Ease Dropping
Joey looked at them with a strange look and said, "I'm sorry, I don't swing that way"
"You bastard! you think you're funny?" One of the lackeys with a red mohawk shouted.
"Tch, he probably thinks he's cool with the bandages on his hand," The other bald flunky shouted with a provocative glare.
Joey couldn't process the amount of bullshit he was hearing.
Was this a comic strip?
"Calm down" The guy in the centre spoke. He was tall and had a babyface that looked like he wore makeup. He was about the same age as Joey and he was dressed in a combat suit and had 2 short swords by his waist. Joey could tell that this guy was from a rich family.
"Friend, don't mind these fools. They just hung around after I beat them up" He whispered in his ears and held out his hand for a handshake."My names Michael Venus Pierceson"
"Joey Wells," Joey said suspiciously accepting his hand
"I was hoping I would be able to use this computer, but you can look it up for me no need to get up".The man asked politely and he no problem with it.
"Sure, just tell me"
"I want to find out when the next Afterlife match will take place, I was hoping to see the fight and place a bet of my own"
Joey was intrigued and he too wanted to find out more about Afterlife matches.
He searched Woogle and didn't find anything useful.
"Friend, you should look on the Afterlife Forum" Michael took over the keyboard from him and sneered under his breath, "you think you would have at least some common sense".
Joey bit his tongue and stopped himself from answering his snarky comment.
"Oricon and Conroe, that's gonna be a blood bath", Michael said with an ominous smile.
"What's the big deal about this match anyway?" Joey asked curiously, Michael looked at him with a sad expression "poor soul you really are dumb aren't you?"
"Just spit it out tell me what you mean"
"Fine, I guess there is the time when I must bless the dumb. Oricon is a beast, he is an undefeated Afterlife warrior. This next match will be against Conroe a long hammer genius it is unsure which way the match will go" Michael said, showing he had a passion for the topic.
He took a brief pause and looked at Joey "Do you really not know about this?"
Joey shook his head to say no, Michael was obviously a fanatic for Afterlife.
He sighed helplessly, "You see that match that took place just now. It was agreed they would fight each other, although I'm not sure about the specifics of how they choose Martial Centers, There aren't many MA Centers on Bulwark so we can only hope to be at the right place and time." Michael took a brief pause.
"If everyone is at the Martial Center it took place the crowds would be too much, that why some people wait all day to gamble. It changes lives and breaks lives. Some people go big or go home to win big, while some bet casually. It's a stage for real men!", Michael's speech made some people turn their heads, shyly hid his face in his head.
After the attention on him was gone, Joey asked "Is it legal?".
Michael scoffed at him "Do you think the government cares if people throw their lives away? they are busy sitting on their asses getting rich!. Afterlife fighting is a way of life and gives people a deadly edge, some may see it as senseless killing but everyone that dares to fight in one is dragon amongst men"
Joy didn't interrupt his thinking, then he continued "The Afterlife Dome is where the greatest Afterlife warriors are born. So it might not be completely legal but it isn't illegal if they allow Afterlife matches to happen there".
"Afterlife Dome?"
Joeys brows scrunched, Did the government really want to let the earth kill strong warriors, he was sure people didn't leave to go to 9 Skies to hunt for treasure. But he couldn't tell all these people or he would sound crazy.
Joey didn't like a lot of things about his uncle, but the guy couldn't lie through his teeth till the end could he?
"Kid are you really so dumb?, I'm not telling you anymore. I like the sport but this is too much talking even for me." Michael sneered, "Hey you get me some coffee, follow him make sure he doesn't drop it" He pointed at both his lackeys and they quickly went off, he turned back to Joey and asked.
"Hey, are you really interested in Afterlife battles?" Michael looked at him.
"I won't turn down information"
"Are you some kind of reincarnated old ghost that needs information to take over the world??"
Joey couldn't help but give a mental facepalm, at least he had an imagination.
Joey couldn't tell him what he was thinking. The fact that they see 9 skies as an opportunity for treasure was probably better, he got up and followed behind Michael.
"Your lackey's aren't very smart"
"Your right but I don't think they would type in on Woogle Pirated Martial Arts"
Joey's face turned black, he started sweating out of guilt as he awkwardly played dumb.
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They walked to the back of the Martial Arts wall when Michael put his ears in the wall "You can hear people collecting their gains here".
Joey did the same and he could hear all the different voices behind the wall, some were happy while some couldn't help plead for a pass.
"Those guys are fools who think Afterlife Coordinator won't hear them when they make bets or try to run away when they lose." Micheal sneered. "Some money goes to Martial Art Center and the rest goes to Mason for winning".
"So what if I said a bet jokingly?" Joey asked.
"Nothing is a joke in the Afterlife" Joey saw that Michael's face was serious and knew he wasn't saying that lightly.
They listened to the voices in the backroom and could hear the boisterous void that seemed to be in of the matches, Joey could only guess that he was the Afterlife coordinator.
"Is this where they collect the money from the best?" Joey asked, listening to something he shouldn't hear made his heart race.
"Yes, but we should stop before we get caught-"
As Michael was about to finish his sentence, the was sunk in and out came a man with bandages wrapped around his chest. He had a saber in his waiste that was doused with blood.
Michael and Joey's heart sank when saw who came out.
"You guys looking for something?".