"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Aerell was practically giddy as she walked beside me through the Dregs.

I'd expected her to be furious after getting kicked out of Elise's, so her happy demeanor had thrown me off my game. To recover, I figured I'd go for some bawdy humor. She usually liked that. And torturing people. "Oh, what didn't I do?"

She chortled. "Hah!" Smacking my arm, she said, "Not that, though I want to hear all about it later. No, your little stunt in the market yesterday has ripped through town. Do you have any idea how much money I'm going to make off you? I'm not even mad you got me thrown out of that mansion so you could fuck that prissy little slut in private. Alex, you're going to be my golden goose!"

Wait? Was that it? Money? Was everything she'd put me through and her shitty deal all about money? "How much money are we talking?"

"So much money," She purred next to me. "And you will, too." She wove her arm through mine. "I'll take care of you after it's all said and done. You can trust me."

Yeah, as far as I could throw her... which was pretty far these days, but still. My skin prickled at her touch. I hated it so much, I nearly shrugged her off; I really wanted to, but I held off. She'd never been in such a good mood like this before. Maybe I could use it against her? "Well, tell me then. If you're going to treat me after, I'll get a whole lot more motivated if I know what's coming my way. How much money are we making?"

She looked up at me and smiled. "Honey, you have no idea. The bets against you are twenty to one. If I put everything I have down, we'll make a fortune. That, plus the pay I'm getting from..." Her eyes narrowed. "I see what you're doing. Bad boy." She swatted my arm, and black tendrils snaked from her hand to my collar. My throat constricted just enough that it hurt, but not enough to be crippling.

I shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Her normal slimy grin crossed her face. "You forget yourself, you villain." She stuck her nose in the air and pretended to strut around like the nobles did. "As the foremost handler in the Pit, it is my duty to ensure my goodest boy, my sweet Iron Sentinel, wins his upcoming battle. If that reflects well on me and rewards me with obscene amounts of cash, then that is the Goddess's will." She fluttered her eyes at me. "How'd I do?"

"You nailed that." I was doing my best to keep my emotions in check. I hated her so much, but a part of me was screaming that this was my shot. I had to keep playing along. "You nailed being a shitty noble as hard as I nailed Elise last night."

Aerell snorted, then started cackling. "Good. I hope she waddles to the fight this weekend. Fucking stuck-up bitch. I hope you broke her."

"Oh, I did."

"I'm proud of you."

I was disgusted by her praise. I was even more disgusted that a part of me liked it. "I learned from the best."

"You did, didn't you?" She looked up at me, clearly pleased with herself. "You surprise me, though. I didn't expect you to take her offer. I figured you'd be too proud. You'll be a good boy and fight for me, though, right? I'd hate to see what you'll look like if you try to get out of our deal. I'll break you before you go."

I smiled at her. "I didn't take the deal."

She snorted again. "You telling me you broke that bitch's back and turned her down? Damn, Alex, I really am proud of you. Between you trying to play me right now and you toying with a noblewoman, I didn't think you had it in you."

I nodded. "Why would I become some prize horse when I've got what I need right here?" I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulled her closer, and did my best not to throw up.

It worked, though. For the first time ever, I saw that I got the woman. Her eyes nearly doubled in size, and her sleazy grin fell. "Don't act like you can play me, idiot. I know you want me dead. After everything I've done to you, you'd be crazy not to, and I know I haven't broken you completely. Don't think I'm stupid. Otherwise, I'll show you what happens when people underestimate me."

"Oh, I do. I'd kill you in a second if I could. Well, I would have." This was it. Come on, Alex. Don't fuck it up. "But I realized something last night. You're fucking smart. Way smarter than me. Smarter than Elise, too. And you're focused. You know shit. Even if I hate you, I could do far more with you guiding me than I could on my own, and certainly more than Elise. So why not just go with it? The Goddess led me to you after all. Maybe this is what I'm supposed to do?" I was right where I needed to be to drive a sword straight down your throat.

Pointing to the ribbon on my arm, she said, "Then why are you still wearing that?"

"She told me to keep it. Said she'd do anything to have me. I figured the next time I broke her in, I was going to throw it in her face after she offered me my freedom. I don't want a thing that bitch has to give. Plus, I already have my deal with you. What do I need her for?"

"Mmm, I like that. You're a fucking idiot, but I like that."

"Yeah, well, fuck that bitch." I grinned. Pretending to be chummy with her made my stomach twist in knots.

"Dog." She looked me over. "Okay. Say, I believe you. What do you have in mind?"

I shrugged. I had absolutely no idea what the angle should be. I'd been thinking that all of this was happening for some culty reasons, or maybe some holy divine plan, or something else big and important. Turns out, it was just money. Or maybe partly money.

But the money made her happy, so why not go with it? A plan started forming in my head. A good plan, at least in my opinion. One that just might work. "You said my speech yesterday drummed up a lot of interest, right?"

"Yeah. Everyone's talking about it. Why?"

"Well... what if... "I paused, trying to think. "What if we did more of that? Like, what if I was out here every day, getting people excited?"

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"For what?"

"To drum up interest... Imagine how much people would start talking."

Her eyes narrowed. "Go on."

"So... You know... Why make a good amount of money in my upcoming fight when you could make far more from it?"

"A bird in the hand and all that."

"Yeah, true, but here's the thing..." Think! What would get a greedy bitch like Aerell to trip herself up? "What if we made the upcoming match a big deal? Like, a really big deal."

"How so?"

"If you pushed our match back, we could get more people invested."

"How long are you talking?"

I shrugged. "Maybe a month. And you could have me doing exhibition matches. Let people see what I can really do? Then, when the guy who never wins his fights wins all his fights, don't you think people will want to see his match against the biggest badass around even more?"

"Yes, but that would ruin the odds."

"Sure, but what if far more money were changing hands? Wouldn't you make more in the end? Plus, maybe I could throw an exhibition match at the very end, right before the fight? Against the Count or someone strong. Wouldn't that work to get the odds back in your favor?"

The wheels were turning behind her eyes. "I like how you're thinking, but I have an agreement with some people. They won't be happy if I break it."

Okay, so it wasn't just money. Who were these people? Is that where the culty stuff was tied in? What was I missing? "So? Make something up. You're good at that, right? You've made it this far. You always say you said and did whatever you had to do to survive in life. What's another lie?"

"Wait a minute," she said, stopping in the street. "You think I can just tell my... associates... that we're changing the schedule? These aren't people you disappoint, Alex. They have... expectations about how things are done."

"Then why go through all of this? Why not kill her and be done with it?"

Aerell's lips quirked. "It has to be public. Otherwise, I'd have slit her throat ages ago."

"Why public?"

"No idea. It just has to be."

"Okay, but... I mean, if it has to be public anyway, what's a few more weeks? She still ends up dead, and you'll make more money. I'm sure you can come up with something."

"This little plan of yours might get us both killed. You better have a damn good plan for why it's worth the risk."

Using her words from the day before, I said, "Didn't you say the Dregs were all about people being honest with their natures? You want the money, right? And I want to be free. Free free. Not fake free, like with Elise. What else matters?"

She looked at a nearby merchant's wares. Her eyes were hungry. "Let's say I entertain this idea of yours. What's the catch? And how are you going to get strong enough to fight the Slasher without my help?"

This was it! "Simple." Shit! Think! What could I do? Ah! That would work. Maybe. "Let me train with Vral."

"Absolutely not." She let go of my arm.

"Hold on, hear me out. She's—"

"That psychotic bitch nearly killed three guards just last week. You think I'm going to put you two together so you can, what? Plan my murder?"

No. I just wanted to use the opportunity to get stronger. Then, I'd carve my own path. Ideally, straight through Aerell's chest. "That's not—"

"Bullshit! I know how you scumbags think. You're all the same."

"Aerell, stop. I've got a good reason for suggesting it."

"No."

I held my hands up. "Just listen. She won't do anything if I'm around."

"You think too highly of yourself. That little murder machine won't think twice to slit your throat and run faster than you can blink."

"You said it before. You kept our cells next to each other for a reason. You know she'll listen to me." I hoped.

Aerell groaned. "Just say your stupid plan so we can be done with this."

I looked at her and pretended to gather my thoughts. Inside, I was completely winging it. "Look. She's stronger than me. Much stronger if what everyone's been telling me is true. If she and I train together... You know... I can get stronger. Then, we'd be able to give the people a better match, and you won't have to break her knees or anything like that to slow her down. Don't you think people'll notice if she's not in top form? What happens if you get caught? They'll tear you apart. Don't take the risk. Let me train with her. If you set extra guards when we do, that's fine. Or maybe you can lock us in the arena at night after the fights are done or something? Whatever you do, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that I get as strong as I can. Then, I'll give you the fight of the century. You and everyone else. And until then, you can set me up to fight Kalnari and Garl. Kotz, too. Show me off. Show off how strong I get. I'll fill those seats. Hell, once I'm done, I'll be the talk of Istaera."

She nodded along to what I was saying until I hit the end. "Those protected matches won't create much buzz. It's just not the same. People like the gore and death too much. That's why we didn't use to allow favors, but then the nobles got all up our ass, so we compromised. Terrible decision."

"Then fuck the protected matches. Put me up against some monsters or something. I know you do that with the murderers. Why not me, too?" That way, I could gain some fighter ranks. I'll get so strong, even Aerell's magic won't work on me anymore.

"We could pull them from the dungeon... some of the newer inmates, too. The ones who haven't earned names yet..."

Deal. But..." I had a problem with that. "... No one who's innocent. I'll fight murderers and all that, no problem. They deserve it."

She sighed. "Fine. But make it bloody."

"I can do that."

She played with her hair. "What if you die?"

"I won't."

"But what if you do?"

"It's no loss for you, right? You have other fighters. If I go down, you can have them kill Vral. Hell, the odds'll be even more in your favor if I go down."

"True." She looked me over again. "What's in this for you really?"

I laughed. "It's not like you were ever going to let me go anyway. I don't give a shit. Either I stay in prison with you on my back, or I survive and make you rich." I added that last part as an extra. I'd wondered for a while if she actually was going to let me, anyway. Maybe she'd give the game away.

Her eyes searched mine. "You finally figured that out, huh?"

Now I did. "Yeah. But hey, it doesn't bother me. I get it. I wouldn't let me go if I were you either." Pulling her close, until we were hip to hip, I said, "But, if I make you rich, I figured you might reconsider it. I wouldn't even need anything from you. I'll make you richer than anyone, even little old screamy bowlegged Elise, and you won't have any need for me anymore. Hell, you won't need anyone. At that point, you can decide whether you want to keep me around or not."

She grinned. "Yeah... yeah. I might let you go if I got rich." She pulled her earring. She did that when she was lying.

"See? This is a win-win. Plus, if you decide you don't want to let me go, fine. I'll be good. Fuck it. I'm already used to you. Keep the collar on. I don't care. If you pay me well, I'll do whatever you want. My life was shit back home, and it's been shit here too. I'd like a taste of the high life for once. You could give me that." That last part wasn't exactly wrong. It would be nice to treat Tristan once in a while. Shit, I'd treat the whole Temple if I were rich.

Her eyes lit up. "You make me rich, and I'll set you up with your own damn castle next to mine. You don't want to be a prize pony? Fine. I'll buy you a fucking harem. You'll be a stallion surrounded by brood mares. And you won't have to deal with some prissy cunt whose only real value is her daddy's title."

"Deal."

She grinned. "You know something, Alex?"

"What's that?"

"You're more shrewd than I took you for. Stupid, but shrewd. If you think for a second I believe you thought all this up, I've got a mansion to sell you in Saern." Her grin spread. "So, here's the deal. When we get back to the Pit, I'm going to break you into tiny little pieces and put you back together. And if I find out Elise put you up to this, I'll have that dwarf break every bone in your body, we'll heal you, then I'll do it all over again."

"Bring it, bitch."

She chuckled. Then, her face twisted up so much, she started looking like one of those freaky Japanese demon masks. "However, if you did think this all up and are telling the truth, I might just consider this plan of yours. The amount of crystals I would make off you now would easily buy me a castle in Volkash. If you pull this off, I'll buy a title and lands for myself. And, I'd be far enough from those bastards that they wouldn't ever find me." She held out her hand to me. "So, here's to hoping you're being honest, partner."

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