《The Runesmith》Chapter 1 – So it begins… with a truck!
Advertisement
It was getting late, the street lights flickered around while someone coughed in the distance. The wind howled while people were trying to get to their homes. Little drops of water started appearing on the glass windows, followed by gentle tapping. A certain man was sitting in a lit room, holding what looked to be a soldering iron.
His hair was slightly unkempt and you could see a reflection of some kind of schematic coming of the glasses he was wearing. He was glancing between this schematic and the circuit board that was on the table.
"I need to replace these capacitors, not sure which one is the faulty one, I'll just replace all of them."
The man gave out a sigh while slowly getting his tools ready. He was glancing onto the circuit board with the help of a microscope, the tiny metallic parts hard to spot with the naked eye.
"That bastard made me work over-time again"
This man was in his mid-twenties, he was at a small computer repair shop. He was yet again forced to stay late into the day, being the 'new kid' in this place apparently put a bullseye on your back. The older workers always found a way to push their overdue workload on him, always giving him the excuse that he needed more experience and he should work harder.
"Damn fuckers only do this shit because I can't refuse."
He was still new, he was still in his trial period so he was expendable. He made the decision of trying to get along with his co-workers and play the nice guy. This was the result, he was stuck working and would probably be home at eight.
"Well, not like I have any plans anyway..."
"At least they don't force me to clean all those dirty laptops, what do those people do with them to get them so dirty anyway..."
The sound of sizzling filled the area while the man continued with his work. The capacitors were replaced and everything was checked again, the circuit board he was fixing was in working order once more.
"Finally, just need to clean this shit and I'm done."
He wasn't alone here though, the whole repair shop was the building that his boss was actually living in. The bottom level was just the shop while the upper was the living quarters. He peeked through the door leading upstairs and shouted out.
"I'm done, I'm going home boss."
He heard some kind of grunt that was muffled by the sounds of a TV. He just shrugged and grabbed his coat to go, luckily he took his umbrella today. The moment he walked outside he was hit with a sudden gust of wind that almost snapped it in half though.
"God damn if I left normally, I wouldn't be stuck in this damn storm."
He kicked a pebble while his umbrella shook from the pouring rain and strong winds. He felt dejected with his whole situation but not like he could do anything about it. He was living alone and needed it to pay rent, he barely had enough for an internet connection and food and was living from paycheck to paycheck.
'Ugh, If I ever get out of this shit hole I'm going to open my own store, working for others sucks'
He arrived at a crosswalk, the howling wind was smashing into his face and the lack of earphones and music to listen too was making this whole ordeal even harder to last through. The only thing making him power through this was the warm bed waiting at home. While his mind was elsewhere the light at the crosswalk turned green and he took a step forward.
Advertisement
Luck wasn't on his side yet again. When he was about halfway across the street a large truck appeared out of nowhere. He looked to the shining halogen lights that blinded him momentarily. The vehicle came right at him, his mind went blank and his life flashed through his eyes.
He remembered his youth, his family, and his lack of friends. It was a life of mediocrity, a life of following the status quo. But then, suddenly he snapped out of it. His body jolted forward as he jumped for his dear life. He felt air pressure from his back accompanied by a large splash of water.
He tumbled forward onto the sidewalk, the large truck just continuing on as if nothing happened. He didn't even have time to glance at the plates. He was drenched in the rainwater, his hands scraped from the pavement.
'Fucking psycho!'
He cursed while standing up, his palms were bloody and he was all wet, but luckily he was alive. His umbrella was in the middle of that street, flattened by the truck that almost killed him. His heart was pounding and he needed some time to calm down, but the pouring rain was making things hard.
'I need to get home...'
He turned around while gritting his teeth, the fear replaced by anger as he headed home. He was drenched, his body was hurting and he still wasn't back home. There was a possibility that he could catch a cold, the only thing on his mind now was to take a warm shower.
'Sometimes I wish I could afford a bathtub... It always comes down to money...'
He moved forward, his apartment wasn't far away from where he worked. This was the only saving grace of his job, he could reach it on foot withing thirty minutes which saved him some money.
Suddenly he felt a shiver run down his spine, it wasn't the cold rain but more of a premonition. He could hear an engine revving not too far away from where he was. He slowly turned around, his eyes bulging slightly as he saw the exact same truck that almost turned him to meat paste.
"What?"
The truck was progressively getting louder, its front lights turned off. By instinct he started backing away, the halogens turned on and shone at the street that he was in. There were buildings on both sides and no space to duck to the side. When the truck that had it in for him took off so did he, running for his life like never before.
"Holy shit! Who is this fucker!"
He bolted forward, there was no one beside him in the streets no other cars in sight besides the honking truck behind him. The street was eerily empty, only one scrawny man running away from a big truck that went faster and faster.
"I need to call the police, where is everyone!"
He continued running, his gaze focused on the end of the street a small alleyway there. He didn't look back, he didn't falter as he just kept running mustering everything that his gamer body could muster. With a last-ditch effort, he dived forward, a gust of wind felt behind him as the truck barreled past him while he jumped into the narrow passage.
He landed on his face, his hands getting scraped even more and blood running out of his nose. He quickly rolled up, trying to see if he was safe, the truck vanishing seemingly into thin air after clipping part of the building that connected to this alleyway.
Advertisement
"Fuck, it shouldn't be able to get me here... but what if the driver chases after me instead?"
He was sweating bullets, tired, and afraid. This wasn't over, he didn't think so. He turned around and quickly escaped into the alleyway, nothing in it besides trash and rats. He jogged forward, exhausted from the previous sprint.
"The other side... there is a police station on the other side!"
He saw the light at the end of the tunnel, not far from here there was a small police unit. He only needed to get there and report this fucker and everything. But as he was treading forward, the lights in the vicinity started to flicker continuously. Abruptly all of the light bulbs that lighted the way forward shattered into pieces and everything went dark and then he heard it again, the revving of the engine.
"N-no... stay away..."
In front he could see the damn truck, it was barely able to fit into this narrow passage scraping the walls as it slowly drove forward. He quickly turned away, to his surprise he heard the same engine noise, another truck blocking his path was there too. The area filled with the screeching noise of scraping metal as the two trucks drove at him, each second increasing in speed.
"Ha Ha Ha..."
He started laughing, his face showing a shaky smile as he lost it. He looked to the sides, walls blocking his path of escape.
"Screw you!"
He moved to the wall, his fingers digging into the hard concrete wall as he tried climbing up. His fingernails broke, blood gushing out as he scratch trying to climb up, but to no avail, as the rainwater made it far too slippery. The last things that he saw, were the bright truck lights coming from the sides, he tried looking into the driver seat. His eyes bulging, his jaw clenched as he tried to see the person responsible. To his surprise, he didn't see anything, not even a silhouette of a driver the truck seat totally empty.
*SPLAT!*
That was the last thing that he saw, his short life of a computer repairman ended right there. He felt resentment in his eyes, there were things that he wanted to achieve. Simple things, like a business of his own where he could dictate the rules and not be a slave to his wage for the rest of his life. But he was also looking at the bright side, he was now free, free from the worldly problems.
He floated in the void, his mind racing as it couldn't comprehend where it was. This state of mind didn't last for long as he felt being drawn somewhere. It was as if, something or someone was calling him there.
"R....d.....m...........nd...."
He heard a voice, it was a gentle sounding voice that belonged to a woman.
"Mas......R.land...."
"Pl.as....you...mu..wak.......p...."
He felt strange like his whole being was getting pulled somewhere. He continuously heard the voice, it was calling out to him but he didn't recall the name that the woman was saying.
'Roland?'
The voice that seemed distant started getting closer and he started feeling nauseous and tired. The only saving grace this time around, he felt something. He tried moving but his body felt sluggish, he could barely wiggle his finger.
"H-he... he moved! Master Roland moved, oh thank the gods!"
He felt sick like he was having a really bad case of the flue. His head was spinning and his body felt heavy.
"Did I survive those trucks? Is someone called Roland with me in here, is this the hospital?"
He couldn't see well, his eyes felt just as heavy as his body. He forced them open, they took a while to focus. The blurry world started taking shape and he saw an unfamiliar looking wooden ceiling.
'That looks shabby... am I in some kind of shed or something?'
He finally saw the woman that was previously shouting. She looked like an older lady, her body was somewhat wrinkled up. The thing that caught his eye the most was what she was wearing.
'I-is that a maid uniform?'
She was wearing the whole shebang. A black dress, a white apron, and a cap of some sort that was holding her hair. He felt something cool be placed on his forehead, which was a damp cloth that this lady placed. From the looks of it, he was still alive but ended up in someone's house instead of a hospital.
The strange thing was that the lady looked kind of big, was she over two meters tall or something. The bed he was in also seamed to be uncharacteristically large compared to his body. The problem wasn't with the furniture or the old woman though, as he leaned down he noticed that his body looked a lot different than before, for one he was a lot shorter.
He felt really weak and couldn't move, the woman that looked like a Victorian maid tended to his sick body. Not long after some kind of old man walked into the room. He looked to be some kind of physician, but for some reason, he didn't even give him an examination. He just stared at him while holding onto a monocle.
'Wait... why is that monocle glowing?'
The man harrumphed while turning to the maid that was standing in the corner, visible concern on her face.
"Why did you call me here, he is fine, his status is already recovering, don't call me for trivial things, I need to tend to the other young masters!"
The old man shouted at the maid as if she did something wrong. The old woman just bowed and took the verbal abuse, but the moment he left her face looked a lot brighter.
"Thank the gods young master, you had me worried sick."
She smiled while replacing the damp wet cloth for a new one. She didn't stay there for long though, saying that he should sleep for now and that she would be back in a couple of hours to check on him.
After the coast was clear, Roland managed to raise his upper body. He looked at his hands, they were soft and small. His body looked thin and slightly malnourished but that wasn't the main problem here.
'W-what is this? Did I become a kid?'
Everything in this room wasn't big, he just was small. He had turned into a child for some reason.
'Wait... am I really this Roland? ... what is this, what's going on... who is this... where is this...my status is recovering?'
While he was desperately clamoring for answers in his head something happened, a screen popped up in front of his face. His eyes bulged wide as he started reading what was written there. This wasn't all, the moment the window popped up he felt information rushing into his brain. It was as if thousands of needles poking his head, the information that he was receiving concerned the boy named Roland Arden that he was occupying the body of.
"So that's how it is..."
Name : Roland Arden Strength 4 Agility 5 Dexterity 15 Vitality 4 Endurance 4 Intelligence 35 Willpower 18 Charisma 6 Luck 5
Advertisement
- In Serial41 Chapters
Can i please get a female demon lord on the 10th world(Hiatus)
Frith Runeore, savior of 9th worlds, has a problem. Every time he saves a world, he gets summoned to another. Will he ever live peacefully? Will he ever find a way to stay on a world? Will he find someone special? or will he continue to get dragged to different world? This is my first work so it will probably be bad so read this at you own risks, you have been warned.
8 137 - In Serial62 Chapters
Embrace the Ether
To burn away the old, rebuilding it anew. Countless years ago, a terrible war came for the ancient Primordials, casting down their once believed immovable dominance and securing the rise of a new empire. The Ether was fractured, broken into numerous pieces as peace was hard-fought. Thrown into this new hectic land, Deus must come to wield an unexplained power, one that threatens both his sanity and life simply to use. If he wishes to survive, he must learn not only how to harness this strength but how to grow and expand it, altering the path of those around him. What he doesn't know is that he's found himself involved in a terrifying plot hosted by those demons of old, a game of sorts to decide the fate of Midnight. Does Deus have what it takes to survive, or has he found himself trapped in a plot he has no hope of escaping? Note: This story has a slow-build and takes awhile for the pace to get going. If that isn't your thing, this may not be for you. Heavy emphasis on world-building and character creation and progression. --------------------------------------------------------------- • Release Schedule • Chapters will be released weekly, with some occasional alterations throughout. This may not be a permanent adjustment, but I'll do everything I can to remain active. --------------------------------------------------------------- • Important FAQ • Q: What is the cover art from?A: The current cover art for ETE is called 'Run Boy, Run...' which is a work from Gustavo Arteaga's collection, which can be found here - https://gusart.artstation.com/https://www.instagram.com/sirgusart/ If you're the original artist of the work and would like me to remove your content from my cover art, please send me a private message telling me so. I'm not making any direct profit off this story or the cover, as everything here is a passion project. Also; This story and all its chapters are a work-in-progress, and may be altered at a later date. Don't expect perfection, but I am trying my best. Look at everything posted on this fiction as a first draft.
8 152 - In Serial10 Chapters
The Compendium Allegoriian
Wherein the Author acquires a cursed trunk of treasures, once owned by another (now happily dead), and attempts to rid themselves of the burden by giving it all away. But the seed of a story, as the Reader well knows, so often sows many more of those... [On temporary hold while I focus on my entry to the April Writathon. Eventually these two works will connect, I'm just not great at multi-tasking so this compendium is temporarily parked until I cross thew May 5 finish line]
8 144 - In Serial28 Chapters
Rise of the Cheat Potion Maker, a Cultivation LitRPG saga #1
In a blink, I found myself in an unknown land, greeted by the textbox of an unfriendly system. It wanted me to become a great hero, save the world, win the love of the people and all that crap. But this new world already had a hero. Why should I bust my ass, deal with dragons and the unknown, for people I didn't know? Let him deal with that. It's his job! So instead of being tempted by the system's nonsense, I chose a simple class. Potion maker. I wasn't interested in cultivating mana and defying the heavens, courting death, none of that crap. Unfortunately, the town I spawned near was suffering crippling inflation, merchants and people were leaving, and they themselves lacked high-demand businesses. The town would soon be going under.Not if I have anything to say about it. But will it be that easy to escape fate...? Novel contains: Strong MC in a slice of life environment, dungeon diving, boss battles, cultivation and elements, mana/magic, mc exclusive system but it doesn't do the work for him, treasures, adventurers, slow world building, build-up, features that will not be introduced all at once (upgrades so on), actual good loot at the end of very powerful bosses, romance(no harem). As characters develop throughout the series, issues and emotions and even the mc may find himself in a corner or two. A story of an upcoming potion shopkeeper and his apprentices. Building an S-ranked Potion Shop is easier said than done... Current schedule:3-6 times a week- Mon, Wed, Fri.Daily chapter on Patreon. [All chapters are 3k words or more. As of this update 8/11/22, book 1 has been professionally edited by my editor and is now available on Amazon:https://mybook.to/PotionMaker. 103k words. Book 2 is in progress and chapters are uploaded daily Patreon.] The final version of the cover will be an anime cover, but will not be uploaded to RR. You may see it on my facebook/twitter page. Volume 1: https://mybook.to/PotionMaker [Audiobook is currently searching for narrator as of 8/12/2022.]
8 162 - In Serial25 Chapters
Daily life of a cultivation judge
Tired of those cultivators who think it is righteous to eliminate a sect or clan root and stem all in the name of revenge and avoiding future troubles, fights over treasures that end up destroying cities with no consequence whatsoever to the culprit, these psychos whose aim for the peak always involves a trail of carnage and bloodshed in its wake for some reason. Then look no further than the daily life of a cultivation judge. Yang Qing, is a young genius cultivator from a low-tier family whose only safe choice to get resources and hopefully lead an easy life led him to the courts of the Cultivation Order Society. Author’s disclaimer: Hey there this is my first novel so any criticism will be well taken though beware I’m a million-year-old monster who has cultivated the way of the sword to the peak. The daily life of a cultivation judge will be true to its name so it will be heavily on the slice of life lane with a bit of action here and there.Meaning we will see the life of Yang Qing when he clocks in and out. Hopefully, it will be one of those novels you read if you need to relax or are in a slacker mood like one of those otakus who listen to the noises of cicadas in the summer famously used in most animes. And it is in the slacker spirit that chapter release will be on Wednesday,Thursday and Friday. Sank yuuu Cover art by Conny Schneider on Unsplash
8 96 - In Serial29 Chapters
Ant Tensei (Original) and (Redux)
A WhiteSamurai original Web Novel _______________________________________________________________ :Redux Synopsis: _______________________________________________________________ . . . The Official WhiteSamurai Rewrite of Ant Tensei: Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it, yet for some reason it has always repeated itself. The tides of destiny and the passing of time are unstoppable forces that dictate our lives and paths. Yet, within a single point in time, within a single universe, on a single planet, a single being was born of tragedy and suffering, to break this cycle. This man, was named by those who followed him, as Aristocles. Through sheer willpower and an unparamount tact through wisdom gained with research and study to become closer to being human himself, he became something more, more than just human. Over time he became hope, a hope in a better tomorrow, a hope in a future. No matter the crisis at hand, this man eventually rose up to defend humanity in their darkest hour, nearly leading them to a great victory. It was then, that they destroyed the world?! Join us in the journey of life, death, and hope that was forged by this unbelievable spirit. A journey of pain, a journey of enlightenment, a journey left behind into the chronicles of the universe, and well, a journey as an Ant... Well, no matter how far into the future one goes, none will ever say that this life failed to make a difference. . . Status: [Ongoing] . . . _______________________________________________________________ :'Original'Synopsis: _______________________________________________________________ . . . Aristocles was no normal guy. Living his life on the edge of insanity and daring, he led the charge on every military campaign you can think of. He toppled governments and seized control over nearly half of his world in less than a few years of beginning his military campaigns. Nearly a decade into his reign, aliens from another world invaded his world. With his whole race on the line, everyone swore fealty to him in hopes for victory. When taking the field, he and his forces took the field, they easily drove the aliens to the brink of defeat. Just when it seemed the day was saved, Aristocles came across what seemed to be the ground leader. """"Do you yield"""" Aristocles stated with a mighty and intimidating voice. """"Blow up the planet"""" was the response. In the next moment, Aristocles looked into the sky as a beam came to pierce his planet. His last words were """"You cheated"""" """"So?"""". Upon his death Aristocles heard """"This one has finally died, though his world is gone, will now reincarnate in different universe. Error, memories retained, changing reincarnation to ant, solution verified, confirm."""" Just like that, Aristocles woke up to discover that he was a larva in a small ant hill. Not only that, but he could see an experience bar and hp bar in the corner of his eye [HP:1] [MP:0] [EXP: 0/1]. How will Aristocles survive as the weakest being you could possibly think of? Join me in the great adventure of ANT TENSEI! . . Status: [Being Re-written/ Discontinued/On Hiatus] 'Final' Chapter: Chapter 14 . . . _______________________________________________________________ :Official Rewrite Notice: _______________________________________________________________ . . . As of May 18th, 2015, the particular version of Ant Tensei now being titled 'Original' was discontinued in favor 'Redux', the official rewrite of the novel. The reason being that I wasn't actually taking it seriously for more than half of the chapters. All of my Fantasy-Styled works were never originally intended for publication, but after a surprising amount of attention during the initial weeks of release on a different medium, the decision was made to develop my Fantasy-Styled works at my professional level. This decision has thus sparked the decision to Re-Launch Ant Tensei as "Ant Tensei Redux". If there are still a number of those still interested in the old version of the story that was written as a way to relieve myself of excess time, then i'll eventually look into reviving the original intent for Ant Tensei Original and draft off an independant series for it under the title "Ant Tensei Original". For now, however, "Ant Tensei Redux" shall be the only version being progressively developed and released. Please share your thoughts on this early version of my original novel, Ant Tensei. There were 14 chapters of Original released before the development of Redux began, the chapter 7.5 special not included. . . . Enjoy the work. ~White Overall Status: (Ongoing)
8 102

