After I was done, the light moved on the other participants.

When it finally was done, everyone was feeling uncomfortable or embarrassed.

“Well played y’all! Now let’s meet the winners!”

The light shined down on a green fish-faced guy, with golden confetti falling on him

“Congratulation! You are the singing king of kings! You may now move around and talk with our guests or press the red button placed at the edges of the tables.”

The second the devices appeared, I ran to Mirmy, grabbed her arm, and slammed hers as if it was a taxi clock.

Accompanied by a bright orange light, I returned to the dining hall, where no one seemed to realize what just happened.

“H-Hey, let me go!”

Holding tightly her wrist, I looked straight into her eyes, now noticing that this girl was completely hammered.

“The hell are you doing here? All the entrances to the surface should be locked and buried!”

“Hehe, ma-made one. Dig ‘HIC!’ one up. Wanted drink!”

Damn it, she is an alcoholic, and I can’t be even mad at her, since I turned her into one.

I sent a message to my knights to come back to me.

Once done, I swept her off her feet and carried her like a princess out of the castle.

“Hehehe, this is fun. Let’s do this more!”

Please no.

As I was leaving the place with Mirmy, an old woman bumped into us.

“Excuse me!”

The old lady was nothing but skin and bone, wearing quite an exotic poncho-looking thing. In one of her bony hands, she held a basket containing several different-looking earth apples.

“No, no, I was the one at fault. Here, has a potato!”

She handed me a strange-looking one and slowly walked away.

“Ahhh, thanks?’

I put away the vegetable and guided her to the colosseums entrance.

Once at the staircase leading down, I sent a message to some of the kayeri to bring up a protective suit.

While waiting I tried to not drop the drunk queen, who started to swing around the empty mug she was still tightly holding in her hands.

When finally, the kayeri arrived with the protective suit, I had to fight her to put it on, and as she was trying to take it off, I rushed down the mold-covered tunnels, directly going to my laboratory, where the mold hadn’t spread yet.

I chose one which had a comfortable bed and blankets on the floor.

“Here, lay down. I will bring you some water in the morning. “

I was going to go away, but she grabbed my hand, her eyes half-opened.

“No. Don’t go. Sing for me.”

“….Sigh, what do you want to hear?”

“Something happy!”

Not knowing what else to do, I nodded, and while I sang, I was caressing her hair, hoping to make her fall asleep.

“

Oh brother, I hear your call

Oh sister, I know it seems unsure

Come daylight, we'll feel the sun

But tonight, we've just begun

(We've just begun)

Our hours will slowly fade

My body will be gone someday

I beg you, leave it all behind

In the piece of mind, you will find

I believe that you wanted to love

And you hope that the love is enough

I believe that you wanted to run

With the light of the fire, the sound of the gun

Come now, sail away with me

Now, what do you say?

We both where we've been

And we won't go back there again

Come now, sail away with me

Now, what do you say?

We both know where we've been

And we won't go back there again

I know that it won't feel right

We falter, before we learn to fight

But the light at the window

No I, won't tell a soul

I believe that you wanted to love

And you hope that the love is enough

I believe that you wanted to run

With the light of the fire, the sound of the gun

Come now, sail away with me

Now, what do you say?

We both where we've been

And we won't go back there again

Come now, sail away with me

Now, what do you say?

We both know where we've been

And we won't go back there again

If now, we never do

If now, we never do

If now, we never do

Come now, sail away with me

Now, what do you say?

We both where we've been

And we won't go back there again

Come now, sail away with me

Now, what do you say?

We both know where we've been

And we won't go back there again

Come now, sail away with me

Now, what do you say?

We both where we've been

And we won't go back there again

Come now, sail away with me

Now, what do you say?

We both know where we've been

And we won't go back there again

(Sail Away by Ben Hazlewood)

“

“Hey, that’s not fun! You said it will be fun!”

“I said that I will sing for you. You need to sleep, tomorrow you will have a big day.”

“No, I am staying here, with Phil!”

“I hope then that Phill will go with you!”

“Your name is Phil!”

“What if I changed it?”

She hit one of my arms, as she puffed her cheeks!”

“You haven’t!”

“Been thinking actually about changing it with the new evolution.”

“Really? And what will it be?”

She looked at me with her big eyes, like a small dog who saw a new toy.

“I admit I am partial with some ideas. What thas Darvin sounds to you?”

“Ehhh, no.”

“Then what about Tim? Mr. Tim?”

“No, that one is also not good.”

“Oh really? Them why don’t you choose one for me then?”

The drunk queen stayed silent, then snapped her fingers with a malicious grin.

“ Right.”

“…Right, what?”

“That’s the name. Right.”

“…May I ask where that fabulous name came from?”

I grabbed a blanket from the floor and put it on her.

“One of the girls said that everyone is always looking for their ‘Mr. Right’ and almost nobody finds them. I think I found one.”

Before I could say anything, she turned over and her breathing became shallower.

“…Mr. Darvin Right. Tim Right? Why those it sounds…Right? Wait what the hell am I thinking?! Physical appearance can lie here! She could be not even a year old as much I know! Plus, I have other things to think about, than romance.”

Wondering about it, I went to the deepest parts of my cave system where I stored my latest creations all made for the tournament.

This place was next to the giant Lovecraft heart in the basement, which started to become very loud, probably feeling that I will soon use him.

“Release units. Designation: Gradians. ”

At my command, the pods hanging on the ceiling slowly descended, their contents moving in them as they woke up.

On the wall behind me, a distorted man’s voice spoke, from where I hadn’t the faintest idea.

“Gradians waking up.”

“ Guardian Erste, The Leader, awaken.”

“Guardian Zuerst, The Knight, awaken.”

“Guardian Zweite, The Archer, awaken.”

“Guardian Dritter, The Protector, awaken.”

“Guardian Vierte, The Berserker, awaken “

“Guardian Fünfte, The Assassin, awaken.”

“All Guardians awaken.”

“Brain function on accepted levels.”

As they got up from their pods, I think through my plan of attack, while fiddling with some of the living weapons I left on the tables.

“I now have them, there is a multiple wields ready, I am loaded with various drugs, and in case of emergencies, I have BB ready to go nuclear. Most of the kayeri have evacuated to the hideout and the ant queen will be gone in the morning. After she sleeps from the hangover she is going to have. Sigh, I hope I will survive this. I will need a drink after this.”

While inspecting these creatures to make sure that there weren’t any unwanted deformities, I noticed that there were on more than I remembered.

Did I make one and forgot about it? Damn, I am a bad father!

I put my hand on my side, finally noticing the potato I got from the old woman.

I took it out and examined it.

It was red and carrot-shaped, and it somehow exuded a sort of heat.

“Is this some sort of special vegetable? Bah, I have no time to examine it, I will simply turn it into a bomb.”

With a little amount of smoke from my mouth, the vegetable quickly became covered by my familiar green mold.

Then I received a message from the system.

[New mold type been discovered]

[New mold type has been named: Blaze Mold]

“What?”

Without any notice, the green mold on the vegetable became crimson red and it heated up incredibly.

“What the hell that old woman gave me?!”

*****

On the streets of the knight city, the old woman with the poncho kept on walking as she was eating a purple potato raw when from a dark allay a figure walked out.

It was a young woman, with chestnut-brown skin, wearing a green bikini and a poncho, with golden decorations running through them.

She quickly ran to the woman and grabbed her hand.

“Mamma, what are you doing here?! You should be back at home, with the others!”

“Oh Axo, my sweet daughter. I was just taking a walk while eating some of these delicious potatoes.”

“What potatoes?”

She looked at the basket, her face becoming pale with shock.

“MY POTATOES!”

She took the basket and looked through its content.

“Mamma, how many did you eat?! Where is my Russet Burbank ( a type of potato)? My gunda ( potato type). You even ate my Crimson Duke of York (fantasy tomato- I mean POTATO!)!”

“Calm down child! That one I didn’t eat. I gave it to a kind man.”

“…What?”

She looked deadpan at her mother, who acted as if nothing happened.

“You gave, my freshly made, prototype potato, to a MORTAL? ARE YOU CRAZY?!”

“Calm down, child. You are waking everyone up.”

“Where is he? How did he look?”

As the daughter Axo was starting to foam from her mouth, the old woman just sighed.

“I wouldn’t bother. That young man is about to evolve and is protected by your uncle Nergal and that sweet Airmed.”

Axo started to shake, then she grabbed her head and screamed.

“ I am dead! She is going to destroy me!”

“It’s okay to make mistakes, don’t be worried so much!”

“Not to worry?! Mamma, you might be the great Mamma Pacha, mother of earth, but I am simply the goddess of potatoes! You were eating my life work!”

Axo became so worried that tears started to fall from her eyes.

Now feeling guilty, Pacha embraced her daughter, caressing the back of her head.

“There, there. You are overworked dear. Come, I will make you a big bowl of hot chocolate. There will be sweet potato cookies! Just the way you like them!”

The duo, returned to the darkness of the alley, returning to the realm they came from.

*****

*

*

*

The mythology of Mama Pacha:

In Inca mythology, she is an "Earth Mother" type goddess, and a fertility goddess who presides over planting and harvesting embodies the mountains and causes earthquakes.

The mythology of Axo:

Axomamma (also Mama Axo, Acsumamma, and Ajomamma) is a goddess of potatoes in Inca mythology. She is one of the daughters of Pachamama, the earth's mother. Potatoes form a vital part of the food supply of the Incan people, and most villages would have a particularly odd-shaped potato to worship and ask for a good harvest. Axomama's name, which means “potato mother,” is also seen as Acsumama to the Incan people.