《Junkyard Magician》Run boy run
Advertisement
Ten minutes remaining.
The omnipotent system narrated inside his head, announcing his impending doom with sweet, sweet female voice. It sounded so chirpy.
“ANY LAST WORDS?”
“Huh? What? Why? I still have ten minutes left. The cookies are almost ready.”
Finding the right ingredients, grinding the flour and making the proper dough took a whole lot longer than he thought it would but right now he had one hundred twenty perfect cookies baking inside the oven of the village baker. One for each person in his possession.
“ARE YOU SURE? ARE YOU NOT FORGETTING ABOUT SOMETHING IMPORTANT?”
“Nope. I think I have it all covered.”
In truth, he had one hundred twenty-one cookies baking. One extra-large, Extra fluffy and with extra chocolate.
“I even made one for you. You know, for all the trouble.”
Nine minutes remaining.
“I DO NOT ACCEPT BRIBES.”
“Bribes? What bribes? It’s just my thank you gift for giving me this chance and all the hard work you put into swaying that scythe all the time. Your arms must be beyond stiff. Why won’t you take a little rest and have some tea with me?”
Joe pointed at a freshly set table where a pot of aromatic tea awaited.
Eight minutes remaining.
“I SUPPOSE YOU STILL HAVE ENOUGH TIME FOR A CUP OR TWO.”
Death sat at the chair he offered her and watched as he pour a cup for her.
“Milk? Sugar?”
“NO. THANK YOU.”
Seven minutes remaining.
Given the unusual circumstances Joe made a remarkable tea. And his smiling face of a village idiot showed no apparent worry. How peculiar. Unless...
“YOU ARE CHEATING.”
“Of course not. I’m just waiting for the proper chance to do it right. It’s not quite one in a million chance yet.”
Advertisement
Death hid her smile behind her cup and sipped. So that one had made her move. That was expected. He had no way of knowing without her interfering.
“OH, YOU DO KNOW THAT EVEN WITH A GUARANTEED MIRACLE YOU ARE TAKING A BIG GAMBLE?”
Six minutes remaining.
“A gamble? What gamble? Isn’t that a sure way...”
“NO. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU WERE TOLD BUT THAT CHANCE WORKS ONLY NINE OUT OF TEN TIMES. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE.”
Death pulled off her hood and sipped her tea, leaning back in her chair. She had seen countless mortals pale and tremble in her presence, yet the clumsy way Joe pretended that everything went according to his plan somehow seemed, endearing. Cute almost.
Five minutes remaining.
“IT IS TIME.”
“B-buh?! Whaaa?! Bu-But I still have five minutes!”
“THE COOKIES. THEY ARE DONE. IT IS TIME TO TAKE THEM OUT.”
“Oh, right. Yes.”
Working as if his life depended on it, Joe extracted his freshly baked cookies and spread them out. Cookies straight out of the oven must cool down a bit before they reach the perfect done state.
Three minutes remaining.
“Here you go.”
Joe put the uber cookie, the result of his sweat and tears, before Death and refilled her cup.
“HOW KIND OF YOU. THANK YOU.”
Two minutes remaining.
“BEST YOU GO NOW BEFORE YOU MISS YOUR ONE IN A MILLION CHANCE TO FINISH THIS QUEST.”
*DING!*
You feel the cold touch of scythe on your neck.
Chop, chop, move your ass as if your life depends on it because, surprise, surprise, it does!
Movement speed +90%
Motivation +500%
Discarding the pesky screen, Joe packed the remaining cookies into a cute pink pouch he made as he waited and run out of the bakery. He had less then two minutes to get to the hill where he built the improvised altar.
Advertisement
Death followed him with her gaze then looked at the cookie he made her.
One minute remaining.
She reached into the folds of her robe and pulled out a black hourglass filled with black sand and marked with a silver plaque. She read the name then poked it assessing the flow of black grains inside. There weren’t that many left in the upper part.
Putting the hourglass sideways on the table she reached for her cookie.
One minute remaining.
It was a big cookie.
One minute remaining.
She may as well enjoy that.
One minute remaining.
There was no rush.
***
One minute remaining.
The announcement repeated itself for at least tenth time. Joe’s mind was too preoccupied with running for his life to notice that. With a speed possible for mortals only when they search for a toilet while having a full bladder, he reached his improvised altar, a plank of wood supported by four stones, and after placing the pouch in the middle he knelt and clasped his hands together.
“Got your cookies. Please help!”
“No cinnamon?”
One minute remaining.
“Of course not! Now, do your thing before we run out of time.”
Suddenly it became very, very dark.
The earth shook while a blob of drool the size of a mountain fell nearby.
Something dark and slimy in nature went past him and appropriated the pouch.
“Cookies...”
Joe squeezed his eyes shut.
“Oh, right. The miracle.”
Joe bit his lips and clenched his mouth as not to scream when a tentacle sunk into his back and anchored itself inside his soul.
*DING!*
Connection established. Calculating available mana pool... calculation failed. Stack overflow. Attempting to resolve... Solution found. Avatar of Darkness applying... Success. Mortal restraints removed.
Among sudden headache Joe heard a sound he did not like.
Less than one minute remaining.
He rammed his palms into the ground and screamed.
“Harvest!”
*Ding!*
Harvesting successful!
Village added to your inventory.
But he had no time to check it.
*DING!*
WARNING! Imminent death threat detected! Conditions met, triggering last resort skills....
*DING!*
Endless Run Active. Stamina will not decrease while running for your life. Additional conditions met.
Estimating threat level... DEATH.
Estimating adequate response... ERROR.
No solution found. Activating fallback strategy.
Additional bonus granted:
Movement speed +MAX
Evasion +MAX
Damage resistance +MAX
Perception +MAX
Heat immunity.
All damage to feet ignored.
In the corner of his eye Joe saw DEATH. She walked towards him with her cup in one hand and her scythe in the other. She took a sip of her tea when their eyes met.
Drumms began playing a tune inside his head, one he heard so many times in radio.
“Boy,”
A woman in red sat before him on his improvised altar, humming a tune alongside the drumms in his head.
“Run.”
She ordered and his legs listened.
“Joe?”
A voice of a troubled darkness could be heard by the altar. While they were sill connected by a tentacle, Joe was already beyond the horizon while what remained was the unpleasant sensation of her tentacle being stretched and pulled.
“Oh dear.”
When her tentacle could stretch no more it yanked her like a rubber band and the entire mass of darkness followed.
Advertisement
- In Serial261 Chapters
Tuatha de Danann
[participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge] Teigh Mac de Beleros y Cyronax has freed the Sidhe of his world from the forced confinement imposed on them. His actions set in motion by the System. Zeus and Odin have schemed against the Tuatha de Danann, forcing them to [Sleep] using treachery and blackmail because they are envious of their connection to the Summerlands. Athena, Loki, Set, and Coyote have discovered a new plot, one that will affect every God of every Pantheon. Zeus and Odin have learned how to steal the Divine mantle of Gods that die. This ability will allow them to wreck havoc across the multiverse until there are no other Gods left. Teigh will need to travel the Summerlands and gain entrance to another universe. The universe where Zeus and Odin have learned this new technique. Only by going back in time will he be able to stop them before it is too late. This is a story arc in the Second Chances Universe that can be read alone.
8 116 - In Serial57 Chapters
Path of Pandora – My Worldbuilding System
Hachiro Tanuki finds himself on a plain, floating in the void. Next to him is a mysterious obelisk, which upon closer inspection reveals a secret to the boy. [ Congratulations! ][ You’ve unlocked: “System of the Developer” ] Follow Hachiro Tanuki as he builds up the world around himself, while keeping it safe from the waves of monster attacks! – – – This novel is a mixture of Tower Defense and Sandbox. The world-building works similar to Roguelike titles, as in the protagonist unlocks new tiles and creatures over time, while enemies get increasingly stronger. If you want to see your idea for a tile, creature, or any mechanic make it into the novel, leave a comment on the newest chapter! I'd be more than happy to include any fan suggestions! ^^ Feel free to join our Discord! :D( https://discord.gg/2bGcaxHtC7 )
8 234 - In Serial25 Chapters
Eternal Luck
I was betrayed. I started a massacre that spanned across the entire universe. At the edge of death, I battled the will of Anubis and his soul eater to escape the darkness. At the end of it all, I cast a forbidden spell in the field of eternity. A spell to communicate with my younger self. The young Ryatt Drakel grew up in a humble society, but I always had the desire to be powerful. The weak are bullied. The weak are oppressed. The weak are cursed and enslaved. To protect my friends, to protect my family, I wanted nothing more than to gain strength. But what happens when my greatest nemesis happens to be the man who helped to raise me? What happens when my true power and identity are beyond what this world can contain? If I don't make an effort to change things, she'll die in my arms once again. I'll never let that happen.
8 118 - In Serial44 Chapters
Where It Leads Us
Lauren Sanders has been left to start a 'new' normal life with her aunt and cousin after her family died. Everybody knows almost everything except for two things: Lauren's parents' mysterious death and her schizophrenia.Lauren attempts to hunt and recover the paintings her mom had sold, digging for evidence that could directly answer her questions as to why her sister committed suicide.Meeting Aaren Walters made Lauren an enigma that made him want to discover more of the mysteries concealed within her eyes. Little by little, he begins to unwrap the past that Lauren seems to be caged by. As they both continue to explore the past; the past leads them to the truth of themselves-a truth they either choose to keep or ruin lives.--Her skin was fair and she was brightlike the moonlightthat is fulgent at nighther large, lustrous eyes,hides beneath such lies.she was a mysterythat was meant to be solved,with such a sire historythat everyone was involved.
8 164 - In Serial22 Chapters
Scholar of the Fog
Leaving a trail of blood as he climbed up a hill, his limbs felt like lead. He was gasping too, his lungs burning with every step he took. It felt like a bundle of broken glass was scraping away the inner walls of his flesh. He was dying, obvious to both him and his pursuers. And it would not be long till he dropped dead as he bled away. If not, the people chasing him would surely finished what they had came for. It was as if the Gods themselves had already predestined his fate. He took one step forward and stood at the peak of the hill. He let his legs rest as he could barely go on. Heaving deep breaths, he could hear sneering voices and shouts behind him. They were close, and the grim realization stoked the embers of his most primal fear. He did not want to die. He had dreams, like any other youth. There was glory to be had in this world. He wanted to learn more of life, and lived through its motions. He wanted to live. He swept his gaze, and across him was a spanning forest of old. With a glint in his eyes, and jaws clenched, he decided to gamble with all he had. He was dying, and by now, it did not matter where his grave was. He ran down the hill, and stopped where the plains and the forest met. His eyes swept about the trees, and he could feel an instinctual urge to drag himself away. He knew what this forest was, and here, he would find his salvation. Or his doom. The voices behind him grew closer, and among the noise was the faint clanging of steel. Gritting his teeth, he ousted all the will he had from the depths of his soul and stepped forth into the forest. Damned he be by the Gods if they wanted him dead. -new synopsis 10/6/2016 ---------- A new chapter would be released every friday. And the quality of writing should improve each time, hopefully. Another important thing to mention is how the story as of now, is only a bedrock for a massive world if it ever gets there. (CH18) And if possible, reviews are very much appreciated. ---------- For the ones who are interested in the old synopsis: With one foot in the grave, he ran away for that little bit of hope. Exhausted and bleeding, it was only a matter of time until he passed out. By then, his fate would be sealed and he would be no more. Thus, he had to make a decision that might just save his life. It was a gamble, he knew, but he had no He ran into the forbidden forest where no man had ever come back. He headed within, intending to scare his pursuers away. But they persisted in their chase, hounding him down until he was forced to take a step of no return. There, in the darkest depths of the forest, was the ghastly fog and behind him where men who wanted his head. Left with nothing else, he stepped forth and crossed the boundary of the living and the dead. Henceforth, his fate was forever changed. No longer just a scholar, but something more…
8 176 - In Serial18 Chapters
Kanojo no Jin
Kurasawa shin a highschool student with few male friends and no girlfriend or friend of opposite sex. one day he found a website who provide a cute cat looking like Jin for one year free to overcome loneliness among youth. He ordered thinking it as a joke but after ordering one he really get a cat Jin and from that his life changes completely.
8 84
Prev Chap
Next Chap
Chap List
Boy
Girl
