"The guest wins, another twenty gold to a Mr Azrai," the smiling game host pushed a rather large stack of gold Kenji's way. The nobles and merchants clicked approval to either side, having watched Kenji blow through round after round with bets no one could quite believe.
"Ken, it's time," Violet said behind him, Kenji brushed her hand from his shoulder.
"A moment my dear Queen, I was just about to go all in. 80 gold on red!"
Gasps, laughter, attentive eyes. The gamblers smelt of smoke and desperation but dressed as if the king was set to make an appearance. While the lights were magical, the dice filled with anti-cheat magic, and several of the guard's red-skinned brutes with tusks...Kenji felt like he had returned home.
"80 gold for the guest, may the lady luck wish you a fortune," the game host said and raked the coin across the table to his safe little pile. Throwing down a purple dice, he spun the roulette wheel, the ball spurting magical sparks and whizzing flares of fire as it battered about before landing on-"
"-fuck!"
"Black, the house wins. Does the sir wish to play again?"
"Kenji, save your coin for where it matters."
Turning Kenji found Violet. She wore a thin white dress of southern silk, with gold and amethyst jewellery that framed her face, and expertly applied powders that drew his expression to her piercing gaze. Matched with her entourage of servants, and the pandering green suited Sidkhani to her side, she was easily today's greatest attraction.
Spirit beasts, magical performers, 'working girls' and 'pleasure boys' all could not hold so much as a candle to the attention of the supposed 'sun elf queen'.
Noticing the Sidkhani make the 'ok' symbol below his waist, Kenji knew Lando had succeeded in his part of the plan. Now it was up to him to get them into the private lounges.
"Just this way my dear guests, you have been invited to partake of the delights of the inner ring," Lando said with dramatic flourishes of the hand.
Through ranks of red orc brutes, golden arches, and into a well-manicured indoor garden they went. The guards turned into spotlessly dressed Sidkhani, as did the servants, as did the game hosts. The tables overflowed with sparking magic, flaring with real fire coloured like rainbows, sounding like music and thunder, smelling like heaven and earth. The sensory stimulation put slot machines to shame, and Kenji had 100 gold on black before anyone could stop him.
"Kenji! What are you doing, we need to go further within," Violet hissed in his ear, her eyes flittering between him and a silk veil at the room's other end, the silhouette of a figure standing behind it.
Yet Kenji's eyes remained glued to the magically flaring roulette wheel. Round and round, a magical incense filling his nose and amplifying the adrenaline in his veins a hundredfold.
When the ball landed on black, Kenji didn't hear the Sidkani congratulate him, didn't feel the soft kiss from some random hottie, nor the cheers. He just heard himself say, "again. 200 gold on black!"
Violet tried to pull him away, but guards moved in and Kenji was free to unleash his full desire.
Round and round and round he went.
And only when he searched his pockets and found not a single coin, after losing the entire damn fortune, did he finally consider pulling away from the table. Alternatively, he could start betting other things.
"My organisation has coin, can I do an IOU?"
"Not with me sir, you would need to speak to an officer. You can bet that sword though if you like, I'll give you a 20 gold spin on it."
Honour was on the table without a thought.
"All on red," Kenji licked his lips.
"KENJI!" Violet roared, a pair of crystal knights wrestling with a pair of smiling Sidkhani.
"Please do not interrupt our patrons," they murmured while they fought the elementals, intently focused on not disturbing anyone around them.
"Want to bet on who wins that fight as well, sir?" the game host said as the wheel continued to spin round and round, Honour sitting there, a dark horror overwhelming Kenji as he realised what he had done. When the ball landed on red, he collapsed.
"Kenji!" the guards finally let Violet passed, her hands pulling him to his feet.
"Don't console me, I don't deserve it- OH!"
Rubbing his face, Kenji came to his senses just as Violet slapped him again and again.
"Damnit Violet, stop!"
"You freaking idiot, you just gambled with your damn sword and lost! What the hell is wrong with you?"
"I'm an addict ok, never could control myself around these games. I'm sorry, I thought I had it under control."
But he didn't, and now he was about to go into a fight without his best damn weapon.
"I'll bet for the sword," Arwen said suddenly, the game host smiling.
"Apologies, but until we get it evaluated-"
"100 gold, how about that? Five times what this guy just paid, unless you're screwing people over by more than 500%?" Arwen practically shouted that whole thing and seeing as Kenji and Violet had already drawn a lot of attention, a huge group of those present overheard what she had to say.
"Just let her gamble man, are you insane?" High Lord Exaltier said, appearing at Violet's side, "I'll personally see to it you dealt with if you refuse the Northern General of all people."
Gulping, the game host looked down at the blade and nodded.
"May the lady luck wish you a fortune," he said.
"Good, all on black. If I win the sword is mine."
Round and round the ball went, and just before it was about to land on red it shifted to land on black.
"Foul play-"
"You're joking!"Roared Exaltier, "you have the finest magical systems in the land, in fact I suspect half your games are rigged. Now you dare claim the Northern General forwent her honour to win a simple game of chance? Have you no shame?"
Other gamblers were suddenly on edge, words of warning spread, coin returned to its purses, and a nervousness broke the greedy daze.
"Of course the outcome will be honoured," announced a green suited Sidkhani officer, although whether it was Lando or another Kenji couldn't say. "Nothern General, please accept an additional 20 gold on top of our deepest apology, we here at the Spider Casino would never allow one of our dear guests to be cheated from their winnings."
Immediately the crowd softened, purse strings eased, and the easy flow continued.
"Thanks Arwen, I owe you," Kenji reached for Honour, but Arwen grabbed it first.
"Not so fast, this is mine thank you."
Watching her put the blade in her belt Kenji gagged. Honour vibrated angrily, as if recoiling against Arwen's touch, it's aura flaring and spiking.
"I need it," Kenji whispered, "you know why. Please Arwen, I'll pay you, just hand it over."
"No. You get it if you beat me in a duel, nothing less. Now if you don't mind, I'm waiting for the show to start, oh, and you probably shouldn't gamble anymore."
"Arwen-"
"Save it Kenji, she's made her mind up," Violet said, "and we are running out of time. So either give the signal, or I will."
Bitter, Kenji started walking to the silkscreen near the back. The shadow of a man lay within, two shadowy girls giggling beyond the veil as they fed the person grapes. Kenji whistled, the figure froze, the beat of pigeon wings filled the casino.
"What the hell?" veil shoved aside, a Sidkhani with a haggard expression appeared, unshaved, pronounced cheekbones pulling hard against wrinkled skin. Kenji noticed a dangling golden Waykey at his belt.
Peering at Kenji, startled by the increasingly numbered pigeons being chased by his guards, the man angrily snapped his fingers. Sidkhani warriors charged, throwing anyone out of their way to get there all the faster, pulling huge cleavers free from their belts.
Three dark knives pulled themself free from Venom's shadow and hovered in the air around him. Clutching one in either hand, the third floated through the air to sit in Kenji's blindspot.
"Where's Tenko?"Kenji said calmly and contorted into Dana in a flash of green light.
"The hell is who? What are you!" Spider grunted, "guards, knights, get in here!"
Shouts of alarm went out, the rumbling of heavy footsteps filling the hallways as reinforcements spewed in from every alcove. Surrounded, Kenji was about to become massively outnumbered too.
"The werewolves, what did you do with them. I'll give you only once chance before I reduce your operation to ash. Tell me what I want to know, submit, and you can keep this damned casino."
"Not that it matters, but that communist bastard paid a high price for those mutts. Now if you- "
"[Death Curse]," Kenji said almost casually, the spell that had taken the necromancer so long to learn worked perfectly. Confused, Venom froze as steam puffed out his mouth, ears and eyes. Then his eyes rolled into his head and he fell limp upon the floor. Chaos reigned, a hundred Sidkhani warriors, servants, and a handful of knights screaming for Kenji's blood.
Violet produced four nights to shield her, and nodded.
Kenji shouted, "heroes, get clear!"
Dozens of those in on the plan dived under tables.
Kenji clicked his fingers.
The pigeons swooped by the dozen, landing on shoulders, heads, helmets.
In unison, they inflated like balloons, then exploded. Dozens of shattered skulls, mutilated plate, the fire scorching skin and charring bone. Headless corpses collapsed burning wreckage, screaming filled the hall, the Sidkhani reinforcements thrown into disarray between the one-sided slaughter and the death of their boss.
"SIDKHANI! Venom is dead, many of your warriors are dead, and this Casino is surrounded. Surrender, or die where you stand. There will not be a second warning."
They might have been fierce warriors, but they would not sacrifice their lives without meaning. A sword clattered to the ground. A shield. A mace. A symphony of steel was shed, the Sidkhani immediately pushed to the ground and bound by mimics.
"YOU DARE?" Shouted a Spiderknight, jumping down from a balcony to crash into stone. "You would betray our master so easily? I should have you-eh?"
Confused, the Spiderknight looked down at his chest to find Arwen's blade poking free. WIthdrawing it, a spurt of blood spewed from his mouth, the Spiderknight falling dead upon the floor.
"ATTENTION GUESTS!" Kenji roared "this venue is now under control by the Hero Guild. Do not resist while we search through the Casino for the trapped people within, I repeat, DO NOT RESIST AND YOU WILL NOT BE HARMED. Sidkhani, do not resist and you will not be harmed. You have my word on that as the Grand Master of the Hero Guild."
Adventurers drove in by the dozen from every entrance, those surviving Sidkhani taken prisoner. Arwen clapped, Kenji frowning as Honour continued to vibrate angril at her hip. But enough of her, he hastened his steps as he joined in the search.
"Find Tenko, if she's here I want her freed!"
He hoped Venom had been lying.
He had to be.
Kenji clenched his fist.
He had to be lying, because if she really was in New Leningrad, Kenji hadn't the faintest idea of how he could get her out.