Dokeshi March: Chapter 22 (Patreon)

Chapter 22

It did not, in fact, take until dark before they walked into the casino.  Suki had mostly given up by lunch, and they had devised a new plan by the time they were done eating.

“Okay, just to go over it one more time.”  Suki was fiddling with the cloth covering the lower half of her face.  “I take on the guard to the left, and you take the one on the right.  When we get through the door, we stick together and head for the nearest exit on the far side of the casino.”

“And we don’t get bogged down in a big fight.”  Grant was retying his own mask, making sure it was tight against his face.  He didn’t want it coming loose in the fighting.  “If we get separated, we meet up at the third intersection with a fountain on the other side, no matter how far away that is.”

“Perfect.”  Suki pulled the hood lower on her cloak to cover her distinctive hair.  “If this goes right, no one will be able to identify us, which means they might keep looking for us on this side of the barrier instead of the other.”

“Right.  What could go wrong?”  Grant winced as soon as he said it.  “I mean, um, I’m sure everything will go without a hitch!”

“Are you trying to get us killed?”  Suki gave him a sharp glance.  “Stop tempting fate like that.”

Deciding that it was a good time to stop talking, Grant instead chose to get a better look at the front entrance they were approaching.  The two gate guards were both women in full plate armor, with large halberds in their right hands and short swords on their hips.  It was impossible to tell if they were Vassals or just well-armed and even better-armored cultivators.

Even more impressive, the entrance they were guarding looked like it was meant to keep out an army.  The huge wooden doors were banded in thick strips of black iron, with nails the size of Grant’s palm holding them in place.  A thick locking bar was dropped into place, deeply seated in the reinforced grooves around the extra-thick door frame.  The lack of visible hinges meant it opened inwards, making it easier to block the door from the inside.  A small group of people waiting to enter were standing in a huddle at the base of the short set of stairs, the sharp eyes of the guards silently judging their skinny frames, ratty clothing, and dirty faces.

<I don’t know about this plan.>  Sarge must have been paying attention to the gate as well.  <There are a lot of things in your plan that could go very wrong.  Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory.  Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.>

“You could have mentioned that before we made it all this way.”  Grant placed his hand on the wrapped hilt of his Uchigatana.  He had layered it in strips of colored cloth to try and hide its appearance, in case a witness tried to describe it later.  “And before we went to all the trouble of coming up with these disguises.”

<You call these getups disguises?  You are both still clearly a male and female team, one using a sword and the other giant gauntlets.  How is this any kind of plan, again?>  Grant ignored Sarge, instead moving around the crowd to approach the steps.

“Halt!”  The guard on the left held up her hand for them to stop.  “This entrance only opens at the ninth bell.  Wait with the others, and make sure you have your entry fee ready.  No freeloaders allowed in the World’s Third Best Casino!”

Instead of answering, Grant rushed up the stairs to confront the guards.  He leapt off the first step, feinting toward the guard on the left before engaging with the one on the right.  His surprise change of direction worked, meaning the guard had her weapon out of position to block the sword headed straight for her head.

The gonging sound of the flat of his blade slapping against the side of her helmet rang out in the small courtyard, and she crumpled instantly.  Suki was only a heartbeat behind, landing a heavy blow to the abdomen of the other guard after sweeping her halberd to the side.  It lifted the guard off her feet, and she didn’t get back up after the mighty hit.

“Okay, you get the door!”  Suki was already searching the belt pouches of the guards, looking for any special keys or magic items they might need to get through the casino.  “Don’t watch me, get to it!”

Grant jumped, not realizing he was staring.  Suki was very impressive when she was running things.  He went over to the door and grasped the locking bar to lift it free.  Instead, the moment he grabbed the bar, a jolt of lightning shot through it, locking his hand on the bar and causing his whole body to clench up.

Lightning Trap Damage is decreased by Lightning attunement by 10%! Damage per second is currently: 1.9 per second (58 Armor Magic Damage Reduction)

Pain from Lightning Damage is increased by 10% from [Pain Skill Name] - Current status: Stunned

While the damage amount was low enough that Grant could take it for over five full minutes, the stun effect took him out of the fight.  Suki had found a single key in the pouch of the guard she had defeated, but it was far too small to fit the lock for the gate.  When she looked up to see if Grant had managed to get it open, all she saw was him standing there, staring at the door like it held all the secrets to the universe.

“Hey!  What are you doing?”  Suki walked over to see what was taking so long.  “If the bar is too heavy to lift, all you had to do was ask-”

As soon as Suki put her metal-gauntleted hand on Grant’s metal-armored shoulder, her own body locked up, forcing her grip to clamp down bruisingly hard.  She almost bit the tip of her tongue off when her jaw locked, and all thoughts of hurrying through the door flew out of her mind.

They both stood, locked in position, for over a minute.  Eventually, the power in the trap ran out, and they collapsed in a heap on the steps.  Grant seemed especially hurt, even though he was looking at less than one hundred damage.  The pain skill made the full-body effect of the trap hurt far more than it would have normally.  He eventually rolled to his feet, twitching from the residual effects.

Suki had received a much reduced version of the trap, but she didn’t have the same reduction ability Grant had at his disposal.  Her pink hair was frayed, the tips of it poking out from under her hooded cloak.  Where her gauntlets met her arm at the shoulder were especially sore, and she dismissed them with a gasp of pain.

“I think… we should regroup… and try this a different way.”  Grant helped Suki to her feet, and she gave him a nod of silent agreement.  “Come on, let’s go.”  The two of them shuffled off, heading the opposite direction of the blacksmith shop they had stayed at the night before.  There was another entrance half a day’s travel down the wall, and they would have to try their luck again there.  The group of people waiting to enter watched them leave, the whole incident lasting less than five minutes.

“Who do you think those people were, Granny?”  A boy no older than ten asked the old woman standing next to them.  Both Suki and Grant could hear their conversation as they stumbled away down the street.

“Just like the rest of us.  Poor, hungry, and desperate.”  The old woman pulled her grandson closer, her voice still loud enough to carry down the alley the two Wielders were using to limp away from their failed attack.  “Let them be a lesson to you.  Don’t forget what the Dokeshi always says; The House Always Wins.”