Cain walked through the crowd surrounding the cage, heading toward the office where Gregory would be waiting with the prize. Many of the people around him were cheering, grateful to have won their bets. Bets made with money they probably couldn't afford to lose. But there were others too: the angry ones, the ones who'd put everything on Hunter and lost it all.
Cain ignored them. He had fought fairly, and if people made poor choices about who to bet on, that wasn't his fault.
The office was small, just enough space for a window overlooking a dark, empty alley, an office table, a safe, and a couch. Gregory sat at the desk with his usual grumpy expression. Word among the fighters was that he wore the same face whether he was celebrating or grieving.
"You have made me greatly happy, boy,"Gregory said in his rough, gravelly voice."But all this winning is getting too predictable. I'm starting to lose money, and I don't like that."
Cain tilted his head slightly, curious.
"You want me to lose?"
Gregory scoffed.
"Don't be stupid."
He turned toward the window, then back at Cain, his eyes narrowing.
"Tomorrow, there's a very special guest coming. He's bringing someone he wants you to fight, and I need you to win. If a man like that brings a fighter, everyone will bet on him. So when you win, my boy, you'll make me a great fortune."
He gave Cain a fake smile, a silent signal that the conversation was over. But Cain wasn't done yet.
"Why me?"
Gregory shrugged.
"I wasn't told."
"Is there anything I should know about this opponent?"
The older man sighed, annoyed.
"You're really starting to get on my nerves with all these questions… but I'll indulge you. Apparently, his energy is A quality. Happy?"
Cain's eyes widened. Against someone with A quality energy, his C quality was nothing.
"You want me to win against that? Even you aren't crazy enough to think that'll happen."
Gregory rolled his eyes.
"Oh, calm down. He'll be wearing enough hexfoil to nullify energy usage."
"Hexfoil?" Cain asked, surprised.
Hexfoil was a rare mineral that had fallen to Earth from meteors long ago. It possessed the unique ability to negate all forms of energy, rendering even the most powerful abilities useless.
"Yes," Gregory grunted. "Now, boy, if you don't mind, the exit is back the way you came. You can pick up your little prize from Dennise at the counter. Chop, chop."
Cain turned to leave, slowly. He didn't want Gregory thinking he held that much power over him. He made his way to the counter, where a few girls were making drinks, flirting with the men placing bets on the fighters.
"Is Dennise here?"
One of the girls came up, counting money and chewing gum.
"Cain, right?"
He nodded. She started laying bills out on the counter.
"Here's... a hundred, right?"
Cain picked it up and counted.
"This is eighty."
The girl rolled her eyes, pulled a twenty from her pocket, and slapped it onto the pile.
"You really need to count it every time? Leave some for the rest of us, champ."
Cain pocketed the cash.
"Earn your own money."
Dennise gave him a mock pout.
"So harsh... You know, stealing is technically still a way of earning."
Cain ignored her and walked off. He had better things to do than waste time on meaningless flirting.
As he walked home, his mind replayed Gregory's words.A special guest.A fighter wearing hexfoil.
Someone who had access to that much of it.
If you think hexfoil is rare just because it came from space and only small amounts ever fell to Earth, you'd be wrong, but not entirely.Time for a quick history lesson.
Hexfoil used to be abundant in ancient times, and of course, humans made weapons out of it. But physically, it was only as strong as stone. When used in battle, weapons shattered easily. Over the centuries, most of it turned to dust.
Scientists tried to recreate it, but artificial hexfoil never reached more than sixty percent of the original's power. Factories were built to mass-produce it, but the process was slow and costly, only about ten kilograms were made per year.
The only nation supposedly able to create 100% pure hexfoil was Ainor.But that's a story for another time.
So you can understand why Cain was so shocked.His next opponent's sponsor had enough hexfoil to suppress A quality energy entirely.
Still, if there was money to be made, Cain would take the fight.
"Anything to leave this pigsty," he muttered.