Meeting the generals

That night, a banquet was held to celebrate the tournament's first day.

During the feast, we were introduced to the four Generals we'd face starting the next day.

The first to introduce himself was the weirdest of them all.

"Pleasure. My name is Edward, though most know me as the Boto Rosa," the weirdo announced.

He had pink skin, two small white horns on his forehead, and a thick beard trimmed to look natural yet perfectly symmetrical.

His green hair, combined with the pink skin, made him even stranger. He wore a pristine white linen suit and a stylish Panama hat.

"Aren't you going to tell the story behind the name Boto Rosa?" the Queen asked.

"Oh, my sweet Queen Lilith, if you insist, I'd be delighted to share this ancient anecdote," the weirdo replied.

Sebastian didn't seem pleased that one of the generals called Lilith "Queen," though he was the only one who still insisted on referring to her as "Princess."

"She doesn't want to hear that story for the thousandth time. She's just hurrying you along since you'd tell it anyway," Sabrina muttered—loudly enough for everyone to hear.

Clearly, she wasn't fond of him either. Boto Rosa ignored her and launched into his tale, which the demons present had apparently heard ad nauseam.

"There's a place called Brazil, a tropical paradise. Everyone should visit it someday."

The story threatened to drag on, but Sebastian saved us: "Give us the short version, Edward. We don't have all night."

"Well… This region had rivers full of exotic creatures, each stranger than the last…"

He almost veered off-topic, but Sebastian's glare brought him back.

"Fine, fine. Long story short: I disguised myself as a pink dolphin to swim through the rivers. Whenever I needed directions, I'd return to this glorious form…" He struck a pose, as if showcasing a masterpiece.

If he kept this up, I'd lose my patience.

"…And when I emerged from the waters, naked, with all my 'attributes' on display, the locals couldn't resist my charms. A simple question turned into a night of lust."

Did anyone actually find him attractive? Judging by Mary's gaze, yes.

"Oddly, you only ever asked young, beautiful—preferably married—women for directions," Sebastian pointed out.

"What can I say? Fate knows my preferences," Boto Rosa replied, oozing narcissism.

"I became a legend: the 'Boto Cor-de-rosa.' In honor of those who appreciate true beauty, I adopted the name. At your service." He kissed Mary's hand.

Really, Mary? This is your type?

"If that's the short version, I don't want to hear the long one," I'd never agreed with the Elf more

After the weirdo came the twin dark elves.

They were short, which wasn't a common trait for elves, but for some reason we had three of them gathered there.

They were emo and goth, I don't know the difference. Straight black hair, with bangs covering their eyes.

They weren't my type, but it could be an interesting experience if it involved both of them.

They didn't seem very excited to be there.

"Aren't you going to introduce yourselves?" Sebastian prompted after an awkward silence.

"Hi," one said with a lazy wave.

"'Sup," the other added.

From a chatterbox to monosyllables. Sebastian took over:

"These are Eldrin and Lorithas."

Sylph scoffed disdainfully as Sebastian introduced them. Was there racial tension there? Not exactly.

Dark elves and high elves always fought, but... over curry.

"After so long, they still insist on this nonsense out there?" Eldrin (or Lorithas?) sneered.

"Who puts coconut milk in curry? What are you thinking?" Sylph shot back.

"Without coconut milk, it's not even curry!" The other twin shot back.

That discussion could have dragged on for hours, so I quickly intervened.

"Can we table this? The food's getting cold," I cut in before it escalated into an epic debate.

The fourth general was Sebastian himself, so no introduction was needed.

The dinner passed without incident. Apart from the fact that Mary spent the night flirting with the weirdo, Sylph spent the night discussing Curry recipes with the twins and the Queen and Sabrina enjoyed the typical cuisine of the Abyss, nothing much happened.

Dining with people who might kill you tomorrow isn't exactly pleasant.

The generals warned us: they'd fight mercilessly, as they were immortal and would revive. We, however, wouldn't get that luxury.

Only at the end of dinner did something noteworthy happen.

Sebastian waited until I was alone so we could talk. He wasn't very subtle, so I quickly realized he didn't want the Queen to hear the conversation.

"Today during the fight, an instant before your final blow, I could perceive a small interference in space time." Sbatian began to explain.

Had he been able to perceive that Yezharael had summoned me to his domain?

I tried to keep a poker face. I still didn't know if I could trust Sabatian with this kind of information.

"Were you summoned by Yezharael? I could perceive that you are different after that fight." He finally asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I lied.

I think he realized I was lying, I'm not that good of a liar. But he didn't press the issue.

I need to have a serious talk with Queen, all the secrets she's been trying to keep are starting to make me worried.

And so dinner ended. The next day would be long. Our lives would be at risk. I couldn't help but feel anxious.

If you were expecting a "steamy" chapter after the last cliffhanger, I'm sorry to disappoint. I needed to prepare for battle. A night with the Queen would be… exhausting.