Rick woke up to someone banging on his door so hard that the hinges shook. His eyes opened quickly, and for a moment, he didn't know where he was. Then he remembered what happened yesterday and realized that dawn had come.
A harsh voice from outside yelled, "Trial begins in thirty minutes, mortal! Show up at the Grand Arena or lose by default!"
Rick jumped out of bed, his heart racing. Sebastian sat on the windowsill and looked concerned.
"Time to face the music," said the little butler. "I've looked around the arena while you were sleeping, and... it's worse than I thought."
"How much worse?"
"Think of a Roman colosseum that is three times bigger and made entirely of black volcanic stone. A lot of dragons are already coming to watch."
"Rick, this isn't just a test. They find it fun, like some kind of a blood sport."
