Chapter 4: Selection

CLANGG...CLANGG....

The sound of metal bars colliding filled the dungeon walls, Red looked towards the outside.

"What's going on now?"

Mikah lets out a sigh, cradling his hand through his hair. 

"They're as annoying as ever. Sigh... I guess it's time for 'that' already." He stands up, stretching his lengthy limbs.

"What's 'that'?

Her eyes followed him as he stood up. Her hand moves to secure her on the wall behind and she stands up too. 

"It's the selection process, Tsk. Damn annoying."

Mikah grips the back of his neck, shifting his head left and right to loosen the stiffness he felt.

"Selection process?"

Red looks over to Mikah as he heads towards the cell bars and leans against one, his eyes focused outside. 

"Yeah, about three times a week ten people from every cell level are chosen to go out and fight- no, more accurately to die." His eyes narrow as three soldiers and a prison guard, bulky builds and armor come into view. Two carrying swords with the last carrying a spear and the guard holding a metal bat that he hit against the steel bars.

"OI, LISTEN UP!"

The soldier with the spear stepped forward, his voice roaring through the whole cell block. "Today's yer lucky day, all whose been wishing to die, yer wishes' come true." He said with a snicker, the other soldiers behind him smirked. 

"Who are they?"

Red walks over to the cell door, looking through, next to Mikah.

"Escorts to the pits of hell."

Mikah smirks, crossing his arms as he leans against the cell bars. The prison guard opened a few cells at the top, dragging out whoever they wanted. Screams and pleas filled the cells as they were dragged away, a woman tried to claw at one of the soldier's faces in retaliation but was met with a brutal fist to the fast, knocking her to the ground where her head split open on an upturned stone. Her eyes rolled back as she spasmed helplessly on the floor, blood gushing from her open head. 

"Ah f**k! The damn b**ch, now she is dead. Shit..."

The other soldiers laughed, at the sight, dragging off their chosen prisoners while the guard stayed behind. The soldier stomped heavily in the woman's face until it was a mess of dirt and blood and broken and distorted features. With every heavy stomp, the soldier grunted, the woman's blood splatting on his boots and with a final groan, life left the woman. Satisfied the soldier smirked, he glanced at the others in the cell.

"Hah... That's better, it's a lot more quiet now.'

"You can take one from the cells to the back."

The guard grips the soldier on his shoulder, he then points to the darker section of the cell block. "There are some good ones down there." The soldier huffed, heading down to the further cells. With every cell he passed a glance at, the prisoners retreated, not daring to look. He then locks eyes with Mikah, still standing there with his hands crossed and his expression cold.

"The f**k are you looking at?"

The soldier spits out, annoyed at the look on Mikah's face. But unlike the others, Micah would rush to the back of his cell or look away.

"An idiot. A violent one."

Mikah smirks, his tone mocking and indifferent. The guard clenches his jaw, pissed off even more. 

"Huh? You think you're something just because you beat a Sage Lion?"

"No, you just asked what I was looking at and I responded."

The guard felt his anger boiling over, he flings open the cell bars, stomping inside. He grabs Mikah by the collar and slams him against the bars. 

"NN-cough...cough...Pissed off much? Aren't you people taught how to handle things without violence?"

 Mikah kept his smirk, the guard balled his fist and slammed his fist into Mikah's stomach. He curls over, the wind knocked out of him and he drops to the floor, clutching his stomach. 

"Wheeze---cough...agh..." 

"You're lucky you fought already or else I would have thrown you into the damn pit myself."

The guard spits out, he moves his bloodied boot to the top of Mikah's head, twisting and pressing and wiping his shoes into Mikah's hair. "Know your f**king place." The guard's eyes snap to Red, his jaw clenched as he sees her expressionless look at Mikah. "The hell did you come from?"

"..."

She didn't respond, her eyes on Mikah still.

Oi, I'm talking to you."

He moves his foot off Mikah's head and walks over to her. He grabs the collar of her shirt, gripping her so tightly he lifts her off the ground. "I ain't seen your face before. You're new here huh? Now that I look at ya..." His eyes drop down on her, trailing her uncomfortably. "You ain't half bad. Short hair or kids ain't my thing but, clean skin and you got a nice mouth on ya too, I'll make an exception." He moves one of his hands to her chin, his thumb tracing her lower lip, his lips curled into a cruel smirk. "Looks like you're a fallen noble eh? I never done it with a noble before." He tosses her to the ground, his hands moving to his belt. "I guess I have to make this quick since those f**kers will be back soon."

"..."

Red's face remained expressionless, looking up at her. "Who says I'll let you have your way?" The guard laughs, pulling off the belt. 

"You really are new, huh, let me tell you how this runs. In here, we are the gods and you're our servants. If I want to beat, kill, harass, or rape you, you have no choice but to humbly accept it."

He suddenly grabs her throat and pins her to the ground, she struggles against his sudden grip, her hands grasping his forearm. "Scream, cry, resist, no one will save you, and besides, I like a bit of resistance." She felt as if her windpipe was being crushed by the force of his grip. He laughed like a maniac as he ripped her dress. "Go on! Cry! Scream! Beg! Let me see you-" Suddenly the cell fills with the sound of cleanly ripped flesh and a thud. The cell goes quiet for a moment and the guard looks down to see blood gushing and pouring down from his cleanly cut right arm. "..What---AAAGGGGHHH! MY ARM! EEUGGHHH!"

"Tsk. Don't do that shit in front of me."

Mikah was now standing with a bloodied long dagger. His eyes filled with murderous intent. The guard falls to his back, writhing in pain as he grips what is left of his arm. 

"KUEEK----HHHHGGGG"

Mikah sighs, rolling his eyes. 

"Tsk. Tsk. Can't even handle a little wound like that? Don't be such a p**sy." He then smirks, toying with the bloodied dagger. "First you almost knock me out, then you wipe your nasty shoes into my hair and then you try to rape a girl in front of me. Honestly, where is the respect?" He looked over to red whose torso and dress were now covered in blood. He thinks for a moment before taking off his top-layer jacket and throwing it to her. "Cover up, after you clean up the blood first." She nods, moving to the other corner of the cell. Mikah looks down at the soldier, now crying on the ground, gripping his arm desperately. 

"Aghhh...it hurts...It hurts...eeugh..."

Mikah chuckles, walks over to the guard, and kneels close to him.

"Of course it does, I never did it for it to not. That's boring. Now then, it's time for you to go to a place far away." With a sadistic smirk, he grips the leg of the soldier, pulling him back as he tries to crawl away. Mikah clutches the dagger before thrusting it through his neck. The guard's eyes widened, the sound of blood gurgling and tissues and muscles ripping filled the cell, his eyes rolled back as she suffocated. Mikah smirks and pushes the dagger deeper as the guard weakly tries to resist. "Night, night." His smirk drops to a cold, overwhelming look, his eyes resembling those of a killer. Red watches him from the other side, her eyes unable to move away from him, glued to his bloodied figure.

This boy is a psycho. A damn psycho...