The dirt in the arena absorbed the sweat falling from Gideon's face while he tightened his grip on Lucian's ribs.
Lucian kicked his legs in the empty air and his vision turned dark because oxygen stopped reaching his brain.
He had two seconds before passing out.
Lucian stopped kicking and dropped his right hand, grabbing his own left thumb with his fingers.
He twisted his thumb backward with brutal force.
CRACK!
The bone popped out of the joint.
Lucian grunted through clenched teeth and used the dislocated thumb to collapse the width of his left hand, pulling it straight up through the tight gap between Gideon's massive forearm and his own chest.
The maneuver tore the skin off his knuckles but freed his left arm.
Lucian shoved his bleeding hand into Gideon's face and drove two fingers into Gideon's eyes.
"AGH!"
Gideon screamed and broke the hold by pure reflex, dropping Lucian onto the dirt.
