[center][b]The Pleiades Casino & Resort: Surface Entrance - Allure City, EarthF67x[/b][/center]

Owned by the eccentric intergalactic casino mogul and ice devil, Vileiro. Upon entry, exotic aromas produced by enormous fuchsia kadupul whelmed nostrils with a slight hint of sulfur, followed by unfurling vines offering early blossoms of ghost flowers. Floating off-white gloved hands greeted guests the instant their soles, hooves, whatever, touched the calacatta marble floors. Some carried menorahs of cold, midnight-blue flames for ambiance, and others, golden trays of the most selective hors d’oeuvres the Hells could offer. Admittedly, many of these delicacies were of an acquired taste. Ranging from its mini brimstone broiled Kalua Demon Boar Quesadillas, all the way to its Southern-Style Deviled Harpy Eggs.

Further inspection revealed the lobby's overgrowth of red throned vines belonging to an enormous lime-green carnivorous plant, Thornaldo The Bewitching, playing one-half receptionist and the other security. He was a regal and dignified plant, with an air of authority and sophistication. Carrying himself with grace and poise, it was easy to forget his diet exclusively consisted of unruly guests disrupting the tranquility of the hotel's lobby. Very appropriate, considering this was no little shop of horrors. It was a big house of the deepest terrors parading under a single roof. 

Attached to a lower deck of the casino, at the restaurant Melchior, overlooking the busy streets of Allure, a tall, clean-shaven devil with razor-sharp pointed ears and undersaturated blue skin like he was suffocating calmly enjoyed his plate of angulas drizzled in virgin blood, seasoned with reaper peppers and dried saffron. Vileiro took in the views and epileptic assault of lights that were only a sample taste of what you'd see if you took the elevator down to the -666th floor.

Quite accustomed to the chaos, with all on his mind going in Allure, it was relaxing to treat himself to an early evening of fine dining. The visceral screams following a nearby car accident indulged his sensitive ears like that of a great symphony until the sensation of uneasiness infiltrated his spirit. The fine dark purple hairs of his body stood on end. It was far. Very far but seeping out the grand elevator was a presence like a seductive dog whistle to powerful demons. Only approved demonic forces had clearance to enter the surface and into Allure from Aeternus and it worked on a visa-like basis, allowing for swift deportation, dragging them back to hell on the slightest whims.

Every ward established is only as powerful as its caster. Considering the not-so-dark secret of the casino is that its ironclad barrier was forged by Mafia head Ealdorman Sarcoen, an ancient archdemon preceding time itself, this was worrisome. It was likely a rivaling force from hell being this powerful enough to be felt on the surface. Unchecked, it could break the barrier between the worlds resulting in a war between Allure and Aeternus. No matter the lives lost, frankly, the biggest concern was that it was outright bad for business. EarthF67x was already on high alert after the mass replacement of Spain. Dozens of New Roswell satellites sat perched in the direction of the city at gunpoint. A disaster like this checked off all the reasons for the government to wipe Vileiro’s flagship casino off the map. Sweating profusely, his perspiration formed icicles before falling, shattering into little sprinkles of ice on his off-white tux.

[i][b]“WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS?!”[/b][/i]

Vileiro’s emotions flipped like a switch. His anger alone brought a brisk frost to the other restaurant-goers' breaths. Obsessively worried about his public image and self-aware enough, the frost demon reeled himself back in before he effectively turned the place into a winter wonderland. The bulging blue veins in his forehead flattened upon his return to rationality. The answer to his question was quite obvious, though the devil didn't want to admit it. Tugging at his cold soul he knew the answer. Opposite in every way, his hot-headed brother was not only alive, but well, and up to his same old tricks. Eyes closed, taking a deep breath, the devil grinded his teeth exhaling an icy chill through his asymmetrical flaring nostrils.

[i]“Bring the check…”[/i]

Signing the slip, the tall, lanky demon cleared his throat, stood, adjusted his tie, and headed for the exit through the thick sea of concerned eyes. His rectangular head narrowly avoided the once candle-lit chandeliers he effectively put out in his rage. Entering the hall, the casino owner ducked slightly, avoiding the embossed archway. Immediately upon poking his head into the hall, Vileiro noticed the lights were off. A mix of confusion and annoyance formed between his puce eyes and wrinkling forehead. A blood-curdling shriek echoed throughout the halls, followed by a slight tremor signaling the activation of the surface hotel's backup power source, The Crucible of Souls, burning with a white flame from The Eternal Pyre. 

The malevolent process in which it harvested them was quite simple. Like a machine, it whirred in its start-up, anticipating fresh souls. At any time, those who made deals through the casino for fame, wealth, fortune, and power could be ensnared by one of its infinite hooks, dragged across the threshold between worlds, and wrung to be used as fuel. Whenever a scream was heard, it just meant another miserable soul perished. For every expended, the crucible’s flames danced, twisting in defiance of the void as the energy spread further and further down into Aeternus with bald-faced impunity to counteract. It wouldn’t be dark for too long but it wasn't exactly a permanent solution.

[i]“We've got problems on the lower level, Sir!”[/i]

Zazzie, a black imp carrying a mischievous smile and fur exuding a kaleidoscopic sheen approached Vileiro. Balancing on a gold trident, the creature filled the ice demon in.

“The Aeternus lobby, no, the whole square mile of the building’s radius has been swept with a great darkness. Might I say, it’s kind of neat” she snarked. 

[i]“I wonder if the two anomalies are related?”[/i] Vileiro couldn’t help to air his thoughts out loud. [i]“Tell Thornaldo to clear everyone from the library. I’m on my way. There is something I need to do.”[/i] 


[center][b] The Pleiades Casino & Resort: Thalgrim’s Gambling Quarters - Aeternus [/b][/center]

Succubi roamed the streets in raunchy designer, leaning into the windows of triple-parked beige ElDorado Cadillacs soliciting clientele. The neon lights of various nightclubs proudly touted their admission fee of "1 Soul" yet creatures of all shapes and sizes fought just to get in. Cauldrons of bats populated the streets like city pigeons, hanging from living gargoyle statues who'd occasionally devour them for midnight snacks. It was always midnight here. In this dimensional cellar lies everything wrong with humanity, yet it thrived. Various celebrities from around the universe could be seen casually strolling down the streets enjoying the paradise of vice after selling their souls in their respective fields. Even charlatans, televangelist grifters, false prophets, and idolaters alike congregated in and outside the resort and its competing chains, attending satanic galas, frequenting museums like the Hall of Torture & Sadism.

A gang of green flame-headed ghost riders sped by, leaving a trail of exhausts smelling like burnt rubber and brimstone. One veering too close to the sidewalk, inadvertently or not, launched some street smuck on the crimson cloak of a grim, hooded figure murmuring to himself. Bearing a shadowy visage, he sauntered towards Thalgrim’s wing of the casino, whispering, casting a single-word hex echoing throughout the infinitely stretching Vegas strip. It did so until it perhaps made its way back through the gates of hell like most inconveniencing forces to the casino had a propensity to do. Enigmatic displays of force like that vacuum effect let the cat out the bag long ago that someone powerful was protecting their assets even from the darkest pits of Hell. 

[i]"Extingue.”[/i]

The incantation was heard, but far from the oddest occurrence of the day or even minute for the demonic denizens going about their usual antics. Once the darkness crept in, many took the opportunity to dial up the usual marauding and debauchery to even higher levels despite the demons having the innate ability to see quite clearly in the abyss. Even then, antique gothic street lamps glowing with unwavering hell flames dispelled some of the obsidian veil cast on areas.

[center][b][url=https://youtu.be/L03-yzBVl9U?si=nxRPcAWZf2si39Hr]JAZZ 🎺[/url][/b][/center]
Upstairs, motley crews of demons continued their revelry unfazed by the blackout which they assumed would be resolved sooner than later. Much of the casino was dark but several demons and the staff themselves took it upon themselves to light small objects on fire with controlled blazes, giving them just enough visibility for the visibly challenged creatures among them to play their games. At one table, a group of burly devils smoking the room up with their endless consumption of Regius Double Corona cigars were locked tight in a heated game of poker using their ashtray full of burning butts as a light source, wagering souls, and ancient magical artifacts with a warlock dealer.

In another corner of the massive room housing thousands of games, a pair of slender empusa languidly lounged by the roulette wheel, encouraging what looked like a group of lawyers and greedy landlords to gamble what was left of their souls. One flicked their spade tail upwards, gently caressing the stubble of a visibly nervous man in glasses. The combination of her sultry smile and entrancing eye contact made his lenses fog. In efforts to appear confident, he gulped, wagering it all.

Tons of other games continued simultaneously despite the inconvenience but amidst the chaos and clamor, a lone, stoic man in an onyx padded piece blazer slouched at the blackjack table. Locked in thought, he paid just enough attention for the game to continue but not enough to react to the results. In fact, he was on a winning streak. Hot hand after hot hand. He couldn't lose. The man was clearly someone's favorite.

[center][b]The Pleiades Casino & Resort: The Asmodeus Athenaeum - 57th floor [/b][/center]

[i]“What! I paid good money to have access to this library for a photo shoo—wait! What are you doi—?!—[b]AAAAHHHHHH![/b]”[/i]

[i]“Farewell, Sir. May the ground below embrace you as warmly as my hospitality.”[/i] In his retort, a mysterious scarlet sparkle of magic gleeked from under Thornaldo’s tongue.


Thick thorns receded and shards of an enormous shattering stained glass window pelted the grounds below like razor hail. The uncompromising guest was promptly dealt with, freefalling with his last visuals being a breathtaking view of the alien city that was Allure. Just as the coins dropped earlier in the filth fountain of Aeternus, he too plopped the same and without a wish (or so he thought) in a mirroring fountain in Allure. One that was much cleaner, decorated with alabaster statues of peeing angels into crystal blue waters. In a miraculous exhibition of good luck and magical fortune, the man found himself not crashing into the shallowness of the fountain but submerged in the deepness of a putrid murky expanse, resurfacing with a mouth full of unknown excrements sliding through the gaps in his teeth. With foul liquids and odors embedded into every inch of him and his clothes like a symbiote, a dread-laced scream escaped his exasperated lungs. If this man could just look at the bright side, perhaps a slither of relief could be found in that he survived. The only problem now? Being surrounded by sheer darkness. Reeking of far more than a single spritz of the city’s least finest Eau de toilette, he was now to navigate this strange world alone.