink. "If you want to do something, get some more liquor for the bar."
"The bar has enough liquor, you damn cat. You just want some for yourself so you can get your ass drunk again," Vaggie scolded him.
"We're out of Jack and you know how your so-called partner feels when he runs out of it," Husk argued.
Dante shrugged in response before he spoke to the winged cat. "Do you cheat?"
"Fuck no. You think I'm a shitty scammer like Ace is," Husk said, catching Dante's interest.
"Ace?"
"Ace Dukes. Runs this casino on the far side of town. Suckers who go in rarely come out with more cash than they entered with," Husk told the Demon Hunter.
Dante recognized the name 'Ace Dukes' as he was one of the demons on the hit list. "How do you know this? I thought the story was that you go in with your money, you come out of a beaten shell. So you either worked there, was one of the lucky winners, or you made a deal with Al just to get out of that place."
"That's none of your fucking concern," Husk told the white-haired hunter as he downed the rest of his bottle immediately.
"Suit yourself," Dante shrugged as he figured out it most likely was the latter. "So, what happens to anyone that can't pay off their so-called debt?"
"Is that a hard question? You do whatever the owner tells you until you're able to pay it off," Husk said while downing another bottle. "If I were you, I'd stay as far away from that place as possible."
"Don't have much of a choice in the matter as it seems that he's actually on the hit list," Dante told the winged cat. "Besides, I've beaten more than just Valentino, Dread, and Redgrave over the years. This pit boss won't be an issue."
"Yeah, well FYI, you're a shitty gambler," Husker told Dante to his face. "You're good with killing demons and even playing a musical instrument, but you really suck at gambling."
Dante raised a finger to argue but wordlessly admitted the demon was sort of correct. He did lose a lot of bets to Lady, Trish, and Morrison when it came to jobs. Heck, he even lost to Patty a lot. His strongest memory of gambling is when he had to play poker to find a demon by the name of King. Turns out the client was King all along after the deaths of 4 souls and getting a bullet close to his heart thanks to Lady. Thanks to her, she also broke that freaky pocket watch he carried that contains some type of magic that makes the holder a gambling addict. "So what? Just leave him be? You know I'll most likely go there. After all, the real pleasure of gambling is turning the tables completely."
The winged cat demon chuckled as he picked up another bottle of cheap booze. "You really are a crazy bastard. Here's to you," he toasted to Dante as he took a long swig of his bottle.
"You're seriously not thinking of going gambling, are you," Vaggie asked the white-haired hunter while sounding annoyed.
"If you mean today, no. But I will be doing it later. Maybe tomorrow," Dante told Vaggie. "This guy is ranked as a Kingpin, just like Falco Redgrave. If I beat him, then not only do I get to clear my debt, but I get to focus on fixing the hotel more and maybe bring in some souls that want to change their ways."
Vaggie was ready to make an argument but fell silent as she was reminded that he beat Valintino and did bring in some patients. "Just don't gamble your life or soul or whatever you have."
"Did I hear 'gamble your soul'? Because that sounds like a fun wager," Alastor remarked as he popped out from the shadows.
"No one is gambling their souls, you fucking shitlord," Husk declared while pointing a clawed finger at the Radio Demon.
"But I am going to the casino at the edge of town," Dante told the Radio Demon.
"The casino, you say? Well, I do admit, I haven't played a game in quite some time in over 30 years. Mind if I accompany you, my dear fellow," Alastor asked as he gave his signature smile to the Demon Hunter.
"Go ahead. Just don't be going to the same table as me," Dante told the deer-like demon.
"My dear boy, I wouldn't dream of being at the same table as you. I enjoy a good game of cards but a personal favorite of mine has to be craps," Alastor laughed as he fixed his monocle. "We'll go tomorrow evening. I'll knock on your door when I'm ready. Unless you already moved into our lovely ladies' quarters?"
"My room. I haven't moved into Charlie and Vaggie's room, so it's best not to disturb them," Dante told the deer demon to save Vaggie the trouble of yelling.
"Huh. Well, that's a shocker, I could have sworn you three would be sharing the same room by now," Husk asked as he looked surprised. "Then again, three people sleeping on the same mattress does sound uncomfortable unless it's one of those fucking huge ones."
"And that's why I am not moving in their room. I would just be taking the couch. Speaking of sleep, I need some," Dante said as he stretched and headed upstairs. "Just don't keep me waiting, Smiles."
"Don't you worry, my boy. I'll get you when I'm good and ready," Alastor said as he too went upstairs.
"So, this is the place? Just as I suspected it would look like," Dante said as he looked up at the exterior of the building. The building was large, having at least fifty or more floors as it was made out of black concrete and glass with many neon lights with a devilish face laughing as he had the suits of cards in between his teeth. "Ready to win big or lose big, Smiles?"
"Don't you worry about me, my dear boy. I'm an expert when it comes to gambling," Alastor told the Demon Hunter as he spun his cane in his hands while humming a tune as he entered the building with the demon hunter following behind.
As they arrived inside, it was exactly what Dante expected. Rows upon rows of slot machines that demons were putting their money in, craps and roulette tables as far as they could see, and demon waitresses dressed as bunny girls serving guests however they could. He even noted that some were even actual rabbit demons and they made the typical Playboy Bunny look works well. "So Al, you've faced this Ace Dukes before right?"
"Indeed, my good man. I faced him in a game of cards and gave him his first loss. He didn't take too kindly after that, but let's just say I had to teach him a lesson," the deer demon said with radio static sounding out more in his voice before he adjusted his monocle like a radio dial, complete with proper sound effects. "So after that, I come here on rare occasions just to earn a little cash," he remarked, taking a martini glass from one of the trays a waitress carried and having a sip from it. "A bit weak, if I do say so myself. Anyway, if you'll be looking for me, I'll be at the craps table."
Alastor walked off as he blended into the crowd, leaving the demon hunter by himself. Dante checked his surroundings to check if anyone was keeping a sharp eye out for him, not knowing that a security camera was zooming in on his face. "The man of the hour finally shows himself," a demon with a sharp-toothed grin said while spinning a card in his hand. "I think I should invite our new guest to the special tournament."
After some searching, Dante decided to try his luck in blackjack. "Hit me," he told the dealer as he saw that he had a 10 and an 8, all he needed was a 3 and he would get a win this round. However, the dealer ended up giving Dante a 5.
"I'm sorry, but that's 23. It seems you lost the game, sir" the dealer said as he pulled Dante's chips to his opponent.
"Dammit," Dante muttered as he stood up, not wanting to waste more money at the table. Knowing when to quit, the demon hunter soon put his hand in his pocket and felt something metallic. "Hmm? Hey, I still have my coin," he said to himself as he fished the object out of his pocket. Flipping the coin and catching it without bothering to check the result, Dante soon looked around the casino floor to see the different types of demons blowing their money away. The sound of slot machines, groans, and cheers filled the casino in a cacophony while the smell of smoke and alcohol was prominent in some areas. Turning to where he last saw Alastor, Dante saw the Radio Demon was doing fairly well with his time at the craps table and even drew in a crowd.
Checking out the rest of the floor, Dante saw an owl-like harpy at a poker table who was fiddling with her chips. "Come on, Mama's gotta win big," she muttered to herself. Heading over to the poker table, Dante soon got a better look at the owl demon. She looked to be around his age, maybe even older at around 45. She had long bushy gray hair that reached her lower back with the fluffy wings to match, golden eyes with black sclera, a golden tooth that pointed outward, talons for hands and feet, and she wore a red dress with a black gem on the chest. Looking at her hand, she grinned behind her cards as she had a pair of queens, a jack, an ace, and a joker. "I raise 500," she declared as she pulled out her chips.
Seeing her place her bet, Dante watched her opponent call. But when he did, Dante noticed something reflecting off the drinking glass next to them. From the angle that Dante stood at, he saw the demon had four aces, which wouldn't be possible with the hand the owl harpy had.
"Make your move, bitch," the demon called her out.
"With pleasure," she said as she showed her cards. "Three Queens, try and beat that."
Before the demon could show his hand, Dante grabbed the gambler's finger and ripped it clean off. "You may want to think twice about cheating if there's not more than one deck," he stated as the cards spilled onto the table, revealing the four aces despite the ace in the harpy's hand.
"Ha! Next time you want to cheat, try not doing the obvious idea," the harpy laughed.
The gambler was clutching his hand where his missing finger was. "You fucker," the demon growled as he transformed into his full demon form as he towers over Dante. "I'll k-"
Before the demon could even say five words, Dante fired a shot from Ivory into his head and killed him, startling the entire casino floor. "Sorry about that folks, but nothing to worry about now. So continue with wasting most of your money," the demon hunter told the crowd.
Slowly but surely, the crowd was paying less attention to Dante, but a few demons kept looking in his direction, mainly the security team. But oddly, the security guards didn't do anything after Dante killed a hostile cheating gambler that was outed. Instead, they listened to something on their earpieces and stayed at their posts. "Normally, that would have woken up the beast. Something tells me that Ace keeps a good hand from me," Dante said to himself.
"Hold up, you're after Ace," the harpy questioned.
"Yep. And by your reaction, I'd say you're after him too," Dante said as he looked back at the Harpy.
"Not really. Just surprised you're going for him," she said.
Dante could tell by her tone she was lying. But it wasn't his place to get into her own business just as long as she doesn't do anything to get in his way.
"Um, excuse me. Are you, Dante," a waitress asked the white-haired Demon Hunter as he turned and nodded. "I have an invitation for you from Mister Dukes," she said as she held out a tray with an envelope that has a club-shaped seal holding it.
Dante took the letter and opened it to see instructions. "Go upstairs and past the double diamond doors. There you will face me with many others." Dante read aloud as he searched to find the stairwell.
"Hey! Why does he get to face off with the owner and I don't," the harpy asked furiously as her feathers started to ruffle up.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. But Mr. Dukes asked for him personally," the waitress told the harpy woman, backing away when the harpy readied her claws.
'This is going to be troublesome,' Dante mentally sighed to himself as he quickly grabbed the woman by the arm. "Look, I'll take you with me if you stop making a scene."
"Scene? I'm not making a scene," She said before looking around to see a couple of gamblers and waitresses were staring at her. "Oh… nevermind," she realized with an awkward look on her face. "I guess I could sit and watch a good poker game."
"Good. Because you're going to be an extra set of eyes for me in case of any off-hand cheating," Dante told her. "By the way, never got your name. You already know mine." The harpy woman sighed as she muttered her name. "What was that? I couldn't hear you."
"I said, my name is Lechuza," she said it again only to yell it to his face.
"Well, that explains the owl lady part. Never knew you were a gambler, though," Dante said as they passed the double diamond doors and into a long hallway.
"Well, casting a spell on the townsfolk was fun at the time, but it soon got boring and I took to drinking and gambling. Turns out I'm a pretty good gambler, that is until I faced off with Ace," she said walking side by side with the demon hunter as her fist clenched tightly.
"And you lost it all thanks to the owner. Sounds like the life of an average gambler," Dante told her as they approached the second door. As they opened it, four demons were at a poker table with chips ready, drinks on the table, and cards being shuffled. One demon was a tall broad-shouldered, blue-skinned fellow who had red eyes and dark slicked hair. He wore a tan-colored suit, but what really caught the demon hunter's attention was that his right arm was made entirely of gold.
The demon across from him was a male mole demon who looked to be elderly in his age as he had round spectacles, a short gray scruffy bread, and a dark brown suit.
Sitting right next to the mole was the only female at the table as she was a maroon-skinned demon with chestnut-colored hair and red eyes. She wears a burgundy-colored dress and a brown fur pelt around her waist.
"Well, isn't this a fine reunion we have," Dante says aloud as he walks to his seat across from the demon shuffling the deck. He knew these people once before as they all fell victim to the demon called King. These so-called gamblers are Golden Arm Joe, Lucky Amanda, and Santa Claus. "I knew you were all greedy, but I didn't imagine all of you to be down here," he told them all. "And I didn't expect that look from you," he said to the mole demon. Then again, it would be for the best since Dante can't imagine someone looking like Jolly Old Nick to be in Hell.
"Well, I may have made some minor offenses in the past that were frowned on," Santa said as he scratched his cheek with his long claws. "But I see you're still alive and kicking since you didn't transform or anything. Long after my death came the young lady's," he asked as he pointed to Amanda.
"I almost had that game too," Amanda said as she swiveled her martini.
"That would either mean you were King the whole time or you killed King," Joe said as he looked at Dante with his hands folded together.
"I assure you that he's not King. I should know cause I faced him before," the demon who was shuffling the cards said as he spoke in a Louisiana accent stopped his shuffling. The demon was of average height, with pale white skin, gold sharp teeth, and wearing a black striped suit with clover cufflinks and card patterns on his dress shirt. He also wore a top hat with a spade, heart, clover, and diamond pinned on.
"You must be Ace Dukes. Kingpin and owner of this fine establishment," Dante surmised as Ace tipped his hat.
"Yessir, I am. And I heard so much about you, Son of Sparda. I must say, I'm a big fan," he said, putting the deck down.
"Then you know why I'm here," the demon hunter said as he put his feet right on the table.
"I'm aware and I'm not gonna hold back anything, but I thought I would at least play you in a friendly game of poker before I face off with you. Playing the odds and all," Ace said before he started to deal the cards out.
Dante knew the demon was up to something, but he might as well play just for his own entertainment. "Sure. Why not," he said, taking his feet off the table and looking at the cards in his hand. 'Tsh bad hand,' looking at his cards to see two 4's, a 7, a 3, and an ace. "Alright, I'll take two," he said as he threw his chips in and got rid of the 3 and the 7 before replacing them.
"I'm in and I'll take two," replied Amanda, doing the same as Dante.
"In. I'll take three," Golden Arm Joe said, switching his cards out.
"I fold," declared Santa Claus as he adjusted his glasses.
"I'm in, I'll take none," Ace threw his chips in. This made everyone at the table look at him with suspension. "Feel like folding already?"
"Like I'm gonna fall for that bluff," Joe said as he raised 500 in chips.
"Very well, sir. I challenge you and even it," Ace threw his chips in and everyone else folded.
"Alright then. Try beating this," Joe said as he showed his hand. "3 Jacks!"
"Full House," Ace showed he had 3 Queens and two aces.
"What!? H-how can this be," Golden Arm Joe asks himself as half of his chips were taken from him.
"Because I know how to play my cards right," Ace smirked his golden teeth while taking the poker chips.
Dante looked at Lechuza as she shook her head to tell him she didn't see. 'Well, he's a slippery snake. Guess I'll have to take some risks,' he told himself as he got his next set of cards. 'This I can work with,' he thought, seeing that he had 3 Kings on him. "Alright, I'm in and take two."
"In."
"Fold."
"In."
"Out."
It was a square-off between Dante, Santa, and Lucky Amanda as the three made looks at each other to see if anyone was bluffing.
"Ready to lose again, grandpa," Amanda asked the old mole as she played with her hair before sipping the last of her martini.
"I'm not falling for that again, young lady. This time, I am well prepared." Santa fixed his spectacles as he showed his cards as he had a flush.
"That's too bad, old man. But looks like I win this game," Amanda said as she had 3 Queens and 2 eights.
"Think again," Dante said as he showed his hand and he had 3 Kings and 2 nines. "Kings beat Queens when it comes to cards."
"This is going to be some good fun," Ace said as he gave the group a toothy grin as he collected the cards once more and started to shuffle them.
After a few more rounds of playing, Ace won most of the rounds as Dante was losing some chips. "This can't be," Joe said after losing all of his chips. Suddenly, chains wrapped around him as he was pulled out of his chain by those said chains. "No, I don't want to go! Please! I still have some money to play! Just please let me go," he yelled as he clawed the floor until his body was completely dragged out.
The others looked at the golden-armed demon being pulled out to who knows where. "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that if you lose all of your money then you get dragged out of this room and work my casino until you can pay me back," Ace told the group as he lowered his hat.
"I guess we can't walk out either," Dante asked as the demon gave the demon hunter a simple nod. "Talk about gambling for your own soul."
"I think that was a plot point of some Japanese comic I read once," Lechuza remarked.
"And what happens if one of us wins the game," Lucky Amanda asked.
"Good question. So far, no one has ever beaten me but one person," Ace said as he tilted his hat forward as his eyes were covered. "How about this? The winner gains ownership of this fine establishment," the gambler demon suggested.
"Hoho. A casino in Hell for one of us to keep? Now that's something to risk your life for," Santa laughed happily. "Since we don't have much of a choice, I might as well keep playing."
"Same here. Owning a casino sounds like a gambler's dream," Amanda said as she took a sip from her third martini.
"I'm in, too. After all, we don't have much of a choice," Dante said as he glances at Lechuza who again shakes her head.
"Then let the next round begin," Ace smirked as he tossed the next round of cards around. As he did, the owl harpy thought she saw the clover cufflinks glow faintly. Ace soon looked at his cards and started to play with his poker chips, stacking them on their edges before he declared his move. "Dealer takes two," he said as he switched the cards he wanted changed.
"I'll be taking two as well," Dante said as he traded his cards.
"I'll take three," Santa Claus said as he threw his cards to trade in for three.
"I'll take one this time," Amanda said as she traded in only one card.
'Only one card. Well, I can change that,' Ace smirked as he threw the card to her and smirked as the color of the card's face changed from red to black. "I raise 800," he said. Everyone did the same soon after. "Anybody want to share their cards first?"
"Straight," Dante showed his cards as he had a 9, 10, Jack, Queen, and King of different suits.
"Flush," Santa Claus said as he had all hearts.
"Four of a kind," Lucky Amanda said as she had four 6s.
"Looks like I'm the winner. Straight flush," Ace showed that he had a 7, 8, 9, 10, and a Jack of clubs. "Luck is on my side again," he said as he collected all of the chips piled in, sending Amanda and Santa Claus away in chains.
'Once again, he wins too easily. I knew he was cheating somehow. There's no way someone has that much luck. And I bet it has something to do with those cufflinks he has on him,' Lechuza thought to herself as she pulled Dante out of his seat.
"What's up, Owl Lady," Dante asked as Ace let the harpy speak with the demon hunter.
"I think he's cheating with those cufflinks he has," Lechuza shared, pointing to the faintly glowing clovers on the ends of Ace's sleeves.
"You sure," Dante questioned, getting a different feeling when he focused on the cufflinks.
"I'm not sure if he's getting his good cards from them, but I thought that I saw a red card turn black before," she stated.
Dante thought it over and knew that if Ace was cheating with either the cufflinks or his own abilities, he had to prove it. Putting his hands in his pockets, he felt the coin he had earlier and remembered something Alastor said before. "Hey, go back to the other card tables and find the Radio Demon for me," he asked Lechuza.
Upon hearing Alastor's title, Lechuza's feathers fluffed up and her eyes widened in fear. "The Radio Demon!? Are you nuts," she screeched quietly.
"He arrived at the casino with me. And he's the one who beat Ace in a game of cards," he said quietly. "I'm making a couple of bets right now that will end with Ace losing everything," he told her.
"Like what," Lechuza asked before Dante revealed the coin he carried to her. "What good will that do?"
"Just wait and see," Dante assured her. "Go now," he said as the Owl Harpy ran off to look and find the Radio Demon.
"Had a nice chat with your colleague," Ace asked with a smug grin as he shuffled the cards once again.
"Something like that," Dante replied as he took his seat again. Before Ace dealt the cards, the demon hunter held up his hand. "Just a sec, Ace. Since it's the two of us, how about we change the game with the chips we have?"
"Oh really? Realizing that you're losing the game and want to chicken out," Ace asked as he knew no matter what hand he had, he was going to win.
"You just strike me as the type to play more than cards," Dante retorted.
"Cards are my forte, but I'll take any bet."
"Then how about something simple," the silver-haired hunter suggested as he pulled out his coin. "If it lands on tails, you take whatever chips I have left and drag me in chains to whatever place I am sent to. But if it lands on heads, then I take your chips and declare me the winner."
"So you're leaving this up to chance then? Hahaha! Alright go ahead and toss the coin," Ace said to the demon hunter, confident that he would win a simple coin toss with his luck and skill.
"You asked for it," Dante said before flipping the coin into the air. As it landed on the table, Ace looked and his eyes widened in shock. "Wanna go best of three?"
"H-how can that be," Ace asked himself as he looked over the coin. Upon seeing that both sides were identical, his shock turned to rage. "YOU CHEATED!"
Dante only pulled out Ebony and Ivory, shooting at the demon just before he used the deck of cards he shuffled to defend himself through his powers. After the two bullets collided with the magic cards, the slugs bounced around and knocked the coin into the air. The trick coin soon bounced around the room before Dante caught it on the end of his pistol. "Had to cheat to trick a cheater like you," Dante replied before stylishly twirling his gun and the coin flew into his coat pocket. "Then again, who isn't cheating in this casino?"
"Accusing me of cheating? Can you prove it," Ace asked the demon hunter as he threw some cards at him like they were daggers.
Deflecting the cards by shooting at them, Dante aimed at the cufflinks Ace wore and fired once again. The accessories shattered and a green pulse of light went through the entire casino. "Well, I bet those were important to your whole thing, so maybe."
Pissed that Dante destroyed his cufflinks, Ace threw a card at a nearby intercom and turned it on. "SECURITY TO THE HIGH ROLLERS LOUNGE, NOW!"
When that was declared, Dante and Ace assumed that guards would be swarming the upper floor as they soon heard a loud rumble coming their way. Ace smiled as he had a feeling his guards would take care of the demon hunter. Instead, his smile turned into a frown as his guards were wrapped up by some black tentacles that looked like a mix of shadows and what appeared to be blood. Listening closely, Dante and Ace heard the sound of a radio tuning from it before a cheerful hum sounded as well. "Well, this is quite the show," Alastor the Radio Demon said as he stepped into the lounge. "It was a good thing this lovely woman was able to tell me what was happening before I missed the best part," he said as Lechuza stepped into the room after the deer-like demon.
"Hahaha! And I thought you were kidding about knowing this guy," Lechuza told Dante as she crossed her arms and smirked.
Seeing he was confronted by both the Radio Demon and the Son of Sparda, Ace Dukes felt his luck run dry. "Oh no... I can only handle one of you. Both of you? Fat fucking chance," Ace said as he tossed a handful of cards at the window before the glass starts to break and he jumped out.
"You lost your bet and need to pay up," Dante exclaimed before he kicked the poker table at Ace, then jumped out of the third floor's window as well. While in the air above the main floor of the casino, Dante landed on the table before seeing Ace land on a nearby row of slot machines with pieces of glass in his hat.
"I ain't paying up! In fact, I'll make you pay me with your soul," Ace laughed as he started to transform into his full demon form. He soon became 5 times bigger than normal, grew an extra pair of arms, another row of teeth behind his first pair, his jacket turned into a cloak that nearly covered his body and his stomach became a giant slot machine.
"And here I thought you couldn't be more addicted to gambling," Dante remarked as he focused on the slot machine in Ace's stomach. Soon, Ace summoned a giant roulette wheel to act as a shield of sorts. "Nevermind, you can be."
"This will certainly be fun," Alastor told Lechuza as the two watched the fight start from the High Rollers Lounge.
"You think he'll be okay," Lechuza asked the Radio Demon, sounding a little worried.
"My dear, if there's one thing I know, Dante lives up to what's said about him and his father," Alastor replied.
"Time to test your luck," Ace laughed as he threw cards at the white-haired hunter as the slot machine in his stomach started to spin.
Blocking the cards with his sword, Dante soon countered with a slash that sent a wave of demonic energy at the pit boss. The reels in the demon's stomach started to slow down as it showed jewels in the middle as a loud slot machine noise was heard. "Nice."
"Oh no," Ace said as he looked sick as he vomited up a large number of gold coins and he began to shrink.
"So that's how that's going to work," Dante told himself as he pulled out Redgrave and spun the barrel. He then started to fire the handheld Gatling gun at the monstrosity that was Ace Dukes.
"I won't be defeated that easily," Ace roared as the bullets struck him and black blood leaked out from his body. Reaching down, he took two slot machines and ripped the tops off like two soda cans drinking the coins as his size started to increase and his body was healing up. "How about a little spin," he laughed as the slot reels in his stomach started to spin once more as he slammed his fists at the demon hunter.
Dante dodged his attacks as he fired off at his stomach like before, but this time the slots were all mismatched. This made the demon grin as he was fired off purple acid that melted anything it touched. "Looks like I'll have to use my head on this one," Dante told himself as he dodged another acid shot as he withdrew Redgrave and brought out Dread in its sniper rifle mode. "Time to say goodbye," he said as he fired one round as Dukes reeled back.
"It's going to take more than that to kill me," Ace laughed as he took another slot machine and swallowed the coins.
'So he heals himself by ingesting the coins in the slot machines and the reels have to match up. Makes him a real addict, that's for sure,' Dante thought to himself as he had to figure out a way to beat this demon. As he avoided another large punch, the demon hunter soon had an idea. He transformed Dread into its scythe form as he destroyed a slot machine that was closest to him.
"Wh-what are you doing," Ace screamed as Dante continued to destroy the machines around them. "Stop it! Stop it this instant!"
"I don't think so," Dante said as he continued to destroy the slot machines around him. "Gaining money makes you greedier, but losing money makes you desperate," he said as he continued until he destroyed the last machine around them. As the giant gambler demon tried to grasp the spilled coins, Dante slashed up his stomach with Dread's scythe blade. The demon hunter matched three cherries in a row as the gambling demon only spat up a small number of coins. 'It also depends on what I get, too? Oh well, it shouldn't be too hard.' Dismissing Dread to hold Rebellion once again in his hands, Dante prepared to fight Ace head-on. "Let's dance."
Ace couldn't hold back his anger at the Son of Sparda as he unleashed another set of cards as throwing knives towards the demon hunter. At the same time, he tried to unleash a flurry of punches towards the white-haired hunter, only for Dante to avoid everything. Dante soon jumped onto his arm and started cutting it to pieces. After the limb was taken off, the hunter gave a swift kick to Ace's head before the reels started to match up again with 3 'Bars' showing. "Oh no," he said as he puked up a lot of coins and shrunk to half his current size.
"One more hit should do the trick," Dante said to himself as he avoided another one of Ace's arms and he sliced it in half. He then aimed at the slot machine with Ebony and fired three potshots.
Instead of matching symbols, the words "Jackpot" were spelled on the reel as Ace shot out a ton of money before reverting back into his normal self, covered in black blood and scratches as he was on his knees facing the demon hunter. "Looks like luck favors you more than me."
"Not luck. Skill," Dante stated before ending Ace Dukes with a bullet to his skull. After shooting him, Ace's body was covered in white light as he began transforming into Dante's newest Devil Arm. The white-haired hunter stretched out his arm as the Devil Arm manifested into a deck of cards with clovers decorating the backs. The cards were made of some metal, flowing with electricity. Dante shuffled them in his hands before he threw them at a slot machine that started to go haywire. He then continued to throw the cards until they sent an electric pulse that made the machines explode and rain money. "Jackpot," he quipped with his signature catchphrase.
Using his abilities to gather the falling coins, Alastor used them as stepping stones to make his way to the main floor safely while humming a catchy tune. "This was definitely worth the trip. A fine show, my boy! I'm sure Husker will actually smile when you bring back your latest trophy."
"Gotta say, that fight was amazing," Lechuza said as she flew down to the ground floor.
"He wasn't too hard to beat once you know his weakness," Dante said with a shrug as he put his newest Devil Arm in his pocket. "So what will you do now that you no longer have a debt to pay," he asked.
"You know? After seeing you in action, I think I'll stick around with you guys. Could be fun to see what other characters you hang with," Lechuza answered, willing to go to the hotel.
"Well, you will be surprised to find what colorful characters we hang out with," Dante said as he started to walk towards the exit with Alastor and Lechuza close behind him.
"So let me get this straight. You caught Ace cheating by using a trick coin, killed him, turned his soul into one of your weapons, and got another guest in the hotel," Husk said as he, Dante, and Charlie were playing a friendly game of cards.
"Yup. But I wasn't sure how he was cheating at first until Lechuza pointed it out," the demon hunter said as the owl harpy was at the bar, having a conversation with Vaggie in Spanish. "When we were leaving, she said it was like the urge to gamble faded. That's what she got from everyone she talked with after Ace was finished."
"Do you still technically own that casino," Charlie asked, remembering the detail about the earlier game in the High Rollers Lounge.
"You know, I'm sure that turning the owner into a deck of cards means that the paperwork won't get filled out so easily," Dante joked before revealing his hand. "Jack High."
"Ha! Full house," Husker showed 3 fives and a pair of twos. "I get to keep your new weapon for the entire day!"
"Sorry, boys. But I win this game. Royal Straight Flush," Charlie said as she revealed an Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 of hearts.
"Son of a fucking bitch! I can't believe you're this good," Husk said in good spirits as he actually enjoyed playing with Charlie at the table.
"Yeah, babe. That was a good hand," Dante commented as he saw the cards on the table. "So what are you getting?"
"I think I'll have the last Strawberry sundae in the freezer," Charlie called out and Niffty brought the sweet treat to the princess.
"Whoa, babe, come on. I was saving that for a special occasion," Dante said as he tried to stop her from taking the first bite.
"Sorry, Dante. But this is my reward for winning," Charlie said with a devilish grin before taking the first bite. Seeing Dante pouting like a child, Husk was rolling on the floor laughing.
"Come on... At least share it with me," Dante pleaded before she shook her head and took another bite as everyone snickered at the demon hunter playfully arguing with the princess.
Well folks I think this is where we will end this chapter. I hope you enjoyed this and before any of you ask, yes Lechuza's look is based on Harpy Eda from The Owl House Season 2. And those who are not aware or didn't see the Devil May Cry Anime, those other three demons were from Episode 9 of the Devil May Cry Anime titled "Death Poker." Also thanks again to WaterDragonMaverick for editing the chapter and helping out. And thank all of you readers for Reading & Reviewing this story as well as Following and Favoring it. So keep up the good work, and I will see all of you the next time in Hell.