Three of a Kind (II)

The hell was that? Ergon collapsed onto the cold stone floor, his breath stuttering in shallow bursts. His eyes twitched. His fingers clawed weakly at the dust.

He's dangerous... that man is dangerous. Ergon hadn't known Caelvir had enemies like that. Who should I cling to now? Who's left?

The thought circled around his mind like a wolf pacing before the kill. He blinked rapidly, his eyes darting between figures in the hall, trying to find an anchor, something familiar to hold onto.

Then he saw them.

Three familiar shapes shimmered against the chaos, rising above the crowd like goddesses among cattle. Felicia. Velicia. Elicia. Their forms—now dressed in tougher, tighter garments than their usual outside flair—still commanded the air around them. Their presence struck him like sunlight through stormclouds. His breath returned. His heart beat faster and louder.

A surge of joy filled his chest.

"Felicia! Velicia! Elicia!" he cried out, the pain vanishing in an instant as he pushed his knees beneath him and scrambled to his feet. His chubby form stumbled forward, arms outstretched, weaving through the maze of armor and shoulders. He ran as fast as his body allowed, a smile stretched across his face.

"My beloveds!" he shouted.

He was almost there—close enough to smell the perfume on their skin—when another figure entered his vision. A tall man stood between them. One single green eye gleamed on his face, and the other one was blind and pale. Two others flanked him, arms folded across their broad chests, watching the crowd like hounds ready to bite.

Ergon didn't care. He ran straight toward the sisters.

Felicia noticed him first. Her frown sharpened as she stepped back. Velicia narrowed her eyes. Elicia tilted her head in visible disgust.

Ergon didn't stop. He reached out for Felicia's hand with affection written in every gesture.

"What are you doing? Creep!" Felicia screamed, shoving his hand away.

Ergon blinked. "Huh...?"

"What the fuck is that?" said one of the men standing beside the green-eyed figure.

He stormed toward Ergon, and without hesitation, threw a punch square into Ergon's face. The blow sent him tumbling to the ground, his body twisting as he clutched his cheek in agony.

"Yo," the green-eyed man said, turning to the sisters, "you girls know this fatass bastard?"

Velicia snorted. "No idea. Must be some creep."

Elicia didn't even flinch.

The man who had struck him earlier began kicking him. The blows landed like steel clubs, every strike shaking his flesh, bruising his ribs, wrenching cries from his throat.

What is going on? I feel so much pain... why won't they stop him?

"How dare you touch my woman, you piece of shit," the attacker snarled, landing a savage kick to Ergon's side.

Felicia… please tell him to stop…

Another kick, this one straight to the thighs and crotch, left Ergon gasping, his mouth open but no sound coming.

Please stop...

He writhed on the ground, unable to lift his arms in defense, his mind spinning, his pain swelling beyond anything he had ever felt. When the man had had enough, he turned back with a satisfied smirk.

Felicia stepped into his arms.

Elicia leaned against the second man.

Velicia jumped up and wrapped herself around the green-eyed leader.

The two men turned to him.

"Boss, what should we do with him?"

The green-eyed man looked down at Ergon, then shrugged. "Ignore him. He won't survive a single match."

And just like that, they dismissed him.

The sisters melted into the arms of their new men. They kissed them, passionately and shamelessly, their moans lost in the rumble of the crowd.

Ergon, lying broken on the stone floor, looked up. His jaw trembled.

Please... don't tell me this is real...

He muttered weakly, "Ugh… wha… whyy…?"

His eyes locked on Elicia. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Hadn't he taken care of Felicia, Velicia, and Elicia all these years? He thought there was something genuine between them. He believed they loved him. Hadn't he provided for them as they had asked? Why, now, had they forgotten about him?

Maybe they don't recognize me...

His hands trembled as he struggled to remove his helmet, then the loose straps of his dented armor. He forced out the words between clenched teeth:

"H...hey... It... is... me... my deary…"

The men glanced at one another.

"Hmm?" one of them said. "He can still talk? Seems like he knows our gals."

"Yeah, right. Do you know him, Felicia?"

She scoffed.

"You think I'd know some worthless pig like him?"

She laughed, and the others joined her.

"Same for me," Elicia said coldly, her eyes like razors. "That would be beneath us."

Velicia leaned her head back, laughing harder than both.

The two men looked again to their leader.

"Yo, boss. What now?"

The green-eyed man gently unwrapped Velicia's arms from his chest. Then he walked forward.

Without a word, he raised his leg and slammed it into Ergon's stomach.

One kick, two, three...

Each kick came heavier than the last.

Ergon's eyes rolled. He groaned louder, a final desperate gasp escaping him.

The sisters kissed their men, their laughter now faint in his ears. The torchlight faded. The hall dimmed. Their faces—which once adored and loved him, now twisted by disgust and disdain—blurred as his vision darkened.

******

I get distracted for a moment, and then he's gone.

Caelvir sighed. Aelric would be the best comrade for him, but he had this strange habit of disappearing and appearing out of nowhere.

At first, his eyes had scanned the hall, just as anyone would when stepping into a battlefield not yet begun—measuring men, searching for faces, weighing strength, perhaps even looking for mercy. But his gaze had stopped when he saw a round, familiar body sprawled across the ground.

Ergon?

He squinted, then recognized the features beneath the bruises and twisted armor. The man was barely conscious, his limbs crooked and face swollen.

Then his eyes caught the group near him: three men, and three women.

What are they doing here?

Caelvir watched from behind the column, his body still and breath measured.

It didn't take long before he recognized the tallest of the three men. That lion-shaped brand on his back, he'd seen it before. The one-eyed brute with the prideful look of a tyrant. Caelvir leaned in slightly, keeping his place hidden behind the column. His ears picked up on their words.

"You heard that, boss? We work best as a team."

"Yeah. We won't have trouble with boss fighting alongside us."

The two men laughed heartily, but one-eyed brute joined them only for a moment before slamming both of them to the ground with sudden force.

"Huh?" One of them grunted, trying to rise. "What's that for, boss?"

Uruk stepped forward, his single eye gleaming green. "You're right. I'm too powerful. That's why I no longer need you two."

"Bastard... Uruk!" One of them snarled and lunged.

He didn't get far. Uruk's fist caught his face and dropped him like a sack of meat. The body twitched once, and the man went unconscious.

Uruk turned to the other man, raising his voice only slightly, "Tell me, Tauk... wouldn't it be a shame to let these young gals die? If we three were to team up, how could I enjoy their heavenly bodies? Hmm?"

Tauk looked as if someone had stabbed a knife through his pride. But after a pause, he nodded quickly, swallowing his fear. "Yeah, yeah, yeah! You're right, boss! My apologies!"

The three women moved closer, gazes warm and bodies eager.

"Woah, master is so strong," one of them purred.

Uruk took them in his arms, grabbing their breasts with a triumphant laugh. "Yeah, you're so right."

Then he paused, rubbing his chin theatrically. "However... seems I have to say farewell to one of you."

The sisters stiffened in confusion. Uruk grinned, pointing at them. "Here. Present me your boobs."

There was a moment of hesitation, a glance exchanged, but they complied. Uruk moved between them, groping each one in turn, his face filled with judgment.

"Hmph... Felicia, you stay."

He grabbed the next, lifting them with both hands, sniffing. "Velicia! Magnificent. We have a winner!"

Finally, he stood before the last girl. He touched her chest with far less enthusiasm.

"Too flat. Too bad... Glucia? What was your name again?"

The girl stammered, voice trembling. "Ah... uh... Elicia, it is. But master—" her tone turned seductive, a sultry grin replacing the fear, her hands trying to reach for his crotch, "my boobs may be less impressive than my sisters, but I have many—"

Uruk seized her wrists tightly, pulling her close. "Watch your hands, my lady." He shoved her aside. She fell hard, gasping on the ground.

"Sisters! Please!" Elicia cried. Her eyes were wide, and her voice cracked. "Please! I'm going to die! You can't leave me here!"

The other two sweat nervously but didn't look back. Their arms wrapped around Uruk's chest and shoulders, their lips grazing his skin. "Sorry, sis," one said over her shoulder, voice already distant. "It's what's done. Please take care."

Uruk laughed and walked toward the higher training grounds, both sisters on either side of him. Caelvir leaned back behind the pillar as Uruk came his way, staying hidden until the man and his chosen companions passed.

Odd choice for comrades, Caelvir thought. Even stranger in preference.

Somehow, Caelvir couldn't help but chuckle inside his head. Seriously? Weighing the boobs?

Nevertheless, seeing the scene unfold before his eyes did leave a bitter taste in his mouth. To live or not to live, a matter of whose boobs weigh heavier.

What shocked Caelvir the most was how confident Uruk seemed to be of his own strength, feeling at ease to dismiss two of his men just for two beautiful women to be at his side, knowing he would be fine later in the pit.

Moments later, Tauk followed, dragging the unconscious body of the man Uruk had struck. His footsteps echoed slowly against the stone.

Now the hall was nearly empty.

Only two remained: Ergon, collapsed and bruised, and Elicia, crumpled nearby, sobbing with her hands covering her face.

Caelvir stepped from behind the column, his eyes fixed on them both.

I have absolutely nothing to do with this, he thought, turning away.

As he took one step back, something made him stop.

A sigh left him involuntarily. I guess it can't be helped.

His conscience didn't allow him to leave without at least helping bruised Ergon.

I can go find Aelric, so he can heal him... but what if I test "that idea"....

He approached Ergon's bruised body, Elicia staring at him in shock.

Unsheathing the sword, Caelvir grabbed the blade by his other hand and pushed the sword away.

He then opened Ergon's mouth by force, placing his bleeding fist over it. The blood poured inside, and Caelvir forcefully made him drink it.

Let's see if it works...

Elicia watched him in shock, tears frozen on her face.