Monster Jousting Book 3 - Chapter 15 (Patreon)

From his vanquishing helmet, life-force bubbled forth. It was so all consuming that it caused Noah to take a step back.

Just what the hell is in there? Of course, he already knew. It was the king. It had to be. If it wasn’t, then it was whatever had taken its place. But was that possible? With the guardian knight in front of the main walls, and the impervious barrier that seemingly reached into the heavens, it was unlikely.

A few minutes later, Pillow arrived. He reeked of medical ingredients and smoke. He looked happy. With a hop in his step, he stopped next to Noah. Gluttony sniffed him, then snorted. Whatever potions he had been making, Gluttony didn’t like them one bit.

“Finished?” Noah asked.

“There’s still a section of really good herbs,” he said. “But I’m keeping them for later.”

“WHat did you make, anyway? It smells like you’ve set up a hospital in a back alley in some run-down city.”

“That’s oddly specific.”

“Tell me about it,” Noah laughed.

It wouldn’t have been the first time he smelled that familiar, pungent scent. One time he was walking down an alleyway deep in the backstreets. A group of 4 were huddled over a blazing barrel. They had set up an apparatus atop of it, like a grill, but Noah knew it wasn’t for cooking food. He could smell it.

“So are we going in then?” Pillow asked, fastening some glistening green potions to his leather coat.

Noah’s fingers twitched. He hesitated. For the first time, he hesitated. From his full-face helmet, he could tell that whatever was in this place wasn’t something he could defeat. The life-force beating within was like an inaudible warning.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “I don’t know if we can beat it.”

“Wow,” Pillow whistled. “Here I thought you were bat shit insane.”

“Calculated chaos, mate. But this is something else. Whatever is in there is the king of this place. Or whatever has taken over his body. The ruler of that knight out there that won’t hesitate to cleave us in half given half a reason. We’re lucky he, or it, hasn’t charged at us yet.”

“Are you expecting that?” Pillow asked, grabbing hold of one of his potions.

“Dunno. He hasn’t charged yet, so I think we’re good.”

“So what do we do? Kick back and relax for a good while?”

Noah turned silent. Was that really the call? Sure, he could go back and level for a while. For weeks, or months, until he was a bit more confident. But for some reason, he took out the simple broach from his pocket.

It looked… well, ugly, in simple words. But it was made from love.

Love can never be forgotten, Noah recalled the words from the description. They were powerful. They brought forth an indescribable feeling that resonated with Noah. he didn’t know what love was, exactly, but whatever he felt radiating from the broach wasn’t a simple feeling. It was one that had seeped into the material of the ornament.

“We’re going in,” Noah said with a concentrated expression.

“What, really? What happened to the ‘we don’t stand a chance’ spiel?”

“I have a hunch.”

“Oh? A hunch.” Pillow nodded. “That makes sense. We’ll just throw our lives into a room with a king class monster and hope for the best. That sounds exactly something you’d do.”

“Hey,” Noah said with a smile. “I’m glad we’ve come to an agreement.” Noah thrust his hand in front of him. “Onward, my team!”

Krall and Gluttony excitedly jumped up and down on the spot. They motioned themselves to the grand double doors. It was as if they couldn’t wait to head in and battle whatever was waiting for them.

“Even your tamed monsters are insane,” Pillow mumbled through a sigh. “This is going to be a short life.”

“At least it won’t be a boring one!” Noah laughed, slapping the black panda’s upper back. Noah had to crouch down.

Without further ado, Noah approached the twin doors, then pushed. They opened with a groan. Dark green, almost black smoke surged outward. Engulfing Noah and his party, it swept past him after a couple seconds. Only then did Noah get a good look inside the room.

His eyes widened. It wasn’t what he was expecting. The room was scorched black. Only near the doors were the grey tiles, and a small section of red carpet revealed. All around the room were corpses of various sizes of purple creatures. They had long died, but their bodies remained largely intact. None of the black scorch had touched them, surprisingly.

Atop a rather simple throne made of wood, that had turned black from scorch, was a naked man wearing a golden crown. By his size, laying on the floor, a skeleton was resting its hand on his thigh. His hand was entwined with the boney fingers.

It was a harrowing image. What the hell happened here?!

Noah took a breath. He stepped forward. The man’s head rose. Vivid, glowing green eyes glowered at him. It was a warning. The skeleton turned its head to him. The same green kindled behind its eye sockets. Noah trembled.

“Why have you come here,” he said, his voice low and resonating. It echoed within the room. “For riches? I just want peace.”

Noah tightened his fists. “I’ve come to rid the land of the hallowed fog.”

Is this really worth a damned fishing Class?! He thought, but it was already too late to back out. He couldn’t help but land his gaze on the skeleton. Noah wasn’t an expert when it came to anatomy, but if he had to take a guess, then the skeleton by his side, holding the king's hand, was the queen. The signs of battle in the throne room meant that there was once a great battle here.

And the cost of battle was the queen's life. Noah realised that he had been holding his breath for a while. He took a breath at last.

“I can’t let you do that,” he said with a blank expression on his face. “The fog is the only thing keeping my wife alive.”

“And that fog is killing many more,” Noah said with a frown. “Back on the mainland, there are children. They have no part in this. But it is your fog that is sending bloodthirsty creatures for their throats. Is that something your wife would have wanted?”

His eyes snapped open further. “Don’t you tell me what my wife would have wanted. You know nothing,” He roared.

“I know she was a kind woman, who loved you.”

“How would–”

Noah displayed the broach in his hand. The king trembled as his eyes laid upon it. They were filled with tenderness. His gaze lowered to the skeleton. He rubbed her head. It was bald, but the way he stroked her was as if he could see the ‘real’ her. The queen she once was.

“In my customs,” he said after a moment, raising his head. “Nothing is earned for free. Show me you are worthy of my powers.”

He gently laid his queen's hand to her lap and stood up. Dark green fog rose from his shoulders. They exuded from his very eyes.

Holy shit, I just wanted the fog gone. I don’t want your powers, dude?

Nevertheless, Noah knew the king wouldn’t back down without a fight. It was time to show him what he had up his sleeves.