Harem Tournament of Champions

Scratching his head, he tried to recall what had happened to him for the past few days.

'I must be delusional since I haven't gone out in days.' Thel chuckles at the thought of actually witnessing the half-piece of a jade pendant mark on his arm.

As he got to his feet, he nodded his head to the thought, 'Fresh air, yes! That's it!"

Thud!

Groaning in pain at the collision made on the floor, he chose to close his eyes and pretend everything was all a dream he needed to wake up from.

'That's it, sleep.' He soothed himself in his thoughts, slowly drifting to sleep.

Zzznn!

A sudden surge of pain in his head had him yell out as he witnessed a blurry vision of Ni staring down at him, almost as though he was laying on his thighs.

Ni looked desperate and it looked more like he was calling for help while looking down at him.

'What the hell?!'

With no audio he could use as a way of knowing what was said, he was left in a state of confusion and frustration.

Pushing away from the floor, he got to his feet, looking around him dumbfounded.

Grabbing the curtains, he pulled them open, squinting his eyes at the blinding light that illuminated his room.

Closing it almost immediately, he shook his head, hoping the floating flickers of light fades off from his vision.

His brows furrowed as he recalled something he had seen outside the window when he had peered out but had not paid close attention to it before.

To make sure he saw right, he took his coat and a mask as he felt his way around the dark room, familiar with where the furniture and paths leading to the door.

Click!

Stepping outside, just a few meters away from him was a mutilated blue-skinned creature.

Pulling off his mask, he slipped into his coat's side pocket, gawking at the corpse in disbelief.

'I didn't see wrong?!'

Observing what was left of its body parts, he tilted his head at the strange pointed ears on the side of its head.

Its jagged teeth were open as maggots squirmed and moved in and out from its mouth to the socket devoid of an eye to its left.

Pegging his nose, he took a step back, feeling his stomach churn with disgust at the sight.

'What the fuck?!' He exclaims, holding his stomach and searching his environment for any sign of the culprit.

His settlement was meant to be secret to all except Kenna and Ni, but with the occurrence of such a gruesome sight, he took a step back, sneering at the sight.

On second thought, he needed to touch either the clothing or the skin if he needed to correctly tell what creature it was.

'Why were we given this ability, sis?!' He looked to the sky, a hint of regret flashing across his face on what he needed to do for answers.

Furrowing his brows, he pulled his hand away and gave a nod to encourage himself on the need to go through with it.

'The better you know, the easier it is to know if you're found out.'

Taking a step further, he hears a snap of a twig.

Tk!

Whipping his head left to the sound of a low growl, all he could see was a dense thick bush.

'Whoever you are, this is your best shot at a sneak attack?' He mocked the attempt, laughing at how unprepared his predator was.

If he could live in secret for so long and seclusion after his little rendezvous in the city square, he could handle whatever was watching him.

Secretly drawing water around his fingers and freezing it, he waited for the best time that his opponent would reveal their attack and location.

'Come on out, let's play a different game out in the open.' He says in his thoughts with a sing-song voice.

Whoosh!

"Eeeaaakkkk!" The screeching sounds coming from around him had him look around in suspicion.

Observing from his left, he saw a creature lurch at him.

'One to the left! Three behind me!' He made a mental note, a twisted grin on his lips.

Crossing his hands, he crouched over, shooting out the condensed projectiles in one of the creature's ways.

Shulk!

In one swift movement, he created more ice projectiles, shooting them into the heads of the rest.

There were more screeching sounds as they dropped to the floor in a thud.

Making a clench with his fingers, he made the ice that had lodged into the heads of the three creatures, having it spread around their body.

'Blocks of ice.' He sneered.

Turning his attention to the first creature that had attacked, he stomped hard on its chest.

Looking down at the ice claws lodged into its chest, he adjusted his feet and placed them over the bleeding wound.

"At least you are less disgusting, that's just about fine to me." He comments with a smirk.

Leaning and resting on his thigh, his mood instantly darkened with the glow in his eyes much more prominent for the creature due to the shadow cast on it.

"I got a few questions," his chilly voice broke the eerie silence that had engulfed their surroundings.

The sounds of crickets and the swaying of the leaves and branches had added much more life to the once-dead quiet forest.

Trying to make a slash at his leg, Thel was quick to punch down hard on its face, drawing out green blood.

Crrk!

Thel let out a low chuckle at the sound of its nose breaking, and its blood trailing down and into its mouth.

Touching the side of his face, he sneered at the sight of the blood on his fingers.

'How did I miss this?!'

Manipulating the blood off his face, he redirected it onto the creature's face.

Splat!

Pushing back his hair, he smiles while looking down at it. "Can you speak?"

Silence!

"I know you can growl and screech, but is that all you can do?" He pries further, hoping for a positive result.

His lips draw into a thin line at the lack of words in response.

'Fine, you want it that way, huh?!'

Freezing the wrists onto the floor, he kicks at the face of the creature to vent out his frustration.

Not satisfied with just restricting the creature, he makes a clench whilst fixating his gaze on the ice claws beneath his feet.

Relishing in the vibration he feels as it drills into its chest had him cackling at the thrill he had forgotten.

Only stopping when he sees it wheezing in pain, he clicks his tongue. "Poor living crap!"

His aim wasn't to kill the creature, at least not yet.

Pulling his feet away, he frowned at the gushing wound that gushed out.

Freezing the surrounding area, he let out a sigh knowing the creature would soon be dead like the rest.

Kicking on the side of its body, he hissed as he repeatedly kicked while begging for a sign.

It was one thing to wander around the woods, but locate his settlement? It was disturbing enough that he had found one previously dead.

Giving up on his chance to get it speaking, he grabbed a hold of the neck chain wrapped around the neck.

An unknown force had him gasp as visions flooded his head, causing him to drop down and pass out.

*****

30 minutes later,

Zzziiuunn!

Zzziiuunn!

Zzziiuunn!

Scrunching up his nose, his hands try to swat the annoying buzz off his ear.

Zzziiuunn!

Lazy and unwilling to move his aching body, he opens his eyes slowly, taking a glance around him.

With a sniff of a strange smell, he instantly regrets it as a rush of maggots and dirt went straight into his right nostril.

He jolted awake with a yell, holding onto his head.

Cough!

Fffnnn!!

Repeatedly blowing his nose, he had to resort to using his ability to get his nasal fluid to increase its production.

Tears brimming in his eyes, he held onto his head in frustration, looking behind him at the corpse of the creature he had left for dead.

'Fuck!!!!!!!!!!' He screamed in his thoughts.

Fffnnn!!!!

After one last try at blowing, he let out a sigh of relief seeing his snot coverings on three maggots and bits of grass and dirt in it.

'Gross!' He pulls away, rubbing the side of his arms.

Thel smacks his tongue on the roof of his tongue, a sudden need for thirst overwhelming his senses.

Crouching in another wave of pain, he hissed and held the side of his face.

Glancing at the decaying corpse, he got yet another flash of memory that involved the attack on Mertac.

In one of the visions, he could see a merman running in the direction of the forest.

The merman had a stick in his hand, shoving and trying his best to fend off the creatures that surrounded and cornered him, while he blurted out the words –get back, you vile hobgoblins!

It had finally made more sense as to how they had been able to find his settlement.

They had gone in pursuit of the merman and had probably killed him before they realized that they couldn't find their way back.

Collecting all ideas together, his eyes enlarged in horror as to what this could mean for those he knew in the market square.

"Oh no! Ni! Kenna!" He exclaims, rushing back in to get his supplies and set out once more.