The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System- Outer Regions)

(S.S Defiance- Lower Deck)

Sophie reopened her eyes and found herself in a strange world of black and white. Blurry images of her future paths appeared all around her.

In this peculiar world, Sophie could hear vague whispers coming from all directions.

One could easily get lost in this place of endless possibilities and outcomes.

However, the dull throbbing pain in Sophie's head reminded her that she needed to move on quickly.

She didn't want to suffer a backlash in the middle of her vacation with Cleo.

Sophie walked in a certain direction and stared as the frog-like alien called out for a number seven and she saw a future version of herself walk forward.

The dealer began to flip the cards but judging from the indifferent expression on her face and the disappointed sighs from the spectators…

It was not a good result.

The hybrid girl turned to look for another path. There were thousands of possible futures, and each led to a slightly different outcome.

The majority ended in a heavy loss but there were futures where she won a huge pot of gold… then got immediately kicked out of the casino because they thought that she cheated.

She needed to find the sweet spot.

Win… but not a large amount that would raise suspicion.

Sophie furrowed her brows as she felt the throbbing pain in her mind intensify.

There wasn't much time left.

Wait…

Sophie spotted a future in the corner of her vision and hurriedly walked over just as tiny cracks began to form along the edges of the mysterious world.

In this future, Cleo and Sophie had waited for two more rounds to pass before Sophie allowed her girlfriend to pick a card from the deck.

The dealer would then turn over three cards and Sophie saw Cleo jump up and down with excitement.

The frog-like alien handed over the chips without complaint and then they walked away from the table without any trouble.

That was it!

Sophie clenched her fist as the mysterious world shattered into tiny pieces.

She found herself back in the real world with Cleo looking up at her with a concerned expression.

"I'm okay babe…" Sophie softly whispered as she raised up her sunglasses slightly to reveal her normal golden eyes.

"I'll tell you what happened when we go back to our rooms…"

Cleo nodded and tightened her grip on her girlfriend's hand. The pair stood in a comfortable silence as the dealer begun the game again.

"Why don't we wait for two more rounds and then you can pick the card," Sophie suggested as she leaned down and kissed Cleo's cheek.

"Are you sure? It's your money…" Cleo hesitantly replied.

"Darling… what's mine is yours. Well… except for the stuff that dad hasn't passed down yet…" Sophie laughed mischievously as she flirted with her lover.

The loud voice of the dealer interrupted the sweet moment between the two girls as the frog-like alien stood up from his chair.

"I'm sorry but it looks like you lost!" the dealer sighed heavily as he placed one webbed hand against his brow.

"Damn it! Damn it!" a large Mendolesa man slammed his paw against the side of the table in frustration as he placed his wrist strap against the scanner.

Credits were deducted from his account and a heavy scowl flashed across the large man's face.

Sophie slowly pushed Cleo behind her body just in case the situation turned violent because the Mendolesa man seemed furious.

"Better luck next time sir…" the dealer seemed oblivious to the wolf-like alien's foul mood and started up a next round.

The Mendolesa man raised up his paw as if he was going to punch the dealer, but several red dots fell on his body.

He smiled sheepishly and left the table quickly before the security team decided to knock him out.

Sophie followed the direction of the red dots and her golden eyes darkened. She could see several humanoid figures crouched down in key positions around the casino.

Their figures were slightly blurry as if something was concealing their location. However, their camouflage was useless against Sophie's enhanced vision.

The hybrid girl only glanced at them briefly because she didn't want the security team to find out that their positions had been compromised.

A few minutes passed and then it was finally time for Sophie to make her move.

"Alright… who is ready for a next round?" the dealer loudly questioned as he pushed a deck of cards towards the spectators.

"Go ahead Cleo! I believe in you babe!" Sophie cheered happily as she gently pulled her girlfriend towards the cards.

Cleo smiled warmly at the joyful hybrid girl and stretched out her hand to pick a card from the middle of the deck.

The card had the image of an elderly witch holding what appeared to be a long white staff. There was a small red 'four' painted on the upper left corner of the card.

"Has everyone made their selections?" the dealer asked as he stared at the crowd who were waiting in anticipation.

Cleo was not the only one who had drawn a card and several Mendolesa warriors and humans had also selected from the deck.

The frog-like alien waited for a moment and then took the deck back. He shuffled the deck four times before pressing a button on the underside of the table.

A holographic window was projected in front of him with the number four prominently displayed in the center.

"Four… does anyone have a four?" the dealer grinned broadly as he spoke.

"Oh shit! I have a four!" Cleo replied in shock as she saw her girlfriend smiling at her with a knowing glint in her eyes.

"Okay lucky lady… all you have to do is wait as I flip the cards… TO DECIDE YOUR FATE!" the dealer cried out in glee.

His excited mood infected the crowd of spectators who were now buzzing in anticipation about the eventual reveal.

The dealer's long purplish tongue popped out of his mouth and licked his upper eyelid before he reached for the deck.

He placed three random cards on the table and slowly flipped them one by one. The first card had the symbol of a young man with a crown on his head.

The dealer shook his head and there were a few disappointed sighs from the spectators.

The second card had the image of two hearts intertwined in a loving embrace. This time the dealer looked up in shock and loud cheers erupted from the onlookers.

Sophie still had no idea about what any of this meant since she still didn't know the rules of the game.

But… she knew that they were about to make some money…

"One final card to go…" the dealer softly whispered as his webbed fingers hovered over the remaining card.

He paused for a moment for dramatic effect before flipping over the card to reveal the image of a sunken anchor.

"Oh, that's a shame…" the dealer clicked his tongue and let out a heavy sigh.

"You would have won eight thousand Enas if you didn't draw the drowned god… now you will only walk away with two thousand…"

"It's okay… I'm just happy that I won," Cleo replied with a small smile as she gently grabbed Sophie's arm and pressed the wrist strap against the scanner.

A loud ding was heard as the credits were deposited into Sophie's account.

"Well… can we have a loud round of applause for the lovely couple?!" the dealer spoke up as the pair turned to walk away.

Scattered applause followed the two girls before the dealer begun a next round and some more spectators were drawn in.

Cleo broke away from Sophie's grip and typed out a message on her wrist communicator. She stared at her girlfriend with a suspicious expression.

Bleep!

Sophie's wrist vibrated so she powered on the metalloid device and saw the incoming message from her sweetheart.

Cleo: [You knew I would win didn't you… hehe… you naughty girl…]

Cleo: [Future vision? Is that why you're wearing those awful sunglasses?]

Sophie chuckled lightly and rubbed her fingers against the underside of Cleo's soft palms. She leaned in closer and whispered in the princess' ear.

"You know me too well babe…"