After about 2 rounds of drinks and a huge basket full of hot wings, Linda found herself a lot more relaxed despite sitting at the same table as three Demons of higher standing than her. In fact, one could argue that she was having the time of her young life.

As nervous as she was at first, Linda actually found Charlie to be quite the pleasant person to talk to. She didn't look down on her or call her names, even hidden beneath a snide comment. Despite knowing otherwise, it didn't feel as if she was Lucifer's daughter at all. As for Vaggie, out of the two girlfriends, she seemed to be the more level-headed of the two… for the most part. After the Sinner first went over to the bar to get the drinks, Linda quickly noticed that Vaggie had quite the temper and a short fuse to go along with it, which was evident by the fact that she literally pulled a spear out of nowhere and threw it at a random Demon trying to make a pass at Octavia.

In a nutshell, the entire time the four of them had been sitting around the table talking, it didn't feel like as big of a worry as Linda had expected it to be… of course, that didn't mean the Imp still didn't have her reservations.

"Hey, you okay?" Octavia spoke up, quickly noticing the unsure look on Linda's face.

Realizing that she had been staring blankly at her drink for too long, the young Imp tried her best to salvage the situation.

"Y-yeah, I think so… just a little tense I guess," she answered, choosing to go with honesty.

"Why's that, sweetie?" Vaggie asked, jumping into the conversation.

In all honesty, Linda was a little hesitant to answer BUT she didn't want to spoil the pleasant atmosphere the four had created by lying or keeping quiet. If Octavia was to be believed, then the other Princess and her girlfriend both would completely understand what she had to say.

"Well, four different Demons out in public like this…" she said, her nerves once again starting to get the better of her. "It's… not usual, you know?"

Thankfully, Linda's assumptions proved to be accurate as both Charlie and Vaggie gave understanding nods.

"Yeah, I get that," Charlie admitted. "Hell, you should have seen how my extended family reacted when I told them Vaggie and I were dating."

"As I recall, one of your cousins threatened to use me for a hunt," Vaggie added with an amused snort. "You should have seen the look on his face when I stole his spear and began chasing HIM with it instead."

The pair of them couldn't help but laugh at that, even Octavia let out a small chuckle.

"But aren't you worried?" Linda pointed out. "I mean, two Princesses in the same place consorting with their inferiors-"

"Liddy! Calm down!" Octavia snapped, cutting the Imp off before she began one of her panicked rambles. "It's fine, alright? No one here cares what other Demons think"

"Exactly!" Charlie added with a smile, which quickly faded when she spotted something at the corner of her eye. "Besides, it looks as though everyone we know will find out soon, anyway."

Unsure of what Charlie meant by that, everyone at the table turned their heads towards the direction she was looking. To their surprise, they spotted a grey-skinned demon with giant green lenses for eyes, making him look like he had binoculars shoved into his face… a demon who was currently holding a flashing camera.

"EEP!" Linda squealed, instantly diving under the table in fear.

Vaggie, of course, had a much more violent reaction.

"HEY!" she yelled, pulling a small knife out of her hair and throwing it like a dart. "Piss off!"

With the speed of a bullet, the blade hit its mark, driving straight through the lens of the Demon's camera, causing him to yelp in fear. Seeing the furious snarl on his fellow Sinner's face, the lensed Demon quickly bolted for the door, screaming like a little girl. Once he was gone, Vaggie slumped back into her chair with an irritated sigh.

"Fucking paparazzi," she muttered. "It's no wonder they all end up down here."

"Along with 90% of all lawyers and large business owners," Octavia added, hoping to lighten the mood a little.

Thankfully the attempt proved successful since it gave Vaggie cause to laugh. Charlie, however, had a different reaction.

"Note to self: try to start with the lawyers," she muttered to herself, but not without grabbing Vaggie's notice.

"Taking notes for the hotel again, hun?" her girlfriend asked, causing a small blush to appear on her face."

"Y-yeah, sorry," she said sheepishly. "Force of habit."

Once again, Vaggie let out a small chuckle. If there was one thing she liked, it was seeing her girlfriend getting so passionate about her goals. It was only then that Linda's head popped out from under the table, and her fear was quickly replaced with curiosity.

"The hotel?" she repeated. "You mean the one that's supposed to rehabilitate Sinners?"

"That's the one," Charlie replied with a nod, her smile turning solemn afterwards. "Glad to know it's not COMPLETELY being ignored."

"Yeah, how's that going by the way?" Octavia asked. "Any progress?"

At those words, Charlie let out a small sigh.

"Some, but not much," she admitted. "Turns out there's not a lot of support or interest when it comes to new ideas down here."

"Drawing kittens and cotton candy on the fliers probably didn't help," Vaggie muttered under her breath, hoping her girlfriend didn't hear her.

"BUT no one said this was gonna be easy," Charlie continued, putting on a big smile. "Just you wait, soon Sinners from all over Hell are gonna want to stay there. Hell, we're even trying to fix the place up so it's presentable."

If there was one thing that one could count on Charlie Morningstar for, it was her boundless optimism. In all honesty, both Linda and Octavia couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Lucifer's daughter for that.

"So… did your dad give you any funding or something?" Octavia asked curiously. "I can't imagine fixing up a hotel is cheap without magic."

Hearing that, Charlie's smile once again faded as she let out a small scoff.

"Yeah, right," she said with a forced laugh. "When I first brought up the idea about the hotel to my dad, he just… well he-"

"-he laughed in her face," Vaggie finished, her eyelids lowered in a deadpan stare.

After that, Charlie could only let out another sigh, giving no words to confirm or deny her girlfriend's statement.

"Ooh," Octavia muttered, cringing at the thought.

"Yeah, if that wasn't bad enough, despite our best efforts, we still have a certain parasite in the hotel that keeps fucking everything up," Vaggie further added, her deadpan glare shifting into an aggravated one.

"Oh, come on, Vaggie, I know Angel Dust hasn't had the best start…" Charlie tried to argue, only to be instantly cut off.

"Charlie, he's rude, he's perverted and the idiot took part in a TURF WAR two weeks after moving in," Vaggie retorted, her teeth bared like a rabid animal.

Clearly, there was some hostility between Vaggie and this Angel Dust, which was unsurprising considering what Octavia heard in the background on her and Charlie's video chat. How far deep it goes, however, she couldn't say.

"Oh yeah, I think I remember hearing about that," Linda commented, now completely invested in the conversation as she took another sip of her soft drink.

"No surprises there," Vaggie groaned with a rush of embarrassment. "The whole thing was all over the 666 news."

"Yeah, that was not a good day for us… at least at first," Charlie admitted. "Still, at least I got to knock out one of Katy Killjoy's teeth."

At those words, Octavia had to force herself to stifle an amused snort. After hearing all about her fellow Princess's little fistfight with the local news anchor back at the banquet, she practically kicked herself for not being able to witness it herself.

"Yeah, that video did get a lot of hits on Voxtube," she commented, once again stifling a laugh. "It's just a shame I only caught it the day after it happened. Got a little busy that day, ya know."

Hearing that, both Charlie and Vaggie's faces immediately dropped their embarrassed expressions in place of a pair of intrigued grins.

"Oh yeah, that's the day you brought Mick home to come work for you, right?" Charlie asked despite knowing the answer already.

At the very mention of the Cat Demon's name, Octavia was immediately caught off guard, so much so that a light blush appeared on her face.

"Y-yeah, that's right," she confirmed. "Guess we both had an eventful time that day, huh?"

Now it was Charlie's turn to laugh. Back at the banquet, hearing the story of how Octavia and Mick met brought a happy smile to Lucifer's daughter… but not for the reasons one would assume. While she was relieved Octavia was alright, it wasn't the news of the danger the Goetia was in that Charlie was most interested in… but rather her reaction to what she was saying. Every time Mick's name was mentioned, Lucifer's daughter saw something on Octavia's face that one would never expect to see on the moody teen… a genuine, happy smile. And as far as she could tell, nothing about that seems to have changed right at this moment.

Even Linda couldn't help but notice the abrupt changes in the Goetia's demeanour whenever she talked about her missing friend, almost as if there was some kind of… longing oozing from her very voice. And it wasn't only after Mick disappeared either, this sort of thing always seemed to happen even when Mick was in the same room. Something was DEFINITELY up here.

"So, Charlie told me that your friend is stuck in the Wrath Ring," Vaggie spoke up, bringing a slight change to the subject. "Is that true?

"Mhm," Octavia replied with a solemn nod, giving the Sinner cause to mutter in her native tongue.

"Dios lo ayude," she said. "I hope he's alright, I kinda like him."

"And that's saying a lot given Vaggie's usual opinion on most men," Charlie added, much to her girlfriend's chagrin. "I just hope your dad can find him before the locals can do too much damage. I heard the Imps down in that part of Hell can get pretty brutal. Especially around this time of year."

"Ugh… don't remind me…" Octavia muttered, burying her forehead in the palm of her hand.

Having gotten a brief explanation on the matter over the phone, Charlie fully sympathized with Octavia's conundrum and chose not to press further for any details. Seeing the downtrodden look on the Goetia Princess's face, she could tell that she was going through enough stress as it was.

"Oh, you all worry too much!"

"GAH!"

Suddenly everyone at the table practically jumped out of their seats when someone popped their head between Charlie and Vaggie… someone who Octavia and Linda knew all too well.

"What the fuck!?" Vaggie exclaimed, ready to pull out another blade and stab Buzz in the face with it. The Imp, however, didn't seem remotely phased by the Sinner's reaction.

"My buddy's the biggest badass this side of Hell!" he stated firmly, his words slightly slurred as he tried to stop his body from swaying. "He beat up Imps, he beat up dollies, he even beat up that cock sucker Seth to a fucking pulp Hehehehehehe!"

As much as Octavia appreciated Buzz giving Mick a positive review, the way the Imp was acting only gave her a reason to bury her face in her palms in embarrassment.

"Ugh…" she groaned, causing a few eyebrows to raise.

"One of yours?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Sadly, yes," Linda said, speaking up for her employer.

At that moment a familiar sharply dressed Hellhound came running up to the table, with a beer bottle in her hand and an exasperated look on her face and she nearly collapsed on the table with a heavy breath.

"So… sorry, Princess," she said through a small series of pants. "He managed to get away from me."

At that point, Octavia once again felt the urge to bury her face in her beanie, only this time it wasn't due to her own father. As bad as he was, Stolas's antics were pretty tolerable when compared to seeing one of her own Imps making kissy faces at the Princess of all Hell before standing up on the table and swishing his tail like a shaved monkey. Scowling with irritation, she quickly grabbed Jessie by her tie and yanked her close.

"What the hell, Jessie!?" she snapped, getting right into the Hellhound's face. "He looks even worse than before."

While normally composed and carefree, even Jessie couldn't help but whimper when being glared down by Octavia's furiously piercing eyes.

"He snuck behind the bar and downed an entire keg while I was making my order," she quickly explained with a gulp. "I couldn't stop him, sorry!"

Great! So Buzz was not only high as a kite but also pissed as a fart to boot!? Could this situation POSSIBLY get any worse!?

"Look Buzz, I have had enough of- where'd he go?"

And just like that, tempt fate by asking a silly question, and it gives you the middle finger! Just as Jessie once again attempted to grab the intoxicated Imp by the throat, said Imp completely vanished from the table, leaving everyone completely baffled. Suddenly, Linda's normally quiet voice let out a soft yell.

"Look!" she called out, her eyes wide with shock as she pointed her finger away from the table. "Up on the stage!"

Snapping their heads in that particular direction, everyone's jaws suddenly dropped in astoundment when they saw what was happening on the stage. While the band attempted to play their gig without any interference, Buzz had somehow jumped right onto the stage and started square dancing at the lead guitarist's feet, confusing all the Demons on the dance floor and embarrassing Octavia even further.

However, as she tried to look away from the musical disaster caused by her Gardener, something about the band itself drew Octavia's attention… specifically how they all looked like the same familiar Demon aside from each having a different haircut. What's more, Charlie and Vaggie seemed to share the same observation.

"Hey... don't we know that band from somewhere?" Vaggie spoke up, voicing exactly what Charlie and Octavia were thinking.

"Yeah... yeah! Those are the guys from the banquet!" Charlie added. "I'd recognise that style anywhere."

An astute observation indeed, especially when one looked upon the lead guitarist in particular. As sure as day, there was no mistaking that pompadour.

"Holy shit, it's Johnny!" Octavia exclaimed, earning herself a few raised eyebrows.

"Who?" Linda asked, receiving no surprise in response. Having been hired AFTER the banquet, she was pretty clueless about the identity of this particular Demon.

Charlie, of course, needed some elaboration herself.

"You know him?" she asked.

"Well… not personally," the Goetia answered with an honest shrug. "He and Mick used to work together at a place called the Peppermint Puss. That's how he was able to book them for that night."

Octavia probably would have been asked a few more questions after that, however, from that point onward, everyone at the table was too fixated on what was going on up on the stage to do so. Between the square dancing and the jumping about like a mad chihuahua, it was a miracle that Johnny hadn't already punted Buzz off the stage and sent him flying across the room in a fit of rage. However, Johnny was a professional, and he and his clones knew how to save a performance, despite an irritating Imp constantly jumping up and butting in towards the second half of the song.

Johnny:

Don't try to understand 'em

Just rope 'n' throw and brand 'em

Soon we'll be livin' high and wide

My heart's calculatin'

My true love will be waitin'

Be waitin' at the end of my ride

Johnny:

Move 'em on

Buzz:

(Head 'em up!)

Johnny:

Head 'em up

Buzz:

(Move 'em on!)

Johnny:

Move 'em on

Buzz:

(Head 'em up!)

Johnny:

Rawhide!

Cut 'em out

Buzz:

(Ride 'em in!)

Johnny:

Ride 'em in

Buzz:

(Cut 'em out!)

Johnny:

Cut em' out,

Buzz:

Ride 'em in,

Rawhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide!

Whole Band:

Rollin, rollin, rollin,

Rollin, rollin, rollin,

Rollin, rollin, rollin,

Rawhiiiiiiiiiiiiide!

Hyah!

And then just as Johnny was going for a bow…

"RAWHIDE!"

"Alright, that's IT!"

Those were the last words the greaser snapped before grabbing the Imp, who jumped on his back, by the throat and proceeded to dropkick him across the room like an American football.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEHEEHEEHAHOOEEEE!"

SPLASH!

About two seconds later, Buzz landed face-first into a large serving bowl of nacho cheese on one of the nearby tables, much to the rage of the two Demons trying to eat it.

"Blegh! What was that!?" popping his head out of the bowl and quickly noticing the sticky yellow substance oozing down him. "EWW! I'm covered in Mickey Mouse spooge!"

While Buzz found himself in a sort of trouble, both his employer and his coworkers could only groan with embarrassment. Vaggie, on the other hand, found herself trying to stifle a laugh.

"Well… this night just got a little more interesting,"

Before he knew it, Mick was standing amongst a huge crowd of Imps in front of a large, wooden stage, waiting for the Pain Games to begin. As the time drew near, the Cat Demon had to admit, he was starting to feel a little anxious. He did have a little confidence in his skills, but the way the Imps around him were staring was causing knots to turn in his stomach. Just then, his nerves were quickly calmed when he saw an Imp wearing a top hat step up onto the stage with a mic in his hand.

"Hello! I say Hello, Wrath Ring!" he announced, causing a few Imps in the crowd to clap.

Given what the pawn shop owner told him, Mick could only guess that this was the guy who bought his Rosario and decided to use it as a prize for the games. However, as much as Mick wanted to strangle the guy for grabbing his cherished possession before he could, the Cat Demon had to keep a cool head until the games were over.

Suddenly, a rope was pulled from behind the stage, pulling two velvet curtains open behind Wackford. The moment he saw who was sitting behind them, Mick grinned like a Cheshire Cat beneath his mask. Those four eyes, the crowned hat, that shimmering grey plumage, there was no mistaking THIS particular Goetia. Finally, Prince Stolas was here.

"Welcome, I say welcome, all to Wrath Ring's annual Harvest Moon Festival!" Wackford continued to announce. "To kick things up, we have the great Prince Stolas here to usher in this here Pain Games!"

At that moment, Stolas rose from his stool and snatched the mic from the Imp in the top hat with a light chuckle.

"How kind, Wackford…"

After that, Stolas went on to do a small speech to the crowd. However, while Mick was intent on giving the Prince his undivided attention, it was quickly deterred by someone tapping their fingers against his shoulder. Turning around, he was surprised to see none other than Granny Magma staring up at him.

"Nervous, little kitten?" she asked, giving Mick cause to roll his eyes.

"No more than I was this morning," he answered. "So you really entered too, huh?"

"Damn straight partner," she declared with a toothy grin. "I'm sure my granddaughter told ya, but I ain't one to sit out of these events."

Both of them shared a chuckle at that.

"Don't worry about your pet though," Granny said reassuringly. "I got the kids watching her."

"Thanks, Granny," Mick replied with a sigh, happy that he didn't have to worry about at least ONE thing today.

Suddenly Granny's smile faded and she pulled the Sinner close with a serious expression on her face.

"Don't thank me yet, sugar," she whispered, much to the Cat Demon's confusion. "There's another reason I entered aside from the thrill."

"W-what do you mean?" Mick asked, not liking where this was going one bit.

"Look to your right,"

Following Granny's instructions, Mick tilted his head a little to the right, his eyes scanning confusingly over the crowd of Imps… that is until he spotted a certain giant chin that was all too familiar for his liking.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

After seeing Scorch standing in the crowd a short distance away, Granny couldn't exactly blame Mick for having such a reaction. Hell, it took all of her willpower not to stomp on over to him and snap his neck right there and then.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" the Cat Demon snarled. "Don't tell me he's competing."

"I'm afraid he is," Granny stated, confirming Mick's suspicions. "But he ain't just here for prizes, Micky. Chomp overheard that bastard chatting up with his friends earlier, we don't know what they're up to, but… they're planning to get you sometime during the games."

Mick's eyes immediately snapped wide at that.

"Oh… fuck," he said, not liking that bit of news for an instant.

"Don't you worry, darling," Granny said reassuringly as she placed a hand on Mick's shoulder, "I'm gonna watch out for ya as we go. Them varmints aren't gonna lay a finger on ya."

As much as he hated the fact that Granny was putting herself at risk like that, Mick was exceedingly grateful nonetheless.

"Thanks, Granny," he said, once again getting caught off guard when the elderly Imp's smile returned.

"Well, that being said, don't expect me to go too easy on ya either, sugar," she chuckled. "I ain't one to ignore a competition and I wanna see ya show them brass balls of yours… Pussycat."

As taken aback as he was by that bit of banter, Mick nevertheless smirked in response to how excited the old lady seemed to be.

"Bring it on, you old bat," he declared, joining in on the banter and earning himself an evil snicker that he soon shared with the Imp.

Meanwhile, back up on the stage, Stolas had managed to finish his speech, though not without raising a few eyebrows when he pointed out one particular Imp in the crowd, calling him a "sexy little number" on top of all that. Taking a seat back on the stool, the Goetia Prince handed the mic back to Wackford, who proceeded to address the crowd once more.

"Alright y'all, as usual, here are the rules of these here games," he announced, earning a few annoyed groans for his trouble. "As most of y'all should be aware, every event of the Pain Games is determined by a point system. The more games ya win, the more points you get."

At those words, the top-hatted Imp gestured a hand to a large wooden scoreboard that was erected between the bench stands, upon which was the name of each competitor and the number "0" right next to it.

"Of course, we don't wanna have too many competitors towards the end, so after every second game, a select number of competitors with the lowest points on the board will be dropped from the games," Wackford continued, drawing the firm attention from the newer competitors in particular. "When the games are over, The Imp with the most points on this here board shall win the title of the Roughest Toughest Bastard in Wrath!"

When that final declaration was met with a few cheers both from the competitors and their spectators, Mick felt a small chill run down his spine. Not so much from fear, of course, but more from excitement. He couldn't understand why, but there was something about the energy bursting from the crowd that made him want to give this competition everything he has, Rosario or not. Needless to say, that same shared energy gave every Imp in sight that very same drive, even Granny Magma's grin grew even wider as she cracked her knuckles in preparation.

However, despite the excitement below, there were a few worried faces sitting amongst the crowd of Imps in the stands. After Champ informed Granny and the others about what he had heard earlier, everyone, including Snowflake and Chimp, despite her injury, rushed out to find Mick and Ember as quickly as possible. Of course, by the time they spotted them, the Pain Games were already about to begin. Thankfully, Granny had offered to watch Mick's back since she was planning on competing anyway. Regardless of that, however, they still needed to inform Ember about what happened, and to that extent, Loona, since she was also Mick's friend who happened to be there.

"Please tell me y'all are joking," Ember exclaimed, trying to absorb the vast amount of info Champ had to give her.

"I honestly wish I was, but that's what I heard," the Imp boy confirmed, bringing further worry to Mick's friends.

"Okay, so you're telling us that some big-chinned asshole wants to hurt Mick during the Pain Games all because of some petty grudge?" Loona asked, making sure she got the basic summary down right.

"That pretty much sums it up, yeah," Champ confirmed, causing a growl to emit from not just Loona's maw, but from Snowflake as well, who was currently sitting in the Hellhound's lap.

"Ya know, considering this is Hell, I shouldn't really be surprised something like this happened, but this Scorch guy sounds like a prick even by my standards," Loona complained, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Of that opinion, everyone was in full agreement.

"Well, whatever he and his pals got planned, they're going to have a hell of a time carrying it out," Ember commented, catching everyone's attention. "Whether my Granny's there or not, they'd still need to get past all the other competitors."

"What do they have to do with this?" Loona asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't get me wrong, sometimes there are accidents in these games, but no one is allowed to deliberately try to harm each other unless it's part of the event," Ember elaborated. "If Scorch or his buddies try anything, they'd have to do it in front of all these witnesses."

While it was a valid observation, that explanation didn't do much to calm the nerves of the three Imp children, Chimp in particular considering she knew firsthand of Scorch's cruelty. Luckily, Loona's next statement brought a little bit of calm to everyone's nerves.

"Well, knowing Mick, if he was told what we were, then he won't be fucking around," she said with a grin. "If the guy can save a Succubus before flying a hang glider straight through a glass window, I'm sure he can handle this big-chinned fucker no problem."

At those words, the kids all couldn't help but laugh. Even Ember was unable to hold back a few giggles after hearing such a thing. Perhaps she should take another look at those Crazy Cat videos everyone keeps going on about. Still, despite that moment when the mood was slightly lighter, worry quickly returned to Ember's face.

"Still, we should keep an eye out for Micky's sake," she pointed out. "Ya never know when them dickhead rattlers will strike."

At that suggestion, everyone else immediately nodded their heads in agreement. In fact, Chomp and Snowflake in particular were so into the idea that they were practically jumping in their seats with anxious anticipation.

"Ooooh, he makes me so mad, I can just bite his legs off!" the youngest Imp child commented, brandishing her sharp teeth in an evil grin before she and Snowflake snapped their heads towards Chimp. "Oh, please sissy, can we go chomp 'em?! Please? Please!? PLEASE!? I'LL GIVE YOU MY BLOOD!"

Seeing the manic look in the youngest Imp's eyes, Loona got so freaked out that she had to scooch a little down the bench in an attempt to back away from her. Of course, it didn't help that the Kitsune pup in her lap had the same excited look of savagery across her face.

"Sit down, sis!" Chimp scolded, loving her sibling's enthusiasm but choosing to keep a level head. "You're both making too much of a fuss."

"She's right, sweetie," Ember added. "Besides, we can't do anything now. Until we know for sure what Scorch and his buddies are up to, we have to wait for the right moment."

Of course, while they managed to calm them down, those words only earned Ember and Chimp a pair of pouts from the small Demons.

"Aw, poopy!" Chomp huffed, crossing her little arms and sulking on the bench with Snowflake copying her every move.

Seeing this, Loona couldn't help but snicker at the young Imp's expense. Still, seeing the looks of anxiety on the faces of Ember and the kids, she quickly found herself a little uneasy. Thankfully, she had a small idea of how to fix that. She may not have been the most social type, and this wasn't something she would usually do, but the least she could try was offer some words of encouragement to some of Mick's other friends.

"Listen, guys," she said, grabbing everyone's attention. "I get that the situation isn't good, far from it. But despite everything right now, just having Mick and Magma know that you're all cheering for them is a good enough start, don't ya think?"

Ember couldn't help but smile at that.

"Well said, Loo-loo," she said, earning an irritated snarl from the Hellhound. "You're a real sweetheart, ain't ya?"

"Okay, first off, NEVER call me that again," Loona growled. "Second, I'm no sweetheart. Hell, if I hadn't known Mick was completing, I probably just wouldn't care about this whole thing."

"I don't know, sounds like ya care to me," Chimp pointed out.

Before Loona could argue with the young Imp, however, her brother suddenly let out a small yell.

"Look!" he cried, pointing down at the crowd below. "They're about to start!"

Just like the young Imp said, the first of the Pain Games were indeed about to begin. Before long, all the competitors were grouped together in front of a large starting line, facing what Mick could only describe as the deadliest obstacle course he had ever seen. From a field of barbed wire that the competitors had to crawl under, to a climbing wall that was surrounded by a shark-infested moat on one side, it looked more like something made up by an insane military general than a game.

Mick, however, wasn't deterred. After all the shit he had seen since coming to Hell, something like this was practically a breeze. Besides, right now, he was a Cat on a mission, and neither wire nor shark was going to stop him from getting his Rosario back. Soon enough, Wally Wackford began his commentary again, with Stolas, of course, snatching the mic from him now and then to say his piece.

"Alright folks, here is, I say, I say, here is the first event of these here Pain Games… The Obstacle Race!" the Imp declared, earning a few cheers from the crowd. "In this here game, all competitors will race along the course, avoiding them deadly obstacles designed to maim or at least slow them down."

"The objective is to use one's speed and agility to finish the course in one piece," Stolas added. "As per our point system, the first 10 Imps to cross the finish line will receive 10 points each, the following 20 shall receive five…"

"After that, the rest of y'all losers get a stinking 1 point each," Wally finished with a smirk. "Better hope you ain't last though, cause the final ten to finish or quit get absolute zip!"

"Everyone to your marks!"

With that final declaration from the Goetia Prince, Mick cracked his shoulders and neck as he prepared himself with a small chuckle.

"Really?" he said. "I thought this was supposed to be a challenge."

It may have been a bit of playful banter, but no matter how much bravado the Cat Demon showed, it didn't change how he really felt. In truth, he was a little nervous about his chances of winning. After all, these local Imps have a lot more experience with the games than he did, so his ability to win might be in question here. No! He can't break down now! Not before he even tried! No matter what happens now, Mick wasn't going to puss out.

Seeing the literal fire in Mick's eyes, Granny Magma couldn't help but smirk as she took her mark next to him.

"Oh, this is gonna be fuuuuuuuuun," she chuckled.

Finally, Wackford strolled on over and stood off at the side of the starting line with a small pistol in his hand. It was now time.

"Right then! On your marks… get set…"

BANG!

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

The Featured Song: "Rawhide" - from the movie: The Blues Brothers