As the night continued, the festive energy waned and the crown thinned. The BigBad Crew already had their fun. Seeing as how the party seemed to be over, they decided to separate for a while.
Neely felt it best to stay by the bar though he rarely drank anything intoxicating. Jaquan chose not to say anything about it. Neely started using the Holy Talent Set a year or so ago. Since then, he listened to his ‘odd’ intuitions more and more. Often enough they turned out quite well for them in the long run.
Catlin and Liana on the other hand, decided to alternate between the buffet and the slot machines in the casino just outside the club. Despite their small athletic figures, they liked to eat and try their luck. And with Liana’s tinkering skills, they did not have to try that hard.
Jaquan was left to relax and talk to the remaining fans. These fans were a different sort. They actually talked with him as though he was more than a source of entertainment. As he was talking, he saw the face that eluded him before. This time he recognized it. Justice He, an old friend from years ago was lounging at a couch. Jaquan had to go meet him.
When the Berserker training school opened, Justice joined along with Jaquan. Justice quickly became a lead fighter. The Berserker talents were an incredible combination with his Affliction and Caster Talents. No one could escape his onslaught of debilitation from a long rage. Everyone was shocked when he left the Berserker school for the Holy school as soon as that school opened.
He disappeared for several years. Jaquan thought he was dead, but here he sat. He looked a little worse for wear. A lot more experienced though. “Justice, what’s going on? How did you get here?”
Justice was surprisingly calm in his answers. The berserker rage he remembered was completely gone, replaced by a strange peace. “I have learned ways to get around,” Justice said without skipping a beat, “I was just in the neighborhood. I heard my little brother was in a championship fight. Congratulations on your win, by the way.” He seemed truly genuine and equally unimpressed. “So, I decided to help.”
Jaquan was taken aback, almost insulted. “I don’t need any help. I’ve held the World Championship Title for three years.”
“You’ve done,” Justice paused choosing his words carefully, “well enough but you’re too comfortable here.” Justice spoke slowly and clearly watching the change in Jaquan’s face. “What if I told you about a bigger tournament, a tournament where only the greatest fighters are invited and compete to see who is truly the greatest in the world? Would you be interested?”
“If you told me about a tournament like that, I’d wonder why I haven’t got an invite, Justice.” Jaquan’s tone was of pure skepticism. If there was a counting of the greatest fighters he had to be among them.
“I use the Holy Talents, Jaquan. I can’t lie or misdirect, it would be, unpleasant.” The way Justice emphasized the ending of that sentence said a lot. It was no joking matter. “You need World Tournament Points to get an invite. Believe it or not, even the World Championship Stage is small compared to this one. These fighters are much more challenging.”
Jaquan had to admit; the fights were becoming formulaic. He had fought more and more young fighters trying to get recognized. Fighters with potential fell off of his radar. Only Orien was a persistent challenger, and that fight was a year ago. It could be time to take another step up. “How do I get these Tournament Points?”
“You need to compete in underground tournaments all around the world,” Justice suddenly looked as though he remembered something, “A new season just started. You may be able to get to the next World Tournament if you do well enough.”
“I have a fight lined up. I can’t just pick up and leave.”
“With who, Chuan? You would have beaten him easily anyway,” Justice said then corrected himself. “Well, relatively easily. Learned a little and gained a little. If you want to be the best you have to take more than baby steps.”
Jaquan thought about this dilemma. He wanted to be the best, but was it worth leaving everything he knew? What if he left everything, lost the title by forfeit, and did nothing but lose fights? He would have to fight his way up the rankings again for a small fraction of the pay.
Justice saw the conflict in his old friend’s face. “I am leaving in a few days so there’s no pressure, alright?” He was typing something on his handheld as he spoke then pointed it at Jaquan and pressed a button. Immediately, Jaquan’s handheld buzzed. “I just gave you my contact information. If you want to go with me, let me know before I go alright?”