Harem Tournament of Champions

Amon coughs and replies, "I was only trying to seek help in saving my life."

He gasped in shock, realizing his items weren't in his pockets, and judging from the near-death experience in the hands of the guards, it was only natural that they might have been damaged.

'Oh no!' He thinks in a panic, realizing he couldn't plead for help if he couldn't identify himself.

Kritz glares at him with a look of contempt, "And now you're pleading for mercy and trying to beg for forgiveness. Are you stupid or just plain arrogant?"

Hearing the words spoken by this brute of a Vandrik made Amon nervous; his mind went blank while his body trembled in fear.

"Let me guess, you want to know where your items are, right?" Kritz questions with a grin.

Amon nervously nods his head, not trusting himself to speak.

Kritz chuckles, "Well, let me tell you this, Your Paleness, there's nothing left down here except dust and ashes. You may have lost your items but I'm sure you'll have other things to think about once we're done with you.

Two soldiers step in and stand beside Kritz. Both carry large pikes. Their faces are covered with black leather masks and their bodies are wrapped in thick armor.

Kritz then turns to the soldiers, "it's time for our guest to pay for his crimes."

The guards nod their heads and raise their pikes high as they prepare to strike.

"NO! DON'T DO IT!" Amon shouts out, not wanting to die like this.

Both guards stop their pikes midair and turn back to glare at him, revealing their distasteful expressions.

"Don't worry," Kritz says, "we won't kill you. However, where you're going will feel as if you're wishing for death instead."

Not knowing what to do, Amon cowers in fear.

Without hesitation, the two guards grip their pikes and swing them downward toward Amon's head.

Amon closes his eyes preparing for the worst.

"AHHHHHH!"

Just when he thought he was dead, Amon opens his eyes and finds himself lying flat on his chest with a dull ache running through his whole body.

Kritz stands silently observing Amon being dragged away by guards. After witnessing the scene unfold, he sighs deeply before turning around and heading towards the door.

*****

After several minutes had passed since leaving the room, Amon finally stops struggling under the weight of the guard dragging him along behind him. His legs felt weak after having walked so far without rest. It wasn't long until he found himself standing outside a huge door.

'Where is this place?' He wondered, shaking his head in protest.

The door mysteriously opens the moment they step forward into its presence.

Looking in front of him, he sees an enormous hall lined with pillars holding up the ceiling above. There isn't much light coming inside due to how dark it already is within the building. A faint glow emanates from torches placed throughout the walls lining both sides of the hallway leading deeper into the depths below ground level.

As soon as they enter the doorway, the sound of footsteps echoes off the stone floor followed closely by more soldiers entering the hall.

The moment he sees Kritz materialize next to a sitting figure above, Amon gasps loudly, "Lord Hisha?!"

His voice echoes across the vast space causing everyone present to pause momentarily.

Turning his attention toward the source of noise, Amon notices a man dressed in white robes seated upon a golden throne-like chair situated directly opposite the entranceway. Upon closer inspection, he noticed the person wearing such attire has black hair flowing freely past his shoulders, his green eyes glow brightly against the darkness surrounding him.

Upon seeing Lord Hisha's face, Amon gasped again, 'He is majestic.'

Standing tall and proud, his posture exudes confidence even though he sits still. From afar, he looks almost regal.

Seeing Amon staring intently at him, Hisha frowns slightly.

"You must be the one who had tried to get into my citadel without my permission." He states coldly.

The soldiers push Amon ahead forcing him to walk straight toward the overlord. The sight makes him cringe inwardly, feeling uncomfortable walking over such a powerful being.

When he reaches close enough, he kneels, bowing low, and begs, "my apologies, My Lord."

At first glance, Lord Hisha doesn't seem pleased that someone dared trespass onto his territory uninvited. But upon stealing a glance at those emerald orbs, Amon could see something else entirely. Something different than anger or hatred. Instead, he saw amusement.

With a slight smile playing on his lips, he replies, "I don't believe anyone would dare try anything foolish unless they knew exactly what they were doing."

Amon gulped audibly hearing these words uttered aloud.

He thought he knew what he was doing; however, now he wonders whether he should've just stayed back in Radomir and accepted his fate rather than risk everything trying to save his life which wasn't even worth saving now.

Hearing the lord speak, Amon slowly rises to his feet while locking his gaze on the floor.

"So... you came seeking refuge?" Hisha asks curiously.

[You already know that, host]

If HTC was a person, Hisha could already imagine the number of ways he could torture him right here and there.

'Should I tell him that his fate had already been decided the moment I stepped into Radomir and Vanas' castle?' Hisha sarcastically hisses at HTC.

[If it could add to the growing tension, of course, host]

HTC replies in a like manner, placing a disapproving emoji on the screen.

Kritz glares daggers at Amon, angered by his unwillingness to answer questions posed to him.

"Would you want it repeated?!" He shouts angrily.

Ignoring Kritz completely, Amon turns his focus solely on Lord Hisha once more.

"My lord, please allow me to explain myself," he says respectfully.

With a nod of approval, Lord Hisha leans forwards resting his elbows atop the armrests of the seat.

"Go ahead then..." He prompts gently.

Taking a deep breath, Amon begins speaking, "I had see–"

Creak!

Hisha raises his head to see who had made an entrance.

'Right on time!' Hisha comments in his thoughts as a grin spreads across his face when he spots Vanas approaching them through the large doors.

Behind him are two other men carrying heavy chests between their arms. They look exhausted but determined nonetheless.

Vanas walks briskly making sure not to make any unnecessary movements lest he accidentally knock over either chest containing whatever precious items lay hidden inside.

Amon let out a scream before falling flat on his rear.

Vanas stops dead in his tracks noticing the commotion caused. Turning around, he quickly scans the area for signs of danger only to find no sign whatsoever.

Looking back at the man who has screamed, his eyes widen in surprise. It takes him several seconds to realize why this particular individual seems so familiar. When realization finally dawned upon him, he couldn't help himself from laughing hysterically.

'As expected of the lovable Vanas.' Hisha smiles, coming to terms with Vanas spelled danger to anyone in his land, and looking for Amon had intensified that fear for the guilty party.

Vanas continues forward until he stands beside Amon with both hands placed firmly behind his back. His expression remains neutral throughout despite how amused he feels about all this.

Kritz narrows his eyes, suddenly feeling defensive due to Vanas standing next to Amon. However, after taking another good long stare at Vanas, he decides otherwise. After all, it looked like a perfect opportunity to deal with the intruder, and a fitting candidate will be Vanas.

Lord Hisha clears his throat loudly drawing everyone's attention away from Vanas. With a smirk plastered on his face, he speaks up again, "To what do I owe your presence?"

Vanas looks at each member present before turning his gaze back to the overlord.

'I found you, you traitor!' He hisses in his thoughts as he takes a glance past Amon, not before having his eyes gleam dangerously.

"Lord Hisha... I had thought it necessary to get these little items as a token of my appreciation." He gestures toward the two chests carried by the guardsmen.

His voice is calm and composed without showing much emotion one way or the other. This causes some members within the room to frown slightly wondering if perhaps he isn't telling the truth.

Vanas smirks knowingly, confident about what is contained therein.

*****

A/N

¶ Any idea on what Vanas plans on doing?

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