Only I Can Use a Gun in a World of Magic

An automaton stood at the casino entrance, a feathered cap perched on its head and a sword at its hip. A red armband bearing the casino's open-hand logo wrapped around its metallic bicep. It gestured toward a bin.

"Well?" they said.

"Sorry?" Perona blinked.

The automaton swept its arcane gaze over the group. "Ah. You must be new. Weapons are to be deposited here- security policy. Nothing personal."

"Where will they be stored?" Perona asked. "Just for reassurance," she added.

"Please don't worry, you will be quite safe inside. We are quite up to standards, even if I do say so myself." The sentient automaton puffed out its chest proudly and curtsied its hat, his metal body gleaming. "However, since you did ask so nicely, your weapons will be stored inside the casino's secure vault. When you're ready to leave, you need only give your name. Your belongings will be returned in seconds. We value efficiency, you see."

"Very well, mr or ms…?" Perona asked.

"No need to call me any name, though if you insist, my serial number is H-ID26738. And you are?"

"Perona," she replied, unclipping her shortsword and dagger. She shot a subtle look to the others- Play along.

Next came Hadarai. "Hadarai." Hadarai unclipped his shield and longsword. "I do hope that armour is fine? It'd be quite a hassle to unbuckle." He grunted as he lifted the longsword over his head, setting it down alongside his shield gently inside the bin.

H-ID looked him over, inspecting the gleaming plates and light robes draped over them. "I see no problems, especially since they seem to be partly religious, no?" 

Hadarai nodded. "That is correct." 

"You should be fine. We welcome all faiths here. Though do be careful walking inside and try not to bump into people and our furniture- that'd get me quite the earful." 

"But of course," Hadarai nodded. "My thanks."

"No problem at all!"

Then Grango stepped forward, handing over his bow, quiver, and a couple of blades with very detailed instructions about how to handle his gear- "My bow was very hard to come by, and I can't bear to think if I'd need to part with it forever-" H-ID nodded, processing each item with mechanical care.

Grango carried Derrick with him, but other than a strange glance, H-ID didn't say anything.

Then came Aralynn's turn.

"Aralynn," she said, unbuckling and handing over her rapier. She moved to rejoin the group, but on second thought doubled back, unbuckling her revolver and placing it, holstered, in the bin.

"Almost forgot," she said. "Habit." She pointed at the hammer and the trigger. "Please don't touch those. They're... delicate."

H-ID took the weapon with surprising gentleness. "Understood. Your honesty is appreciated."

As for the reason Aralynn doubled back, it was simple. Before she'd passed through the entrance, a large, green, semi-transparent message window had flickered into view, visible only to her.

[Firearm God: LEAVE THE REVOLVER.]

No explanation. She didn't trust this whole system just yet- but the system had saved her before, and if it was truly a god speaking to her, she didn't want to piss them off. Not to mention the security around the entrance- there were at least two automatons watching every single person that passed through the five security lanes. She wasn't about to test her luck.

Amon stepped forward last, unloading his rapier, longbow, and an array of blades from inside his cloak. Just as he passed under the archway, a light on the ceiling pulsed.

H-ID's eyes turned red. In a blur, they drew their saber from their waist and flexed the curved point at Amon's chest.

"Mr. Amon," they said coolly, "it appears that you've forgotten something."

Amon warily reached into his cloak, producing one final dagger. He dropped it in the bin.

The automaton's eyes returned to their usual brown.

"Very well. I'll be keeping an eye on you. Proceed."

- - -

"You trying to get us killed, Amon? Do you see how tight the security is around here?" Grango whispered angrily.

"I don't understand how they noticed- besides, don't tell me you aren't uneasy coming here unarmed." 

"Magic, don't you remember?" hissed Grango. "Cyren told us about this."

"Now, now you two. Amon had his reasons. Let's… take a look around. See what you can find. If you find anything interesting, get the others." Perona eyed the group. 

See what you can find to get into the vault. Pretend to be normal. Understood, thought Aralynn.

An hour or so passed by quickly as the group split up inside the casino, Aralynn following Perona while Amon and Hadarai stuck together. 

Grango broke away from the group after spotting a sign for the hot spring baths. As he explained before disappearing, frogfolk needed their share of water each day to keep their permeable skin from drying out- and he hadn't had a proper soak yet. He took Derrick with him.

The rest of the party filtered into the casino's cavernous interior. Dozens of paper lanterns floated above them on delicate cords strung across the stone ceiling, casting a warm, golden glow over the crowd. The air was thick with laughter, clinking glasses, and the constant chime of games in motion. Patrons moved from table to table, placing bets on anything from card games to spinning wheels to miniature rat races.

To avoid drawing attention, Aralynn positioned herself just behind Perona, head slightly lowered- just enough to look like a bodyguard rather than a threat. Perona, quick on the uptake, immediately leaned into the role. She began strutting across the floor like a celebrity, her lute slung across her back, her smile radiant, and her presence magnetic.

The party split up loosely, each playing their part to blend in. A slot machine here, a poker table there. Aralynn noticed that a couple tables away Amon had slided into a game of three-dragon ante, managing to win big while casually tracking the movements of the casino's security.

Aralynn kept her cover, always a step behind Perona, her eyes constantly scanning the crowd. She barely registered the bard's ongoing antics- until Perona returned from the bar with a flask in hand and a satisfied gleam in her eye.

"She gave that to me for free," Perona whispered, smirking as she brandished the ornate bottle. "Most expensive stuff they had."

Aralynn blinked. Lords above. How does she manage to do that?

Then, without missing a beat, Perona disappeared into the crowd again, only to reappear a minute later, grinning even wider. Apparently, she'd resold the bottle to a patron for double the price, posing as one of the casino's staff.

Perona returned, still laughing to herself, and leaned in close. Her smile faltered just slightly, and a glint flashed in her eyes.

"I managed to wheedle out some info from that bartender and a couple patrons," she murmured, voice low enough to be drowned out in the ambient noise. "We need to find the others. Let's go."

She tugged on Aralynn's sleeve and led her through the crowd without another word.