《The Jinni and The Isekai》Chapter Thirteen—Blades Crossing
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Chapter Thirteen—Blades Crossing
One Year Ago
He must be their leader!
“COME AT ME, FOOLS!”
Of course, they had no idea what he was saying, other than that he was furious.
Their leader swooped in with several arcing swings that would have cleaved Shiro in two, but he parried, flung his fist out and caught his attacker on the jaw. He spun, kicked his legs to put distance between himself and Shiro.
Shiro ran in the opposite direction to put distance between him and the third man, spun, sword held defensively outward as the second man screaming, came in with a single-grip overhanded strike.
Shiro sidestepped the bandit and slice him cleanly across the back, turning to address their leader, who rushed him.
Their blades clashed several times, but then the lead man made a fatal mistake, swinging in a wide arc with too much force behind the attack. Had he struck Shiro, the blow would have chopped him asunder.
Instead, it slowed him long enough for Shiro to evade the strike and then bring his razor sharp katana down over his attacker’s arms with a good slash. The bandit cried out and his curved sword went into the sand, along with an ample spray of blood that looked almost black in the darkness.
Two dead attackers, one mortally wounded if he didn’t receive magical aid immediately. Shiro stood over him. The man grunted, holding his arms close to his chest. The samurai ended him with a final strike across the bandit’s neck, spilling a pool of his life blood into the dirt and sand.
Shiro froze at the end of his strike.
Breathing heavily, he took stock of his surroundings. No one was near, only the gentle breeze and the distant creatures howling in the night amidst some crickets.
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After calming somewhat, Shiro stalked back to the cloth he had used to wrap his katana to clean himself and his sword off, then made to continue on his journey to Oravar, it’s lights in the darkness now a clear yellow haze rising just above the hilly night horizon and limning more of those strange trees with large fronds in the darkness.
But something stopped Shiro.
Desperately, he needed money. There were three swords in the sand. Looting was dishonorable, but he had extreme need, so he took up the men’s swords, foregoing the looting of their actual bodies, leaving their belt knives intact in their sheathes.
The curved swords lay in a pile in the sand. Shiro was parched, and so he went to where he had dropped his water skin and drank deeply, emptying the leather sack.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his fist, picked up the collected blades and stalked down the road. When there was no longer an incline, he considered leaving the road completely and traveling alongside it, but he was so close to the city now, he didn’t bother.
There were far more travellers near and within the city. Most were humans from the region, judging by their apparel that evidentially protected them from the sun. He also saw two demi-humans, a fushi man and a red-skinned oni with filed horns.
There was a vibrant if somewhat subdued night life here. Cook stalls were everywhere and the city’s denizens walked about doing tasks or eating.
There were beggars, sitting on bright carpets. Near one sandstone structure with a lot of light and people standing about, something of a ruckus was going on. Shiro suspected a tavern of some sort.
The desert night was cold. It had surprised him. For warmth, he walked up to the cook stalls where fires were crackling, meat and strange green plants were put on sticks and cooked together. The heat of the fires warmed him, the smell of the meat making his stomach grumble.
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The food seller looked at him strangely and muttered something of a question. Shiro shook his head, but tried to linger for a time.
The oni must have been a prisoner, as he was manacled and whipped by a shouting human in white robes, that strange wrapping on his head, but his face uncovered. He too had a sword at his belt.
In fact, most of the people walking about, at least the men, were armed, either with long knives or those curved swords that seemed to be in style here.
She sky was hard to see, as awnings hung out from the structures, some of which had three or four levels.
One brightly lit structure looked like an inn to Shiro, but when he went in, found that he was surrounded by scantily-clad woman who looked at him, touched him by putting their arms about him.
Did they think he was a curiosity?
They put out their hands in want of something. Shiro’s eyes were large. He had never seen so many women so… their breasts were barely covered!
When they became more insistent, he left, and a woman with a smoking ornament in her hand yelled at him.
That must have been a whorehouse.
He nudged the swords hanging on his back, held there by a strip of fabric he had taken from the dead men. Judging the weapons, they seemed somewhat clumsy since they took more force to wield. But Shiro withheld judgment, knowing he knew nothing about the culture in these lands or the methods of fighting.
Looking about, he must have seemed like a startled animal has he moved about, glancing, watching and inspecting various things about this town.
It seemed a warm and inviting place. Perhaps beguiling in ways… If only he spoke their words. His inability frustrated him.
Spotting what were clearly guards, with matching vests and spears, Shiro avoided that area. If it came that they wanted information from him, he wouldn’t be able to give it. What he needed was to be as unassuming as possible, and holding four swords probably didn’t help matters.
I need to find a shop or a blacksmith that is willing to buy these weapons.
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Return of the Betrayed
Introduced into the Myriad of Worlds, humanity struggles to survive in a world filled with monsters and magic. Ascending through the ranks, Kai becomes one of humanity’s most promising heroes until he becomes betrayed and killed for unknown reasons by those, he once called friends and comrades. Reborn through mysterious means into a new body and family, Kai remembers his past and desires revenge on those who have wronged him. Over one thousand years have passed since his death and rebirth, and he will have to start all over again in his claim to power and magic, while those who betrayed him have ascended even further during that time. Kai will travel across the Myriad of Worlds slaying monsters and enemies in a bid to gain enough strength to enact his vowed revenge. But nothing is as easy as it seems in a world where the weak become the foundation for the strong. Return of the Betrayed will be updated on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Chapter lengths will vary between 2k-3k words After reading Azarinth Healer, Metaworld Chronicles, The Beginning After The End, and other incredible webnovels, I was inspired to write my own. The storyline has been planned till the very end. I hope you all enjoy it! Cover Artist Here
8 204The Dragons Predicament
Monsters, humans, war. Within their shielded cities of Technomagi, the humans live their lives in small boxes. Only venturing out of their bubbles with gunslingers or mages trained to defend against the beasts outside. Teleportation to other cities is normal, done through square boxes on rails that are housed underground. These days, the disparity between humans and us has grown to a breaking point. In a single night: an entire nation of monsters vanished. A cloud and flash of light that all had seen. Only the strongest could survive against their might and stubborn ingenuity. Those terrifying, amazing humans. We had laughed at first. ‘What possible danger is there? They’re just humans’. That was centuries ago by this point, of course. We all realized the moment we saw that metal tube fall. There is something that only a human can accomplish, through their ability to see light even in the darkest situation. You don’t win against humans. You either die with them or live to serve them.
8 364An Ode to the Birds
The birds maybe are the wisest from every creation. They look from above and below. The greed of man and the harsh reality is what they see every day. Monster and People of the Races is just the same in their eyes. They flew high when the time came, and chirping night and day. Like a man who has lost his sense of direction, the world is endlessly circled the same place. And powers, light and dark, stirred the clouds. Only some who didn't stray. Only some stay, to praise the birds.
8 138The mafia ball.
MATURE CONTENT: some may say a smut overload EDITING/REWRITING One night. A night filled with passion and longing. The annual ball has finally come, a night Nova Quinn has been dreaming of for years. Finally, she can go and live out her dreams. When she catches the eyes of Grayson Blackwell, she can't help but give into him. One night. They share one night of passion, intending of never seeing each other again. But not everything goes to plan. Nova Quinn. She's strong, stunning, sexy, smart and can pack a punch; she's everything you could ever want. However, Nova has never opened her heart nor her mind to the idea of love; until him. She's the daughter of one of the most powerful mafia bosses in England. She may be named after a star, but she's as dangerous and feisty as the devils daughter. "I'm not a princess, I don't need saving. I'm a queen, I get shit handled." *** Grayson Blackwell. He's built like a tank, tattoos cover his body, but what is he hiding under all those swirls of black ink? Having never been loved, trained since birth to become a monster, he does just that. He's ruthless to everyone, not allowing anyone got get close. Until her. He's fearless, dangerous, filled by anger and the most feared man by many. Being the son of a powerful Mafia boss has brought pain to Grayson that he always carry's with him. No one messes with the stories they've heard. "I'm not calling you a slut, but you've had more balls in your mouth than the 'Hungry, Hungry Hippos'."Highest rankings. #3 in power #2 in Nova #1 in Grayson #1 in ballroom #1 in knives#1 in teasing#10 in teen fiction #1 in non-fiction #10 in badass#1 in fighting #1 in challenge #2 in guns #8 in fiction #2 in dance*None of the photos are mine, I do not take any credit for them.*
8 90Lycaon's Echoes
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8 225RE:Hero
Many lifetimes ago, Roy had been offered a choice after his passing: to make a deal with a Goddess where he would help her save countless worlds from certain doom in exchange for immortality. Fearing death and the unknown that lay beyond, he took the opportunity to be sent into realms of fantasy, sometimes succeeding in his mission, other times failing, trapped in a cycle of starting from the beginning over and over again. Each reincarnation left him a little more broken, and eventually, he found himself sent to worlds where there was no great evil to fight. No doomsday looming on the horizon. Yet he still prepared himself for the worst each and every time, until he finally broke and gave up, only to find the Goddess did not allow slacking in the sacred duty he had been tasked with. Now, he seeks to free himself from his bonds. How many more worlds will he need to traverse to find the power to end the cycle? Join me on my brand new community discord server: https://discord.gg/HDWXyRVQAQ
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