I loitered in front of The Noble Lady, absentmindedly kicking at the dirt that had accumulated on the ground overnight. It was far too early for me to be up. My mind was still feeling groggy. I badly craved my daily cup of black coffee. I doubted that this gaming world had coffee. OH, WOE WAS ME! I blew on my hands to keep my fingers warm. I started hopping up and down slightly to keep my blood circulating.
"Um, what are you doing?" a voice said suddenly.
I turned around and saw that Amelica had arrived. "It's a light form of exercise back in my world," I explained.
"Ah, okay," the barmaid replied skeptically and quickly changed the topic. "Anyway, the shrine is very close by. Let's go!" Amelica grabbed my left hand and started walking, full steam ahead.
Unlike me, my companion was apparently a morning person. The sunlight kissed her golden hair and fair skin. She was happy and smiling a lot more often. Her gray-blue eyes sparkled like precious gems. This was the "real" Amelica that I was seeing for the first time, away from the workplace and she was even more stunning than I imagined. I guessed that she had to be more guarded and reserved while working inside the common room at The Noble Lady.
True to Amelica's word, the Lucky Shrine was indeed very close by—only two blocks north of the tavern. Since it was very early in the morning, the streets were empty of pedestrians and we were able to walk up the blocks unimpeded. Amelica walked at a very fast pace and I had difficulty keeping up with her. The streets and shops were a blur to me as I focused solely on her receding figure under the light of dawn.
We stopped in front of a shop; from the outside, the place looked indistinguishable from the other shops around the block. There were two old wooden doors with long, silver colored handles. There was no sign above the doors to indicate what the shop sold. Nor were there windows for me to peer inside. However, I could hear sound coming from inside. I focused my attention on the sound and I heard the jingling of coins and rattling of the dice.
I quickly opened the door for Amelica and was rewarded with a smile as she entered. When I joined her inside I saw a place resembling a gambling den. The place was one long hall that was dimly lit by strategically placed lanterns along the walls. There were tables all over the place with dozens of players seated for card games and dice games. If we were still back on Earth, this gambling den would be fined by inspectors from the fire department for over-occupancy.
Amelica paid no heed to these gaming tables as she continued walking toward the back of the hall. Finally, she approached a woman seated behind a black desk. This person had Asiatic features and her age was indeterminable to me. In other words, this Asian lady could be in her twenties or even fifties or older. It was simply impossible for me to tell by her appearance especially when it was so dark indoors.
Amelica bowed deeply to the other woman. "Hello, Sister Selune," she said.
"Welcome back, my child," the priestess replied as she rose from her seat and walked around the desk to approach her guests. She was dressed in a red silk gown decorated with gold trimmings on her sleeves and wore a silver pearl necklace. Her jet-black hair was twirled into a neat and tidy bun behind her head and pinned by an ivory pin. Selune turned to look at me. "Who is your friend?" she asked with great interest as she looked at me up and down to capture every physical detail.
Amelica turned toward me. "This here is Lawrence Eugene Mulligan. Someone tried to rob him on the street yesterday and the fighting that followed would have turned tragic if Lady Luck had not intervened to protect him. Lord Mulligan would like to acknowledge Her protection and make an offering," she explained.
"Yes," I quickly nodded. "In fact, I think I was blessed thrice during the encounter yesterday and I am very thankful to be alive now." I bowed deeply to the priestess.
Sister Selune nodded in acknowledgment. She cupped her hands together and her palms faced upward. "I will accept your offering now," she said.
I fished for the coins in my waistband pocket and decided which one to offer. I quickly made my decision, put the chosen coin in my left hand and dropped it over the priestess' palms. When I pulled my hand away, I heard a gasp from Amelica. I turned to her and saw that her eyes were bulging wide open. I was not surprised by her reaction. After all, I had just donated a platinum piece.
"Are you sure?" Amelica asked in a faint voice. She appeared ready to pass out at any moment.
Sister Selune saw the precious coin in her palm and then stared directly into my eyes. "Why?" she asked in a neutral tone of voice.
I looked back at the priestess and explained slowly. "As I said before, I am alive now only because of the protection of Lady Luck. During my melee, I made a critical attack even though my chance of making it was only at 2%. I made a Dexterity saving throw when my opponent tried to stab me in the heart. A friend of mine happened to walk by on the street and intervened to stop my opponent. I was thrice blessed by Lady Luck and I think my life is worth at least one platinum coin." I tried very hard not to grin like an idiot at that last remark.
The priestess nodded and the platinum coin quickly disappeared from her hand. She took two small steps toward me and stood right in front of me. She was actually a head shorter than me. Her eyes were black but sparkled like stars in the sky. She grabbed my chin with her right hand and turned my head to the right.
Before I knew it, I felt a hot breath on my left cheek.
Amelica's jaws dropped and she quickly covered her mouth.
When the priestess finally released me, I was blushing from the unexpected kiss. The next thing I knew, a pop-up appeared followed by a second one. Before I could read the messages, though, Sister Selune started to speak again.
"You are a very interesting one, Man of Earth," the Asian priestess smiled, "and I have taken an interest in your Player Character development."
Huh? How did she know I came from Earth? And how did she know that I was a Player Character ("PC")? My mind started whirling overtime. Who was this lady? Was she also a PC? Did I have to fight her now?
Seeing my sudden discomfort, Sister Selune offered a warm smile as she took a step back away from me. "May my temporary blessing help you in your character development, Man of Earth. I will continue to watch over you." The priestess turned toward Amelica and added, "Both of you." Sparkles of dancing light suddenly appeared and engulfed the priestess. When the small fragments of light were gone, so was she.
It took a full moment for my brain to register the fact that the mysterious priestess was gone. My questions regarding her true identity and whether she was also a PC were left unanswered. Well, there was no point for me to continue gawking at the empty space where she had disappeared. I decided to take a quick look at my pop-ups. The first pop-up read, "Special Condition: Kissed by Lady Luck (Expiration 6:23:59)." Huh? What the heck was a "Special Condition?" Was it beneficial to me or harmful? I decided to consult my companion. Keeping the message in place, I turned toward Amelica, who was still looking spaced out. "Hey Amelica, please party with me," I said.
However, my lovely companion was still in shock and didn't hear me.
I grabbed her hands and squeezed. "Are you okay, Amelica?" I asked.
"Huh? Oh, yes, I'm fine!" she stammered a reply as her eyes regained their focus.
"I need to show you something. Please party with me," I requested again.
I saw her party request and quickly hit, "Yes."
When Amelica read the pop-up of my new condition, her eyes widened again. She shook her head in disbelief as she looked at me. "This can't be happening," she whispered.
Seeing the shock on her face, I decided to wrestle for control over the situation—by giving her a warm and soothing hug. I wrapped my arms around her; thankfully, she did not resist.
After a while, Amelica's shock finally wore off. She pulled her head back and looked at me. "We just talked to Lady Luck herself," she began to explain. "She has put a claim on your soul. You are now her worshipper."
"Like you?" I asked. I had a suspicion that she worshiped the Goddess of Luck.
Amelica's eyebrows rose at the unexpected question. "Yes, I do worship Lady Luck," she admitted with a sheepish grin. "But putting that aside, you have been bestowed a great boon from our Goddess. Very few mortals have been found worthy of receiving this divine blessing," she noted; Amelica was still in awe of what she had witnessed.
"Oh, that's what the kiss was? Just a blessing?" I joked.
My companion's eyes turned hard and she poked me in the chest. "I'm being serious."
"Okay, okay," I quickly replied. "What does her blessing do actually?" I asked.
"Well, it's temporary in nature. The blessing lasts one full week and it basically turns all probability-based actions in your favor," she explained.
"Oh, wow!" My mind started running ideas. "I could gamble here and win big," I said. I started grinning from ear to ear as I imagined myself cleaning the house!
Amelica shook her head. "Everyone here will know that you have been blessed by our Goddess. No gambler will allow you to play at his table." Suddenly, she smiled and her eyes danced mischievously. "So, milord, how long do you plan to hold me? Is this a courting ritual from your world?" she teased.
I realized, just then, that I was still hugging her. Tightly. I quickly dropped my arms and took a big step back.
"Oh no, you don't! You need to take responsibility for your action, milord," Amelica winked at me playfully as she grabbed my right hand. "We need to hurry back to The Noble Lady." She started walking toward the exit and pulled me after her.