"Well, little girl. What is your name?"
"I'm Elizabeth Abraham III, it's a pleasure to meet you!" Elizabeth bowed her head as a formal sign of respect.
"Judging by that accent and your particular mannerisms, you aren't from here are you?" Sylvia easily deduced.
"W-was my disguise that bad?"
Derrick sucked his teeth in response to the senseless conversation. "Can we stop wasting time? Just tell Sylvia what you want to know."
What a rude way to address a lady! Has he had no home training at all?
"Fine. The reason I came here was because I'm currently searching for artifacts that may lead me back to King Gordou."
Sylvia's eyes widened slightly upon hearing her request. "That is quite the goal, young lady. There have been some jobs available involving a particular ghost lately. I suppose I could give you the details about the job."
"Ghost? Are we hunting a mythical creature?"
"She's not talking about anything extravagant." Derrick clarified. "She's probably referring to the recent ghost town incidents. Am I right, Sylvia?"
"My, you're far sharper than when I first met you, boy. You're correct in your assumption. Recently, we've received word of strange disappearances in the abandoned apartment complex in area two. We don't know if there is any heirloom worth mentioning, but it's worth a shot."
Elizabeth's mouth curled up into a smile upon hearing the news. "Great! Let's head over there and get the heirloom!"
Before Elizabeth could run off, Derrick grabbed onto her collar and pulled her back. "Wait. Do you even know anything about those abandoned projects? It's home to the minor crime family 'Galencia'. Walking in blindly will get us killed."
"You're right… I'm sorry for getting riled up so soon."
"You're acting surprisingly reasonable. It's almost creepy. We'll head over to area two and talk things over with the Galencia family. If negotiations break down, I'll bring in a friend to take the heirloom by force. If even that seems unreasonable, we'll give up on the artifact."
"A friend? Just how many shady people do you know?"
"A few more than I'd like to actually."
____
Derrick and Elizabeth made their way to the abandoned projects of area two. The housing project was originally meant for immigrants and illegal aliens who came to Mathers City for a better life. This event was known as the Great Migration. However, the overcrowding and lack of financial aid within Mathers City led them to take refuge within The Hole.
As individual groups fought over resources and space, numerous gangs took over housing units and used them for weapons deals. Ordinary citizens became terrified and worried for their safety, causing them to abandon many of the housing projects present in The Hole.
The Galencia family is one of the many crime families that formed during the Great Migration.
Typically, approaching a highly armed fortress like the Galencia family's base of operations would be a guaranteed death sentence for the two of them, but Sylvia gave them a lucky out.
Just before leaving, Sylvia gave Derrick a note with the phrase, "I want to strike it rich" neatly written on it. It was a password that would allow them to infiltrate the base, even without direct affiliation.
A guard raised his gun at the duo. "Both of you, leave this area immediately. You aren't welcome here."
"We want to strike it rich."
Upon hearing Derrick's words, the guard slowly lowered his weapon. The corner of his mouth curled up into a smile.
"So you've come to talk with the boss. Fine then…come with me."
The guard led the duo to the boss of the Galencia family. The boss was currently protected by a massive underground labyrinth that was sorted by multiple "floors".
The strange guard was murmuring a strange message to himself as he struck brief glances at the duo.
"Can't wait…"
"I can't wait for another one."
The duo reached the main door of the Galencia family head's office. The guard opened the door and welcomed the guest in.
"Good evening, boss! We've received some new guests for today."
"Hm…alright. I see."
The middle-aged man got up from his soft, comfortable seat and slowly approached Derrick and Elizabeth. He reached out his hand and gently shook their hands.
"Welcome to the Galencia family estate. My name is Ruddi Galencia. how may we help you today?"
Derrick quickly put on a face for Ruddi Galencia. "Why thank you! Do you mind if we have any tea or coffee before we begin talking formally?"
"Yes, of course! I forgot my manners."
Elizabeth was visibly confused by Derrick's sudden switch in attitude. It was reminiscent of her father's unique ability to instantly change expressions based on the given situation.
It was equally astounding and terrifying how easily some people could lie. Perhaps it's impossible to know someone's true intentions.
Ruddi snapped his finger and a guard immediately left the room to brew some coffee.
"So, what is it that you've come here for? You too look rather young…perhaps you've come to join?"
"No no, nothing like that! We're merely interested in any information regarding ghosts."
Despite their faces seeming pleasant and sociable, a strange tension filled the room. It was as though Elizabeth was being strangled by a snake, its grip growing tighter as the situation escalated.
"Oh…are you perhaps talking about this ghost?"
He placed a small wooden box on the table and opened it. A deep, nauseating spirituality crept out of the box and filled the room.
The box was empty, yet "something" clearly spilled out.
This item is surely an heirloom!
"I wouldn't mind letting you have it, but giving such a thing away for free isn't quite my style. How about we play a game?"
Derrick seemed apprehensive at the sudden proposal, but Elizabeth had maintained a calm continence despite the intense atmosphere. "Very well, what game will it be?"
"Oh, it isn't anything too extreme. It will just be a little card game between you and me. I call it 'Bloody Mary'."
"Bloody Mary...that is quite the interesting title. What are the rules?"
"We will be using a standard issue 52-card deck for Bloody Mary. Each player will receive 4 cards per round. We take turns revealing our hands at the center of the table and whoever places down the highest value by the end of the round. There may be a maximum of 20 turns to the game, but the game truly ends once all cards are expended. If you Here is a list displaying the values of each card."
[Number Cards: 2-10 points]
[Face Cards: 10 points]
[Ace: 1 points]
"I believe these rules are acceptable, no?"
"I suppose..." Elizabeth said. "What happens when I lose?"
"The average body is worth around 150,000 - 200,000 Dan, depending on the quality of the corpses and their organs. I'm sure you two would make for some high-quality merchandise."
Derrick whispered into Elizabeth's ears, "This is insane! It's much more efficient to simply walk away and decide on another strategy. Would you really risk your life for something like this?"
Elizabeth's mouth curled up into a wicked smile. She sat down before Ruddi Galencia and ridiculed Derrick. "You're so up-tight, Derrick. There's only one question worth pondering, and that is 'What are you willing to gain and what are you willing to lose?'"
Ruddi Galencia let out a hardy laugh at the young woman's conviction. "Good! You are exceptional young lady! Now, let us begin the game..."