Heart joined the lineup of The Blackjacks, standing backdropped by Hazelton Stadium. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary so far, but Aurin knew that would change before long. He remained silent as he watched the four, who observed him closely. He tried not to focus on any of them in particular.

  “For the initial round of stage two,” said Spade, folding his arms across his chest, “you’re permitted the summoning of three Minakai. None of them are allowed to pass through the door with you. They must be summoned when you enter the stadium. There are no exceptions to this rule, not even for that dopey lizard that follows you around.”

  The Minakai kicked up a fuss behind Aurin, erupting into a cacophony of cries, roars, grunts, and squeals. Shamtile wailed so loudly that he was heard over the roars of the loudest of the team, Spikruption and Zeera. Aurin raised a hand to silence his monsters, and they quickly quieted.

  “And then what?” asked Aurin, his cold eyes focused on Spade.

  “You’ll learn the rules momentarily,” he replied. “Enter at your leisure.”

  The Blackjack’s separated in the middle and all four gestured towards the stadium doors. It was unusual for them to be open at this hour, but no doubt Alfred Ashmore had sunk a foolish amount of money into hiring it for the night. It all seemed so over the top, and Aurin questioned why the man loved his games so. It was not the most pressing question he wanted to ask of his silent observer, but it had been playing on his mind.

  Aurin walked towards the open doorway. As he came within a dozen yards, something changed. A swirling purple vortex materialised and Aurin let out a dry laugh. He had expected some level of rift magic, but not like this. When Spade had said he would be permitted to summon three Minakai, rift magic was the most sure-fire way of limiting Aurin’s summoning ability. That should have been a giveaway, but the swirling vortex was reminiscent of the entryways into the monster towers.

  “Good luck, Aurin,” called Heart, her voice filled with excitement and glee.”

  “Thanks,” Aurin muttered over his shoulder. He didn’t know why he bothered answering.

  Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the portal. He had Gray’s reassurance that he would not be banished to another world unexpectedly. He had trusted that to be true and was greatly relieved when he came to a jolting halt in the stadium entrance hall. The teleportation had truly been tower-like and it made Aurin wonder all the more about what Alfred had planned for him. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the way outside was blocked by a rippling, smoke-like barrier outside. It was similar to the domes he had become so familiar with.

  He sighed as he turned back to survey the room. Everything in the hall was lit by the dimmed ceiling lights and it looked exactly the same as it normally did. The waiting areas with the leather sofas and chairs were there. The giant screen that displayed tournament brackets hung on the far wall. The countertop before it was clear and devoid of any stadium staff, but Aurin had the strange sense that he was supposed to approach it.

  He walked over to it, looked around, and waited for something to happen. Without warning, the screen above him turned on, displaying the image of a joker playing card. The light was blinding and Aurin squinted to see it. There then came a faint crackling over the nearby speakers.

  “Welcome, Aurin,” said a robotic voice, similar to that of the masked Blackjacks. “I should need no introduction at this point, but it would be frightfully rude of me to not do so. My name is Alfred Ashmore, son of the dearly departed Sir Arthur Ashmore.”

  Dearly departed? How could Alfred possibly know whether his father was alive or dead. He had been banished to another world.

  “Hello,” said Aurin. “I would say it’s nice to finally meet you in person, Alfred, but you aren’t really here, are you?”

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “I am exactly where I need to be. As are you, Aurin. Truth be told, I’m surprised you so willingly asked to continue the game. Not that I would have given up if you hadn’t relayed your intent.”

  “I thought it would be best to confront your challenge head on. You’ve put a lot of time and effort into this, so it’s only fair that I play, isn’t it?”

  Alfred chuckled. “How bold of you.”

  “That’s not the bold part, Alfred,” said Aurin. “The bold part is that I’m going to win. Tell me my goal and the rules.”

  Alfred fell silent for a moment. “Your goal, for this stage, Aurin, is to find and face off against each of The Blackjacks. Each of them will be carrying a card representing their suit and, once defeated, they’ve been instructed to hand the card over to you. There is no loss condition for this stage, Aurin.”

  “How many Minakai are each of them permitted?”

  “Three apiece.”

  “That seems a little unfair, doesn’t it?”

  “Ah, but there are plenty of little tricks and treats that you’ll discover along the way. But I should warn you, that they’re also going to be looking for you.”

  Aurin snorted. “Let me guess, they get a bonus for taking me out.”

  “A bonus per Minakai defeated, and an additional bonus for defeating your final monster. It pays to be early, but it pays to be last. The only thing that doesn’t pay is to lose altogether.”

  “Then let the game begin,” said Aurin, clapping his hands once. “Let’s hope your peons brought better Minakai with them than they did whenever you last sent them after me.”

  “Oh, I’ve chosen their teams for them, Aurin. Don’t you worry about that.”

  There came a distinct click and the screen bearing the joker vanished. It was divided into four rectangles, one per corner, and within each rectangle was an emblem; a spade, a diamond, a heart, and a club. Each of those emblems revealed different corridors or rooms within the stadium.

  “In the interest of giving you a slight edge,” said Alfred, “you can use the various monitors throughout the stadium to track your opponents. If there is one you want to pursue, you may do so. If there is one you want to avoid, you may do that too. Aren’t I a generous host?”

  “What did I do to deserve such special treatment?” asked Aurin, the sarcasm dripping off his tongue.

  Alfred laughed. “I’m going to enjoy watching this, Aurin. I’ve seen you battle many times over. To think that I have a front row seat to my own private show? Well, it’s got me all giddy.”

  “When this is all over, we’re going to battle face to face,” said Aurin sternly. “I’m playing along for now, but this doesn’t end until I’ve wiped the floor with you. Once I’ve done that, you’re going to leave me and my friends alone. You and your minions will never darken my doorway again. Am I clear?”

  Alfred burst into raucous laughter. “You are indeed bold, Aurin. I can see within you the fire that carried you to the top of the tower. But know this. Nothing is over until I say it’s over. You will rue the day you crossed the Ashmore family. Now, let round two begin.”

  There came a small fizzle of static as the microphone was silenced. Upon Alfred’s final word, the cameras within the screen shifted, signalling The Blackjacks moving forward. Diamond, Heart, and Club walked along, but Spade broke into an immediate sprint. Aurin knew that Jackson would gun straight for him. The mercenary wanted to defeat Aurin with a full team. Whatever Jackson had been promised by Ashmore was trivial in comparison to the glory of victory against his sworn nemesis. As far as Aurin was concerned, the rivalry was one-sided. He loathed Jackson, but he had little interest in fighting him except to make him go away.

  He recognised where Diamond and Heart were and he deemed Heart to be the easiest of the four Blackjacks. He would move towards her, despite Diamond being closer. This would hopefully give him some time to discover these tricks and treats that Alfred had alluded to. Aurin wondered if the supposed treats would be truly beneficial, but he hoped that they were. No doubt, they’d be beneficial if he was to stand up to twelve Minakai using only three of his own.

  “Let’s get to work, Gorunze,” said Aurin, summoning his bronze golem from outside.

  The hulking Minakai stood on his hind legs, stretched his arms up, and then slammed back down, cracking the floor tiles. Aurin winced, seeing the damage he had accidentally caused, but he’d worry about paying for repairs after. It was Alfred Ashmore’s fault, really, so he should be the one footing the bill.

  Aurin and Gorunze walked along the corridor to the right, ignoring the stairs. They walked slowly, but Aurin knew he would be heard before being seen. Gorunze was not a subtle monster, that much was certain, but he was a formidable fighter and could take a lot of damage. A true warrior of endurance and that would be key to withstanding the onslaught of attacks that were awaiting him.

  Poking his head into a storage room, Aurin laid eyes on boxes and boxes of sealed popcorn bags. He chuckled as he considered that this might be one of the treats. He put one foot inside the room and was immediately alerted by a click that rang in his ears.

  right here.

  Aurin's Team:

  Luna's Team: