May wanted to reassure Karina, even if it was only with a simple gesture. But as the guards moved fast in their direction, she had no time for it. Karina jumped ahead, and even in the dark, she still felt the presence of the guards. A punch passed right by her side, as she twirled and struck back, she knocked the man to the ground.

  The girls couldn't tell how many guards there were in the hall at the moment. May tried to distinguish them by their energy, but it was hard to tell. She stood behind Karina, and she covered her friend's back. That was her way of helping without using her most powerful spells.

  One of the guards grunted and spoke in a low voice:

  "If you both surrender, we might let you live. If not, I promise you, we will show no mercy."

  Karina knew they weren't kidding, but not fighting wasn't an option. For the success of the mission, they needed to win that fight. Karina jumped and moved in the direction of the voice. She punched the man, but he blocked her fist. May, behind her, kicked one of the guards in the face. The man hissed in pain and fell to the ground.

  Even though May couldn't use her usual spells, she had tricks up her sleeve. She touched Karina lightly in the face, and her friend understood. May concentrated her magical power and then released it. Amidst the darkness, the light flicked.

  In that second, they were able to distinguish the guards: it appeared to be at least a dozen men there. They were big and broad, and they wore suits and gloves. The sudden flicker of light left them stunned for a moment, as May had guessed: they wore glasses to help them navigate in the complete darkness.

  Karina jumped and moved swiftly as she punched them in the gut. The girl had memorized their positions in that split second. She used her magic to enhance her hunter skills, and as so, she moved with precision and didn't waste a single movement or attack. Her gun would come in handy, but she knew it would be risky using it.

  One of the last guards that remained standing seemed to be the smartest of them. He waited in the back and even used the bodies of his comrades as a shield. He ran and punched Karina with full force. She tried to dodge it, but the pressure of the attack made her lose her balance. May helped and kicked the man on the side. He blocked the kick with one hand, but it gave an opening for Karina to recover her balance and punch him in the chin. The guard fell to the ground, knocked out like the others.

  Karina and May took advantage that the guards had passed out. The girls searched for everything they could find in the men's pockets, but didn't find anything relevant. They took a pair of the glasses they wore, as they could come in handy if they ever found themselves in that magical darkness again. When they felt they were out of ear range of the men, they spoke again.

  "Wow, these glasses are good. It's almost like the lights are on. Man, they were weak, right? Losing that easily, when they had that much of an advantage."

  "I guess, K, they weren't ready for a confrontation. They tried to ambush and capture us without a fight."

  "It was a good call fighting them before they found us."

  "Yeah, but at the same time, now the person behind everything here... They will be more suspicious of something. If our plan was to lie low completely, we might have to reconsider some things."

  "You're right. Now we'll have to come up with different strategies. But I believe our investigation is far from over. We still don't know what the hell this place is doing to people or even who is behind everything."

  "I might ask a spirit about it all. I mean, we just won tonight because of the help of a spirit. That seance was a complete success."

  "But I didn't like it at all, it gave me the creeps."

  "Really? I thought it was okay. But I guess I'm more used to the idea of necromancy and getting help from the dead."

  "You don't know how much I'm grateful that these are your powers and not mine."

  "I believe our powers are suited for us. I could never fight and find enemies the way you do, K."

  The girls discussed everything about their fighting styles and the fight that had occurred all the way back to their room. They needed to rest, even if the anxiety made them think about what tomorrow held.

  ***

  The next day, Karina and May decided to observe everything from a distance. They both wore sleek dresses. Karina chose a beige short one, while May wore a black sequin dress. They didn't want to attract any kind of wrong attention.

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  The gaming room was as full as it had been the other day. But this time, there were fewer guards than before.

  "I would bet they didn't recover yet from last night, huh."

  "But that doesn't mean we shouldn't be careful, K. Tonight they might still be with their eyes on us."

  "I know, I know," Karina replied. "Anything that you feel like playing tonight?"

  "Yeah, I saw that game the other day. It's a card game, c'mon, I'll show you."

  May grabbed her friend's hand, and they moved through the crowd of people who played different games. Some were in groups around the tables, while others played solo games with the croupier. From the slot machines, they heard a myriad of sounds.

  "There are a lot of people playing here today. I could swear this place gets fuller every night."

  The girls arrived at a table where they played the game May talked about. And five people played it at the same time. The game was to be played as the croupier dealt cards and people bet on different numbers. The person who played could ask for the next card or pass, but at every movement, they needed to bet on a number. If the sum of the numbers of cards in front of the person crossed the number they bet, then they would lose. It seemed that a person could also pass, but if another person got their number correctly, then everyone else at the table would lose.

  "So, what do you think?"

  Karina pondered for a little before she said:

  "It looks very easy to lose, but I guess we can try."

  The girls sat next to each other at the table. And now there were seven people. Since Karina was at the end of the table, the croupier started with her.

  "Please, say a number and place a bet of coins on it."

  "10, and I bet 5 chips."

  The croupier smiled and pulled an 8 of swords from the deck.

  "Close. Wanna keep playing?"

  "Sure. 15 and 5 more chips."

  But then the croupier revealed a 9.

  "Oh, this makes 17. You're out of this round."

  The woman turned to May while she mixed the cards.

  "Now, it's your turn. A number and a bet, please."

  May thought for a while that, in the first round, it was better to go for a larger number.

  "I'll do 11 and 10 coins."

  The croupier smiled as she pulled the card in front of May. It was a 4.

  "Too far. You lose half the coins you bet, rounded up." The croupier said. "Wanna keep playing?"

  May moved on her chair; she needed to think strategically.

  "I'll go with the same again. 11 and 10 coins."

  This time, the croupier revealed a 6.

  "Close enough. Wanna keep playing?"

  "That's all for now."

  The girls watched as the game moved from person to person in the table. An old lady sat by May's side, lost when the numbers crossed what she had bet. The woman huffed in disappointment. Next to her, a man decided to stop the same way May did: when the numbers got too close to what he had bet. In the next two seats by the man, there was a couple. The woman almost won: she got a 7 when she needed a 6. She sighed, but she hadn't bet that much. Her partner lost in the first turn, when he said a 5 and the croupier pulled a Queen. He lost the double of what he had bet. At the other end of the table, an older man lost after many rounds. As he kept betting large numbers, but then a joker appeared, and the croupier collected all the money the man had bet.

  The next round began, and the croupier explained.

  "Since the two of you stopped at the same difference, it's a tie. You need to keep playing until one of you bets a number smaller than the sum. If the Joker appears, both of you lose." She said, and as she looked at May, she completed: "You first."

  May bit her lower lip. Playing a higher number was risky, but playing a lower number was guaranteed of losing.

  "9 and 5 coins."

  The croupier smiled and pulled a 7.

  "Close enough. Please, sir, a number and a bet."

  "16 and 5 coins."

  The woman pulled another 7.

  "Also close enough. Young lady, it's your turn again."

  May pondered for a little while, as she noticed that her bet also influenced the game for the man. She wanted to look at Karina, but she couldn't.

  May decided to take a risk, and so she declared:

  "I'll go with 20 and 10 coins."

  It felt almost like slow motion, the way the croupier pulled the card from the deck.

  "It's a four. Close enough. Gentleman, your turn."

  The sweat started to form on the man's forehead. He muttered his bet.

  "I guess 28, and also 10 coins."

  The woman smiled gently, and in her hand, a knight appeared.

  "29, you lose. The young lady has won. End of match."

  The man looked like he was about to faint.

  "But that-that was all the money I had. I can't lose, it's not fair." He turned to May: "You should share with me. You know that's the right thing to do. My life can end because of a number!"

  With his hand, he tried to reach for May. But the guards were fast. And they grabbed the man by the shoulders and pulled him back. Yet, he kept screaming:

  "You cheated! There's no way I could lose. It's her you should be taking! Not me..."

  But soon the screaming was over, as the man was thrown out of the building. At the table, it was like nothing had ever occurred. The croupier and the other players were still all smiles.

  The croupier shuffled the cards in her hands. Karina was a little lost in everything.

  "I'm so happy you won, May. For a second, I thought we would lose a lot of money."

  "Me too. This game is interesting. But I feel bad for the man, if that was all the money he had left."

  One of the women who played got closer to the girls.

  "Oh, don't feel sorry for him. He had been playing that game for such a long time. If anyone was cheating, I'm sure it was him." She adjusted her hair a little. "And what is it about a good game, if there aren't losers and winners, huh? I, myself, lost quite a bit of money, and yet, you won't find me whining and complaining about the games." The woman said with a smile on her face.

  Karina and May returned the smile, but soon they excused themselves. The guards were still dangerously close, and after the scene the man had made, they were more interested in observing the group than playing said game.