《Just a Rock》Chapter 17: Edge of a Cliff
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It was the fisherman. It was a confrontation between two great evils; one a tyrannical dictator, the other a peaceful fisherman… No, he was the warden of a great prison or something like that. Either way, neither was better than the other. One almost chose the rock to become a part of a bridge while sacrificing its stone brethren. The other forced the rock to watch over his prison net thingy. If one were to choose the better one, it would be the worker for recognizing its greatness and not doing anything to it, even freeing the rock from watching over the prison.
At this moment, the old fisherman looked at the rock with a frown, as if it heard my narration. However, it’s attention quickly switched to something behind him. Maybe the youth that normally comes with him. Then again, maybe I was too harsh? After all, the old fisherman only comes once a week and treats the stones and the rock as underlings or prisoners rather than reshaping and conforming them. It’s the classic case of which evil is preferable.
The two of them began talking with each other. They were both confused about the situation. The fisherman tried to be calm but explosive anger was hidden beneath his skin, crawling about and lashing out occasionally. The worker, on the other hand, with his axe, was obviously superior. Yet, he backed away in guilt. He did destroy his prison for no reason. The worker felt he was at fault, a deadly weakness for a dictator.
Meanwhile, the rock lied at the edge of the river. It sat upon a bank and the bank was shifting under its weight. The rock wanted to do something about this situation and the earth itself decided to grant this wish. A few pebbles fell into the river, making a splashing sound, foreshadowing what might happen next. The two evils paused to glance at the river, curious about the sound. The rock was slipping; it was at the edge of what might as well be a cliff. Literally, as it was about to fall off a drop. Metaphorically, because this is where the chapter ends.
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WEAKLING
A geeky highschooler develops superpowers and is recruited to an international peackeeping unit at the same time as struggling with mental health problems. * Gonzalo Lopez is just a normal teenager except that he has superpowers. Or does he? Ever since that fight with the bully where his powers first manifested and he broke his attacker’s hand by accident, everything has been spiralling out of control. Now all of a sudden he’s getting invited to parties, his psychiatrist’s started dating his Mom, and at least two different international organisations are trying to hunt him down. Then there’s Ali--the new girl at school, the only other person who believes any of this is happening to him, who seems to be hiding a secret of her own. Is she really his friend like she says she is, or does she have some sort of ulterior motive for being so nice to him all the time? Should he tell her about Miracle Force, the superpowered United Nations peacekeeping unit he’s just been recruited to? And is any of this really happening, or is it all just going on in his head? * You can read deleted scenes on my Patreon.
8 97A Taste for the Finer Things
Dave was shattered, emotionally and physically after a car accident destroyed his throat, and his dreams of being a singer. While in the recovery ward, an advertisement recommended vr as a place he'd still be able to sing. Excited he had the doctors make the call and put him in. Not planning to actually play much, he rushed through character creation, just asking for something that could sing and ignoring the warnings. It was only afterwards he realised he'd ended up as a monster. How does one balance the pursuit of fame and hiding ones actions? Find out in "A taste for the finer things" This is based off an idea off the five minute synopsis I wrote in the RoyalRoadLegends Discord Cover generously provided by Vsolon https://royalroadl.com/fiction/18430/a-world-beyond
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