The Riker’s den


    “Lucas, don’t push your luck. You’ve already lost half the money you borrowed!” That was the nagging Lucas had endured all evening.


    “I’ll get it back, dear Pearl. Just wait.”


    Tonight’s event had one clear highlight: the grand game of The Riker’s Luck. Naturally, Lucas had his eyes set on it. To qualify for the big table, he’d placed more bets than he should have, losing half of his borrowed money. It wasn’t the first time he’d taken such a risk—to make money; you had to spend money, he often told himself. Not that Pearl or Charlie ever saw it that way.


    “We already have what we came for,” she said, her voice sharp with frustration. “Let’s just go back.”


    Lucas winced. He could’ve broken even if Reider hadn’t been such an idiot. His entire plan to breach security had fallen apart when the AI caught him. Sure, he was the first, but so what? Lucas’s mood soured further. Losing even more of Charlie’s money wasn’t an option.


    At first, his earlier meeting with Jeffrey left him too rattled to realize the full extent of his mistake. But as the night dragged on, he carefully bet what little money he had left, winning some, losing others—until it was time for the main event. He had to recover his losses.


    A waitress in an elegant dress snapped Lucas out of his thoughts. “Mister L? Please, follow me, and kindly remove any devices.” She held out a small box, padded with the finest leather.


    “See you later, Pearl,” he whispered into his microphone. Pearl, predictably, didn’t respond. She was being melodramatic again. With a shrug, Lucas nodded to the waitress and said, “Naturally.” He handed over his precious electronics and followed her to the main stage.


    A massive table with ten seats stood at the center of the room, illuminated by intense lights in different colors for each spot. Lucas slid into the chair under a yellow beam, sinking into its plush comfort. Riker clearly hadn’t skimped on luxury.


    The table itself was a work of art—or madness. A hundred intricate, intertwining lines wove around the table. The central platform rotated in slow, deliberate movements, creating endless possible configurations. With quantum tunneling involved, even predictions were pointless.


    Then, a man in a dazzling, multicolored coat hopped onto the platform, grabbing a microphone. His attire shimmered with every color of the rainbow. “Brilliant elites of humanity! I’m Riker, and this is the moment we’ve all been waiting for. It’s time for The Riker’s Luck!”


    A crowd had gathered in a wide circle around the table, their anticipation palpable but silent. If Riker had hoped for raucous cheers, he’d be disappointed. Still, he pressed on. “Who will claim the early prize? Who will seize the lucky treasure? Let’s roll the circle!”


    With a loud series of clicks, the circular platform spun. The noise of countless tiny connections and mechanisms filled the air. Riker produced a tall stack of metallic cards, handing two to each player.


    “First round starts—as per tradition—with the blue player.” All eyes turned to a striking woman in a daring red dress and a black mask adorned with dandelions.


    “Let’s start big, shall we?” she said in a playful tone, sliding two golden-plated chips forward. “Two thousand on blue.”


    The players to her right folded one by one, until a burly man with a deep, booming voice said, “Call. Yellow.” Lucas shook his head when his turn came. His cards were useless—two subroutines. Fantastic.


    When no one else challenged her, Riker’s grin widened. “Play your hand!”


    The woman slipped a card into one of the three slots in front of her. “Firewall.” As the card clicked into place, an electric current surged through the table, and a vivid blue path lit up, stretching toward the center.


    Her opponent studied the path carefully before inserting his card into the middle slot. “Trojan Horse.” His red light burst across the table, sneaking through various paths and targeting multiple slots, including the firewall.


    “Oh my, how bold,” she remarked, her voice calm despite the threat. “Raise. Four thousand.”


    Her opponent matched her chips with a tense, “Call.”


    “Firewall,” she said again, sliding another card into the slot. Even more connections flared in blue, illuminating the table.


    The man’s jaw tightened as she revealed her card. Two firewalls. Her luck was amazing—equivalent to pulling four aces in poker. He revealed his ultimate play with visible frustration. “Forced Restart.”This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    “Oh? Trying your luck?” Her tone was light, but the tension in the room was palpable. The red light from his card surged through the table’s paths, breaking connections and splitting the circle into smaller segments. Around twenty sections rotated at random angles.


    Some connections realigned, while others fizzled out. Lights flickered in a chaotic dance, colors shifting across the table. Over Lucas’s seat, beams flickered between indigo, green, and yellow before returning to yellow again. Most players’ colors shifted—except for one. The woman remained resolutely blue.


    “The winner of the first round is Miss T!” Riker shouted with enthusiasm. The crowd buzzed with excitement as the mechanism drew the used cards into its core and the circle rotated again.


    When Lucas’s turn came, he picked up a pair of cards. The first, a green Memory Bank, had real potential. Played correctly, even a firewall wouldn’t stop him. The second, a Switchboard, was practically useless under normal circumstances—but in the right moment…


    <hr>


    Somewhere in the jungle with an angel


    Just beyond the barrier, the Blobrg thrashed and slashed with relentless fury, its hidden form bouncing erratically as it attacked the translucent shield. Nothing reached us—not its claws, not its roars, not even the nauseating stench of charred flesh. Instead, the air inside felt pure and revitalized, as if the world itself had taken a deep, cleansing breath.


    “Hey, angel,” I said, my tone casual as I rose to my feet. No fear now. “Got a name? Fine, if I talk normally?”


    I stepped closer, but halted under her piercing gaze. Her bright, otherworldly eyes studied my face with a strange intensity, making me feel oddly exposed. What? If I remembered correctly, angels were just ordinary people drafted into divine service after taking a crash course in god-law. Nothing special.


    After what felt like an eternity, she sighed—a soft, shallow sound. “Granted. I’m Sera.”


    “Hi, Sera. So, what do you think about my plea? Is it achievable to get the Juggernaut?”


    Katherine waved her hand impatiently, cutting us off. “Wait. Wha’s ‘tat again?”


    “The Juggernaut embodies everything our patron stands for—glory, strength, fearlessness,” Sera answered mechanically, her voice devoid of emotion. “Since you are a candidate, I can share the details.”


    Katherine’s eyes lit up as she scanned the floating screen in front of her. With every new line she read, her expression grew brighter until she was grinning like a child on their birthday.


    Normally, seeing her like that would have me checking my pants for any embarrassing excitement, but not this time. Stupid Lucas! We would need to rob the government blind, and I’d finally reclaim my old body. Just wait, Katherine. What’s a few years of glory compared to what I lost?


    “Wha’ now? I want it!” Katherine shouted, her face shining with determination. She grabbed Sera’s hands eagerly, causing the angel to flutter clumsily. Despite herself, Sera softened, offering a faint smile. “I’ve sent a request to our department. It’s under review.”


    As they debated heaven’s bureaucratic nonsense, I turned my attention to the Blobrg. The odd beast, everyone claimed, was mindless, driven solely by its hunger. It would chase prey until devoured. My mentor once told me, Sacrifice something, let it eat, and then run.


    Yeah, sure.


    My gaze lingered on Katherine, who was now enthusiastically arguing with Sera about swords. No sacrifice.


    We run.


    The Blobrg’s wound had already healed, its shimmering body fading to invisibility again. Still, I could sense it battering the barrier, undeterred. Relentless. Inside, the meadow wasn’t large enough to keep us completely out of reach. Teleport scrolls were our only way out, and with the first patch on the horizon, wasting one didn’t feel so bad.


    When this nonsense was over, we’d need to find the ruins. If the quest said “help the princess,” it meant I had the same quest. I just didn’t know about it because I’d turned notifications off. Stupid Lucas. Ice-blood-god-knows-where. And Lisa? Dead. That left me with the overly excited streamer as my only option.


    I stole a glance at Katherine while she chatted away, absorbed in examining her skills. Her enthusiasm was almost contagious, but I wasn’t about to let it distract me.


    There’s was a video of someone soloing this city. They did it all alone.


    Why risk it, though?


    Their conversation dragged on for over an hour, so I sat down and pretended to meditate.


    As if I could.


    Instead, I brewed agility potions with my exploit. Efficiency over spirituality.


    Finally, Sera’s melodic voice broke my focus. “Please bear witness, hero!”


    Katherine knelt in front of Sera, holding a massive two-handed sword. A recording device floated nearby, capturing everything. My heart jumped. “Wait, wait!” I scrambled to clean up my alchemy tools and dashed toward them.


    “Katherine, do you willingly swear to abide by the laws of Feran, be bound by his rules, and bask in his glory? Do you swear to always meet your enemy with honor?”


    The quick sprint left me winded, and I had to lean against a tree to catch my breath. Katherine, ever radiant, held her sword out proudly. Her hair tumbled over her shoulders as she locked eyes with Sera.


    “Yup, I swear!” she declared, unable to suppress her grin.


    Sera’s expression didn’t waver. She placed her unarmored hand on the blade’s edge. Blood trickled down the steel, pooling at the hilt before touching Katherine.


    The moment it did, she shuddered, then screamed in pain.


    Sera turned toward me, her presence imposing. “I-” My voice cracked at the sight of Katherine’s agony. Clutching the handle of my whip for support, I forced myself to speak. “I witness.”


    Ignoring Katherine’s cries, Sera smirked slightly. “Katherine the Juggernaut, you are now the fifth glory seeker.” She turned to me again, her smile growing ominous. “Ceremony completed. Thus, I tear down the barrier.”


    “Wait!” I lunged toward her, but she vanished before I could reach her. Change of plans.


    “Katherine, pull out a teleport scroll! Now! Marketplace!”


    Without waiting, I tore mine and felt the spell surge through me. But Katherine didn’t move. That stubborn woman turned her armored back to me, her sword glinting in the fading light.


    Her voice was steady. “No. Always meet with glory.”


    “No!” The teleport spell anchored itself, pulling me away. “Katherine, you can’t win! We’ll go on an adventure! Find the ring!”


    She didn’t respond, only strode forward toward the barrier, her hair catching the light like a halo. The cracks in the shield stretched wider.