《Not Quite What You Meant (Short Story Collection)》Sight Unseen
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They call it The Artifact. No one knows where it’s from, nor what it is, nor how it works. But its effects are well documented and fully reproducible.
Any who sees it will die. Those approaching it blindfolded or with eyes closed still hear its whisper, its song, and cannot resist the urge to sneak a glance - just one. And that’s too much.
Those who look upon it even by a single glance will become enthralled, their minds and bodies overcome with The Artifact and nothing else. They speak nonsense, ignore even their friends and family members, and neglect all but the bizarre impulses imparted by the alien object.
Some remain by The Artifact; some silent, some speaking ceaselessly until their voices fade. Some leave; some wandering the near area, others walking off in a straight line until they collapse from exhaustion.
None survive. None has ever recovered.
If the eyes are the window to the soul, The Artifact is the master thief who breaks that window and steals everything concealed within.
Needless to say, it has been quarantined for longer than most civilizations exist. Warnings are posted outside its resting place, a labyrinth built around it to keep away the curious and the idiotic.
Infrequent attempts are made to break in and steal it, either for use as a weapon or mere curiosity. It is said that collectors have offered private contractors billions to obtain it. Yet none has ever succeeded.
None until today.
Luiran walks softly forward, guided by the siren call that whispers and sings through the darkness. The labyrinth is ancient. Many chambers and tunnels have collapsed in the centuries since its construction. But The Artifact knows its surroundings intimately. It whispers instructions, tonalities that shift and beckon, showing the correct path through and around every obstacle.
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Luiran walks steadily onward and The Artifact’s lure only grows stronger. Luiran strains against the dark, trying to catch some glimpse, desperate to see what it is that required such secrecy and such elaborate defences.
The darkness remains absolute. There are no lights to show the way, no torches or windows here. Nor would they aid Luiran if they were present.
Closer, closer; hands reaching, then the touch of cold slick material, so different from the worn and ancient stone of the protecting labyrinth. Luiran lifts The Artifact soundlessly from its resting place, the silent song of its call shifting from a plea to a comforting croon. Mine. Safe. Together.
Luiran holds The Artifact close, wrapping it in layers of cloth that do nothing to muffle its gentle humming, and places it carefully into a specially-crafted bag to keep it secure. Then, listening to the gentle directions that offer guidance through the dark, Luiran retraces the path that led inward, returning to the world beyond.
Returning both with Artifact in hand, and soul entirely intact.
If any had seen Luiran’s departure from that sealed and guarded place, they’d call it rightful fear that prompted so stealthy and cowardly an escape. None would guess the trip’s success.
In years to come, no one would believe that The Artifact even existed. When a decade or so later a particularly audacious treasure hunter returned with news that the entire compound was built around an empty depression in the ground, the world would laugh at the millennia-old hoax that had fooled civilizations for ages. Many would claim that of course they’d never believed in such an artifact. It was clearly only a fairy tale, a story about caution in seeking power.
And upon a far mountain, a sect of blind believers guard a secret that the rest of the world is better off never knowing about. A sacred duty, both to their Artifact and to the rest of the world.
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If one visited their lower tiers, those open to the public, they may see a single statue of a person carrying a nondescript bundle. Inquiries would be met with smiles and the explanation that this was to honer Saint Luiran, who once carried the fate of humanity.
What that fate might be? None will answer.
They simply hum to a tune only they can hear, and say that some things are better left unseen.
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Domineering Frog King
A man who is worn out from the struggles he faces every day, takes his life in an act of suicide. Yet, either by a joke fabricated by fate or by the heaven’s will itself, he finds himself waking up in front of a frog....."Huh? Am I…Heh…haha…HaHa…HAHA!!! I'M ALIVE! EH?! What the?! A god damn huge ass frog?! What the hell is this?!" Watch as our protagonist struggles yet again in this new mystical world and finds the destiny that awaits him in this action packed adventure.And just maybe, he can realize that he was never worthless to begin with…
8 160The Huntsman Of Ash
(RWBY x Dark Souls 3) "The Ashen One" One amongst the countless unkindled ash. A soul of the undead who hast failed their task long ago. A withering hollow who was reborn from ash once the four Lords of Cinder neglected to relink the first flame. And yet again, this warrior was doomed to fail... Rejecting the flame outright set forth a chain of events, trapping and condemning the Ashen One to a life without flame and without a means to coddle the warmth of smoldering embers. This realm of "Remnant" is young and uncorrupted...or is it? ||| Also available on Wattpad, FanficNet, Archive Of Our Own under @KiriKiwiS / @LordKiriKiwiS.|||https://www.wattpad.com/story/259180240-the-huntsman-of-ash-rwby-x-dark-soulshttps://archiveofourown.org/works/34017418https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13948963/1/The-Huntsman-of-Ash |||DISCLAIMER|||RWBY is property of RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum. Dark Souls is property of BandaiNamco and FromSoftware. All art/vids/music shown are property of their respective artists/companies.
8 217Le héros pas comme les autres [French]
L'armée du roi démon piétine les nations du continent Lirgo, dans un dernier espoir le royaume de Farosse tente un rituelle d'invocation de héros, ne se doutant pas que les sacrifiants n'était pas assez pour l'invocation apparaître une bonne faisant partie de la population qui fut remplacée par une vaste terre appartenant à une nation appelée Allemagne mais sera-t-elle assez puissante face au danger de ce monde.
8 244Ruby X Depressed Male Reader
Got the idea way back when @Boogiethehedgehog3 did his original abused and depressed male reader and so here I am to give my own little take to it. Hope you guys like it.Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All characters from RWBY are own by Rooster Teeth. All RWBY OCs within this story are owned by me.
8 134«One Mind» (Ninjago x Reader)
"Give me all your candy!"Was the moment when first you meet them."How long will you go?" Was the last word you heard from them.What if (Y/n) come back? Will they remember her? Ninjago x Reader Made by: Yinzy_BananaTwitter: YinzyYInstagram: yinyunnn_
8 241The Empresses' Brawler (Asuka x OC)
Milorad Petrovich, or known as Rade Milkovich has originated from Belgrade,Serbia to pursue his dreams, he first joined with Lucha Underground where he met with his friends Kairi Sane and Io Shirai but after one year he left the promotion and joined UFC and being trained by one of UFC's most popular fighters. But his contract expired and is now a free agent. Triple H heard of him and he needed to have him on the company straight away and he succeeded. Now being a part of the SD means a ton of opportunities for him, but on his quest he meets the Empress of Tomorrow, Asuka.
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