Today sucked. That was most days I was here, but this morning was especially awful. An unexpectedly gross time fixing things, a horrifically violent run-in with some kind of Ultarian’s Witness, and the aftermath of that so-called preaching.

“Ow, ow, ow,” I winced as I drove over a series of speed bumps. If I’d gone down to five miles per hour and went over them normally, I’d be fine. But seeing as how I was starting fifteen minutes already late, I didn’t have that kind of luxury.

The front of my car made a terrible thud and short grinding sound as it impacted the asphalt and overloaded my suspension for an instant. That couldn’t be good, but with the kind of money Goldshanks was offering me for this job, I’d be able to get my car repaired. And hopefully my body with the kind of damage I took from that hit. God knew I needed a doctor for all of this.

I tore asphalt as I rushed to the casino and miraculously found a parking spot close by. The employee lot was apparently full, despite there being nowhere near that many people actively working at the casino the last two times I was there. I got out of my car while panting and headed inside.

“I’m not sure what I should be more disappointed in. The fact that you’re late on your first day or that you bothered to show up at all.” A familiar woman in the casino’s signature green dress greeted me with a sneer.

“Hi Kamila,” I said back in between breaths while clutching my chest. “I have no excuses, I had a prior commitment that I forgot to address beforehand, as well as… an accident. It won’t happen again, though.”

She let out a snort. “Whatever, just follow me. You need to get fitted for your suit. We can’t have you representing Mr. Goldshanks in that.”

I looked down at my soft faded jeans and t-shirt and internally cringed at my choice in clothing. It was the easiest thing to put on despite my injuries, but I should’ve thought about what would look appropriate. I just kept quiet and followed my co-worker out the door of the casino and to a nearby storefront across the street.

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I stood in my boxers with my arms outstretched while a middle-aged woman dutifully gauged my dimensions with a tape measure. She was quick and professional, not even mentioning the light shade of maroon my chest was beginning to take on. Once she was done, she went to the back and returned within ten minutes with a sharp-looking white suit.

“I wasn’t able to give it the full works, but it should be enough for what your boss wants,” she said to me as I took the clothes off her hands. “Something about appearing unimportant enough to not attract attention?”

“Yeah, that sounds like him,” I replied. “He had me do my job interview dressed like this.”

“In your underwear?!”

“Oh, no!” I quickly corrected her. “I did it in what I was wearing when I first came in here.”

“Well that makes more sense,” she said with a sigh of relief. “And I’m guessing he’s not the cause of that awful bruise?”

“Nope,” I replied. “Just an accident at home before coming here.”

“How dedicated! I can’t imagine anyone moving around with something like that, let alone get fitted! I hope it doesn’t hurt too much.”

“Well it did at first, but I guess not as much now- ow!”

The tailor gently poked at the bruise and outlined an odd shape. “Well, maybe that should be a sign that there are good things to come for you despite it? I’m sure it’ll make a wonderful story.”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Huh?”

“There, that part of your bruise kind of looks like Ultarian’s mark! I think you should take this as a blessing!”

I remembered that the young man hit me with Ultarian’s holy book, which had the mark embroidered into it. But would a bit of raised string affect the bruise like that? “Uh yeah, I’ll look at it like that.”

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I soon got my suit and headed back to the casino after putting it on.

The fitting was rushed, and as a result, the white suit the seamstress put me in looked cheap. All the better if I was to blend in inconspicuously. It would do, and I walked back to the casino with a smile.

We were greeted at the front entrance by a pair of well-dressed, burly bouncers standing in front of several gaudy posters advertising the tournament inside. The two weren’t there before, but looked as if they’d been guarding those doors all their lives. After seeing Kamila leading the way, they nodded and ushered us inside.

Now that I was no longer in a rush, I was able to get a good look at the place. Several large tables covered in green felt were placed around the main casino floor, which had been cleared of its previous furniture. Several chairs surrounded the poker tables, and several more were neatly arranged in front of rising bleachers set up in the corner by the slot machines. The side seats were almost entirely empty, save for a few filled with a mix of men and women in both suits and casual wear. The ones around the tables were almost entirely filled with some very nervous looking people.

In one of the corners, a group of people fussed with a camera and boom microphone, while one of their members stood and watched the others with an impatient frown.

My eyes were beginning to get lost in the scenery, when a sharp voice called out.

“Mike!”

I turned around to see a short man with curly brown hair look at me with a frown.

“You’re tardy, Mike,” said Todd, the head of security, with crossed eyebrows. “You show up even a few minutes late for the tournament, and some cheater could get away with millions of dollars they don’t deserve.”

“Sorry, it won’t happen again,” I replied carefully, trying to defuse the man’s temper. “Looks like it hasn’t started yet, at least.”

“That’s no excuse, Mike,” he retorted in a huff. “Your job is to patrol the casino floor while I keep an eye on the cameras from the security room. Since you’re just a consultant, don’t go confronting any cheaters yourself. Just tell a bouncer and they’ll take care of things.”

“Sure,” I said with a smile. “That’s what I was planning on doing anyway.”

“It doesn’t matter what you were planning,” Todd’s eye twitched for an instant. “Mr. Goldshanks put me in charge of you and everyone else working security, including the bouncers and anyone else the other sponsors sent. We can’t have a smooth running ship if its captain can’t get everyone to do what he needs them to!”

“A-alright, man,” I sputtered with raised hands. “I got you, I’ll do what you say, boss.”

“Good.” Todd looked at me with a fierce smile that quickly faded into a fatigued frown. He put his hand to his forehead and sighed. “Sorry, Mike. I’m under a lot of stress to get everything off without a hitch, sorry for showing it on you.”

“Hey, it’s alright man, don’t worry about it,” I replied quickly. “I’m only here to make your life easier, so feel free to tell me what you think will take the most weight from your shoulders.”

Todd dragged his hand down his face and stretched his back before looking at me. “Thanks Mike, I’ll remember to do that. Go catch some cheaters.”

“I will,” I replied with a grin.

“Oh yeah, and here’s a badge that says you work with us. You weren’t here for orientation so I couldn’t give it to you earlier,” said Todd, tossing me a laminated card on a lanyard.

“Thanks,” I replied with a nod, putting the id around my neck and making my way to a better vantage point.

“And Mike?”

I turned around to look back at Todd.

“Happy Ultarian Festival.” The man gave me a quick wave and headed to the back.

I nodded and balefully repeated the words before looking towards the throngs of people sitting around the tables. It was showtime.