Chapter 266: Chapter Two Hundred Sixty Seven

The Raving Baby was pretty much exactly what you would expect a dive  bar to be. Low light, smoky air, pool table, old worn chairs and tables.  It looked like someone had written up a 'seedy dive bar' checklist and  gone down the list one item a time just to make sure it was as authentic  as possible. Abel was scanning the room, but rather than serious worry  or any sort of scan for danger his eyes were wide and excited. "It  hasn't changed a bit! And that smell! I missed that smell so bad."

Mel  sighed dramatically. "Oh gods, I forgot about the enchiladas." At our  confused looks she rolled her eyes and pointed across the room. On the  opposite wall from the entrance was a huge wall of hanging pictures,  above which was written 'Enchilada Avalanche Challenge' each picture had  a paper star with a number on it hanging from the bottom, and all the  way at the top was a photo of a clearly recognizable Abel, in the same  silver mask he wore now, with the number eighty seven pinned to it.

I  froze, blinking in shock at the number. "Ok, we can come back to  everything else in a minute, but I have to ask, is that label implying  that Abel ate EIGHTY SEVEN enchiladas in one sitting? How is that even  possible? Like, I know Ascendants tend to eat heavy, but stomachs still  have limited space in them, that's what higher ranking food is for. How  do you physically FIT eighty seven enchiladas in a human body?"

Ignoring  me completely, Abel bolted for the bar. "Rudy!" He crowed happily.  "You're still here! I figured Taggert would be gone, but I'm glad at  least you're still around. How's my favorite bartender?" Abel managed to  cross the crowded bad without actually bumping into anyone, the space  around him warping to allow him to slip between other people and around  tables so quickly and seamlessly it was almost hard to see it happening.

He  appeared in front of a seven foot tall man with maroon hair and a  goatee who was cleaning a glass, but when his eyes, which had jerked up  at the sound of his name, found Abel, they widened. For a second I  thought it was surprise, but it only took me a second to register the  expression existential DREAD on the face of the huge bartender as he  looked down at my teacher. "Sweet Revenant NO! You can't be here! You're  dead! Everyone said so!"

Abel frowned sulkily. "Hey now,  that's not nice. I was one of your best customers. I spent tons of money  here when I used to visit, if you'll remember. Did anyone else ever buy  as many enchiladas as I did?" He sounded genuinely offended by the  clear distress the other man was showing, but the big bartender was too  busy having a small panic attack at the sight of him to acknowledge it.

"Yes,  but we SPENT about twice that much on repairs whenever you showed up."  Rudy almost wailed. "Taggert only let you come back because he was too  scared to ban you. We threw a party the day we heard you weren't coming  back. The stone here is so expensive, do you know how much effort it is  to repair buildings in Doomtown? And you literally never failed to break  SOMETHING."

A new voice cut in. "Enough, Rudy." The  bartender turned to see another man, much shorter and with seaweed green  hair. He shot the man a wry smile. "Go work on inventory in the back  for a while and collect yourself. I'll handle the bar." Watching the  massive form of the red haired man blur out from behind the bar and into  a door in the back, the man shook his head with a chuckle before  turning to Abel. "Must you make a ruckus every time you go anywhere  Pol?"

Despite his words, he held out a hand with a grin  and he and Abel clasped wrists, pulling each other into a quick one  armed hug as they smacked each other on the back. My mentor looked  thrilled once again as he pulled back. "Owen, good to see you. I figured  Taggert would leave the place to you. He was already early F-rank when I  stopped coming. How long since you took over?"

The green  haired man gestured us to take a seat at the bar as he slipped behind  it, filling up glasses for each of us with some local beer. "Oh it's  been a few years now. For the record, I never thought you were dead, and  neither did my Uncle. It's why he insisted on keeping the insurance  policy he took out on the bar for you active. Still can't believe they  made him pay for you as a separate policy. To be fair though, the  premiums have gone WAY down since you vanished."

Mel  clicked her tongue as she took the offered beer, along with the rest of  us. I was NOT a beer guy, but it seemed rude to refuse so I decided to  just nurse it (which, spoiler alert, makes beer SO much worse). She  raised an eyebrow at the green haired man. "I'm surprised he got you to  retire and take over. Taurus was almost as famous as the two of us back  in the day. You were responsible for half the trouble my idiot got into  when we were younger, though granted, he probably got you into just as  much."

Owen just shrugged. "I kind of retired when you two  left the scene. It just wasn't fun anymore. I considered ranking up and  leaving, but it had just lost the appeal." His eyes flicked to us. "Who  are the new kids? You two finally pick up some apprentices? I heard  there's a big tourney coming up, and introducing a couple of newbies  would be a great way to make a splash. If so let me know, I'll make sure  to get my bets in on them early while the odds are still good."

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Abel  raised an eyebrow. "See, you say that, but it kind of sounds like  you're feeling out whether the kids are going to be entering the  tournament. I don't suppose there's been some sort of bounty offer going  around for contestant information by any chance? Because I could see  some of the bigger factions putting out a standing offer for the low  down on who they'll be up against."

The  shameless grin Owen shot back made it clear he had indeed been fishing.  "Well, maybe. Though that answer is just as good for confirmation as  telling me yes would be, isn't it? Of course, I don't know their names  or who they represent, but the others you came in with are Beast Lord  Garden, and one of them is the Beast Queen's personal disciple. I bet if  I look around for information on new Beast Lord initiates I can find  SOMETHING out. The question is what it's worth to you for me to keep  quiet."

I  expected Abel to be upset, but he just shook his head ruefully. "That  would be a mistake on your part. The kids ARE entering, but they're  going to be entering with the two of us. Anyone you pass their  information to is bound to just get dinged out anyway. It would be a  better investment to pass us the information you have so far and then  actually place those bets."

The  casual way they were discussing us being sold out was...weird to me.  Owen seemed like an on old friend of Abel's but he barely even flinched  at the idea that our information might be for sale. Apparently down here  that kind of thing was commonplace. For his part, Owen seemed shocked  by the fact that Abel was going to be entering. "Wait...you're fighting?  Personally? BOTH of you? That's...shit, yeah, ok, give me their names  so I can put money on them before that comes out. The odds on the two of  them will nosedive when it comes out you two are on their team. I'll  pass you what I've learned so far on the house, as long as you promise  not to spread your participation for at least two days."

Abel  looked interested. "That does seem like it would be a good deal, but we  could get that information somewhere else. I think we need you to  sweeten the pot a bit. You're getting a chance to make a shitload of  money. Granted, we can put money on the two of them too and we will, but  if we're helping you I want to get something out of it." He planted  both hands on the counter and gave the other man a bloodthirsty grin. "I  want free enchiladas for traveling companions for a month. REGARDLESS  of quantity."

I  expected an eye roll or some kind of dismissal, but Owen's face paled  immediately. "A-a month? Pol, that's crazy. You eat at least fifty per  sitting even when you aren't trying. Sure, the meat is only H-rank, but  in those quantities you'll be seriously cutting into my bottom line. I'm  running a business here. I don't even know how much the others might  eat, a month is way too long."

Mel  reached out and smacked Abel in the back of the head. "We aren't here  to feed you enchilada addiction you lunatic." She glared at Owen. "A  week, because if he doesn't get SOMETHING he'll never shut up about it.  Agree so we can move on to the business at hand." The last part wasn't a  plea or a question, it was a command, and the glare in her orange eyes  was enough to make me want to take a step back.

At  least some of Owen's reticence had clearly been for show, but because  his 'pale' face completely drained of blood as he cleared his throat and  looked away. "Right. Yes. A week. I can do a week." He reached out and  he and Abel shook to confirm the deal. "Let me get you all set up with a  plate on the house to get you started and we can talk shop." He looked  over his shoulder. "Rudy! Break's over I'm going to make some food and  then eat with my friends. Get your ass back behind the bar."

There  was a loud groan from inside the door we'd seen Rudy flee through. "Do I  have to?" He called hesitantly. Owen didn't even bother to respond,  glaring through the door as if Rudy could see him. A weary sigh echoed  out and the big man slunk out of the back and took his place behind the  bar, glaring distrustfully at all four of us from his spot in front of  the bottles as Owen headed for the kitchen.

"Alright,  you folks go sit down and I'll get your food." Owen called over his  shoulder. "Then we can go over the details of what I know and you can  let me in on the who our new wonder team is so I can get my bets in.  Four plates of enchiladas coming up. No charge." Despite his supposed  resistance to the idea, he seemed to be almost skipping with happiness  as he headed for the kitchen, clearly feeling like he'd gotten one over  on us with how little he'd been forced to concede.

Or  at least, he was putting one on until Abel called him to a stop. "Hey  Owen, aren't you forgetting something?" The green haired man froze,  turning suspiciously as Abel raised a hand and pointed over to the table  with our Beast Lord Garden allies. Owen's eyes widened with horror even  before the other man spoke, but he clearly noticed the loophole in his  earlier agreement at the same time I did. Abel's grin was positively  vulpine as he asked. "Aren't you going to go ask if any of them are  hungry?" Admittedly the evil laughter after he said it might have been a  touch over the top, but I couldn't say it wasn't satisfying.

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