Reborn as a Side Character in the Beastworld

Chapter Eighty-three

Bailey didn't know, but Mitchell was already feeling regret. Ryan was both elated and disgusted with himself and wouldn't stop his bipolar tirade in his head. He yelled at Mitchell one moment and then thanked him the next. The fox had gotten to be with his mate for what he thought would be the last time but using Mitchell's body to do it made him want to throw up if he could. Mitchell didn't quite understand the fox, but he did find him utterly annoying.

How the hell had such a canny and alluring female allowed this waste of space for a male to be her mate? And now that she was his mate, what were these strange feelings that were starting to bubble up? They weren't Ryan's emotions. If he didn't know better, he thought they might be his own. But that didn't make sense. Once rootless, always rootless. Right?

A third feeling of urgency entered his mind, interrupting his inner explorations. His father was calling him. Something was wrong.

***

It took over a day, but Tristan was finally able to earn his fourth stripe through eating gems and sparring with two immensely stronger beasts. Lance and Winston had tossed the fox nose over tail from the moment they met up until the moment the fourth golden stripe appeared under his other eye.

Once it did, it was time to go. The fox downed a couple more gems to recover his energy and the trio headed out into the endless sands. It took another day to find a river of flowing sand that looked like it could swallow them and even the strongest male would die beneath its tide, but instead of avoiding it, Tristan jumped straight into it.

Winston and Lance looked at each other for only a moment before shrugging and jumping right after him. After a few moments of dizzying breathlessness, the tide spit them out into a dark stone underground. There was very little light down here from the sparse fires, but the males had no issues seeing the ragged and emaciated beasts. Males of every type were digging at the walls, piling up black stones and carting them around. When the trio got too close to one such miner, he rushed to his hoard and posed to defend them with his life.

Winston looked quizzically at the overreaction as they walked past. "What type of gems are those?"

Tristan who was still leading, looked back at him with dark shadows beneath his eyes. "You'll find out when you die."

Thinking the fox was threatening him, Winston's hackles rose but then Lance clarified things.

Expressionless, he said, "Those are the souls of beast who have died. Our memories linger in the stone of the earth until the gods deem it's time to go elsewhere."

A few of the surrounding beasts lifted their gaunt faces to look at the snake at his overheard words. Then they looked down at the stones and their defensive postures turned to ones of trepidation. Even Winston looked at the stones with great worry in his expression. If those were the memories of the dead, then everyone he had killed, or everyone he knew who had died was down here? And instead of being allowed to rest quietly, they were being dug up. For what reason? The theories his mind came up with all disgusted him.

Tristan didn't stop and they continued to walk. Males attacked each other over the stones. When one fight was picked, the others exploded like dominos, each male trying to get their own handful of the loser's stash. And the loser would not only lose his life but became dinner for the winners as well. The fights were almost never even so males had to form groups to defend themselves from other groups but then the beasts you thought had your back might turn on you and you would lose the advantage. It was a cruel survival of the strongest. This was what males devolved to when chaos ruled.

The trio were given wide birth. The beast pressure coming off them was far stronger than any down on this level of the city. Tristan finally stopped at another river of sand.

"This will take us down to the next level. I've only been there a couple times. The beasts there aren't like the ones here. They are stronger and have received the favor of the Scorpion King. It's also where they hold the females."

Winston looked at the fox with a little hope, "Do you think Bailey is there?"

Tristan dashed the feeling quickly, "Not likely. Since she was taken by the Scorpion King, she'll be on the lower levels that only the elites are allowed to go. I've never been there but I can feel the flow of sand. I think I'll be able to get us-"

He was interrupted by a clawed hand on his shoulder.

A male wearing a thin cloak that covered him head to toe spoke to them in a raspy voice. "You said the females are past this sand?"

Tristan growled and smacked the hand off his shoulder. He was familiar with males that would do anything to get their turn with one of the captive females. He wasn't about to lead this low life down there. He'd rather kill the male but before he could, Winston stepped between them.

Winston bent a little and peered beneath the stranger's hood, "Bart? What are you doing here?"

The familiar smell of the wolf was unmistakable despite the overpowering scent of blood and grime. The wolf must have been down here quite a while.

"...Tiger King." The wolf dropped to his knees and placed his head on the hard stone floor. "Help me. They took Rosa. I've been here for weeks but could never find the way to her. Please. Please just help me get to the next floor."

Winston looked at Tristan for assurance that this was indeed the way to get down, but Lance interrupted. Impatient, the snake used his tail to swipe beneath the legs of all three beasts, tossing them into the rushing sand and then jumping in after them.