《The World of The Tower》Bell of Hope
Advertisement
The cave behind was still filling up with Blood Worms when they reached a chasm leading to another part of the cave. They had no idea where exactly they were or where that would take them but they had nothing to lose.
The gap was about three meters high but its width was an entirely different matter, it oscillated between around thirty centimeters and nearly tho meters. They got stuck a few times and had to try different approaches before finally reaching an opening big enough to fit more than a hundred adult blestols.
"This place looks good, let's find ourselves a nice dry corner and get some sleep. I'm exhausted" Arath said pointing to the highest part of this cavern hoping it would be inhabited.
He really didn't want fight again, so he stealthily approached the site. Having looked under every stone and not finding any lurking danger he sighed with relief. For once he was lucky. He opened two bags he stole from the bandits in the very last moment, curious of their insides only to find a sleeping bag, a small portion of dried rat meat, set of bad-quality clothes and five meters of rope. 'Nice, a little dungeoneer's pack'
"So, we didn't really have the opportunity to talk so tell me, what is your name?" He said while adding in his mind 'And a simple thank you for the rescuing would also be appreciated.'
"My name is Anga and this is Clara." Said shyly the younger girl that had tried to save her sister from the cage. "I'm really sorry for before, I didn't mean to cause problems it's just that my sister..." After mentioning her younger sister she couldn't hold the tears anymore and started convulsing uncontrollably.
Clara quickly got closer and hugged the girl.
Advertisement
Arath looked around awkwardly not sure what to do. He got used to death at the age of thirteen when a terrible plague broke out in his neighbourhood and The Council issued an order to quarantine the whole district. The Plague of Antonio, as it was lated called, took away away from him all of his friends and left only with grief to chew on, after all the supplies had been stolen by a group of oppotunists, Arath ultimately run out of tears to cry.
Having realized he was useless here he stood up and prepared some traps around just to make sure no one would surprise them in their sleep. With nothing left for him to do he wrapped himself in the sleeping bag and fell asleep as soon as hid head touched the floor. He didn't order anyone to keep the lookout because he knew he wouldn't last for much longer and didn't expect the girls in their current state to think about anything besides themselves.
As soon as he woke up his sense of smell was overwhelmed by a casce of pleasant scents. For a few seconds he thought he was in a luxury restaurant but after remembering the events of the previous days he sighed in dissapointment and turned around. He was still lost in caves with two girls and no plan. He started to ponder on the situation.
First he found himself in a part of a cave completely unknown to him in a middle of a giant pit with many moster corpses scattered around. That could without any doubt be considered strange and suspicious. Later for a reason unknown to his current himself he thought it would be a great idea to put his life on a line to save some strangers. Sure his hatred towards slavers was immesurable but what he did was simply stupid and reckless. What devil got inside his mind and made him do all this dangerous things? And the strangest part of it all was that it actually worked. He killed several trained bandits all by himself. Either he had a breakthrough while being unconcious or he was blessed by some god that took pity on him and his bad luck.
Advertisement
'Well, it's no use wondering about it now, whatever happened won't matter if I starve to death' He focused on finding something to eat and threw the thoughts to back of his head.
Fortunately, when he finally sat he noticed the source of the smells. Clara was cooking some kind of lizard on a campfire.
'How the hell did she manage to light it here? There is water everywhere, there is no way she found dry wood in this kind of place.' He came closer to the source of light to ask her all the questions that were troubling his mind. Only then could he understand what was happening. All of their spare clothes were now burning together with the bags one sleeping bag and ropes. All his precious loot was wasted like that! He was about to give her a piece of his mind when she reached out and gave him a stick with a delicious, roasted lizard masterfully impaled on it.
'Ah, that girl, she thinks she can bribe me, eh?. Little does she know I'm not that easy. But fine, that lizard looks tasty I'll forgive her. Just this once.'
He sat down and started to chew on the meat staring at it resembling a pawnbroker evaluating a masterpiece. That little portion of food was like a tear in an ocean compared to his hunger, but Arath was used to eating even less so he felt blessed and thanked for the meal.
"So, how long have you been up? How is Anga?"
"I didn't sleep, someone had to stand the guard. I have no idea about her state of mind, but her body seems fine."
"Wait, wait!" He almost exclaimed from surprise. 'How the hell did she stay awake for that long? What is wrong with her? And why does she sound so absent like she is talking about someone else?'
"I'm very sorry, I didn't realise. Now I feel bad I made you be stand the whole night, you could wake me up for heaven's sake"
"No need"
Now Arath felt even more awkward than yesterday. This girl seemed to be made of stone, nothing could move her. If I remember well she hadn't shown any sign of emotion for the whole time.
"And it wasn't the whole night by the way. It's about 1 PM."
"How do you know that?" He asked suspiciously.
"I heard a bell ringing for the noon some time ago"
"What?! Where?"
"In that direction." Clara pointed to the opposite direction they had come from.
'If she could hear the bell it must mean we are close to the city! We are safe, I won't die here!' He abruptly stood up, woke Anga, packed everything he could in his pockets and started the marching to the First City's direction humming happily.
Advertisement
- In Serial86 Chapters
Small Medium
Chase Berrymore dreams of adventure, excitement, and getting the heck out of her pastoral halven village.But when adventure finds her, she'll be scrambling to save everyone of her family and friends from a decades-old conspiracy. Outmatched in almost every way, she'll have to use her wits, charisma, and a bit of divine favor to figure out the path to victory. But the odds are bad, and even with an Oracle's foresight, she can't save everyone. Even worse, she'll have to figure out ways to deal with the weird and nigh-immortal beings that call themselves "playas..."A litrpg romp with a very non-standard protagonist, set in the same world as the "Threadbare" books. CLAIMER: My name is Andrew Seiple. I am a writer, and I both write this story and own the rights to it. I will be posting this story on Spacebattles.com, SufficientVelocity.com, RoyalRoad.com, and my Patreon. I reserve the right to remove it from any and all platforms as needed to facilitate my sinister long-term plans. Cover art created by Amelia Parris, licensed per agreement.
8 103 - In Serial12 Chapters
The City of the Dragon Twisted
. 🐉 . The City of The Forever-Peace witnesses a pale young Buddhist Monk fighting his fearful thoughts of whether to cross the borders to Nepal and India against the death penalty. Why would that matter? In that September Autumn night of circa A.D.655, Emperor Táme’ Tie’-Zeon has been ruling an empire spanning 13,000 miles from the East to as far as the Baikal Sea in the Western Regions bordering the Middle East kingdom and the Rome Empire. Meanwhile, news has traveled that his Dharma-Son, Pan G. Monk faces an incredible Guillotine Execution that will chop off his waist in halves. The Empress Wǔl Zénder-Tan’ couldn't be careless. Why would that matter to the imperial family? Monks are just officials with equal vicarious duties and privileges. She would then spare her resourceful energy to maintain the fruitful relationship intertwining The Grand-Khan Jurchen-Warlords Clans in the North-East Desert in attempts to affirm her fate as the first and only female-Emperor, in the Medieval Ages of the Great City of the Dragon. Whereas The Abbot Master Xend'-Zeon of the Jade-Lotus Temple faces factions of religious politics. Particularly in the present, the Empress needed to manipulate the Master’s reputation to desperately seek life and/or the after-life merits. She decreed to be addressed as The Old Buddha Grand Father. The Master has had ideals of service to sentient beings since he was young. He could have traveled the Silk Road to the Far West entrance-point bypassing the five beacons as shortcuts save that he lacks the pertinent travel documents. Instead, he chose to cross the 800-mile овь-Gobi Desert that is as vast as the Baikal Sea, on foot. A route that is impossible in the history of the Buddha dharma. His heart never withers to support the mage of the red lotus that promises the Enlightenment of the Buddha-Land. Except that no one has ever endured the latitude of the heat. The pain. Alive, out of the desert sea. But he is also vulnerable to recognize the un-staticity of The Truth, The Truth itself, and the truth of seeking passion and mission for compassion in humankind. The mind and body reciting The Sūtra and The Heart, A phenomenon they knew better as if souls in chemical layers of their physique. Realizing enhanced mind training attaining controlling powers of life and death. Realizing the transformation of the unbearable pains and grievances he thought possible. . 2 . 🐉 . Meanwhile, dreams have been watching him to open The Third Eye, at The City's Amethyst-Jade Palace of the Second Emperor, Third Emperor, and Fourth Empress. Old Monks at The Nālandā Temple at the Far West Buddha Land; Householders Masters and Kings of the Jeek’-Foot Mountains of The City of the Naga-Dragon Twisted; in the Far West of The City of the Ever-Peace witness adventures of The Master. Lives at brinks of suicidal choices slaughtering ordeals. Who have inadvertently neglected the Master's karmic inflictions that would paradoxically affirm in a point of Near-Death Experiences; The Two-Profound-Reflective presented upon attaining The Deep-Active-Meditatitive Flow of Equanimity Samādhi. Eventually, The Seer Consciousness sees the Active Heart that is replete with The Latent Unconditional Love, Compassion And Empathy; that had been so close to us that we could not see it; as if one cannot see her own face. . 3 . 🐉 . Meanwhile also, the Imperial Criminal Affairs Clerk Ewen Hawk-Jean suffers too much seeking possession of desires and relief from a certain situation. Pan G., the Assistant Dharma-Translator to the Abbott Master Xend'-zeon has voluntarily or otherwise fallen into the supposed conspiracy or plain indifference. The imperial family's agenda of the Imperial Family of The Fang’-Chucks of course longs for a waist cut in halves not simply as souvenirs. Awaiting the Abbot Master is to come out from the disturbance. Incredibly transformative factors of the Mind-Transcendence-Samadhi are profoundly desired to spare the Monk Pan G. from the Post-Autumn Guillotine Execution that will chop off his waist in halves...... …But why would it matter to You?
8 75 - In Serial11 Chapters
Psychotic Death Online
(Side Project for now)In a futuristic alternate reality, the creators of nanotech team up with the VR capsule company to create a capsule where one could stay it in for a year at a time before having to leave. These capsules could be use for rehab and even reconstruction! Eventually, Buzzard, the largest gaming company in the world, created a new VRMMO with 99% realism pending the new capsules, of course the rate dropped to 97% with normal capsules and 90% with the old fashioned visor systems. Unfortunately, the new capsules cost $100,000 and not many people can afford them, either way the new game World of Destiny was a hit with over 110 million subscriptions!Meet our tragic MC Feng Jun, an injured psychopath that simply wants to get his next kill. He has no MO, he doesn't even care if what he kills is an insect let alone a person. He just has to kill every once in awhile to scratch his itch. Up til an injury that left him without a leg, he was able to make do simply killing insects as no one cared and he didn't even have to visit any doctors about it. People just thought he hated bugs! But after his injury he has been suck at his home not being able to do anything! Fortunately he is rich and spends most of his time playing MMOs since normal VRMMOs don't work well with his injury as the realism setting always keeps him with only one leg! But what will he do with a new opportunity to rebuild his leg with nanotech? Knowing he has to spend a year in the game minimum for something like this, he sets a goal to insure he doesn't go crazy (er) without having stuff to kill.This is a VRMMO story where the game is closer to zhan long than royal road with a few twists here and there. The world outside of the game is sci fi and has very little impact at least for the first year due to obvious reasons. No gore or explicit sex in this story, if cursing requires a mature tag I will add it later, this story is at best PG-13. Tragedy is for his circumstances and previous life, the game itself isn't tragic at all as it's just a game more or less.(This story will be put out alongside my main story whenever I feel like it for now, no set schedule at this time)
8 150 - In Serial7 Chapters
Cold Waters (Russian Male Ship x Azurlane)
Year 2020, Sirens invades Earth, most nations are surprised by this sudden apparition, but soon the Sirens started the war destroying everything.An international alliance is made, every warship was now under one flag.A massive battle is expected The First Sea War,but humanity losses with heavy casualties.Nukes are being launched, a nuclear winter is expected.Sirens are unstoppable, nations fall into chaos just Russia, European Union, China, Japan and America survives, but not for long.
8 62 - In Serial47 Chapters
Magikind [Original]
The third millennia, a time of change and evolution. An era, where people, through countless generations, have evolved strange powers and abilities. Through several centuries of selective breeding, these beings, known as mages, have become part of the very foundations of society. However, some refused to change or adapt. They believed in purity and refused to interbreed with magikind. Known as the manush, they were a rarity among society. Now, in the fifth millennia, the manush are thought extinct. With magikind ruling the world, a three-way war grips society. In these uncertain times, a manush called Gin, will herald a new era for all Magikind. A story of how man could realistically evolve while still pushing boundaries. Disclaimer: Chapters will be edited once the first volume is done. Bear the beginning for the time being, and hopefully you can see my writing improving over time (I've learnt a lot on how to write because of this (though I'm still not perfect :P)) Proud Member of Writers to the End, WriTE The link to the pledged fictions PS. If you find the 'notes' too boring or too info-dumpy, feel free to skip them and just read the main chapters. They're there for the reader to understand Gin's world (written in the perspective of Gin). But later on, we can see some interactions between the main characters and the occasional references to his past in the notes, so it has its purpose.
8 69 - In Serial47 Chapters
Tanka's and Haiku's
This book is dedicated to those poetic people around! so feel free to tell me your ideas and it will be featured here!
8 122

