《The Accidental Archmage - BOOK 9 (THE DRAGON HOUSES)》Book VIII, Prologue 1: Strangers at the Gate
Advertisement
The Gates of Tartarus loomed massively in the dim light of its dimension. Before it was thin wisps of fog marking the boundary between it and the realm above, the underworld of Hades.
The barriers stood immeasurably high, and its apex couldn’t be seen. Beside it, the walls of the cursed domain stood guard, and this time, it was to keep entities inside the former prison. Instead, it watched to prevent unwanted visitors out.
The hue of the Gates and the walls depended on the being observing it. For the early Greeks, it was made of bronze, the material being the height of metallurgical craft during their time. For others, it might appear to be made of steel, adamantium, or other material, either magical or mundane.
Kerberos, the final guardian of the Gates, had been driven away, maddened by the loss of its magical link to its master. Three massive humanoid creatures now secured the outer Gates, each having six arms holding shields and weapons of magical make.
They were the hekatoncheiries, sons of the Titans Uranus and Gaia, and brothers to the fabled Cyclopes. Originally ordained by Zeus as eternal guards of Tartarus, the brothers had thrown their lot with the new overload of the damned domain. Millennia of watching over their original prison wasn’t exactly their idea of a divine reward.
For a brief time after their victory over the Titans, their now overthrown siblings, the hundred-armed brothers had enjoyed the bright sunlight, refreshing breezes, and all that Earth had to offer. Until conflicts with the Olympians started to arise.
Briareros, for one, had become an enemy of Poseidon. Also know as the vigorous, or the sea-goat, the mighty waves he created as his playground provoked the ire of the Olympian. Cottos, the striker, ran afoul of Zeus and other deities of war. Finally, the shows of strength made by Gyges, the big-limbed, among the Greeks had aroused the jealousy and enmity of many a god.
Advertisement
Zeus’s well-intentioned gesture of making them sentinels of a place they never wanted to see again grated heavily on their pride and consciousness. Never mind that the move was intended to prevent conflicts between the hekatoncheiries and the numerous deities they had offended. If it was a reward, then it was too heavy and onerous a gift. They’d rather be prisoners again inside the walls and have more freedom to do what they wanted.
It was a seething sentiment Iapetus knew and used. With the fulfillment of the pre-condition of the brothers that Hades’s hound be destroyed or driven away, and the promise of a lordly life out there on the physical world, shifting their allegiance to their own kin was an easy decision. The promise of power and freedom was a temptation too strong to resist.
Now, the brothers waited for the call to battle on the surface. They knew many other creatures waited inside the walls, patiently anticipating the coming war which shall determine the lordship of the realms above.
Suddenly, Cottos flexed his magical strength, and fifty identical giants appeared above them, all facing outward. The mortal perception of each being having a hundred arms and fifty heads in one body was ridiculously inaccurate. Jokes arising out of such depictions were taken by the three in good stride, provided the speaker was powerful enough. A lesser creature would find himself immediately crushed like an insect. The two other brothers looked at the entity called The Striker.
“Something comes,” was all the colossal being would say.
Briareros immediately raised the alarm and followed his brother’s example. Tartarus was now notified, and assistance, whether needed or not, was forthcoming. He could already see Gyges’s simulacrum adding to the army being formed in the sky. The hekatonchier was enormously confident in his strength and power. It had been a long time since their last battle. And they were Titans. Without them, the Olympians wouldn’t have won.
Advertisement
In the far distance, several aloft figures could now be seen. Surprisingly, they didn’t appear to be armored or armed. The folds of their hooded grey cloaks didn’t move with the wind. And they were approaching at speed.
The brethren looked at each other. Each had a broad grin on their faces.
Advertisement
While Others Cultivate, I Use My Unique RPG Leveling System to Cultivate Smut Romance With Their Girlfriends!
Did I reincarnate? Or was I transported to an Isekai cultivation world? To be honest, I have no clue!
8 5669Personal Agency
It is better to die knowing. Listen. The world as you know it is not as you know it. It is a construction, a facade, a mural painted over the world to hide the fact that it is very broken on some fundamental levels. That there exists an entire spiritual realm, one of cognition and perception and memory and that it teems with awful life. The world was not made for us. Jacob Irwing is a fairly normal 26 year old American man. He's an amateur photographer, unmarried and does not work in his chosen field. He is also dying, right now, in the first chapter of this story. Someone has put a bullet in him. Agent Z is a fairly abnormal woman of no nationality. Her age is classified. Her name is classified. Her background? You better believe it's classified. She works for the people who hide the truth. She is going to wake up with a hole in her head in the first chapter of this story, surrounded by corpses and also by a dying fairly normal 26 year old American man. Burned and seemingly abandoned by the Agency, Agent Z has lost her memory, her security clearance and her authorisation. All that she's gained is Jacob, who is thoroughly in this shit now. Together they must work to uncover the truth, if any such thing even exists, in this erratic urban fantasy weird-fic. Updates every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Australian time.
8 209Embers
The circle has no end and no beginning. It is eternal. It is timeless. So is the Tree of Cycles, as it's branches and roots hold the worlds and time, creating kingdoms, empires and civilizations, for the Tree is the fate itself. But soon everything will change as the Fire born out of betrayal will start, burning through time, the worlds and the Tree itself. And only embers of it will be left, scattered through hollow shells of the worlds, transcending them towards the beyond. But the circle is eternal. Young men and women, awaken in a strange world with mysterious abilities that defy logic and reason,struggle to uncover many mysteries that this world has prepared for them. Watch as their journey leads them through many struggles, horrors and madness itself. Will they find the answers to their questions or will they be left broken and dead, consumed by the Firestorm?Only the Tree of Cycles shall know..._____________________________________________________________________________________________WARNING : gore, swear words, dehumanization and torture in later chapters___________________________________________________________________________DISCLAIMER 2 : First Part (season/book/arc) of the story focuses on the establishment of relevant characters and the main plot. Lots of jumps from event to event and lots of introductions of weird things to even weirder things :3
8 206David The Gray Mage
The story of a reincarnated man named David who found himself in a world of magic in the middle of a industrial revolution and a opportunity to learn from the most presitigious academy in his kingdom. The world is very different from what David is used to which makes him question his common sense at almost every turn.
8 58Just a bunch of OneShots, please request anything!There is smut- so yee, if you don't like it just skip it
8 66Dear Happy // Fantastic Beasts
Dear Happy,Why have you gone so early, only to come back later?- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them -(Book one - First Priority)(Book two - If I Fall)(Book three - Dear Happy)>> obviously I don't anything involving Fantastic Beasts. All right reserved to JK Rowling and all that good stuff
8 61