"Welcome, Donkey."
All the men in the nightclub greeted Donkey as if he were family. They offered him a drink and talked about something related to two women in danger.
I was surprised that the donkey could drink and hold the cup with his hooves.
But I don't want to get involved in anyone's trouble, so I'll pretend I'm sleeping to throw them off.
"Brick, who will be my opponent?"
Donkey asked the announcer.
Donkey's voice is different from the men in that nightclub.
The announcer put his left arm around the donkey's neck as if hugging him. He breathed for a few moments, trying to build suspense.
"My friend, this year you're going to face a woman."
At that moment, I opened my eyes and saw the donkey spit the drink into the announcer's face, because he got scared when he heard that a woman was his opponent.
"A woman?"
Donkey spat the rest of the alcohol.
"Yes, a woman."
The announcer wiped his face with a floor rag.
Oh no, the announcer is going to reveal my location and the donkey will want to challenge me. I imagined that, almost crying.
The donkey asked the announcer where I was.
"She's sitting on that chair."
They looked at the chair, but they didn't find me.
The donkey started laughing at the announcer's face, saying,
"You're drunk."
The announcer didn't like that Donkey was joking.
"But it's true, you can ask any man in this nightclub."
Chirp, chirp!
I could only hear a cricket singing, because all the men had passed out from the alcohol.
The donkey came closer to the announcer, put his right hoof on the announcer's shoulder, and tried to comfort him.
"Pour me some of that drink, I need to forget some things."
But before the announcer could curse at the donkey, both of them looked at me with an expression like: let's pretend we aren't seeing you lying on the floor.
I threw myself near Brick so they would think I passed out after getting slapped by the woman.
I got up pretending nothing had happened, sat on the chair, and positioned my arm for the duel.
". . ."
"You pretended to be sleeping?"
Both of them yelled into the microphone and ran over to me. The donkey sat down in the chair to challenge me. I looked away and clenched my fist so I wouldn't participate.
How did he sit down? That's scary.
I felt breathing behind me.
"Seraphine, I believe in you."
The announcer whispered in my ear, and I got startled.
Donkey leaned back in the chair, struck a superior pose, and started talking.
"Your name is Seraphine?"
"Yes, and yours is Donkey?" The moment I called him that, his behavior changed. He put his hoof on the table and answered,
"I'm not a Donkey, I'm a Horse."
"How am I supposed to know the difference between a donkey and a horse?"
Those words slipped out, and I covered my mouth immediately. But the donkey didn't let it slide and fired back,
"When I saw you, I thought you were a man."
Why did he think that? I checked if something was wrong with my body, but I didn't find anything.
The announcer got curious and asked,
"Why did you think she was he?"
"Because of the small boobs."
The announcer stepped away and said,
"I'm going to drink some water."
"I'm against violence. Let's solve this with an arm-wrestling match, or are you not strong enough to beat me?"
I provoked him.
No one has ever talked to me like that, so I'm not going to let a donkey offend me. Never.
The donkey frowned and snapped back.
"You've got guts. I thought you were a helpless little girl."
He said those words, but why is he trembling? That intrigued me.
"Ladies and gentlemen, an epic battle is about to begin, one that will change the fate of the world!"
What is this announcer talking about?
"Weighing thirty-nine kilos and one meter fifty-nine tall, afraid of the dark—Seraphine!"
So that's why he wanted my information.
After he exposed my past, embarrassment stabbed me. But luckily, most of the men were sleeping.
"Seraphine is afraid of the dark."
"Who's afraid of the dark?"
"Seraphine."
"Why did you wake up at the wrong time?"
I wanted to curse, but…
They woke up at the worst moment.
What is this donkey going to think of me? He must be laughing.
When I looked, I saw him eating grass. Is he serious?
"Weighing two hundred kilos, likes women, and dreams of being a rock star—Donkey!"
Everyone in the nightclub applauded him.
Donkey stood up like he was the boss of the place and thanked them.
"Thanks, friends. You know I don't like compliments—please don't stop clapping."
He's a con artist. He loves being praised. That's the truth…
Meanwhile I was thinking: rock star and likes women. I can't take that seriously.
I started laughing.
Seeing me smiling, Donkey warned,
"Someone here is trying to conspire against me."
"Let's finish this already. I introduced both finalists and now—the duel!"
The music was turned off and the men started watching the final duel. Now, forty-nine were cheering for the donkey and one for me. They switched sides. They must think my opponent is strong.
They're worse than snakes, that's what they are.
Even with zero chance of winning, I want to win.
Holding Donkey's hoof, I struggled to win. But he's strong. When I saw him trembling, I thought it was fear. The bastard was just pretending so I'd get confident.
While I still wasn't losing, I heard some strange whispers.
"Where's my share of the money?"
"We agreed to split the bribe."
"Yes, I know that, but someone took all the cash."
"I'm not cheering for him anymore. I'm cheering for the girl. I didn't get paid."
Someone had paid the men to support Donkey.
I can't believe it. Who was the idiot?
"Don't hit me!"
They wanted to hit the announcer for some reason.
"It was you who took the money that Donkey was going to split so we'd support him in his victory."
My first rival—the one I beat—was furious, with a sublime desire to hit someone.
"Yes, Donkey was going to split the money, but he didn't give me the money!"
They didn't question Donkey. After the announcer pointed at him, they just punched him and he fell far away. Some people, even though they had been fooled, didn't accept the punch thrown at Donkey.
"Why did you hit my friend?!"
They started pushing the person who hit the donkey.
Others who were friends with that guy joined in to defend him. So it became twenty-four versus twenty-four.
Realizing the mess that was about to happen, I went under the table.
Punches started flying. Men were thrown onto tables. Teeth rolled toward me.
"Hey, Brick, come here."
I saw him crawling so he wouldn't get beaten by the lunatics.
"Is it always like this with these men?"
I wanted an answer.
"Yes. Sometimes it's worse."
"Do you know that donkey?"
After that, Donkey got thrown onto the table where I was hiding with Brick. The table broke and Donkey fell on top of us, neighing.
"I'm not a Donkey."
You're a horse, we know.
Everyone stopped to laugh at the situation. They calmed down and came to help us up.
"Is everyone okay?"
Cement was the last to wake up and didn't even see what happened.
It wasn't a beautiful scene. Teeth flew, blood everywhere, men moaning in pain. Not a single table survived. The chairs were still normal.
". . ."
The announcer arranged some chairs for us to sit. We made a circle around Brick's mother.
"Weren't we going to talk? So why did we form this circle around his mother?"
I'm destroyed from so many crazy events.
"She's a member of the family."
The announcer put his hands on his waist.
The circle formed, and inside it were: me, the announcer, Cement, Brick, and Donkey.
"Hey, Cement, is Donkey family?"
I nudged him to know.
"Yes."
He only whispered.
"What are we doing in this circle?"
I'm a little curious.
"It's a meeting about the current state of Zenca Forest."
"Then let's start the meeting. I request everyone's cooperation."
"We know Zenca Forest is formed by three groups. The first is ours, the Men's Club. The second is Altus Pervertus's, through the ogres. And the last is formed by a group of women, whose people remain anonymous."
Cement paused for a few seconds and continued…
"I think they're controlled by the Demon King's army, just like Altus Pervertus's group, since that idiot doesn't know how to do anything."
I'm not getting involved in this mess. I just lowered my head.
"You know that not long ago I was captured by Altus Pervertus, right when I was about to get married."
Donkey sighed.
"Married!"
I said it loud without meaning to.
I can't believe he had a wife.
"Good thing it wasn't with you."
Donkey spat on the ground.
What did he mean by that?
"No fighting, please. Let's keep the conversation on track."
Cement used his authority to hold us back.
"Well, you know Altus has been summoning humans from another world into ours. I don't know how that charlatan does it."
"That voice and light were this Altus Pervertus you're talking about."
I asked them.
"Looks like you really aren't from here. Your clothes and the way you communicate give you away."
Cement stood up and told me that.
I lowered my head, remembering what Brick had told me when we arrived: that I should say I'm from ASTERIUM.
It didn't matter, since I gave my information to the announcer.
"When you arrived here, who did you see first?"
"I saw your son, Brick."
I didn't even look at Cement.
"I understand. Then that changes things."
"I'm not finished yet." The donkey wants to say more.
"Actually, I didn't run from Altus Pervertus. What happened is that a girl saved me, because I was about to be roasted like a pig."
He started crying as he remembered the scene.
Brick tried to comfort him.
"Why did they want to roast him?"
He would make a great barbecue, honestly.
He breathed for a few seconds and…
"It's because I laughed when Altus Pervertus's toilet broke after he kicked it."
Everyone laughed after hearing that. I got lost in the conversation.
"Toilet? What do you mean?"
Does this donkey have mental problems?
"That idiot thinks the toilet is a celestial throne and he keeps carrying it everywhere."
Cement said that, furious.
"And the girl—who was she? How did she save you from being roasted?"
The announcer jumped into the conversation at the right moment.
But why talk into the microphone? I started laughing.
"She's so beautiful, a goddess on this land. She saved me using her bow and arrow. Her voice is as soft as birds singing."
He described it like he was in love.
"I thought you were a donkey, not cattle."
I mocked him because of what happened when the table broke and he fell on me.
He turned his face and ignored me.
"Where is that girl?"
Brick asked.
"She stayed at the place where I was trapped to save another girl, but it's full of ogres because it's Altus's territory. I couldn't do anything."
He's a liar. He probably ran as soon as he got freed.
Cement stood up and announced to everyone,
"Decide what we're going to do."
Oh no, I don't want to go there. I'll die.
"Let's have one more and forget about it."
He went straight to the bar and started filling himself with alcohol.
Everyone agreed to drink and followed him.
What a whiplash that was.
Donkey didn't go with him, and neither did Brick. We stayed in silence, exchanging looks.
"I request help from you two to save those girls."
Donkey was asking for our help, but I'm scared and clumsy. What can I do?
Brick spoke up.
"I can't go. I have to take care of my mother."
He hugged her happily, since the championship ended in disaster.
If it were my mother, I would do the same. I remembered my mother cutting hair.
When I looked back at Donkey, he was waiting for my answer.
Easy, I can't do anything. Doesn't he notice that?
"Come with me. I know you can help me save them."
Walking toward me, he said that.
"I don't know how to use weapons and I'm not good at anything. I'm clumsy and I trip on everything."
I hope he understands.
"No need to be modest. I saw how strong you are."
Is he trying to trick me or is he telling the truth?
Me, strong? I gave a small sideways laugh. Even so, I always like to help.
"Fine. I'll go with you."
At that moment he went to tell Cement he was leaving, but when he saw them passed out on the floor after drinking again, Donkey got angry.
"They only know how to drink."
"Let's go. I don't want to stay here anymore. Get on my back."
He asked me to climb on him.
"Wait. Before we go, I want to do something."
I told him to wait. There's something I want to do.
I asked Brick if he had scissors. He asked why. I said that at the right time he would know.
Today I will lighten their burdens.
". . ."
"I'm done. Let's go." I called Donkey to leave.
Brick froze at what he saw in the nightclub.
"Seraphine, why did you do that?"
I eased those men's burden, I thought.
Before we left, I grabbed a sword that was behind the bar.
"You know how to use that sword?"
Donkey asked me.
"I don't."
After that, I climbed onto him and ordered him to run to the place. While we ran through the forest, I noticed how wonderful the environment is.
Trees of many colors, animals I've never seen, sweet flower scents filling my mind with imagination. It feels like an RPG.
"Hey, those men watched you. You messed with the wrong people."
Is he trying to teach me a moral lesson?
I breathed in the fresh forest air while the sunlight warmed my body, and I answered, "Yes, they watched me—not in anger, but to thank me for what I did."
"You want the same?"
"No. I'll let it slide."
That's a shame.
". . ."
"It's here, we arrived!"
He was out of breath after running nonstop.
"Easy, breathe a little. I know you ran a lot."
I comforted him for his effort.
Yeah, maybe he really is a horse. Maybe.
When we reached the place, I noticed countless debris scattered everywhere and bodies all over.
What happened here?
I lifted my head to read the sign that said: YOUR PAIN IS OUR PLEASURE.
After reading the sign, I fell to the ground.
My heart jumped, and in that moment, I wanted to go back to the Men's Club.
"You're crazy. What place is this that you brought me to?"
I started pulling his ear.
Suddenly, I heard two voices asking who I was.
My name is Seraphine.
I think they're the two girls Donkey talked about.
My God, what happened to them?
One is completely naked, and the other looks like a truck ran her over.
Creak, creak!
"I'm hearing noise in that direction."
Donkey noticed someone in the bushes. I hid behind him, but he pushed me.
Could it be an ogre? I thought.
Creak, creak!
Aaaaaaaaaahhh,
A boy came out of the forest running and came toward us, but he tripped on a stone.
So we asked:
"Who are you?"
"My name is Dorian."