Chapter 9: Wheel of Fortune

As the moon rose into the sky, Emily descended to the ground. She would rather not be flying when The Hanged Man ran out.

Her feet touched the floor of the Hesper Marshlands, sinking into the mud.

She grimaced at the feeling of dirt on her soles. She supposed it was a better environment than the desert though.

Shortly afterwards, she felt the power of flight fade from her body. A new day had arrived.

The deck comfortably rested in her hands. She had grown quite attached to it.

She slowly removed a card.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE.

Immediately, a circular spinner with multiple words written on it appeared in front of her face.

Emily’s eyebrows jumped upward in surprise as she read the options available.

“Card Upgrade” and “Deck Upgrade”.

The card upgrade section took up the majority of the wheel. Only a tiny sliver was available for the deck upgrade.

Her hand immediately jumped towards the wheel. With a tug, she sent the spinner into action.

With a clack, the spinner began to rotate around the circle rapidly. After a few seconds it began to slow down, before landing on card upgrade.

Emily was slightly disappointed she didn’t get the deck upgrade, but she was curious as to what card upgrade did.

All of a sudden, the wheel disappeared with a poof, leaving behind a glowing golden tarot card.

Emily picked it up with bated breath.

THE WORLD.

After she picked it up, it disappeared and went inside of her deck, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

“I’ve never picked that card before,” she thought with a frown, “Now I won’t be able to make a comparison of the upgraded power.”

She sighed lightly. No matter. An upgrade was still an upgrade. She was looking forward to the might that The World card would display.

Emily turned her attention back towards the marshlands in front of her.

The desert sat at her back, meaning she could only go forward.

She slowly advanced through the muddy water, sincerely wishing she still had her ability to fly.

Although she had learned about the geography of the world from Yurat, she wasn’t sure about the specifics. She had no clue what kind of creatures lived in these lands.

All of a sudden, with a giant splash of water, an alligator charged out from the water. Emily dove to the side, causing herself to get covered in mud. She cursed loudly.

The alligator quickly crawled towards her, flinging its tail at her head.

Emily jumped backwards out of reach, narrowly avoiding the tip.

The alligator roared in frustration, opening its mouth in an attempt to bite down on her body.

Emily quickly seized the opportunity and flipped onto its back. Using her thighs, she clamped down onto the alligator’s mouth, forcing it shut. Then, using her fingernails, she reached forward and jabbed them into the alligator’s eyes.

With a giant roar of pain, the alligator thrashed, throwing Emily into the water.

She wasted no time in standing back up. She immediately dashed deeper into the swampland, leaving the blind alligator behind.

That wasn’t the end of her worries though. Almost immediately, a giant buzzing noise resounded.

In front of her flew a massive mosquito. Its proboscis stood five feet long. Dangerous serrations ran along its length.

Emily went pale. Bugs were disgusting.

She clenched the spear tightly between her fingers, ready to use it in battle.

However, the mosquito suddenly cocked its head, its compound eyes stared at her intensely.

Suddenly, with speed surpassing her vision, it dashed past her. Emily turned her head after it, only to see the mosquito attacking a snake that had snuck up behind her.

The snake didn’t stand a chance. The mosquito rapidly drained it of its blood, leaving a dead husk behind.

Emily blinked. Had it protected her?

She shook her head. She wouldn’t give it time to change its mind. She headed deeper into the swamp.

After a few hours of uneventful walking, she came across a strange building.

“Is that a temple?” she noticed with a start.

The building stood rigidly, dominating the area. No wildlife could be seen nearby. It was as if they were afraid of the structure.

Emily approached carefully. A building meant people, and people likely meant danger.

Her encounter with Hiat left a lasting impression on her. She would have to be wary.

She carefully went up the temple steps, her curiosity getting the best of her.

As she got closer, one of the temple doors slid open with a click. It seemed her presence had already been noticed.

She took a deep breath and went inside.

Her mouth fell open. The inside of the temple was nothing like she had expected.

Instead of a dark, cold interior. The temple was lavishly furnished. Leather couches and cushions were arranged neatly around the room. A warm, inviting fireplace shone brightly in a corner.

“Greetings fellow witch!” a voice resounded.

Emily turned her head and saw a young girl with dark skin and white hair.

“My name is Greta. Nice to finally make your acquaintance, Emily,” she said with a mysterious smile.

“You know me?” Emily asked, furrowing her brows.

“Of course! You’re famous!” Greta laughed.

“Witch of Tarot, Devil of Gerya, Goddess of Beauty, et cetera, et cetera.”

“You’ve made a name for yourself quite quickly,” Greta said, raising an eyebrow.

“Have you been watching me?” Emily asked in puzzlement.

“Yup!” Greta admitted, pointing to a crystal ball in the corner, “Ever since that initial magic fluctuation. You’re too interesting!”

“Oh don’t look at me like that,” Greta said, waving her hand, “I don’t mean any harm.”

“I even saved your life with my mosquito,” Greta rolled her eyes.

Understanding went through Emily’s mind. No wonder the mosquito hadn’t attacked her.

“I’ve always wanted to talk to you,” Greta smile, “Because I have a question.”

“What’s the question?” Emily asked, slightly warming up to the girl.

“Can I follow you?” Greta’s eyes sparkled.

“W-w-what?” Emily stuttered.

“Watching you from a distance is boring,” Greta sighed.

“I want to follow you on your adventure!”

“I’m not on an adventure,” Emily frowned.

“Everything that I’ve done so far was an accident. I don’t have any purpose,” she shook her head.

“Don’t you want to return to your world?” Greta asked, her eyes sparkling dangerously.

“-what?!” Emily coughed. She knew she was from another world?!

“All those questions you asked Yurat were mighty suspicious,” Greta smirked, “It was obvious you’re not from around here.”

“I’ll make you a deal,” Greta said smiling widely.

“Help me take over the world and I’ll make sure you get home.”