《Sandstorm Story》Memories left in a Tower - Part 2
Advertisement
Part 2
After had Daniel finished burying his armour, he looked over to the decaying tower and saw Aria and Loralei glaring at each other in a tense standoff. He hurried over to them, hoping to defuse the situation, but found his worries were needless. Before he even got close, Aria dashed forward and embraced Loralei, laughing joyfully and ignoring her confused expression. Suddenly she called out to Daniel, saying “Brother, I approve! She small and huggable but still strong and feisty, just the type of mate I think suits you.” Without even waiting for a response, she started to drag the confused Loralei away while saying, “Come with me, Lor, we need to get the car ready so we can leave.”
An hour later, they were back to driving. They had taken the time to salvage the crystal from the remains of the hovercraft and were 126cc richer. That amount seemed far too much for the council to have provided them with it, so it was probably the pilot’s money. But even that amount wasn’t the best haul for the day. The Armour they had taken from the dead elite was by far the best. The black form-fitting suit of movable plates adjusted itself nicely to fit Daniels body like it was made for him. That was a part of the armour’s magic; amongst the many enchantments was one that adjusted the shape and size to fit the wearer comfortably.
Despite the power of the armour, Daniel only used the chest piece and legs. There were a few reasons for that. Firstly, there was comfort. Daniel basically never had time to equip more than just that and as such hadn’t worn a whole set in years. Suddenly doing so would be uncomfortable and more importantly, restrictive. Although the suit was made to conduct mana enough that magic could be cast through it, it would still reduce how dexterously his hands could move. However the most important reason was that he wouldn’t be able to see his scales glisten and shine in the light. As it was, covering his legs and chest was the extent his vanity would allow.
It was actually a very common problem for Draconian, vanity was so tied to their species that the idea of completely covering themselves was almost an alien concept. The more powerful the individual, the more they wanted to show off their scales, especially for higher variants. Even the elite, who had undergone training to fight that instinct, still exposed their tails, wings and sometimes heads.
Since both Lor and Aria were mages, neither wanted the arm pieces and gloves. Only Leah had any real use for them and she was more than happy to take them. The black armour reshaped itself to fit snugly around her muscular arms and coated her sharp claws with blade like plates. With that in place, she had no worries of her claws breaking if she used them as weapons. No one wanted the helmet so it sat unused in the back of the car.
Feeling comfortable in the armour, Daniel passed time as they travelled by taking a rest. When he woke up, he was laying against Aria. While he was comfortable and happy, his circumstances conflicted with what he dreamt and made the moment seem all the more precious. The dream felt altogether too clear I his mind, like he was being hinted at, that there was something he needed to remember just beyond his reach.
Sunlight reflected off his scales, which shone far more brightly than before he slept. He noticed a cleaning rag in his sleeping sister’s hand and made the obvious conclusion. Cleaning another Draconian’s scales fell into an odd cultural category. Depending on the den, it was either the most normal thing imaginable, like shaking hands, or it was unimaginably intimate, like sex but more embarrassing. The Southernmost den fell into the first category but from Leah’s blushing expression, the Southwest Den was the latter.
Advertisement
While Daniel would never know it, Aria had cleaned his scales knowing full well that it was embarrassing for Leah. While she accepted Leah as Daniel’s mate based on her strength, their personalities simply didn’t mesh well. As far as she was concerned, Daniel was hers and she was letting others borrow him from time to time. While Loralei was almost instinctively willing to share, Leah seemed to have some intention to monopolise or at the least centralise. Monogamy was rare for Draconian, and the person at has the partners was the Centre; hence becoming a Centre was called centralising. Aria just couldn’t shake the feeling that Leah wanted them gone so that she could make a group of her own.
By midday, the tall walls of Enoksen could be seen in the distance, the thick white stone looked like a cloud against the red sands of the wasteland. Far more out of place was the tree that formed the centre of the city. That tree was, technically, Enoksen and the buildings around it were called ‘The city surrounding Enoksen’, but no one outside of a formal situation would ever make that distinction. It was a part of the Elven overly pretentious act that they didn’t name their cities but did name the great trees that formed their hearts. Very few Elves actually cared about the environment and nature, but they all liked to pretend they did. Apparently it gave an earnest impression that added to their beauty.
Enoksen, the tree, was at least a couple hundred meters tall and seemed to be some kind of oak tree. Since its trunk was surrounded by visible roots, it had to have grown after the fall. For something that large to have grown in such a short period of time, magic would have had to have been used. Rather than focusing expanding arable land or securing the city’s defences, the Elves used their magic on something as pointless as a giant tree that chewed through resources and did little for the city aside from some shade. A city council member was once quoted as saying, “A few hundred people starving to death is a small price to pay for such a beautiful sight.” Or so a rumour said.
To the south of the city was a quarry, where they dug through the san to reach a city underneath the sand. The resources unearthed there were what made it possible for those living in Enoksen, the city, to live comfortably. While the quarry was often attacked by creatures that lived in the sand, the standing army and Warmaidens made short work off anything that could affect the prosperity of the city.
Since they were at a key city in Celtic territory if they gave themselves away as Norse followers, they would be hunted down by their army in no time at all. Given that, they agreed that it would be best if they waited at an inn while one of them went to inform the city leaders. It was at that point in the discussion that Aria revealed that she had the skills Individual Scry (Lesser) and Individual Scry (Greater), which let her see Daniel through her crystal ball, wherever he went. Although they thought that she used him as an example, she chose him as the target of the skills and they couldn’t be changed. It was a major downside to the skills, but because of that, they didn’t cost much relative to the price of the general versions. With that, they would know if anything happened to him and were willing to wait for him to finish the task.
Advertisement
As they approached the great iron grates at the closest entrance, they were stopped by a guard. The guard was an Elf wearing a simple metal chest-plate over what looked like an old-world blue police uniform. The sharp contrast between the medieval armour and modern uniform seemed entirely lost on the Elf as they dryly went about their work.
“State your business and duration of your visit. If you’re a local, proceed to the east gate.”
He questioned Loralei, who was the driver, who panicked slightly before answering.
“Y-yes, we’re just travellers. We’ll only be in town for one night.”
The guard shrugged and let them through; probably making the usual mistake of assuming Draconian couldn’t lie. He also gave them directions to a nearby inn with a parking lot and sunbaking space. The Inn was called “Dug-up Traveller’s”, and was a building that was removed from the quarry and placed in the town. There were actually a few buildings like that, as it was slightly easier to move an existing building then to make a new one when it came to magic. Their room was a simple one, with wallpapered walls, a sink in the bathroom and two beds that could be pushed together. There wasn’t much to it but for 8cc a night for the four of them, they couldn’t expect much in a city.
As they were unpacking, Daniel found the bottle of Whiskey he had been keeping and, when they were done, handed it over to Aria while saying, “As I promised all those years ago, a bottle of old-world.” While her face lit up with an amazing smile, there wasn’t any particular surprise. If she hadn’t mentioned her ability to scry he might have wondered about that. Some people found scrying to be uncomfortable, but Daniel found it comforting to know that they had that connection. Since there wasn’t much time left in the work day, they decided to drink it after he got back.
The streets of Enoken were cobblestone and about half of the buildings were the same. The other half was either modern buildings or shaped plants. While each building was beautiful, or at the very least charming, the overall look was chaotic and disorganised. Elfish pride would never let anyone else tell them that their concept of beauty was wrong, and the result was a city without consistency. Even if every piece was good, the whole thing together felt wrong. It was a problem that wasn’t helped by the addition of other races. While Elves were the majority, many other races found their way into the city. While no Dwarves, Mongrels or Darklings would be allowed into the city, other races made up at least thirty percent of the population.
When he asked a local for directions, he was told that he was in luck, that with his race he could get access to the city council easily. The Council building was located next to the training grounds and there were plenty of Draconian in the army. That gave them priority with regards to giving reports, as it was generally believed that they wouldn’t waste time and usually concerned the cities protection.
He was, however, not in luck. The local had made an understandable yet unforgivable mistake. The guards of the council building were not, in fact, Draconian, but were Dragonkin; a very different thing. While they had very similar builds and sizes, Dragonkin were coated from head to toe in scales and had sharp snouts filled with razor sharp teeth. They also were born with fully formed wings and claws, resembling a dragon far more closely than Draconian did. However, the lacked the breath attacks that Draconian were proud of. There was a legend that said the first Draconian and Dragonkin were sisters, born of the same dragon and her human love.
While Dragonkin outwardly looked closer to dragons, their lifespans and personality were closer to humans, with very few of them living to be a hundred. The worst part about them as that they wholeheartedly believed that they were a race chosen by the dragons to lead the world, that all their actions were the embodiment of good, and that Draconian were inherently evil people that spread corruption. That attitude meant that they almost always fought when they met. In that regards, pre-fall society was the worst possible place for them, given the likelihood of meeting and inappropriateness of murder.
The soldier was red coloured and both sides strained their willpower to fight back their instinct to draw weapons. That was until they had a moment of recognition. A couple years prior, when Daniel had been short on money, he had worked as a mercenary for a territory war between the Celtic and Norse orders. At the time, the red coloured soldier had been commanding a unit. Apparently, after their defeat they were demoted and were now a town guard. With recognition evident in both their eyes a different kind of tense atmosphere developed as each waited for the other to make a move.
In the end, Daniel had no choice but to move first, if he waited for more soldiers to pass by, his situation would only get worse. He suddenly faced a dash to the left before running to the right. As he ran, he could hear the Dragonkin yelling “Intruder” and “Spy” with his full volume. Things weren’t going well, and the smart thing to do would have been to retreat and try another time. Daniel, however, was too annoyed to consider that. Instead he tried running through the blockages to force his way to the leaders, almost completely unaware of how much it made him look like an assassin.
Making a sudden jump to the side, he avoided a blast of fire that would have hit him. Turning back he saw the spell array the red guy had used. It was a standard array with a diameter nearly half a meter wide. Daniel didn’t bother hiding his laughter as he mocked the Dragonkin’s incompetence. A spell that simple could be made with a ten to twenty centimetre circle; needing a circle that large to make sure the ratios were right was the peak of incompetence. Sweat even glistened through their red scales, showing that they were exhausted from that small effort. His victory years prior made far more sense when he saw how bad his opponent had been.
That distraction was Daniel’s downfall, or one of the contributing reasons, anyway, as he turned to face forward and was immediately struck across the face with the centre of a shield. As he rolled backwards his neck was pinned by two crossed spears. Looking around he saw he was surrounded by heavily armoured women with sturdy round shields, and pistols on their wastes. Each and every one of them was in their peak fitness, and they were filled with a beautiful vitality. From the design of their shields, he knew that he found the right place; they were the Morrigan Order. The woman who hit him had a very recognisable face; almost identical to someone he had met before.
“Ms Zeeb, I take it? I have a message for you. Smith Street Village has fallen.”
Advertisement
A Hero Past the 25th: Paradise Lost
Gather all and I will tell you a story! A story of how a champion was summoned into the doomed realm of Ortho. Of how instead of a champion, they got a woman old enough to be your mother. And what happened after that? I will tell you how the champion traveled into the Felorn Woods with her friends, in search of her lost youth. And how instead of youth, what she found was Hell itself. You don't believe me? Then go on and see for yourself. But don't come crying to me if it was too much! * * * This is the second part of A Hero Past the 25th Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4-7
8 199Re: Rock
An old, banished alchemist finds himself conducting an experiment of the most taboo kind - creating life. A ritual has been laid, the stone golem placed, and all the ingredients and magic spells prepared. The alchemist was sure of his success, but even with a lifetime of scouring he had not prepared enough. Minutes into the experiment, his soul was damned, as the ritual accidentally sealed his very essence into the stone golem. For thousands of years he laid fusing with the golem. The old era has passed, and a new age has ushered in. Great powers, monstrous beasts, and plotting giants seek to claim this era as their own. Then he wakes.
8 169Bloodline plunder
A college student got summoned to world call eratria where strong bloodline rule dragon, titan, mermaid and many powerful races the stronger the bloodline the easier to cultivate dragon can reach legend level while sleeping demon reach legend just by killing. In this world, mc got the power to plunder the bloodline and make his own watch him plunder the most powerful races and become the lord of the universe. Author note: hey guys, please read my work and tell me what you like what you didn't I will try to write and upload chapter as soon as possible thank you. The cover is not mine.
8 171The Arcadia System
In the world of Arcadia, everything moves in a linear fashion.Everything was ordained to be by the hands of time. But what if it was all changed by the most inconspicuous thing one could possibly imagine?What if a teeny-weeny cat was inserted into the grand chess of the world, making waves that something of its size shouldn't?Reve was just your ordinary cat. However, a trip to uncharted territory sent his life into a hellhole.Now he must leave his comfort zone. Now, he must survive. Now, he must aspire!Join Reve on his adventure to be the greatest cat there ever was!........ This is my latest work. The story really kicks off after chapter 30. Everything else is a setup. This story excels at worldbuilding and lores. The story is a bit slow-paced, depending on what you consider as slow-paced. The magic system is really well thought out This is my server invite ->> https://discord.gg/zkwwHkSwAd. Join if you want to be a part of my novel's community
8 194The Last Light of Eden (Sky Children of the Light)
(This story IS still being updated! Sorry it's taking so long to write chapters!!!)Long ago, before even the elders landed on the isles' peaceful shores, a darkness plagued the land of Sky. Creatures of evil and hate roamed freely, destroying all that was bright and good in the world. However, ancient stories tell of seven creatures, children of light, who sealed the darkness away, but at a terrible price. . . The seven children were locked inside the Eye, cursed to forever stand guard at its' gates. . . Until now. When the gates to Eden open once more, and a strange, glowing child falls to the lands of Sky, it's up to an odd group of heroes to reseal Edens' doors. But, with the darkness spreading fast, and the Krill constantly on the hunt, will they stop the spreading shadows in time. . .?(Thanks so much for 5K views!!!)"Sky Children of The Light" created by ThatGameCompany!!!Sky au created by me! =)Cover art also by me! (Art Software: FireAlpaca) Chapters will update irregularly due to school, homework, and lack of Coffee. I apologize for the inconvenience! =) If you guys have any comments or find any errors in my writing, feel free to let me know! =D Thanks!
8 158Camp Camp ~ includes a new LGBT character :)
A new camper arrives at Camp Campbell and Max thinks the new camper seems to be here under suspicious circumstances. Max does some digging and pulls up this new camper's history with two other camps.I think it would be cool and amazing to have a transgender character in Camp Camp... this is just a cute idea I had one sleepless night. If you have any suggestions on what I should change or add let me know :)*Please know the image is not mine - the original artist can be found here https://funcdyscat.tumblr.com
8 175