Luck and Schemes

"So did you hear the news?"

"Huh?" you said with a mouth half-full of apple.

"Word around the guild is the old fish took some interests in those town heroes. Word is they got a thief with 'em."

"Wow that's super who cares." You finished the last bite and threw the core down in the street, wiping your mouth with a sleeve. You looked, and of course no stains. Luck on point, as usual.

"I mean, these kids killed the governor. He had been heading the cult. They stopped a war. I don't know things are getting crazy. He was the one passing all the laws cracking down on the guild's activities too! My profits have like, doubled my dude."

"Yeah well I don't need the guild. I make my money through real ventures."

"Back alley dice games?"

"Those are games of skill."

Almuhthal looked at you with that look he always gave the guys who owed him money and sweared they would pay it back tomorrow. He just never understood how skillful dice was. You want the 6 to come up. The 6 comes up. You want them to roll the 1. They get the 1. It's simple, but he always sucked at them so of course he'd act like this.

"Regardless, when Twobuckle takes a liking to someone it means they got promise."

"I mean sure, I guess." You sighed, the hot summer air being a little bit more than you cared to deal with right now. You said your farewells and set off down the streets of Tahrir, thinking to yourself about what to do next and what might be for dinner. You sighed and looked down at your shoes just in time to catch a flier that had come off something and made itself down the road via wind power.

"A fighting tournament? Sounds dum- CASH PRIZES? RARE TREASURE? Well now we are talking. And it says it takes all styles. Little do they know about my dangerous combination of both luck and handsomeness. Where is thi-" Gaza. Shit. That place is a desert island, it was probably bad for your skin and hair.

Actually that may be the least of your worries. What if they have strong competitors? Doesn't that place train monks or something? Well whatever. You figure all you have to do is find a ringer, someone or ones to enter with you. Then they have to split the rewards. And if you win, well you just ask for a weapon worth a fortune. Can't share a weapon. But who...of course. New heroes. New heroes need talent. And talented is something you were very sure you were after your encounters with the law in the past. Time to put it all to work.

You spun around, closed your eyes, and pointed. Peeking out of one, your finger was marked onto a half built manor you knew likely belonged to a group that had just come into a lot of money. "Never fails. Time to join a party and watch the gold roll in."