Chapter 189: A Change of Pace.

It’s been… nearly a year since arriving in this city, as of now. The city of Purgatory, a strange city, a place that didn’t exist on any map. A place, that didn’t exist in the same world as the one I once knew. A place that functioned off absurd rules.

And as a perfect example of what I meant by absurd rules…

A horn sounded out, long and low. Carrying out for miles around. Followed by the sound of waves, the smell of the sea, and finally, the sun beaming down.

Where was I?

On a cruise. A ship, whose destination was a distant archipelago that definitely didn’t exist within the city boundaries or on any map I’d seen.

As for why I was here, today, or perhaps yesterday was the blood moon. And instead of something normal, or typical, or at least something I’d experienced before. This one was an event, a Summer Event.

An event with no real stakes, whose sole purpose was simply, to enjoy a vacation… or so it seemed. And with everything that has happened recently, and in the last few months, despite my own reservations, I couldn’t help but look forward to getting a break.

After all, in the last few days, a lot had happened. The last week alone was almost as troublesome as a tutorial event, or even the last blood moon. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears had been spilled.

Over the course of three months, we’d managed to complete our project, but in the final stretch, the data was lost. With it lost, there was little to no hope we could pull off a final rally and get the project done. Due to that, I decided on a hail mary, and threw myself into the depths to try and get a gold coin.

In short, I failed. I returned a failure, but the division had rallied under Terada, managing to pull something together. However, we weren’t out of the mire just yet. We had to deliver the completed product to the executive, who had been out of the office.

En route, Terada had confessed, confessed that he was responsible for the initial rumors spreading. That he was behind a lot of the backlash I received back when I had overthrown Leo, the division leader.

Not that he did much work, but seeing me do what he could not, had pushed Terada to do what he did in an attempt to bring me back in line.

That revelation was… something.

I didn’t blame him for it; the past was the past. And if anything, the trials he put on me had only made me stronger. Making me aware of my own weaknesses, and where I need to improve.

It seemed like, we’d make it out. That we’d beat the odds. That Terada would have a second chance to go all out, to make up for all those years he’d idled and done nothing.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. We were intercepted by a colleague. A colleague by the name of Kenta, Terada’s protégé. During the week I had been gone, Kenta had a falling out with Terada and the rest of the team. The reason was simple enough. He was young, he still had a future, and so he gambled.

This gamble, ended up with him confronting, gun in hand. Demanding the finished project, for if we succeeded, whatever deal he made would have fallen through.

Was there more to it? Definitely. Even with just one day to get information, the rumor mill was going at full force. Especially with what happened with Terada. Against my wishes, he’d tried to prevent Kenta from taking the disc that had our finished product on. And as a result, was shot.

He didn’t die on the spot. He managed to survive until the ambulance came, and even survived surgery, but… he never woke up. Despite everything, he passed in his sleep. Surrounded by family, and close colleagues. People that had worked with him for decades, if not more. Even the executive showed up to give his condolences.

While that happened, I was preparing for this trip. I still was suffering from the backlash of using my uniform to push back the inevitable. But after the treatment I received at the hospital, it was definitely manageable. I’d gone shopping, specifically for summer attire, for this event in particular.

It wasn’t fun. No, if anything, it was just something to keep my mind off of what happened, off of Terada’s fate. I wasn’t there when he died, I didn’t think I deserved to be there. I did greet the family, his wife, kids, and gave them my apologies for what happened, and explained the situation; how it had happened.

They didn’t seem shocked. If anything, they’d believed something like this would happen eventually. That he’d get himself in a situation like this.

It was not a pleasant conversation..., but I got it done.

I talked with the other division leaders, we talked about going forward, plans. I spoke briefly with the executive, and he talked a bit about the overall situation, and gave me a bit of a preview as to what our conversation would be, when the weekend ends.

It was strange to see him wearing his mask outside the office, his bronze eyes glowing as always. Only, he looked more tired, exhausted than when I last saw him. When looking at Terada, despite his usual iron, the man seemed almost… worn.

There was a lot to do when this event ended, which really just meant I needed to make the most of this break.

Surprisingly, just about everyone I knew had chosen to get involved. I’d met most, if not all of them during the boarding phase at the port. Even the lesser magical girls were here, being Nyx, Talia, and Ophelia, with even Shi being allowed on board.

Nyx had arrived with Éclair, but the moment we boarded the cruise, Éclair had shut herself in her room. I had a feeling as to why, since this was a rare opportunity for Éclair to actually rest and relax.

I didn’t see Diana, but Éclair mentioned that she had swung by her place for a bit before heading off to who knows where. Apparently, she had officially left the Women’s Home, as for where she was staying now, nobody knew, and it didn’t help that she wasn’t answering her phone or replying to messages.

I wasn’t worried, not really. Diana knew what she was doing, and I had a good amount of faith in her ability. She was also smart enough to know to reach out if something did come up.

Another missing face was Morrigan. I didn’t have the time to talk with her after handing over the blade. It all happened in a blur, and part of me hoped we’d meet during this event. However, it seemed she wasn’t here.

I figured she would have jumped at the opportunity to rest and relax, but apparently that is not the case.

As for other notable faces, Grim was here, being part of a larger faction, she and the other members of the police force had their own suite on the cruise. Each faction had their own sections on the cruise, with every other magical girl having an individual room.

It was an interesting experience, taking in what must have been a majority of the magical girl population inside the city, all converging on one spot. Including those living in the lower quarter.

Their numbers were probably… in the hundreds? Two, three hundred possibly. With a majority of them being rabbits, like myself. With most of them living inside the Lower Quarter.

As for the cruise itself? Like most magical girls, I had my own room. It was, surprisingly comfortable. A bed, a couch set against the wall, with a television set on the wall opposite of the couch. A full bathroom, which was surprising. That, and a balcony that let me look out towards the sea.

Our itinerary was both light and packed. For the next few days, we were to travel, and during that time, there was a plethora of optional activities to take part in. With all the activities granting Sheep coins for some reason. With every game overseen by a Sheep, and with specific rulesets that limited magic abilities to keep the competition fair.

During the day, there were various competitions. Most, if not all of them were simple games. Shuffleboard, card games, or jump rope, to list a few. At night, there were Bingo nights set aside, and even a poker tournament scheduled for the final night of the cruise.

It felt a little odd. But… it was strangely entertaining. I spent the first day focused on recovery. Resting, sleeping in, enjoying the sun and a hot bath. Eating what I want at the buffet and talking or catching up with my fellow batchmates or others.

It also gave me a chance to observe the various factions. There were quite a few of them, the police were an obvious one. The Wizard Gang made up the largest faction from the Lower Quarter. There was a group of Dogs that made up a collective that were based in the Purgatory school system acting as teachers. Then there was the Women’s Home, and a group of crafters that operated out of the Industrial District.

Not present was the leader of the flower shop. A place that was clearly a faction in its own right, as Grim had brought me there once to drop off the Alraune seed, and I’ve also been there to purchase magical herbs.  Of this faction, I did see a familiar face, that being Amanda. The magical girl whom I had teamed up with during the first event. On encountering her, I had a small chat about her, and her leader’s absence, but apparently it was common for their faction leader to not attend events.

Missing as well was anyone representing the hospital, but from what I’ve heard, and was told, they weren’t exactly a large faction.

Then there were the countless smaller groups operating inside the city, many of them acting independently, or working together for collective goals to survive or grow in power. Many of them were wary of any offers of working together, especially when they learned I was the leader of a small group myself.

Most notably, or perhaps, the most visible group, however, was the Dragon Gang. The leader stayed sequestered in his faction’s suite. But his subordinates went about the crew and actively worked to recruit, offering incentives, including cash and coins for joining up with them.

It was a bit annoying, but they didn’t press. If anything, they all dressed like hosts, or hostesses at a club. Amping up the charm to appear as inviting as possible.

On patrol as always were the police, though they lacked numbers, even on vacation they took it upon themselves to help mediate disputes. Oddly, aiding them were the Dogs from the school system, though, seeing as they were teachers and instructors, having them assist with keeping the peace did make an odd amount of sense.

It was… interesting. Seeing how the different groups interacted on neutral ground, how everyone acted. Nobody seemed pressed to win competitions. The event coins were just an additional reward, and nobody seemed to take it too seriously. With most people taking part in whatever competition to just have some fun.

Not wanting to spend the whole trip in my room, I went ahead and took part in some basic competitions, not really winning anything in the process. I paid a visit to Éclair, but she didn’t answer, so I left her be.

And just like that, time continued to flow until the end of the cruise, when the event truly kicked off. However, what really caught my eye was the poker tournament. It was on the final day of the cruise, it was a whole ordeal, with everyone being given an initial set of coins as a starting point.

Everyone was talking about it, near every faction was planning to get involved.

The poker game rules were enticing as well. Of all the games, this one was the one taken the most seriously. Each participant was given a hundred coins worth of chips. With well over a hundred participants everyone was motivated to win.

Especially since the rounds weren’t winner take all. There were prizes for making certain rounds, which amounted to about ten percent of your total winnings from each round. Guaranteeing that as long as someone didn’t lose in the first round that they would get something. And even then, there was a whole loser’s bracket for people to get another go.

Ultimately, having poker as a game was an interesting choice. I’d worry that more able individuals would be able to keep track of cards, or in some way leverage their magic to cheat, but with the Sheep present, there was no chance of it. At least, that was what they claimed.

On the night of the poker night however, they proved themselves beyond capable.

Every shuffle was unique. No two hands the same. No matter how the math was done, it was nigh impossible to even begin to guess what the others had. Which turned the game entirely into a social deduction game.

Everything had to be scrutinized. How they held their cards, if they hesitated when it was their turn to raise or call. Sudden movements, tells, like tapping fingers on the table, rubbing their eye. The slightest of frowns.

It started lighthearted enough, in the first few rounds at least. As I worked my way up the ladder though, the quality of my competition took a turn. The tension ratcheted, I felt eyes looking at me, scrutinizing me. Even using my ice could be a tell, a warning that I wasn’t confident.

Unsurprisingly, I found myself advancing with little difficulty. I was used to politics, to an extent. Every game was hardly silent, as words were exchanged, information, names, and other such information. All to gather just a bit more information on our opponent.

The games took longer the further up the ladder I moved. More hands were lost, chips, that had now accumulated to an absurd degree exchanged hands with regularity.  At some point, the caliber of my opponents had changed as well.

Drinks were handed out, but I had to temper myself, and yet, I could not reject. Taking small sips to appear calm, to keep up appearances as I scrutinize my opponents. Working my way closer and closer to the end as I fought against the growing exhaustion of the continuous battle of wills.

Some people smoked, pulling out cigars or cigarettes. My fingers twitched involuntarily at the sight. Something my current opponent noticed.

“Former smoker?” He asked after he took a drag of his cigar.

“Yeah.” I answer back, mouth a bit dry. A sip of my beverage, water this time, helped to soothe the itch. Especially with how cool the water was. With perspiration clinging to the glass, beading into little droplets that slid down to touch my fingers.

We were in the semi-finals. Me, and the man across from me. Whoever wins goes to the final game. The accrued chips were almost mind-boggling. Enough to make anyone drool with anticipation. Yet, he was just as calm as ever. Cool, collected, in a way that had me, even with my ice on edge.

He was a different sort, tanned, blonde hair. He wore rings and had earrings. By every metric he seemed like a playboy, or perhaps a pickup artist. In spite of his appearance, he was shrewd, and exceptionally capable. Within a few rounds, he and I had worked off each other to deprive the other two contestants of their chips. Leaving just us to size each other up.

What was strange was… just how out of my league I felt. Like this man before me was far beyond me. Not that I’d show it, but… based on the small smirk on his lips, I had a feeling he knew all too well what I was feeling.

A few rounds passed. During which we exchanged idle chatter, talking about this and that. Eventually the conversation touched on our occupations, but… “I deal in money.” Was his response to what he did. I responded with an equally vague response, but I could tell we both understood each other’s positions. What it was we did.

As more rounds passed, a slow series of back and forth, with me winning some, and losing some. In this period, a pattern came to the fore. Slowly, but surely, I was whittling him down. Yet, despite everything, he seemed as calm as ever.

He was dressed in a fine suit, rather, a gaudy suit. It was gold, almost insultingly so. Like he was trying to show off. I was dressed as well, though I didn’t prepare proper clothing for this event, the cruise did provide clothing if you wanted to glam it up, as it were.

Unlike him, I wasn’t in a suit, instead, I’d chosen a dress. If only to alter my image, to feed into a certain expectation.

“You wear that dress well.” He said after who knows how long.

“Thank you.” Was all I said, but he wasn’t done.

“However… I must admit, it doesn’t look quite right on you, or perhaps, I should say, you don’t quite fit the dress.” He followed up with, swirling his own drink. The man was drinking alcohol like a fish would water. Making me envious of his constitution.

“I would have to agree…” I say with a subtle sigh. Between admitting he was right, and outright denying him, giving him the win here was the better option. “I haven’t had many opportunities to dress like this.”

“I think not, but… I’m sure there is more to it, isn’t there?” He smiles, but it doesn’t seem like a kind one. Or even a reassuring one. More like the smile of a predator, smelling blood.

“There always is.” I say back, as a means to deflect. Not responding to his obvious thrust. It didn’t matter if he suspected what I was, or who I had been. What did matter was who I was now.

He frowned slightly at my non-answer, but just as quickly his smile came back in full force, exposing blinding white teeth.

“I like you.” Was his response.

“Is that so? Enough to hand me the win?” I tease.

He laughs. “Hardly, me liking you is one thing, and this? This is business I’m afraid.” He motions to the chips and the cards.

“Then will you call? Or raise?” I ask, goading him. I had a good hand. I was certain I could win. He glanced at his own hand and shrugged.

“Sure, why not.” Was his response, “I’ll call. Let’s see what you got.”

We exposed out hands, and… “Seems I won this time.”

“Seems you did.” He replies back, unbothered, even though, by now, I had well over half the total chips.

Seeing me watching him, he gives me a smile, and a wink.