Chapter 100 Building Up
"Esmerelda, check it now."
"As you command, milord."
Dorian watched it all, his face emotionless. Not that it mattered, in retrospect, considering his face was that of a bull. It wasn't exactly easy to read emotion on.
'My soul twisting Fate shouldn't leave any traces in Fate… right? But what if it does?' His thoughts were thrown into disarray at the thought.
'Oh, wait.' He paused, coming to a realization.
'Why don't I just change the Fate of the device checking for changes in Fate?' He smiled internally,
'They can't find any traces I might leave in Fate if I change Fate every time they look. Heh.'
Dorian stared at the magical artifact bowl, his eyes darting towards it for an instant.
'Show a result of nothing…'
WHOOSH
–
Dorian – Soul Status
Soul Stage: Lord (Middle)
Health: Perfect
Energy: 36,829/39,993
–
'About 1,500 points… This is starting to drain me.'
Using his Will to twist Fate was not an easy thing to do, even with all the practice Dorian had manipulating his Will in that mental prison. Because of that practice, he was able to fluidly and smoothly use Will to get exactly what he wanted.
However, that was only in a calm environment. Using his Will in battle took far more concentration and was far more likely to fail. He found it much easier to just fight using his Abilities.
'Maybe I need more combat practice.' He hadn't been able to fight anything at all in his mental prison.
The bowl of water that the Fate Wizard was holding began to glow lightly as Dorian watched. It fluttered and moved, small waves flashing on its surface.
All the bystanders watched this tensely. Some exchanged knowing glances, others looked at the bowl and then to Dorian curiously.
The Aeth Vampire had a hopeful smirk on his face while the rest of the gamblers at the table were simply curious.
whoosh
The bowl of blue water fluttered with light, and then gradually turned a pale, grey color.
"Huh."
"Well, I'll be."
"Guess he wasn't using magic."
The audience tittered again at the results, the tension that had built up slowly fading off.
"Grey light indicates that Fate Magic has not been used to alter anything at this table…" Esmerelda's voice was slow as she spoke, staring at the results with a hint of confusion.
"See? I play fair and square." Dorian held his hands up confidently. He didn't know if messing with Fate from his soul would show up, but it looked like he didn't need to find out.
"You still scored two perfect 25's in a row!" The Vampire sputtered.
"So? You scored two 24's in a row." Dorian returned.
The Aeth Vampire sputtered again, glaring at Dorian. It was true that they'd both scored the same number twice in a row.
"That doesn't mean you didn't use sleight-of-han-"
"With what? The deck is magic, right? Ask the dealer." Dorian waved at the attendant.
"No cards were altered, and every card returns to me after a game is finished. It is impossible to cheat the house." The attendant nodded, his words convincing.
The Aeth Vampire held his hands up in surrender, angrily standing up from the table. He gave Dorian one last venomous look before stalking off, heading towards a different table.
Dorian watched him go with amusement. It was his just desserts for being rude.
–
Stored Sum: 44 Million-Mint Gold Shields
–
He smiled as he looked down at his Winnings Card.
"Now, would anyone else care to continue?"
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
"Ugh, this heat is godawful." Trajan wiped a sheen of sweat from his forehead as he took his first steps off the World Bridge, looking around at the barren landscape.
"I find it quite comfortable myself. Just imagine yourself being lightly sautéed in a crisp, fiery grill, imagine the flavors, why I-"
"Shut up, you heavens-forsaken Anomaly. Can you think of anything BESIDES food?" Trajan turned to glare at the Anomaly named Xaphan, his eyes bloodshot.
The Anomaly bore a demonic appearance but wasn't actually a Demon. He was an Ain Energy Elemental, a powerful creature that had an internal Energy Core. It mattered little, though, considering the Ain Energy Elementals were also an extinct race.
"Quiet, you two." Helena rebuked the duo as the rest of the group moved forward, looking around at the fire-covered landscape. She wore a set of prim, black leather pants and a shirt, clinging tightly to her petite but muscular body. Several other Vampires stood near her, the Wizards that were helping them track their target.
They had arrived on Magmor.
Great spouts of lava blasted into the sky from the Magma Sea all around them, the air itself vibrating with natural power.
"How much lava can you cut with your swordplay, Brother Aron?"
"I know not, Brother Probus."
The last duo of the team walked at the rear, glancing around the hellish landscape.
Helena turned to one of the tracking Wizards.
"We've arrived on the world they should be heading towards." She began, nodding,
"When should we expect the Shade Anomaly and troop to arrive?"
One of the Vampire Blood Trackers, a middle-aged Vampire wearing a full set of red robes, stepped forward.
"Within the next 4 days. It could be in 2 days, it could be in 4. The exact time is uncertain, but they should arrive on Magmor soon." His voice was raspy.
Helena nodded, running her fingers through her hair.
"Why are they here, on Magmor? Are they actually hunting for something? Are they here for the Ascension Ruins?" Some of her Wizards had raised a theory, based on the intelligence they gained, that the Anomaly was hunting for a target of some sort, one that had fled to Magmor. Others believed they were attempting to break into the legendary Ascension Ruins.
She sighed,
"Whatever. Everyone ready yourselves. We are going to prepare to move towards one of the Six Oasis Cities, the Blackwater Oasis City is close to this World Bridge." Helena waved off into the distance. Vaguely, at least several dozen miles away, a large pillar of land could be seen, rising into the air far above the Magma Sea. It was reminiscent of the plateaus that existed all over Taprisha.
"Let's move out!"
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Several thousand meters away from Helena, a pair of figures watched the team of Anomalies and Vampires move, their eyes narrowed.
"So that's them." The speaker was a man whose entire right side of his body was made of pure, crystalline diamond.
"Yes." A gaunt-looking woman said, tugging at the hem of her long blue dress in distaste. Red dust stained the bottom of it, the haze that was present everywhere in Magmor dirtying her clothes.
"Alright. I'll send word to my Department Head, and to His Majesty Telmon." The man with a face that was half-diamond responded, his eyes flashing.
"Let us capture these Anomalies in the name of the Borrel Autarchy." His voice was grand, though quiet as he needed to remain hidden. Raw zeal and patriotism filled the undertones of his words.
"What if the Vampires resist? They appear to be allied with them. I recognize two of them from the Aurelius Reavers." The gaunt woman questioned, rubbing her chin.
The half-diamond man shrugged,
"Then we kill them too. We are, technically, still at war with them." His eyes flashed,
"The rule of the Borrel Autarchy is inevitable."
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
"Hehehehe." Dorian laughed to himself as he looked at his Winnings Card, barely able to conceal his glee.
–
Stored Sum: 144 Million-Mint Gold Shields
–
'144 Million Gold Coins!'
It was a ridiculous sum. Far more wealth than he had ever held in his life.
While such a sum might not be too large to a random King Class Wizard, to Dorian, who was technically only at the middle of Lord Class, it was a vast amount. With this much money, he could buy a huge amount of supplies, and even look into purchasing Natural Treasures, extremely rare bloodlines, and powerful Artifacts.
Further, Million-Mint Shields were magical in, and of, themselves. With 144 of them, he'd be able to use them to help study the laws of the universe if he wished.
'Well, I'll get to that when I get to that. I still need to pick a Law, after all.' He shrugged at the thought.
He glanced down at his Spatial Ring, another smile appearing on his face. He had also acquired a large number of random Lord Class Pills, several odd but unique Artifacts, and a plethora of Gold Shields of various sums.
He already had 15 Million-Mint Gold Shields.
'I'm a millionaire now. My dreams of wealth know no bounds.' He shook his head at his own thoughts.
He had, essentially, cleaned out several Wizards and guests here in the casino. The number of irritated or angry stares he got from inside the casino was near limitless as he looked around.
Dorian had been careful, using his Will sparingly. He made sure he lost several times, and only just won more than he lost. Still, he'd gained quite a notable sum, a huge store of treasure.
'Hmm. I think it's time to go.' He nodded to himself. If he stayed any longer, several of the other guests might explode with rage at him.
"Best wishes, Captain Bim." He gave a friendly nod to one of the few gamblers that was still at the table. The human warrior that had stood on Dorian's side when he had been accused of cheating. Just because of that, he had helped the Captain win several bets of his own.
"And to you too, friend Dorian!" The Captain said cheerfully, giving Dorian a big smile. He was in a great mood.
Dorian stood up, leaving the splendor of the grand room as he walked towards the entrance. He checked the Winnings Card in his hand, ready to leave.
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
"How could it show up with no result?!" The obese Nightlord Javel slammed his fist down on a table inside the room he used to spy on his guests, his voice full of rage. The scantily clad girls that were here previously were nowhere to be seen, vanished in the wake of his anger.
"I don't know, milord." Esmerelda said, her voice cool,
"As I have said, repeatedly, I altered Fate directly, but it failed. Fate Magic is not perfect, after all. However, this should still have shown up in the Fate Siphon." She held her hands up, at a loss.
"I know, I know." Javel said, rubbing at his eyes.
"The Minotaur guest is leaving." Esmerelda abruptly changed the subject, her eyes showing a bit of relief. The Nightlord of the casino had been raging on about this for the past several minutes.
"His Winnings Card, from his checkout at the front, appears to bear a total of 144 Million-Min-"
"144 Million-Mint Shields?! Are you serious?!" Javel jumped up and down, his obese body jiggling.
"Ridiculous! He's cleaning us out! Arrrgh!"
Javel had run his business smartly over the years. It was how he reached such a position of power. He didn't cheat his guests, much, and he kept things within balance. If someone was on a losing streak, he'd toss them a win through Fate. If someone was on a winning streak, he'd throw them a loss.
With the huge number of travelers they saw, their exact practices mattered little. There would always be new players and new guests.
Javel abruptly calmed down, his eyes flashing as he regained his composure. He was not a child, to be throwing a fit over and over. He was a powerful expert.
His eyes narrowed,
"Is that Aeth Vampire still here, Esmerelda?"
"Yes, milord, though he appears to be readying himself to leave." She responded.
Javel's eyes flashed darkly,
"Good. As he checks out, send him word through the attendant. Have him told that I wish to meet up with him on the roof, to discuss a piece of vital business."
.