Chapter 1: Prowler

The sky was overcast when Noah awoke, the clouds smothering the light of the unrisen sun. It was a chilly spring morning, but though the nearby fire was just a bed of smoldering embers, Shannon kept him warm. She slept soundly at his side, his arm around her slender waist. Noah straightened the blanket over them and held her closer, not wanting to brave the morning cold just yet. His movements caused her to stir.

“Is it time to go?” she asked, mumbling with her eyes closed like a newborn pup.

“Not just yet. We’ll let it warm up a little more.”

In response, she rolled over towards him and buried her face in his chest, trying to hide from the cold the same as he was. Noah embraced her and kissed her forehead, enjoying the peace while he waited for the sun to rise. Once it broke free of the horizon and shined its radiance upon their camp, they got up. They couldn’t sleep all day, after all. They scarfed down breakfast and packed their things, then resumed their journey. Shannon, in her centaur form, galloped across the Utheric landscape with Noah on her back.

They were following a path of destruction carved upon the countryside, left behind by the army of fiends marching on Uther. Their mighty footfalls had flattened the earth, and any trees, homes, or other obstacles in their path had been destroyed. Though a precarious situation, it made travel easier. Noah and Shannon had a brand-new road leading them right to their destination, and they took full advantage of it, racing from dawn until dusk.

It was impossible for them to catch up with the fiends and reach the city before them, so by the time they arrived at Colbrand, whatever was bound to happen would be already over. Would they get there to find the city reduced to blood-splattered rubble, or would, somehow, destruction be averted? Would Valia be waiting there for them? She had raced ahead to warn Colbrand of the marching army, and all Noah and Shannon could do was hope that she made it in time, and that, by some miracle, she was still alive.

Those desperate thoughts drove Shannon forward, running like the wind. As the last surviving member of the Petosic horse tribe, she was accustomed to traveling great distances at speed with her whole life on her back, and was using all of that experience to push herself as far as she could go.

Noah understood her desperation. Before the birth of the fiend army, the three of them had traveled together to free her enslaved tribe, arriving at a Profane internment camp. It was there they found out that all of her friends and family were dead or worse. Whether they died in the labs as test subjects or became minions of the Profane, Shannon lost everyone she cared about. Once again, she was racing against time, hoping to reach Colbrand and save Valia from a horrific fate.

Once night fell, Noah would rein her in, insisting that she stop and rest. “Just one more mile,” she’d always say, trying to put on a brave face. They’d set up camp and eat dinner by the fire, and though the light of the flames danced in Shannon’s eyes, Noah could see her despair and dread. She was hurrying towards Colbrand, despite being terrified of what she’d find there.

Noah, his soul scarred by the tragedies and crushed hopes of over a hundred lifetimes, said nothing about the unlikelihood of a happy ending waiting for them. Having told Valia he loved her before their parting, he, too, was worried, fearing he’d never see her again. He tried not to think of all the times in his past when he’d lost the people he cared about. He’d hold Shannon close, offering her support and dispelling her fears.

When her desperation peaked, she’d reach out to him, seeking more physical comfort. “Take me,” she’d whisper with a despondent gaze, begging him to help her forget her dread. He’d lay her down by the fire and make love to her, kissing her the way she wished to be kissed, holding her the way she longed to be held, and distracting her from her fears with pleasure. After a day spent galloping, she’d have little strength, so Noah was slow and gentle with her. Held in his embrace, she’d softly moan, but her dread could not always be swept aside.

On one such evening, the two joined by the fire, Noah sitting cross-legged with Shannon riding him. She bounced on his cock, he lifting and dropping her to their mutual pleasure. She moaned and whimpered as he stirred her up, with her pert breasts jiggling as she moved. Tears budded from her eyes as he brought her to climax, with a cry of pleasure escaping her lips. Left exhausted by euphoria, she collapsed against him, her arms wrapped around his neck. Noah soon realized that the trembles moving through her weren’t simply from her orgasm, and her frantic breathing wasn’t just from the excitement. More tears flowed down her cheeks and dripped onto his neck as she clung to him.

“Shannon,” he whispered, rubbing her back.

“Promise me she’ll be there,” she wept. “Please, I need to hear it. Tell me she’s ok, that she’s safe and waiting for us. I can’t bear to lose anyone else.”

“Don’t worry, I know Valia’s fine. She’s sitting in her house at Colbrand, bored out of her mind and wondering where we are. I imagine she’s saying, “They’d better not be having sex without me,” and pouting in jealousy.”

Shannon laughed and wiped away her tears. “You really think so?”

Noah reached out and cupped her cheeks. “I do. The three of us will be together again, I promise you.” They fell asleep in each other’s arms, just as they did every night.

They resumed their journey the next morning, continuing south. The weather was beautiful, with every day warmer than the one before it.

“You know, I arrived on this world just two years ago on a day like this,” said Noah as they traveled.

“Really?”

“Yep, woke up on a forest road with nothing but the clothes on my back and the stuff in my pockets. Normally, when I reincarnate, my new body is that of a baby being born, but this time was different. I can only assume that the magic of this world altered my reincarnation.”

“What’s it like being born? You’re probably the only person who actually remembers how it feels.”

“Oh, it is extremely unpleasant. Imagine trying to fit your whole body through the sleeve of your shirt, and everything around you is hot and damp. Fortunately, your bones are soft and flexible to help you slide through, and your blood is oxygenated thanks to the umbilical cord, so you don’t need to breathe and won’t suffocate. Then you’re out, and all of your senses are taking in the world for the first time, and it gets pretty intense. If you’re lucky, you don’t get spanked by the doctor—someone who treats people’s injuries and illnesses and delivers babies.”

“Why would he do that?”

“It’s a weird tradition for some doctors when a baby is born. They say it’s for good luck. Bad enough I’m naked, hairless, and squishy; the last thing I need is to get slapped on the ass as soon as the cord is cut.” Shannon laughed as she galloped. “Now, here’s something I’m curious about. Are members of the horse tribe born as humans, centaurs, or horses?”

“We’re all born as humans. We don’t gain our animal traits until we’re old enough to use magic.”

“What if two people mate while in centaur form?”

“Still human. I didn’t come into this world on four legs.”

“Horses can stand up as soon as they’re born, but babies can’t even sit upright and raise their head. I’m just imagining a bunch of infant centaurs ambling around, their upper halves slumped over as if riding a horse while passed out.”

Shannon laughed so hard she had to stop so she wouldn’t trip.

As the day grew late, Noah and Shannon began thinking of where to set up camp. Each night, they’d move off the fiends’ path of destruction and find some wooded area where they could sleep while hidden. Today, however, as the sun approached the horizon, Noah squinted in the distance.

“What is that? Looks like smoke.” He pulled out his spyglass and peered into the distance. “There is a village over there, and it appears intact.”

“Really? Wouldn’t the fiends have destroyed it like the others?”

“Since it wasn’t directly in their path, they may not have noticed it. Let’s check it out. We’re sorely in need of supplies, and maybe we can sleep in a nice bed beneath a roof.”

They took a slight detour, moving off the path and heading for the village among the rolling green hills. It was a small farming community built with stones collected from the fields. Most of the farmsteads were far and scattered, but towards the center, the homes and businesses were more clustered together, with a mill and its waterwheel at the heart.

It was spring, so everyone was busy as could be while the weather was ideal, but as the sun dipped and the sky yellowed, the tools of the various trades were set down and sighs of relief sounded out. Men and women migrated to the local tavern to drink away their fatigue, and Noah and Shannon joined them. As they passed the stables outside, the horses huffed and snorted at Shannon.

“Are they saying hello to you?” Noah asked as he slid off her back.

“You could say that. Mostly, they’re just curious.”

Shannon respectfully approached each horse and whispered a greeting in her native tongue. As a member of the horse tribe, she could communicate with them as easily as she could with humans. She then returned to Noah and assumed her human form. When beastmen transformed, their clothes would appear and disappear, seemingly fusing with their animal bodies, but there were limits. Shannon’s saddle was one such example. Riding bareback would be too uncomfortable for them both, so she wore one in her centaur form, though she had to remove it every time she turned back. Fortunately, stowing it was easy, thanks to Sir Reynolds’ knight ring, imbued with the storage enchantment. Noah already had a storage ring, and his unenchanted ring from his knighting ceremony, so giving it to her was an easy decision. She wasn’t a knight, so wearing the ring might be problematic, but Noah’s gold-rank status allowed him to quash all arguments.

He and Shannon stepped into the tavern, finding it lively. Beneath the wooden beams of this mead hall, villagers bid farewell to another busy day and found comfort in the depths of their mugs. A large fire burned in the center of the room, keeping everyone warm, and food and drinks filled everyone’s bellies. There was something about places like these that Noah enjoyed. By now, much of the novelty of living in a fantasy world had worn off, but these candlelit taverns always tickled his inner nerd.

However, there was an underlying tension in the air. There was no way these people didn’t know about the monster army that passed them by, and though they were aware of how lucky they were, there was dread in their voices as they thought of where that army was heading. Upon arriving, Noah and Shannon received some curious looks from the locals. Travelers were common, but Shannon’s clothing and complexion painted her as an outsider, while Noah’s gold emblem projected his might and authority.

A servant girl hurriedly approached and bowed. “Welcome, Sir Knight! How might we serve you this evening?”

“Hello. We’d like a room for tonight and some dinner and drinks.”

“Right away, sir! Please sit wherever you like, and I’ll bring you your food!”

Noah and Shannon obliged, sitting at one of several long tables. Moments after they took their seats, a man approached with several nervous villagers behind him.

“Excuse me, Sir Knight, are you here from Colbrand?” the man asked, removing his hat and wringing it anxiously.

“We’re on our way there, actually, following the monster army that passed by.”

“So you know what happened? What’s going on?”

“For the most part. That army originated from Welindar and is marching on Colbrand. We have no chance of beating them there, so we can only hope the city can defend itself until we arrive.”

“All the knights and most of the guards left town after the army passed by, heading towards Colbrand, the same as you,” said a tall, bony woman. “We’ve been left defenseless. What if bandits or monsters attack?”

“Well, unfortunately, my companion and I can’t stick around. We need to get to Colbrand as soon as possible. The faster the situation is solved there, the faster everything will return to normal here.” The dejected villagers moved away, and Noah turned to Shannon, who appeared anxious. “What’s wrong?”

“She’s right; what happens if these people are attacked? I don’t want what happened to me to happen to them. I’m only alive because of you and Lady Valia.”

“There are always people in need of help, always. If not this village, then another one somewhere, and all the time you spend helping one person is time spent not helping someone else. You can’t save them all. These people want to be our main priority, but our goal is to get to Colbrand. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the truth.”

You know, a long time ago, I was a member of the Peace Corps. It was this organization that would go to impoverished areas around the world, giving out food and medicine, helping build homes, all kinds of good stuff. I and several others were in a city struck by an earthquake. You know those, right? Earthquakes?” Shannon nodded. “Anyway, the devastation was incredible. Countless buildings had collapsed, and I’m talking huge stone buildings, some more than ten stories tall. The entire infrastructure had been devastated, and moving resources was an ordeal.

We spent days digging people out of the rubble, tending to the wounded, trying to get everyone fed and sheltered, and so many people were left utterly traumatized after they lost everything. You’d see little kids covered in dust and blood, sitting in the streets with dead eyes, their entire families wiped out, unable to even cry because they simply couldn’t process what had happened.

I remember the word was eventually put out that we were no longer digging for survivors; now, it was just about collecting corpses. And then...” Noah gave a bitter laugh. “And then another fucking earthquake hit, even bigger than the one before it, and everything that had managed to withstand the first one was completely leveled by the second. The entire city was destroyed.

All the streets we had cleared were filled back up with rubble, all the buildings that people had been sheltering in collapsed on their heads, everything we had fixed was broken, and we were right back where we started. And the wailing, it was unbelievable, people holding their dead loved ones, sobbing and screaming in anguish, asking why God had forsaken them.

Overall, more than a hundred thousand people died in the quakes and the aftermath, and half a million more were left homeless and destitute. We worked ourselves half to death trying to help as many as possible, but we couldn’t help them all. You never can.”

The servant girl returned, carrying two plates of food and foaming steins. “Ooh, that smells good,” said Noah, rubbing his hands together.

He started eating as though he hadn’t spoken in the first place, but Shannon sat and gazed at him. She knew of Noah’s goal to break his curse, his desire to end his reincarnation and finally rest in peace. Originally, she didn’t understand why he would want such a thing, why he would give up living forever, but the more she learned about him, the more it made sense.

She couldn’t imagine what it was like to have experienced over a hundred lifetimes worth of tragedies, and have all those painful memories swirling around in his head. She just hoped there was something she could do to finally help him find the serenity he wished for. Eventually, though, her growling stomach shook her from her thoughts, and she dug in.

After dinner, they retired to their room upstairs. It was small, with a rough straw mattress, a trunk for their possessions, and a lone candle burning on a table in the corner, but it was better than sleeping outside. Noah did his usual check of the room, ensuring it was safe.

“Does it ever bother you? The people that you couldn’t save?” Shannon asked, looking out the window.

“For every one person I couldn’t save, an infinite number of them live on in other timelines, meeting their end in different ways. When I bury someone, that’s where I leave them. I don’t carry them with me, hanging from my neck like a heavy chain. Are you still thinking about your tribe? Or what happened in Welindar?”

“Both,” she whispered, her shoulders trembling.

“What happened wasn’t your fault. If I shot the arrow that killed Kaisen, would you blame me for what happened?” She shook her head, still with her back to him. “Then don’t blame yourself. It’s not that you didn’t save your tribe or Welindar; it’s that you couldn’t. Don’t lament that which was beyond you. We can’t change the past; we can only try harder for the future.”

Shannon turned to Noah and held his hands. “We can’t save everyone, but you and Lady Valia saved me, and for that, I will love you and serve you always.”

The two shared a tender kiss, and as it evolved, their hands wandered, stripping off each other’s clothes. They moved to the bed, Shannon lying back and Noah holding himself over her. His member slid inside easily, drawing a whimper of bliss, and as he began to move, a sensual moan slipped free. For Shannon, it just wasn’t the same if she wasn’t being sandwiched between Noah and Valia, but still, she was at home in his arms, and his technique was superb in cleansing her mind of doubts and fear.

Noah started out slow and gentle, but soon picked up the pace, giving her the vigor and strength she had come to love. Before long, the bed was rocking and bouncing, with Shannon’s moans a testament to Noah’s skill. Lying on her back, she kissed him deep with her legs wrapped around his waist, never wanting to let him go. Noah eventually sat up, lifting her hips off the bed and continuing his thrusts with Shannon’s breasts tumultuously shaking. She clung to the bedsheets, moaning as he ravished her. With his strength, he made her climax before long, but didn’t stop until he had one of his own.

As he caught his breath, he moved his hands up her back and lifted her up, setting her on his lap without pulling out. While waiting for him to regain his rigidity, she wrapped her arms around his neck and passionately kissed him, soon feeling him grow hard inside her. Now it was her turn, and sitting on his lap, she rode him joyfully, bobbing up and down while he sucked on her breasts.

Thinking back, Shannon remembered how she would spy on Noah and Valia when they were together, watching them have sex. She used to be so envious of them, not just for the pleasure and love they experienced, but for their confidence and energy, and the strength they exuded. There was assurance in their movements, how they trusted each other to satisfy their needs. Though they faced each other with their lips joined, it was like watching them fight back-to-back, battling each other’s inner demons. Shannon dreamed of reaching that level, becoming someone they could rely on and fulfill all their expectations. As she rode Noah, giving her all to please her beloved Lord, she hoped she was getting closer.

Her conviction was tested when he turned her around and took her from behind. With his hands on her hips, Noah drilled her hard and fast, but he knew how to do it without hurting her. Still, the intensity and speed pushed her body to its limits. She tried to hold herself up, first on her hands, and then on her elbows, but it wasn’t long before she had her face pressed to the sheets. She did her best to reciprocate his efforts, throwing her ass back to meet him halfway, but she still had a long way to go until she could adequately keep up with him. Until then, all she could do was moan and receive his lust like a dutiful servant.

They went at it until late at night, with Noah’s reputation from Clive making a stylish return for the locals. The next morning, however, Noah was shaken awake by Shannon. “My Lord, something is going on outside!”

“Fuck,” Noah sleepily mumbled. As he dressed, he heard a great commotion outside, including screams and shouts and horses racing back and forth.

Someone then frantically banged on the door to their room. “Sir Knight!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.”

Noah went outside to find a group of marauders riding through the town, slashing the villagers with their swords or planting arrows in their backs. There were only five of them, but without the knights and soldiers around, that was all it took to force this village to its knees. Several men tried to fight back with various tools and farming implements, but these were seasoned killers, and cut them down without mercy.

The man leading them, dirty and bearded, laughed while swinging an axe over his head. “This town is now in Eichorst territory! We’ll burn it to the ground if you don’t pay tribute to your new masters!” A gunshot rang out, and the man fell out of his saddle. It came from Noah, holding an illusory pistol. The man lay on the ground, dazed and feeling his chest. All of his instincts were screaming that his heart was pierced and he was bleeding to death, but there was no wound, or even any pain.

“You fuckers woke me up,” said Noah.

“Bastard!” another marauder shouted as he rode towards Noah with his sword held out.

Instead of shooting the man, Noah shot his horse. The creature experienced the same near-death sensation and went lame, dropping to the ground and tossing its rider like he was thrown from a catapult. He hit the earth with a loud thud that knocked the air out of his lungs and left him struggling to breathe. Noah strolled over, picked up the man’s dropped sword, and cut his head off.

In the distance, he saw another marauder and pointed to him. “Shannon, be a dear and run that man down for me. I find the lack of arrows in his chest rather unbecoming of the situation.”

Shannon, with steely eyes, bowed her head. “Yes, My Lord.”

It wasn’t long ago that her own village was destroyed by raiders like these, but she had grown much stronger since then, and her Lord’s words of encouragement to wield that strength against these vermin made her heart race with righteous fury. She assumed her centaur form and went galloping after the bandit. Meanwhile, the remaining two were now racing towards Noah, shouting and cursing this man who was interrupting their plunder. As they approached, they readied their bows and launched two arrows. One missed him by a few feet, and he deflected the other with his sword.

“Not this time.”

Noah stunned their horses, and they were both launched into the air like their counterpart. One of them hit the ground rolling, and managed to get back to his feet. As Noah approached, he drew a knife with a feral growl. The distance between them closed, and the man lunged, stabbing at Noah’s face, only for his arm to be taken with a lightning-fast slice. Before he could scream, Noah removed his head the same way. He then walked over to the other archer, slowly getting to his feet, but his life was ended before he could stand upright.

Noah then proceeded to the bearded man, brandishing his axe. “I take it you’re not Eichorst. No, I’m guessing you’re just a pawn leading a little scouting party.”

“I’ll kill you!” the man roared. He swung his axe at Noah, who countered with a sundering strike that cut through the shaft. The man was left stunned, and Noah put his sword to his throat. Still, despite the situation, he became indignant. “You think you’ve won? Just wait until the boss comes here with all our men! We’ll have every villager’s head on a pike!”

“Oh, that’s exactly what I want.” Noah then slashed him across the face, not deep enough to kill him, but enough to draw a substantial amount of blood and a scream of agony. Noah silenced him with a kick to the balls, and before he could collapse, he grabbed the man by the throat. “Run back to your hideout and tell your boss this: Noah, the Wandering Spirit, is here waiting. I have a bounty of a hundred gold coins on my head, and if he wants to see that money, he’ll bring every henchman he can get his hands on and meet me on the north side of town an hour before sunset.

Every bandit, marauder, thief, killer, rapist, outlaw, fugitive, criminal, crook, brigand, plunderer, thug, and felon he can wring out of the countryside; he’s going to round them up and bring them here to face me before the end of the day. You understand? I want an army here. I don’t have the time to hunt them all down one by one, or teach these villagers how to stand up to you, so you’re going to bring their asses to me, and if you don’t, I’ll nail you to a tree and light you on fire. Now get moving.”

Noah threw the man to the ground, and he scurried back to his horse. As he rode off, Shannon returned. “I killed that outlaw. What’s going on? Why are you letting that one leave?”

“Change of plans, we’re staying until tomorrow. Can’t leave the job half-finished.”

Though the idea of postponing their journey to Colbrand made her flash a momentary look of anxiety, Shannon smiled. After everything they spoke of last night, she wanted to leave this village, knowing they had done everything they could to aid the people, and was glad Noah was willing to do so as well. They spent the day helping tend to the wounded and bury the dead. Noah had given all of his potions to Valia, and while he compounded a few with local ingredients, he had to stitch up several people on their dinner tables. The villagers were overjoyed to have their support and protection, and they got all the supplies they needed for the rest of their journey.

As the day grew late, Noah moved to the north side of town with Shannon at his side. It was a nice, wide-open area, a suitable battlefield. Numerous villagers gathered at the edge of the village to watch. Noah had dispelled his aged appearance, often using it to make himself more charismatic and intimidating, but now he returned to his natural face as depicted in wanted posters. The sun approached the horizon, and several dozen men on horseback could soon be seen racing towards the town.

“Are you sure about this?” Shannon asked. She knew Noah’s strength and capabilities, but love was the perfect soil for worry to grow.

“I’ll be fine, you just hang back. Your job is to deal with any bandits that try to sneak past me.”

“Yes, My Lord,” she said with a bow before moving back to join the villagers.

The mob of bandits arrived and stopped their horses in front of Noah. The men varied in weapons, clothing, and armor, but all had the dirty look of lawlessness.

“So, which one of you is Eichorst?”

A gruff man with the best equipment dismounted and faced Noah, the two lit by the setting sun. “That’s me. You’re the Wandering Spirit, right?”

“Right. You know, I spent all day thinking about how I would deal with you guys, and what clever trick I could use to make your numbers account for nothing. A trap? A fancy spell? Some tool or technique beyond your understanding? But the more I thought about it...” Noah drew his sword. “The more I realized that the simplest answer is the best.”

Eichorst and the men laughed. “You really think you can handle all of us on your own?”

“You wouldn’t ask me that if you knew what I did in Colbrand during the last Red Revelry.”

Eichorst’s smile faded. He did know. Of the myriad stories of Noah’s exploits that had flowed out Colbrand since Knight’s Day, the Night of a Hundred Heads was one of the most fearsome. Eichorst had believed it to be just a rumor, a tall tale exaggerated every time it was retold, but now that belief was turning into an anxious hope. Stories had also been flowing from further north of Noah’s exploits in battle against beastmen insurgents, of hulking monstrosities left butchered in his wake. It was dawning on him why this lone man, standing before a small army of killers and outlaws, showed no fear.

“Now, shall we do this one at a time, or do you all just want to—”

“Kill him!” Eichorst shouted.

On cue, several mages in the mob raised their hands toward Noah and unleashed a volley of spells. Fireballs, lightning bolts, blasts of air and water, and flying stones bombarded him, and their combined power set off a roaring explosion. The twisting torrent of mana made everyone shield their eyes, except Shannon, left pale with dread and unable to look away. The marauders laughed arrogantly, with some complaining that this had been too easy and that gathering so many men was a waste. That was until the explosion petered out, revealing Noah, completely unharmed.

“It’s not nice to interrupt people, you know.”

Eichorst took a step back, shaking. “How ... how are you still alive?”

Noah revealed his knight emblem. “I wouldn’t be worthy of this if I couldn’t handle that kind of attack.”

“He’s fucking gold-rank!” one man shouted fearfully.

“Promoted by Prince Lupin himself, and I had to kill much tougher guys than you to get it.” Noah, having been standing on the sidelines in his invisible state, rejoined his clone in the scorched crater. “Now, I have a friend back there who would be crestfallen if those horses were wounded in the fighting, so let’s remove them from the equation, shall we?”