Ribshot gave a croaking cry. He spun about, snapping wicked teeth at Fenli. Gayad finned forth to menace the shark with its quills spurting poison, but Teebla’s lips cracked in a sly grin as he intercepted Gayad’s ponderous blowfish, to chase Fenli’s tail himself.
“You grey-haired dog, Teebla!” sneered Gayad. “You deliberately blocked my chance for a clear assault on Fik’s predator. I could have had a clear win.”
“Touché, Gayad. You were a tad slow. Your prickly dogfish is a weighted stone in my opinion. I was forced to look after my own interests. Watch out!”
“You’re a bastard,” cried Gayad, as he avoided Fenli’s teeth.
“Prepare for your demise, you foolish Dawcocks!” gloated Fenli. Triumph lit his face as he charged in to capitalize. Dark-blue caves were etched in the coral reef and Fenli weaved in and out of them, drawing the others into his trap. “Ribshot, you are dead. My jaws are already around your grey throat. Gayad, be dismayed as your poisonous blowsac sinks in its own poison. En garde, Teebla! Your steed ribback is failing!”
“I can see that,” spat Teebla. “Gayad, you detain me again.” He jerked hard on his stick and his whale bunted Gayad sideways. The blowfish twirled end over end off into the grey-blue murk while Fenli’s shark took a bite out of his fleshy underbelly.
The creature sank to the bottom, oozing sparkling pinkish blood in a thin ribbon.
Gayad swore. He slapped the controls in a fit of blazing anger. He poured in 30k more credits of marbles to continue his game, and his blowfish came rearing back to life, lancing quills at scavenging swordfish that sought to examine its bloody hide.
Teebla shook his head and clicked his tongue in a ribald laugh. “My, my, you are quite an impulsive git, Gayad.”
“Watch your back, Teebla! It won’t go so pleasantly for you next time.”
Teebla laughed, his sides near splitting.
Fenli bit his lip, his face screwed up in an effort of concentration. All the while, he tried to outwit his opponents’ attacks and vicious traps. The VR gambling algorithm worked permutations of a new order. Miko saw underwater landscapes of grand imagination, traps, caves, and weedy sea ledges. He discerned underwater foliage, ferns and aquatic life undreamed of. Sharks and wolf-fish came teeming down, attracted by the blood of past gnashes, some friendly, others not so friendly.
“Watch yourself, Mr. Fik. You don’t know the lie of the land.”
Miko murmured without conscious thought, “Aye, Fik, careful, or you’ll get snagged on that jutting coral!”
Fenli gave a loud cry as he smashed hard into Gayad’s blowfish, swimming alongside Ribshot’s pike-turned-dogfish. Gayad’s newly-risen avatar sank in a blood-oozing heap, as Fenli tore chunks out of its underbelly and spat out the poison.
Gayad gave a croak of dismay and launched himself to his feet. Ribshot chuckled, heaving out a dry snort. “Thanks for saving me, Gayad. You didn’t need to, but I appreciate the gesture.”
“Cheater! That’s not legal.” He reached out to tear at Fenli’s throat, his left hand grabbing something tucked at his back.
Miko jerked himself up and slapped the silver air gun from Gayad’s hand.
The other snorted out an insult, swatting a fist at Miko.
Miko grabbed the man’s wrist and twisted hard. Gayad was on his knees, squawking in pain.
Teebla jeered, clapping hands. “Hoy, gentlemen! I appreciate your enthusiasm, but a bit much for so early in the game. Quiet now, as I put the game on hold—” he turned to Fenli with a grin. “I see now the use of your hulking spaceman.”
Fenli gave a sour nod. “Mak is useful in this regard. Really, Teebla, must you bring such spoilsports into the game?”
Teebla managed a sheepish grin. “I have use for Gayad, as a foil. His antics amuse me.”
Gayad continued to struggle and spat more curses in Miko’s face. The gambler struggled to reach for a knife tucked at his side, and Miko was obliged to apply more pressure.
Bones snapped and the man slid painfully to his knees, howling in agony. His face congested and he hung limply, eyes fluttering.
Attendants came to pull the two apart when Teebla snapped his fingers and they dragged the inert man away.
“There, there.” Teebla frowned. He stroked his bushy moustache and exhaled a firm breath. “Normally Gayad is not that unruly. A pity. The Jakru woman must have created a stir in his loins. Well,” he sighed, “shall we play on?”
“After you,” grinned Fenli, the breath hissing between his teeth.
Miko stood and faced down Ribshot, who seemed to have some harsh words to say as to the ultimate fate of Gayad.
“You didn’t need to break his fingers,” croaked Ribshot.
“Sit down, you fool,” ordered Teebla.
Ribshot plunked himself down in his seat. His fingers grasped the air pistol at his belt.
Miko took his seat.
The game resumed.
“Argh!” Fenli’s groan came loud and plaintive across the casino for all to hear.
Teebla looked at him sidewise and shafted him a grin. “See, mind those poison sacs—and see if your associate can keep his hands to himself.”
“Look out!” cried Miko.
“Don’t tell me how to play!” sneered Fenli. He jerked the stick forward and snorted. “Join the game, if you want, Mak, but don’t tell me how to play!”
Miko glared at him. Hating Fenli and depending on him at the same time, Miko pushed down his frustration. As much as he admired his bravura, it was a messed up dysfunctional combination. There was a method to Fenli’s madness, as Miko saw in Fenli’s next move.
The daredevil finned wide and deked out Teebla’s vindictive whale; now, it came ripping around the side, corkscrewing about, to savage its sleek blue flanks, hammering its gills.
“Ordinary sharks don’t flee from killer whales,”
