"Do I look okay?" Lexie asked, her voice muffled by the scarf on the lower half of her face. "Covered up enough?"

"For the last time, yes." Xena sighed. "Lexie, if you were any more covered up, you would look suspicious as hell." Xena was in her usual leather get-up, fresh from the train station, and Dewie was wearing a green and black polka-dotted bow tie, a checkered button-down shirt, and slacks.

Lexie, on the other hand, was wearing a hoodie with a scarf, earmuffs, and sweatpants. Plus sunglasses. There wasn't a single uncovered inch of her face, yet she was still nervous. Her eyes kept darting to make sure no one was paying attention to her.

And no one was. It was the day of the Top Dog versus Torin Firebringer match and the forcefield entrance to the Hartville stadium in Hartville was crowded. Everyone and their mothers were there, buzzing with excitement and there were almost as many people in the lines as they were in the Conrad Vs Top Dog match. The forcefield around the stadium, having never accommodated so many people before, was slow in allowing entrance, and so the lines trickled along gradually.

Multiple moving lines were arranged in front of the forcefield, and Lexie, Dewie, and Xena were in the middle of one of those lines. At least Lexie didn't have to sneak into this match, but she was still nervous for a whole other reason, because she didn't want to be recognized.

Xena kept rolling her eyes because she thought her friend was being ridiculous. "Lexie, at the risk of sounding flippant, no offense, but you're not that famous. At least not yet. Trust me, no one here is looking for a pint-sized card mage who took down a smart-mouthed sharpshooter. And even if they find you, what's the worst thing they could do, huh? Ask to take a picture with you?"

Yeah, when she put it like that it did sound ridiculous.

Lexie knew she was probably being unreasonable, and maybe a little egotistic, but it was a very real concern she had about coming here. She didn't want to be reminded of the Diana match. She didn't want anyone staring at her either. Hopefully with the crowd, and her killer disguise, no one would even think about her.

Everyone so far seemed focused on the upcoming fight, murmuring theories of who would win. Xena and Dewie weren't the only ones who'd taken an exeat from Victoire to come. Lexie noticed a few of their students in line, identified by the Victoire badge on their casual clothes, the same badge emblazoned on Xena and Dewie's chests.

As the line moved, one girl with a Victoire badge in the adjacent line gaped at Xena.

"Oh my gosh, Xena hi!" She rushed out of her line and approached them, strands of frizzy hair escaping their bonds. "I didn't know you were coming! You should have told me, we would have booked seats together."

"Hey, Harriet," Xena responded with far less enthusiasm. "Lexie, this is Harriet. She's in my herbology class."

"We're seatmates," Harriet said, looking excited. "Where are you guys sitting?'

"The friends and family booth." Dewie volunteered and the girl pouted

"Lucky. I was only able to get a seat all the way in row eleven, even though I got my ticket super early. I guess Elementals get the best seats, especially a Lightlark like you, Xena. So I'm not surprised. " There was just enough wheedling in her tone to hint that she was angling for Xena to help her with an upgrade, but Xena didn't even crack a smile.

"That sucks for you," she said in a deadpan tone that had Harriet's face falling for a second before she forced a loud and obviously fake laugh.

"Ha! You're so funny, Xena!"

The girl then went on to chatter mostly about all the things she planned to do in Hartville before she had to go back to Victoire and whether or not Xena wanted to do those things with her. Xena categorically denied all invitations and after a few more seconds of effortful conversation met with deadpan expressions from Xena, she finally went away.

"Seems like you have fans too," Lexie commented amusedly.

Xena uttered a mild huff. "It has nothing to do with me. It's the Lightlark name. They know I get special favors from the Fae and now everyone wants to be my friend."

"You should see her in the cafeteria," Dewie commented. "I can barely find a place to sit sometimes because a bunch of people want to sit as close to Xena as possible."

"It got so bad I started eating in my dorm room with Dewie," she said. "And sometimes with Jace too when he's not being annoying and telling a billion stories about his grandfather."

"It's hard being famous," Dewie said with a totally serious expression that had Lexie smiling.

"Wanna borrow my scarf?" she asked Xena who made a face.

"No. It's ugly."

Lexie stuck her tongue out. "Well, I wasn't going to give it to you anyway."

Xena snorted and shook her head.

It turned out Dewie wasn't exaggerating Xena's popularity.

Four other Victoire students came to talk to her at different points, three boys and a girl. The girl liked her jacket and seemed to know Xena from her fashionable social media account even though Xena never showed her face in any of the pictures. That was really the only person Xena entertained conversation with, and they talked at length about the jacket, until the girl's group got to the front of the line.

Only for another guy to take her place, asking Xena about her time on Planet Fae.

Lexie was amused and finally understood that she needn't have bothered with a disguise because, with Xena beside her, she was invisible. Her friend was far more famous than she was, thankfully, at least to the Victoire students.

As they got closer to the start of the line, Lexie eased up a lot and they began to discuss match theories. Lexie thought that Torin would do well in keeping up with Top Dog, but ultimately Top Dog's superior experience in the ring would win out. Xena thought the opposite would happen.

"Torin has been in real fights," she said. "I've seen him spar at the academy and trust me, what they do puts the AFC to shame. Even without the full force of his fire powers, I think Torin will still win. "

Lexie frowned at her and Xena held up her hands defensively. "Hey, it's not like I want him to win. I'm just saying. And everyone here from the academy thinks so too."

"Why are hero academy students even fighting in the AFC?" Lexie murmured. "It kind of defeats the purpose of it being pure entertainment right?" She probably should have asked Mr. Douglas while he had had the chance.

"I think the [heroes] are doing it because they're trying to appeal more to young people so that more rankers want to become [heroes], 'cause there's like a Hero shortage everywhere. Which is why Torin has to show his utter dominance today and look cool while doing it. If he does, then he makes [heroes] cool again. I also heard Lionel say that they might be adding AFC matches to our curriculum, as extracurricular credits. The school board also wants to make our exams tournament style and televise them."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Combat is already a vital part of our test, might as well publicize it too and make us popular. At least that's what Lionel says. A lot of people aren't happy about it but some are."

"What do you think?"

She shrugged. "I don't have an opinion. But it would be cool to fight on TV. I can live out my AFC dreams."

"What are you gonna do? Make your opponents believe in themselves to death."

Xena shot her a look and shoved her which made Lexie giggle and bump into someone behind her. The person's hands steadied Lexie and Lexie noticed the cold grip on her shoulders even through her hoodie.

An even colder tone said, "Watch where you're going."

Lexie turned around and saw an exquisitely beautiful girl who made Veronica look like a troll. She had long whitish hair, and violet eyes and was wearing a long white robe. Standing next to her was a scowling boy with a long hookish nose, dark bushy brows, and a long black robe.

"Sorry," Lexie said, feeling power oozing from both of them. They both ignored her too and looked over her head, lips curling identically.

Lexie glanced back to see Xena was looking at them with an equally unfriendly expression.

"Watch where you throw your toys, Lightlark," the boy commented and Xena's face turned even fiercer.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Watch where your toys are walking." She retorted with a sniff of indignation.

They glared at each other for a few seconds more and then the boy and girl walked away, cutting through the line to the front.

"Who's that?" Lexie asked.

"Weiss Wavelost and Zakhar Shadowsbane. I'll tell you about them later."

Oh. That explained their colors. The girl was in blue and white, Wavelost colors, and the boy was in black and grey, his family colors respectively. Lexie guessed it was the same way Theo and Torin usually wore red. Was it a thing they had to abide by coming from Elemental Families? Cara seemed to wear any color she wanted. So did it only matter if you were going down the hero track? Was it for brand recognition, so the people you were rescuing knew who you were?

Lexie thought about it as she watched them enter the forcefield ahead of everyone else who had waited.

"Can you do that too?" Lexie asked.

"Yeah, but I'm not going to. Only entitled assholes expect VIP treatment everywhere and I don't want to get too used to it."

Lexie agreed with her. That was very distasteful to watch.

They were soon in and headed straight to the friends and family booth for Torin. Oddly enough, they were the only ones there. Lexie knew Torin's family wouldn't be coming but he didn't have any friends coming either. Not even Kai Skysoarer?

Lexie spotted Zakhar and Weiss in the distant VIP booth. She thought about going to see Boris and Tate but decided to see them after the match. Instead, she simply sent them messages that she was here and she wished them luck.

Tate responded with a thumbs up.

Boris responded with, Yay you came! I'm glad. Don't worry, I won't hurt the little guy too bad. We have a plan.

"Champagne anyone?" Xena said, reminding everyone of her joke last year. They grinned and shared more theories until it was time for the show to start.

After the anthem had been sung, and Herbert Douglas gave his rousing speech, it was time for the match to begin.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer said. "Get ready for another unprecedented fight of the century. A Firebringer versus our very own Top Dog. Do we have any Top Dog fans in the crowd today?"

"Obviously," Xena muttered as the entire stadium basically exploded with the sound of the crowd's cheers including Lexie's. Truly speaking, Lexie wasn't as enamored with the AFC as she'd once been. Something about getting that peek behind the curtain kind of made some of it lose its magic. But Top Dog was still her favorite fighter and she was still excited to watch him.

"I'm assuming we have Firebringer fans here as well," the announcer continued, and the blacked screen flashed to the trio in the friends and family seats. Lexie was suddenly very glad for her disguise even as the screen flashed away almost instantly. "It's going to be an amazing match folks. Before that, though, we have two promising candidates in the amateur league here today. They'll be our openers. Now I know, I know, most of us are here for the main event, but no one ever puts dessert first. So ladies and gentlemen help me welcome our two fantastic opening fighters, a mundane who's anything but weak, and our beloved buff ballerine, Tate and Boris the Berserker!"

There was significant cheering for both as they emerged from their tunnels. Boris turned to prance and waved at the crowd, some of whom cheered for him. Tate was significantly more stony-faced than usual, his expression focused.

Not everyone was paying attention to their match, Most of the larger crowd were here for the main event, but this had the potential to be a fun distraction."

"Hopefully, this doesn't end like that emo fighter and the theater kid from the Conrad versus Top Dog match," Xena said.

"Yeah," she murmured. "Hopefully."

Boris stretched and cracked his neck as the timer counted down. The PHORBS zoomed around them and caught his words as he grinned.

"Today, my friend," he told Tate. "I teach you the pas de deux."

"Oh yeah?" Tate drew his dagger and it sparked with electricity. "I'll teach you how to get your ass kicked."

Nice comeback, Lexie thought. She wondered about the utility of the dagger. He called it the Light Finger, or Thief for short, and it was noted to have a magic-canceling effect as well as emit pulses of energy, but its exact origins and modus operandi were a mystery.

It looked like the dagger Tate had found in the dungeon but not exactly. It held the gems that Tate had taken from the other sword he'd given Isaac. Tate also often used the electric pulse as a finisher move and Lexie guessed that was because the effect took time to charge up.

What exactly powered it though? The mechs? Mana? Or was it a third source?

Lexie didn't know but as it sparked, Boris didn't look too bothered. He gave his signature curtsy which he did at the start of every fight much to the audience's amusement.

"Who do you think will win?" Xena asked her. "The Berserker?"

"I'm not sure." If she'd asked this question maybe a few weeks ago, Lexie would have put money on Boris's hands down, but then things had changed lately. Tate had improved so drastically since the beginning of their training sessions that he was barely recognizable. He went from the guy that constantly had his ass kicked by Shadow, to someone unbeatable. His mechs gave him good reflexes, almost to the level of a Berserker, and it also made him faster too, though not necessarily stronger. He also had that magic-cancelling dagger, which was useless against Boris, except for its zapping properties.

So really, in Lexie's mind, it was anyone's match although Boris still had much of the advantage on paper.

When time counted down to zero, Boris made his move. He did a goofy ballet leap that had his legs splitting in the air, clearing about six feet in the process, and making the crowd laugh. That was until he flipped on the descent hammering both fists down on Tate who jumped back to dodge it. Tate also dodged the second quick jab and the third, but the fourth slammed into his face and sent him flying back.

After crashing to the ground, he almost immediately flipped back onto his feet. Boris was on him again, but Tate's mechs had his body bending and contorting to avoid the blows, even as Tate himself gritted his teeth to keep up.

Lexie personally felt that Boris pulled the first punch. She'd seen him punch Shadow much harder than that when Shadow had pissed him off during their spar, so she knew he could have injured Tate worse but didn't, probably so the match wouldn't be over in like two seconds. After all, Mundanes didn't heal as fast as rankers, even with the mechs.

Tate wasn't attacking yet, probably because he knew his attack wouldn't do much against Boris. He was saving it all up.

Tate traced a shape in the air with his dagger, and the resulting glyph crackled like an omen. He then pushed the shape onto Boris, and it pulsed a wave of energy that sent Boris back a few steps.

"What the heck is that thing?" Xena asked.

"I don't know," Lexie said.

"What an exciting start ladies and gentlemen," The announcer mentioned. "It looks like the mundane isn't playing. His Light Finger appears to have a few tricks up its sleeve."

Tate's dagger switched hands as he and Boris came together again, but instead of punching, Boris elegantly flipped over Tate and grabbed his arm from behind.

He tossed Tate sharply in the air, and before he could fall, Boris grabbed his ankle and tossed him to the left, grabbing him again on the descent and throwing him to the right.

Ooh. That had to be dizzying.

Tate wasn't getting a chance to balance or recover. Boris was using him as a dancing ragdoll and was clearly enjoying himself, grinning as the crowd laughed. When Boris tried to grab him again, Tate attempted to zap him with the dagger, but Boris recovered fast, spinning behind Tate to snatch him by the scruff of his neck and throwing him far across the field.

As he hurtled back, Boris gave chase, shooting across the space like a bullet.

"My dance partner!" he wailed as he did. "Don't leave me!"

"That guy's so weird," Xena said, chuckling.

"Yeah," Lexie said. "But in the best possible way."

Tate landed on his feet, a split second before Boris was almost on him again. He barely rolled away in time and then had to dash as Boris aimed a spinning kick his way. Boris chased after Tate, smiling the whole time, and once again, Lexie felt like he wasn't giving it his all. Was this what he meant by he and Tate had a plan? Were they planning to drag this out as long as possible? Lexie wondered if this was the deal they had, that Boris would take it easy on Tate before he destroyed him. That way Tate still got a reputational boost for lasting that long against a Berserker.

She could see it working out, although she didn't know if Tate was playing by the same rules. He looked genuinely annoyed.

As Boris chased him, the dancer took a chance to pull off other pirouettes and leaps in the process.

He also once jumped and flapped his feet like a dolphin before landing again.

"What?" Xena said, entertained despite herself. "Is that a river dance?"

"No. It's an entrechat."

Dewie and Xena both looked at Lexie and she shrugged. She knew because Boris had mentioned it a few times.

Tate suddenly spun around while still running and flung his dagger right at Boris. Boris dodged but as it approached, the dagger sent out a pulse of light that hit him right in the face.

"Fuck!" Boris cursed, clearly caught off guard and Tate swept in.

When Tate was right in front of Boris' face, Boris' fist shot out but Tate dropped and grabbed his dagger from the floor, jabbing him in the ankle.

A surge of electricity went through Boris and though he screamed, it didn't immobilize him like it did Shadow.

Tate darted away just as Boris recovered and though he tried to chase, his leg glitched and he fell over.

Boris looked down at his feet in confusion.

Tate paused to regard him, face flushed, his eyes sparked with annoyance. "Do you think you could mock me without consequence?"

"Mock you?" Boris seemed genuinely confused.

Lexie wondered if Tate felt genuinely embarrassed to be thrown about, but he didn't confirm or deny it.

He went for Boris and Boris hopped to his feet. He had a puzzled look on his face as he reflexively dodged Tate's attacks. He was half-heartedly striking and Tate was dodging his attacks too.

Though Tate didn't look happy about it.

"Do it properly, damn it." Lexie thought she saw his lips mutter those words. Boris ignored him and they continued their dance. As they fought each other, sweeping across the arena, Lexie noted they were each landing an equivalent amount of hits. Tate at one point slashed Boris in the arm, and Boris slammed him which dislocated his shoulder.

Tate gritted his teeth and then continued jabbing onehandedly. The mech glowed and his shoulder shifted back into place. But then something weird happened. Tate coughed up blood.

Not like you do when you get punched in the face, but like when you puncture a lung.

His health bar plunged.

The PHORB caught the worried look on Boris's face.

"Tate," Boris said looking worried. "Hey are you hurt–"

"Screw you." Tate snapped and he went at Boris again. Boris' face shifted and he wasn't acting anymore. He didn't know what to do. Both boys swerved around each other, jabbing and dodging, weaving, bobbing. The timer clicked down and that was when Lexie recalled…since this was the opener to an exhibition match, it had a time limit. It couldn't exactly go on forever or it would eat into the time for the second match.

Openers for major exhibitions didn't require a knockout or a submission. When the time limit was up, whoever had more left on their health bar, would be declared the winner. If the forty-five minute limit passed and both fighters had an even amount of damage calculated by their health bars, then it would be called a draw.

Was that what they were going for? A draw? Was that why Boris was pulling his punches?

Tate threw his crackling dagger at Boris' face again, and it flashed that blinding light. This time, Boris managed to close his eyes but as Tate tried to follow up with an attack, Boris' arm shot out on instinct and he punched Tate so hard in the the chest that he slid and crashed, coughing blood onto the floor.

"Shit." Boris was taken aback and he dashed to make sure Tate was okay.

In a flash, Tate surged up and jammed the dagger into Boris's neck. Electricity surged through Boris strong enough to fry him as Boris dropped to his knees. Just as thirty minutes were about to elapse, Tate swung his feet and kicked Boris in the side of the head sending him onto the floor.

Boris' health bar blinked red.

"Who's dancing now, friend?" he said, glaring at Boris' unmoving form on the ground.

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