Adargon's eyes were bloodshot. His face twitched more and more. He grit his teeth and clenched his fist around his knee.

He was sitting down with his legs crossed and now both of his hands were gripping his knees as if they were the edge of a cliff with jagged rocks awaiting below. He forced a smile but was clearly struggling.

Then, he blinked.

A groan of disappointment arose from the makeshift crowd around him, and the fish man fell backwards and sprawled out on his back.

"How is he so good." he complained.

Murmurs of agreement arose in the crowd. Then, a single voice called out, "Wait, Gzemnid. You've got a ton of eyes, you've got to be great at this!"

"Yeah, you have to face him!" Another voice added.

"Definitely! You're our only chance to break his streak!" Howled another voice.

"Most of my eyes have no eyelids," Gzemnid remarked as she floated above the crowd. "But I think even I would stand no chance against him."

Adargon rolled over onto his stomach and slammed his fist into the ground. "No!" He roared. "You can't give up before you've even tried, and we can't let this outsider claim the title without a true challenge!"

The portly woman covered in eyes smiled with her mouth full of bloody, jagged, and above all, sharp, teeth. "You do seem quite committed to this. But I've never competed before."

Adargon swallowed his pride as he turned his head away from her. "I know...this should be my burden to bear. I am the inheritor of his will after all, but..."

He fell onto his hands and knees and slammed his webbed fist into the hard ground again. "But I...I'M NOT STRONG ENOUGH!" he cried out as he lifted his head up to the heavens.

A single, salty, tear fell down his cheek as he slumped down defeated. "He trusted me to protect his legacy, and to lose it so easily. I...I just don't want to see his kingdom thrown away to someone I just met today. At least with you, it hurts but I've known you for ages."

Gzemnid smiled cruelly. "Poor little Adargon." She cooed. "Wants to be strong so badly, and yet he constantly overestimates his own skills. Just like he valued you far above your worth."

A hush had fallen over the crowd. They pushed to have her take on the challenge, but her demeaning responses, and Adargon's heartfelt plea seemed to stun them silent.

As she mocked him, Adargon just sat there with his shoulders slumped towards the ground. Even his forehead lure seemed to be dimmer than usual as it dangled in front of his face.

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Gzemnid floated down and set her foot on the actual ground in front of Adargon. "I do enjoy seeing you prostate yourself before me. So, I think I shall grant your request."

Murmurs of hesitant approval rose up in the crowd while the fish man still didn't move.

Finally, he squeaked out. "Just like that?"

She smiled broadly. It really showed off her gruesome teeth. "Well, just one more thing. I'm sure you won't mind." she moved her foot closer to him. "Kiss it."

Adargon clenched his fists and glared up at her from his bowed position. Fury burned in his eyes. "What did you say," he whispered.

"Kiss. My. Foot."

She paused a moment, and then added, "And, say please."

He pulled back his arm, as if he was about to punch her, but as he was about to swing it forward, he jerked to a stop. His body shook, and he forced both of his hands down to the ground on either side of her foot.

With a look of disgust on his face, he lowered his fish lips down towards her foot. He trembled slightly, and under his breath whispered, "For him..."

Mwah

Immediately afterwards, Adargon recoiled back and began spitting and gagging off to the side. While Gzemnid just started to laugh uproariously.

"I can't believe it!" She squealed. "You actually did it! So gross!"

"You're the one who wanted it!" He gagged. Then he slapped some composure into himself and called out. "Whatever! I did what you wanted, now compete to defend the title!" He paused a moment, and then grunted out an extended, "pleeeeeeeease?"

Slowly, Gzemnid stopped laughing. She looked down at Adargon with smug satisfaction. "No. I don't think I will."

"You what!" he howled as his fists clenched in anger again.

"You heard me." She scoffed. "I won't do your stupid little game. It's far too demeaning for a goddess such as myself."

"Dude." Adargon spat out in disbelief. "You promised!"

"I lied." She replied simply.

The crowd was stunned. After everything that happened, she was just going to walk away? This was just a game to her? She pushed Adargon to prostrate himself and beg, but she still wouldn't help him out? Unbelievable.

Adargon wasn't stunned. Quite the opposite. The indignation seemed to have pushed him to action. "I'm not asking." he hissed. "You're going to compete. You just get to decide how many of those eyes of yours I turn black first!"

She smiled condescendingly down at Adargon. "You can't defend your title, and want to claim something even grander from me? How bold." she said calmly. "Bold, and foolish."

Adargon leaped at her with his fists ready. She simply floated out of the way. He many eyes of various sizes following his every movement.

The two of them danced around each other as Adargonpounced towards her time and time again. Each attack seemed futile, but bit by bit, he was pushing her into where he put all his prey. Before she knew it, all her eyes had focused off of him, and looked only at the small, glowing lure arching from his forehead.

She was nearly completely hypnotized as Adargon leaped forward with his webbed hand clenched into a fist. He was headed for her largest eyeball that seemed to make up her entire stomach.

But, before he could land the first blow, she called out. "Alright you win."

This caught him off guard, and he immediately relaxed as a puzzled look popped onto his face. "Huh?" he asked before she floated out of the way of his attack, and then slammed down her entire body right on top of him.

As he let out a grunt of pain, she explained, "I'll play your silly little game. Happy?"

He tried to answer her, but his lungs had a capacity of zero at the moment. But the crowd made up for his silence. They all started to cheer and dance around. Several hats and beer mugs were thrown up into the air.

After a moment of reveling in her victory, Gzemnid floated over to where Adargon had been sitting before. She lowered herself onto the ground and let out a small sigh.

"Right!" Adargon called out as he regained his composure and walked just past Gzemnid.

He stared at the massive woman and explained, "You just have to not blink. Not a single eye. Keep them open, no matter what."

"Yeah," she sighed. "It's a simple game. I understand how it works."

He nodded with some annoyance at her lack of focus but continued. "Very well then. On the count of three you'll start."

"One."

The crowd leaned forward.

"Two."

Gzemnid, rolled all of her eyes.

"And, THREE!"

He brought down his hand like a flag, and the challenge had begun.

Gzemnid stared with all her many eyes at her opponent. Sitting casually across from her with a crown over top of his hard to focus on fedora, was the hollow king. His eyeless face stared indifferently in her direction.

Her eyes grew wide as a problem seemed to dawn on her. Her opponent had no eyelids he could blink with...and it wasn't a staring contest. It was a contest to see who could blink last.

But there was no going back now. The ancient bargain had been struck. She was bound to complete her task...and heaven help her if she failed.