Chapter 65: Only Beast Masters

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Only Beast Masters

The ground began to shake.

The far wall of the illusion rippled and went gray. Out on the plain, a final handful of lesser beasts scurried in circles, wailing, confused.

"Let’s go!" Karl shouted.

He was already moving. The tigercat streaked past him in a blur of orange, tearing through the last of the stragglers, while Karl himself cleared a path with two quick bursts of wind.

"This dungeon is collapsing!"

Jared didn’t move.

He stood in the middle of the crater, knees bent, the gem cupped in both hands. It was cold. It was pale as bone.

’I did that.’

He had burned a boss from the inside out. He’d pried its jaws open and filled it with fire. He’d listened to it scream. And in the end, it had made a choice. The last choice a beast could make. It had shed its body, folded itself into a stone, and hidden in the ashes.

Only a few days ago, he’d lain in a hospital bed, whispering that it was cruel.

[Rex,] [The ceiling is falling.]

"I know."

[Literally. It’s falling.]

A boulder the size of a car crashed down beside him.

He flinched, snapped out of it, and ran.

He felt bad. He felt terrible. But he closed his fist around the gem and sprinted across the cracking plain, dodging craters and falling rocks, with the sky coming apart behind him. The gate shimmered ahead, small and bright. Karl stood in it, waving both arms.

"Come on! Come on!"

Jared dove.

* * *

They tumbled out into the afternoon.

The gate sealed behind them with a thunderclap.

Jared lay on his back and stared at the sky.

"That was awesome," Karl said.

He crouched beside him, grinning, his hair full of grit, a thin line of blood across his cheek. He clapped a hand on Jared’s shoulder and gave it a hard, proud shake.

"Seriously. That was something. I’ve never seen anyone do anything like that. Congratulations."

Jared barely laughed.

It was a thin, strange sound, more breath than voice. He lifted his hand and looked at it. The pale gem sat in his palm, humming faintly.

"I saw you approach the site of destruction," Karl said, more quietly. "After the blast. You went to the center." He tilted his head. "Was there, erm..."

"Yes," Jared said.

"There was?"

"There was."

Karl let out a low whistle.

"Congrats," he said.

Jared sat up slowly.

He hadn’t expected it to feel like this.

He remembered how good it had felt, only a short while ago, discovering what he could do. The gas. The flight. The first blast of fire. The thrill of a trick he’d invented himself. He had laughed. He’d screamed that he would win. It had felt like being alive.

He had never imagined it would end like this, with a cold stone in his hand and a hollow in his chest.

"Is this what it means?" he asked.

Karl sat down beside him on the curb.

"To win as a beast master?" Jared said. "Is this it? Is this what it feels like?"

For a while, Karl didn’t answer.

He stretched out his legs and rested his elbows on his knees, watching the last wisps of dust settle. A breeze ruffled his hair. When he spoke, his voice was low and unhurried.

"I understand this must feel weird," he said. "It’s your first one. It doesn’t feel like an actual win. Trust me. It’s one."

"Is it?"

"That boss wouldn’t have hesitated to kill you. It wasn’t going to be gentle. It wasn’t going to be merciful. It took the easy route out, and it didn’t have to." He shrugged. "It’s easier to survive than to die."

"That’s not very comforting."

"It’s not meant to be. I’m not talking to a small child. "

Jared stared at the gem.

"I want to ask you something," Karl said.

"What is it?"

"Do you think it would have been better to just slay the beast and gain no gem?" He glanced sideways. "Or would you rather it had killed you?"

The question hung in the air. Jared opened his mouth.

Nothing came out. He stammered. He tried a few words, each one dying before it left his tongue. He tried to think of a good enough answer, something clever, something wise, something that wouldn’t sound like a lie. His thoughts spun in circles.

"Don’t answer that," Karl said.

Jared closed his mouth.

"It’s something you’re just meant to contemplate." Karl’s voice softened. "It’s not for me. It’s not for anyone else. It’s for you."

He rubbed his jaw.

"My dad told me that," he said. "Before he disappeared."

Jared looked up.

It was the first time Karl had ever said anything about his family. The words came out flat, casual, with no weight at all.

"Whenever I feel stranded as a beast master," Karl said, "I think about it. When I’m lost. When I don’t know what the right thing is." He gave a small, crooked smile. "It doesn’t answer anything. But it helps."

He stood up and held out a hand.

"Come on, partner."

Jared looked at it.

"Who are we to judge ourselves?" Karl said. "We are only beast masters."

For a long moment, Jared didn’t move.

Then, grudgingly, a small smile tugged at his mouth. He reached up, grasped the offered hand, and let himself be hauled to his feet.

"Yeah," he said. "Only beast masters."

[That was sweet,]

"Well," Karl said, dusting off his coat, "I can’t lie. You just became a beast master today."

"What?"

"Today. Before that, you were a tamer with a pretty strong gorilla. Today, you became one." He shook his head in wonder. "Your combos were something. You’ve got to teach me what’s going on in that head of yours."

"Maybe someday," Jared said.

He started to laugh.

"Hey," he said. "What am I saying? It’s not like you need lessons from the likes of me."

He stepped back, and his legs gave out.

He stumbled. The world tipped sideways.

"You good?"

"Yeah. Fine."

"You haven’t taken that vial yet."

"No."

"I can’t imagine you won’t need it soon." Karl frowned. "All those combos must have cost a lot of mana."

"Yeah," Jared said. "But I haven’t used it yet."

"Oh." Karl blinked. "Okay."

He let go.

Jared stood on his own feet, a little unsteady, and reached for the panel.

’System. How much do I have?’

[Mana: 5,409]

He blinked.

It was more than he’d expected. He’d felt like an empty bucket. But there were 5,000 left in the tank, enough for another round, if he was careful, maybe. He could still continue.

"I believe we still have a couple of barren gates," Jared said.

Karl raised an eyebrow.

Before he could answer, his phone buzzed.

He pulled it from his pocket, glanced at the screen, and read in silence. His mouth tightened. A faint line appeared between his brows. He scrolled, then read the message again.

"The association just turned in an assessment," he said slowly. "A couple more barren gates have surfaced. There are six in total."

"Six."

"And there’s more." He frowned. "The report also says this will be the last of it."

"How do they know?"

"Well." Karl tucked the phone away. "They do."

Jared stared at him.

"They don’t say how?" "That’s not an answer."

"It’s what they’ve got for us."

"So," Karl said, brightening. "What do you say? One more today?"

Jared smiled.

It was tired and real, a little crooked.

"Well," he said, "there are six."

"I know."

"I think five is a much better number."

Karl grinned.

"I couldn’t agree more."

He turned toward the car parked at the curb. It was a sleek, dark thing, dented at the corner, with a coffee cup on the dash. He looked at it for a moment, and then he sighed.

"Nah," he said.

"Nah?"

"We’ll take my other ride."

He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled.

A shadow fell across the lot.

The owl swooped out of the clouds, wide winged and silent. It landed in front of them with a soft thud, folded its wings, and bowed its head. Its golden eyes gleamed.

Karl climbed aboard.

Jared followed.

The great bird spread its wings, bunched its legs, and launched into the air in a rush of wind. The city tilted and dropped away. A cool breeze rolled over them.

Even though Karl had summoned his owl, the same bird that had once made Jared’s blood run cold with doubts, this time was different.

It was the first time seeing it raised no suspicion in him.

He didn’t stiffen. He didn’t stare. He didn’t wonder. He simply sat back, let the wind tug at his hair, and watched the city roll by.

He had trusted Karl completely.