Harem - English version [onc2024]

Chapter eight

'Your mother is an alien!³¹' I shout down, just before the green winner of the first round is mashed. There's no way they can hear me, but I'm supporting Malahkii the only way I can at the moment.

The person who crushed the giant pea is then grabbed by what looks most like an overgrown crab - another unknown alien species to me - and soon the crusher's organs lie next to the eyes of the very first winner.

Although I know I can see it just as well from the back of the box, I cannot sit as still as the other three do, so I hang over the fence again. I half turn to Zandr, who is staring intently at me. Did he already do that, or did he turn his gaze to me when I turned around? His eyes have a suspicious glint and I look at him confused until I remember what I wanted to say again. 'Are you also in the mood for peas and carrots?' I gesture with my head to the chaos in the circle, where the two colors of those Earthly vegetables dominate the battlefield.

Zandr chuckles so briefly that I actually don't think I saw it properly, especially because he then looks at me with a blank expression and just shrugs his shoulders. I glare at him, then abruptly focus on the more interesting things all the way down.

'Party pooper,' I growl to myself. I make sure I do it so softly that no one hears it. I know I talk faster than I think and that's why I'm happy with that little bit of restraint.

I only realize he has gotten up when I feel his hand on my neck. He squeezes, but not as hard as when he did it earlier today. He puts his face close to my ear, probably because otherwise I can't hear him over the loud cheers that ripple throughout the arena. 'Be careful what you say.' It's more the way he says it than what he says (although the threat of what his words imply is also quite chilling) that gives me goosebumps all over my body.

With everything I have in me I manage not to let out another embarrassing squeak and I just nod. I can feel his laughter rumbling and I'm glad at least one of us finds it funny.

Focus, Sim1, I think and that's what I do. That is not a second too late, because the powerful beings in the circle are making mincemeat of each other. This time I go into panic mode instead of feeling hungry.

'Malahkii, behind you!' I shout. To my great frustration, my voice disappears into the rest of the noise and my big friend has to solve it without my help. Besides him, there is one specimen still standing, while the rest of the winners lie in pieces around them. Malahkii is a beast and the other is the opposite of that. She's a female Qura, but that makes her just as hairless as the male version. She has red skin and big red eyes, which makes her look like she has no skin and I'm secretly jealous of her (literally?) blood-curdling appearance. I wish I looked so sinister, but no: I have to make do with pale pink skin, reddish hair, a few freckles and poppy eyes. On Earth they called me handsome, but that is of no use to me elsewhere in the universe.

The Qura can also teleport little distances, which is very useful for their kind, although less practical for their enemies. But I know my friend and I know he has been studying her behavior ever since she became his enemy. I have several reasons for being fascinated by other breeds and the biggest one is that it helps me learn their weakest points.

I talk quite a lot and I sometimes like to repeat such important information so that Ray and Malahkii would certainly remember it. Ray in particular has called me annoying several times, but it looks like I'm saving Malahkii's life with it now. Too bad Ray is dead, I'd love to hit him over the head with it.

Before my thoughts slide into another downward spiral, I turn my attention to the fight in the circle. I have one arm hanging over the fence and suddenly I notice that my right hand is holding Zandr's hand with a death grip.

'S-sorry,' I mumble and immediately try to withdraw my hand. I instantly regret my polite apology because he won't let me go.

'Hopefully this will keep you standing still for a bit,' he explains, then nods toward the battle scene below us, where the two circle around each other, looking for each other's weaknesses. 'Is that a friend of yours?'

For a moment I consider unleashing my sarcasm on him, but I decide that now is the time to act my age. I now know that Zandr is a powerful lord and it certainly won't help Malahkii's case if I piss him off now. My thoughts give me one of my excellent ideas and I express it immediately. 'That's right. Can we keep him if he wins?' I look up at Zandr and let my expression go into full puppy mode, up to and including the batting eyelashes.

He stares at me for a while with those meaningless black eyes of his and then he coughs slightly and looks away. His nod is minimal, but that's more than enough for me. Somehow I know he won't go back on his word and all I need now is a conquering Malahkii.

Fortunately, he did indeed hear my explanation of the Qura race. Their method of teleporting is limited and follows a certain set pattern. Each Qura has a unique pattern, which gives them an advantage early in the battle. However, the longer that goes on, the more their enemy gets to know them.

I watch with satisfaction as my friend grabs the air with a certain gesture. It seems like he's looking straight at me, but I don't think he can see me among the millions of spectators. It doesn't stop me from raising my free hand in a triumphant gesture and letting out an exuberant victorious shout. The Qura appears right where he has its claw and she dies almost instantly from the internal bleeding she suffers as a result. Her body falls apart in a pool of dark red blood and I almost manage to squeeze over the fence to hug my friend. Fortunately, Zandr stops me, because one of the Boltrunian's was already watching my thoughtless actions with far too much pleasure.

That's why I settle for a radiant smile towards Zandr. I'm in a good mood and that's why I'm grinning at Simix and Firj, who have been sitting on the chairs all this time like a bunch of boring nerds. If Firj had eyes, she would have rolled them. Simix just sighs, probably because the tube to Zandr's house will soon be very filled with Malahkii, leaving hardly any room for him to spread out his leaves.

***

³¹Prompt 31. 'Your mother was an alien.' Exactly what a child needs to hear from their father as a bedtime story.