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“Denzin’s barely hanging on!” With only seconds to go, I couldn’t waste a moment more of his time.
The temperature in the room changed quickly when I set into my final attack to finish Denzin for the night. Hit one found his chest, throwing him back onto the ropes and then forward, nearly to the floor.
“Jalik throws right one, two, steps into a right hook and Denzin is powerless.” The ref tried to come between us, and Denzin dug his arms around me in a defensive maneuver. But there was no stopping me.
“That’s why they call him ‘The Train,’ gentle folk. Look at that speed.”
Denzin wobbled on the ropes, his head swinging like crazy while the shutters of cameras flickered in his sweating face. Finally, he lurched backward and hit the ground.
He was out cold.
The audience ate up every moment of it.
The final bell ended the match, and the ref came to me in the center, throwing up my arm to a wave of cheers from the crowd beyond.
“All folks of all kinds, Black Star Casino’s still undefeated heavyweight champion, Jalik Vanut!”
With my arm towering my victory in the air and the waves of approval from my fans beyond, I was fired up. It was irreplaceable, this amusement. Some called it sport, others barbarism. I called it freedom.
After the match, I found myself chest-deep in an ice bath, soothing my wounds and thanking Celestia for my lot.
Like my comrades, I helped run Black Star as Head of the Guards. Unlike my comrades, I won my wages with my fists. Breaking up fights, escorting drunks to the sidewalk. It was all in a day’s work.
They sat in offices half the day, passing off orders and signing their names. I imagine they had to be bored as fuck half the time. But hey, who was I to judge?
As I walked from the locker rooms back into the casino’s main lounge, I saw my fellow Vinduthi, all sitting in our V.I.P. booth. A round of freshly poured Slinta sat in front of Laux, our pit boss who oversaw the gaming tables.
Laux sat next to Draven, who was, as usual, surrounded by papers and percomms. He was a diligent boss, I had to give him that.
“Jalik!” He brightened as he saw me approach the table. He stood up and slapped me on the back. “Another fantastic win. Tonight’s crowd was insane.”
What started as a last-ditch effort to make use of the arena to entertain guests became something of my own pet service to the casino. Aside from my regular duties, it was like giving back, but with my fists.
Next to him sat Thelev, our VIP host, and Ryrik, already plotting the night’s next line of entertainment.
“I’ve got that troupe from the upper levels performing their contortionist routine all week, but after that, I’ve got nothing for stage B in the evenings,” Ryrik said to Laux, passing him his percomm.
“I think I’ve got a solution for that,” Draven answered for him. Without our crew running schemes night and day, Black Star could never be the top-tier establishment that it was.
Of course, it wasn’t only the casino we ran on Thodos III. This station would be nothing without the might of the great Vinduthi mafia, keeping law and order and anything else that could be bought, working to serve the beautiful conglomeration that was this space station.
“Boys.” Draven opened to address us just as Sakkar came to join us from the security control room. We were six Vinduthi, all kings of this station with our own ways and means. Together, we were what made this place the envy of Thodos III.
“We’ve seen a major turnaround since Conii made her latest attack on our slot pits. Since the remodel and the new improvements to our bar area last spring, we’re seeing a steady upswing in customers. Largely due to Jalik’s weekly exhibitions.”
“To Jalik!” Ryrik said, holding his glass high. While the others cheered in unison, I saw something playing in Draven’s mind.
“I know they were supposed to be temporary, but the numbers don’t lie. This is a cash cow we just can’t walk away from.” I couldn’t tell what Draven was fishing for.
“That’s fine,” I said, sitting back in my seat, the knuckles on my right hand wrapped in a nanite ice pack. “As long as I don’t have to fight every night.”
“Well…” Draven grinned. “I want to talk to you about that. This week only. I want to sponsor a championship fight between you and anyone up to the task on the station. Pay to play. Five nights and five fights. What do you think?”
“Winner takes all at the end?”
“Naturally, my friend.” I saw the smile playing across his lips. Five fights in five nights. I’d be a bloodied, battered mess at the end of it, but hey, I’d be a well-paid one.
“That’s not all I’ve got in the works this week, either. I came across something this morning. Something that will have the Black Star crowded every night.”
