Lexie gaped at the field, just as shocked as most of the crowd.

Did Tate just knock out Boris with a kick?

That was...impossible. Boris was a Berserker. They had endurance like crazy, and they wouldn't have been knocked out by anything less than a bazooka. You just had to hope that you were able to get them in a submission tap-out or somehow catch them off guard enough to keep them subdued for some time.

A knockout by Tate didn't make sense. He wasn't nearly strong enough.

Unless...

Shit.

Unless the dagger Tate was using didn't just cancel out magical skills. It canceled out mana, or at the very least destabilized it. So the mana that had fortified Boris' muscles, giving him superior endurance and reflexes had been canceled out right before Tate delivered the blow.

Crazy. Lexie would have been impressed under any other circumstances. Right now, though, she was merely horrified.

Something told Lexie this wasn't how it was supposed to end. It was supposed to end in a stalemate, something that would reflect well on both of them. A friendly match. Instead, Boris looked like an idiot and Tate looked like a mundane who'd just beat one of the more powerful up-and-comers.

What the heck was that about?

Even now, Tate was still glaring down at Boris and Lexie didn't even understand what Boris had done to earn Tate's scorn to that degree. The crowd was a little surprised too, although some people cheered for the shocking finish. Most of them were as confused as Lexie. As far as they were concerned, it had been a friendly match for most of it, entertaining mostly due to Boris' antics and his comedic timing rather than any true intensity. It was supposed to be a fun low-stakes match, heading to a predictable stalemate that showcased both their talents.

Tate's last-minute maneuver had turned it into something else.

As Boris groaned and sat up, his hand on his head, he shot Tate a WTF glare. Tate stared down at him unapologetically and didn't extend him a hand either. Instead, he walked off the pitch as half the audience cursed at him and the other half cheered.

Lexie was angry too. It hadn't been a fair fight. Boris had been holding back but Tate hadn't. Even though Boris had blundered out of concern for Tate, Tate hadn't hesitated to use that moment of weakness against him.

Was that his plan this whole time, tricking Boris into taking it easy so he could steal the win?

He's not who you think he is. Shadow's words suddenly echoed in Lexie's ears. Maybe she should have taken that warning a little more seriously.

"Wow," Xena said. "I didn't see that coming. That kid has a giant chip on his shoulder."

"Yeah." Like about half the audience Xena hadn't been paying much attention to the fight at first, eagerly waiting for the Top Dog versus Torin Firerbringer battle, but now she was frowning. So was Dewie, disconcerted by the sudden shift in tone.

Boris looked kind of pissed as he got to his feet and tried to storm off after Tate but he was directed by his usher back to his own tunnel. Lexie felt like Tate would probably get his ass kicked by Boris once they were indoors. And he would deserve it.

"Give me a second," she told Dewie and Xena as she rushed from the friends and family booth, down the stairs and cut through the bodies to reach the backstage area. The entrance was guarded, probably due to the high-profile nature of some of the people back there. She wished she could just phase through the wall or something but she didn't have a card for that.

There were two guards so <Out of Sight, Out of Mind> wouldn't work. Maybe she could send Sir Hoppington in to let Conrad know she was here, but the new Sir Hoppington was from the forbidden deck that she couldn't use.

She texted Conrad that she was outside, but she didn't know if he would read it in time. This was so frustrating. Lexie mentally ran through a list of ways she could get in there, and realized there was a simple, although highly distasteful method she could use.

She steeled herself, sighed, and took off her glasses and her scarf. She walked to the guards, and one of them looked at her.

"Where are you going kid?" he asked.

"Um.." She let her hoodie fall back and she blushed even as she said, "I'm Lexie. I'm one of the–"

"Oh yeah I think I know you," he said. "You're on Conrad's team, aren't you? I didn't think you were competing today. Are you?"

"No, but–"

"Let her in." A familiar voice said from the inside. Lexie's heart skipped a beat as Top Dog came into view. He was emerging from one of the doors lining the hallway, a snack in one hand and water in another. He nodded at the guard as Lexie blushed harder.

Crap. Not only had he seen her pulling the "do you know who I am" card but he'd also seen her epically fail at it. He always seemed to catch her at her worst.

"Thanks," she said awkwardly and he nodded as she jogged in and down the hallway. She had a second to wonder if she should ask one of the ushers walking where Conrad's room was, but then she heard the noises even from several feet away.

"Are you kidding me?" Boris' voice boomed, and Lexie flinched. She'd never heard him sound that angry before.

"Calm down, Boris," Conrad said.

"I'm not calming down. This asshole here tricked me, humiliated me and he's not even going to apologize."

"I have nothing to apologize for." Tate's voice was steady. "I did what I had to do. You weren't taking me seriously enough and you were turning me into a joke."

"We agreed on an even distribution that would make it fun to watch. If you wanted me to go all out, you should have just fucking said so. Not let me believe we had an agreement."

"I guess I understood the agreement differently."

"Bullshit. That was a blatant betrayal, and you set yourself up too because I'm pretty sure any other fighter who watched that could tell. Heck, some of the audience could tell too. Are you ready for the implications that come with that?"

Lexie had reached the doorway and saw Tate shrug.

"I think maybe I'll go a different route," he said. "Maybe I don't need to be loved. Maybe I just need to be feared."

"A heel," Conrad said. "Do you know how difficult a position that is to be?"

He shrugged. "You said it yourself. I'm not charming enough to play the hero and I'm tired of playing scrappy underdog. Playing a villain seems much better."

"What is wrong with you?"

They all turned at the sound of Lexie's voice and registered surprise. She walked into the room and kept her eyes on Tate who quickly covered up his shock. "All you do is talk about yourself. Me, me, me. I need this and that. Did you ever stop to think that maybe Boris needed the win too?"

Tate's expression was still unapologetic. "He didn't act like he did or he would have taken me down the multiple times he had the chance to."

"I didn't do it because..."

Tate stiffened. "Because what? You felt sorry for me." His eyes glittered with anger. "I didn't ask you to feel sorry for me. You think your pity wasn't obvious to everyone who was watching? 'Oh look at him. He's such a nice guy taking it easy on the little mundane boy.'"

Boris' face flamed and Lexie jumped in again with an eye roll.

"There you go, thinking about yourself again. He doesn't need to feel sorry for you, because you feel sorry enough for yourself. Poor little mundane boy? No one sees you that way, but you."

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Tate crossed his arms over his chest. "A heel is the fastest and easiest way to get attention in this business. Otherwise, I fade into obscurity with the other up-and-comers who show promise but lose steam as their buzz dies down. This way, I remain relevant." He turned to Conrad. "Or am I wrong? Does every fighter who watched that not want to kick my ass right now?"

Conrad clearly wasn't pleased with Tate but he didn't say anything to deny his words. Neither did Boris.

Boris shook his head, cursed, and walked out of the room. Conrad followed him leaving Lexie and Tate alone.

"You messed up," Lexie told him, anger simmering in her chest. He hadn't just betrayed Boris out there. He'd betrayed their entire team, shattering the trust they had. He'd also shattered her view of him.

And he didn't seem to care.

Tate shrugged and also walked out of the room. Lexie thought she saw a tinge of regret in his eyes before he left, but it also might have been her imagination.

"He's right."

Lexie turned around and found Top Dog standing in the doorway.

"Being a heel is the easiest way to get attention," he continued.

Lexie shook her head. "I thought the AFC was about teamwork and building relationships with other fighters."

"It is. But your friend was making it too obvious that he was going easy on Tate and he needed to be taught a lesson. Tate did them both a favor by doing that in the end, otherwise this would have been a pretty forgettable match. Now, he's established an easy rivalry. The views today will be split between those who feel bad for Boris for getting tricked and those who like Tate for his ruthless gameplay. Either way, it will get talked about and debated for weeks. Plus, a bunch of fighters are probably gunning to kick the mundane's ass and humble him. If he plays his cards right, a lot of people will pay money to watch him go up against stronger fighters, making him profit along the way. There's a lot of pay in being a heel."

"Conrad says being a heel doesn't always work out."

"It's a risky strategy. It's the fastest way to get attention but building an actual fanbase out of it isn't that easy. We'll see how it goes." He touched his ear like he received a call and then nodded. "I have to go. I heard you're not competing anymore."

"Um...yeah."

"Shame," he said as he spun around and walked away.

Shame? That was what Shadow had said. Was that a compliment, a way of saying he'd liked her last match?

Did she just get a stamp of approval from the freaking Top Dog?

Oh my gosh. I have to tell Xena.

Even as her elation built, Lexie glared at his retreating form. Now, he was complimenting her? She could have used that weeks ago, not now.

Lexie sighed and made her way out.

As she left, she saw Torin being led toward the tunnels by the usher. He was wearing a red long-sleeve turtleneck and bronze pants, with boots, and a sword sheathed at his side. Their eyes met and she told him, "Good luck."

He nodded right back. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but he didn't get the chance as Lexie continued on her way, leaving the tunnels and ascending the stairs back out to the field.

When she got back to her seat, Xena glanced at her. "There you are. I thought you were going to miss the start. Did you go to get food?"

"No," Lexie said.

"What's wrong?" Xena asked and Lexie shook her head.

"It's nothing. Just someone I thought I knew but turned out to be kind of an ass." And that was super disappointing. "Also Top Dog said he liked my last match. He's practically a fan of me now."

"Yeah right," Xena rolled her eyes but grinned and bumped her shoulder affectionately. "Does that mean you're going to continue after all?"

"Not a chance in hell."

Lexie decided to put her argument with Tate out of her head for now. If Tate wanted to ruin his relationship with the team, so be it. She just felt bad for Boris. He wouldn't feel the loss in the long run, and it might actually benefit him, but the betrayal had to sting.

Lexie tuned out the announcer as they gave a lengthy speech introducing Top Dog and Torin Firebringer into the ring. An unsettled feeling tugged at her gut, and she wasn't sure what it was from. A prickle hit the back of her neck. She glanced behind her but didn't see anything or anyone there.

Why was she paranoid all of a sudden? Was she simply worried about the outcome of this match? To be honest, she was finding it hard to care. Too many things were on her mind, distracting her, but she forced herself to pay attention when she noticed Xena and Dewie eyeing her worried.

"We can leave if you want," Xena said. "Go get ice cream or something."

Lexie shook her head. "No. Dewie went through a lot of trouble to get these tickets, I don't want to waste them."

"I don't mind," Dewie said.

"No, it's okay. I'm fine."

Lexie shook her head and tuned back in but she was going through the motions, a fog of awareness clouding her mind. Something was bugging her. Her body...it felt weird. What was it?

The crowd went crazy when Top Dog walked on. There was milder applause for Torin. They both stared at each other on the countdown.

Torin drew his sword.

Top Dog smirked. "Really?" In the arena, sword and dagger users were usually at a disadvantage especially when there was no magic involved, because the sword had to be blunted and often dealt minimal damage. Lexie wasn't sure why he chose that. Torin wasn't allowed to use his powers against Top Dog, and while he was a Knight-type fighter, swords were still a little archaic even for Knights.

Torin didn't respond, simply took a stance with two hands on the hilt.

Top Dog shrugged. "Alright. Your funeral."

The counter ticked to zero, and Top Dog pounced.

But Torin was gone. Seriously.

That was how it seemed. One second he was there and the next, he vanished without sound. Torin Firebringer seemed to move faster than light. He disappeared and reappeared behind Top Dog with a sword to his back. Top Dog froze for a second, surprise flashing onto his features.

"What the hell?" Lexie gripped her seat as she stared at them. Shock wiped every other thought from her mind.

"Told you," Xena said a little smugly. "He's a beast."

Yes, but Lexie had assumed the beast part was just because he was a fire prodigy. She'd never seen him move that fast in any of his training videos circulating the internet. Even as a Knight Type, one of the Fighter archetypes that were balanced in all physical attributes, he shouldn't be able to move that fast unless his speed was above a level eight, which should be impossible at his age. So how had he done it? What did he do?

Top Dog's eyes were wide and he jolted away, on instinct spinning around to stare in shock at his opponent who was eyeing him steadily.

Torin held his sword in one hand, his stance perfectly still.

"If this was a real match and not child's play," he said. "You'd already be dead."

Top Dog's mouth hung open for a second and Torin waited for him to recover. The champion's face set and he nodded. "I guess I don't have to go easy on you then. Good."

Top Dog crossed his hands over his midsection, then held his fists out. He muttered a spell and instantly the nubs on his gloved knuckles extended into fifteen-inch claws. Lexie stared. That was the longest she'd ever seen them and Lexie vaguely wondered how long that spell would last. She guessed maybe 5-10 minutes if he didn't want to exhaust his mana reserves. Usually, Top Dog used his claws in brief bursts to hurt his opponents but using it at the start of the match meant that he was taking this seriously, and he wasn't going to drag this out.

He needed a decisive victory to make up for what Torin Firebringer had done at the beginning of the match.

He shot across the field at Torin, jabbing to the left. It was a feint, and when Torin dodged, it almost brought him right into Top Dog's fist.

Torin disappeared, but this time Top Dog was expecting it. He dropped to avoid the sword to his back and thrust his bladed fist up to skewer Torin. Torin angled his sword and caught it, using the momentum to hoist himself over Top Dog again, bringing the sword to his neck.

"Strike 2," he said before he backed away. Top Dog's eyes flashed with anger. His face reddened.

It was a little embarrassing to have almost been killed twice in a few seconds.

Top Dog went for Torin again, and the latter brought up his sword. He swung and it clashed with TD's claw, with TD hopping up to shoot a forcefield out of his feet. It hit Torin sending him back but it didn't knock him to the ground. Top Dog charged for him again, sending a forcefield to keep Torin's sword busy while jabbing at his unprotected leg.

Of course, it didn't work. Because the boy once again disappeared.

Top Dog spun to jab behind him but Torin wasn't there.

He was above, floating on a small cloud of fire, extending his sword out to a tiny unprotected patch of Top Dog's neck.

"Strike 3," he said. "You're getting more predictable."

Top Dog snarled and went for him again, more force fields, more fists. He was quick, growing quicker, but Torin's swordsmanship was just too good at blocking the claws and deflecting the force fields.

It was different from Top Dog versus Conrad Grace, which involved more raw power. Here, technique was key and Torin's was flawless.

Lexie once more felt something tug at her. It had been there the whole time, but now she actually recognized the nearly imperceptible feeling. Something was beckoning her mana from far away and it dragged her attention from the match. She stared in that direction of the exit and saw Tate hurrying out of the arena through the forcefield. She frowned. Where the heck was he going?

Don't trust him.

Shadow said he was hanging out with someone with blackened eyeballs and another with dark magic tattoos. When she'd looked it up, blackened eyeballs typically suggested strong necromancy or people who worshipped the Eldritch and painted their scleras to mirror the Eldritch's lack of eyeballs.

What was Tate doing with them?

Was he going to meet with them right now? Was that the source of the bad feeling Lexie got?

"Hang on," she told Xena and got up.

Xena eyed her in surprise. "Really? You're missing this?"

"Yeah, I'll be back in like one second."

Xena frowned at Lexie like she wasn't sure what was happening but Lexie gave her what she hoped was a convincing smile and dashed down the stairs.

Once Lexie got out of the arena she couldn't see Tate anymore, but the tugging feeling had gotten stronger. She kept following it, walking closer to the pull as she realized with dawning horror that it was a familiar feeling, one she hadn't felt in a year.

"Oh God."

She stared down at her feet feeling the mana pull from that direction.

There was a large unstable dungeon spawning underneath her, and it was the strongest pull she'd ever felt.

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