Theo's bet (part 1)

The city was a place that never stopped being busy. Even at the night. The only thing that changed with the hour of the day was the activities that people would conduct in said city.

The sun has long since gone down. Only the light of spirit-stone-powered lamps cast away the darkness that came with the night. Yet, with just those and the help of an occasional candle, people kept on going about their life as if it wasn't night at all.

Theo sat down on one of the stools that he made before with the simple, low table right in front of him.

He took a spot in a less populated area of the city. There were no markets, churches, or any other places where people would naturally flock to. Yet, his spot just so happened to be at one of the paths that most of the people that wanted to move to and from those places would have to take.

Theo's face was perfectly calm, bored, even. He didn't seem to pay any attention to his surroundings nor to his hands which continued to quickly change the position of the three cups that he kept on the table.

Every now and then, a stranger would get tempted by Theo's agile hands. They would then try their luck in following Theo's movements with their eyes.

Some would win, and some would lose. And for about an hour, there wasn't a single bet that would go above one or two silvers per game.

"You fancy a cup?" one of the potential gamblers came prepared with a mug full 0f some cheap booze in his hand.

"Sure thing," Theo smiled, nodding his head with gratitude when taking the clay cup before taking a long, deep swing. "Haaa…" he released his breath as if in an attempt to cool his now burning insides. "That's some good stuff you've brought!"

Theo's face lit up as if a mere sip of the drink was enough to bring him back from the mindless daze he was in.

The customer only smiled.

Only an amateur gambler would dare to drink alcohol while actually gambling away!

"I want to bet," the middle-aged and average-looking man said, his eyes filling with sparks.

He prepared himself well. And even though he had no faith that Theo would accept the cup, the reality exceeded his greatest expectations.

The man's eyes gravitated down, toward Theo's hands. And although slightly… their movements appeared to slow down!

A second later, Theo's fingers fluked, making two cups strike against each other. This simple mistake threw Theo off his rhythm, nearly making him drop the cups to the ground.

"Whoops," Theo laughed, "It seems a single sip," he said, stopping his exercise as he reached for the cup, "is not enough!"

The eyes of the customer lit up even more.

"Are you accepting my bet?" he asked. His hands were trembling a little. The perspective of free cash blinded him, filling his soul with too much excitement to hold it back and keep a straight face.

Theo didn't seem to be bothered by that, though. Or maybe… Or maybe he didn't even notice what the man telegraphed?

"How much do you want to bet?" Theo asked once he put down his drink. He then reached for his cups… Only for his entire body to wobble for a second before Theo managed to regain his stability.

"I want to bet a gold coin!" the man announced with a smug look on his face.

Theo's hands froze in the midst of swapping the cups. It then took him a few seconds to slowly raise his head and look at the man's face.

"A gold coin, you say…" Theo muttered, a look of unease and unwillingness flashing on his face.

The excitement that filled the man's face suddenly soured with uncertainty… and then determination.

Now that he clearly inhibited Theo's ability to swing the cups, now that he already felt he had this win in his hand…

What kind of a night-time gambler he would be if he allowed Theo to slip away from his grasp?!

"Come on!" the man shouted, leaning himself to the back as he raised his hands and looked around in search of support. Yet, seeing how barely anyone paid him any mind, he quickly turned his head and looked at Theo again. "Are you a coward?"

This time, some people stopped.

It's not like they had any urgent business at this hour. They were simply too used to this kind of scene to pay them any attention.

But now, Theo's potential customer openly provoked him.

And in this city, people would be killed for less.

"What did you say?" Theo asked in a slow, low voice. The look behind his eyes darkened as his right hand moved toward his belt.

"You were happily betting away. I came and even offered you a cup… only to learn you don't want to bet anymore?" the man raised his eyebrows. "That makes you a coward!"

This time, it wasn't a provocation. This time, it was an outright insult.

Maybe it was the booze. Maybe it was the mood of the night…

"Fine!" Theo barked as he struck the table of his own making with an open hand. "But I don't trust you. Money on the table!" he demanded.

Now that the situation heated up a little, some onlookers started to pay attention.

A bet for a gold coin for a simple game of three cups? That was uncommon. Someone outright insulting a gambler on the streets, fearless of the consequences? Now that was interesting. But the gamble that actually took place and turned into a mental duel between the gambler and his customer?

Slowly but steadily, people started to gather.

"Here it is," the man said, happily pulling out his coin before slamming it down on the table. "Do your magic!"

Theo gave the man a quick, hateful stare, before reaching for the cups and starting to swing them around.

The alcohol that formerly impaired his mind appeared to have little to no effect on Theo's hands. Soon, the three cups turned into a flurry, hard for a non-cultivator to see through.

The swinging took Theo only a few moments. And once he finished mixing the cups, he pulled his hands away and raised his face to smile at his customer.

"It's your time to shine!" he announced as confidence filled his eyes.

The man hesitated. From the look on his face, he clearly didn't follow Theo's movements. And from how his smile soured, he was starting to regret making such a massive bet!

"This one!" the man finally decided, pointing his finger towards the middle cup.

By this moment, the small crowd from before turned quite substantial. There were people looking at the game with a vivid interest in their eyes, all interested in how it would play out.

The man reached out with his hand to uncover the cup and check whether he just gained or lost a valuable, golden coin.

And Theo's smile… soured.

"Wait!" Theo suddenly shouted, taking everyone by a surprise.

The man's hand stopped as he raised his eyes at Theo. Yet, seeing the panicked look on his face… The man simply smiled before pushing his hand even further.

"Wait, I said!" Theo shouted again, this time jumping up from his stool and reaching out.

He didn't scramble the cups, though. He used his superior agility to grab the man's hand by its wrist, just before he could check the content of the cup he picked.

"I'm doubling the bet!" Theo released a panicked shriek.