Monster Jousting Book 3 - Chapter 18 (Patreon)

Mile’s house, 20 minutes before.

The house was full today. Cousins, his mum and dad’s friends, it was packed. There was popcorn and sweets and chocolate. But Miles was too nervous to eat anything.

Practically the whole town was indoors watching the broadcast today. Because the day Noah would finally enter the castle had arrived. When the town heard that he’d be challenging something so dangerous, they had literally left work early to watch.

Noah had just entered the throne room. As soon as the camera showed the king, Miles was already nibbling away at his fingernails. His cousins and their family were busy stuffing their faces with popcorn, pointing at the screen in sheer excitement.

Miles couldn’t stand it. Looking at them cheering on his friend despite the danger he was in made him sick.

Peter placed his hand on Miles’ shoulder. He whispered, “It’ll be fine. He’ll make it.”

Miles nodded. But internally, his mind couldn’t stop worrying. How do you know he’ll be fine?

He had seen Noah battle bad odds, but nothing quite like this. Even through the screen he could feel the shirtless king’s aura. It was suffocating. His girl cousins squealed at the sight, ignoring the fact that someone from their own school was about to potentially be killed in cold blood.

He’s bitten off more than he can chew this time, Miles thought as his fingers sunk into the brown leather of the couch.

The moment Noah displayed the broach in his hands to the king, the room erupted in a smattering of oo’s and aa’s.

Smart! Miles couldn’t help but smile. And then the King relaxed. Some of his cousins showed obvious discontent. They wanted a bloody fight of life and death. Assholes, Miles’s smile disappeared as he scowled at his younger blood relatives. You wouldn’t be thinking that when it is your time to enter that world. You’ll be the first to piss your pants.

However, his younger cousins soon became more excited as the king made it clear that they were going to fight.

And fight they did. The king moved so fast that the broadcast had to slow it down. Noah only barely managed to react in time to stop his head from rolling.

Miles held his hand against his chest. Thump. Thump, thump. The rhythmic percussion of his intense heartbeat was making him nauseous. His heart was in his throat. Noah couldn’t win. When Krall was wounded, everyone turned silent; like they knew this wasn’t a fight he was meant to win. There was no fun in that.

But then Noah turned to rage. The king had injured his friend. Flashbacks of Noah doing the same entered his mind. The times when Noah would come running through the school’s corridor, fists ready whenever those assholes tried anything with Miles or Peter.

When Miles saw the black shadow emerge from Noah’s arm as he attacked the seemingly unbeatable enemy, Miles leapt to his feet. “Go Noah!”

When he gained the unbeatable kings powers, Mile’s and Peter couldn’t stop smiling. It looked incredible. The camera zoomed in on the young man. Dark, primordial wings of shadows cocooned from his back. Then, he looked directly into the camera.

Miles shivered. It was like looking into the eyes of a truly terrifying monster…

***

Ekralo’s pov.

Raising his glass to the moody goddess of fear, Ekralo said, nudging his eyes at the broadcast. “See, what do you think of my Chosen? That’s what I keep telling you. You need to choose better. I mean that wolf guy? Ha, all he ever did was run. Who would be afraid of that, a squirrel?”

Naira tightened her grasp around her glass mug so hard that it shattered.

“Making such a mess,” Ekralo tutted.

“He is not your Chosen. Not yet. If he is so great, then why do you hesitate?” Nara asked. The air sizzled, the wine and glass that she had spilled rose into the air, then evaporated. She didn’t even bother giving the barman a sorry glance, let alone an apology.

“You know the reason for that question,” Ekralo grumbled.

“Ah yes,” she said, motioning for another drink from the barman. “You grew attached.”

“Not attached,” He corrected with a wave of his hand. “The investment was too high to bear.”

“Too high of an investment?” She laughed, as if it was the most ridiculous thing in the world. “For an Elder God? Don’t make me laugh.”

“You wouldn’t know. All of your Chosen die before Godhood. The amount you need to pay once they achieve ascension is not just monetary, little princess. It strips away your life. Your soul. If they die, each Chosen above Godhood chips away at you.”

Naira turned silent. She glanced at him, with fiery, purple eyes. To most, they were the epitome of fear and dread. But to Ekralo, she was like a little kitten. She said after a moment, “What exactly occurs?”

“It depends on the God. But from what I’ve learned; you lose a part of whatever you value most. As for what that is for you, only yourself will know. Or perhaps you don’t even know yourself until the moment you lose it?”

I know that’s what it was like for me…

“As for the little lad fighting for his life.” Ekralo pointed his nose to the screen. Noah had just landed his full powered blow against the king. He continued, “If I shower him with gifts, he will become complacent. Worse, it will make him weak. Just look how he is struggling for anything; clawing in the dirt for a chance for power. That’s how it should be. And that’s what you’ve got to learn. Instead of wasting your resources for a gamble. Take your time and invest in only those that ignite that fire in your heart.”

“And he’s human,” Naira added. Ekralo nodded. She continued with a pout, “But where’s the fun in that? It’s like empowering your little soldier. Watching them fight is the only thing I look forward to in my day.”

“And that’s the reason you’ve stagnated,” Ekralo said, finishing whatever

Naira clicked her tongue.

Ekralo was about to say something else. Something to piss her off even further, but the scene on the broadcast changed. He had expected it from the very beginning, before Noah had even entered the castle. But to see it with his own eyes… It was surprising.

Noticing the change of expression, Naira couldn’t help but ask, “You know of that power?”

“The Hallowed,” Ekralo said, stroking his long white beard in thought. “An old power; one belonging to an even older Elder God. One that I’m not too familiar with. But I’ve heard of it. It’s powerful. Comes from a strange planet. Never thought I’d see it again, not here, anyway.”

“You know, I can’t help but question your decision to make him your Chosen,” Naira said as she plucked some peanuts that were sitting on the bar.

Here we go.

“It’s obvious the human boy has a rare bloodline. Adding onto the fact that he also focuses on mounted combat with his companions. It sounds like a match made in heaven, no?”

Ekralo sighed, and said, “Not yet. He still has room to grow without my hands.”

***

Noah’s Pov.

Noah felt incredible.

He summoned the Ring of the Hallowed. As the green mist billowed around him, the monsters swirled within. He asked Krall – who had slowly recovered from his heavy wounds, to throw a loose tile at him. The moment it neared, the mist lashed out. One of the monsters – a hound – snapped its metallic-like teeth at the tile, vaporising it.

“Why are you getting all the good stuff?” Pillow asked with a sigh. He still looked at Noah in apprehension.

Noah just assumed he was jealous. He shrugged. “Fortune favours the bold. Hey, you got some potions and ingredients. That’s big, right?”

Pillow gritted his teeth. “Yeah, right.”

“Anyway,” Noah said, glancing at the king's wife. The skeleton. Thoughts of raising her from the dead only lasted a mere fraction of a second before he shut that down. He shivered at his own thoughts. Damn, power is getting to my head.

He continued, “Time to get out of here. I have a date with an old fisher master.”

“I didn’t know you swung that way, Noah,” Thraz said.

“What? Shut up. Let’s go.”

And so they returned to the master fisher victorious. The hallowed wall of mist that had surrounded the entire set of islands had vanished.

It was time for his second reward.