by Logan Jacobs
I’d wow them yet.
Suddenly, the loud gruff voice came from behind me. “Playing Highs and Lows, are we? Well, that’s my game, so I think I’ll sit.”
We played two more rounds, and I won each time, which elicited even more groans and sounds of displeasure from the other players. The giant eyed me with obvious suspicion, but I ignored his looks and kept on playing. On the next hand, I won again, and the dealer’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“Nine in a row,” he observed. “Someone brought their luck.”
“Just trying to play the game.” I shrugged and kept my face neutral. I knew enough about gambling to know I needed to keep my poker face on.
When I won the tenth round, the poor man shoved back his chair and stomped off, and the newcomer let out a booming laugh that rattled the light fixtures and clapped me on the shoulder.
“You play a good game, kid,” he declared like we’d been best friends for years. “That little fucker has a stick up his ass, don’t pay him no mind.”
I grinned. I could get used to this.
“Good job, Bash!” Elissa chirped by my side, and she hopped up and down in her seat with joy as I handed her my winnings
“You’re playing very well, Great One,” Mahini added in a low voice full of pride. “I didn’t realize you were such a card master.”
“I’m good at most things I try,” I explained nonchalantly, but this just earned me a death stare from the rich lady across the table from me.
Then I went all in, and I placed all my money on the winning card for the fifth time in a row. The dealer flipped over the cards, and silence fell around the table. Everyone was looking at me with the most incredulous expressions on their faces.
“What?” I asked as I scooped up my winnings.
“How the fuck are you winning so many?” the newcomer demanded, and his demeanor was completely different than it had been moments before. “Are you cheating somehow?”
“No cheating here,” I replied with my best smile. “Just luck. Must be my ladies, they’ve been bringing me luck all night so far.”
“It’s more than luck.” The man shook his head, and his voice was full of skepticism. “You’re fucking cheating. I just know it in my gut.”
I considered my options. I could go back and start over, but I’d already won a bunch of gold coins from the last several hands, and I was reluctant to hand over my winnings. There had to be a way out of this conflict that left me with my money, so I bought some time by pushing my chair back and straightening my doublet.
I could challenge my accuser to a fight, or we could leave in shame. If I relented and accepted his accusation, though, the gambling house would surely strip me of my winnings, and then where would I be? Even worse off than when I got here, and I wasn’t about to have that.
I could reset back to the beginning and stagger my winnings out, but I had no way of knowing just how much money I would stand to lose if I did that. I’d already worked hard to earn the gold coins stacked neatly in front of me, and I wasn’t about to part with them if I could help it.
And I could.
So, I gave the man a hard look and crossed my arms over my chest. “I am not a cheater.”
“Could have fooled me,” the man sneered.
“I will not tolerate these accusations!” I exclaimed in a fake offended voice. “If you want the truth, you can seek it by way of my fists.”
“Are you challenging me to a fight?” The newcomer rolled his knuckles in his palm until all the joints snapped menacingly. “You want to die tonight, boy?”
“I’m afraid it will be the other way around.” I grinned. “You will be a loser two fold, from the game and from me.”
“Then let’s take this outside!” The newcomer rose to his feet and towered over me.
I wasn’t about to let him intimidate me, and I’d already decided to fight him, so it wasn’t like he was going to scare me off now.
I made a new save point, and then I lunged from my chair and threw a right hook right at the newcomer’s face.
Now, it was a fun night.
Chapter Eight
The man fell backward out of his chair, and I went after him.
The other patrons of the gambling house all gasped and shouted out various expletives.
“Guards!” the dealer shouted.
Shit.
I didn’t want to get arrested, so I reset to my last save point right before I’d punched my accuser in the face.
Chime.
“Let’s take this outside,” I said instead of using my fists right off the bat.
“Fine.” The humongous man gulped down the last dregs of his drink, and then he pushed himself out of his chair.
I led the way, since I wanted everyone in the establishment to see me as a fierce and powerful deity, and a crowd of people followed behind us.
I smelled the lake as soon as I stepped outside, but it was a welcome relief from the clamoring of odors inside the gambling house. A line of people poured out of the gambling house and formed a circle on the dock streets of Kilwick. The giant of a man followed me out with his fists clenched at his sides, and he seemed even taller once I stood in front of him. His head towered over mine, which made me have to look up to make eye contact, and the resemblance to a kid standing up to his father made me laugh.
“Something funny?” he growled.
“You’ll see soon,” I snickered. Then I made a new save point as I shook out the tension in my arms and neck.
No matter how big or tough this guy was, I’d figure out a way to knock him on his ass and teach him a lesson about accusing gods.
“You ready for a fucking ass beating, kid?” the titan of a man asked as he cracked the knuckles on his fists into his palms.
“Oooh!” someone from the crowd jeered at his barb.
“Are you gonna spank me?” I taunted with a cocky smile.
His right hook came out of nowhere and smacked me straight in the face. Stars danced in my vision, and I struggled to stay on my feet, so all I could do was swing blindly in his direction.
“Bash!” Elissa cried out in anguish. “Watch out!”
The titan easily dodged my hit, and he stepped forward to slam his fist into my abdomen. Pain spiraled through my body, nausea overwhelmed me, and I almost lost my delicious dinner in the process. I bent over and clasped my knees as I took a few deep steadying breaths.
“Had enough?” the titan asked with an arched eyebrow.
Mahini had wrapped her arms around Elissa’s shoulders, and the warrior woman gave me a confused glance that spoke volumes. I was not acting like the invincible god she knew and loved.
At that point, I’d learned enough to avoid the first two blows, so I reset to my save point.
Chime.
“You ready for a fucking ass beating, kid?” the titan of a man asked as he cracked the knuckles on his fists into his palms.
“Do you kiss your mom with that mouth?” I snorted.
“When you live on the water as much as I do, you don’t give a fuck about the opinion of landlubbers.” The titan let out a mirthless laugh that was almost as intimidating as his hulking form.
Since I hadn’t taunted him, he started differently this time, and we squared up and circled each other like two cats stalking their prey. I kept my eyes locked onto his face, and I watched for the slightest sign of movement. Then his right shoulder bunched, and I knew he was coming at me.
He lunged with the force of a freight train, and his punch hit just as hard as I remembered from my first attempt, even though I managed to block it. My first return punch didn’t land, and then the titan threw out a wild haymaker aimed at my jaw. I didn’t manage to dodge it, but I angled my chin enough in the last instant so I avoided the star show.
I stumbled backward, and it took me a second to catch my balance, but then I rebounded and ran straight toward the titan’s torso with my shoulder down. I slammed into his chest, but it felt like running into a br
ick wall at full speed.
My attack didn’t even budge him.
I groaned as I fell back, and I grimaced as I felt how sore my muscles were already.
The titan was on me as fast as lightning, and he knocked me onto my ass with one swift kick at my ankles.
I hit the ground hard, and pain reverberated through all of my bones. My back took the brunt of the punishment, and I winced when I tried to roll to my side to get up. Before I could regain my footing, though, the titan jumped onto me and straddled me across the hips.
The next thing I knew, there was a storm of fists raining fiery fury down upon my face, chest, and stomach.
I spotted my two women watching in abject horror from the sidelines while the brute beat the shit out of me, but before I could reset to my save point, my vision grew black.
Chime.
The bastard had fucking killed me in hand to hand combat. What a dick.
“You ready for a fucking ass beating, kid?” the titan of a man asked as he cracked the knuckles on his fists into his palms.
“Not today,” I laughed.
On my next attempt, I managed to avoid his first few rounds of punches, but he caught me with a wild haymaker on the temple that sent me spinning.
Chime.
I could already feel the progression in my movements and form as I squared up against the titan of a man. Even the few attempts I’d made had already improved my boxing skills, so I knew I’d be able to kick this guy’s ass into next week with just a few more tries.
“You ready for a fucking ass beating, kid?” the titan of a man asked once more.
I was seriously starting to wish I never had to hear those words again. Titan, as I’d taken to calling him, waited with his stupidly arched eyebrow for my response, but I just muttered something under my breath and squared up once more.
I managed to hold my own for a little while longer, but I still couldn’t land a single hit on the massive man’s body. Even though he was built like a ton of bricks, he moved like a cat, and his fists hit like lead. I knew he was deadly even weaponless, so I focused on memorizing his movements.
He knocked me onto my ass again, but I reset before he could straddle me.
Chime.
“You ready for a fucking ass beating, kid?” the titan of a man asked again.
“Are you?” I matched his haughty expression with my own and then lifted my fists to signal I was ready to fight.
“I’m going to be the one doing the ass kicking tonight,” he grunted as he threw his usual wild haymaker toward my head.
I ducked below his arm and danced out of his reach, but I made sure to keep my eyes on him.
The titan lunged at me, but I stepped to the side to avoid getting knocked onto my ass. He twisted in the last moment and sent a kick toward my ankles, but I’d been expecting that so I managed to hop over it with very little effort.
“Where the fuck did you learn to dance?” he asked as frustration bloomed across his ugly face.
“Your mom,” I laughed and hopped from side to side on the balls of my feet. I was feeling better about my fighting ability at that point, and I was starting to see how I could win this.
The titan was big, but his strikes required a lot of energy. He was twice my size, if not more, but I would be lighter on my feet for longer. All I had to do was avoid his steel pipe fists long enough for him to begin to tire out. Then I’d have the upper hand.
Suddenly, the titan’s foot sprang out of seemingly nowhere and kicked my legs out from underneath me. I slammed into the ground ass first and groaned.
Chime.
I wasn’t about to let him get on top of me again, not if I could help it anyway.
“You ready for a fucking ass beating, kid?” the titan of a man asked.
“Are you ready to come up with a new saying yet?” I grumbled as I squared up. I’d already run through my gamut of personal comebacks, and I’d started to grow tired of the same old intro line.
“What?” The titan looked at me like I was a crazy man.
“Never mind.” I smirked. “Let’s fight.”
I tried too many times to keep track of, but with each attempt I got a bit better at avoiding the heavy hitting blows from the big man. It was on my fiftieth attempt, or around there, when I landed my first punch. I wanted to win the fight like a total badass, though, so I reset again to learn some more.
Chime.
Chime.
Chime.
Punch after punch rained down on me, but after a while I started to be able to see them coming. The muscles in the man’s shoulders bunched before he threw out a hit, so I got pretty good at dodging his fists. His kicks were random and sporadic, but he leaned back slightly before lifting his leg, so I’d started to get better at avoiding his feet as well. He grew more and more frustrated the more I managed to duck him, and as he grew enraged, his attacks grew wilder until I couldn’t dance around them anymore.
Chime.
Chime.
Chime.
By the hundredth attempt, I could dodge every hit, and I managed to land a few in some key areas on the titan’s massive body. I began to experiment with my aim, and I soon found enough pressure points to get the upper hand.
Then I landed a punch straight to the titan’s throat, and the gurgling sound he made reminded me of a flushing toilet, and I made the mistake of giving in to the laughter bubbling up in my own throat.
The retaliatory punch came out of nowhere and knocked me out instantly.
Chime.
Okay, lesson learned. Do not laugh at a big guy who is choking.
“You ready for a fucking ass beating, kid?” the titan of a man asked as he cracked the knuckles on his fists into his palms.
“You’re going to regret ever thinking I’m capable of cheating,” I promised the giant towering over me. I lifted my fists into the ready position and planted my feet hips width apart with my right foot slightly back.
The humongous man pushed his long hair back behind his ears, and he mirrored my stance.
“Let’s dance,” I said, and then I spun forward and elbowed him in the throat.
He choked out the noise that had made me laugh before, and he keeled over in pain as both hands leapt to his throat. The titan leaned backward with the tell for a kick, so I leapt backward just in time to avoid his boot as it narrowly missed my knees.
Then I lunged forward, grabbed a hold of his leg, and yanked it upward in one fluid movement.
The giant fell to the docks like a ton of bricks, and the planks wobbled as waves swept away from the boards. Cheering erupted as the crowd went wild. Then they all scrambled back away from me several feet, and several people dashed back into the gambling house.
I thought for a moment the docks might give out beneath the weight of the people after the titan’s fall, but the rope strapped boards stayed together.
“Yes!” Elissa cheered from the sidelines, and Mahini nodded her approval.
I didn’t take time to enjoy my audience, though, and like I’d seen on wrestling shows, I jumped into the air and landed with my elbow straight on the titan’s sternum.
The air was knocked out of his lungs in one big gush, and his knees shot up as his head raised with a grimace.
I swiveled my body around in a lightning quick movement and sent the heel of my boot toward his face. My foot landed on his nose with a sickening crunch, and blood gushed out from his nostrils and mouth.
The fight had only taken a few seconds, so I stood up on fresh legs, looked down at the man, and analyzed the damage I’d caused. The giant was breathing heavily, but he didn’t move to get up. Blood covered his crumpled face, and it looked like his nose was broken since it was angled to the side in an unnatural way.
“Amazing!” Elissa clapped her hands as her face lit up with joy. “Bash is invincible!”
“He did take out an entire army single handedly,” Mahini reminded my wife with obvious pride in her blue eyes. “I wouldn’t expect any
less from the Great One.”
“The fight was over before it even started,” someone from the crowd murmured as we all migrated back inside.
“I heard the two women call him a god,” someone else said.
“I believe it,” another voice said. “Took out Big Ben in three hits, that’s something only a god could do…”
I was pleased with the results of the fight, since the crowd was utterly convinced of my awesomeness, so I made a new save point. The tingling sensation went from my toes all the way up to the tip of my hair, and then it faded away with a comforting warmth.
The people gave me a wide berth as we made our way back to the card tables. Elissa grasped my arm and strutted by my side, and she had every reason to. She was married to a god, after all. Mahini walked by my other side with her chin lifted proudly, and she scanned the crowd in search of anyone who might threaten us. Finding none, she turned to give me a pleased smile that curled the corners of her soft lips upward.
“Everyone fears your power, Great One,” she observed as she noticed people skirting around the three of us.
“I’d rather them be awe-inspired than afraid, but Kilwick is a large city, so tonight I’d like to focus on our needs.” I grinned. “Let’s go make some more money.”
“Yes, Great One.” Mahini nodded her approval of my decision. “I enjoy watching you win at the cards.”
“I enjoy you watching me…” I growled into her ear. “In that sexy ass outfit. Mmmmm.”
Mahini blushed and tucked her jet-black hair behind her ears in a self-conscious gesture. “Great One… There are so many people around to stare at us. It makes me… tingly.”
“Tingly is good,” I whispered into her ear, and I was rewarded with goosebumps blooming on her neck and shoulders.
“Can we play a different game?” Elissa asked as she eyed the casino-like room.
“Sure.” I glanced around and picked another game at random. “Let’s start there.”
The three of us made our way to our chosen table, and we took all the available empty seats around the dealer. It was a different game, but it didn’t take me more than a dozen attempts to learn it and predict the outcomes. No one contested my winnings, but I made sure to lose a small amount every once in a while to keep things calm.
