Chapter 6
140.
Team FeLinE holds another little motif in their hands, which is obtaining the artifact faster than team Kita. It's nothing serious, just a way to lighten up the mood and at the same time boost their spirits. Upon entering the 4th realm, team FeLinE's enthusiasm burst out like a bubble. Swamps, tall grass, jungle trees, moss, and mud are everywhere, it's the environment that none of them like.
"Kita will win again…" Lulu suddenly said after observing the place.
"Yeah…" Raven and Yuna both reacted in the same way.
"Maybe this can still be fun?" Darli commented.
FeLinE proceeds to walk on the muddy dirt path while the rest follow. After a couple more steps, they came across with a Crocodilegirl Kemi. 6 and a half feet tall, bulky, short spiky dark green hair, dark skin tone, with dark green scales on her shoulders, wearing a sleeveless shirt, and black sport-shorts.
"Oh, challengers. Hmm… To be perfectly honest looks like none of you will last." The Crocodilegirl Kemi said, her voice is a little bit husky.
"Challengers?" Yuna asked.
"Hai, Kemis from other realms visit Hachtile for Mud Brawl. It's evident that none of you are from here, so that means you are challengers. By the way, I'm Dydae, you can follow me to the brawling place." Dydae said as she continued walking towards the town.
"So other Kemis from different realms enter this place to brawl on mud? Do they cross the UniPaws first then enter this realm?" Raven questioned.
"Hachtile is one of those realms that have few Ruins linked to other realms. It's a way for Kemis to migrate in a closely related habitat, allowing them to enter here without going through UniPaws." FeLinE:1000X explained.
The team followed Dydae and eventually, they reached the town proper and witnessed something new. Dozens of fit Kemis battling in a wide 1-foot-deep mud, it's a 1v1 matchup. The rules are straight-up physical brawl, and whoever gets pinned for a minute or admits surrender loses. However, the fighters should also be careful because if the opponent loses consciousness, then the opposing side will be disqualified. Overall, Mud Brawl focuses on the skills of pinning down someone without turning the field into a bloodbath, a skillful but controlled realm-wide sport.
"Welcome to Mud Brawl. I don't need to know your names coz usually challengers go straight home after the first round. Just go talk to that Iguanaman over there to register for the competition." Dydae said.
"What is the price if nyu win?" Yuna curiously asked.
"Whatever you want as long as it's possible. The last time someone won, it was the self-proclaimed King with weird violet veins 2 years ago. Rumors said he requested a Mystical something and the elders gave him whatever that artifact was." Dydae answered.
"DYDAE, YOUR MATCH IS ABOUT TO START!" Someone shouted.
"I'm coming!" Dydae replied as she ran.
"Did I hear that one correctly?" Raven asked.
"Wait a minute, so that means King Luke gathered the 7 Mystical Runekeys to enter the Realm Sanctuary? How come we also managed to get 3 of those if he already completed the 7?" Yuna questioned.
"The pillars of those artifacts recreate the Mystical Runekeys once they were used. As of now, those pillars are empty since we haven't used the Mystical Runekeys yet. Once we do, it will undergo to recreating process again." FeLinE:1000X explained.
"Then why not just gather and not use those to prevent invaders? Sentient Kemis can do that." Raven added.
"It will remove the general purpose of the Mystical Runekeys, which is to serve as an emergency protocol," FeLinE:1000X answered.
"Thankfully FeLinE finally recovers her memory, we could be lost by now if none of us knew about the recreating process. Anyway, I guess we need to win the Mud Brawl to collect the Mystical Runekey," Yuna responded.
"This mission is for Kita or maybe Maiko. Darli and I can swim in that mud!" Lulu complained.
"Can Gili participate as a substitute for me?" Darli asked.
"Let's get this over with, time to show them who will last," FeLinE:1000X said while stretching her arms. She was insulted by Dydae's comment earlier, and now that they are allowed to get physical, FeLinE is fired up.
Team FeLinE headed up to the registry but only FeLinE, Yuna, and Raven will participate in the competition. In the meantime, Lulu and Darli will study the area. Winning the competition is the primary goal though they still need to check if there are corrupted Kemis nearby. FeLinE is confident with her physical strength, Raven is not so much, and Yuna on the other hand, is planning to use a little bit of her talent to outbalance her opponent as she pretends to wrestle.
The rules were explained to them, and in order to win the tournament, one must defeat every competitor on the updated list of registree. If someone defeats every competing Kemi and no one else participates within 24 hours, then that Kemi will be crowned as the Mud Brawl champ.
It's been 2 years since someone won the competition, and it was indeed, King Luke. The news about a challenger winning the tournament and being granted a wish scattered through the realms. Mud Brawl became popular resulting in new challengers entering the competition every day. Because of that, no one else managed to win for the last 2 years.
Currently, the Iguanaman is the registrar who keeps the records and will notify the elders if there's a victor. Those who leave the match or the realm will automatically be removed from the competitor's list. Also, there's a chalkboard near him that everyone can see. The number of competitors is written there, which the Iguanaman updates every time someone withdraws or enters the competition.
"So far no one died here, though some are leaving with broken bones. I just want to let you know that whatever happens to the three of you in that mud pit will not be my fault." The Iguanaman said.
"FeLinE would even fight two at the same time, you can join the list and make it three," FeLinE responded as she proceeded to the mud pit. The Iguanaman shivered to his spine, frightened by FeLinE's threat.
"That voice is as monotonous as it could sound but it was terrifying…" Yuna commented.
"At first, I thought Kita with her spontaneous character is hard to deal with, but now I think an annoyed FeLinE is way more alarming…" Raven added.
"Agreed…" Lulu and Darli replied.
141.
The competition starts at dawn and ends at dusk. As of now, the closest to completing the list is Dydae, holding 20 wins out of 31 Kemis. She's been having a little bit of trouble completing the whole list since it changes almost every day.
FeLinE, Yuna, and Raven started to compete as well. Their situation is a little bit disadvantageous because it's already noon, everyone expects that someone else will either withdraw or join Mud Brawl tomorrow. They won't be affected if the Kemi who withdraws from the competition is someone they haven't faced yet. But if they already beat that Kemi, then their wins will be lessened as well. It is a way to keep everyone's win record accurate to the number of current competitors.
To the surprise of almost everyone, FeLinE, Yuna, and Raven are actually doing better than they expected. They gained the crowd's attention when each one of them won 3 matches consecutively. FeLinE is literally lifting a Kemi almost double her weight, Raven is barely surviving but still winning, and in Yuna's case, so far no one has noticed how she secretly uses her telekinesis talent to win the match.
Wins after wins, FeLinE is effortlessly crossing out her win list. Eventually, in her 15th battle, FeLinE needs to face Dydae. It is the last brawl for this day and everyone is hyped up.
"I must say, you are making me eat my words. You are surprisingly amazing." Dydae said as the two of them prepare for the match.
"FeLinE can make nyu eat something else, perhaps the mud if nyu are interested," FeLinE:1000X replied.
"HAHA! A spicy start, let's do this." Dydae responded as she smirked.
Dydae charges first aiming to grab FeLinE by the stomach. Gaining the optimal distance, Dydae locked her arms on FeLinE's waist, planning to lift FeLinE. But before Dydae could even continue her technique, FeLinE hit Dydae's back using her elbow. The force broke Dydae's focus, instead of attacking, Dydae instinctively wanted to defend now.
The situation changed and Dydae decided to take a different approach. She lets go of her grip, letting FeLinE pin her down. As soon as Dydae landed on the mud, she immediately rolled sideward. Covering FelinE's face with mud and escaping from her range. Dydae's battle experience allowed her to use the field effectively.
"It looks like they are evenly matched," Yuna commented.
"I only lasted 8 brawls, I might lose to the next one if I continue. Meanwhile, FeLinE is winning fast without any sign of slowing down." Raven replied.
"It's her 15th battle in a row, is she immortal?" Darli questioned.
"Maybe? We still don't know if Sentient Kemis age like us." Lulu answered.
Dydae is the first one to manage to escape from FeLinE's pin, proving her brawling prowess. FeLinE usually uses counterattacks in all of her previous matches, but just like Dydae, it's time to try a different approach. "Okay, now FeLinE is pissed," FeLinE:1000X said as she removed some mud from her face.
Annoyed by her opponent, FeLinE charged in straight. Dydae thought that it was her turn to do what FeLinE did to her but upon closing the gap, FeLinE jumped to the left side, avoiding Dydae's grab. Dydae reacted by submerging in the mud once again, preparing to roll when things got dire. FeLinE needs to catch up before Dydae repeats the same move earlier. FeLinE swiftly jumped forward and landed a foot on Dydae's back between the shoulder blades. The previous damage from FeLinE's elbow attack weakened Dydae's back. The force is too much and it prevented Dydae from rolling out of the situation. The countdown starts and it's evident that Dydae can no longer escape this one. After a minute, the crowd erupted as FeLinE beat the Kemi with the highest win record.
"IS SHE SMIRKING RIGHT NOW? SHE'S CLEARLY ENJOYING THIS!" Raven reacted.
"She's been showing a lot of other subtle emotions lately," Yuna responded.
"I've been wanting to be like her since day 1!" Darli commented.
The Mud Brawl competition comes to an end as dusk starts, competitors will be given a chance to compete again by the next dawn. The victors have the right to accept or decline a rematch from the loser of the match though there's a catch. Winning again with the same matchup won't add to the victor's win list, but if the loser from the previous match wins the rematch, then it will add to their win list. It's a disadvantage to the previous victor, that's why the Mud Brawler who wants a rematch should offer something to the victor and make them agree.
Later on, the Mud Brawlers leave the area. Mostly everyone lives in small and poorly self-made shelters, just enough to keep them warm. Some of the competitors from other realms also adapted to the customs in Hachtile. Surviving is all up to themselves, no rules outside of Mud Brawl.
After observing the norms in Hachtile, team FeLinE went back to the Ruin. It's not that far from the town proper, plus it's less muddy. They build a small hut from tree branches and use the mud as cement.
"Aaaand it's done, good thing the branches here are thick," Yuna said.
"I wonder how they can sleep, I mean some of them just dug a hole and that's it," Lulu mentioned.
"Well, in their defense, they'll probably say the same thing about us, building a hut just to sleep," Raven responded.
"I usually just sleep on trees!" Darli added.
"By the way, there's a nearby small waterfall behind the Ruins, it's better to remove mud before setting up the sleeping bags," FeLinE:1000X said.
"And now, Hana would be a great fit to wash off the surroundings. Are we sure that we picked the right ones for this realm?" Lulu questioned.
"Maybe they are also struggling in their realm too. I'm sure things cannot go worse than this." Darli replied.
"That's a Kita phrase, and that is when things start to get more complicated…" Raven responded.
"Yeah… I guess we need to anticipate the next event, something might happen from now on." Yuna added.
Team FeLinE proceeded to the said small waterfall to freshen up. It has been an exhausting series of duels, FeLinE with 15 wins, Raven got 8, and Yuna has 7. On the other hand, Darli and Lulu did not find any corrupted Kemis.
142.
Hachtile is somewhat similar to Noctambulist Land wherein the residents mostly care about a certain thing; partying for the Nocturnals while Mud Brawling for the Reptiles. Both welcome outsiders but the realms share a problematic setup in terms of collecting the Mystical Runekey, the group cannot just simply acquire those. That means team FeLinE needs to either play by the rules or be sneaky just like before.
The following day comes, and when team FeLinE steps outside of their hut, Dydae is already there, holding a basket full of fish. "Good morning! I'm offering this basket to your group," Dydae greeted.
"FREE BREAKFAST!" Darli and Lulu excitedly reacted.
"Yes, you can have all of these if FeLinE will agree to a rematch," Dydae said.
"Rematch is a waste of time," FeLinE:1000X responded as she walked away.
"But fish!" Lulu complained.
"Nyu and Darli can catch fish while the rest of us are completing the win list, I agree with FeLinE on this one," Yuna replied.
"There's a nearby fishpond beside the small waterfall," Raven mentioned.
"Oh, I love catching fish! I'll show nyu how to catch using bare hands!" Darli responded. She grabs Lulu's hand and pulls her towards the pond.
"This is going to be a lot harder than I expected," Dydae said to herself.
Team FeLinE continued completing their win list, they thought that it would be easier today since they started earlier compared to yesterday but it is not the case. After FeLinE rejected Dydae's offer, Dydae has been trying different ways to make FeLinE agree to a rematch. Dydae doesn't want to continue her Mud Brawl matchups without getting her revenge.
Offering food, creating a FeLinE sculpture out of mud, kneeling in front of her, and asking FeLinE for a rematch over and over again, even though FeLinE is currently in a match. The non-stop persuasion has been distracting FeLinE since morning, thus resulting in a slower match finish. FeLinE still won 5 of her morning matches, 2 other Kemis withdrew, and 3 newcomers registered. Meaning, FeLinE's win list is just the same as yesterday.
With that, team FeLinE decided to take some rest, and eat lunch in their camp. The campfire was set, thus grilling the freshly caught fish started.
"Is she mad? I'm still confused about her emotions." Darli whispered to Lulu.
"It's hard to tell, but I think she is mad right now," Lulu whispered back.
"She's been having a hard time focusing on her matches. FeLinE's win list is still 15 because of the withdraws and new challengers." Yuna explained.
"But why can't she focus?" Lulu asked.
Moments later, Dydae joined them, carrying a basket of random artifacts.
"Aaaand there's the answer to your question," Raven replied to Lulu.
"It's me again, I found these crystal-like things, you can have these if you agree to a rematch. I don't know anything about these, but they look pretty and maybe you'll like them." Dydae said as she put down the basket.
On a closer look, they saw a bunch of Runecrystals and Runekeys inside. "We got plenty of those," FeLinE:1000X said as she deeply sighed, tired of dealing with Dydae. "Fine, if nyu can tell me something about this realm that I don't know then I'll give nyu a rematch," she added.
Valuable information is a lot more important for FeLinE than any other object, of course except for the Mystical Runekey. Dydae begins to think deeply, she must provide something that will contribute to FeLinE's plan. After a couple of seconds, Dydae remembers an odd Mud Brawler who registered months ago.
"Oh, this will help you. You need to face everyone in the competition to win, that means you'll eventually gonna face the Odd Brawler." Dydae said.
"Odd Brawler?" Raven asked.
"Yeap, he usually beats everyone in the competition but will only leave one remaining competitor and not complete the win list. If the participants at that time were 30, including him, then he would beat 28 opponents in a single day, and then leave the place. He only comes back once his win list becomes less than half of the current list. No one can beat him, and he rarely shows up, that's one of the reasons why we are struggling to complete the win list this year." Dydae explained.
"Interesting, provide FeLinE better details then FeLinE will agree with the rematch," FeLinE:1000X responded.
"He is humongous, very muscular, light grey hair, and he got these 2 long horns sideways. He takes on every opponent consecutively without rest. I would even bet that this Kemi doesn't know the word fatigue. He also goes by the name Mammothman, though I think it's a lame stage name because it's obvious that he is a Mammothman Kemi. He may be unbeatable but that Kemi should still work with his stage name." Dydae replied.
Everyone on team FeLinE was shocked, "FeLinE thinks nyu said enough…" FeLinE:1000X replied.
"FINALLY! I'll be waiting for the rematch, enjoy your meal!" Dydae said as she immediately ran back to the town proper.
"I'm officially saying it, we're doomed," Lulu said.
"Why? We saw FeLinE beat a muscular Kemi? Why is this one any different?" Darli questioned.
"If we are not mistaken, Dydae just described Mathus and his talent is endless energy. The fact that he is alive means he either escaped from the Krakquad or beat it." Yuna answered.
"Which is actually an impressive feat, regardless of which one he was able to pull off," Raven added.
"Oh, nyu mean the giant thingy with 4 tentacles? I guess Mathus is indeed a tough one." Darli replied.
"I just remember, FeLinE's Relic can detect a certain type of Kemi right? That's how she figured out that Mathus and Zela were from a different realm. Maybe we can do that again to trace Mathus and confirm it." Yuna suggested.
"Correction, the Relic detects if there are nearby Kemis or Runes. FeLinE needs to scan the Kemis first before we can identify their classification. Also, the classification is based on their realm habitat, not on the type of Kemis. It was programmed that way since other types may exist in other realms, just like how every type of Kemi exists in UniPaws." FeLinE:1000X explained.
"We can check every Kemi that stays away from the town proper during the Mud Brawl, we'll eventually meet him in that way," Raven said.
"Looks like we are in for some hide and seek and we are the seekers," Lulu commented.
End of Chapter 6