In the furthest halls of the stadium, Joseph stood with a shadow falling over his eyes. The glistening in his eyes from a nearby light as he heard faint footsteps approach him. Three delinquent-looking men walked up to Joseph, each wearing a different type of smile. One wore a chain around one arm, another with a beanie resting on his head, and the third with a mask covering all of his face except for the eyes.
Chained Man: So what's with the sudden call, Joseph?
Beanie Man: Yeah, I thought we were tryin' to avoid meeting up within da walls of this joint.
The man with the hidden face said nothing, just meeting Joseph with the same, questioning eyes the others met him with. Joseph let out a chuckle before throwing a punch at the wall. He pulled his fist back, the wall having an indent of the fist with cracks forming around it.
Joseph: I am pretty damn pissed right now if you couldn't tell. The Masked Man just lost his match and we haven't made a damn piece of progress finding that damn corpse! I'm so damn sick of this! But that's okay because I just need to win my match and we'll still have our footing in the door.
Beanie Man: Uh huh… Do we still have dat deal wit da Kaisuto Group? You ain't seem to be wit 'em today and you said one of da higher ups approved it.
Joseph: Those useless pieces of money-hungry douchebags are beyond help. I have their funding, but that's not enough. Mother demanded that we move up the ladder of the Eclipse, but Masked has lost all opportunity to do that now that he lost. I can't afford to mess up the same way.
Chained Man: So why did you call us, exactly? Everything you told us seems to deal with you directly.
Joseph: It's because I need you idiots to do something for me. I've been having a few thorns in my side that I just need dealt with.
Beanie Man: Les go talk wit Nicholas, he'd be able to help us out. He pretty high ran-
Joseph: Don't you dare ask him anything! I've seen that bastard's eye. Something off about him, I know it. He's not someone we should blindly ask to support us. Either way, what I'll ask you won't need any of the "high ranks".
Joseph formed air quotes with his fingers as he uttered those last two words. The man with the hidden face rubbed the back of his head as the other two glanced at each other.
Joseph: We need to deal with the weaker guys that made it to the next round. If we can somehow replace them in the tournament, our chances will go up. And we just so happen to have the perfect target for this: Thong Tran.
Beanie Man: Yo chill chill. Ain't dat da the kid who beat one of da Arachnas?
Chained Man: He beat one of the higher-ranking ones, too. The speedster.
Joseph: This is how I can tell you two are idiots. If you paid even a bit of attention to his match, you'd know that that kid is in extreme medical care. His face was practically cut down the middle.
Chained Man: Oho, is that so? Sounds like he's basically at death's door.
The man wearing the beanie pulled a gun out from his pocket, and a smile appeared on his face.
Beanie Man: Cappin dat foo is gonna be way too easy.
Joseph: Exactly. Be careful, however. He's close with fighters from the Virtus Imperium. If the guards catch you at all, they won't hesitate to shoot.
Chained Man: There's no reason to worry. We weren't sent here because we do things publicly. We'll take care of your little problem and see who we can slide in to take his place.
Beanie Man: Ayo, who wazzit dat he was gonna fight again?
Chained Man: Wait, you're right… WASN'T HE GOING TO FIGHT THE HEAD HIMSELF!?
Joseph: I wonder how you guys even got into this group if you didn't think that far ahead. Listen, Theodore and Daymond practically beat each other within an inch of their lives. If we bring in a fighter that hasn't fought recently, we'd be able to simply outlast the guy.
Chained Man: You really thought of it all. Alright, I'm down. We'll go take care of it.
The man with the hidden face nodded and disappeared back into the shadows. The man with the chain-covered arm and the other wearing the beanie stepped back into the darkness, leaving Joseph by himself. He looked up at the light above him with a crude smile.
Joseph: I just need to make sure I hold up my end of things. It won't take too long at all.
…
Jason stood by his entrance, stretching his arms up and down. He felt a slight knot in his shoulder which made him restless behind the emotionless mask of his. He heard a set of footsteps behind him which quickly caught his attention.
Tolman: Ah, young Bellthorne!
Jason: Well look who decided to drop by. I didn't think I'd get a chance to see you here.
Tolman: A man needs to support his business after all, haha!
Jason: I definitely understand that. I'm definitely here to put a good name out for my business.
Tolman: The Basement not getting as many requests as it used to? I would've assumed Peter would have easily been able to pull in customers.
Jason: His capabilities are first grade, but the Eclipse is the biggest supplier of a lot of the underground's business. Under-the-table dealings and whatnot.
Alexia: Yeah, it is one of the highest ranking. I did hear rumors of another underground company getting popular as a source of underground dealings. It's called Erebus or something along those lines.
Tolman: Why yes, I've heard of that organization too! I intend to see if I can have it scouted out to see if any business is even worth it there!
Jason: You really see an opportunity in anything, don't you? Pretty good ethic if you ask me.
Tolman: I can't put all my eggs in one basket now can I? I'll be prepared for whatever large group might overtake the Eclipse. I won't abandon it outright, however.
Tolman placed a hand on Alexia's shoulder, rubbing it as he met his daughter with a smile.
Tolman: Well, I'll move along. As much as I like Jason myself, I know you wish to talk to him more yourself.
Tolman moved closer to Alexia's ear, his expression turning serious.
Tolman: I'll see if I can find Gerald. I don't know what that man is thinking with his actions here.
Tolman turned to Jason, nodded, and walked away. Jason grabbed his right shoulder and began rotating it. Alexia brushed her hair behind her ear.
Alexia: I guess I was overreacting a bit in the first round. You took care of yourself really well there.
Jason: Well, yeah. When it comes to contests of speed, I'm not going to lose to anyone. Shun is a good runner-up, though.
Alexia: But when you get to Cero, be careful, okay?
Jason: You're expecting me to get past Hamadeen and Gonzalez fairly easily and for Cero to get past Daniel. You have really high expectations of us.
Jason let out a laugh from behind his mask.
Jason: Not that I blame you. I definitely know I'm going to face Gonzalez, but Cero is someone I'll be quite unlucky to face. If I'm really lucky, Daniel will somehow win and I'll just need to take him out with ease.
Alexia: So you don't exactly disagree with my statement.
Jason: Oh, not at all. I'm not going into this thinking I'll lose, not the best mindset to have, ya know? I'm aiming to win and finally have business come back to The Basement. And you guys too, of course. You guys did a lot to help me out.
Alexia: Something's off… Is something wrong?
Jason: What? Nooo. Well, I have an annoying knot in my shoulder, but I think I'm getting it. Maybe I should've asked Gonzalez to use his poking powers to help me out.
Alexia: I've seen that tactic before, you're hiding something.
Jason's body shivered as his shoulders became relaxed. Alexia heard a small pop, Jason's posture being extremely relaxed.
Jason: I am. I don't want to say what, but I'm just a bit nervous that it might drag you into this.
Alexia: Drag me into this? What do you mean?
Jason: I don't want to say because it might compromise everything I've helped set up. But I'll say this much; something big is going to happen. Something way bigger than I want to even think about. And if that big thing happens here, I don't think I'll be able to keep my promise.
Alexia: Jason, please, just tell me. If it's this big, if it is this important, let me help.
Jason turned around and grabbed Alexia's shoulders. She stared into the yellow-tinted slits of his mask.
Jason: I don't want to say anything since I'm not a hundred percent sure of it myself. It's eating away at me, but I want to make sure of it first before I drag you or anyone else into it.
Alexia gulped. She couldn't see Jason's face or his eyes, but she could tell that he was serious. Whatever he was holding back from her was clearly tugging at him. She turned away, bringing a fist to her mouth as she let out a cough.
Alexia: I-I see. I guess that's all there is to it.
Jason let go of his hold and stepped back. Alexia leaned forward and pointed a finger at him.
Alexia: But the moment you confirm anything, you better tell me!
She put on an innocent smile, making Jason's heart skip a beat. He turned away from her and back to the ring. He tapped his fingers along the hilt of his sword. He cleared his throat, trying to return his voice to normal.
Jason: Ahem, of course, I'll tell you. I can't have you being worried forever now can I?
Alexia giggled before she regained her composure.
Alexia: Knock 'em dead, tiger. Or I guess a reaper would be better.
Alexia winked at him and walked away. Jason smiled under his mask, his focus returning to the ring ahead of him.
Jason: No point in making her worry now.
The cheers of the crowd grew as the time for the next match approached. Another thread was added to the massive web that held the Eclipse at its core. No fighter was aware of the pieces that would soon come into play and how soon the world would begin to grow dramatically.
Eyes opened within a dark room. They glanced around, the figure sitting up in their bed. They smiled as they saw the lit screen in the corner of the room.
???: Let's see how our little speedster does today. And soon, I can't wait to be able to show off in the ring.
He grabbed a remote, bringing up the volume as the next match began.