Devil Ash Disarray (Devil Ash Saga Book 3) (3 page)

“For as long as I’ve known her, Marni has always been into games. That’s all she wanted to do in her spare time, play games. She would make up her own games too. She always talked about how she’d start her own gambling parlor some day. We were all pretty surprised when she actually did it! She really busted her ass making her dreams come true. The Gaming Parlor is amazing. I spent most of my youth in that damn place…”

For a moment Aura just stared into his coffee cup, locking eyes with is reflection. He took a swig and choked back the memories.

“Anyway, I’m in a
lot
of debt,” he said.

Ash almost spat his coffee out a second time. “
What
! You only care about the tournament because of the prize money!”

“Sorry I had to mislead you buddy, but I need this!” Aura pleaded. “If I win this thing I could pay off all my debt with Marni,
finally
. With the two of us competing, that doubles my chances! I’ll never have this good of odds again!”

“Exactly
how much
debt are we talking about here?” Ash asked, afraid of the answer.

“Oh, I’ve managed to whittle it down to about…
ten thousand skorch
,” Aura replied.

Ash choked on another sip of coffee. He finally wised up and set the drink down. After making everything go down the correct pipes he addressed his friend. “Why don’t people ever learn to quit while they’re ahead? You really suck at gambling, you know that?”

“I’m aware,” said Aura. “But none of that matters, because you’re a Devil’s Duel prodigy! Together we can’t lose!”

Aura was referring to Ash’s skill at the game. Because of his experience playing similar trading card games on Earth, Ash was way ahead of the curve. He understood combining cards to use the best strategies the game’s rules allowed. He’d never lost a game yet. Aura sought to use that natural talent to his advantage, recruiting Ash to take part in the tournament with him.

“Wait a minute,” said Ash. “What if
I
win?”

“Then I’ll really owe you one after you pay off Marni for me,” Aura said with a wink. “Come on, we should get going or we’ll be late for registration.”

Ash dropped his head. “I don’t think you get how paying off debt works…”

Aura stood and downed his coffee. Ash followed him as they left the small alleyway café and headed for the main strip. It was easy to find the Demon’s Den; all they had to do was follow the crowd. Everyone seemed to be flowing in the same general direction, and sure enough when Ash and Aura popped out on the other side they were standing before the entrance to a large building that was the gaming parlor.

The giant bouncer that stood outside held back the mob of people clambering to get inside. “
Viewing area seats are sold out
!” he bellowed. “
This door’s for competitors only
! What do you punks want?” he asked as Aura stepped up.

“Bruiser! It’s me, Aura!” he said. “Don’t you remember me?”

The bouncer studied Aura’s face a moment then laughed. “Yeah, I remember you,” he said with a smile.

“Good! So you must know I’m here as a competitor,” said Aura.

“You are?” Bruiser snorted, scouring over his papers. “I didn’t see you on the list...”

“Aura Draxler and Ash Kaplan,” he said. “I signed us up just yesterday.”

“Oh, here you are,” Bruiser said, looking pleased. “Go on in and get registered. You can buy some brand new cards, just released today, too. They’ll start drawing lots in a couple minutes.” Ash and Aura moved past him to enter. Before he was out of earshot the bouncer called out one last thing to Aura. “Good luck in there Draxler,” he said. “You’re really gonna need it!”

The boys strolled inside to find themselves in a large ornate lobby. Though the business was named a gaming parlor, it looked more like a casino to Ash. As far as he could see, there were rows and rows of different types of games. Some on tables. Some looked like primitive machines. People exchanged skorch freely, betting on the outcomes of each and every game. A nearby information booth had a banner posted above it that read “COMPETITOR REGISTRATION”.  The woman working behind the counter had to shout over all the noise coming from the game table area.

“
Last call on competitor registration
!” she shouted. “
Last call
!”

“Let’s hurry,” said Aura as he pulled Ash toward the counter. Aura faced the woman working and flashed his signature smile. “Hello gorgeous, how you doing? I’m sure you know who I am already but I might as well say it, because let’s be honest, who doesn’t love hearing it? I’m Aura Draxler. Yep. I want you to take a minute and just digest that Let it really sink in.
Aura
.
Draxler
.”

The woman paused for only a second, then diverted her attention back to the crowd. “
Last call on competitor registration
!”

“We’re competitors,” Ash said brightly.

“Name?” she asked him.

“Ash Kaplan.”

“And Aura Draxler! Don’t forget the Drax-man!”

“You’re late,” the official replied, agitated. “They’re going to start calling lots any minute now. Listen for your number and follow the roster.”

“Thanks dear,” Aura said, leaning in obnoxiously close to the woman. “If you’re not busy later maybe we-”

The woman slapped a sticker over the death toucher’s mouth, silencing the boy. Ash stepped forward smiling gratefully at the lady. She patted Ash’s chest, applying the sticker to him as well. Ash looked down at his competitor number on the sticker and smiled, eager to get started.

“
Next
!” the woman bellowed in Ash’s face. After checking to ensure his eardrums weren’t ruptured, he grabbed his friend by the shoulder and shuffled out of the way as Aura reapplied the sticker to his jacket.

“
Next
!” the woman bellowed in Ash’s face. After checking to ensure his eardrums weren’t ruptured, he grabbed his friend by the shoulder and shuffled out of the way as Aura reapplied the sticker to his jacket.

They followed a sign pointing to the competitor’s waiting area. Fighting through the crowded interior, Ash observed the spacious casino-like gaming parlor, each table packed with hopeful devils looking to score big in a wide variety of colorful games. Confident bidders dropped stacks of square-shaped betting chips at a time, laughing at their odds. Across the room one man spun a giant wheel then screamed in frustration as it slowly came to a stop with the needle landing on a space marked with a big black skull-and-crossbones.

The feast for his eyes could have gone on for a while, but Ash snapped into focus when Aura gripped his shoulder tightly and spoke. “There!” He pointed his gauntlet across the room, in the direction of the double doors leading to the competitor’s area. “It’s…
her
.”

Standing next to the doors, surrounded by several guards was the woman Aura pointed to. She had long dark hair and was very beautiful despite her many tattoos that ran up and down her arms, legs, and even a few that stretched up to her face. Ash could tell by her fancy dress and the amount of guards surrounding her she was someone important.

“
Hello Marni
.” Aura knew she wouldn’t be able to hear him from across the room with all the chatter, but he didn’t care.

“So that’s Marni Narnya, the creator of Devil’s Duel…” Ash stared intently at the woman. She hadn’t spotted them yet. “Not really what I was expecting. I guess I can see how she took so much of your money though, looking like that.”

“Come on,” Aura said, wiping the uneasy look off his face. “We’d better go break the ice and say hi.” The distressed death toucher pressed on toward the woman, adopting a stern look.

“
Marni
!” Aura cried, waving enthusiastically at the woman. Before he could get anywhere near her though, a fast-moving bodyguard swooped in out of nowhere and blocked his route. The guard, a steely looking woman with teal hair, wore an ornate blue uniform that concealed her slender body. She was the only person in the room to carry a weapon, a sword slung in its sheath hung at her side.

“
Lorin
,” the boy said through gritted teeth.

“Marni’s busy right now.” Lorin flashed her teeth, her hand hanging at her waist by the hilt of her sword. “
We
could play catch up though, if you want.”

Aura stopped dead in his tracks. Ash couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Aura was actually
cowering
to this woman. Clearly there was some hidden history here that Ash hadn’t yet caught on to, but he could guess that since it involved a couple of pretty ladies, there was probably going to be some element of heartbreak to his companion’s tale.

“I don’t have anything to say to you.” Aura closed himself off to the woman, stepping closer to the safety of Ash’s side. “We’re just trying to get into the competitor’s area. I was going to say hi to Marni, that’s all.”

“
Ohh Aura
,” Lorin said with a conceited grin. “Are you
still
holding out hope that she’ll choose you after all these years?”

Her words cut Aura deep. Ash felt it too, and saw it on his friend’s face.

The death toucher shrugged it off though. “See these stickers?” Aura asked, pointing to the entry number stuck to his coat. “We’re competing in the tournament. We don’t have time to waste here on you. If you won’t let us say hi to Marni, then at least get out of our way.”

Aura pressed forward. Lorin backed up, still standing between them and Marni.

“Lorin, why didn’t you tell me that Aura was here?” Marni abandoned her post by the door and appeared behind her number one guard. She was even prettier up close. “I’d never pass up the chance to talk to an old friend.”

“But sir,” Lorin said, grinding her teeth. “He shouldn’t even be allowed in here. Not with his debt!”

“The only way we’ll ever see that debt paid is by letting him in here,” Marni said with a confident toss of her long hair. She smelt like sweet flowers, an intoxicating scent to the boys. “Besides, it’s nice to see you again Aura.”

Marni smiled sweetly and Aura choked up. She trained her eyes on Ash next. “You must be Ash. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

The boy almost blushed as he introduced himself, trying to make a good first impression on the buxom beauty. “So, you’re an old friend of Aura’s? Tell me, was he always such a vulgar numb-skull?”

Aura made a sound like he objected the question. Marni laughed softly, her smile practically lit up the room. “Believe it or not, he was much
worse
in the days of our youth, back when he was my bodyguard.”

Lorin stepped in to interrupt. “Excuse me Marni,” she said, gesturing across the room. “We’ve got more
important
company.”

Ash followed her gaze back to where they came from, by the registration table. There an unfamiliar man stood staring in their direction.

“Ah, it’s Vashi,” Marni said to herself and waved the man over. “Lord Vashi! Lord Vashi!” At her gesture, the man known as Vashi started wandering toward them.

“Who’s this guy?” Aura asked.

“Vashi Tansa, an up-and-coming Noble merchant,” Marni informed them. “He’s made a lot of charitable donations to me. He’s a most valuable client, and happens to be quite the fan of Devil’s Duel.”

Aura shrugged. “Looks like a tool to me.”

Lorin shot him a dirty glare. “
Hold your tongue or move along
.” The guys stood there silently with Lorin and watched Marni step forward to greet her special guest.

Vashi Tansa was a plump, fluffy looking Noble decked out in white robes of the highest quality. His bright red beard dominated the lower portion of his face, his puffy white hat was adorned with a bright, long feather that stretched so far it hung down behind his back. A pleasant smile poked out of his beard as he waddled up to Marni with open arms. He paid the boys no mind at all.

“Ms. Narnya, I’m pleased to see the turnout today has far exceeded anything I could have imagined!”

“This is only the beginning, Lord Vashi,” said Marni, embracing her associate and allowing him to plant fake kisses on her cheeks. “Devil’s Duel is my magnum opus. It’s going to breath new life into this establishment like we’ve never seen before.”

“That’s what makes me so pleased to be included in your grand designs,” the plump Noble said. “I do hope that our business associations will not affect my ability to take part in today’s tournament…”

“Of course not my Lord,” Marni replied assuringly. “You are free to compete, just as anyone else is.”

“Excellent, excellent,” the Noble said, stroking his long beard. “I’ll be off now to prepare a proper deck. Wonderful turnout. Bye bye now.”

Marni bowed gracefully. “Best of luck to you today.” After Vashi left, Marni turned to face Ash and Aura again. “Sorry for the interruption. Now where were we?”

“That guy actually plays?” Ash asked, astonished. The Nobles he’d met in Hell so far didn’t seem like the types to waste time on a card game.