On the next day, Lenard got waked up thanks to the siren at the 8 A.M. who announce the morning to the inmates who were planning to sleep. Since this alarm, it is so loud and annoying, you won't even be able to sleep this entire day. Plus, this day it is a special one because in just a matter of seconds, a messenger from the King of North Block send only a page note to him without saying anything, and leave this cell in a rush when he handed the note like the note was containing a bomb or something mortal.

Thankfully, the note didn't have a TNT on it, but it has a message which didn't make Lenard feeling well because of the thing he has to face earlier. His cellmate, who was woken at the same time with Lenard, was looking at the note he is holding.

"What does it say?"

"Come to the Arena of Fighters, where you will have to fight a warrior of North Block named Tim." reads Lenard the note in a loud voice to Rodriguez. "If you manage to survive three minutes in the ring or knock him out you will get my respect which means a lot into this prison. You will get awarded almost everything possible, even a day or week off from your sentence. That is the maximum I can do at this moment. Remember! Come alone at the Arena of Fighters at eleven in the morning, by yourself. Do not bring Rodriguez with you, nor any friend you've got, into these cells from different blocks. We will see there."

"Oh my Lord." says Rodriguez astonished. "Looks like you are getting to fight a big fella there."

"Tim?"

"Yes. The guy was even a hard time to me when they threw me there."

"They throw there in that Arena? How was it?"

"Hard. Even harder to survive than trying to land a fight. Even though I win the fight, I told the King to leave me alone and get me some free space as a reward. And it did it... kinda."

"Oh. So that you have that reputation?"

"Yes. It really frightens people, and it makes me have pals like you here. But anyway, enough with me. What do you want as a reward from him."

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Freedom." says Lenard. "I want to leave this place... At least not now. And not alone."

"Lenard, look. I appreciate the thing you are trying to do for me, but you have to understand that I have done to get money. What I truly did was a crime with my own hands."

"Um... I was thinking more to free this prison and tell the higher-ups how are things going here."

"And you think they will listen to you?" laughs Rodriguez. "Those motherfuckers wouldn't even listen to the President of the United States."

"Whatever. At least it can be worth a shot."

"... If you say so."

Lenard opens the cell, and he goes to the Cafeteria together with Rodriguez because they have to take a breakfast before Lenard will have to face a big fighter like Tim in a ring of fighting. While they were going to the Cafeteria, a man tried to stop them by almost stabbing Rodriguez with a fork. But the man got a hit in his face by Rodriguez leg, and he flew right into the wall, which was at a close distance. About three meters from them. The man falls on the floor on his butt, and he is unconscious.

"I hope that didn't kill him." says Rdorguez to Lenard.

"Nah. He is unconscious." says Lenard, going close to the man throat, and he puts two fingers on the vein at the man neck. "Anyway. Where did this man came from?"

"He is probably new here."

"Yeah. Most likely." says Lenard before he heads into the Cafeteria together with his cellmate.

***

After a few minutes of eating fried rotten eggs, Rodriguez and Lenard were going to the bathrooms, where they threw their eggs out, It was bad, but also a refreshing meal for them, but they at least suffer together instead of one of them. They threw the eggs from their stomach on the restroom for almost ten minutes, then, bot of them are leaving the toilet and heading to the Arena where Lenard will have to fight Tim.

Rodriguez was guiding Leaned to the Arena because he knew where it is located. They got to the room where they threw that guard body, and burned it. There, Rodriguez takes a key hidden under carpet, and he goes with it to a locked door. There, he opens the door, and he tells Lenard, who seems astonished by the fact that this room it is not hidden that difficult.

"This passage is long about twenty meters, and it leads to a fighting area where all fighters around this prison are gathering to do brutal fights, use money to bet on those fighters and use it to bully guards, if the prisoners are lucky to take a guard and bring it here. Last time when they did that was a year ago."

"Wow. And what will happen if I lose the fight?" asks Lenard.

"Don't worry. Funeral services are cheap here."

"Come on." laughs Lenard at Rodriguez joke, and he goes into the passage.

"Good luck!"

"Thanks." says Lenard, closing the door after him and heading down to this path on the Arena.