"Well, the job is official. Very well, you may pass. Atleast i don't have to look at more papers this time." The man handed the paper back to Calliope, nodding at the guards to help them to the zipline.
The team quickly latched themselves onto it, preparing to leave the mountain they had scoured just earlier.
"Alright, set it off!" As the last word left the man's mouth, Colton felt his body get flung forward as the zipline began bringing them across the sky.
The team held on for dear life as the journey continued. Colton felt uneasy as he looked down, barely able to see the ground.
The cold wind slammed into them hard, causing their clothes to flutter violently.
As minutes went by, the next mountain was fast approaching, becoming more and more visible through the clouds and mist.
As the journey came to an end, they were detached from the zipline, landing hard on the ground, just able to keep their balance and not fall like last time.
The new mountain looked much more different, brightly lit by street lamps on every street, the streets were littered with civilians wearing lavish clothing. The stores were mostly for gambling and other games.
"So this is what the map means by a leisure mountain." Calliope remarked.
"Welcome to gambler's peak!" A man excitedly announced, sitting in a stand next to the ziplines.
With little delay, they began walking through the street. Around them, more and more people flooded the street with large pouches of money on them. Through the windows of the buildings, Colton could see more citizens gambling, from dice to cards.
The faint sound of instruments being playef could be heard, giving a more relaxing atmosphere to the bustling mountain.
"So much money…" Marcus gazed at the pouches of people who passed by, fixated on them like a hunter seeing prey.
"And so many gambling houses…" Celestine joined in, this time more focused on the buildings rather than the people, seemingly interested in gambling.
Through the streets, they managed to reach the center of the city, but a billboard and stand wasn't the only thing awaiting them.
A building far larger and taller than the rest stood, a hundred or so people entered inside by the second. Adorned pillars and statues decorated the outside of the entrance. Inside, a bright gold glow illuminated the place.
Colton noticed that Celestine and Marcus were both frozen in place, unable to believe what they were seeing.
"Hey, we need to finish a job here." Quill smacked the back of Marcus' head, knocking some sense into him.
"There's so much vanity and greed in this place." Clarissa remarked with a face of disgust.
"I wonder if they serve a god here as well." Oliver pondered. But their curiosities were halted as Calliope got the attention of the team back. Celestine finally snapped out of her daze, shaking her head to look at her leader.
"The booth is just nearby, judging from the appearance of that building, I assume it may contain worthwhile information on this world, or perhaps even books." She spoke, turning around to lead the team once again.
The booth was only a few steps nearby, blocked by the large crowd of loud civilians.
Once they reached it, Calliope and Marcus approached the woman in the stand. Colton stood by with the others, taking in the sudden new atmosphere. He could hear coins jingling around as rich citizens walked by.
He noticed that the crowd surrounding the billboard was much smaller than the other mountain, their gear was more for looks than protection though.
"Well we got a small amount of coin, looks much more detailed than what the other world had." Marcus held up the coin for them to see. It was heavily decorated with many symbols etched onto it.
"I pity the minters." Celestine remarked, looking at the coin intently.
"With the first objective completed, we may enter inside the casino and discover what it may contain." With the job now done, they made their way back to the open entrance of the building.
"They really have an entire city dedicated to jjst gambling." Myo spoke up, crossing his arms with a smirk.
The team walked through the entrance. Inside, they were greeted to a massive room filled to the brim with citizens and tables, hundreds of games being played all at once.
Colton noticed that a second and third floor were present in the building, with large stairs at the other end of the room. The sound of music was much louder inside, and the ground under tuemw as covered by a bright red carpet.
Dice and cards were all being tossed around the tables as many continued playing, betting more and more money. Winning or losing.
"So much money and so much opportunities to gamble." Marcus spoke, wishing to play at least one game on a table, but restrained himself.
As they walked further down into the building, they were greeted by a familiar face.
As if he had sensed our presence, the man raised his head.
"Ah, it's those same beginners from earlier." The man was accompanied by two other people, wearing drastically different clothing.
One wore thick and protective armor with a robe covering it all, while the other was a woman donning lavish purple and red clothing, with an adorned sword on her waist.
"Well they do look like beginners. I bet they won't last a second in the forest below." The man in armored clothing laughed arrogantly.
"Say, what are you all doing here? I doubt you have enough money to gamble even a single round here. Even as a noble!" The other two began to laugh.
"Here, have some coin. Maybe you can try your luck in this casino." The woman slid a small tack of gold coins towards the team.
Their arrogance and attitude further irritated the team, Marcus mostly.
He turned his head to Calliope. "Mind if I knock 'em down a peg or two?" Calliope shook her head.
"Our best chance is to avoid confrontation." As she responded, Celestine unexpectedly approached the table, looking at the gold coins with curiosity.
"Seems like the young girl is interested." The woman spoke again
"Well, I suppose a single game may not hurt."
"Celestine stop-" Calliope was interrupted by the woman.
"Hush now, the little one has made up her mind, besides, what's a little game gonna do? It's not her money being spent anyway." The woman took out another stack of coins from her pouch, setting it on the table.
"Let's have a little match." The woman and the other two took their seats on the table. The dealer of the table quickly began handing cards to the players.
"Simple game of 21, closest to it or has it wins." With no other option, the team and Calliope simply stood by as Celestine joined in the card game.