NOVEL NEXT 39 – Omega (2)
Samael arrived at one of the fighting rings, which he knew Aria looked over. He sat in the audience and ordered a drink.
Counting the one he had on Aria's main 'house', this was his third, or so he thought.
After an Asari waitress brought it to him, Samael tipped her and started to watch the fight.
It was a Krogan vs a Turian. Samael knew from the beginning the outcome of the match. The Krogan would lose.
How did he know that you ask? Well, one of the most, if not the most, special traits Samael had was the experience he honed across multiple cycles. That was how he managed to win against so many foes stronger than him. Experience.
And that same experience was telling him the Turian would win. First, the Krogan was already wounded before the fighting began, which made Samael think this ring was a winner-till-losing kind of fighting ring. Meaning you fight until you can't anymore.
His memories of specific places in Omega were failing him.
The Krogan probably was past 10 fights but was reaching his limits. The young Turian, on the other hand, was calm. Turians, normally, were trained from a young age to fight. He was confident he would win.
So, Samael did something naughty and called the Asari waitress, who served his drinks once more.
'' How can I help you?'' The Asari was more than willing to help this whale, who gave her a generous tip just a few moments ago.
'' Is there any kind of betting system here?'' Samael asked with a sly gaze.
The Asari nodded, and Samael immediately said, '' 100.000 credits on the turian.''
COUGH
The waitress coughed a little, as the amount was bigger than she thought. Still, she tried to persuade him, '' Sir, that Krogan is on a winning streak of 11 fights, and he is the favorite on this one. I ask you to reconsider.''
The Asari was going against her own code of conduct, alerting the client of possible losses, but alas, it seemed he was not going to listen to her.
'' Nah, the turian will win. Trust me... also, it's only 100.000 credits, no biggie.'' Some not-so-good people were now paying attention to Samael, as even though this was Aria territory and they had an agreement of some sort, Omega was still Omega.
Alas, if they knew he was from LD, they would shit their pants and hide behind their mother.
The Asari knew a man who would not accept no as an answer. With a sigh, she said, '' OK.''
After that, she placed the bet on Samael's name.
5 MINUTES LATER
The Asari looked incredulous at the fighting ring, then at Samael, who won 400.000 credits from this fight alone.
Gathering her courage, she approached Samael and asked, '' How did you know he would lose?''
'' The Krogan was tired.'' Samael took a sip of his drink while looking at the Krogan on the floor. In Omega, you choose to let your foe live or not, and the Krogan got lucky the turian let him go, '' And his opponent was good enough to win against the odd.''
While a tired Krogan was still a Krogan, a young Turian could deal with that. If the Krogan were in normal circumstances, things would not go so easily.
'' ... Will you bet again?'' The Asari asked with a strange gaze. She won 5% of the bet, as she was the one who placed it.
'' ... I don't know.'' Samael was getting bored once more. The fight was entertaining, for sure, but it was too short. He wanted something more exciting.
'' Sir.'' After some hesitation, the Asari said, '' How about you fight then?''
Samael looked at her with a strange gaze and said, ''Aren't you scared I would die right away?''
The Asari snorted, '' You can win against that turian. Call it an instinct or something along those lines, but mine is telling you are a very dangerous individual.''
Samael smiled at that. He was considering the Asari's words. ' Well, it would not hurt a little bit of fighting here and there.'
He didn't consider the spars with Javik, or what he did at Cerberus, a fight. The last real one he had was at the Chora's Den some time ago. He felt it would not be boring to relieve some stress.
'' Ok, you convinced me.'' Samael got up from his seat, downing his drink, and asked, ''Where do I go so I can fight?''
The Asari pointed at someone and said, '' You talk with him, pay a fee, and you are good to go. You can stay in the ring for as long as you win your fights or until you think you have reached your limits.''
'' Ok, can I bet on myself?'' Samael asked like it was nothing.
'' ... You can.'' The Asari smeled money right away. She would not let this opportunity pass. The human in front of her was looking like a giant pile of credits in her eyes.
'' Good.'' Samael started to make his way to the person the Asari pointed to with his two drones but suddenly paused. He looked at the Asari and said, '' Also, what is the record of winning?''
'' A Krogan won 34 fights in a row a few years ago.''
Samael's eyes shone in a dangerous light, '' I will give you a piece of advice. Bet on me every fight, and that I will break the record. Also, here's another tip.''
The Asari received the tip and already knew where she would spend it. Betting all on this human in front of her.
' ... What I'm doing, spending all I have on betting on a human..'
It wasn't normal for a human being to be able to win against a Krogan, Turian, or Asari alike. But, again, the instinct of the Asari was screaming at her to listen to it.
The Asari watched as the human spoke with the person responsible for the fight ring. She made her decision at that exact moment.
--
Recently, some sort of rumor or legend was created in Omega. In one of the many illegal fight rings on the space station, a newly arrived human, who was followed around by two strange drones, was undefeated.
For 39 rounds. Those 39 rounds happened in just 5 days, meaning the human had fought and DEFEATED more than 5 people a day. Those people might be Humans, Krogans, Turians, or Asari. It didn't really matter who he fought, as in the end, the human won all his fights.
It wasn't just winning, it was a massacre. Based on his legend, the first fights were normal, but the human started to get aggressive as the fights went on. It wasn't weird if someone broke a limb or two when fighting him.
The problem was that one of the limbs was from the human. It was like he didn't care about his injuries and continued fighting. Of course, he got close to losing a lot of times, as his injuries almost got the better of him, and his opponents were in better shape than him.
But always, when it seemed he was going to lose, he started to fight manically. Some people even said he looked like a beast, an animal. Of course, it wasn't something like that, but it was like something awakened in him, and he fought like there was no tomorrow.
That was why the legend of said human was growing in Omega, and with it, the strength of those who challenged him.
In the time between fights, Samael and Aria talked. As he fought in one of her fight rings, things between them got a little complicated, as he betted on himself a lot of times and won a pocket change.
For him, the owner of a multi-trillion-dollar company, the 'pocket change' was nothing, but to Aria, it was a lot.
So, Samael felt bad for her, and they made a deal in one of their meetings.
He would look weak in most of the fights, so people would bet on the other person. Then, he would win anyway.
The strategy was working, and Aria/the house recovered a lot of what she had lost and was now starting to have profits.
After the 39th fight, Samael retired for the day. He went directly to Aria and passed through her guards like they had a prearrangement. He arrived at her booth and ordered a few drinks.
Soon after, a waitress and Aria arrived at the same time. Aria just raised her eyebrows at Samael, then sat opposite him.
Samael thanked the waitress and then passed one of the drinks he ordered to Aria, who accepted it. He then started saying, '' I'm sorry for winning so much.''
Aria snorted upon hearing that. She knew the human in front of her was an unbelievably good combatant, and most of the fights would be over in an instant, but thanks to their arrangement, he started to get a lot more injuries than normal.
He even had a few close calls with the Krogans, but it was to be expected, as normally a human x Krogan would end in the Krogan victory most of the time.
But, Samael made the impossible possible, winning the fight against the Krogans. Of course, it was close, but he still won.
Aria looked at the battered human in front of her and said, '' How are you so strong?''
The Asari saw something like pain cross the human eyes, but she could not understand why he had that emotion.
''Experience.''
'' You? Experience?'' Aria was taken aback by that. He already told her he was less than 20 years of age, so he must be lying.
But Samael looked deep into her eyes, and she was stunned for a second. He then said slowly, '' Sometimes, some people go through some things others can't even begin to imagine. I'm one of those people. If you ever see yourself fighting against me, hear my advice. Run. As fast as you can.''
Aria maintained her strong persona, but inside she was a little taken aback. Based on their past interactions, Samael was honest. So, this time he was too.
'' Then, let's hope we never go down that path and continue this 'relationship of ours.'' Aria raised her cup at Samael.
'' I hope so too.''
Silence filled the booth, and both continued drinking. Sometime later, Samael remembered something, '' Oh yeah, in a few days, a few LD personnel will arrive at Omega. Mostly a small crew, but I ask of you to let them enter with no problem.''
'' You have my word. Also, the things you asked me for will arrive in a few days too. Until then, let's continue making money.''
'' Let's.''
Soon after, Samael left Aria's strip club and went to rest a bit. After all, he had to wait for his crew and the ingredients to arrive.
Thanks to the multiple times Samael fought, he was too exhausted to get bored, so it was a win-win situation for everyone. The injuries he sustained were somewhat severe, but nothing a med-gel and rest didn't resolve.
Also, an Asari waitress is very rich right now, considering even buying a bar on Omega or becoming Aria's partner in crime, but that is a story for the future.
--
2 DAYS LATER
Javik, Liara, Wrex, Miranda, RR, and the newcomer Tali, along with almost the rest of the crew, arrived at the meeting point, which just so happened to be Omega.
Remember that the crew and Samael had separated a week ago. While Samael had gone to deal with Cerberus, the crew went to Illos to get information about the Reapers to show to the Council and ended up finding living Protheans, something that never happened in past cycles.
All the Protheans saved were in the huge spaceship LD had, the ones who were in the unnamed ship were transferred there and were still in cryopods. Samael had asked for that, as he wanted them to have a safe place to wake up. And he had the perfect place for that.
One of the planets he owns. Samael had plans for all the planets he owned, as he wanted them to be a safe haven for anyone in the galaxy... Minus the Batarians. Fuck them.
He even sent his building company there, and they should be almost done with their job, or so he hoped.
Anyway, it was a week ago, and they decided to meet at Omega at Samael's request, and the crew arrived a day ago. They wanted to check on Samael right away, but when they arrived at Omega, a few suspicious people came to chat.
The crew prepared for a battle, but to their surprise, the people there just escorted them to Aria T'loak, one of the bosses of Omega.
LD forces a lot of its members to remember the faces of certain individuals, so they should take extra caution when meeting them, and Aria was one of those individuals.
They were in Aria's personal booth right now, and the Asari started to talk, '' Samael said you would arrive in a few days.''
Miranda noticed something right away, '' ... Did you make some sort of deal with Samael?''
Aria nodded.
Jack snorted a little and visibly relaxed, '' He always does that, huh.''
Wrex and Javik, both of whom already had drinks on their hands, along with other personnel like Veronica, RR's main body, agreed with what Jack said and relaxed too.
Tali and Liara, who still hadn't met Samael, were looking confused. They only talked with Samael through calls, so his personality was a mystery to both.
But, everyone in the crew knew Samael was always doing things no one thought were possible. The things he did were unpredictable.
Miranda shushed her and continued talking, '' So, what kind of deal did you guys make? Can you say it to us?''
'' How about you ask him?'' Aria pointed at the outside of her booth, where a fight was occurring.
Everyone looked there and was taken aback when they saw Samael there. He was a little bloodied and was fighting against a Turian.
Tali and Liara were looking at Samael with surprise, as they never thought their boss would fight so... violently. Safe to say that Samael's first impression on both was good(?).
'' We made a deal a week ago, and I thought he would lay low. Imagine my surprise when he defeated all my people in the fighting ring, almost bankrupting me in the process.'' Aria took a sip of her drink and said, '' But after I talked with him about it, he was reasonable and helped me recover my money and even helped me gain some more.''
Miranda noticed Wrex was watching the fight that was happening intensely, so she asked, '' What happened?''
Wrex was clucking a little, his knuckles cracking, '' I never had a chance to see him fighting for real, as Chora's Den was just an appetizer. But now that I see him ... he is crazy.''
'' What do you mean?'' Jack asked, feeling a little confused by what Wrex said. Everyone was now waiting for the Krogan response.
'' He ... fights like a Krogan. Look, he doesn't care about his body, he just wants to win.''
Everyone watched as the Turian used his superior strength to break Samael's left hand, but the man didn't care. By the time the Turian finished with his hand, he had received a headbutt that made him stumble.
Samael used his opportunity, didn't even look at how his hand was, and started a barrage of attacks on the Turian with his right hand and with kicks. The Turian lost consciousness a few moments later.
There was some cheer around the fighting ring, and Samael retired for the day, to recover from his injuries.
At this point, Wrex was grinning, '' I want to fight him.''
Just then, someone said, '' I can arrange that.''
When the crew looked at who said that, Aria was smiling mischievously, '' I'm the ring owner after all. Making you his opponent is easy.''
'' Tha-''
'' Wait a second.'' Javik, without his hood as the galaxy already knew his existence, said, '' I want to go to.''
Aria, from the beginning, was looking more at Javik than everyone else in the crew, as she found him more interesting than the other members of the crew. When she heard that, she said without losing time, '' No problem.''
Everyone in the crew, even the newbies Tali and Liara, who still hadn't met Samael personally, wanted to see this.
'' Also, Samael paid for the best hotel in Omega for you, and I will have my men escort you around, so you don't fall prey to ... others.'' Aria was reasonable with her allies and ruthless with her enemies. LD was her friend, so she didn't mind helping them around her home.
'' Thanks for the offer.'' Miranda thanked her.
'' Now go. I already wasted too much of my time with you.'' Aria then shooed away the crew, who went to do their things around Omega.
--
WITH SAMAEL
The man was here on a mission, to have a connection with Aria and buy the last ingredient needed for the serum.
But, he got bored, and things happened, as he somehow ended up as a legend in one of the fighting rings in Omega.
As his boredom started to get the better of him, he decided to go and fight and let loose. Samael didn't like staying behind and leading others while he just ordered around, he wanted to be at the epicenter of the fight, where the action was happening. So, he went into one of the ring fights Aria owned and started his journey there.
At first, he was just venting, but when he realized it, he had won more than 40 fights. He didn't come out of it unharmed, as he broke his bones so many times he lost count, but it healed after a night or two and a few med gels.
The fight continued, and Samael got more and more into it. It made his blood boil when he was almost losing, and that was when he let himself go.
After he let himself go all out on his opponents, he always came out on top. But, the most difficult opponents he had to face were Turians and Krogans.
They are VERY difficult to deal with. He only had to fight five Krogans, but he always came out of the fight with at least a broken bone.
The Turians also put up a fight, as they were stronger than a human by at least two times.
If he had the serum, he would win without so much injury, but for now, only having broken bones was the best he could do.
Samael also didn't kill his opponents, even though he could. They weren't exactly his enemies, like Jack Harper or the Reapers, they were just a way for him to not be bored, so there was no reason to kill them.
Anyway, today was the day his crew would arrive at Omega and his last day fighting, as he had made a deal with Aria regarding that. She had manipulated the odds in favor of his opponents today, but he didn't know who they were.
So imagine his surprise when he entered the ring and Wrex and Javik were waiting for him there.
Samael was taken aback but smiled like a madman, '' How long have you guys arrived here?''
'' Yesterday. We wanted to talk to you right away, but after we saw you fighting, Wrex here got too excited and didn't want to miss this opportunity. So, we waited and talked with the people who escorted us about this. Imagine our surprise when they took us to Aria and said she arranged this 3-way fight.'' Javik looked towards Aria, who was smiling at the whole scene.
Samael chuckled a bit at the situation. He didn't mind a bit, as he loved fighting. But he looked at Wrex and said, '' One week has already passed, aren't you supposed to go to Tuchanka?''
'' That can wait. Besides, you still have to pay me anyway.'' Wrex, like a true Krogan, wanted to fight more than anything. The challenge Samael and Javik might pose was enough for him to delay his trip to his home planet.
'' Also, did our newbies arrive?'' Samael asked as he looked around the crowd.
'' Oh, are you talking about Liara and Tali?'' Wrex saw Samael nodding and saying, '' Yes, they arrived.'' The Krogan pointed at Aria's booth, and sure enough, after years, Samael saw the loves of his life once more.
That just made him want to win even more, as he now had extra motivation.
Samael had nothing more to say, ''So, no killing, ok? Also, Javik, how about no biotics?''
Javik snorted, '' No.''
Wrex was okay with anything they wanted to fight with, he just wanted to fight, '' Less chat and more fight.''
Samael sighed. He knew it was going to be his most difficult fight as it was 1x1x1, free-for-all. '' Nice to see you both too.''
The last time they saw each other was a week ago, and they met again in a fighting ring. Fitting.
The trio then entered fighting mode as the crowd started to cheer and bet on the outcome of the match.
A part of the crew immediately bet on Wrex, as while they knew Samael, they didn't believe he could win against Wrex and Javik.
Veronica, Miranda, and RR just shook their heads at those people. Yes, while Samael was looking like the weaker one, they knew it was far from the truth.
So, the trio bet on Samael, while some others in the crew put their bet on Javik.
Tali and Liara didn't know who to bet on, so they didn't. But, they wanted the person they thought was the underdog, Samael, who, even though he had won 40+ fights in a row and should not be considered an underdog, to win.
