12.1

Eve moved calmly, almost mechanically as if her actions were already pre-determined. It took only a single hand before the Luck Reaper realized their luck had run out. There was a pause as the creature digested the shift and glowing green eyes narrowed dangerously.

Eve ignored the creature glancing at the bricks surrounding the gaming table before she said, “You can’t keep them at bay forever.”

The Luck Reaper said with a sneer, “I don’t need to keep them away forever, just long enough to beat you.”

He will activate the Dimensional Dragon Poker option as the losing part of the last hand. It is pathetically easy to predict him. Felix told Eve.

Eve glanced at the rules Nota sent her before she grinned underneath her cowl. Dimensional Dragon Poker was an option the losing party could activate, however it had risks that went beyond mere illusion-enhanced playing cards. A dimensional dragon poker match was held within a pocket dimension where the players could utilize the cards for more realistic effects. They could also use their personal powers to sway the situation to victory, it was without a doubt, a wonderful opportunity.

Push him over the edge, we need to be within the pocket dimension for best effect. Felix sent. Eve replied with a mental ok sign before taking action.

“Beat me with what, your oversized ego and lack of intelligence? Good. Luck.” Eve said utilizing Polyglot to allow her to speak the Outsider’s language directly with a tone of schadenfreude. “The cost to be sent here must be exorbitant, I wonder what those who sent you will do if you return with nothing.” She watched the creature’s expression shift from thoughtful rationality into that of a cornered rat.

Desperation, fear, rage, and hope played across the Outsider’s face before knocked his chair back and stood to say, “As the loser of the last hand, I raise the Stakes. All or nothing. I claim the right of victory and invoke the use of Dimensional Dragon Poker as the next hand.” An expression of distaste crossed the Outsider’s features as he finished by saying, “May the pitiful ants claimed as gods upon this worthless prison rock have mercy on thy soul, worm.”

Eve felt the power of the enchanted table ripple out enclosing both the Luck Reaper and herself within a bubble. She had deciphered enough to know it was no mere gaming table, but an artifact dedicated to a deity that dealt in Gambling. A sonorous gong as if announcing the arrival of a being of overwhelming imperial might sounded somewhere in the distance growing ever more close. Without warning, there was a sharp crack sound as the two of them were shifted from the casino into a massive grassland. Eve glanced at the surroundings noting the lack of any living species with the exception of ubiquitous grass. Wind rushed in a cold stream across the face of a boundless world around her. There was a sensation of being watched before glowing words scrolled in front of both the Luck Reaper and Eve.

Dimensional Dragon Poker Rule and Bet Scroll

Rules:

Victory through annihilating your opponent.

Bet:

All or Nothing.

Reacting fast she stretched her hand up as if reaching to grasp the sky and said, “Draw.”

Five glowing cards of white frost cycled into existence in front of her as she felt the sensation of a frozen moment of time steal over her form. Felix hummed in the background of her mind like a massive creature of cold logical calculation planning the destruction of a civilization.

There are only two paths before the Outsider. If they choose to attempt to escape, the Rules will favor us. Attack to kill. Felix sent.

Eve flexed her Witch’s Dust allowing it to flow out in an ever widening silver cloud. There was a brief moment as the Luck Reaper attempted to draw directly on her luck element but the micro-sized silver soldiers ripped the Elements between them causing a sparkling cascade of pretty, yet harmless sparks to occur in the space between them.

Dragon Poker was a game that contained both an element of Luck and Skill. As expected, the in the past the Luck Reaper had cleverly utilized their powers to sway the odds to their side. Impossible hands that would likely never see the light of day without Outside influence at play allowed it to gain victory without effort. With the appearance of Eve though, Felix’s inhuman Calculation skills as a Dungeon Core disarmed the Outsider’s main weapon. In essence it was the same as removing a master fencer’s sword by hiding it before a match. Certainly, the master would still be deadly with his bare hands, but they would be vulnerable.

The shift to Dimensional Dragon Poker was the only logical choice for the Outsider after witnessing Eve’s ability to nullify the influence of luck and still attain victory. The casino hadn’t stood by as an Outsider was revealed within their very walls. While it had managed to seal Eve at the table to play the first hand she had still attained a win.

The fact that the Luck Reaper couldn’t depend on luck was fatal.

It has been a long time since I have let loose. Eve thought as she played her first card while simultaneously turning the Ritual of Balance off.

The Mantle of Frost settled upon her being as the weight of the Court of Winter held by the Cold Emperor of the Icy Scales manifested. Her first card wasn’t a creature, as a result of her entire hand being equipment only. Eve’s mental eyebrow raise had only encountered the smug mental grin of a sapphire crystalline predator. She bent down as her clothing re-shaped with a flicker of will into something more acceptable for fighting. She looked up at the same time the Luck Reaper pointed at her baring her teeth in a feral grin before the world blurred.

Silver-clad knife-hand met incorporeal entity with the sound of steel entering flesh. A wedge shaped indentation appeared behind the Luck Reaper as frost coated the surroundings in a blast of chilling ice. Eve ignored the soft sucking sound as her hand was pulled out.

“Impossible…” the Luck Reaper said its shroud collapsing as it was forced to kneel.

“Right?” Eve said as she activated her next card. “Normally, you can’t be touched by anything not native to your plane of existence…” A crown of ice formed above her head as Eve’s hair turned silver while her eyes blazed with the judgment of a colorless moon. “Judging me to be a normal mortal, was the first mistake…”

The temperature surrounding them both started to drop with rapid speed. Witch’s Dust sparked as the air between her and the Outsider sparked once more with pretty colors of psychic death. “I’ll let you in on a little secret.” Eve said as she grabbed the top of the Outsider’s shroud as if bestowing a benediction of piety. “The moment you sealed us both in here was the moment you committed suicide. The exception to being damaged only applies to natives of the planes you invade.” She watched the terrified eyes of the Luck Reaper as it made the connection immediately.

“Impossible! Nothing survives the Dust! NOTHING!” the Luck Reaper screamed as her fingers dug in without mercy. Silver light flared as the last three cards Eve had activated one after the other.

“Nothing survives the Dust, except Darkness.” Eve corrected as blinding light cloaked both their forms. “I cannot stop you from escaping through death. However, after learning that your species is responsible for the type of dimensional instability that sent me here I feel I need to send a message.” The light surrounding both of them blazed a brilliant silver-iced hue growing relentlessly in power.

“My message is simple. In a thousand years, I will descend into the Deeps. When I enter there your species will still exist. When I exit, they will not. Good. Luck.” Eve said with finality as the light cascaded until it filled all of existence as if a piece of a deity’s eternal torch descended to the land.

When the light receded only Eve was left standing in a perfectly circular patch of bare earth frozen into a natural mirror of the sky.

Eve took a deep breath of the crisp cold air before shifting her clothing back into disguise. Her hands shook as her vision darkened at the edges. Without warning a vine flexed out of her hairpiece popping the cork of a potion before squeezing her jaw to pour the liquid down her throat. Eve relaxed as the icy feeling that seemed to chill the soul departed under the blazing might of a fiery Kudzu certified cure.

“Thank you.” Eve said as the vine waved acknowledgment before hiding back within the disguised hairpiece.

As expected. Felix said with satisfaction. Granted, I did not expect the required power to be that much.

“They were sacrificing themselves to pull a higher Tier into the pocket dimension.” Eve said quietly as the dimension shifted slowly starting to pull her back to the casino. “That was why they kept attempting to paint me with their energy. They wanted to mark me as a target allowing the bigger baddy to follow my scent back directly from the Deeps, I suspect.”

Eve toggled the Ritual of Balance back on removing the intoxicating sensation of wielding power that definitely wasn’t meant for semi-mortal minds. It had been a risk doing so, but her teeth had been aching in rage when she learned what Outsiders did. Nota had gained the information through direct debt to the System corroborating it through multiple other sources written by the older species.

I was lucky. My brother is powerful. If I was some poor country girl from god-knows-where they would be finding my bones in a wind weasel nest decades from now. Eve thought morosely with a tiny helping of survivor’s guilt. There’s no counting how many people were cast out when Mana arrived to our dimension. All because a predatory species wanted to expand their food supply to a new population.

Outsiders didn’t just invade dimensions from the Deeps, they also farmed them. If a dimension wasn’t strong enough to resist, it became nothing more than a titanic food supply warehouse for such beings.

As the dimensional movement ended Eve found herself surrounded by a plethora of sentient ceramics all glowing with everything from runes to what looked like weaponized jelly ooze. She calmly surveyed the crowd and then ruthlessly pointed to the brick she knew best, “I expect prompt payment in Dragon Gold for this service.”

The ceramic stalker that had been watching her with an expression of glee froze as the attention of several hundred bricks turned on him. Eve watched with a smirk behind her cowl and mask as the poor brick desperately attempted to explain he had nothing to do with it.

Adding fuel to the fire Eve said, “I can understand how you can’t trust the security of your own people now, like you said, who knows how long this Outsider has been preying on helpless rich casino players?!”

There was a sudden grinding noise and most of the bricks popped out of existence chasing the ceramic idiot who had chosen to flee rather than face justice at the hands of his peers.

Serves him right for trying to set me up, heh. Eve thought gleefully as she kept her expression neutral. A larger brick than the rest, something that would easily find itself fitted into a castle wall gestured her over to the group of players. Amethyst was floating around excitedly at the table declaring she was going to milk the tale for every gem it was worth. The demon lord, Mr. Ash, was covering his face with a palm while smoking a heavy cigar. Eve suspected he had lost quite a bit to the Outsider over the centuries. Victoria Drex the Third simply opened one scaly eye to look at Eve before going back to sleep. The mini-dragon didn’t seem to care about the outcome at all.

Eve looked around spotting the last player, Mr. Wiggles attempting to ooze his way out in the confusion. With an icy tone, Eve said, “Going somewhere Mr. Wiggles?”