Riddleport was home to pirates, thugs, and criminals that didn't bother to hide themselves from the public. The city itself was led by the crime lords with the Overlord being the most powerful of them with the position typically obtained by killing the previous one. The guards that enforce Riddleport's laws were mercenaries that could be swayed with enough gold. Many followers of Iomedae likely wouldn't stick around Riddleport for long but Ryland was different. He had been trained by the clergy to be an agent of the Inheritor, one that could walk a dark path for the greater good.

Yet it was not criminals that brought Ryland to Riddleport. The crimes mortals committed were a small sin compared to conspiring with the forces of Hell. Korvosa had already fallen to infernal influence and even held a temple to Asmodeus and it was only a matter of time before the devils claimed the rest of Varisia. Ryland found himself in Riddleport as a way to fight back against the devil's expansion. Some would call him paranoid but he knew better than to listen to those that would.

At first, there wasn't much work to be done, but Ryland had a lead on a gambling tournament happening tonight that was themed around Hell. It could be possible that such a decision was for a rather poor decoration theme but he couldn't leave that to chance. Ryland would find out the truth one way or another, even if it meant indulging in the sin of greed by taking part in the tournament himself.

Ryland stood outside of the Gold Goblin Gambling Hall, watching the citizens walk past the building with only a few entering. The casino had seen better days with the large half-dome brass atop the building tarnished with a greenish brown color. Standing in front of the building was a golden statue of a large goblin leaning on a dogslicer with a smug look. Ryland had doubts that the statue was made of actual gold but figured that it would lure people in to throw their gold away.

Before entering the gambling hall, Ryland looked up at the sky one last time. Even with the sun starting to set, he could make out the shadowy blot that had appeared in the sky. No one quite knew what the strange blot was, and although it intrigued him, he didn't investigate the matter himself. He lacked the skills and magic to deal with the blot if it turned out to be more than an ominous sign. If the shadow turned out to be a threat, the cyphermages would be able to deal with it.

Slowly, Ryland stepped forward and passed through the main doors into the Gold Goblin. He found himself on the casino floor and stood on red carpet. The room was lit by numerous chandeliers hanging from the cloth-drapped ceiling and copper braziers spaced throughout the room with the latter giving off a reddish tint from the burning coals. Banners of silk were hung throughout the walls and the windows were covered by blinds.

Ryland watched a man walk away from the registration table that was manned by two attractive women wearing scandalous clothing along with fake bat wings and devil horns. Behind them was a crowd of patrons, bouncers, and waitresses dressed in similar revealing clothing serving drinks. Although the tournament hadn't started yet, some of the patrons were already testing their luck. There were two guards in particular, shirtless and armed with scimitars, that stood alongside a chest that was filled with silver. That was the prize that the patrons were seeking to win from the tournament.

Although Ryland was almost ready to dismiss his concerns about the gambling hall being aligned with Hell, he took notice of a birdcage hanging from the ceiling. Within the cage wasn't a bird but a small creature with dark skin, batlike wings and a pointy tail. A typical paladin of Iomedae would likely take out their sword and start a fight at the sight of the devil. Yet, even though Ryland had his sword sheathed by his side, he didn't reach for his weapon. The imp was trapped within the cage, and although he knew that he would have to destroy it, he would bide his time for the right moment.

Instead, Ryland approached the registration table and the two women smiled at him in a charming manner.

"Good evening, sir," the first woman greeted. "Are you here to cheat the Devil and steal his gold?"

"Succubi are demons, not devils," Ryland flatly said.

"Sir?" the first woman blinked in confusion.

"In fact, demons and devils are enemies with one another. They wouldn't consort with any kind of devil."

The second woman rolled her eyes, growing impatient. "Are you here for the tournament or what?"

"I am," Ryland nodded.

The first woman, never losing her smile, slides forward a piece of parchment. "Then you will need to sign your immortal soul away, along with ten silver. Here's the contract that you'll need to sign with all of the rules in place."

Ryland glanced down at the parchment, carefully going through the parchment. He didn't care enough to read the exact wording and was only interested in seeing if it was an infernal contract. While it seemed that the owner of the Gold Goblin didn't know enough about the lower planes, it was better to be safe than to sign away without hesitation. After confirming that the parchment was just a piece of paper explaining the rules and that his soul wasn't at risk, Ryland reached for a quill and signed his name across the spot the woman pointed at.

"Ten silver," Ryland said and placed the coins on the table. "Although your boss may wish to know that this document doesn't actually allow one to sign their soul away."

"Like we asked about that," the second woman said and crossed her arms.

"If you would like, we could take your sword and secure it safely in the cloakroom along with your hat," the first woman offered, batting her eyelashes.

"I wouldn't like that at all," Ryland answered and walked off into the casino floor.

Ryland could hear the two whispering about him behind his back but he didn't care for their gossip. He was never known for his people skills back at his church despite his instructors explaining that his blunt nature might ruffle people the wrong way. Ryland wasn't at the Gold Goblin to make friends but to scout for potential threats, and he wasn't going to give up his sword while following his duty. Fortunately, Riddleport had few laws on people carrying weapons in public so he wasn't breaking any laws. Even giving up his brimmed hat would be exposing him, as while it wasn't magical like some hats were, the act of giving it away would show trust when he had none to offer.

At this point, Ryland had to wait for the tournament to start and he wouldn't do so gambling like some of the other competitors. Instead, he pushed his way through a small crowd and toward another room, taking note of a bar that was crowded. Still, Ryland was able to find an open seat by the edge next to a dwarf and claimed the seat before someone else could. There were mirrored shelves holding glassware as well as different kegs behind the bar. The barkeeper behind the bar, dressed as a succubus like the rest of the female staff, approached him with a smile.

"Welcome to the Goblin's Tankard. Might I interest you in trying Riddleport Brandy?"

"You may not," Ryland shook his head and placed a silver coin on the bar's counter. "Water will do."

"Very well," the barkeeper said and took the coin.

"You should have gone for the brandy. It's not that bad and you look like you could use a cup of it."

Ryland glanced towards the dwarf seated next to him and frowned at his advice. The dwarf wore a sleeveless tunic along with a pair of leather pants bound with a red strap and a pair of hardy boots. His ginger hair was long and tied back into a thick ponytail and his beard, which fell down to his chest, was neatly braided. Although the dwarf had no weapon, Ryland was quick to note how muscular his exposed arms were. There was no doubt in his mind that this dwarf was a warrior of some kind, or perhaps a thug. Ryland imagined that one punch from the dwarf would be enough to knock a grown man off his feet.

At first, Ryland was cautious, thinking that the dwarf had ill intent despite his neutral tone. If he was a participant in the gambling tournament, it could be that he was trying to get his competition drunk. However, those thoughts went away quickly when he looked into the dwarf's hazel eyes. Ryland had a talent when it came to reading people and he could tell that the dwarf wasn't out for sabotage. In fact, he sensed that he was trying to help in his own way.

Ryland didn't need help and turned away from the dwarf. "I don't drink."

"You should," the dwarf said. "You're tense, too tense. People are here to waste their gold and have fun doing so. There'll be some losers tonight, sure, but there isn't anything to worry about. It's not like your betting your life savings tonight."

"There's always a threat lying in wait somewhere," Ryland said, watching the barkeeper return with his glass of water instead of the dwarf. "Only a fool thinks he's safe in a building that has a caged imp."

The dwarf laughed for a moment. "And yet you're still here when it would be safer to leave."

"That I am," Ryland said, accepting the glass from the barkeeper. "As are you?"

With a shrug, the dwarf downed his brandy. "I'm feeling lucky tonight but not about the tournament. If all goes well, the Gold Goblin's going to bounce back on its feet and will need new dealers, servers, and bouncers. All I have to do is be in the right place at the right moment and I'll have a new job."

"That you will," Ryland said took a quick drink from his cup of water."

"I take it you don't have too many friends," the dwarf extended his hand toward Ryland. "Maybe it's time you loosened up a little and made one. The name's Belar."

"Ryland Merdosk."

Belar waited a few seconds, and after seeing Ryland sip from his water without reaching for the handshake, lowered his hand. "Still, you should follow my advice. Relax a little and try not to look so out of place. Plenty of other gamblers will be drinking tonight so you won't have anything to lose."

"I don't drink."

Belar laughed again. "That you don't, my friend."

Ryland shook his head quietly at the dwarf's words. Belar was correct in realizing that he didn't have any friends. Back at his home church, he had peers to talk about the matters of faith with but never got to know anyone on a personal level. Ryland wasn't too bothered by the matter. He didn't care much for small talk, and while it didn't help that he didn't have much to share about himself, he didn't really care enough for casual conversation unless there was something he needed to know.

Belar might think that they were friends from their short conversation but Ryland didn't have room in his life for friends. His faith and service would always come before any personal friendships and relationships and he had no problem with that.

Sarek could hear the crowd for the tournament from his room in the guest wing of the Gold Goblin. It had only been six months since he previously left Riddleport after being rejected from the Order of Cyphers in an attempt to find his own path in Roderic's Cove. He didn't want to tell his parents that he hadn't had better luck outside of his home city, and when he returned to research the blot in the sky, he needed to find somewhere to stay. Fortunately, Saul Vancaskerkin, the owner of the Gold Goblin, was willing to provide a room and even offered a free pass for his tournament. Although Sarek wasn't much of a gambler, he thought it would be best to attend if only because his host invited him.

The truth of the matter was he also needed a break from his research. The Order of Cyphers was at a loss for what the shadow over Riddleport was and was asking the general public for help. Sarek intended to find out what the mystery to the element was but not to help the cyphermages. After his rejection, he was content with carving his own path but still wanted to show that the Order of Cyphers made a mistake of denying him an apprenticeship. If he could find out what the shadow was, he would have secured his reputation as an independent scholar and the opportunities would present themselves in no time.

Sarek had finished compiling the notes he had on the blot when he heard a knock on the door. There were only two people that knew would want to visit him and he imagined Saul was busy managing his business. That only left his research partner, Tessara Canthor. While the Order of Cyphers was focused on investigating the blot through arcane means only, Sarek knew that there was no harm in seeking a second opinion from someone knowledgeable in other kinds of magic. Fortunately, Tess was a druid that he met in Roderic's Cove, and when he asked for her aid in researching the blot, she agreed to come with him to Riddleport.

Once they arrived, it became apparent that Tess had never been in a large city before and Sarek had to bail her out of many minor problems, but that's what friends were for.

Sarek opened the door and smiled when he saw Tess. It came as a surprise that the two were alike to one another such as their slim figures, long dark hair, and similar robes. Yet, while Sarek braided his hair back and tied it into a ponytail, Tess' hair fell down past her shoulder freely. His robes were a bright and vibrant blue that matched the color of the sea while her robes were a subdued green that wasn't out of place in a forest. Sarek was a few inches taller than Tess' and had to angle his head to look down at his friend. While he was content to be unarmed, she had her quarterstaff holstered behind her back and was known to pull it out to use as a walking stick when outside.

Perhaps the biggest difference between the two was that Tess was an elf. Her ears were tall and pointed upward, and much like the rest of her kind, the irises in her eyes were much larger. There was hardly any white in her eyes that were dominantly a shade of dark green. They got along well enough even though Tess was over a century older than he was. Sarek stepped aside, motioning for his friend to enter the room.

"There are a lot of people coming into the Gold Goblin," Tess noted when she stepped inside. "It's getting loud."

"Most of the people are here for Saul's tournament," Sarek reminded his friend and closed the door behind her. "How are you holding up?"

"Well enough, I suppose," Tess answered and her eyes drifted towards the parchment on Sarek's desk. "You've been busy researching the blot."

"That I have," Sarek stepped aside to let Tess look over his notes. "You can read them if you want but they're rather complicated."

"Would you mind explaining the important details you've discovered? Tess asked. "I'd be happy to share what I was able to find out."

Sarek nodded. "Of course. The blot was first discovered by Argentus Blakely, a cyphermage and scholar who spotted it before it became visible to the naked eye. We're fortunate enough that Riddleport has a long history of strange magic happening in the city dating all the way back to the Cyphergate Riddle."

"That's the giant arch over the harbor, right?"

"Right. Even back when Riddleport was first founded, there were old accounts of strange lights in the sky, but nothing quite like the shadow currently above the city. None of the magic traditions can explain the presence of the blot and it doesn't belong to any single school of magic, so it's unlikely to be caused by your typical arcane spell. Blakely believed that it could be a convergence of arcane energy but hasn't tested that theory out for himself."

"Could we ask him to see if we could help him?"

"I'm afraid not," Sarek shook his head. "He's not in Riddleport anymore and I don't know where he is. I'd find a way to test out the theory myself but it's beyond the limits of my power."

While the typical cyphermage learned how to use magic through rigorous study, Sarek was fortunate enough to be born with the power to cast spells innately. He got into a lot of trouble when he was a child yet nothing too terrible. The sorcerer had only recently started to try to expand his powers after leaving Riddleport, and although he was starting to show progress, he had a long way to go before he could consider himself powerful.

"You've learned a lot about the strange blot," Tess complimented but frowned. "I wish I had as much to share as you did."

Sarek waved his hand dismissively. "As long as you learned something that I haven't, you're helping. I imagine that there's something that I missed about it that you picked up simply because you know more about the natural world than I do."

"That may be," Tess nodded with her frown fading away as she took up a stoic expression. "Although there is no analogy to the shadow in nature, I've made several observations. Have you noticed that birds tend to avoid the blot?"

"I didn't even think to consider the flight paths of birds," Sarek chuckled. "It does make sense though."

Tess smiled faintly, gathering up confidence while continuing. "There's more to my observations as well. While the blot does resemble a dark cloud, the wind doesn't seem to affect it as it does a normal cloud."

"Yet people have noticed that it does move. How can that be?"

"From what I can tell, the blot's movement ties to the tides," Tess explained. "It's larger at high tide than it is at low tide, but even then, its size changes at random as well, or at the very least, I hadn't found the proper explanation."

Sarek was glad to have Tess' input into the matter of the blot. He wouldn't even begin to think about how the tides affected the shadow. Although there was still a random element to the blot, Tess was able to make several connections based on what she knew about nature that Sarek wouldn't be able to think of on his own. Of course, the druid didn't write her notes down as he did and the sorcerer reminded himself to make a physical copy of Tess' discoveries after the tournament.

"We're making good progress on the blot," Sarek told Tess with a smile. "You've done a great job."

"As have you," Tess smiled widely and glanced aside. "There's one more thing I've found out but not through any observations."

"Is that so?" Sarek asked with a raised eyebrow. "I hope you haven't gotten into more trouble getting this."

Tess shook her head quickly. "It's nothing like that, I promise. Before we left Roderic's Cove, I sent a message to my teacher back in the Mierani Forest about the blot and have just received a letter from him. He tried scrying into the blot's purpose but wasn't able to find out much other than that it's connected to someone or something in the city."

"Really?" Sarek gasped with wide eyes. "There's been speculation about that but this is confirmation that it is the case and we're one of the few, if not the only ones, who know it to be sure."

"I'm afraid there's more to it," Tess said with a frown. "My teacher also mentioned that whatever the blot was, it's not a good sign. He believes that something terrible may happen to Riddleport in the near future."

Sarek frowned alongside the druid, taking in the urgency of her mentor's wording. Given how unknown the blot was, it could be possible that Riddleport was in more danger than people believed. There were those who thought the shadow was an ill omen but felt safe enough to stay in the city. Sarek's thoughts drifted to leaving Riddleport with Tess while they still could.

Yet, the temptation of being the one to find out the cause of the blot was too much to resist. If he could find the cause of the shadow, put an end to it before something bad happened, and proved that he did all of that, all of Riddleport would know the name of Sarek Vecell.

"This is a serious matter yet we can't abandon the people of Riddleport when we could help," Sarek told Tess. "Tomorrow, we'll start thinking about ways to narrow down what could be causing the blot."

"Should we inform the leadership of the city?" Tess asked and clasped her hands together in front of her.

"No, or at least, not yet. The Overlord is paying gold for information on the shadow but we don't have enough yet. Once we get something that no one else knows about, such as the cause of it, then we'll consider going to the leadership."

"Then could we not start searching tonight? I can stay up for a few hours longer."

"I would hate to disappoint Saul by not attending his tournament after he personally invited me," Sarek said, smirking when he pulled the invitation out from his sleeve. "If you want, you could try to ask around the gambling hall to see if anyone knows anything."

The thought of interacting with strangers was enough for Tess' face to go pale. "I think I'll wait for you."

"Tomorrow it is then," Sarek said, stepping towards the door. "I should get going. I know gambling isn't your thing so you can stay in my room until the crowd clears out if that makes you feel any better."

Tess hesitated for a moment before speaking. "If it's not a problem, I'd be content to watch."

"Are you sure?" Sarek asked, looking over his shoulder at his friend. "There'll be plenty of spectators tonight but I know that you don't deal well with crowds."

"Which is something I should try to get used to," Tess told Sarek half-heartedly. "Please, lead the way."

Sarek could tell that Tess wasn't confident staying in the Gold Goblin but knew well enough that she would try. He couldn't tell if it was because she was sincere in wanting to improve herself or because she didn't want to be alone. She was open about her difficulties in adjusting to life in the city and the sorcerer knew that she didn't have any friends other than him around. It was something that they would have to look into addressing one day, but for now, he would do his best to compete in the tournament and make sure Tess was fine being surrounded by people.

The two left Sarek's room and walked down the hallway towards the noisy crowd. Tess followed closely behind Sarek, who strode toward the casino floor confidently. He didn't think that he was going to win the tournament but he knew that when the night was over, he would have fun and lasting memories.

By the time the windows began to darken with twilight, several men entered the gambling hall. They each carried torches shaped like pitchforks that had burning straw shaped like a head impaled through the blade. Sarek had to give credit to Saul when it was due: he certainly knew how to put on a show. The Gold Goblin employees used their torches to light several other braziers spread throughout the room with the infernal hue and heat of the flames continuing to continue the hellish theme. To his side, Tess held onto her quarterstaff, now unholstered, tightly as she leaned into. It was a nervous tic of hers to help calm her down, and thankfully, her staff resembled a walking staff so that no one questioned her having it out. Sarek guessed that there could be as many as a hundred gamblers ready to compete given how crowded the casino floor was.

The crowd grew quiet as a man entered the room, accompanied by two gorgeous women dressed like succubi. Sarek recognized Saul due to several distinct features. Saul was notably shorter than the typical man with both Sarek and Tess taller than him. His graying and thinning black hair was slicked backwards and golden chains covered his chest. He wore a formal suit that fitted him nicely and was adjusted to accommodate his missing left hand. Instead of a hand, Saul had an oddly-shaped key affixed to the stump on his arm. Sarek was always curious as to how the owner of the Gold Goblin lost his hand but knew better than to pry about a sensitive matter.

Saul walked to a podium to the chest that the gamblers would compete for, which was now covered in gold chains. He bowed before the crowd, cleared his throat, and addressed everyone in attendance.

"Welcome, everyone to the Gold Goblin Gambling Hall, for your chance to not only cheat the Devil and win your soul back but also to steal all of his gold as well," Saul said, patting the chest next to him. I hope you found your reception by the Devil's lovely temptresses to be entertaining."

Several of the men in the crowd laugh with a few whistling. Next to Sarek, Tess frowned.

"I don't care much for Saul," she whispered to her friend.

"Saul knows how to put on a show and how to keep people coming to throw their money away," Sarek told Tess quietly. "That's all there is to it."

"And let's take a moment to thank Old Scratch himself for attending this event," Saul said and gestured up toward the birdcage that held the imp. "Not only did he loan us these lovely, dark angels, but he also emptied the deepest vaults of Hell to provide the prize for this tournament. Of course, he plans on replacing what he stole with the souls of those of you who don't win."

The imp, Old Scratch, started to rattle against his cage's bars and screamed in a harsh and guttural language. The audience started to cheer at the imp's antics and Tess shook her head in disapproval. Sarek wasn't sure if Old Scratch was in on Saul's act or not but he wasn't too bothered. In his mind, an imp was just a pest that came from Hell but he didn't think his friend would see his line of thought.

"Trust me, but compared to some of the crime lords in Riddleport, Saul having an imp is nothing," Sarek whispered.

Tess crossed her arms but remained silent, watching Saul when he began to explain the rules of the tournament.

"As you play, you'll earn chips, and with these chips, you'll be able to bribe your way out of the Hell you're in and work your way down deeper until you reach Old Scratch's treasury. As of now, all of you are prisoners in the first Hell, Avernus, and if you want to work your way down to the ninth circle, you'll need to win games. Each time you win a game, you'll be awarded a golden eye, and if you come in second, you'll earn a silver tooth while third place wins a copper heart. These bits of flesh are what the devils in Hell use as currency so you'll need them to bribe your way into the next layer of hell. The first one to reach Nessus, the lowest layer of hell, not only keeps their winnings but also wins their soul back and the ten thousand silver coins Old Scratch put up for the tournament!"

"I'm glad I'm not competing," Tess muttered quietly. "There are a lot of rules to keep up with and the symbolism isn't helping."

"I think a lot of people here will care less about the complexity of the rules and more about the prize," Sarek said with a smirk.

"You can, of course, cash out at any time, but if you do, or if you run out of money, that means Old Scratch gets you!" Saul exclaims and the imp starts to rattle in his cage loudly again. "And that earns you the Devil's Mark and an escort out of the casino floor until the tournament is over. And what is the Devil's Mark you ask? It's the forfeiture of your soul of course! But allow me to show you what it is. The gods know I more than deserve the Devil's Mark. In fact, better make it two! Girls!"

The two ladies acting as Saul's succubi lean over to him and each press a kiss on his cheek with their ruby-red lips. They pulled away, showing very visible red markings on his face from where they kissed him. At the very least, Sarek had something to look forward to when he cashed out (not that he would say so in front of Tess).

"The Devil's Mark, everyone!" Saul cried out to a flurry of cheers mainly from the men. "Now, let's cheat the Devil and steal his gold!"

"Good luck, Sarek," Tess said as the crowd started to separate for the different gambling tables. "I'll be around if you need me."

"Of course," Sarek nodded and looked at the different tables, looking for an opening. "And if you need anything, let me know."

With Tess nodding in silence, Sarek made his way to the first available table. He had a chance to play a few of the games at the Gold Goblin, and based on the amulet and deck of cards that was in front of the dealer, the table he joined was a game of Golem. The game was similar to poker with a few additional rules and Sarek knew enough to get by. He gave a quick nod to the dealer and smiled at her when he took his seat at the table.

"Evening," Sarek greeted.

"Good evening, sir," the dealer smiled back. "We'll begin in just a moment once we receive a few more players."

"We won't have to wait for long."

Sarek and the dealer both turned to face the new arrival, a woman in dark leather that took a seat next to Sarek. Her pale face was framed by short dark hair with elf ears poking out. However, given that her ears were shorter than Tess' ears, he figured that she was a half-elf, which Riddleport had a small population of. She brushed her bangs aside and smirked confidently.

"You've got this, Keya!" a feminine voice called out from the crowd but Sarek wasn't able to spot the speaker.

The half-elf woman chuckled. "Don't worry about me, Madia. I'm feeling lucky tonight."

"Got room for two more?"

"Of course we do," the dealer nodded. "Come and join us so that we can get started."

Sarek turned to face the two new arrivals, both of whom were men. While one was a muscular dwarf, the other was a slim human with dark hair covered by a brimmed hat and a sword sheathed at his side. The dealer started to pass out several chips to the group that were equal in value to their entry payment. The dwarf looked over Sarek and Keya before speaking.

"I'm Belar, and my friend's Ryland."

"That's Keya and I'm Sarek."

The dwarf nodded. "What game are we playing?"

"The game is Golem," the dealer answered and started to deal out cards. "Have you played before?"

"I've played Golem a lot," Keya grinned. "This isn't my first gambling tournament and I'm going to win."

Sarek and Belar both nodded to show they know the rules while Ryland remained silent. The dealer handed Keya the amulet, meaning that she would be the first one to bet and started the game. At the start of a game of Golem, the dealer would deal five cards to each player who would each have a chance to look over what they had. Sarek took a moment to look over his cards and resisted the urge to grin. He had three sixes, which he felt was a strong hand for the introduction.

With a smirk, Keya betted three chips. Sarek could tell that she was confident and wasn't afraid to show it to the competition and raised the pot with an extra chip. Belar grumbled and threw his cards towards the center of the table, folding. At the very least, Sarek would place third at the game. Ryland looked at his cards and the sorcerer wasn't able to get a read on the man.

After several seconds, the dealer turned to Ryland. "Sir, are you going to match the bet, fold, or raise?"

"Hmm… what does that mean?"

Belar slammed his hand over his own mouth. "Did you really enter a tournament without knowing how to gamble?!"

"This is great!" Keya laughed. "Looks like it's going to come down to you and me, Sarek."

"I guess so," Sarek said but decided to help Ryland. "If you're feeling, push four of your chips forward. If you want to get out while you still can, you fold like your friend."

"Like who?" Ryland questioned and pushed four of his chips forward.

"This is already one of the most memorable games of Golem I've played," Keya commented and matched the previous bets with a single coin.

With the first round of betting over, players now had the chance to discard up to two cards and receive new cards. Any cards discarded would go to the dealer and form the Golem hand, which the winner of the game would have to beat for a chance to earn the entire pot without the house collecting any chips. Keya discarded two cards and her grin didn't falter when she looked at her new hand. Sarek discarded the two cards that weren't his three of a kind and was given two more cards. His eyes glinted when he saw that he had two fours, a full house. There were very few hands that could beat his hand now.

"Sir, would you like to discard any of your cards?" the dealer asked Ryland."

Ryland offered no words but shook his head. The next round of betting began, and much to Sarek's surprise, Keya folded.

"I didn't get the card I wanted," Keya admitted with a shrug. "I'm winning the next round."

"I'll raise," Sarek announced and added one chip to the pot.

Ryland nodded and raised as well with two chips.

It was Sarek's turn and he wasn't sure what to do. Although Ryland said he never played Golem before, he could be bluffing. Sarek had to consider that his remaining competition was playing a long con by posing as an amateur. If he cared about saving what chips he had, Ryland would have folded and moved on to a game he knew. Instead, he stayed in the game and raised the pot to six chips, over half of what he had. Sarek could match, but if Ryland had one of the three hands that could beat a full house, then the sorcerer would be at a disadvantage for the rest of the tournament.

Sarek paid close attention to Ryland's face, trying to see if there was anything subtle in his expression to give an idea of how confident he was. Yet, the sorcerer couldn't get a read on him. His mouth was tightly closed, his breathing was composed, and his gaze was cold. It was the same expression Ryland had when he first arrived at the table. Folding would be safe and leave him with half his chips, but if Ryland's hand was terrible, Sarek would be humiliated. He couldn't afford to make a mistake.

Sarek was so focused on the game that he hadn't noticed that Belar and Keya both spotted something happening on the casino floor.

"You see those men at the Bounder table?" Belar questioned, not caring about interrupting the game he was at.

"With their eyes closed?" Keya asked back to which the dwarf nodded. "How does someone play any game like that?"

Ryland's lips twitched downward for a brief second and he closed his eyes as well. Sarek blinked twice in confusion and realized that he caught onto what was about to happen. The sorcerer stood up from his seat with his eyes closed and shouted out as loudly as he could.

"Close your eyes now!"

Sarek couldn't see what everyone else did but he heard the pop of fireworks followed by screaming throughout the casino floor.

Author Notes: That's right, I'm up with another Pathfinder fanfiction to start off the new year with an adaption of Second Darkness.

Let's get some questions out of the way. Throughout December, I had computer problems that prevented me from continuing Seven Days to the Grave and those problems are solved. I will get back to writing that story throughout 2024, and eventually, in April, I'll continue Burnt Offerings.

As for why I started a new story instead of continuing what I had already, aside from struggling to focus on one project at a time, but it was my plan to write Shadow in the Sky for National Novel Writing Month last time alongside Seven Days to the Grave. However, real life made that impossible, but I still had the notes and drive to write it, so here we are.

And I'll just say regarding this chapter that this is probably the best introduction of characters I've done. It's similar to how I wrote the first chapter for Burnt Offerings but I think it flows a little more naturally. I'm very excited to reveal what's happened in the next chapter.

Until next time.