I found Kashana Casino in the red light district, and the moment I saw it, I knew I was in the right place. I felt the energy of the place. It was intoxicating. I liked the place a whole lot more than that dump in the slums.

I wasn't wearing the right clothes to waltz through the front door, so I found someone around my size stumbling out of a brothel who was. Stripping an unconscious body wasn't my forte, but I made good time. I also looked better in the clothes.

Walking in was a breeze. Everyone was dressed well; I blended right in. The building had been gaudy on the outside, like something from the Renaissance or whatever, and the inside was no different. It had a high ceiling, marble floors, and gold-leafed walls. There were statues of the Shevirat lining the halls that must've been expensive.

I followed the crowd. They migrated from the tables to the bar to the lounge. I wanted to see the place in its entirety, so I followed the flow. I saw people playing poker, blackjack, roulette, and baccarat. The bar seemed full of tourists drinking away their losing streak. The lounge was clearly for backroom deals of every kind.

Since I wanted to make a good first impression, I found a group of men with obvious tells wearing expensive suits and joined them. It'd be a waste of effort to strong-arm my way to the boss. Also if I killed more of their people tonight, they may be less inclined to take me up on my deal.

"Good evening," I greeted them with an easy smile. "Mind if I join you?"

One of the men looked up. He was muscular. His hair was short, and he wore glasses. He had a scar running along his jawline. He scoffed and rolled his eyes, but he gestured to the empty seat. "Just sit down."

The tale-tell sign of underestimating me. I knew I'd picked the right idiots. I sat down across from the man with thanks. As soon as I was dealt in, I proceeded to start counting cards. My older brother taught me how in my second life, which was why he wasn't my least favorite brother.

As expected, none of the men at the table paid me any attention until I'd won too many games for it to be beginner's luck, dumb luck, or a coincidence. When I won again after that point, they exchanged glances rather than groan about yet another loss. The muscular one glanced past my shoulder but tried to mask it with small talk.

"How'd you learn how to play like that?" the man asked as another hand was dealt to everyone.

"My dad taught me." My real old man, not Duke Viscoti. I barely remembered what he looked like, but I sure as hell remembered everything he taught me.

"You're not from around here, are you?"

If only he knew. "No. I'm from the north."

"You're pretty good," he said. "Almost like you're cheating."

"Only if you can prove it."

"Are you looking for a fight, kid?"

Well, a fight would certainly get attention. "No. I'm just trying to win some money. Do you want to stop here? By all means..." I blinked a few times, hoping my young face would do the rest of the work of feigning innocence.

He swore. "I'm not done."

And as if that was some stamp of approval, the men all nodded and hurried the game to continue. I still won; it was getting ridiculous, but that was the whole point. One more win after that, a tap on my shoulder came at long last. When I turned, I faced a woman rather than a bouncer. Not like you had to be big to be deadly, though.

[Notice]

Congratulations! You have completed the second part of your Quest [Meet the Triam Drana Boss]. Your reward will be calculated after you complete the entire Quest.

"You'll need to follow me," she said, pointing behind her to a grand staircase. She was tall and beautiful. Her blonde hair was cut short, and her eyes were green. She wore a tight black dress. Either she was an escort or she was pretending to be one. "We have a private room upstairs, and the boss has invited you for a conversation."

"Lucky me," I said. I folded and then asked the dealer to hold my coins given the whole invitation from the boss thing. Then I grinned at the men at the table. "Excuse me, boys. Pleasure playing with you."

Seeing fury in another person's eyes when they were helpless to do anything about it was its own type of joy.

"So what brings you to our humble establishment?" the woman asked as she led me to the second floor.

"I'm interested in your gambling establishment and I have some information that might interest you.," I said. We passed by a few other women who seemed to be escorts. There seemed to be dozens of private rooms on this floor, and many were probably hiding decidedly illegal activities. There were also more statues and gold.

"What sort of information?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be as interesting to the boss."

She smiled. "So you know where I'm taking you."

It had been my goal all along. She led me to another set of stairs to the third floor guarded by someone clearly paid for their muscles. The room we entered was massive. A grand piano was placed in the center of the room. Two men sat at the piano. They both looked like they were in their early twenties but I could tell they were experienced fighters.

The woman stopped in front of the two men. "Hello, boys. Boss wanted to see this one."

They nodded and gave me a pat-down. I'd prepared for that, though. When they were satisfied that I was clean, which I wasn't at all, they led me into another room. The lighting was dim. Nice mood lighting, really. The room had two chairs facing a very large, stately desk.

Behind it sat the boss cracking his knuckles. He was a nasty looking older man but he wore some of the nicest clothes I'd ever seen. He wore a lot of rings. His black hair was slicked back but greasy. His green eyes were more the color of a dying leaf. He did look like he had a nice right hook though.

"Sit," he said.

I did. In the window behind him, I saw my raven come to perch. Danger was the message, but I was well aware.

"I'm sure you know why you're here," he said.

I sat back in the chair as if it were my throne, as if this were my office, as if this were my casino and said, "I'm here to gather information about your establishment because I'm considering doing business with you."

He leaned forward. "And what makes you think I would want to do business with you?"

"I'll kill you otherwise."

As expected, he laughed along with the two men who showed me in. I laughed with them.