ANNOUNCER MIDAS: "Ladies and gentlemen, the final contenders! The Wind Blade! The Heavy Blade! And. The Drunk! Raiji has been on the bench, but now he fights them both in two rounds! First match: THE DRUNK VS. THE WIND BLADE!"
Raiji and the Drunk stepped into the pit. Raiji eyed his opponent with disdain.
RAIJI: "Why must I fight a drunk? And they say you're Top 10?"
The Drunk stood to his full height a solid 6 feet of muscle and bear-like power. He wore no shirt, revealing a broad, heavily tattooed chest and a round, strong beer belly that spoke of countless barrels consumed, not weakness. His powerful frame was corded with muscle built from brawling, not the gym.
Slung on a leather belt around his waist were 8 glass beer bottles, clinking together as he moved. They weren't props; they were his fuel
The Drunk took a wobbly swig from a flask, a sly grin on his face. "Awww, I'm Rank 7, actually..." he said with an exaggerated slur. Then he charged, his movement shockingly fast despite the act.
Raiji dodged, his sword a silver blur as he sliced horizontally. The Drunk just smiled, ducking under the blade with impossible grace and launching a high kick that connected with Raiji's forehead, snapping his head back.
RAIJI (staggering back): "Oof! How did you dodge that?!"
The Drunk didn't answer. He just unleashed a furious barrage of punches and kicks. Raiji weaved and dodged, each blow missing by the skin of his teeth. He tried to counter with another slice, but the Drunk flowed around it like water. Finally, Raiji jumped back to create distance.
RAIJI: "Wind Slice!"
The crowd heard the sound of a light breeze and Raiji disappeared. He reappeared in a flash at the Drunk's back, his sword already in a finishing arc.
"Hah! Missed me!" the Drunk's voice taunted from behind him.
Suddenly, a devastating kick slammed into Raiji's stomach. He coughed, the air blasted from his lungs.
The Drunk stood there, his posture now straight, his eyes clear and sharp. All traces of the slur were gone from his voice.
DRUNK: "Ohhh, I got you. I'm faster than I look. Wait... I'm sobering up. Just when it gets good, that's the bad part, I think."
He cracked his neck, a predator's smile on his face. The act was over. The real fight was beginning.
RAIJI (staggering to his feet): "He's sobering up... and going to get serious."
He thrust his sword forward. The Drunk dodged, but not completely the tip of the blade sliced a minor cut across his midsection. The Drunk responded instantly with a crushing punch that Raiji barely saw coming.
RAIJI (jumping back, his legs feeling like jelly from the impact): "That was too close..."
Before Raiji could regain his footing, the Drunk already had a beer bottle from his belt. He cracked it open, ready to chug.
RAIJI: "Stop drinking! Right now! I want you just like this!" He wanted to fight the sober master, not the weak drunk. he thought going to be a weak fight but big mistake.
But as he stood there, the Drunk moved in a blur, delivering a hard blow to Raiji's chest that made his legs buckle. The world swam for a moment.
ANNOUNCER MIDAS (laughing): "Looks like the Wind Blade is losing his edge! First top dog he's fighting, and it shows!"
The Drunk grinned, wiping his mouth. "This is getting fun, kid. Trust me, at this point I could knock you out in a second. But my drunk stages... they're way more fun. And stronger."
He finished the bottle in one long gulp. His eyes glazed over with a happy, unfocused sheen. The Happy Drunk was back.
DRUNK (with a cheerful slur): "Letsh fight! You're strong!"
He thrust forward clumsily. Raiji slashed, but the Drunk dodged with bizarre, unpredictable speed, then countered with a blow that Raiji had to preemptively block. The battle had completely changed it was now a contest of who could be more unpredictable.
MEANWHILE...
VEYRA (over the comms): "So, was he tough? Just call transport. number 50505."
The bounty society's collection team arrived swiftly, loading the unconscious dwarf into a secure van.
Kiro looked at his fist, a faint tremor still in his knuckles.
KIRO (looking at his fist): "He was strong... but went down in one blow. I really need to learn to hold back."
VEYRA (comm crackling softly): "Meet me at the guild. We need to talk about your… punchy problem
They met up at the guild. It was cleaner and wider than the slum arenas, and less busy at night.
VEYRA: "Over here, muscles."
KIRO: "So, what's the plan for decreasing my punch power? I can't keep knocking everyone out in one hit."
VEYRA: "First, your bronze license. Bob, give this rookie his card."
Bob, the grizzled guild master, slid a bronze card and a cred-stick across the counter.
BOB: "Well done on the bounty. Here's your cut. 9,000 credits."
Kiro's bank account updated: 2,000 + 9,000 = 11,000c.
VEYRA swiftly took her 1,000c finder's fee with a smirk.
KIRO: "Nice. Thanks, Bob. And... thanks, Veyra." He looked at her. "So, what's your credit score?"
VEYRA (a proud, evil grin spreading across her face): "50,000. Allowance from my brother. For the shop."
KIRO: "Lucky you. Just get money from your brother," he said, dripping with sarcasm. "So how's the shop? Isn't it closed down in that area?"
VEYRA: "Yes, it is. But Lilly's got it. She can handle it. She's a big girl." She pointed toward a training hall. "Now, about you. See that punch machine? Try punching it. First normal, then hard."
They walked over to a training hall filled with people hitting bags and machines. Kiro stepped up to the hydraulic punch machine.
He threw a normal punch. The screen flashed: 40,000 TONS.
He threw a hard punch. The machine shuddered, and the screen nearly cracked: 100,000 TONS.
VEYRA let out a low whistle. "Wow. You're strong, Kiro. That's why I call you muscles." She laughed, then her expression turned serious. "You need to learn to calm it down. Try to limit it to... 10,000 tons. And you almost went too far this machine's limit is a million."
Kiro stared at his fist, then at the machine. The number 1,000,000 glowed faintly on its max capacity display. He had just hit a tenth of the machine's absolute limit without even trying.
Then, the door to a private office slid open, and the Master of the Guild himself stepped out.
He was a large man, with a jacket draped over his shoulders like a cape. An old, thick beard reached down to his chest, and he had a shrewd but friendly glint in his eyes the look of a powerful man who'd seen it all and enjoyed the quieter things in life a little too much.
GUILD MASTER: "Wow, wow! Those are some big numbers for a rookie! And not even in the VIP area? I recommend you train there. What rank are you, youngster?"
KIRO: "Just bronze. I don't really know the ranks yet."
VEYRA (elbowing him): "Muscles, show some respect. This is the Guild Master. He's a legend." She turned back to the master. "He's a temp bounty hunter. Still working on... commitment issues."
The Guild Master's eyes twinkled as he looked Veyra up and down with an appreciative, though not overly lecherous, grin. "The name's Joe East. And you, my lady, look... exceptionally capable."
Kiro's Thoughts: Back off, old man.
He coughed, a little too loudly, and stepped slightly between them.
KIRO: "Ummm, we can't go to the VIP area yet. It's too expensive."
VEYRA'S Thoughts: Jealous, much? She hid a smile, amused by Kiro's sudden protectiveness.
GUILD MASTER JOE (chuckling, completely aware of the dynamic he'd stirred): "Tell you what. I can put you on the house. For a month. Consider it an investment in... raw talent." He winked, his demeanor light and playful like a fond, slightly mischievous grandfather.
Veyra looked at Kiro, a triumphant smile spreading across her face, then back to Joe.
VEYRA: "We accept."
GUILD MASTER JOE: "Very good! But before I give you VIP access, do one more bounty for me. It's called 'The Fool'."
As they talked, others in the training hall eyed them curiously, whispers spreading. Why was the Guild Master showing so much interest in a rookie?
Joe pulled up the bounty on his holoscreen:
BOUNTY POST
ALIAS: The Fool
RACE: Human
BOUNTY: 20,000c
CUBE: None
DESCRIPTION: Operates in casinos at night. Likes to play tricks and cheat high-stakes games.
KIRO: "I just took down a dwarf, but sure. I'll take it."
GUILD MASTER JOE ( grinning widely ): "Whoa, two bounties in one day for a rookie? That's ambitious! Tell you what I'll throw in a 5k bonus if you bring him in by sunrise."
MEANWHILE – THE ARENA
Raiji lunged, both swords cutting through the air in a cross-slash aimed at the Drunk's chest. The Drunk, deep in his Happy Drunk stage, didn't block he weaved between the blades with impossible, fluid grace, a wide, playful grin on his face. Before Raiji could react, the Drunk closed the distance and slapped both swords aside with his bare hands, the impact vibrating up Raiji's arms.
Seizing the opening, Raiji kicked him square in the jaw, snapping his head back.
RAIJI: "Half Super Wind Slash!"
He unleashed a focused arc of energy from one sword. It wasn't his full power, but it was enough to slice a deep cut across the Drunk's left arm and chest.
The Drunk stumbled back, looked at his bleeding arm, and then... laughed. He took a long swig from his wine bottle.
DRUNK: "Nice! We're an even match! Your swords are sharp!"
As he drank, Raiji lunged, aiming to slash the bottle. The Drunk dodged with blurring speed, the liquor sloshing but not spilling.
DRUNK (his smile fading, eyes darkening): "Now it's getting good, Wind Blade. Because you made me angry."
His body seemed to swell with rage. The Angry Drunk. He launched forward, ignoring the swords entirely, and delivered a swift, brutal kick to Raiji's stomach that sent him skidding backward across the sand.
RAIJI: "Ahh!" He barely raised his swords in time to cross them into a guard, catching a punch that hit with the force of a freight train, rattling his bones.
Raiji pushed forward, countering with a slash. This time, the Angry Drunk didn't dodge he took the cut across his chest, letting it happen, fueled by pure rage.
DRUNK (voice a guttural roar): "How DARE you try to break my wine!"
He ignored the bleeding wound and weaved inside the reach of Raiji's blades, throwing a devastating punch directly at Raiji's face.
The impact was colossal. Raiji's vision blurred, his knees buckled, and he nearly blacked out for the second time that night. He was on the razor's edge of defeat, his swords useless at such close range.
MEANWHILE – THE CASINO DISTRICT
Kiro tracked The Fool to a glittering, chaotic casino. He watched from a balcony as the man, wearing a sharp suit, effortlessly cheated at a high-stakes card table, laughing as he raked in a pile of credits.
As the dealers and extras scrambled, overwhelmed by the crowd, Kiro saw his opening. He dropped down and pointed.
KIRO: "You! You must be The Fool!"
The Fool didn't even look surprised. He just winked, tossed his cards into the air, and sprinted out a side door.
Kiro chased him into a narrow alleyway and straight into a trap. A canister hit the ground, erupting into thick, stinging tear gas.
The Fool threw a punch first; Kiro tanked it with no effect, swiping blindly through the gas.
THE FOOL: "Temper, temper."
Then came the real threat: nano-shock knives. They hummed with energy, each slash aimed with precision. Kiro tried to dodge, but his foot caught on a hidden wire. A minor shock from a blade grazed his arm, and the jolt of electricity forced him back, his muscles spasming.
Another gas grenade rolled at his feet, releasing a different, sweet-smelling smoke. "What is this?!" Kiro coughed.
The gas cleared for a moment. The Fool stood revealed: a man in his 20s with a sharp beard, standing a tall 6 feet, dressed in an elegant but tactical suit lined with knives, gas grenades, and gadgets.
Kiro, trying to hold back, threw a punch meant to subdue. His fist sailed through empty air. The Fool had vanished.
A laugh echoed from above. Kiro looked up. On the fire escapes and rooftops, five identical copies of The Fool looked down at him, all smiling the same eerie smile.
THE FOOL(S) (voices overlapping): "Find me... if you can. I like those red eyes. They'll look great on my wall."
Their laughter echoed, merging into one, as the real Fool disappeared into the neon-lit night, leaving Kiro alone, confused, and outsmarted in the alley.