Casinos. Constructed in the Business District of Orario, in its southern area, with the help of other nations, they were one of two locations, the other being theaters, that were considered extraterritorial in nature. Thus the guild, and by extension the Ganesha Familia, ensured that order was kept in those places, as starting trouble in such areas translated to causing trouble with other nations. One would think that Orario wouldn't care, but the city ran on the money other countries invested into them. Thus, the city would do its best to please them. Anyway, to say that the district was extravagant was an understatement. The dress code was limited to the finest dresses and suits. Bodyguards following their noble taskmasters, the Ganesha Familia keeping track of all goings. The area was shining with gold and lights, a far cry from the rest of the city, which was usually engulfed in more darkness by now. A high class area, for only the richest of people.
Suffice to say, the Hestia Familia was, outside of perhaps Haruhime, entirely out of place. Bell gulped, tugging at his tuxedo. He wasn't the only one feeling uncomfortable. Kojiro, more used to the Far Eastern outfit he usually wore, fidgeted around in his own suit. Meanwhile Solaris tugged at her sleeves, her eyes narrowed in irritation. The choice was between a white dress like Hestia, or the blacksuit she was wearing now. The choice was clear for her. Only Haruhime stood out, instead of a dress choosing to wear a beautiful kimono. Bell laughed nervously. The very same kimono she wore when she was still part of the Sanjouno clan. That it was now used in this infiltration mission, pretending to fit in, was in some ways rather ironic. Still, as they were allowed entry by the gatekeepers of the business district, they all let out a collective sigh of relief. They were afraid they would be kicked out or refused, but fortunately with their recent fame, it appeared that Hestia's invitation has not expired yet. It was a weird twist of fate. Apparently Eris sent out an invitation to enter the casino area ages ago, back when Solaris first leveled up. The fact that this offer wasn't taken back yet made things a lot easier. No need for disguises or paying money to gain entry. Still, they were wary. After all, this could be a trap. Following the marks on the signs, nodding politely at Shakti, the captain of the Ganesha Familia, exchanging a knowing look with her, they stood in front of their target. Once more, they all gulped nervously.
A building towering over everything else, its architecture glistening. It even had small clocktowers attached to it, as it cast its shadows over them. El Dorado Resort. The number one casino in Orario. Funded and built by the city of amusement Santorio Vega. Currently owned by no other than the goddess of chaos, Eris herself. Rumors said she easily wrestled control over it after the age of darkness seven years ago. There were some upstarts trying to overthrow her iron grip over the casinos, but the goddess easily made them disappear. Nobody knew what happened to the infamous 'Ted', a dwarf said to have had the best chance, if only because Eris was amused. That was the lion's den they had to enter. They needed to find evidence in order to go against Ishtar and Nyx led them to this place. Normally Astraea would handle this herself with her children, but given their reputation, they were collectively banned from entering the premises. Nothing they could do about that. Not that it really mattered as Arash more often than not just shot people that tried to run into this area, believing they'd be safe. Still, apparently Lyra had quite the heartbreak when her name was added to the blacklist, as she seemed to be a fervent gambler. Thus, instead of having professional players enter this massive stage... It was the Familia of a goddess who had a massive debt. Suffice to say, Bell did not feel confident whatsoever.
Suddenly they heard a loud clap. Turning to Solaris, she grinned as she put her hands on her hips.
"Alright everyone, let's take a deep breath!"
In sync, they inhaled the cold air and slowly exhaled it. With their nerves somewhat calmed down, they entered the massive building, only to be overwhelmed once more. Gold. So much gold all around. This place didn't bother pretending to be humble whatsoever. Not to mention the amount of 'games' all around. Most of them went over his head, the most he could understand were some card games. Because of that he cleared his throat and turned at the others with a sheepish expression.
"So did any of you guys ever gamble?"
"Uhm, my... caretakers frowned at it?" Haruhime answered in an awkward tone while Hestia huffed with crossed arms.
"I know better than to lose the little money I got!"
"Gambling is part of life, whether we like it or not."
Everyone turned to Kojiro. He was smiling, yet his eyes were empty. Solaris cleared her throat before poking him in the side a few times to check if he was alright.
"You sound traumatized, Kojiro."
"I have witnessed the depths of despair of someone gambling too much." He let out a shuddering breath before the light returned into his soul and he smiled brightly at Solaris. "And you, captain?"
The captain stared at him, weirded out for a moment before shrugging nonchalantly.
"Eh, I get the gist of most games here. Usually betted on some horse races here and there back home." She let out an emotionless laugh as she lowered her head. "I only lost all my savings once when I betted on Razmatazz. Ahahaha."
They solemnly lowered their heads, swearing to themselves not to fall to the treacherous depths of gambling. After a minute of silence Hestia raised her fist with a war cry.
"Okay, remember kids, this is work first, pleasure second! If there's one thing I remember it's that you don't waltz into VIP, the VIP waltzes into you!"
"What does that even mean?" Solaris muttered as Kojiro let out a hum.
"It means we need to get their attention. Preferably through winning than losing miserably."
Bell gulped nervously. Now the bag of valis in his pockets felt a lot heavier now, as they were given by the Astraea Familia as an investment for this mission. Shaking his head, he put on a determined look. Just had to keep step one of the plan in mind. Sticking together, as separated they were much easier prey to the casino itself, they moved to the 'slot' machines. They seemed simple enough. Put money in, pull the lever three times, depending on the order of the three slots you won.
"Okay Bell, show that thing who's boss!" Solaris exclaimed. He could only blink as Kojiro grabbed his shoulders and pushed him down on the chair. He then stepped back for Hestia who began to massage his shoulders with a giggle, while Haruhime pumped her fists with an excited huff. Bell pointed at himself as he looked at the others with betrayal in his eyes.
"Why me?!"
"Who has 'Luck' as a literal ability?" Solaris asked dryly. Bell paused before letting out an awkward laugh. Oh. Right. That thing. He almost forgot he had that. It certainly didn't show a lot of impact in his life beyond a higher rate of drop items... and what felt like dozens of times of close calls. Okay, maybe he should keep it a mind a lot more. With a deep breath, he put in the valis into the machine. Then with a press of a button, the machine began to spin quite fast. Fast enough he could barely make out the numbers. Glancing at Kojiro, he noticed how he let out an impressed grunt. So this really was luck based then if not even he could follow the speed. In the end, he shrugged and just pulled blindly. This was just a test anyway.
Bell ate his words when the machine began to glow repeatedly while making a lot of noise. Three dragons. Apparently that was the second highest hit one could get. He laughed awkwardly, before starting the machine again.
"Oh, that was lucky."
And again.
"Wow, what a coincidence, haha… "
And again. When the machine sounded off once more, Bell was positively drenched in sweat, his smile wavering. At least he wasn't the only one, Haruhime nervously looking around, afraid of divine retribution for all the karma Bell seemed to suck in.
"This really is my... lucky day... ?" He trailed off. But no. The thing that scared him the most were the two other women in his Familia. Their eyes positively glowed, having changed into literal money symbols. He leaned away, shaking his head frantically. "G-guys, your eyes are scaring me!"
The fact that Kojiro just stood there, laughing in amusement, did not help at all. Because of that, when a man in a suit approached them, he latched onto the man, metaphorically speaking, and smiled at him that hurt his mouth a bit more than it should.
"Yes?!"
Taken aback by the sudden shout, the man cleared his throat before smiling pleasantly as he presented the slot machine next to the one they were on.
"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, it appears the machine might be broken."
Ten seconds later and three sevens were glowing right at Bell's face. Even the worker choked on his own spit, as murmurs sounded in the area. With a nervous smile, he pointed at the other spots in the building.
"A-Ahahaha... may the good madams and sirs be interested in other games perhaps... ?"
Having been politely kicked off the slot machines, Bell walked in a daze, staring at the amount of chips they had gained in Kojiro's arms. Then he let out a fearful squeal when two hands squeezed down on his shoulders. He turned at Hestia and Solaris, their eyes on literal fire.
"Bell," Hestia said in a quiet tone, causing Bell to whimper.
"Y-yes, goddess?"
It was Solaris who responded, her grin turning super wide, almost feral.
"Let's bankrupt this bitch."
In that moment, Hestia and Solaris began a heated discussion where to go next, a burning aura surrounding the two. Kojiro and Haruhime laughed, the latter far more nervous than the former and tried to calm the two women down. Bell was about to join them when he felt a hand grasp his shoulder. He jumped a bit, spinning around only to blink in surprise.
"Oh, White Fool! What a surprise!"
"You are... !"
Bell remembered the man. He was one of the leading figures bringing adventurers back after he helped them against the minotaur horse and the enhanced minotaur. Yet he coughed awkwardly, as he did not recall his name, having long passed out before he had the chance. The gruff man barked out a laugh before pointing at himself with his thumb.
"Right, never introduced myself." He showed his teeth as he nodded at Bell. "Mord Latro. I still haven't thanked you for saving our bacon back on the Middle Floors."
"I-It was no big deal!" Bell said in reflex, causing the man to give him a glare, leaning up against his face.
"Our lives weren't a big deal, huh?!"
"Err, I mean-"
"Hahaha, I'm just messin' with ya!" Bell choked when the man slapped his back with quite some force. "I respect any dumbass pulling off moves like you! Heck, ya were like a lucky charm!"
"T-Thanks?"
Mord nodded with a smirk.
"Yeah! Never saw my stats jump up like that before, ha!" Shaking his head, he let out a sigh, wiping his eye. "Still, didn't take ya for the gambling type..." He trailed off, his eyes widened in shock as he saw the amount of chips Bell and his Familia were carrying. "Holy shit."
"I'm lucky?" Bell said nervously, causing Mord to grin just as wide as Hestia and Solaris.
"You say that again!" He whistled towards two other men, that Bell recognized from the minotaur incident, and waved his arm at them. "Oi, boys, get over here, I'm spotting for this kid!"
"Done with talkin'?! Good!" Solaris shouted, draggin Bell by his arm. Forcing him to take a seat, they were in front of a ball game, with some sort of spin mechanism. "Give momma some new spears, baby!"
Suffice to say, what followed was a frightening experience. Never did he expect that making this much money in such a short amount of time could have been that easy. By now a crowd formed around him, cheering him on. The dealers sweated nervously, trying their best to make him lose without actually rigging the game according to Kojiro. And more and more, his side was getting excited.
"Lemme hear it for win number thiiiiiirty boys!" Mord screamed, spreading his arms out and causing the crowd behind them to go wild once more. Solaris laughed like a maniac, pulling the chips in, almost salivating.
"Booya, bring it in!"
"Young master, your existence truly is dangerous," Kojiro muttered with a hint of worry. Bell nodded, his neck stiff as he stared down cards as he played the game of reaching the number twenty one as close as possible. Suffice to say, he had not lost so far whatsoever.
"Maybe choosing Luck was a mistake after all... " He shuddered, shaking his head. "This is scary!"
"D-Don't worry, we won't have to wait too long!" Haruhime glanced around nervously, her ears dropping. "I hope... "
"More, more, more!"
"Lady Hestia, p-please compose yourself!" Bell shouted as he was worried at how his goddess hyperventilated. He had the feeling that Solaris and Hestia completely forgot what they were even here for. Fortunately, their plan did work out, as eventually, a worker approached them, ringing a bell to gain their attention. Bowing politely, he gestured towards the heavily guarded gate that led deeper into the premise.
"Excuse me. The honored owner of this establishment realized that these... public games may not suit you. Thus she gracefully invited you for some games with hers truly."
Gasps and murmurs sounded in the area. Solaris and Hestia lost their high rather quickly at the words. Haruhime stiffened up and Kojiro let out a hum. Bell rose up with a determined nod. Step two of the plan began then.
"VIP?" Mord chuckled and ruffled Bell's hair with a smirk. "Lucky you! Not many get that chance!"
The group smiled, not willing to reveal how nervous they actually were. Then Solaris patted the man's shoulder and pointed at the piles they managed to accumulate with a smirk.
"Oi, hold our chips for us, old fart."
"Who's an old fart?!" Mord paused as his two friends gaped. He pointed at himself, raising an eyebrow at them. "Wait, you sure?"
Solaris shrugged nonchalantly, her fingers digging into the man's flesh and eliciting a wince from him.
"Hey, if we don't get them back, I remember your face."
Stiffly, the man straightened and nodded with a salute.
"That is very threatening and I accept this responsibility, ma'am."
With that done, the group of five followed the casino worker, who politely opened the gates, showing a rather tacky hallway, filled with paintings and statues of infamous figures and items. Crozzo blades, depictions of spirits and the like. Another thing of note was that the hallway seemed to ascend in a circle, leading upstairs. Then they entered through the second door and Bell couldn't help but blink. This room for one was... rather small. Maybe as big as a living room. There was a door at the other end, leading to a balcony. But other than that, it was less than Bell expected. Not to mention it didn' scream rich. Instead it seemed comfy. Like a little clubhouse for friends or family, with red cushions on couches and a table that would barely reach his knees. However, he stiffened up at the divine aura radiating from the only person in the room.
Her naked legs were crossed, a high cut black dress still managing to hide her private parts. Her bust was of considerable size, presenting a cleavage with a cross necklace resting on it, causing Bell to blush furiously as he looked away. With her arms, completely sleeveless, spread out on the couch, the black haired maiden smirked, her short hair tied into a short ponytail. Licking her lips, notably lacking any sort of lipstick, the goddess leaned forward, clapping her hands a few times.
"Hestia! At last you've accepted my invitation!" She sighed dramatically, sniffing as she wiped her eye. "And you did not even bring me some wine! Isn't that only polite, for making me wait more than a year?"
"Ahahaha... you know how I am, Eris... " Hestia laughed awkwardly as they all sat down on the couch in front of her. Bell spotted the cards on the rather dark and clean wood, as well as various other games one could play. Eris let out a scoff, waving her hand in dismissal.
"Poor, yes, I'm aware." Bell and Solaris bristled up as Hestia flinched at the words, but Kojiro raised his arm, calming them down. Eris smirked lazily before snapping her fingers at them. "You're lucky I'm so merciful or else I'd be drowning you in so much debt your childrens' descendants would still feel it."
It sounded like a joke. Yet there was something dangerous about her words, that sent shivers into his spine. As if one were faced by a mysterious creature, unable to predict what they would do. So that was the goddess of chaos, Eris. Clapping her hands, she gestured towards the cards with a laugh.
"Let's play some games~!"
Eris acted like an old friend to Hestia, with no strings attached seemingly enough. During their games of poker, in which she dominated everyone but Bell. Not even Kojiro and his poker face were safe from the seeming all seeing eyes of Eris. Bell felt a certain sense of satisfaction at seeing the goddess getting frustrated with him. Not that Bell was winning, no, due to the fact that he had no poker face to begin with. But the amount of times Eris had to fold, seemingly knowing how good his hands always were, she began to move over to different games, with more chance. Like coin flips or the like. Suffice to say, if she was not busy getting frustrated at Bell's luck, sometimes baring her teeth, she would retell stories of heaven. Of Hestia and how she usually holed herself up in her admittedly nice place. Of the pranks heaven got up to, against each other and the like. However, neither of them fell for it. After all, Hestia never stopped being nervous, just forcing smiles and laughs while nodding at certain jokes. It must have been an hour or so when Eris let out a groan, throwing her cards on the table as she shook her head in resignation.
"Hah, you are so boring! Come on, I am the only one telling stories here!" She sighed before leaning back, crossing her arms. "Fine, let's play twenty questions then."
At once, the atmosphere changed. The pleasant air was replaced by cold, as Eris stared at them with the calculating eyes of a predator.
"So. What made you decide to accept my offer?"
"Oh, you know... " Hestia cleared her throat, averting her eyes. "Boredom."
Suffice to say, not even Bell would be fooled by such a blatant attempt of misdirection. Solaris didn't even bother hiding her facepalm, as Bell closed his eyes in mental agony. Eris merely raised an eyebrow, completely unamused.
"Hm." She twirled her hand at them. "And not a single connection to... let's say, justice?"
Haruhime let out a meek yelp as Hestia shot up, her eyes wide. Frantically she waved her hands, trying to laugh it off.
"Erm-"
Clicking her tongue, Eris raised her hand, motioning for Hestia to sit back down. Then with a wry smirk, she crossed her legs once more.
"Come now, I am not foolish. I know how buddy buddy you are with those fools." She sighed, checking her fingernails as if she was utterly bored. "Go on. What do you want to know?"
With the gig up, it was Solaris who took control of the situation. As Hestia, Bell and Haruhime began to fidget while Kojiro shifted his posture ever so slightly, only their captain sweated a bit. After all... this was still according to plan. With a confident smile, Solaris crossed her arms.
"We suspect Ishtar having dealings with smuggling dangerous monsters out of Orario." She gave Eris a pointed look. "What is your connection to her?"
"Ah yes, Ishtar." Eris hummed nonchalantly, looking up at the ceiling as if she was talking about the weather. "Well, she does offer her services as... escorts. A clean, white business, mind you. Nothing nasty like rape or prostitution. Just escort girls having some fun. Sometimes I lend her money." She gave the Hestia Familia a bored look. "What of it?"
"So you know nothing? Anything about her suppliers? Her middle men? What she needs that money for?" Solaris went on the offensive, pointing at Eris repeatedly.
"Hm." A smirk appeared on her face. "And why in heaven's name should I tell you anything?" She glanced at Hestia, her smile disappearing as the air suddenly grew heavier, her red eyes almost glowing as her voice turned into a growl. "Why shouldn't I just gut your children and sell their organs, hm?"
It happened out of nowhere. One moment they were alone with Eris. The next, he felt the cold steel poking against his throat. He didn't move. He didn't dare to breathe, even, as blood was slightly drawn. Only his eyes could move. A spear against his throat, held by the man called Discord who held a lazy smile. A dagger held against Solaris' eye, another aimed at her stomach by the dark skinned elf who was giving a mocking grin at the wide eyed captain, her silver, messy neck length hair slightly covering her eyes.. Haruhime hyperventilated, her neck held by the massive weretiger from behind, the orange haired holding no mercy in his cold eyes. Then there was Kojiro, who was the only one completely calm, even after his head was slammed against the table by the bandaged man, whose breath literally steamed as drool dropped from his open, snarling mouth. That one was different, actually radiating killing intent as he raised his left arm like a claw, before glancing at the others. Or rather at Haruhime and Bell, as if telling them with his enraged red eyes that they were going to be next. Before he could do good on the unspoken promise however, Eris let out a whistle. The bandaged man growled but relented, backing off at the glare from the goddess.
"Down, boy." Then she clapped her hands with a giggle. At once, the adventurers of Eris backed off, taking back their weapons and causing everyone else to breathe heavily, in relief. Drenched in sweat, they could only allow Hestia to try to comfort them, her own skin pale before she sent a glare at the goddess of chaos. She smirked, raising her hand as if in self defense. "Why so serious? I was just playing~!" She let out a satisfied breath, as she nodded at her children behind Hestia and the others in approval before waving her hand dismissively. "Anyway, I have absolutely no connection to anything Ishtar might be doing outside the city."
"Care to prove it?" Solaris growled, her body tensing up. Immediately the sound of steel twitching against a sheathe caused her to force her body temperature down as the air began to distort around her. Eris in turn scoffed, looking at Solaris as if she was an utter idiot.
"Of course not. It's private information." She clicked her tongue a few times, shaking her head at Hestia. "Quite frankly, you have no manners whatsoever. Here I invite you, being cordial, and all you make is demands." Pointing between herself and Hestia she smacked her lips. "Now if we were friends, this would be a different matter, buuuut... " Trailing off, she leaned forward, her voice becoming a whisper. "I have no evidence to give. No paperwork to offer. No transfers. No shipments. Nothing." A quiet laugh escaped her as she leaned back. "Just like your existence, Hestia."
Before any of them could feel anger on the behalf of their quivering goddess, Eris clapped her hands.
"Considering you are clearly here because 'Justice' told you... I don't see any reason I should tolerate your presence any longer." She pointed at Bell as he, with the others, were held by their collars, easily raised up. "Not to mention I am suspecting you of cheating, boy."
"You can't prove anything!" Solaris bit back, struggling to break free. For her efforts she earned a punch against her kidneys, stealing her breath away as she winced. The elf seemed to relish her pain, letting out a giggle.
"I don't need to, I own this place. Consider yourself blacklisted for life," Eris explained calmly before raising her glass of wine and twirling its contents a few times. Then with a nod, she smirked before sipping from her drink. "Kids, throw them out."
Bell could only tense up his moment for an instance before the world shifted for him and a sharp pain spawned on his face. He was let go, feeling a moment of flying, before he was promptly punched in the face. With blood spilling out of his nose, most likely broken, he felt his body fly out of the balcony. Slamming on the ground, he heard gasps of shock, but he ignored them, instead listening to the pained screams of his Familia, or rather grunt, in Kojiro's case. Once his vision came back, his eyes widened in shock when he looked at the others. Solaris rubbed her shoulder, having crashed against a lantern while spinning. Meanwhile Haruhime winced as she held her own neck, blood seeping from her head after she hit the ground head on. Meanwhile Kojiro held up his arm, frowning as the flesh was actually pierced with sheer grip strength alone. The only comfort was that Hestia was 'politely' dropped from above onto them, after waiting for them to regain their senses and quickly catching her. Solaris growled, looking up as the balcony doors closed.
"Those fuckers... !" She hissed as she popped her shoulder back in. "Gah, I think that bitch dislocated something! Who kicks someone so hard to make them spin?!"
"Haruhime, are you alright?!"
"G-Grabbed me by the neck... " She forced a smile, even with the blood dropping down as Bell wiped his nose. "I-I'm fine…"
"Oi, what the heck happened?!"
Mord and a bunch of other people rushed out. His eyes went wide when he saw their state, immediately reaching into his pockets and giving them some potions. Bell felt grateful for them, as well as receiving their chips back, something they could actually exchange at the guild. Thus, step two of the plan finished, as they weakly walked out of the district. Once they stepped a foot outside, their mood down from how they were manhandled, a whistle sounded from an alley. Frowning a bit, they approached the area, only to see a rather small elf with crossed arms staring at them. With blonde hair and a rather white suit, he seemed like a young noble.
"Sheesh, that was some flight. You guys look terrible." The stranger raised an eyebrow with a scoff. "What did you say to anger them?"
"They are just naturally dicks." Solaris rolled her shoulder before smirking a bit. "You got it, Lil' A?"
The elf scoffed. Light particles covered the individual after muttering some words under his breath. After shining for a moment, the Pallum supporter smiled at them, raising a stack of papers and waving them at the Hestia Familia.
"Who do you think you're talking to?"
Despite their humiliation just now, everyone couldn't help but smile. Solaris took the papers in her hand and went through them. With an approving nod, she threw some chips at Liliruca, who accepted them with a professional nod.
"Oh yeah. It's all coming together."
Bell nodded in determination at Solaris' words. It seemed that the final step of the plan worked out after all. Still, he decided that he was not a fan of playing bait. Not at all.
