«I'm talking to you!» – John approached Kyon and threw a punch aiming right in the face. The next moment, his hand swooshed through the air.

*woosh*

Kyon had squatted down, reacting with a speed of lightning. Then he gave Jonn, who was confused with his trick, an icy stare:

«Fighting won't solve anything.»

«How dare you lecture me? I'll teach you how to talk to adults, brat!» – John roared.

Kyon snorted to himself. {Being an adult doesn't necessarily make you smart and experienced... There seems to be no way to avoid a fight.}

The crowd of onlookers had already surrounded them, creating a kind of battle arena. Everyone was eager to see John beat up the skinny boy. Someone openly provoked the warden:

«Knock his lights out, John!» ... «Come on, give it to him!»

When John took another swing, Kyon shifted half a step to the side and punched the warden, aiming at his kidney. He was not strong enough, but that's what the pain spot is for.

«Agggr!» - John felt a sharp, stabbing pain and collapsed down onto one knee, his hands pressed to his side, but at that moment, he got another accurate blow right to his temple and saw stars. He felt woozy and dramatically went down, face to the stone floor.

Everyone gasped, including Borya, who arrived when Kyon attacked the warden. It was a sensational knock out. It’s not everyday they watched fights like that.

Two brothers, both wardens, broke through the dense circle of the crowd.

One of them snarled, stepping menacingly to Kyon:

«You dared to beat up your warden, you creep!»

The second brother joined in, defiantly flexing his neck:

«It will cost you dearly!»

{I won’t cope with these two under the circumstances...} - Kyon thought sadly and held his hands up in a gesture of conciliation:

«Technically, he's not my warden anymore, so I had the right to defend myself!»

They laughed out loud at his diplomatic effort to resolve the problem:

«Haha! What rights are you talking about, you miserable slave?»

The second brother decided not to waste time for chit-chat and punched Kyon in the guts.

«What the hell is going on!?» - Byron roared and rushed out of his room, disturbed by the commotion. He didn't even have time to make his tea, screw them all…

Of course, his yelling could not stop the approaching fist, but Kyon was on guard. He could see the blow as if in slow-motion. It was a shame not to dodge.

* woosh*

When the leader of the 1st rank squeezed through the crowd, he saw Kyon as good as new, innocently batting his eyelashes, and John down at his feet, clutching his side and spewing incoherent curses. The two wardens were looking at Kyon unkindly but lacked the courage to do anything in the presence of their boss.

Byron repeated the question sternly.

«The brat has beaten his warden, and we are punishing him.» - One of the brothers reported and pointed to John, who could not rise.

The second nodded to Kyon:

«How should we punish him, chief?»

Byron took one long look at the aggressors and said in a tone that tolerated no objections:

«The boy has another warden now, which means that John has beaten a member of another group and has to pay for this.»

The brothers looked at each other and left displeased. John was not their friend, and they were not going to argue with the boss because of him. They were always ready to pick a fight, but they steered away from trouble.

By then, John had stood up and was staring furiously at Kyon:

«Fucking skunk, how dared you to beat me? I am your boss here!»

Byron approached the warden, grabbed ahold of his shirt and lifted him up off the ground. Then he said calmly:

«Did you hear me? He is no longer under your command.»

The people in the crowd knew Byron's style of conflict resolution, but he never ceased to amaze them by his brutal virility. Kyon had also made some conclusions regarding Byron’s nature.

John gasped for breath. He could hardly squeeze out:

«I understand, chief. My apologies.»

At once, he found himself on the ground, rubbing his neck, drilling Kyon with his eyes, full of hatred.

Byron changed his mind to punish John. The warden had suffered enough.

The crowd began to disperse, going about their business, only Borya stood still.

Byron muttered to Kyon, wearily rubbing his temples:

«Well, well… It didn’t take you long to bring it down on your head.»

«It was bound to happen anyway, sooner or later.» – Kyon shrugged.

When the boss left, Borya nervously approached Kyon:

«Wow, I didn't expect you would get in trouble on your first day back! But... I can understand John, too.»

«The worst is yet ahead, I guess. Don’t be surprised next time.» - Kyon chuckled.

Borya’s eyes sparkled with interest, but the next moment, he slapped himself in the forehead and took out a wad of cash from his pocket:

«By the way, here is my debt. Two thousand rupees, as agreed.» - He reluctantly handed Kyon the banknotes.

Kyon took the money, completely ignoring his mournful sigh.

«If you want to bet for money, I'm always at your service.»

«Hell, no! I'm not going to bet with you anymore, haha! By the way, if you want to make some quick money, they are going to gamble in an hour. If you are sure of your luck, I'll be waiting for you at that table.» - He nodded to the far corner.

«OK, I'm intrigued… What's it about?»

«The king's treasure.» - Borya puffed out his chest as if he had invented the game and brought it to the masses.

«What are the rules?»

The rules were, in fact, simple: four players, one deck of 72 cards, four suits, one of which is the trump. Attacking cards may be beaten by a higher card of the same suit. The attack may be launched by the attacker and the person on the defender’s left. The winner is the first person who leaves the game without cards in hand. The last player to leave the game pays a double stake. The winner takes it all. It was all too easy, classic, and boring. Kyon couldn’t understand why Borya had mentioned luck in the game where it was enough to remember the cards and, if possible, keep an eye on the cheaters.

«All right, wait for me. I’ll be there when the game starts.»

A short chubby man named Babil, another warden, was a witness of their conversation. With his cunning piggy eyes, he noticed the bald man hand the boy a good amount of money. He immediately came up with a plan on how to lighten the little brat’s burden. Babil exchanged meaningful glances with two big men on his sides, who were the guards of the 3rd rank and the bouncers rolled into one.

Kyon noticed their sneer and winks.

{According to Borya, money can buy a lot here: food, books, freedom, after all. If I am not planning to spend my life in the mine, it's time to take the first steps.} - Kyon thought, throwing a sly glance at the table where they played for high stakes.

About 30 minutes to go before the game. Kyon took a walk around the hall, discreetly watching and listening to people talk about the upcoming evening round. Then he went to Byron's door and knocked softly. He heard him grumping: «Who is it now?»

«It's me. I need your help.»

Byron reluctantly opened the door and let the boy in.

The room was well furnished, with a wall to wall carpet. Kyon caught sight of a Rubik's cube, two apples, lots of pulp novels, one of them still opened.

«Holy cow, it's been five minutes and you've got yourself into some shit again?!» - Byron exclaimed with righteous fury.

«No, not yet. I'd like to gamble for high stakes.»

Byron was taken aback:

«With the wardens, or what?! They'll strip you of everything you have! I can't help you here...»

«What if I win?»

«Well... It’s next to impossible… Do you have a plan?» - Byron was familiar with the local card cheaters’ system, but he had also found out that the boy had endless potential.

«Yeah. I need you to come over and watch my fourth game with Babil. I might need your support if I win fair and square. I am sure they will stand their ground by hook or by crook.»

«Hmm... There will be a lot of wardens... They won't give me a pat on the back if I stand up for you for no reason... But if the truth is on your side... Hmm...» - Niggling doubts were tearing Byron apart. On the one hand, he wouldn't mind helping the boy out but certainly not at the expense of his own well-being. Kyon was no one to him, after all.

Kyon saw his indecision and offered a compelling argument:

«I will highly appreciate your help. How about 10,000 rupees?»

Byron raised his eyebrows in surprise and let out a satisfied chuckle:

«Ha-ha-ha! Good money! You have a deal. I'll be there when the fourth game begins.»

Byron earned 15.000 rupees a month. It was twice more than any other warden could make in a month, and five times more than a healthy, eager slave could ever have. And yet, some extra grands would never hurt.

More than half of the people in the hall had gone to their bedrooms. The rest had stayed to spend the evening in good company, having a chat and playing different games.

About seven people had gathered at a small table in the corner. There were no wardens among them, only slaves of the 3d rank. Borya was also there.

When Kyon came up to them, the bald guy introduced him to his friends and continued watching their game.

Each player was dealt six cards. A few seconds of reflection, and they made their bets.

Kyon was in no hurry to take part in the game. He watched a few rounds, making conclusions. His attitude bummed Borya out: why on earth did he come?

Finally, Kyon joined the players. The stakes were quite low, from about 50 to 100 rupees. No one was eager to go broke. Besides, ordinary slaves never had much money.

This time, everyone bet a hundred rupees to get Kyon started.

Kyon had been watching these dupes long enough to realize that if he started winning all the time, they would refuse to play with him. The stakes were ridiculously low, anyway. He could afford a few "failures." Kyon safely lost the first game. He won the second and the third... In half an hour, Kyon had won 4 times. He was four times the 2nd and the 3rd to leave the game, which earned him a total of 1200 rupees.

The players weren’t pleased with the "newbie," even Borya didn’t stop grumbling. Kyon didn’t care so much about money. He wanted to draw attention to his humble person at the other table, where big guys played big and won big. Soon, the opportunity presented itself:

«I see you're being lucky, boy. You want to play big-time?» - He heard Babil’s loud voice at his side. He had finally condescended to invite the kid in their game.

Kyon had been expecting him. He put on the air of a simpleton. There it was, the moment Kyon had been waiting for so long! He bleated insecurely, staring at Babil with frightened eyes:

«A-a-are you suggesting I play with you?»

Babil grunted smugly: what a dummy.

«Sure! What do you want with those beggars? Come to our table! You can make some money if your luck does not run out.» - He mentally rubbed his hands in glee: {A fool and his money are soon parted.}

The "beggars" stared at the warden with hatred, but Babil didn't bat an eyelid. What could they do to him? The two loyal men on his either side would knock all their teeth out if need be.

Borya finally worked up the nerve to say to Kyon:

«Don't listen to him! This bast... He is a cheat. He wants to rip you off! The wardens play together!» - He wanted to add something else but stopped short just in time.

Both guards defiantly cracked their knuckles, but Babil stopped them with a gesture “there was no command to attack." If Kyon refused to play, then they would show the bald one what the broken bones looked like.

Kyon turned around, put his hand on Borya's shoulder and gave him a warning look: do not interfere. Borya nodded uncertainty.

Babil repeated with a grin:

«Are you coming? We have big stakes coming up.»

«Yeah… Let's do it.»

Borya sighed and watched Kyon leave with a sympathetic look. Babil and his company always tricked the newcomers out of their money. Kyon didn't stand a chance.

Kyon asked about the rules on the way to the “elite” table. The game was called the Emperor's Treasure. It was almost the same, only with an obscene number of cards and players. There were 12 players at the table, 196 cards in the deck. The first player to leave the game took 50% of the total stake, the second took 30%, the third took 20%. The loser paid double and shuffled the deck. The attacking cards went to the defender from the attacker and two players on the left of the defender. In other words, a player on the defender’s’ right and two people on the left throw in cards. The game consisted of two rounds.

«I will play on one condition. I want to watch a couple of games before I join in.»

Babil shrugged:

«Whatever.»

About 20 people watched them approach the big table. Fifteen of them were wardens. Some looked at Kyon with contempt, others with anticipation, a pity flashed in someone's eyes. But mostly, they were mocking him.

Babil opened his arms and said solemnly:

«Everyone, this is Kyon. Today he will give us... I mean, he will play with us!»

Among the players, there were the two brothers who meant to give Kyon a thrashing. They didn't shake his hand and snorted instead of a greeting.

Everyone took their seats and began to discuss the stakes. After the general vote, they agreed on 1200 rupees.

Kyon whistled to himself: if he won and took 50% of the total stake, he would get 6000 rupees. Good money... At least, it was definitely more than he had on his account at the moment.

When the first game was over, Babil was the third to leave. One of his buddies was the second. The winner grabbed the whole pile from the center and counted the money. Then he gave the share to the second and third. It was the rule.

The hubbub at the players' table was even more deafening than usual. Every now and then, there were joyful or indignant shouts. Many of the players drank tea or beer, cracked jokes, exchanged tall stories that caused interchangeable bursts of laughter and grumpy demands to focus on the game.

When the second game was over, the stakes were at 1000 rupees.

This time, Babil lost and looked inquiringly at Kyon, but he shook his head. He took a pass on the game again.

The third game was over. The stakes were at 1300 rupees. Babil lost again, one of his buddies left the second.

When it was the end of the fourth game as well as the warden's patience, Kyon sat down at the table and declared, gently placing two banknotes of 500 rupees on the table:

«I bet 1000 rupees.»

Several people looked at each other and nodded in a hardly noticeable way.

Babel rejoiced:

«Let's respect the beginner and leave it at this stake!»

The rest of the players supported him.

Kyon had no trouble identifying Babil's accomplices: they gave loads of different nonverbal cues, such as nodding, blinking, simple moves, and so on. Like no one was watching them, yeah. It was easy to detect seasoned grifters and cheats. In fact, almost everyone at the table played in groups. If Kyon was an average boy, he would probably lose his last penny and got into debt. Especially given the fact that he couldn’t leave the game until it was over. And it means two rounds in a row.