Chapter 101 A Heroic Stand
"Money, money, money!" Dorian hummed cheerfully as he exited the Blue Seal Casino, his eyes shining. It felt good to have a huge amount of money in his name.
That said, he felt a little guilty twisting Fate to win. It wasn't exactly fair of him, even if it had been a lot of fun. As a kid, back on Earth, he'd always imagined going to a casino, and magically winning over and over. He hadn't even thought about the ethics of it.
'Well… I won't do it again.' He thought, guilty, ducking his head slightly. He sent a mental apology to all the well-off Wizards or merchants he might've gambled with and beat. He'd try to make up for it in the future, doing good deeds or giving to charity. The poor could use their money far more than they could, most likely.
He tapped on his Spatial Ring. There were more than 150 Million-Mint Shields in there now. With that kind of wealth, he would be able to do quite a lot of things, in addition to all the other unique Pills and Artifacts he'd obtained.
He took a brief moment to look up and down the alley. The sounds of people walking and talking echoed in the distance, visible on the streets to either side.
He frowned. He wasn't looking forward to the constant attention and being stared at. His Grakon form was really a poor choice.
"Hmm." Dorian walked off to the side of the alley. He glanced up and down it.
It was clear.
'Red Salamander Form, go!' He'd started to find it easier to switch forms if he mentally named them.
'Condense! Ausra, suppress my growth!'
A split second later, Dorian's body transformed, his clothes falling away to the floor.
Revealing a small, adorable looking red lizard, wearing a small Spatial Ring on its right arm, with a Spatial Pouch looped around its back.
skitter skitter
The small, baby Red Salamander took off across the ground and sank its claws into the side of the florist building. Dorian scaled it in a split second, his body blurring as it soared up the side of the building.
In just a few moments he was secure on the roof. It was mostly empty, with a few large chimneys set into place, and some large wooden billboards on the front of the roof area, advertising the magic florist shop.
Dorian walked out in front of the billboard, looking out across the city area.
Hundreds of people moved to and fro, going about their daily business. In the center of the city, the hubbub was loud. Everyone had something to do, from the urchins running around on various errands to the businessmen going to meetings, planning out the deliveries of supplies.
Oceapal City was a trader's town, and a travelers town, first and foremost. There were always new faces to see, from people traveling on and off world.
'Hmm. I can maintain this form for a while, thanks to my increased energy stores. Still, I think I'll switch to my Ifrit form. It's also a bit noticeable, but should stand out less.' His towering Grakon form was too out of place.
"Just out here." A voice rang out behind Dorian, startling him. He turned to look under the billboard, his tiny lizard feet pittering and pattering.
There was a hidden entrance on the roof that he hadn't seen. Part of the roof itself opened up, revealing a wooden trapdoor set into it. A wooden ladder could be seen, edging up slightly.
From this ladder emerged the obese Nightlord that had stood watch over the Fate Wizard, when she was checking the table.
'Huh? What are they doing here? Did my soul draw them up?' He wondered, staring at them. He held still, making his presence as small as possible.
A moment later, a second figure emerged from the roof.
A well dressed elderly Vampire in a long black robe. The Aeth Vampire that Dorian had won his bet with and subsequently angered.
"So what is this business you have to discuss, hmm?" The elderly Vampire's voice rasped out. Dorian made sure to keep absolutely still, not daring to move an inch. Vampires had very powerful sensory abilities.
"Lord Ru, that is your name, correct?" The obese Nightlord Javel began, gesturing respectfully.
"Ru Nice, yes, though I sometimes go by my middle name, Debut. You may call me Ru." The old Vampire was a bit eccentric, Dorian thought, watching as he brushed at his robe. A heavy, deathly Aura could be seen around him, ever so faintly. The evening light was fading, but Dorian could still see clearly.
"Lord Ru, I wish to make a mutual transaction with you." Javel responded, his eyes glinting.
"It's come to my knowledge that you and I both have a common target we despise. That brutish Minotaur. Through methods unknown, the creature managed to not only cheat you, but my casino as well."
"I knew it! That damned beast!" The Vampire stomped his foot down angrily, his fists clenching as he continued,
"Oceapal still has its law-abiding City Lord, does it not? And a troop of Lord Class warriors and Wizards. This is a crime of the highest order!"
"Err, yes, about that." The Obese Nightlord shrugged.
"The City Lord of Oceapal, Lord Buick, is a Lord Class Wizard as you are aware. As one of the most important cities on the continent, Lord Buick is a Pseudo-King expert with a talented troop of his own behind him."
"That said… he also happens to abhor gambling, and has made it illegal in Oceapal." The Nightlord shrugged,
"Hence why my Blue Seal Casino is rather hidden. He is aware of its existence, but as long as we remain off the streets, he takes no action. That also means that he will take no public action to aid us."
"Ah." Lord Ru squinted at the obese man, and then held his hands out at a loss.
The obese Nightlord continued,
"However, that doesn't mean we can't take actions into our own hands." He dry-washed his hands as he spoke, grinning nefariously.
"Go on… I'm listening." The old Aeth Vampire said, his eyes narrowing.
"We know where the beast is staying and going. He has a room at the Bakin Bell Inn, and is set to travel on a flying ship with the Skycrosser Travel Company tomorrow at noon."
"We estimate his strength to be around the middle of Lord Class. My casino's forces, including myself and several hired Lord Class warriors, can't exactly go about attacking people freely, not with Lord Buick standing over the city." The obese Wizard shrugged,
"You, however, are a free agent. A passerby. A dispute between you and another unknown traveller, especially another Lord Class traveller, would resolve, at worse, with you being expelled from the territory."
The obese Wizard nodded and continued,
"I will have my men provide you with full support and intelligence, including several useful Artifacts to make everything as easy as possible. All I ask from you is that you return a third of what the beast pilfered."
A quiet pause as the Aeth Vampire stared at the human, listening to his words.
Dorian's eyes gleamed coldly as he saw this go down. So it was all a plot to murder him, and take what he rightfully won, he thought, ignoring the fact that he had, indeed, actually twisted Fate to win.
According to Ausra, when his soul twisted Fate, it should be near enough to undetectable. He hadn't wanted to test it, but what the obese Wizard was saying now was obviously lies. He was clearly being set up.
"So? What do you say? We have to act quickly. You get your revenge, and a good deal of wealth, and my casino gets most of what we lost back. A win for everyone. I have no way of double-crossing you, not with Lord Buick in the vicinity." Javel held out his hand, grinning at the Vampire.
"Partners?"
What happened next caught Dorian completely by surprise.
The Aeth Vampire smiled and took the Nightlord's hand.
THUD
"ARRRGH!"
The obese Nightlord yelled out in pain as the Vampire clamped down and pulled his wrist out of socket, throwing him to the side.
The fat on the body of the overweight Wizard jiggled as he crashed into the roof, throwing up splinters of wood.
In just seconds, six Lord Class warriors appeared, all of them hired mercenaries set to guard the Blue Seal Casino and protect the head Wizard.
"What kind of person do you think I am?" The deathly Aura around the Vampire Wizard flared up.
"I'm not just going to murder someone for beating me at cards and losing a pair of bets, especially if you don't have any proof of them cheating. We all saw that Fate Siphon come up with nothing."
"I don't know how you run your casino, but I don't wantonly kill people just because I desire their wealth."
Dorian nearly teared up, completely shocked by the Aeth Vampire's actions.
'I misjudged you.' He nodded in solidarity at the old Vampire. 'You may be a bit of an ass, but you aren't a bad person.'
The obese Nightlord twisted to stand up, his face a mask of pain. A deathly Aura of his own wrapped around him as he glared at his attacker. He rubbed at his wrist, setting it painfully back into its socket.
"You bastard." His eyes flashed darkly. A blue flash of light shot from his hand.
Instantly, a crystalline barrier surrounded the roof of the Blue Seal Casino, blocking it off from the outside.
"You will do what I want, whether you like it or not." Nightlord Javel's voice was cold and cruel as he smiled grimly at the Aeth Vampire. Energy flowed around him, a black, deathly Aura. Similar in kind to the one the Aeth Vampire held.
Blue energy and light began to swarm around the crystalline barrier, giving off a feeling of solidness, as if this barrier was extremely tough and durable.
The Aeth Vampire saw this all, his eyes darkening. He clasped his hands together, black energy forming around his wrists.
Meanwhile, the six Lord Class warriors stepped forward slowly, holding their swords out in front of them. Blue light surrounded them covering their bodies in a protective layer.
"Hahahaha. This is my home turf, Vampire. There is a reason my casino is known as the Blue Seal Casino. A Grand Seal surrounds it, one that gives me a huge advantage, allowing me to manipulate or block off energy. It cost me nearly 120 Million-Mint Shields to commission the creation of this Artifact. You can't break through it." His voice was cold and cruel, full of mirth.
"You've lost your chance to work with me willingly. Surrender yourself now, and I will spare you and treat you fairly." The Nightlord motioned with his hands.
Immediately, the six human Lord Class mercenaries surrounded the Aeth Vampire.
Lord Ru's eyes gleamed darkly.
"Like hell I will, not to you vile beasts." His voice was aged but full of unrelenting pride.
The Nightlord shrugged,
"Then you will die, and I'll make up for my losses with what is left of your belongings."
The tension of the moment reached an incredible peak, a lopsided battle about to break out.
At that exact moment, the billboard on the front of the roof shivered and fell over with a loud thump.
The warriors, Nightlord, and Aeth Vampire all paused, turning to look towards the source of the noise.
Revealing a proudly standing Dorian, returned to his Grakon form as he puffed out his chest and glared at the evil Nightlord.
"Stop right there, criminal scum!" His voice bellowed out, full of justice and might. He readied himself to attack, going over the form's he could use without drawing too much attention.
There was no way he could let the Aeth Vampire be captured or die. Not after all that.
The groups all just stared at Dorian in shock, their eyes wide.
'Hold on a second…' He thought, his heart dropping.
A sinking premonition hit him as he glanced down.
Revealing his perfectly proportioned and muscular, but also highly naked, Grakon body.
"Dammit, not again!"
.