My Fight Money! (Sheng)

"Shit I'm going to be late! I gotta get out of here."

Viktor muttered to himself, putting the last of many sandwiches in its own little Ziploc baggy and tossing it in his 'Snack Pack' with the rest of them. Viktor had taken lengths to make himself seem as normal as possible, though for him, that's an incredibly daunting task. He used some boxing tape he had laying around to  cover up from his wrists to his shoulders, with only a few spaces in between for optimal mobility and cover.  His jacket was buttoned up all the way, secured as best he could to make sure as little of his tattoos were shown as possible. He complimented these with a pair of sweatpants,  sneakers, and tube socks just for good measure. He made sure every inch of himself that was covered in tattoos remained unseen. He slung his black backpack full of sandwiches over one shoulder, hastily grabbing his motorcycle helmet as he burst out of his apartment, booking it down three flights of stairs and around the block to retrieve his motorcycle from the garage. Long, sleek, and gold, this piece of machinery was absolutely the apple of Viktor's eye. He secured his helmet over his head and speedily hopped on, revving the engine once for good measure before he sped off.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Viktor had, unfortunately, begun to run out of the money the strange man had given him the day before he got his powers. He couldn't really complain, I mean it let him live comfortably without work for a few years which was pretty stellar. Well, apart from the whole bit where he obtained powers that prevented him from leaving the house. He couldn't particularly hold a regular job without being found out or quickly turned away, so he decided that an alternative means of money was necessary. After a few weeks of "perusing" alleyways and other such places in all five of the burrows, he came upon this underground fighting ring in Manhattan. They allowed you to bet on yourself, so Viktor felt like they were practically begging him to show up and win bet after bet. From what he understood the place was free of metahumans and the like, but there was one strange man who seemed to decisively win all of his fights, but Viktor thought nothing of it. He wasn't afraid of any normal human, or metahuman for that matter. Night drives were Viktor's favorite, the cool New York air brushed over him and his jacket, the starry sky obscured by very few clouds. The thoughts of what he was going to do with that sweet, sweet money already began racing through his head, causing him to nearly miss the turn into his destination. His motorcycle came to a grinding halt, pivoting on its forward wheel as he skidded to a stop in the parking lot.

"Damn that shit is not good for the tires. Really gotta be more careful."

He scolded himself for his carelessness, stepping off of his bike and knocking the kickstand down with the back of his heel as he popped his helmet off. Shaking his hair loose, Viktor rested his helmet on his bike, pulling out a cigarette and taking a quick drag before mashing it into the pavement, pushing the smoke out of his mouth and up into the night sky. There was a pair of men awaiting Viktor at the door as he stepped towards, far taller than he was.

"Another first tima, eh? You got da passwoid?"

Questioned one of the guards through a thick accent, to which Viktor responded with a wad of $100 cash and the word "Ringman".  One of the guards knocked a pattern forcefully on the door, after which a few metallic clinking sounds were heard and the door swung open, and Viktor took his first steps inside.

"I trust you two will watch my bike for me."

He purred happily as the door shut behind him.

Sheng hung an arm over the railing, one eye casually observing the fight occurring down below. He always made sure to watch the newest combatants. His shadowy rule over the fight club did nothing to make him complacent--life had taught Sheng a constant lesson to never let his guard down. Never presume he was the obvious winner.

Every fight could be his last.

Something piqued Sheng's interest further, however, as the fight died down and the clamoring around him stopped. Sighs were heard as bills were forked over. A few drunk fights broke out. Sheng stepped over the brawling forms of his colleagues with a certain elegance.

A new challenger had entered. He certainly appeared...much more interesting.

The towering man said nothing, merely observing behind his dark shades. If worse came to worse, Sheng would have to fight this man. Best case scenario: he became a benefactor of sorts. Time would only tell.

With that, he silently stalked Viktor's next move.

As the door shut behind him, Viktor casually observed the drunk, yelling men that filled this abandoned factory. He lit another cigarette, letting it hang from his lips as he took a drag, adjusting his jacket before finding an appropriate wall to lean against. Men fought, both in an outside the ring. Big, tall, skinny, muscular, this place had it all.

"Well, none of them seem too incredibly tough. I guess that's a plus."

Viktor mumbled to himself through his cigarette before removing his backpack and reaching into it to begin devour a few of the delicious sandwiches he had packed for himself. Boy was he hungry. Munching on a good old PB&J, Viktor took a few moments to watch a few of the fights play out. It was clear a lot of these guys knew their way around a ring, but others were just relying on brute strength. Mowing through a wide variety of sandwich, letting Ziploc bag after Ziploc bag hit the ground. After he had gone through roughly half his bag of sandwiches and leaving 20 or so bags on the ground, Viktor decided it was about time to get in on the action. A tall, dark skinned man flanked by guards was collecting bets and yelling out names of the fighters stepping into the make-shift arena, and Viktor approached him.

"Hey when can I get in on one of these?"

Viktor called out over the crowd, doing his best to sound assertive, though he honestly wasn't sure how well it worked.

"Oh do we got ourselves a new guy? Hey guys!"[/color] The man shouted, getting the crowds attention before Viktor had a chance to respond. "WE GOT OURSELVES A NEW FIGHTER!" the crowd roared, and Viktor suddenly felt a myriad of hands all giving him a firm pat on the back. "Kid we got an open fight against Darian Black up next if you're game. What's your name, kid?"

Viktor instinctively opened his mouth to respond with his real name, but decided it might be best not to disclose it yet in this kind of environment.

"V." Viktor settled on this simple title after a couples seconds of thinking. "Just call me V. Also, mind if I bet 2k on myself?" To be honest, Viktor had no idea how this whole betting thing worked. But he figured it was simple enough. Bet money, win the fight, win back more money. Easy enough.

"Shit 2k on your first fight? You have some balls, kid." The man exlaimed with surprise as he accepted the wad of cash Viktor was holding up, and before he knew it, he was squaring up with Darien.

6'2, tall, and with arms the size of pythons, ordinarily Viktor would have no chance. But he had a lot going for him that this Darien guy didn't. Viktor felt no fear, no nerves, he was just looking at a face to punch.

"In this fight, we have veteran brawler Darien Black versus the first-timing newcomer, V! Are you all ready to rumble?!" The crowd's roar was a lot more intense than he expected it to be. Angry, violent shouts of betters shot through the noise and seemingly right into Viktor's mind.

"3-2-1-GO!"

And without a moment to blink Viktor already had a right hook firmly planted into Darien's face. The much bigger man stumbled backwards as the short-statured Asian man landed hit after hit into his face and chest. Viktor was merely dancing with the guy, tossing alternating hooks and then three right uppers to the jaw. Each hit was reinforced by Viktor's tattoos, causing each time Viktor's knuckles found Darien's face to be even more devastating. Viktor had this guy on the run, stumbling backwards to try to keep his distance as Viktor chased him down. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Darien launched a risky yet successful uppercut right into his jaw, landing a strong and game changing hit.

Well, at least, it would have been. If the punch had hit almost anyone but Viktor.

The satisfying yet gruesome sound of snapping bones echoed through the sudden silence of the arena. Darien's fingers on his right hand were bent comically out of position, and the massive, utterly shocked man screamed in terror before fainting from the sheer pain.

"Well, I guess that's one way to win"

And a man just lost by even trying to harm this newcomer. Sheng was correct in being wary of him. Once all the hustle and bustle of Viktor's win had died down, Sheng made his move.

Waiting in completely stillness by the exit of the arena, the tall man stalked by Viktor before placing a gentle, gloved hand on his shoulder.

"Please. I advise you to come along with me."

The lengthy hand of Sheng pointed to an area wreathed in shadow. It was clear he wanted to talk alone.

"You have a great deal of potential. I am a bit of a reigning champion around here--but I don't want a rivalry. Instead, I think we can work to one another's benefit. Care to hear me out?"

"Well, my mom DID tell me never to follow strangers into dark places...But, I guess I could make an exception just for you." Viktor said through a smile after the tall, strange man approached him. "You must have been the guy I heard about the other day. I heard you've never lost a match."

As Viktor walked with the strange man towards the shadowy area, he broke away for a moment to collect the money he had won on his bet, collecting a cool 3.5k. He still had no clue how betting worked. Viktor put the money in the front pocket of his jacket before meeting the tall man in the darkness.

"So, big fella, you got a proposition for me?" He asked before lighting a cigarette, holding the cigarette behind him so the smoke trailed away from the man.

"Please, the name is Sheng. Sheng Wu. I am indeed the man who has never lost. And if you work with me, you can be too." He extended a hand, snakelike, from his sleeve.

"I don't think I'm wrong in assuming you also have...powers? Worry not, your secret is safe with me, as long as you keep it secret. I have worked tirelessly to keep this preserved so I may eke out this living. And believe me, it is far easier to make an ally than an enemy in you."

"Now, as to the proposition: you may not know, but there is a slight penalty at this fight club for betting on yourself. They take an extra 30 percent. However, if we bet on one another, we receive the full amount. We can create a very, very good living for ourselves this way. How about it?"

"Uhh...V. Just call me V, Mr. Wu."

Viktor responded, giving the man a firm, possibly too firm handshake. He listened to the man as he lit his cigarette again, turning his head to the blow the smoke away from Sheng.

"Powers? Yeah I guess you could say I have powers. I'm not here to ruin your living, mister. I'm just low on cash and needed a way to get some money." There was something odd about this man. His way of speaking and his sheer stature put Viktor at odds with him, but he continued to listen. "So, you just want me to bet on you and then you'll bet on me and we split the profits? I guess I could go for that."

Sheng's lips curled into a smile.

"No split is needed. We can simply pocket what we bet on each other. However, if we pool our resources, we can start to afford some more luxuries that could be important to us. Places to launder our money. Some muscle. We won't be a criminal empire, inherently, but we will be off the grid."

Sheng turned away, glancing back towards the arena and the gathering betters and ruffians. He scoffed, almost wanting to drop his manners and spit in their general direction. Common sense won that battle, but just narrowly.

"All my life I've fought with the vermin to live in the sewers. I think it would be better if we could take what the top dogs have without them even knowing."

He twisted his head to look back at Viktor.

"What do you think of that, V? Mm? Do you wish to be more than a man simply fighting for fun? Do you want your name known? To become something more? I understand if this comes off strong, but it is only because I see that great a potential within you."

Viktor raised an eyebrow as Sheng spoke, taking one last drag of his cigarette before it was finished off, stomping it into the ground with his heel as he blew the smoke up into the air.

"Eh, money laundering? Muscle? I was just looking to make some quick cash off of some fights. Not to be rude or anything, I appreciate your enthusiasm."

Viktor had not taken this man to be one aimed at criminal activity, though he probably should have expected that. He was in an illegal fighting ring after all. Criminal activity just sort of came with the venue. The more than man spoke, the more Viktor became wary of him. But, maybe it would be wiser to keep Sheng close. If anything, he was someone to turn into the cops if things went south.

"I appreciate the kind words, but I've never been the type of guy he wants to attract a lot of attention. I'm all for being 'off the grid', like you said. That kind of thing is more my style. But as for 'taking what the big dogs have', what exactly did you have in mind?"

"We won't be attracting anything. Our whole goal is to take this from beneath their noses."

Sheng lifted one hand upwards, his sleeve falling and revealing a gloved hand. He opened it up slightly.

"They diddle about, foolishly acting like their authority is what the world needs. Instead, they force their ideals onto others, and they crush anyone who will go against their flow. Disgusting, and it spits in the idea of freedom."

Sheng closed his palm, making a crushing motion. "We will sweep everything out from beneath them. Ruin their reputation. Ruin them. While they are destroyed by the public eye, we will work in the shadows and establish a free world, where anyone with the drive to do it can take the world for themselves. Sure, we may lose power...but we can also gain it back. Dog-eat-dog, and make sure your teeth are sharpest."

Viktor was now very wary of this man. His morals may be a little skewed, but Viktor wanted to do the right thing. He knew that much. Was getting involved in all of this really help him do the right thing?

"Okay, look, all of your ideas are lovely, Mister. You're very enthusiastic and you wanna make America great again. I can appreciate that, but I don't understand when thing. Who are 'they'? You keep mentioning them but never explicitly say who they are. You speak about a lot of general ideals, like 'taking what the top dogs have without them knowing'. What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Viktor would stick with this man for now, it might be beneficial. He would just have to be prepared if this whole deal went sour.

"'They' changes every day, but they are the same kind of person. They call themselves a hero, but the laws they enforce hurt upon those they claim to protect. They are 'heroes' in the sense that they fly, lift cars, and beam a smile for the cameras when they're rolling. But they're only there when the cameras are rolling and they can soak up fame like smug sponges."

Sheng sighed softly, glancing downward. "I understand that this is so much extreme philosophy having just met me. I'm a passionate man, and so it shows. But please, just hear me out. I will do anything to accomodate you. I promise, we won't harm any innocents. We will stick to the shadows. We will not become that which we hate."

"You know what? Fine. I'm with you for now, big guy. So, you want to take down the big, smug heroes? Sure. Fine. I'll stick with you on that, see where it takes us. I don't know if I agree with you yet, but maybe you could be onto something. Maybe all of these heroes aren't as good as they make themselves out to be."

Viktor let his shoulders relax, leaning on the opposite wall before lighting another cigarette and puffing smoke up into the air, letting it dangle from his lips.

"Man I'm hungry. You hungry?"

"I could eat, I suppose." Sheng stroked his chin slightly. "It'd be a nice break from the gloomier aspects of this conversation. Once more, I apologize for getting so serious just moments after we meet."

Sheng led Viktor down the hall, opening the emergency door out. The alarm was broken through years of misuse and lack of care, so it simply made for an effective backdoor nowadays.

"There's more than a few establishments nearby. Take your pick--I can eat anything, essentially." The gangly man took his place by Viktor. "Also--I've gotten at least one other associate besides you. I hope you two meet pleasantly in the future."