John – Alright, let's stay calm... (said John with a trembling voice).
?? – AHAHAHAHAHAHA! I was expecting a lot of reactions, but "let's stay calm"? That's a good one.
(The knife was removed from his throat, and suddenly, she moved in front of him.)
Ciny – My name's Ciny. Go ahead, shake my hand.
(She extended the side with the missing arm.)
Ciny – Oh, my bad. Wrong arm.
(John felt awkward, unsure if he should laugh or feel sorry for her missing arm.)
Ciny – Hey, I made a joke… You were supposed to laugh. Now I feel like I ruined the mood.
(John snaps out of it and shakes her good hand.)
John – My name's John. Sorry, I didn't know if I should laugh. AHAHA
Ciny – No problem. Well, if neither of us dies, we're going to have a good time here. So, we might as well be friends.
John – I agree. Could you explain how this works, by the way?
Ciny – You came here without knowing how it works? Bold. I like it. AHAHAHA.
John – It's... complicated. AHAHAHA.
Ciny – Well, to summarize, it's an elimination format. If you die, you're out. There are several brackets, so let's pray we don't end up in the same one — that way we won't have to kill each other.
John – Agreed.
Ciny – The brackets should be posted once the number of participants reaches the limit, so all we can do is wait.
(Silence fell for a moment. John, trying to lighten the mood, started a conversation.)
John – So... how did you lose your arm?
Ciny – You shouldn't ask a woman about her appearance… That offended me.
John – Ah, sorry... I didn't mean to—
Ciny – I'm kidding, silly! You're not very funny, are you?
John – Ah... sorry.
Ciny – If we're gonna stay friendly, stop apologizing, alright?
John – Okay!
Ciny – Well, to answer your question, I lost it in a bar bet.
John – You lost your arm in a bar bet?!
Ciny – You should've seen how the other guy ended up. AHAHAHAHA.
John – I'm kinda scared now.
Ciny – You should be. I'm joking again. Do you believe everything people tell you?
John – If I trust the person.
Ciny – We've known each other for less than two minutes. How can you trust me already?
John – Who said I did?
Ciny – AHAHAHA, Touché.
(Ciny yawns.)
Ciny – Well, I'm a bit sleepy, stallion. Would you keep watch for a bit? Now that there are two of us, it's easier for me to rest.
John – Of course!
Ciny – Try not to do anything to me, silly. A beautiful woman like me alone with a young guy... Oh, I'm so scared.
John – If you wanted to kill me, you'd have done it already.
Ciny – You're right.
(Ciny turns to the side and goes to sleep. After some time, a group of people comes to the cell and sees Ciny sleeping while John keeps watch. They speak to John.)
Bandit – Hey kid, how about stepping out of the cell and letting us have a little fun with the lady? You know how it is — lots of guys in here and few women. Gotta take advantage. You could even get a share.
John – What? Get the hell out of here before I lose my temper.
Bandit – Or what? There's more of us.
(John gets angry and shoots a blast of mana, vaporizing one of them.)
Bandit – GET HIM!
(The other three charge at John. Just then, Ciny slashes one of their necks with insane speed, lunges at another, and starts stabbing his gut. The last one tries to go for her, but John fires another blast of blue mana that takes his head off.)
Ciny (licking the blood off her knife) – Turns out you're not bad, kid.
John (a bit scared) – Th-thanks...
(John thinking to himself)
"This girl is completely insane... but somehow, I kinda like that?"