"I didn't give you an order to attack," said Maddox with anger in his voice.
Abaddon looked and scoffed at his brother. "You're not fit to be a leader, you couldn't even protect Mother." He scorned his brother
Before Maddox could teach Abaddon a lesson, he charged right for Dilexia again, crushing the ground from where he once stood.
Dilexia and Daisuke shared a glance. "Don't you look away from me—
"thump!"
Daisuke jumped in front of the attack and blocked it with his bare hand, shocking Abaddon. "I am your opponent," Daisuke said in a calm yet powerful voice.
"Get out of my way!" Abaddon said, throwing a punch. However, Daisuke, being as skilled as he is, counters with an uppercut and a kick to the stomach, sending him flying back into the wall.
"I'll take him on; you guys take care of the others," he said, looking at Dilexia.
Dilexia battles against Maddox, Cassie battles against Clemmy, and Mai battles against Hugh.
"Brother, are you okay?!" said Clemmy. He's trying to reassure his older brother while also blocking magic attacks from Cassie.
"Blood...I smell and taste blood—BLOOD!" said Abaddon to himself in an unconscious state. He rises with a blood-red aura flowing around him.
"Time to die!" he said with a malicious grin on his face. He charged at Daisuke, delivering a devastating punch to his face, causing him to fly back into the wall. Abaddon throws a barrage of punches. Daisuke tries his best to block, but some get through, causing him extreme pain. Cassie sees this and fires a flurry of fireballs at Abaddon. He destroys some with his punches, but some connect, pushing him back.
"You stay out of this!" Abaddon said to Cassie.
Mai finishes her fight with Hugh quickly by using "Shadow Hands," trapping him, and then summons a boulder, crushing him, but not enough to kill him.
The fight between Dilexia and Maddox is evenly matched; neither can gain the upper hand. However, Maddox appears to be more skilled in combat, employing a wide range of skills and techniques to try to gain the advantage. Unfortunately for Maddox, Dilexia is a magic user. She uses "predator lightning," a bolt of lightning that zooms around, striking its target constantly unless destroyed or removed by the caster. She used it to stall him and come up with a plan.
The crowd is going crazy for all of the action happening; with one of the Wardog assassins eliminated, victory should be easier.
Mai appears beside Dilexia. "I have a plan," she said. "Go on," Dilexia responded, still trying to keep Maddox at bay.
"I can use my black hole to group them up, and then you'll—"
"I'll use my water ballista; great job, Mai." Dilexia interrupted. She stops attacking Maddox and calls over the other two.
"Why did you call?" questioned Daisuke. "They must have a plan!" said Cassie. Responding to Daisuke.
Before Maddox or Abaddon could attack, Mai summoned the black hole with enough force to pull in all three brothers.
"You damn magicians always use cowardly tricks!" said Abaddon angrily. "Well played," said Maddox.
Dilexia summons the water ballista and rained down three water bolts on the brothers, shaking the arena, and flooding it. After Dilexia cleared up the water, the results were announced.
"The winners in a complete blowout are... Corestalk!" the announcer said with excitement.
[2 hours later]
Casimir and Mari arrived at Kane's restaurant. "Casimir, you came back!" said Kane, excited to see Casimir once again. "It's nice to see you again, Mari. How has the recruiting been going?" Kane greeted and bowed.
"Not so good," she responded. "Bounty hunting is dangerous, and most people don't have what it takes to succeed, so it's understandable."
"But bounty hunting pays well. I expected a lot of people to sign up." Kane responded.
Mari shrugged. "It's—"
"Bounty hunting isn't going to be for everyone. Only the strong or people with nothing to lose will partake in something this risky." Casimir interrupted. "Can we now get food? I'm exhausted and hungry." Casimir said.
Muzaki gave Casimir an angry look, "You—" before Muzaki could even get off another word, Mari silenced him.
"You must be very hungry after waiting hours for me to arrive. Kane, where can we sit?" Mari asked.
"I'll take y'all to a private dining room so you'll be able to speak in private, follow me," said Kane.
"How kind of you," said Mari with a smile on her face. Kane takes everyone to a lavish-looking room that only the rich can afford. "This room... I've never seen anything like it," said Casimir. Mari and Muzaki took their respective seats and ordered delicious food. Casimir stood up for a few minutes, admiring the room and its beautiful surroundings. "Are you coming to sit? You were the one complaining about not eating," said Muzaki. Casimir gave Muzaki an irritated look. "Unlike you, Muzaki, I didn't grow up with such lavish things in my life. Instead of worrying about me, worry about how you abandoned your family, before I make you regret it," Casimir said with a more serious tone.
"I advise you to stop talking like you know me," Muzaki responded as he stood up, and the room got colder.
"ENOUGH!" Mari yelled. "Sit down, both of you... NOW!"
Casimir reluctantly took his seat and ordered a bunch of food. "Also, don't worry about the bill, it's on the house," said Kane. Mari and Muzaki look at each other with a bit of shock. "Are you sure?" Mari replied. Kane nodded his head. "You two are my most prestigious customers; it's the least I can do," Kane said with a smile.
30 minutes later—
Mari and Muzaki finish eating; however, Casimir is still devouring his food. "He sure can eat," said Mari, whispering to Muzaki. Muzaki nods in agreement, "When was the last time you ate, Casimir?"
Casimir finished chewing and swallowed. "I don't know, maybe three or four days. I lost some of my food supplies on the way here." Casimir responded. "I'm sorry to hear that," Mari said.
"I have a question. Why did you want me to start my first bounty in 5 days?" Casimir asked.
"I wanted to take you to my bounty hunter's training academy, just to see what you know. I don't doubt your skills; that is why I'm giving you 5 days before you can start." Mari responded.
Casimir nodded in response and continued eating. After finishing up his food, Casimir looked at Mari.
"So what do we do now?" He asked. Mari responded, "It's time for us to depart. It's already night, so it'll take us at least two days to make it to my academy, which means we will only have three days to see what you're capable of."
Casimir nodded in response and stood up, as did Mari and Muzaki. They walked out of the room and to the common eating area, and saw Kane serving customers, and gave their thanks before leaving. Muzaki opens the door for Mari and Casimir, though he hates the idea of having to do it for him, he reluctantly does. Mari and Casimir get in the back, and Muzaki gets in the front and begins moving, leaving the city of Bramola. Casimir is now entering a new chapter of his life, one filled with hardship and exploration.