Monster Jousting Book 3 - Chapter 4 (Patreon)

The camp turned silent. Well, not really. Thraz was slurping up his portion of the stew, not realising the social cues going on right now. Krall’s heavy breathing swished the fire, sending ash scattering Gluttony’s way. The wolf-bat hissed, and pounced onto the massive kobold-mole hybrid.

“I miss my friends, too,” Noah said. Pillow looked at him. “If it wasn’t for them, I’d most likely be dead right about now. You know, I volunteered to enter this place.”

“You volunteered? Pillow asked. “Why would you do something so stupid. Are you an idiot?”

Noah laughed. “Maybe. Probably. I didn’t have much back home. My dad died when I was little. My mother turned to gambling and drugs. She lost everything. The house, the funds for my schooling, me. I was taken into an orphanage. Kind people, but the place was falling apart. They hardly had the funds for proper meals, so some of the adults went without a lot of the time. They repeatedly asked the government for help, but I don't know what happened to that. So I figured it would be better to go at it on my own. Live on the streets, scavenge for food. You know, it wasn’t all that bad.”

Thraz, Gluttony, and Krall all stopped what they were doing. They listened.

Noah gazed into the fire. “Sometimes I would hit a score, finding some fresh food left on the table in a restaurant that others couldn’t finish. I still managed to go to school, but it wasn’t easy, you know? That’s when I met my mates. Miles, Peter, Frank. I would go to their house and we’d watch the broadcast. Sure, it was filled with death, blood, and shit, but it was hardly any better than what I was going through. More than that, there was a chance. A chance of freedom. Power. So we came up with a plan. Now here I am.”

“Now here you are,” Pillow repeated. “Now you’re stranded on an island filled with monstrous beasts all wanting a strip of your flesh. In a world where everything wants you dead”

“Sounds great, doesn’t it?” Noah laughed. “But like you, I miss my friends. It’s only now that I realised it. Will I ever get to go back and meet them? Probably not, but who knows what this world hides? That’s the beauty of it, isn’t it? The possibilities are limitless. You know what’s the peak of life on my original world: Earth?”

Pillow shook his head.

“Wealth. There’s no magic. No monsters to fight, nowhere left to explore. Wealth is the peak of life on Earth. If you have wealth, you can live freely. Go where you want, eat what you want, sleep with who you want.” Noah chuckled. “Truth is, on Earth, there’s nothing really left to do.”

Pillow grabbed a stick and poked the fire. The embers flickered and crackled. It was still early in the morning. The sun was still rising. An orange glow broke past the dark green walls of mist.

“Money can buy you freedom,” Pillow said in a sombre timbre, the fire of the campfire reflected against his eyes. They glowed red and orange and white. All colours of anger.

“Is that why you’re so interested in money?” Noah asked.

Pillow nodded, then shook his head. “Enough of this chat. It’s boring me.”

“And here I thought we were going to become friends,” Noah smiled. “Come on, I’ve got a lot of fishing to do and I could do with the extra hand of help.”

“You really need my help?” Pillow asked.

“Nah, not really,” Noah said. He quickly shoved mouthfuls of rabbit stew into his mouth, chewed the meat pieces twice, then swallowed. In a few seconds, his portion of the stew was gone. “Whew.” Noah patted his stomach, and said, “That hit the spot. Come on, I’m in a good mood and could do with the company. All Thraz’s talking points consist of smashing, cutting, and killing. It gets rather repetitive.”

Noah walked toward the pier. Everyone followed.

“Well what else is there to talk about?” Thraz asked. “Feelings? Bah, there are no feelings in war. It’s you or them. Life and death is in your hands. How can you think about anything other than smashing or cutting or killing?”

Noah glanced at Pillow, and said, “See what I mean?”

“Yeah…” Pillow’s lips curled into a smile.

“You’re smiling!” Noah pointed, feigning a look of shock.

Pillow’s face dropped back into his usual angry, scowling face. “I am not!”

“You are two!” Noah fired back.

“How old are you?” Pillow scowled. “Petulant child.”

“You are three!” Thraz pointed as well, booming a laugh.

Noah turned to Thraz and asked, “And what do you mean there’s nothing else to talk about? What about that woman you were talking about a while ago?”

“How can you remember that?” Thraz asked in surprise. “Are you one of those creepy people that can remember everything?”

“A sage?” Pillow asked.

“I just happen to have a functioning brain, Thraz,” Noah said. “You know, one capable of thinking beyond the day. Or wondering what the next meal is going to be.”

Thraz grunted, and said, “Those are important thoughts. Anyway, her name is Melondra. She has massive–”

“Yes, I remember Thraz,” Noah said. “Truly a lucky dragonborn. She’s a member of the rabbit race I recall?”

“A rabbit race?” Pillow asked, sad thoughts flashed behind his eyes.

Thraz nodded enthusiastically.

“Honestly, I thought you’d go for a different race,” Noah said. “I mean, a tall rabbit race? I thought Dragonborns would go with other Dragonborns, or at least something with–”

“Scales?” Pillow interrupted.

“Yeah, exactly,” Noah said.

“It wasn’t my choosing,” Thraz said. “My tribe usually marries other tribes, tainting the bloodline is a big problem. But this time it was different. Melondra is a princess of a huge tribe in the plains called Moonlight Faven. Her family is incredibly powerful. Even the humans fear their martial prowess. Melondra shares that might. My father tied the bonds when we were just youngsters.”

Thraz looked around, as if hoping something would charge at them. He continued, “At first I was upset. Who would want to marry an outsider? Especially one with fur. I mean, it goes everywhere. It’s just like killing something with fur, chopping it, and it flies everywhere. I didn’t want hair stuck in my teeth, Noah. Do you know how hard it is to remove? I would be plucking out the hairs for days. They go through moulting seasons. Shedding their fur. It was a nightmare.”

“It’s not that bad,” Pillow said, scowling.

“Oh right, sorry panda,” Thraz said.

“I’m not a panda,” Pillow said through gritted teeth.

“But then I met her,” Thraz said. He had stopped looking around. His eyes hazed over, as if he was looking at Melondra here and now. “She was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Tall ears, long limbs, fair skin, and massive–”

Noah interrupted, “Thraz, I get it.”

Thraz clicked his tongue, and said, “Anyway, I wish to see her again. Return back home and meet with my family in the grand hall. We’ll eat for days, sing, and dance around the hearthfire until our feet bleed. Just like you wish to see your friends, Noah. We can make it happen together. And you, little panda.”

“Yeah…” Pillow said, looking off into the distance as they arrived at the pier.

Pillow looked sad. Noah wanted to delve deeper, but he knew now that the black panda would open up on his own.

What Noah said was the truth. He missed his friends and he did want to see them again. But unlike Thraz who wished to return home, Noah didn’t have the same sentiment. He would never return home. Because he didn’t want to.

This was his new home.

Noah brushed his hand against Gluttony, and stretched up to pat the thick fur of Krall’s.

This was his new family.

***

Birthright Castle was cast in an orange hue. The sun was rising and before long, it would be day time. Declan grit his teeth. Not long now, he thought as he warily gazed over the defences they had created: A tall wall protected by barbed wire on top. Small holes covered the wall so that archers and other ranged combatants could fire their attacks through. Blood both old and new glistened atop the sharp metal. Declan had claimed this area as his new Home.

His Hub.

Along with everyone else, they had managed to defend until now. But when was it going to end? The corrupted were insatiable. Unstoppable. They just kept on coming like incessant waves. It wasn’t all bad, though. They had managed to climb levels at an astonishing rate.

“On the left!” Declan barked an order as he spotted a shadow bolt toward the wall through one of the holes.

The moment his word left his mouth, a powered arrow imbued with the destructive properties of air whistled past the holes in the wall. The arrow drilled through the attacker's skull.

Thanks to Noah and his sacrifice, they had managed to make it to the castle. His idea worked well. They were given enough time to erect defences here, and prepare for attacks.

“There’s more coming!” Cai shouted. “Too many!”

Declan’s heart dropped. He shuffled closer to the hole, and peered through once more. Four, eight, fifteen. Holy hell, Declan clenched his hands. He turned and shouted to those still resting from their shift the night before. “Everyone to the walls!”

Declan fumbled for his weapon. His hands were numb. He was too tired. It had been… weeks. Honestly, he wasn’t sure how much time had passed.

Just as the vile, distorted faces of the corrupted got close enough to see. Declan heard a thum. It sounded like a powerful attack.

Then, a storm of arrows felled the monsters in an instant. From the side, a woman with long flowing hair and golden armour approached.

“Who are you?” Was the question that left her mouth.