"I won!"
Lyra jumped with joy because she chose rock and Seraphine chose scissors.
"I always believed in you, my goddess."
"Stop licking me, Donkey. Gross."
Lyra got showered in saliva.
"Looks like you lost, my friend, Cimento."
Zafrom stuck his tongue out at Cimento. . .
"I played the right way. I didn't want to lose. Stop pulling my hair."
Seraphine tried to pull Cimento's hair, but couldn't find any.
"I know."
Cimento stopped pulling Seraphine's hair and crossed his arms.
"This smells like a scam."
"I didn't cheat. How do you even cheat at rock, paper, scissors?"
I can't even help, since I didn't see the start.
"You don't know how to lose, Cimento. You're always like this. Me and you also saw that naked girl—everyone here did."
"Hey, Zafrom, I didn't see anything."
This ogre dragging me into this mess.
"Hmm. . . Lyra, show me your hands."
Lyra kept her hands behind her back.
"See? There's nothing."
Lyra showed her left hand.
"It's empty."
Lyra started blinking fast, like she had a tic.
Now let me see the right hand.
"No need. This hand here is dirty with demon poop. You don't want to see that, do you?"
She touched me—she shook my hand with that one.
I took a sniff of mine. . .
I feel like vomiting.
"That's fine. I just want to see your hand."
"Let go of my hand, Cimento. Look—there's nothing."
"Gross. What a filthy hand full of crap."
Cimento checked Lyra's hands.
"Sorry, Lyra, but ogres have a reputation for stealing."
Lyra turned her back on Cimento.
"Are you confusing me with that idiot demon?"
I went to wipe my hand on a leaf a few meters away from Lyra, and that's when I saw an object shaped like a die.
What is that? It's shining and it looks like a die.
Better hide it in my bra before anyone. . .
Lyra was staring at me with a desperate face. I pretended I didn't see her.
"Me, a thief? Ha ha ha, Cimento. Despite all our fights, I always respected you, but this time we'll settle it in the ring."
"Let's. . ."
They went to the ring. . .
"Hey, Dorian, you're not going to watch?"
"Kaela, I only have eyes for Arquamassa."
Miserable simp—stay there. . .
"Donkey, let's go watch. I'm dying to see who wins, since Zafrom promised to eat you if he lost."
"Kaela, don't say that. Whose side are you on?"
Today is so beautiful. . .
"Kaela, don't ignore me."
Brick did a great job here. I thought he only had muscles, but this ring. . .
Brick drove four wooden stakes into the ground and made four lines like the ropes of a real ring. Then he put small leaves and same-sized stones on top.
In the ring there's—what is this?
"Nice, my son. You made the ring of dreams."
If this is dreams, I don't want to know what the nightmare is.
"Cimento, your son really knows how to build. Not even my best infernal builder could plan this."
Not even the devil could do this.
Lyra and Seraphine froze.
"What are you thinking? My goddess can handle it."
"Shut up, Donkey."
Lyra is scared, maybe? Even I would be, seeing this horror.
"Hey, Seraphine, are you okay?"
Cimento waved his hands in front of Seraphine's eyes, but the poor girl's soul went offline.
"Well, I guess she's fine. Let's go over the rules. Brick, it's on you."
Brick climbed on top of a rock.
"Bunch of subordinates, listen carefully to the rules."
"Hey—subordinate? What kind of audacity is that?"
He's feeling himself because he built this ring?
"The winning group in odds or evens gets to choose which side of the ring they'll stay on. On the right side we have warm embers, and on the left side we have cactus spines."
I tossed a leaf onto the embers. It evaporated in seconds.
Good thing I didn't get into this.
"That means there will be a time limit of five minutes for each round."
"Five minutes? Ha ha ha."
"Silence. I'm not finished explaining."
Feeling yourself, huh, Brick?
"The theme is: Blood Battle. The theme is free, but the main objective is to attack the opponent, brag, and break down the opponent's rhyme."
"But who will decide the winner?"
Dorian showed up with Brick's mother in his arms.
"Great question, Dorian. The ones who choose the winner will be you—the audience. And leave my mother alone. I already asked you."
"Hey, stop throwing rocks. I didn't do anything to your mother, Brick."
Dorian does crap and I get hit with rocks?
"Where was I?"
"You explained the time, but you didn't highlight the rest, meaning the final explanation."
"Thanks, Dad, for reminding me."
Where is Lyra?
"1, 2, 3. . ."
"That's it, girl. It's important to warm up your body before battle."
Lyra is doing push-ups. . .
"One more, girl."
"I can only do three."
What worries me is Seraphine. Poor thing—she disconnected from reality.
"And whoever leaves before the time is up will become the champion's slave."
What kind of insane rule is that? Where is Brick pulling this from?
"You may enter whoever is going to participate first."
"My son, Seraphine doesn't want to move."
Brick and Cimento threw dirt in Seraphine's face since they don't have water.
No sign of life, but honestly I'd unplug too after seeing this.
"You're her friend, right?"
What does Cimento want?
"I already said I'm her friend."
"Alright, my son. Kaela will participate."
What? I didn't agree to that.
"You damn bald guy, get me out of this—. . ."
Before entering the ring, I looked at Seraphine.
Seraphine, you're going to pay me when this is over. . .