Re: Level 100 Farmer Chapter 27
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"Haha! You beat those bowlegged crooks silly! My, how I wish I could have seen it!" shouted Old Thane as he wiped his mouth and put down his mug. Unlike most days, there wasn't water topping it, but beer, the frothy white foam bubbling deliciously.
Li swished the beer around his own mug, looking at his amber-shaded reflection. His expression had a slight smile to it, but he couldn't quite place it, but the smile wasn't quite full, not like it used to be.
"Yeah, I really did beat some sense into them," said Li. He sighed. "You know, old man, haven't you ever wondered?"
"Bout' what, lad?" said Old Thane.
"About me. I know you're sharp despite how loud you can get, and I know you know that I'm something much more than meets the eye."
Old Thane laughed. "None of that is important, lad. I said I would never expect more from you than I would any old farmhand, and my word is something I never go back on. It matters not whether you be some exiled warrior of legend, some divine spirit, or even a demon. To me, you are my most valued farmhand, one who will carry the labor of my hands beyond my life, one who has already given much honor to Aine and myself."
Li nodded before he took his head back and emptied his mug out. He looked out the window. The night was bright enough that moon and starlight beamed in, illuminating the firelit cottage with beams of ethereal white.
"You're right, old man, I don't know why I asked." Li cupped his mug with both hands. "Say, with you and that infinite wisdom you always boast about, mind hearing me out? I want your opinion on something."
"Oh? You're such a bright lad that it's been so long since you've asked me anything. Once you got a grasp of this old farm in that wondrous head of yours, you never had to ask of me anything."
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"Well, this isn't about farming." Li looked back at the window, his eyes tracing a ray of silvery white moonlight that crossed Old Thane's face, highlighting his wrinkles. "But I have this…pendant. A wooden pendant. It's from my homeland, and it reminds me of my past. Good and bad memories both, to the point where I'm not sure it's wholly a good thing or not.
I know that whenever I look at it, feel it, I'm holding myself back, looking in reverse instead of forwards, but I know that the moment I toss it away and look to the future, I'm never getting it back. But at the same time, it's rotting away regardless of what I do.
Do I hold onto it? Toss it away? Repair it, even, knowing that it will never be the same regardless?"
Old Thane scratched his beard and grunted. "Aye, well, you may be staring at the wrong old man for an answer, young lad. The past is all I have. I live for the memories of what I have done and what I had. I farm now to give peace to a lifetime that has lived through chaos. I am friendless and loveless to honor friendships and a love that have blessed me several lifetimes over.
He paused. "The past is precious, son. What better proof of a full life is there than a rich past? What better way am I reminded that these beaten hands of mine have wrought the greatest of fortunes and the greatest of miseries both than the memories of times gone by?
But the past can also be an anchor, and a heavy one at that. Some men waste away the best years of their lives pining for the glory of a past far gone. You see, lad, the past is only precious when there is a present and future to compare it too. Keep the pendant, but do not halt its rot. When the time comes, let it become dust, but before then, cherish it, and only then will you truly appreciate that which you have let go."
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Li put his drink aside. "Then what about you? When are you letting go?"
Old Thane smiled. "To be quite honest, I don't know. Before you came, I thought I had let go, was ready to rot, aye. I had my regrets, not being able to honor Aine, but what could a blind old man do? But now, with you at my side, lad? Why, I feel more life than ever! You've already honored Aine's memory, and yet I wish to live more and more to see just how far you can take this."
"How far I can take this, huh?" Li smiled. "I mean, I've already gotten my herbalist's license. Just need to get it delivered, but that'll come here tomorrow. We're on step one of a long and grand journey ahead, old man."
Old Thane nodded his head with delight. "And whatever years I have left in me, I'll spend on seeing your efforts bloom like flowers in the spring. I've got plenty of years working in this body of mine, so you best be ready to put up with me, hah!"
"Trust me, I'd be ashamed if I couldn't keep up with you and your creaky old bones," said Li.
They shared a laugh together before Li became serious. Old Thane sensed the mood shift and cocked his head.
"Old man, this…contract of the grasses nonsense," said Li. "We're not going to get it. Black Vine will, realistically, snatch it up, but I wanted to promise you that no matter what happens, I will not stop working. I will make sure that Aine's legacy is respected. I will make sure that nothing gets in the way of this farm, even if it's the crown itself."
Old Thane chuckled. "Come now, lad, I didn't take you to take defeat lying down, eh? Why don't we snatch this contract from those big pharmacy bastards?"
He also put his drink aside. "I know what you're thinking. How can you, as one man, compete with all of Black Vine? But I'll tell you, lad, it's possible. I've seen it. When Aine was alive and her elixirs and herbs the talk of town, all the highest ranked adventurers, the lads and lassies with the coin and the clout, would scramble to come here. What do you think came to Black Vine? The dregs. The nobodies.
I've no doubt that you've plenty ability to put these soulless curs under the dirt once more."
Li nodded. "I mean, I guess it's worth a shot. I'm just telling you if it doesn't work out, that you shouldn't worry."
Old Thane nodded and pounded his chest with his fist. "That's true, but my, to think Black Vine challenges us! Once they realize you've learned from the finest of Aine's works, they'll turn tail like mangy pups, they will."
A sudden thump sounded outside the cottage. There was a solid weight behind it – the weight of a human body.
Li immediately stood up. "I'll handle it."
Outside, he found Zagan, fiery black fur glistening under the moonlight. At his paws lay the corpse of a man, mangled and burned beyond recognition. In Zagan's jaws a freshly torn jugular vein still beat with dying life, its slick redness starkly visible under the pale moonlight.
Zagan swallowed the vein. "It would seem that even non-humans have been drawn to you, my master. This was a vampire, and one of lesser breed at that. Why he dared to ever approach your territory is beyond my reasoning, but when my jaws held at his throat and I commanded him the reason for his insolence, he claimed to have come from the Black Vine, whatever filthy den of night creatures that is."
"Thank you, Zagan. You're always a help." Li looked towards Riviera, his fists balling. "They've sent a visitor to me, is that it? Well, I think it's time I repaid the favor and gave them a visit."
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Bone Dungeon: Book 1 in the Elemental Dungeon Series
Ryan doesn't remember much about his life before becoming a dungeon core. Only that he had a bit of a disagreement with the church -- something to do with a beheading? Now reborn, Ryan begins to arm his darkness dungeon with devious traps, bestial zombies and ill-named skeletal creations, without doing anything too evil. Well, mostly. Some adventurers just deserve a stalactite to the head. But Ryan quickly learns being a darkness dungeon isn't all loot and bone puns. With a necromancer on the rise and the Adventurer's Guild watching his every move, he must prove that not all darkness dungeons are malevolent... even if they do have a few skeletons in their caverns. Sadly, all of these issues keep distracting him from his own guilty pleasure, skeletal fight club. But don't tell his fairy about that. **** I have recieved permission from the publisher to share the first 8 chatpers of the story, as a sample (I am the author of this book) **** If you like what you've read, feel free to hop over to Amazon and check out the full story! Available for free on KU, and as an ebook, and paperback! US: https://amzn.to/2U099wG UK: https://amzn.to/2UK3rfj Rest of World: https://viewbook.at/BoneDungeon
8 191Delving Into the Unknown
Logan has lost everything he's ever known in a devastating fire. He is rescued by a gang of pirates who are determined to find the lost city of Atlantis. With the resolve to restore his home and hunt down the one behind the arson, Logan joins the crew on their journey. He understands that he must endure hardships and that betrayal can happen. But will he be strong enough to see his journey through to the end? Does the mysterious city exist or is it all a fairytale?
8 137Demon Hero
Some things aren't meant to be. Some things are. A hero isn't meant to be a demon, and a demon isn't meant to be a hero. But sometimes, what's isn't meant to happen will happen. In the span of an incomprehensible amount of time, a blur in the space-time continuum happened. A passing soul got sucked into another universe. On that day, a demon king died, but a hero was born. -- Note: Will need to see if this is something people would want to read to continue.
8 119Golem Armor: Building a Mech In Fantasy World.
He died of old age, surrounded by not people but machines built by his own hands. Join him as he reawakens in a fantasy world, once again, trying his best to reach his dream. A different person molded by his new surrounding, Adrin had to adapt to survive. The journey towards it would be slow as he had to start from the bottom and build everything from scratch. He had to adapt to using unfamiliar tools to recreate the things he had built, or using science to get ahead. The world, however, wouldn’t open a path for him to travel. Monsters big and small, people kind and cruel would stand in his way whether he liked it or not. Author’s note: English is not my first language. For young adults (light adult content, not romance focused). A remake/revamp of an original story. It will take a while before pieces are put together.
8 76Daughter of Dragons
Azareth has always known she wasn't special, that is until she asked to visit the king. After eighty-five years her life is changed and she is forced to leave her home, family and friend. Accompanied by a member of the royal guard, their journey is nothing but ups and downs. They struggle together, not knowing one another the tension is high. Secrets are uncovered, history is made. What will happen when she reaches her final destination?
8 240Klepto✔︎
"I'm a psycho at the bottom of the pack, and you're a warrior built to kill. Isn't it a weird mix?" He shrugs, a wicked grin plastered to his face."I think it's the perfect mix." ❀ ✿ ❀ ✿ ❀ ✿ ❀ ✿ ❀ ✿ ❀ ✿ ❀ ✿ ❀*Completed *Klepto is a werewolf, an omega, and exactly as her name says. A kleptomaniac. She's a compulsive stealer. So it's not a surprise that everyone in her pack despises her for her flaw. To distract herself from the constant bullying, she sticks her nose in books, dreaming of fictional worlds. Ezra, on the other hand, is a prideful lycan warrior with a desperate need for an attitude adjustment. When his team is assigned to protect a pack in the mountains of West Virginia, he is anything but thrilled. He wants power, responsibility, respect... things that don't come with being a babysitter.It's when they arrive that Ezra spots the curvy werewolf that happens to be his soul mate. In that moment he finds his entire world shifting.Klepto is a thief, and she knows just how to steal his heart. * Rated PG-13 for mild language, abuse, some adult content * Highest rankings#1 in new adult - 6/29/19#4 in werewolf - 3/18/19#1 in warrior - 6/24/19#3 in lycanthrope - 6/4/18#52 in love - 3/18/19#5 in mates - 4/2/19#63 in alpha - 3/25/19
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