4 - Unlucky

Gejta was the beating heart of the city's underworld, the most notorious gambling den in the kingdom. People came here not simply to win money, but to indulge in the kinds of thrills the law and polite society could never offer.

In one corner, caged mages dueled one another with spells while spectators screamed themselves hoarse, wagering fortunes on who would be the last one standing. Every burst of magic sent another wave of cheers through the crowd.

Elsewhere, gamblers crowded around elaborate wooden mazes where painted stones rolled through twisting channels. Men shouted at the little rocks as if sheer willpower could alter their course, cursing or celebrating every turn as money changed hands.

Rows of card tables stretched across the room, each surrounded by smoke, laughter, and suspicious glances. Here, luck was bought, sold, and stolen with every hand.

At one of the tables in the center of the gambling hall, four community cards already lay face-up: three Peasants and a Jester. Only the final card remained to decide the winner.

A scarred street thug sighed and tossed his cards into the pile."Fold."

Across from him, a richly dressed nobleman looked at his hand one last time before laying his two cards on the table with obvious reluctance.

"I fold as well."

At the head of the table sat the king of Gejta himself. Krux. The undisputed ruler of the city's underworld.

Half of his face had been burned beyond recognition years ago, the scarred flesh twisting one eye into a permanent squint. 

Yet the ruined face only made him more terrifying. The room seemed to bend around his presence, conversations dying whenever he spoke.

He leaned back in his chair and laughed."Ha! What's the matter?" His gaze swept around the remaining players. "Everyone's turned into chickens?"

He reached toward the mountain of coins in the center of the table.

"Then I win..." A smug grin spread across his scarred face. "...again."Just before his fingers touched the pot—

"Not so fast." Malagam calmly pushed a handful of gold onto the table. "I call."

The dealer immediately froze. His eyes darted toward Krux. He didn't dare deal another card without permission.

Krux barely acknowledged him, giving the smallest nod without even turning his head.

"Let the filthy mage play."

The dealer swallowed and revealed the river. A King.

Krux laughed. "That actually makes this easier."

He casually slid another stack of coins forward. "Eight hundred."

Malagam looked at the bet, then back at him. "If you're so certain you've got the winning hand...why are you betting so little?"

A few of Krux's men laughed behind him.
Krux scoffed. "Most people here haven't even seen eight hundred coins in one place."

Malagam nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, but I've never been particularly fond of poor company."

Without another word, she bent beneath the table. Then, with both hands, she lifted two enormous leather sacks onto the felt. They landed with a thunderous crash.

The seams burst slightly. Gold coins spilled across the table like a glittering waterfall.

The music stopped. The shouting ceased. Even the mages fighting in the cages seemed forgotten as every eye in Gejta turned toward the mountain of gold.

Malagam folded her hands together. "I raise." She looked directly into Krux's eye. "Five thousand."

Nobody breathed. Five thousand. It was enough to buy a castle. Enough to hire an army for an entire campaign. Enough to change a family's fortunes forever.

One of Krux's lieutenants stepped forward suspiciously. "A mage carrying this much money? Has to be fake."

Another thug grabbed a polished rod of Skart from his belt and jabbed it into the pile. "Or enchanted."

Krux slammed his palm onto the table so hard every stack of coins jumped into the air before crashing back down.

The sound echoed through the gambling hall. His men immediately stepped back. Nobody questioned him twice.

"The money's real," Krux glanced toward Malagam. "I gave her part of it myself. Payment for some rather... valuable information."

“The other part I saved up for years.” Malagam took a slow drink, never breaking eye contact with Krux. “Enough talking. You’re spoiling my fun. If you’re so scared, just fold.”

Krux burst into laughter, leaning back in his chair as his men behind him joined in. 

“People really don’t understand,” he said, shaking his head. “Why would someone like you risk so much money? Five thousand coins could let you live like a noblewoman for the rest of your life.”

“My father always said living safely is boring,” Malagam replied calmly.

Krux’s smile faded slightly. “That’s why I hate your kind. Because you have magic, you start thinking you’re above us. Above ordinary humans.” He tapped his finger against the table, his eyes narrowing.

“Or maybe you’re not here for the money at all. Maybe you want something worth more than five thousand... something only ten thousand can buy.”

The crowd around them grew silent. Ten thousand coins was a fortune that most king could never even dream of touching.“

And I know something that is worth exactly that price,” Krux continued. “Someone locked away in the royal dungeon. Deep beneath the castle. A prison built entirely from Skart, created for the most dangerous mages who ever walked this land.”

His smile widened as he watched Malagam’s reaction.“And among them is one person who might interest you. The former leader of the underworld in this country.”

For the first time during the entire game, Malagam’s confident smile disappeared.

“Time’s up,” she reached for the two heavy sacks of coins, but Krux immediately raised a hand.

“Hold on, hold on. I never said I folded.” He chuckled. “Such a little tease, and you already get impatient.” He flicked a coin onto the table. “Show me what you got.”

The entire gambling hall leaned closer. Everyone wanted to see how this impossible gamble would end.

Malagam slowly turned over her cards, revealing a Peasant and a Joker.

The crowd erupted. Four of a kind with a pair. An almost unbeatable hand. Only one possible combination could defeat it.

Everyone understood what had just happened. Malagam had not simply challenged Krux; she had baited him. She had placed an absurd amount of money on the table, knowing that the pride of the underworld king would never allow him to walk away. She had made him step into her trap.

“You got me...” Krux said, staring at her cards. “Almost.”

His own cards landed on the pile of coins in the center. A Peasant and a King. Four of a kind with the strongest possible pair.

The gambling hall went completely silent. The excitement vanished instantly, replaced by an uncomfortable tension. Nobody said anything, but everyone felt it. The hand was too perfect. Too convenient. It smelled like cheating. But nobody was brave enough to say it.

Krux’s men immediately stepped forward and began collecting the winnings. The other gamblers quickly left the table, not wanting to stay near a situation that could turn dangerous.

Malagam remained seated, staring at Krux with anger burning in her eyes. “You’re lucky,” she said.

Krux looked at her. “Lucky?”

“Too lucky.”

A grin spread across his scarred face. “Don’t dare come back to my turf again, Malagam. You mages are finished. People rule the underworld now.”

Two of his men grabbed Malagam by the arms.“Getting your father out wouldn’t change anything,” Krux said. “His time is already over.”

Malagam looked back at him, refusing to lower her gaze. “We’ll see about that.”

Krux watched her for a moment before letting out a quiet laugh.

“Hmmm... if only my daughter had been this loyal to me. Willing to risk this much money just to save me.” He turned away, dismissing her like she was nothing. “Now get that filthy mage out of my sight.”