FGO Specter of Glass

Cells of Fantasies Ch1

(This part was written by the collaborator Tamamo Ame who currently has no public social media.)

The lights went off in the ship and the engines stopped. Carmen rubbed her eyes, thinking it her vision was going out until someone took her hand. The person who did it turned out to be Doctor Akko, holding a candle in his right hand as he helped her up with his left. When they entered India's territorial waters, the power had shut off from the ship and Laurine was investigating. They went to the ship's deck and saw that a large machine stood between them and a wall of water.

Yu was surprised, she knew exactly what it was: the Moon Cell. A temple built to defend India from intruders, but the problem was that it was under construction the last time she checked, and that was before a King was assigned to India. For it to be completed and functioning was a shock.

The ship began to move again, being pulled into the Moon Cell at rapid speeds. The crew held onto the railings and even though Laurine tried to steer away, they were consumed by the temple. When they stopped moving, they found they were at a dock. Carmen exited the ship to find that they were at a dock, she tapped the floor to find it wasn't real, the entire area was simulated. The group got off and Carmen recognized the front of the building they were standing in: a casino. Her face lit up; she hadn't seen one since she entered the Specters.

She entered the casino and found it was full of games, a bar, and a stage. Once the others entered, they were met by the entire floor turning on, the multiple colors blinding them.

"Welcome my casino young ones," a voice echoed from the room. "Please sit down, take a break, and have some fun."

"Oh no," Yu said. "I know who this is."

"Ah, miss Yu Mei Ren. What a lovely surprise to see you've come in."

"Yeah, hello Ridotto, asshole."

"Such harsh words from you, oh council member of China. But I must say, I'm glad to see you taking some free time."

"You really tried hard with that one, huh?"

"Who is this guy?" Carmen whispered.

"He's the owner of the Casino," Yu whispered back. "He speaks in rhyme and doesn't like to shut up. I think he likes to hear himself talk."

The games within the casino clattered, their music filling the air. Yu walked over to one as Nero tapped on the screen, it was alive. Yu tried to pull one of the wires but got shocked, she shook her hand to clear the electricity and concluded that wasn't how she was supposed to play. Carmen sat down and let the others watch, the game was blackjack, one that she and her brothers used to play. And she learned how to win every game thanks to them.

Mitra, Helena, and Yu watched as Carmen played her way through every game and won a thousand points easily. She stretched and asked Ridotto if there was anything harder for her to play. The lights pointed to another game, one where a ball was thrown and randomly went into a slot. She shook her head, that was a no go for her, she knew just how unfair it was and all the tricks her brothers used to cheat that were common. She pointed at another card game, just to see how Ridotto would react. He turned on the robot aids to play with her and invited the rest of the team to join. It was no fun for them to stand around and watch.

They whispered to one another as they played through some games, they didn't have time to play. They had a request to complete, and they were so close to India. Carmen nodded; she remembered the promise she made Shrutakarma, she was going to see him again and they were going to travel the world. She was excited to introduce the new friends she made along the way, she knew he would like Nero, and maybe Yu. Then there was Laurine and the doctor, maybe he'd get along with them. She spun the wheel again, a low number which meant a loss, she was too distracted by her thoughts to notice she was playing games.