The Las Vegas Strip made the night disappear. The city’s bright lights were almost blinding. Everywhere Rama looked, he saw tall buildings lit up like Christmas trees. The streets were filled with dozens of people, half of them inebriated. Outside was a loud cacophony which made it all almost overwhelm Rama’s senses. Behind him Jet groggily woke up. After rubbing his eyes he noticed the environment.

“Woah is this what I think it is?” He eagerly asked.

“Ew, this is Vegas alright,” Lorraine said, noticing a sex worker standing on a street corner.

She had woken up as well, already alert. She gripped tightly onto her sword as if someone was about to break into the car and steal it.

“Are we going to a casino?” Jet inquired. “I’m actually really good at Blackjack.”

“You know we’re not old enough to gamble,” Lorraine reminded him.

“I look old for my age. I can pull off being 21.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“You can gamble too Lorraine. You can pull off being 30 if you want.”

Sifu Ramos and Rama glanced back, both shocked. It took Jet a moment to realize what he’d said.

“I-I didn’t mean it like tha-”

Lorraine poked him in the head with her sheathed blade.

“Ow!”

“Sorry bro you deserved that one,” Rama observed.

“Never talk about a woman’s age. Ever,” Sifu Ramos added.

After a few more minutes of driving, Sifu Ramos parked the car in front of a massive red and black tower. It stretched high into the sky, forcing Rama to tilt his head all the way back once he stepped out to see it all. There were dozens of windows on each floor, most of which were lit up. The entrance had massive red doors which constantly opened and shut as patrons went in and out.

“Welcome to the Heartbreak Hotel/Casino!” Sifu Ramos revealed, proudly standing before the building with hands on his hips.

“Ground level has the casino and theater; everything above holds hotel rooms. I made a reservation before we started driving. It cost quite a bit but I’m making back all the money tonight so it’s no problem. You three are staying on the 15th floor. You boys are staying in one room, Lorraine in one adjacent. You're all going to stay in your rooms alright?”

Everyone turned to Jet.

“Everyone has little faith in me huh?”

They all nodded.

“Fair enough. I don’t trust myself either. If I try to leave, have Lorraine do her thing.”

They headed into the building and just like what happened outside, their senses were overwhelmed. The ceiling was covered in lights and the numerous machines on the black and red carpeted floor let out a loud racket as dozens of people gathered round each one, all hoping to win big.

All around were posters advertising the show happening in the casino’s theater. It was an orchestra of all things which caught Rama by surprise. A surprisingly jet set show in a city known for vice. He’d expected something more adult. Meanwhile Jet found himself unconsciously heading to the machines when Sifu Ramos pulled him back.

“No,” he deadpanned.

Jet grumbled his discontent as Sifu Ramos led them to an elevator near the entrance. As they moved Lorraine couldn’t help but notice people staring at them. It was probably because she carried a sword. A teenager wielding an archaic weapon wasn’t a usual sight after all. She’d have to figure out how to hide it better. Could it come off as a strange walking stick? They stood in the elevator as Sifu Ramos pressed a button, making the elevator take them up.

“Good thing we got out of there before security arrived,” Sifu Ramos said out of the blue as pleasant elevator music played.

“It was the sword wasn’t it?” Lorraine guessed.

“Yeah, I keep forgetting people aren’t used to kids with weapons. If anyone asks, it’s a walking stick.”

Lorraine put the blade’s tip on the floor, trying to make it look like it held up her weight.

“This isn’t working.”

“You gotta put your back into it,” Rama advised. “You gotta feel old. Bro, demonstrate.”

Jet hunched his back forward.

“I remember the good ole days. Back when gas was five cents and kids didn’t mess with their phones all day. Back in my day we all used to listen to Gwen Stefani.”

The trio bursted into a fit of laughter while Sifu Ramos shot an angry look.

“Y’all think you're funny huh?”

The elevator doors opened and Sifu Ramos flounced forward, more hurt by the joke than he expected. They trio followed, walking across the diamond patterned black and red floor. Eventually Sifu Ramos halted in front of a large brown door.

“Ok you little shits, this room is for Rama and Jet. The one to the left is for Lorraine. Now stay inside and lock your doors; I’m off to win some money. If anything happens, call me.”

Sifu Ramos went away, leaving the trio in front of their respective doors. Lorraine was about to enter her room when she noticed Rama and Jet standing behind her.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing, go ahead. We’re right behind you,” Jet said.

“Why aren’t you two going to your room?”

“How are we going to hang out like that?” Rama pointed out.

“Oh god you’re actually making me watch anime aren’t you?” she realized to her horror.

“Definitely. You’re not escaping this. No studying that samurai book Sifu has been making you read.”

Lorraine groaned as she went through the door.

The anime Jet and Rama put on was weird. Scratch that, all anime was weird to Lorraine. The plot was simple but everything was so exaggerated she found the whole thing ridiculous and she had countless questions.

“Ok but why is she 10?” Lorraine questioned, sitting on the edge of the room’s bed, watching the small flatscreen television.

“She’s not 10,” Jet answered, sitting on a black leather chair to her right. “She’s 1000.”

“But she acts like she’s 10 and has the body of a 10 year old. Therefore, she is 10.“

“That’s a very flawed line of reasoning. If you paid attention, she acts like that because the evil super sorceress cursed her 3000 years ago.”

“Jet this is very questionable and I’m wondering if I need to call the cops on you.”

He sighed.

“It’s not working bro!”

“It’s not?” Rama called from the bathroom.

He came out and strode over to them while continuing to floss his teeth.

“Oh bro why’d you go with this one?” Rama asked, noticing the television.

“I thought Lorraine would like it. It’s about samurais.”

“These little girls shooting laser beams out of their wands are not samurais,” Lorraine deadpanned.

“It’s an alternate universe Lorraine!”

“Bro this isn’t working. Time to accept defeat,” Rama stated.

Jet cursed realizing Rama was right. He stood up and headed to the corner to pick up a bag.

“We’ll continue another time. Feel like playing a game?”

“What game?” Lorraine asked.

“Chess,” Rama pronounced.

“Not just any chess,” Jet clarified as he sifted through a bag’s contents. “It’s chess 2.”

“What in the world is chess 2?”

“The sequel to chess,” Rama said nonchalantly. “Jet and I made it back when we were kids.”

“And it’s amazing!” Jet exclaimed, taking out a brown box. “It’s everything chess is, and more. New pieces, new strategies, new everything. It’s the best.”

“Yeah we got the normal pieces but also additions such as alien, demon, and thermonuclear warhead.”

“Uh huh and you have to play with five chess boards.”

“This all sounds extremely convoluted,” Lorraine noted.

“Convoluted but fun,” Rama concurred.

Jet excitedly pulled out the box when music began to play throughout the room. It was a mellifluous violin but it sounded distorted, making it slightly unnerving. There was a strange reverb to the music as more and more instruments joined, eventually sounding like a full orchestra. It sounded pleasant but eerily unnatural, like the instruments were slowly dying as it continued. The trio stopped in confusion, Jet slowly putting his box down on a table.

“What in the world is that?” he asked, breaking the silence.

Lorraine stood up, checking the corners of the room to see if she could find a speaker of some kind. Rama tried to hone in on the music’s origin but it was too difficult to tell. The music reverberated around the room like it was the work of a surround sound speaker. Then came a knock at the door.

Lorraine stepped back to the bed, picking up her sheathed blade from the top. Jet picked up a wooden chair, ready to chuck it forward. Rama tried to calm down, hoping to summon his Chi to prepare for the worse. It didn’t work. He was too anxious. His body wanted to move, not stay still. The knocking continued, louder this time.

“So….who’s getting it?” Rama inquired, too afraid to do it himself.

“Lorraine you got this,” Jet said, moving to the back of the room with his chair.

“Hell no I’m not doing it. One of you boys, do it. Chivalry and whatnot,” she retorted.

“Newsflash, men and women are equal now.”

“Oh please.”

“Yeah Lorraine, sorry to burst your bubble.”

“Alright alright!” Rama interrupted. “I’m doing it!”

Rama slowly stepped up to the door, his heart pounding. His friends watched from behind, prepared for the worse. Rama leaned to look through the peephole, seeing an elderly woman dressed in a gray button up shirt with black trousers. She had curly white hair and giant glasses which made her pupils appear large.

“Housekeeping,” she smiled, making the many wrinkles on her face pull back.

Rama breathed a sigh of relief.

“Oh guys we’re ok. It’s only housekeeping and she’s really old,” he said, turning his head back to them.

“Thank god!” Jet breathed.

“Wait, why would housekeeping show up in the middle of the night?” Lorraine muttered.

“What was that?” Rama asked, opening the door.

He turned his head back round and was met with a fist to the face.

Rama’s body flew back, crashing onto his back. The old woman rushed into the room, getting on top of Rama and grabbing his head. Her eyes stared into his as they glowed a bright purple, steaming out of her eyes like smoke from a fire.

“Rama Leeroy!” she hissed in an unnaturally deep voice. “You have been chosen by Her! You have been given the honor to die by the 10th Apostle’s hand! Let her music take control and lead you to the great symphony beyond!”

Rama tried to resist, seeking to push the old woman off but she was strong, way too strong for her age. Her hands gripped tightly onto his head, seeking to crack his neck as his body resisted.

“Guys help!” he yelled.

Jet ran forward with his chair, lifting it over his head.

“Die Satan!” he exclaimed, slamming the chair over the old woman.

The chair broke on impact, causing the woman to let go of Rama. She put her hands on the ground to prevent herself from falling completely down when Lorraine rushed forward. She wound up her sheathed blade, holding it like a baseball bat. She stopped in front of the elderly woman and swung it, driving it into the side of the woman’s head, knocking her off Rama.

She rolled onto the ground next to them when Rama rolled over, driving his elbow into the woman’s face. The blow finished her, the purple glow disappearing from her eyes. Rama stood up, breathing heavily. The distorted orchestral music continued to play as the trio nervously looked down at the body.

“D-did we just kill an old woman?” Jet started.

After shaking her head to focus, Lorraine leaned down, checking to see if the woman was breathing. She fortunately felt a heart beat and the woman’s chest slowly rose and fell.

“She’s alive. Whatever the hell got her like that, it made her able to take a few hits.”

“Is she a psycho old lady assassin from another world?” Jet asked.

Rama continued to stare at the unconscious woman. He slowly shook his head.

“I don’t think so. That would be too easy. I think she was under some sort of spell, or something.”

Lorraine looked out the window. It was dark outside but she couldn’t tell if this was natural darkness or the indication they had been isolated from the outside world. Looking down she realized that the streets below were still full of life.

“We’re not isolated,” she told them.

“Ok so we won! Everything’s gone back to normal,” Jet concluded.

The orchestral music became louder as they heard the sound of footsteps coming from outside. Rama rushed to the door and poked his head out. In the hallway were dozens upon dozens of people, all varying in ages and sizes. Their clothing was eclectic. Some dressed like the old woman like they were staff, others in normal street apparel like they were patrons. All of them had that purple glow emanating from their eyes. They saw Rama and began to sprint down the hallway toward him.

Rama screamed as he quickly shut the door.

“There’s more! There’s a lot more!” he shouted.

Jet ran up to help Rama. Together they held the door shut as they felt a wave crash against them. On the other side, the horde was trying to push their way in.

“It’s not normal!” Jet yelled.

He cursed some more, bashing his shoulder against the wall to keep the door shut. It immediately partially opened again, allowing one of the assaulters to push their head through the crack.

“Foolish children!” they shouted. “Join us in our symphony! You cannot stop the beauty!”

Rama punched the head, forcing it back out.

“Lorraine, get us out of here!” he ordered.

“H-how?”

“Figure it out! We can’t keep this door closed for long!”

Lorraine looked around, trying to find a way out. She ran to the window and opened it. It was a straight drop down. They were strong, but they weren’t surviving a 15 story fall. She cursed to herself, whipping around. Jet and Rama still kept the door shut but were struggling more and more. They were blocking the only door in the room besides the one that led to the bathroom. The music continued to increase in volume, making it harder to think. She took a step forward when she noticed the wooden floor slightly went down. Her eyes widened.

She unsheathed her blade and began to hack at the ground, causing splinters of wood to fly into the air. Meanwhile Jet and Rama continued to hold the door shut when a voice joined the disturbing music.

“I love to play music,” the sonorous voice said, mixing in with the instruments.

“It changes how we view the world. It can make people feel emotions they never felt before. We can…understand each other through music. It is a universal language where we become one. One mind, one soul. Isn’t it beautiful? Wouldn’t you like to join?”

Lorraine continued to hack at the ground. She then stomped on it, making a small hole. She continued to stomp, making the hole big enough for a human to fit through.

“Guys come on!” she yelled.

Rama and Jet jumped back, allowing the door to open. People flooded in but due to pushing so hard, they fell forward, tripping over themselves. Using the brief respite they ran to Lorraine. Rama jumped down first, landing on the floor below. He immediately got tackled by three men.

“Rama!” Jet shouted, jumping down.

Lorraine attempted to jump down as well but got tackled herself, separating her from the boys.

Two men pinned her, repeatedly punching her face. She gritted her teeth, trying to ignore the iron taste in her mouth. Her sword was to her side. She reached her hand out, her fingers scratching the floor as she tried to grab it but it was just out of reach. People continued to file into the room, forming a circle around her. Their purple glowing eyes were unnerving, like she was surrounded by demons.

“Now what do we have here?” a voice playfully said.

Someone new entered the room, the footsteps slowly echoing throughout the room as the music continued to play. The punching stopped, allowing Lorraine to see a woman standing beside her sword. She wore a bright purple coat with black trousers, a rapier sword attached to her hip, her silver hair tied in twintails. She fiddled with the golden buttons on her coat as her bright blue eyes examined Lorraine’s sword with disdain.

“You call this a sword?” she derided. “So unrefined. Looks like something an orc would use.”

She bent down, meeting Lorraine’s eyes.

“You helped defeat the 12th Apostle? That woman must be weaker than I thought. I’m Petronilla, the 9th Apostle. I’m here to show you that the 12th may have given you the wrong impression about us. We are the servants of the Goddess of Smoke, the epitome of humanity’s strength. We are beautiful, elegant, and deadly. We turned war into an art. The likes of you will never- ”

Lorraine spat into her eye, making her jump back.

“H-How dare you! I’m a noble! I-I”

“Talk too much!” Lorraine interrupted.

Lorraine grunted as she used all of her strength to lurch forward, finally gripping onto her sword. Her body immediately began to glow green, infusing her with newfound strength. She punched the men off her, getting up with her blade in hand. Two more rushed her. One threw a punch but she ducked, countering with an elbow to stomach. The man fell as the other threw a kick. She blocked it with a forearm then drove the blade’s handle into the man’s face all the way to the ground. Lorraine looked up, seeing the others about to move in when Petronilla put her hand up, preventing them from moving forward.

“No, no I’m not letting the 10th’s puppets end you. I’m doing it myself,” she hissed.

She pointed at the hole. The possessed people went down it, no questions asked. Lorraine stood up, pointing her sword at Petronilla. Petronilla herself took a deep breath, removing her rapier from her waist.

“I almost lost my temper, how uncouth of me,” she said, pointing her blade at Lorraine. “Now, en guarde.”