An alien experiment involving bare knuckle fighters draws Cade Foster and an old prison friend to enter a boxing competition.

Quatrain 63, Century 9: "In a city risen from blue grey ash, gladiators vie for blood stained glory / The fabric of man undergoes lethal alchemy / A patron of his own destruction".

Foster poses as a gunman to probe the Gua infiltration of organized crime.

Quatrain 46, Century 9: "In the City of Fountains, blood spills between families of disrepute / Seek an alliance with the steed / As the enemy makes ready for battle".