sun had not yet had time to heat the sand, but the stands were filled with people. When Derr appeared, the crowd cheered.
– Hello, friends! – said the king. – I think you know perfectly well why we have gathered today! Yesterday the long-awaited engagement of Prince Manstead to the Morellian Princess Lydia took place.
– Where is the prince himself? – someone shouted from the crowd. Oh, if Derr knew everything about his son!
– He will be later. As expected, extraordinary Games are being held in honor of my son! The first stage is declared open!
The crowd applauded and screamed, in anticipation of blood and other people’s pain. Behind someone else’s suffering, one’s own is not felt so keenly.
«As you know, gentlemen,» said the king’s dwarf assistant, «in the first round, our dear guests,» the host smiled wryly at the last word, and the crowd laughed in unison, «will meet the best fighters.» Guards, lead the first participant!
The first «volunteer» had to be pushed into the middle of the arena. He grabbed the bars of the bars, but the muscular guard was stronger. The crowd applauded.
– And he will come out against him… Who do you think could be the opponent of this brave fighter? – the audience laughed. – We can’t insult guests by offering them weaklings to fight?! So who is this man?
– Scull? – was heard from the podium. Derr smiled mysteriously. Watching the dwarf presenter.
– Will there be any other options? – asked the dwarf.
– Squall?
– It’s hot. But not him.
– Is it really Bonecrusher?
– Exactly! – said the presenter.
– Bonecrusher! – the crowd chanted. – Bonecrusher! Bonecrusher! Hooray! Bonecrusher!
A huge muscleman came out, over two meters tall, with a bull skull on his head with huge horns. He raised his mace-free hand up.
– Bonecrusher! Bonecrusher! Bonecrusher!
The prisoner was not even given a weapon. The giant threw a ball, tied at one end to his hand, covered with spikes, and hit him in the chest. Scarlet blood flowed. The «volunteer» groaned in pain. The crowd cheered louder. Bonecrusher hit him again, this time with his fist in the head. The poor guy fell on the sand. The dwarf turned over the hourglass and began to scrupulously count the grains of sand. When the last one falls, the prisoner’s fate is sealed. We are all in her hands. But the fighter did not give up. He tried to get up, but was hit by another blow from the Bonecrusher. When the last grain of sand fell, the dwarf looked at Derr. There are two pictures above the royal box. One depicts a smiling man, the other a hanged man. The king pointed to the one on the right, and the leader turned the long arrow towards the doomed man. Derr nodded in agreement. Bonecrusher lowered his mace onto the prisoner’s head.
– Bonecrusher! Bonecrusher!
– What kind of savages? – Still asked, watching the fight from behind bars, «We ended with these wild customs about five hundred years ago!»
«People always remain beasts,» said Nermall, «Even if they play at being noble.» Once hypocrisy is removed, the animals come out.
– But are these people? Herd!
– This is true. It doesn’t hurt me to talk about this.
– Nermall, we’re not like that, are we? I hope we don’t end up like beasts?
The former pirate remained silent. He’s already done it, and not just once. But there was something human left in him. What forced me to pull myself together and return to human form. But Nermall guessed how these kinds of fights usually ended. But Stilla did not want to upset him ahead of time.
– Bring another one! – Bonecrusher growled in a broken voice.
– Guards? – the dwarf squeaked.
They brought out another prisoner. This one was more courageous than the previous one. He raised both hands up, copying the Bonecrusher gesture. The crowd applauded.
Bonecrusher threw a spiked ball, but the fighter dodged. He ran around the hulking thug from behind. Pouncing from behind, he bit her ear. Everyone was silent, waiting for how this bloody race would end.
Bonecrusher hit the impudent man on the head with his mace as hard as he could. The guy swayed and fell on the sand. Derr pointed to a picture of a hanged man, thereby sealing the fate of the loser.
– Next! – Bonecrusher shouted.
This time the lot fell on Nermall.
– Teacher, you are… Be careful.
– We are all in the hands of Fate. If you are ordered to die, you cannot escape death. And I’m lucky in this regard – I’ve already stayed alive forty times, you see, and this time fortune is on my side!
The audience laughed – it seemed that the fate of this prisoner was predetermined. Bonecrusher has twisted other people into a ram’s horn!
But it was not there! The old pirate met larger enemies, and in greater numbers.
– What, the bull’s skull put on its own face, I suppose? And the horns are adorable! How often do you leave your wifey at home? «Bonebreaker roared, his knuckles turning blue with anger. – I know, often. I have two news for you. Good: your wife is doing great. And the bad one is about the horns.
The flexible Nermall easily dodged the flying ball. With unprecedented agility for his age, he ran behind the big man. Nermall threw a stone and hit the thug in the ass. He roared even louder. He is clumsy, so while the big man was turning around, Nermall again found himself behind him.
– That’s right, not «Bonebreaker», but «Cuckold»
– I’ll get you, you old asshole!
– Or «Unicorn»? although there are two horns. Still, «Bull» would be a better fit.
– I love you!
They circled like this for a quarter of an hour. The bonebreaker triggered an invisible mechanism, and several spikes flew out of the mace. One of them hit Nermall in the leg.
– Now you won’t be so fast!
The big man was spinning his mace. Nermall, meanwhile, bent down to take the spike out of his leg.
– And you and your wife can only use a mace? I’m not surprised that she cuckolds you. Look, the longer you stay here, the longer the horns will grow!
– Yes, I can see you without a mace! I’ll get it with my bare hands! I’ll strangle you!
The crowd screamed. Bonecrusher dropped his mace onto the sand and walked towards Nermall, clenching his fists. Nermall plunged a spike into Bonecrusher’s leg. Crawling, he reached the mace. The big man barely had time to come to his senses when the mace hit him. He fell on the sand. Nermall stood on his back. The dwarf immediately turned over the hourglass.
– Bonecrusher! – lonely voices are heard from the crowd. The others shout:
– Old man!
The crowd loves the heroes while they’re on the horse. It’s better not to trust the smiles of fans, they sometimes betray. When the last grain of sand fell, the king pointed to the hanged man. But Nermall dropped his mace and hands. The dwarf whispered:
– Come on, kill him!
– Kill! – shouted from the crowd. – Kill! Kill!
Nermall shook his head.
Derr stood up from the throne and said:
– What’s your name, hero?
– They