As dusk fell, casting a golden hue over the landscape, Gareth and Luke decided it was time to set up camp for the night. They worked together, efficiently gathering firewood and setting up a small campfire. The flames flickered, providing warmth and light in the encroaching darkness.
Gareth turned to Luke with a question that left him momentarily speechless.
"Would you like to try wolf meat or panther meat for dinner?" he asked casually.
Luke blinked, stunned by the unusual choices presented to him.
"Wolf or panther?" he echoed, unsure if he had heard correctly.
Gareth nodded, waiting patiently for Luke's decision. After a moment of hesitation, Luke chose wolf meat, figuring it might be the lesser of two evils. Gareth, however, also decided to cook a piece of panther meat, wanting to give Luke a taste test.
As they skewered the meat and set it over the fire to cook, their conversation turned to the topic of food. Luke began to explain how, in his world, people commonly ate animals like cows and chickens, which were domesticated and bred for consumption. To Gareth, these animals were considered monsters, fierce and untamed.
"Where I come from," Luke said. "We eat cow, chicken, pig, and other such animals. And to your understanding, they aren't seen as monsters, just food."
Gareth raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"You eat these monsters?" he asked his tone a mix of curiosity and disbelief.
"I suppose, by your world's standards, yes. Cows and chickens are our primary sources of meat. They taste good and are a staple in many diets," Luke nodded.
Gareth pondered this, his mind racing with the implications.
"Maybe we could try eating monster meat," he mused. "In the manual of being a knight, it says that in desperate times, anything can be food. When knights go on hunts and camp out, if they run out of supplies, they could potentially eat the monsters they kill."
The thought was strange, even to Gareth, but he couldn't dismiss it entirely. If the monsters in Luke's world were considered food, perhaps there was some merit to the idea.
The meat sizzled over the fire, releasing tantalizing aromas. Gareth handed Luke a piece of the cooked wolf meat first. Luke took a cautious bite, finding the taste surprisingly not unpleasant. It was gamey, similar to venison, but with a distinct flavour all its own.
"Not bad," Luke admitted, chewing thoughtfully.
Gareth then offered him a piece of panther meat. Luke hesitated, then took a bite, finding it richer and more robust in flavour compared to the wolf meat. It had a texture akin to beef but with a unique taste that was difficult to describe.
Their conversation continued as they ate, exploring the culinary possibilities of their respective worlds. Gareth's curiosity about Luke's world deepened, and Luke found himself appreciating the unique experiences this new world offered, even if it meant tasting unconventional meats.
As the fire crackled and the night grew darker, the two men bonded over their shared meal, each learning more about the other's world. They finished their dinner and settled down to rest, knowing that their journey was far from over and that many more discoveries awaited them in the days to come.
In the dead of night, as the camp lay quiet under the starlit sky, a distant, unsettling sound pierced the silence. Gareth, ever vigilant and attuned to his surroundings, was the first to awaken. His senses sharpened by years of knight training, he immediately reached for the pouch of water by his side, dousing the campfire with practised precision. The flames hissed and died, plunging their surroundings into darkness.
Without missing a beat, Gareth rolled to his side, his hand finding the hilt of his sword. He grasped it firmly and crawled towards Luke, who was still deep in slumber. Nearby, Tora, their tiger companion, had also stirred. The beast whimpered softly, recognizing the call of a nearby monster and edging closer to the carriage for safety.
Gareth shook Luke, not too rough, but firmly enough to wake him. Luke blinked blearily, still half awake, and mumbled.
"What's going on?"
"There's a Plyburg nearby," Gareth whispered urgently.
"What's a Plyburg?" Luke frowned, the name unfamiliar.
Realizing that his companion was still largely ignorant of this world's dangers, Gareth explained quickly.
"It's a chicken-like monster, but much bigger, with gnarly teeth."
Luke's eyes widened, his mind conjuring terrifying images of prehistoric predators as he could only think of dinosaurs right now. In the oppressive darkness, they crept slowly closer to the carriage, clinging to it as if it were a lifeline. Luke, needing some light, instinctively reached for his phone.
"No light. Plyburgs are sensitive to it. That's why I put out the campfire," Gareth grabbed Luke's hand, stopping him. "They are deaf as well."
Luke nodded, understanding the gravity of their situation.
"But if it's deaf, why are we whispering?" he asked quietly, the irony not lost on him.
"I can't believe you just joked about that," Gareth managed a tight smile. "Human tendency, I suppose. It feels like a tense moment. Plus, it's better to be safe."
They huddled in the darkness, listening intently for any sound that might indicate the Plyburg's approach. The monster's eerie calls grew louder, and Gareth's muscles tensed, ready for a confrontation. He hoped the creature would pass them by, but if it didn't, he was prepared to fight.
Minutes felt like hours as they waited, every rustle of the leaves and snap of a twig amplifying their anxiety. Tora remained close, his body coiled and in fear. Bit ironic, since we knew how ferocious a tiger was supposed to be. Still, Luke's heart raced, adrenaline coursing through his veins as he tried to remain calm.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed near their camp, and Gareth's grip on his sword tightened. Emerging from the darkness was the Plyburg, a monstrous creature, unlike anything Luke had ever seen. It stood on two powerful, clawed legs, its massive body covered in rough, feather-like scales that shimmered with an eerie, dark iridescence.
Its head, grotesquely avian yet predatory, bore a striking resemblance to a twisted version of a bird of prey. Beady, malevolent eyes gleamed with an unnatural intelligence, darting around the campsite with a predatory focus. Its beak was sharp and serrated, lined with jagged, gnarly teeth that seemed to be an abomination of nature. These teeth glinted faintly in the moonlight, adding to its nightmarish appearance.
The creature's wings, although tucked tightly against its sides, were formidable. They were not meant for flight but for balance and intimidation, adorned with spikes and scales that made them look more like the appendages of a dragon than a bird. Each movement of the Plyburg was deliberate and menacing, its talons digging into the ground as it advanced, creating deep impressions in the soil.
Luke's breath caught in his throat as he took in the terrifying sight. The Plyburg's sheer size was overwhelming, standing nearly twice as tall as Gareth, and its muscular frame exuded raw power. The moonlight cast an eerie glow on the creature, highlighting the sinewy muscles beneath its scaled hide and the monstrous proportions of its body.
Its elongated neck moved with a serpentine grace, bringing its head low as it sniffed the air, searching for the source of the scent it had picked up. The Plyburg's nostrils flared, and it let out a low, guttural growl that sent shivers down Luke's spine. The creature's presence exuded an aura of primal fear, an ancient terror that seemed to awaken the most basic survival instincts in those who faced it.
Gareth knew then that a confrontation was unavoidable. The Plyburg's predatory gaze locked onto them, its eyes narrowing as it prepared to attack. Luke felt a surge of adrenaline, his fear mingling with a desperate resolve as he realized the gravity of their situation. The Plyburg was a creature of nightmares, and they were about to face it head-on.
The Plyburg's eyes gleamed with a predatory focus, locking onto Gareth and Luke as they advanced. Its growl deepened, reverberating through the still night air and sending waves of fear through the two men. Gareth tightened his grip on his sword, his mind racing through the strategies he had learned during his knight training.
He knew that this encounter would be vastly different from their previous run-in with the Aerdeich. The light from Luke's phone had confused the Aerdeich, allowing them to escape, but the Plyburg was a different beast entirely. Its sensitivity to light meant they couldn't rely on the same tactic, and its deafness rendered stealth their only advantage.
As the creature moved closer, Gareth signalled for Luke to stay low and quiet. Tora, the ever-loyal tiger, instinctively positioned himself protectively between Luke and the approaching monster. The tension was palpable, each second stretching into an eternity as they waited for the Plyburg to make its move. The creature's nostrils flared again, and it let out another menacing growl. Gareth knew they couldn't remain hidden forever.