Currently, around the same time Ethan was out of the house, a commercial played out on Brook’s phone.

The commercial, with some sappy piano music playing, started off with a tiger cub, playing with some building blocks, with a large wooden dresser drawer over looking him. Slowly, the dresser began to tip over, aiming to fall over and crush the infant, but as soon as the dresser reached the child, it was spontaneously turned into a blanket. The infant giggled happily, wrapped in the blanket. The commercial cut to the same infant, now a teenager, walking along a roadside path, overlooking a cliff with jagged rocks at the bottom. The teenager suddenly slipped and stumbled, falling off the cliff to his doom, only for the rocks at the bottom of the cliff to turn into rock shaped pillows, leaving the teenager unharmed. The last clip was of the teen, now a grown adult, walking down the street, a car speeding towards him, only for the car to disappear into mist as soon as it was about to hit him, freeze framing with the words:

From start to finish: Accidents can happen. Samsara Insurance can protect you for your whole life. Trust in Us.

“Huh, never knew he was the CEO,” Brook said, putting the phone to the side; she was dressed in a bikini, despite not planning on swimming, so she didn’t have any pockets to use. “I always loved Samsara’s commercials when I was a kid. I didn’t even know what life insurance was, I just thought the commercials were funny.”

“Yup, a lot of Primal is covered by his company. Hence why he seems to hold so much influence.” Darnell said, the tiger had his legs legs propped up on the railing of his boat, fishing rod awaiting a catch. It was today that Brook and him wanted to just go out on his fishing boat and spend some quality time together. Out here all alone, it was the best time to discuss the whole Primal situation. Her guess was correct, the ‘certain tiger’ that Hallmark had mentioned the other day was Darnell. “His company has only been growing, ever since Samsara partnered with VAV Corp and Second Chance.”

Fighter

Darnell “Arcade Action Man” Johnston

“Who are they?” Brook said, lighting another smoke.

“VAV is a pharmaceutical company, as far as I know, but I heard they do more than just medicine. Second Chance is a biotics group. Just think of biotics as cybernetics but cooler.”

Brook yawned, leaning back in her chair, “Boring! Enough about this talk about companies and shit, when does the action happen?”

“Well, it’s a lot more complicated than just going out, finding a fellow fighter, and then kicking their ass. You first need to set things up with them and/or their handler, get permission from Primal, and decide on a stipulation and location.”

Brook’s eyes were glazing over, realizing things were so much more complex than she initially thought. “Okay… What’s a handler?”

“Guy who sets up the fights, think of them as the spokesperson. Some fighters are their own handlers,” He grinned, pointing himself with his thumb, “Such as me! Think of me as an indie musician rather than a musician signed to a label. It has its own benefits and downsides.” With no fish biting, he got up going to the cooler; his outfit was just some swim trunks, despite him also not planning on swimming, him and Brook were often on the same wavelength with things like that.

“Okay I get it! It’s beginning to sound easier than I thought… I mean, it’s sounding as easy as I thought it was at first.”

“It really is, actually, it just requires knowing who to talk to.” He reached into the cooler and took out a can of iced coffee, “Want one?” He showed the can.

“No thanks,” Brook said, beer can in one hand, as she deposited the ashes of her cigarette into an empty can with her free hand. “I don’t drink caffeinated beverages, they ain’t healthy… Give me heart palpitations.”

“I see…” He said, not even going to question her, going back to his fishing pole.

“By the way, why’d you keep it from us? Being a fighter for Primal.”

“You didn’t even know what Primal was.” Darnell said, “You want me to just go up to you and say ‘Hello, I participate in underground gladiatorial combat for money.’ You’d think I was bullshitting you.”

“You got a point there.” She said, setting her can aside. “Hold on!” She pointed at the tiger. “You wanna fight Eli!? Dude has been itching for a fight and you’re perfect, cause we already know you! Eli doesn’t, but you two will get along.”

“Do you have a handler?” Darnell said, “If you discuss it with your handler, I’d be more than happy to take up the offer.” He cracked his neck, smiling, “Been a while since I threw hands.” He didn’t know who Eli was, but Brook did bring him up earlier. While he wasn’t so comfortable fighting someone who was so young, he had to commend the boy’s skills; the clip of his fight in the grocery store was all over the internet now.

“I’ll do just that!” She said, not even knowing who their handler was.

“Primal should’ve told you who your handler was at the beginning. I find it strange they haven’t met with you yet. But, guess that doesn’t matter right now. A lot of us fighters are in touch with one another, actually. Think of it as a big social network.” He hummed, “Or intelligence network. You can learn a lot about other members solely by being around them… A guy will know a guy who knows a guy, if you know what I mean.”

Brook grinned. The wheels in her head starting to spin, “Why don’t you let me hang out with you guys, then? I’m sure Ethan and Eli wouldn’t mind if I did a little bit of scouting now and again.”

Darnell laughed, knowing full well what she was getting at. “You haven’t even had a single official fight yet and you’re already figuring out how to play the meta game, huh?”

“What can I say? I’m not a fighter and I’m not good with smart stuff, but I can pound back some brews with the guys.” She stretched, “I just really fucking love martial arts.”

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

“Then you have your work cut out for you.” He said, “There are 108 fighters for Primal at all times, so you have a lot of personalities and backgrounds to work with; every two years, if there are less than 108 fighters, such as them dying or quitting, people are invited to get it up to 108 again. Plus, not to mention, there is the tournament coming next year.”

“A tournament?”

“Yes, referred to as Primal Royale.” He said, as his fishing rod started to twitch. Eyes wide, he moved from a lounging position, to standing. “Got a bite!” He said, getting momentarily sidetracked.

“I know how a tournament works,” she said, “How big is it?”

“32 fighters.” He said, struggling against the fish, “It… Uh… Happens every 2 years! I haven’t joined it yet, because… Well, my own reasons.” He said, half explaining, half paying attention to the fish.

Brook too was excited, silently rooting for Darnell, running over to the railing to watch the fish struggle against the line. “How does one join the tournament?” She asked.

“Company interest!” He said, “Whoever is chosen by the company, either through the upper staff being interested in them or something or other.”

“Got it!” She nodded, not caring about his vague explanation, as long as she got the general details.

With one last tug, Darnell swung his arms back, and out from the ocean, came a large markerel! “Got it!” He shouted, was shot into the air, falling down towards the boat.

“I got it!” Brook said, holding her arms out, catching the massive fish, ending up knocked right on her ass by the weight. “Ow!” She grunted, fish flopping in her arms.

“Phew… Nice one.” Darnell laughed, helping the hyena up. “So basically: There are always 108 fighters, they’re restocked one year, next year they have a tournament. The year after the tournament, they’re restocked. So on and so forth.”

“Tournament, restock, tournament, restock, tournament,” Brook said, happily running over to the supply room on the ship, where the knives were kept, already ready to slice the fish up. She was easily sidetracked, especially when it came to food.

Moments later, the two of them were looking over a portable grill with some mackerel steaks grilling on it. Brook was watching over it, making sure it was cooking well. The rest of the fish, such as the head, scales, tail, and guts, were being converted into bait for future catches. Brook was singing a strange song to herself. “Last month after you left, I drank and jerked off until I slept! I went to work when I had to and then came home!

“What the hell are you singing…?” Darnell shook his head, “Nevermind.” He had learned that Brook’s brain was an enigma that would often require citations to understand. “Anymore questions,” He asked, “I’m just an independent fighter, I don’t know everything, so I can’t help with the super complex stuff. I just know how the bare bones of the system works.”

“Nah, you’ve done enough,” she said, taking it easy, “Fish should be ready in a minute or two. I think we’ll figure things out as we go along.” She sipped her beer, til a realization hit her. “Actually, I think I have a question: Who leads Primal? Hallmark said he was the leader as a joke.”

“That’d be the Seven Chakras.” Darnell said, shrugging, sounding uncertain himself. “That’s literally all I know. I know what they’re called, that they are essentially the rulers of the world, and that’s it. Few people even know vague details about them and even fewer have ever met them in person. Even most Redliners, Primal’s elite, aren’t permitted to be in the same room as them.”

“Well that’s a pain,” Brook said, putting a slab of mackerel on a paper plate, followed by another. One plate for her, another for Darnell; there was still a bit of fish to be had, but that was being saved for another time, maybe to bring home. “Any fighters we should know about?”

“There are a few I can name, yes… I don’t know any of the new guys, it’s too early to know much about them, other than a few rumors. But when it comes to veteran fighters, I’ve gone drinking or out to dinner with a few of them. There is that guy Eli fought, Gaku. He’s a Kung Fu expert and I don’t think I’ve once heard him remove his mask or talk. There is the Undefeated champion of Primal, Rakkan, who is a lion god of combat. There is Wellington, so called master of the hunt and an expert when it comes to guerilla combat. He’s a bit annoying, but he’s very nice when you get to know him. Again, I’ll keep you in touch with those I know.” He took a bite of his fish, wincing in pain as it burned his tongue, being fresh off the grill. “Ow… Just keep in mind, I only know those who are friendly and amicable. There are plenty of psychos and malicious people in Primal. I’m hearing rumors about a serial killer from Xiva getting in and everyone being too afraid of him to set up a fight with him.”

“Spooky!” She laughed, “Eli would probably be excited by the idea of fighting a killer!”

Darnell sighed, it would be impossible to make Brook nervous or uneasy. If only she was physically fit. With her mentality and spirit, she truly could be one of the better fighters.

If only he had her mentality. But he smiled and went back to the fishing rod. “Bet he would. But let’s forget about that, think that’s enough Primal.” Content, he looked out to the sea.

“Yeah, you’re right!” She said, going to the edge of the boat, munching on her mackerel. “Let’s see if you can beat your record.”

----------------------------------------

Soon, Brook returned to the apartment. She and Darnell chatted about other things after that, once the topic of Primal had passed. Wrestling, hiking, food, all sorts of things. The sun was starting to set. “Thanks for the ride, Darnell! Catch you and the others later!” She said, waving the tiger away; he didn’t want her to walk home at this hour.

“They’re gonna love you,” He shouted back to her, before driving off.

Heading inside, she greeted Ethan, who was on his couch; Eli was lounging in the bedroom, they have since made a makeshift bed for him.

“You’ve been out for a while, catch any fish.” Ethan asked, pausing the DVD he was watching.

“Uh, 3… Well, I didn’t catch any, it was all Darnell. I just stood there and looked pretty. Talked about all sorts of things.” She said, picking up the bottle of gin that Ethan received, and taking a small sip straight from the bottle without even thinking.

“Uh…” Ethan opened his mouth to speak, not sure how she’ll handle the fact she was holding a 270,000 Shell bottle of gin.

“Fuck, that is good gin!” She cheered, putting the bottle down; her brain was likely on autopilot, just sipping the drink without even acknowledging where it came from or why it was there in the first place. She went over to where Ethan was sitting, noticing the briefcase; Ethan had left it there to ease into the topic of its contents.

“What’s in there?” She asked, pointing to it.

“Well…” He said, “Brook, this will take a while, so get comfy.”

Ethan began slowly. He talked about how initially he headed out to visit his mother’s grave. Then he talked about meeting with Hallmark and the two Redliners, who he didn’t remember the names of. He then talked about the proposition Hallmark gave him, that he accepted it. Then he mentioned the contents of the briefcase.

Brook’s expression changed throughout the conversation. To excited, a little bit jealous that Ethan got to go on a cool adventure without her, while she was bumbling around on a fishing boat. Then her expression changed to complete shock. “500,000…”

“I was baffled by it too. Thought I was gonna have a heart attack.”

“Damn right!” She said, taking a deep breath, cleansing herself. “…You know what this means?”

Ethan nodded, slowly and understanding.

Then the two of them stood up, then, sharing the same wavelength, cheered, giving the other a strong high five. “We’re rich!”

“Better clothes!” Ethan said, smiling.

“Better food!” Brook said.

“Better home!”

“Better everything!”

“I can fight!” Eli called from the other room, just wanting to be involved

“Do you know what else?” She said, “Darnell said he’d be in touch, even letting me meet with the other fighters!”

“You scout them out and find people to fight!” Ethan and Brook were holding hands, excitement rushing through them both. Ethan’s anxiety and discomfort was sapped away and all it took was the presence of a chain smoking hyena.

“You do the complicated shit that I don’t know how to do!” Brook said, happy someone had to do it.

Eli walked into the room, looking tired, despite having just taken a nap. “It’s finally happening!”

“Damn right it is!” Brook said, going over and high fiving him too.

It had finally begun! They finally had a system down!

The gates of Primal had been opened to them, and they were more than ready.