Jet exited the elevator in a hurry, eager to find Sifu Ramos as quickly as possible. He cared not for his appearance. His clothes were dirty, bruises were all over his body, and his insides felt like mush yet he moved forward with pipe in hand. He eyed each person that passed, trying to see if their eyes were an ominous purple. Fortunately none seemed to, in fact they all seemed completely normal. Unfortunately this meant they looked at him as if he were the dangerous one.

The eerie distorted music no longer played. Instead there was the normal din of the casino. People conversed and yelled over bets, slot machines played jangly music with whirs of beeps and chimes. Jet walked by the gamblers, ignoring their stares. Would security be called on him? Most likely but he didn’t have time to think about that. They were all in danger and he was not willing to discard the makeshift weapon he got for himself. Despite two weeks of training, he couldn’t do kung fu nor wield a sword, but he could definitely swing a pipe.

He frantically searched out Sifu Ramos, hoping to find him among the crowds. The casino floor was large and densely populated, making Jet feel like he was searching for a needle in a haystack.

“Ramos!” he yelled.

“Ramos!” he yelled again.

More people began to stare.

“If any of you guys starts talking about a symphony, you’re getting hit,” Jet threatened.

“Oh yeah baby!” a voice exclaimed.

Jet perked up, recognizing the voice. The voice continued to shout, allowing Jet to follow it to its source. He found him. Sifu Ramos stood at a Blackjack table with three other men, pulling a stack of colored chips toward him. There was a man on each side. One groaned over busting while another seemed content he broke even. The dealer stood across the table, wearing a white collared shirt underneath a black vest. His black hair shone, accentuating the shape of his razor fade haircut.

“Congratulations,” he smiled, his blue eyes glinting at Sifu Ramos.

Jet ran up to them.

“Ramos!” he hollered, a bit too loudly for Sifu Ramos’ liking.

“Ow! What? What is it?”

He turned, seeing Jet stare up at him.

“Jet?”

“Ramos you gotta help!” he blurted, so excited he couldn’t talk properly. “W-we got attacked by an old lady and there was this weird orchestral music t-t-t-that put people under mind control and I had to fight this really large guy and and….”

“Jet calm down!”

Sifu Ramos slapped the boy across the face, allowing him to simmer down.

“Ow!” he yelped. “Thanks. Anyway Lorraine and Rama are in danger!”

Sifu Ramos cursed under his breath, both out of worry and because he’d have to end his winning streak. He was doing well. Better than he’d ever done before. He’d earned thousands of dollars within such a short span of time. It was fortunate too, since he was betting the last of his money. He let out a heavy sigh, ready to run off.

“Sir, are you sure you don’t want to finish the game?” the dealer inquired.

“Sorry pal, I gotta go save my kids.”

“Are you sure about that?”

The dealer eyed Jet, smirking. He was deeply disturbed by it. Why wasn’t the dealer concerned by how he looked? He was half expecting the dealer to call security but instead he looked amused.

Sifu Ramos motioned for Jet to lead the way, the two of them about to head off when they heard the dealer clap behind them. Silence. The ruckus of the casino vanished in an instant. There were no people ahead or beside them, as if someone erased them from existence. They stopped, sensing a presence behind them. They slowly turned around, seeing the dealer still standing there.

“Sir, are you sure you don’t want to finish the game?” he repeated.

Without a word, Jet went forward, ready to swing his pipe at the dealer. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to have figured out who was responsible for their isolation. Jet swung, the pipe long enough he didn’t need to go around the table. The pipe stopped short.

A purple shield appeared where Jet struck, situated to the dealer’s left. He didn’t pay attention to the pipe inches away from his face.

“I’m afraid that is not how the game is played,” he said.

A frustrated Jet swung again, harder this time. The same result occurred.

“You can’t hurt me,” the dealer stated. “My magic is unique. During a game, I’m untouchable. It’s simply how my magic works. In exchange for invulnerability, I cannot physically attack you either.”

Sifu Ramos pulled Jet back, eyeing the dealer.

“So where’s this going pal? Just wanna look into each other’s eyes?” Sifu Ramos chuckled.

“Cute. But no, I simply wish for you to finish the game.”

“Why?”

“You’ll see.”

“Ramos don’t,” Jet warned. “This is a trap.”

“Obviously,” Sifu Ramos acknowledged. “But we’re not getting out of this unless we….wait let me try.”

Sifu Ramos threw a punch at the dealer.

“Watah!”

The shield blocked his punch.

“Ok, I just wanted to make sure,” Sifu Ramos said. “We’re stuck playing.”

Sifu Ramos saw the worried look on Jet’s face.

“I’ve been winning all night, this is going to be a piece of cake,” he assured the boy.

Sifu Ramos sat in the stool while the dealer took out a deck of cards, shuffling them.

“You’re from another world right? How’d you learn to play Blackjack?” Sifu Ramos inquired.

“Guess that’s my power. I learn games very quickly. Only took me seeing one game to master it. Guess that’s why they call me the Master of Games. Sounds much better than the 8th Apostle wouldn’t you agree?”

“Apostles eh? That guy I beat up said he was one.”

“Yes, the 11th. He’s told me about you. The Apostles of the Central Synod are some of the strongest warriors in existence. The fact you beat one of us-even a low ranking one-is surprising. But are you all brawn or not? That’s what I care about. I’m more than happy to let the others handle the hero himself.”

“So how many of you are here?”

“Three. There were supposed to be mercenaries as well but they’re idiots and got summoned to a different location. That’s the problem with sending a large amount of people through the portal. The more you send, the more inaccurate the summoning becomes. Doesn’t matter, the hero’s magic makes it easy to track no matter how far away we are. Plus, I don’t think we need them. The 10th’s puppets should be more than able.”

“Hmm alright. Guess I got a lot of people to beat up, fine with me.”

The dealer smirked, placing a card face up in front of him. The card was a three of clubs. He then placed two cards in front of Sifu Ramos. They were a six of diamonds and a four of hearts.

“Hit,” Sifu Ramos said.

The dealer obliged, placing another card down in front of him. It was a 5 of spades.

“15 huh? I should probably-”

“Stay,” Jet cut in. “You should stay Ramos. It’s safer that way given the dealer’s card is a 3 of hearts.”

“I think I know what I’m doing. Hit.”

The dealer gave him another card. It was an ace. Sifu Ramos cursed.

“And you busted. Unfortunate,” the dealer said.

“Alright so I lost some money. No big-Ah!”

Sifu Ramos leaned forward onto the table, feeling a sharp pain in his stomach. Jet tried to help him stay up.

“What’d you do to him!?” Jet angrily questioned.

The dealer smiled.

“I suppose I forgot to mention from here on we’re not betting money. I thought that would be obvious given the situation we’re in. My magic allows me to take something more valuable in my eyes. I’m a collector you see. I collect the organs of my opponents. You should see my room. It is filled with the organs of heretical rulers. The heart of King Vladamir, the eyes of Prince Henry, the brain of Prince Mohi. All defied the Central Synod and so needed to be killed. Of course, they didn’t know they were marked at the time. They thought we were merely playing a game.”

The dealer chuckled to himself.

“I’m a very subtle assassin. I’m adept at handling those the Central Synod wants disposed of in a quiet manner. Not every target needs to be thrown out a window for all to see.”

Sifu Ramos straightened himself up. He gave a smile as blood trickled down his mouth.

“You took my kidney didn’t you?” he asked.

“Yes, yes I did. My magic gets stronger the more I win. I take minor organs first, but it always ends with the heart.”

“And if I win? Do I get your organs?”

“I’m afraid not. What you do get is all of your lost organs back and dispel my magic. You’d no longer be isolated and I’d be at your mercy.”

“Alright how many rounds do I need to win so I can kick your ass?” Sifu Ramos demanded.

“Five,” the dealer told him. “You win five rounds and you win. It’s our own fun little variation of the game isn’t it?”

Jet pondered to himself, realizing that this made things easier. No need to double, split, or surrender given no money was involved. All that mattered was winning the round.

“Ramos let me handle this,” Jet requested. “I said I’m good at Blackjack and I wasn’t joking.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“You’re only a kid, what’d you know about gambling?” Sifu Ramos asked, skeptical.

“Trust me, I have an eye for this. I help my dad gamble all the time. I know Basic Strategy.”

“Basic strategy?”

“Just do what I say, please.”

Sifu Ramos saw the look of determination in the boy’s eyes. He sighed.

“You better be right because I’m literally betting my life here.”

“Ready to keep playing?” the self-titled Master of Games questioned.

“Yeah, let's do it.”

The dealer put two new cards in front of Sifu Ramos, a king and a two of diamonds. For the dealer the face up card was a 2 of clubs.

“Hit,” Jet told Sifu Ramos.

“Well even I could’ve assumed that,” he replied. “Hit.”

The dealer put another card in front of them. It was a 1 of hearts.

“Well that’s not good enough. Hi-”

“No, you need to stay!” Jet yelled.

“What?”

“Probability says you’re better off staying when the dealer’s up card is 2 and your total is 13. Basic Strategy.”

“And what exactly is that?”

“It’s a table that tells you the best play for every possible scenario in Blackjack,” Jet explained. “I memorized it.”

“Such a thing would be massive! You memorized all of it?”

“Yeah. I have a photographic memory. Makes school a breeze.”

“Well guess I’m staying then.”

The dealer revealed his other card, a 6 of clubs. The dealer had to hit, putting down an ace and making him bust.

“Congrats,” the dealer said.

Sifu Ramos and Jet cheered, giving each other high fives. The next two rounds were as successful. Using Jet’s memory, Sifu Ramos was able to play the best move for each case. With three of the five required wins secured, the two felt very confident. The dealer however wasn’t worried. He continued to congratulate the two on each win, acting as if he was happy for them.

The current hand was a 5 of spades and a 8 of hearts for Sifu Ramos whereas the dealer’s up card was an ace.

“Hit,” Jet told Sifu Ramos.

He did as instructed, making the dealer put down a 7 of clubs.

“Oh we got this in the bag. We have a total of twenty,” Sifu Ramos noted.

“The odds are against me aren’t they?” the dealer mused. “Let’s see what I have.”

He turned his other card up, revealing it was a king.

“Blackjack,” he smiled.

Sifu Ramos felt something inside his body churn, like something had been ripped out. He lurched forward, almost about to collapse.

“Ramos!” Jet cried.

Sifu Ramos cursed.

“Yep my spleen is gone. I like my spleen too,” he moaned.

“How unfortunate,” the dealer sardonically said.

“It’s ok Ramos, we’re close to winning,” Jet reminded him.

“Oh great,” he groaned.

The next round began. Once again, the dealer got a blackjack. Then again. Then again.

Sifu Ramos felt intense pain after each round, feeling more and more body parts ripped out of his body. Yet he remained upright. Blood poured out from his orifices but he kept smiling.

“This doesn’t make any sense!” Jet angrily said. “There is no way we should be losing like this.”

“Are you sure your strategy is truly working?” the dealer grinned.

Jet frowned, thinking to himself. It was as if a switch had been flipped, transferring all of the momentum from them to the dealer.

“How’re you doing it?” Jet asked. “I know you’re cheating somehow.”

“Ha! Now that hurts my feelings. I would never cheat. I do play to ensure I have the greatest advantage however. If I were cheating, would I have let you win any rounds?”

Jet stared at the cards. They were a unique set, not the standard cards one a casino would use. Instead of the standard red and black color scheme, these cards were purple and yellow. The drawings were also slightly different. Instead of the usual queen, there was a hooded woman, trails of smoke coming off her body. Instead of the king was an elderly man that looked more like the pope if he wore black robes.

“What are these cards?” Jet questioned, angry with himself for not noticing them earlier.

He was too focused on the numbers, and not on the cards themselves.

“My own set! Isn't it amazing how similar my world’s cards are to yours? But in my world, no king or queen would be put on playing cards. That’s an honor reserved to the Goddess of Smoke and the Holy Priest,” the dealer elaborated.

“What else is different?” Jet interrogated.

“Ah, starting to catch on eh? There’s not many. It’s just, the number of cards is different. Your strategy won’t help you here.”

Jet paused, staring at the cards. They never had the advantage. The Basic Strategy table he had committed to memory was useless.

“So our previous wins….”

“Sheer luck. Then again, isn’t that gambling? I like this game, I think I’m going to introduce it to my world when I go back. It’s quite fun.”

This was bad. They had no strategy. They were at the whims of fate, making random plays hoping to win. Would that be enough? Jet glanced at Sifu Ramos. The man wasn’t in good shape, looking like he wanted to collapse. While they only needed two more wins, Sifu Ramos was worse for wear.

“Jet, you got this,” Sifu Ramos stated. “Get me through this so I can kick his ass.”

Jet glanced back and forth between Sifu Ramos, the dealer, and the table. He gritted his teeth.

“I have a plan but you’re not gonna like it. We have to use Basic Strategy and card counting.”

“Ok and the bad part?”

“This means you have to keep playing until I can create a new chart in my head.”

“I could be dead before that happens!”

“Yeah and….it wouldn’t guarantee us victory if we succeed. Basic Strategy and card counting are only supposed to give you an advantage, and that’s it.”

Sifu Ramos met Jet’s eyes. They cursed, realizing how dire things were.

“But hey, maybe we can win anyway by luck alone? It’s only two more rounds, how hard can it be to get two more wins?” Jet pointed out.

Sifu Ramos gave him a mean stare.

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you were in my place,” Sifu Ramos hissed.

“Are you ready to keep playing?” the dealer interrupted.

“Yeah asshole let’s go!”

While Sifu Ramos and the dealer continued playing, Jet began to calculate. He looked at the cards already played and at the cards in the dealer’s pile. He noted how many cards there were in total, and tried to predict how many kings and queens there were. Instead of 52 like a standard deck, Jet counted 75. What were those extra cards? Were they more standard cards? More kings and queens? Aces? He kept doing the math, visualizing a table in his mind and filling it with numbers going off the previous rounds. Meanwhile Sifu Ramos kept playing like normal, and was doing poorly.

Round after round he felt the intense pain. He didn’t even understand what he was losing anymore but it hurt, a lot. His Chi ran throughout his body, allowing him to keep going. He probably lost a lung a few rounds back given it was hard to breathe. Every now and then he would look at Jet who was now in his own little world. The boy’s eyes darted about, trying to put it all together. Jet was a strange one. Sifu Ramos didn’t have time to teach him much kung fu, so instead he made the boy focus on building his physical strength. He was strong too, more so than one would suppose upon first glance. Yet he couldn’t summon Chi. He tried to push the boy but it didn’t happen.

It wasn’t much of a surprise. Creating Chi was rare but going off the stories Rama and Lorriaine told him, it sounded like Jet had the potential but it just wouldn’t come out. He lamented the fact he didn’t have a Chi infused weapon to give to the boy. Then he saw it. A light blue glow started to come off the boy’s body but he was so deep in thought he didn’t notice. Now that was new. He’d never seen Chi manifest like that before. Sifu Ramos smiled to himself.

“You busted,” the dealer said.

Everything went black, followed by pain. Jet saw Sifu Ramos’ eyes had disappeared.

“Ok! This hurts!” he yelled.

The sight broke Jet’s train of thought.

“It’s always fun when they lose their eyes,” the dealer chuckled.

“Jet, this is all on you now!” Sifu Ramos stated.

“But I’m not finished with making the table!”

“Well I can't see! Also I’m pretty sure I’m missing most of my internal organs.”

He paused, somehow thinking he could verify what was there.

“Yeah I don’t know what I’m missing anymore but I know they’re gone.”

“Ready to keep playing? I only win once you’re dead you see,” the dealer reminded them.

Jet cursed, realizing he was out of time. He’d have to make do with what he had.

“It’s gonna feel so good to punch you,” Sifu Ramos claimed, motioning for them to continue.

The dealer dealt the cards. Jet saw they were given two 8 of hearts. Should he make Sifu Ramos hit or not? The dealer had an 8 of diamonds for the up card. He stared at all the cards on the table. He got an idea.

“How many weeks are there in a year in your world?” he asked out of the blue.

The dealer raised an eyebrow.

“75,” he answered.

“How many seasons?”

“....Six,” he warily admitted.

“And how many weeks are in each season?”

“15.”

Jet smiled.

“Hit,” he ordered.

“I can’t tell what’s happening but you sound confident,” Sifu Ramos added, motioning to get hit.

The dealer dealt the card. Blackjack.

“Congratulations,” the dealer said.

“Yes!” Sifu Ramos cheered. “We’re winning this now right? You made that table thing?”

“Yeah! Now we have a 1% advantage!” Jet concurred.

“1%? That’s it?”

“Uh huh!”

“So I can still lose all my organs and die?”

“Yeah! But ugh, we only need one more win!”

“Kid, I'm missing most of my organs! I could lose my heart if I lose again! Chi can make up for a lot of missing things, but a heart isn’t one of them. Chi stems from the heart.”

“I’m sure it’s going to be fine…….maybe.”

“I’m glad I’m unable to see the look on your face.”

“You shouldn’t even still be going given how many organs you’ve lost. These games aren't supposed to last so long.” the dealer stated, sounding worried.

“That’s the power of Chi pal, guess you don’t have magic or whatever that allows you to live without your organs huh? Tell me, have you ever lost before?” Sifu Ramos inquired.

“No.”

“Well you’re having your first loss right here, right now” Sifu Ramos exclaimed, pointing a finger.

Given his lack of eyesight, he was accidentally pointing at Jet. Jet awkwardly moved the arm until it pointed at the dealer.

“I’m not repeating myself,” Sifu Ramos said.

“I understand the threat,” the dealer replied.

He turned his attention to Jet, shuffling through the last of his cards.

“You claimed to have made a strategy eh? How?” he asked.

“Our worlds are not so different, at least when it comes to cards. For us, there are 52 cards in a deck to represent the 52 weeks of the year. 13 suites for the weeks in a season. I simply expanded that logic to your deck and did some math to count how many of each card there is. Doesn’t guarantee victory but it’s something.”

The dealer laughed.

“Oh this is exciting. A true gamble through and through. After this game, you and I need to play.”

“No, this is the only game we’re playing. Give us the cards.”

The dealer put cards before them. An ace and a 1 of diamonds. The dealer’s up card was an ace.

“What’re we dealing with?” Sifu Ramos inquired.

“We got a total of 11 and the dealer has an ace,” Jet relayed. “We’re hitting.”

The dealer gave them another card. It was a 5 of hearts, making their total 16. Jet looked at the remaining cards and made an educated guess of what they could be.

“What is it now?” Sifu Ramos asked.

“16.”

“Safe bet to stay right?”

“....No. We have to hit. I’ve calculated what cards remain and we’re gonna need more than 16.”

“You sure? We could bust.”

“I know but it’s a chance we have to take.”

“Alright Jet, I trust you. Hit.”

The dealer gave them another card, a four of diamonds. Jet sighed in relief.

“It’s twenty now,” he told Sifu Ramos.

“It’s not over yet,” the dealer said.

All three of them stared intently at the dealer’s faced down card. With a flourish, the dealer flipped it, revealing a five of hearts.

“Looks like I have to hit. And you know, the odds are on my side. You counted the cards, correct? So have I,” the dealer announced, meeting Jet’s eyes.

Jet said nothing. Something was caught in his throat. He was too nervous to reply. Sifu Ramos sensed the boy’s worry.

“You have nothing to worry about. Even if we lose, I’m the only one dying right?” Sifu Ramos whispered.

Even knowing he could die, Sifu Ramos was jovial. It put Jet at ease and impressed him at the same time. He wished he could’ve been so calm. The dealer flipped the card and it was a 9 of clubs. The dealer’s eyes widened.

“No way. I had a 95% chance of winning this round.”

Jet cheered.

“Guess probability is fickle huh?” Jet chided. “How’re you feeling Ramos?”

“Peachy,” he said.

He stood up, feeling as right as rain, all his body parts having been returned to his body. Around them the casino became populated once more.

“Hey Jet, have you ever seen the one inch punch?”

He put his arm across the table, his index finger touching the forehead of the dealer.

“This is impossible! You should’ve died long before! And you shouldn’t have overcome the fact we played with a deck not from this world!” the dealer shouted.

“Don’t sell Jet here short. Kid was just too smart for you. If it was against anyone else, you would've won I’m sure. But hey in gambling, you win some and you lose some. You lost this one.”

The dealer panicked, trying to get away but it was too late.

“Watah!”

His hand unleashed a quick punch, shooting the dealer’s head straight back like it’d been hit by a cannonball. He flew back until his body crashed into a slot machine, causing hundreds of coins to spill out. Jet’s mouth was agape.

“That was awesome!” he exclaimed. “Can you teach me to do that?”

“Maybe later, we gotta go get your friends.”

“Oh yeah right!”

The two walked away from the scene, not knowing that while they moved, orchestral music began to play once more.