[Beastborne: Tower of Blight] Chapter 56

Rain of Death unleashed a flurry of dozens upon dozens of javelin-like arrows onto the group of [Direboars].

“They’re just simple-minded beasts. Can’t expect them to do much against that,” Komachi pointed out. Creatures like [Direboars] were nearly as simple as monsters newly spawned from Brightsong’s monster farms.

Elora saw firsthand that they were capable of little more than animalistic instinct.

Lowering her greatbow by her side, the Wildsmaster wondered if perhaps the pobul was right and she had gone a step too far. She wasn’t going to admit that aloud to Komachi, who usually got especially smug about always being correct.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Komachi watching her, smugly of course, as if she had read her mind.

Dammit.

Some [Direboars] tried to charge at Elora. Another pair were busy locking tusks again, heedless of the imminent arrival of certain death from above.

Another was too busy lifting its leg to eliminate against the side of a boulder. [Direboar] after [Direboar] fell to the onslaught, offering up heaps of Experience points to Elora and Komachi, along with their meat, bone, and hide.

“Maybe you just didn’t want another familiar yet, and that’s why you obliterated ‘em all,” Komachi said, patting her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

“It is called Rain of Death, Komachi. Not Rain of Only Sometimes Death,” Elora told her.

“See whut Machi means? It’s a good, highly damaging area effect skill. Better with your new [Blighted Greatbow] too!”

It made Elora a little uncomfortable to hear Komachi talk like that, even though the pobul was trying to be unusually encouraging. Not that she was harboring under the belief that Komachi was dim-witted, but it was concerning that Komachi understood strategy and equipment parameters so well.

Especially when her own knowledge seemed to trump Elora’s at times.

Komachi was Elora’s support familiar, or so she told herself.

She repeated it enough times that it was becoming a mantra of self-confidence.

It went with a list of those that Mira had helpfully given to her.

Elora wasn’t sure about some of them, but she felt strangely better for repeating them.

I am a strong independent woman that doesn’t need any man.

I am in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing.

Komachi is my support familiar.

I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.

Komachi was an innocent creature she once defended from dark monsters. Yet, her support familiar (who was not a native of Aldim) had a greater grasp and understanding of Shardscript, attributes, Classes, skills, and lore than she did.

It was intimidating as hell.

“Dang, Elora, you’re gettin’ all worked up again!”

Ordinarily, a defeated creature’s loot would be handed over by the Shard without needing to collect it oneself.

However, Elora’s Wildsmaster had recently gained Hunter’s Harvest, a skill that allowed her to gain a greater amount of resources from beasts and similar creatures if she harvested them personally.

The skill extended to her familiar as well, so the both of them were able to harvest a huge amount of fresh meat, bones and hide. Almost nothing went to waste. Elora’s skill still had some room to grow.

Some pieces fortuitously went up in quality. A pair of [Primal Ribs] even jumped up to +2 quality, which dramatically improved the chances of the final dish being High Quality, which offered greater boons and superior taste.

The innkeeper, Kow, and his apprentice Val would be especially excited to receive those ribs to cook for the patrons of Kow’s Inn. That meant an excellent dinner enjoyed by both Ashera and Elora together. She could practically see his little happy face as she handed them over.

Already, she was looking forward to spending time with Ashera over that meal.

Elora had long since picked up that perhaps she was meant to spend longer periods of time adventuring outdoors to get the full extent of her Class’s potential.

The harsh and dangerous environment of the Shiverglades wasn’t conducive to that. However, as Brightsong grew and the Manatree’s protection extended farther and farther, the sheltered region within the surrounding mountains became gradually more accessible for Elora’s needs.

Crouching, Elora removed a well-oiled and freshly sharpened [Bronze Skinning Knife] from her new [Kobbiebag]. The wondrous item was bigger on the inside than the outside and granted access to the magical space that was her inventory. One of the koblins had affectionately made it for her after she did little more than persuade Komachi to make a koblin-style brew.

She had since started bringing them back various eclectic materials they requested, like [Spark Branches], [Jade Cavern Moss], and stacks of [Tough Hide] from the surrounding area and the caverns leading into the mountain.

So perhaps the irresistibly adorable koblins were getting more out of that exchange than a simple, humbling favor.

She got to work, earning a considerable amount of [Tough Direboar Hide] and much more [Direboar Meat]. Her nimble, gloved hands moved with ease, unimpeded by the cold thanks to the multiple sources of insulation Elora had wisely picked up before heading out.

Komachi’s brew was one of the strongest sources of insulation, and the pobul carried extra in her own personal inventory.

Inventory that far exceeded Elora’s in capacity. A fact she was reminded of daily.

The haul from these alone would turn into an immense amount of food, even on their own. Combined with Hamrin’s vegetables and Kow’s bread, and Val’s inventive new dishes, Brightsong would eat well for some time. Vastly outpacing their daily food consumption. Their storage would fill up, giving them more of a buffer should anything go wrong with the farms.

Their production of food was something regularly on Elora’s worrying mind.

Winter was harsh and brutal everywhere she had lived. Even so near the protection of the Founder, villages starved. People tightened their belts, and children were among the only people with full bellies.

The Shiverglades was harsher than all the other places combined. With their recent advancements, it was true that they were able to live more comfortably than Elora expected.

But she didn’t let her guard down. She never wanted anyone in Brightsong to go hungry. She had seen, and experienced, enough of that in Fallmark.

This part wasn’t to Komachi’s preference, even though she could technically help, so the pobul wandered off, sliding across the white snow on her belly.

Elora trusted she would stay nearby in case there were any threats or dangers. Though, who was protecting whom, Elora was uncomfortably unsure.

The pobul chirped rapidly, enjoying the slide down a bank of snow that the battle had caused to heap up.

Then Elora caught Komachi looking around for a moment and seeming… almost sad. Lonely. Like she thought someone or something else should be there, and then realized they weren’t.

Elora’s heart ached terribly.

I really should take finding another familiar more seriously. Not just for something that can directly fight in battle, but so Komachi can make more friends, Elora thought, feeling guilty even though she didn’t try to slay all the boars.

She wanted one that was strong enough, that was smarter and quicker than the rest. Something better than a mere feral beast.

You mean like Komachi? A cruel voice that sounded a lot like her own told her. Here you are, barely able to take care of a sweet and noble creature that is too good for you, and you already want more.

Suddenly Komachi was nearby in a flash, squeaking and chirping loudly, snapping Elora out of her intrusive gloominess.

“Everything’s okay,” Komachi told her, hugging Elora with her short little arms. Revitalizing warmth flowed from her pobul and spread up through her arms and into her chest. “We’re home in Brightsong. Ashera is fine, and so is everybody else!”

Elora squeezed her closest friend back, slowly feeling more like herself.

Komachi knew the signs of Elora’s internal distress. As bossy and demanding as the pobul tended to be, it was obvious she cared greatly. Though Elora suspected that Komachi thought that she was being plagued by the doom and darkness of other worlds she had borne witness to.

It almost seemed at times that the pobul was healing a little bit of Elora’s soul with every embrace.

Elora smiled at Komachi, hefted the nearly full [Kobbiebag] and turned to start making their way back towards Kow’s Inn. She opened her mouth to thank Komachi, when a thunderous boom interrupted her.

Purple lightning struck, splitting a tree down the middle and transforming it into a brilliant blinding ball of heat and force. Flaming flinders rained onto the snow, hissing as they melted through.

The impact was so close, it knocked Elora off her feet.

Holding Komachi protectively, Elora tucked into a ball and rolled jarringly across the ground before she bounced up onto her feet. She sank up to her knees in the deep snow. It took a little bit to get enough Wind mana built up in her quiver to sustain the snow running effect.

A giant beast charged across the snow-covered fields, easily twice the size of the largest of their karaks. Lightning ran up and down its curved metallic tusks, jumping and bouncing between them like some kind of tuning fork.

“Dang, that’s a big piggy,” Komachi said, unconcerned for the [Thunderboar] heading right for them. She had come a long way since the Battle of Brightsong.

Even faced with a deadly monster charging right for them, she kept her composure better than Elora.

Elora raised her [Blighted Greatbow], nocking an arrow with wind mana rushing down its shaft. As she lined up the shot, she saw intelligence in the beast’s eyes the lesser [Direboars] lacked.

Sensing the need, Komachi tapped into her Bamboozle attribute and unleashed a movement speed enhancing buff, tricking the snow into dramatically aiding Elora’s AGI and DEX rather than hindering it.

Elora darted off, swapping out her arrows for another kind.

Her long hours of training finally paid off.

She was just fast enough to accurately line up another shot. Elora let loose Grappling Shot, pulling herself into the air up and over the incoming [Thunderboar]. For a moment, it felt like she was flying, and then gravity took hold again.

Flipping, she landed unsteadily onto its furry back. Her hand darted out.

Not to harm, but to pet.

You ready Taming Pat.

Partial success! (2% out of 100%)

Elora held on to the [Thunderboar] as it sped across the valley. She grabbed a fistful of its coarse and spiky fur, holding on for dear life.

The beast bashed against and broke through trees, but Elora still managed to stay on while repeatedly using Taming Pat as soon as it was off cooldown.

Lightning lashed wickedly from its impressive tusks, crashing against the stone mountain walls, but it seemed incapable of directly attacking something on its back.

What few stray bolts got close to Elora were pushed away by Komachi’s magic.

Elora’s hand went numb, but she didn’t dare break her grip. She patted and soothed the beast as best she could, but the process was long and arduous.

Eventually, a prompt rolled across her vision and she felt a connection blossom between herself and the creature below her.

It slowed, then stopped running altogether, looking around with newfound senses and an unmistakable curiosity.

“You good?” Komachi asked Elora, and maybe the new familiar too.

You successfully tame the [Thunderboar]!

Your Wildsmaster reaches Level 30.

You have 5 attribute points awaiting distribution.

Your HP, SP, and MP are fully restored.

You have 1 Wildsmaster Perk point awaiting assignment.

Your Taming Skill has risen to Level 27.

Your Evasion Skill has risen to Level 44.

The boar grunted, lowering itself to the ground. Elora slid off its back and gave her new familiar a proper pat on the head. Sparks sizzled between its tusks, but it merely tingled instead of hurt.

“Now all that remains is to give you a proper name,” Elora said, looking into the dark eyes of the creature. “Something regal. Majestic.”

“Sir Toots A Lot?” Komachi offered.

The thunderboar snorted at Komachi. Its tusks began to crackle with energy and light up from within.

“Gotta be honest with ya, big guy. Can’t tell if that’s a no or yis.”

Surprising the both of them, electricity arced between the creature’s tusks, making the rough shape of a word: NO.

Komachi clapped.