《Frontier of Blades and Walls》Coated in Scratches
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Ken gathered his dark hair in a bunch above his head and looped a piece of leather cord around it. It was starting to get frizzy, and he was annoyed. He looked into the sky until he located the source of his frustration, a large, gray mass to the east that covered the heavens.
"God I hate the rain," he lied. He didn't hate the rain, only the humid kind since it frizzed up his hair. "I hope it waits until after I'm back in town to start."
He wasn't afraid to start talking to himself since he was far away from any living creature. In fact, he couldn't even see a plant anywhere near him. He trudged along a rocky trail some few miles to the northeast of Clarenburgh. It was ever so slightly sloped upwards, just enough to make Ken's calves feel like they were on fire. His shoes having no support didn't help either, and his feet hurt like they never had before. Gravel crunched under his feet and sweat dripped into his eyes. He was in hell.
Ken had a different look from his usual attire. His windbreaker was tied around his waist, exposing the company-branded polo shirt he wore to work back on Earth. His leather bag was slung over his shoulder as usual, and he also had a cognac leather sheath hanging from his belt. It hung about ten centimeters down his right thigh, and sitting in it was a knife a centimeter shorter than the sheath. It was loaned to him by Kamisho.
Ken walked up the trail, straining his calves more and more. He decided that it was time to take a break, and he sat on a boulder that looked appealing to his sore legs. He loosened the drawstrings on his leather bag and retrieved a cheap wineskin, which he had bought at the market, from its depths. He took a large gulp, but not too much, and paid no attention to the beads of water dripping off his chin.
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"Pwaaah!" He gasped in satisfaction after he swallowed. He then fastened the lid back onto the wineskin and dropped it back into his bag. He closed his eyes and tried to rest and let his calves cool down. After a few dozen seconds, he found that his hand had found its way to the sheath of his knife. He was subconsciously popping the metal snap on and off. Once he was aware of this he stopped and pulled the knife out to study it.
It was weighty in his hand, but not heavy. The blade had a clip point, but much more modest than a Bowie knife's. The finish was coated in scratches, and the edge was worn down and nicked, but it was razor sharp. It had never seen battle or blood, only rope and wood. The blade reached all the way down to the bottom of the handle, which was fashioned from a type of red wood, and it had a metal pommel at the bottom to catch his fingers if they ever slid down too far.
Ken ran the pads of his fingers along the edge, testing its sharpness, and thought back to what Kamisho said when she gave it to him.
"Since this job is directly related to monsters, the Guild is obligated to supply you with a weapon." She sighed. "What we're gonna do, is lend you a weapon until you finish this job. After the job, you can pay for the weapon in full. Deal?" She looked at Ken, and her gray ears followed, waiting for a response.
"Sounds good to me. What if I don't complete the job? Can return the weapon?" Ken asked. He was always on his toes when it came to debts.
Kamisho inhaled greatly.
"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that," she said as she exhaled.
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"Have you noticed that you sigh a lot?" Ken had asked innocently. She got annoyed at him for pointing it out and rushed him out of the guild with the only weapon they had that his mine job could ever hope to pay for.
Ken slid the knife back into the sheath at his hip, threw his bag on his shoulder, and started walking again. His hand had gotten oily from handling the blade, so he wiped off the oil on his jeans.
After another hour of walking, Ken came across a sign with two words.
"'Copper mine,' huh? How simple. Guess I'm about there."
After he walked another minute, the top of a cliff face came into view. He assumed the mine was at the bottom of it, and he turned ninety degrees to his left and started walking directly away from the path. He'd be much safer if he didn't come into view exactly where the goblins expected him to, on the trail, and after he was a good distance away, he started to continue on at an angle towards the top of the hill.
Ken was ten feet from the top of the hill when he put on his windbreaker, got on his hands and knees, and started crawling up the hill. He crept up under the shadow of one of the many boulders at the crest of the hill, and the base of the cliff finally came into sight. His eyes leaped to a shifting form off to his right. The sun was over the cliff, so the land around the base was drenched in shadow, and everything else around was so bright that Ken's eyes couldn't adjust right away. The form was moving wildly, and Ken strained his eyes trying to make it out.
He started to hear it before ever fully seeing it. The screams of a boy. Ken was taken aback with surprise, but they had only just begun. The boy screamed even more. Ken had never heard anything like it, so filled with pain, yet gaining determination at the height of their volume. Ken's eyes dilated from the stress, and consequently, he could see what was going on in the shadows.
The boy was standing his ground. He held his sword out in front of him with both hands, even though chunks of his abdomen and forearms were essentially missing, and it seemed like all of his exposed skin was coated in scratches. He stared down three unharmed gray goblins with short arming swords. Two more, of slightly darker color and larger stature, stood with spears by one of the many cave entrances that dotted the cliff face.
All five of the creatures were laughing with glee.
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Bunkercore
(Update: This is now a published story: You can find it here; https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B07HKV8BRN Pursuant to Kindle Select TOS, I have pruned the existing story present on this site down to less than 10% of the book's total size. As such, it is compliant with all applicable Amazon rules and regulations.) Wynne might have been human once. It's hard to say. Now he's a bunker core, a nanomachine controller responsible for an entire complex. Of course, the place is a bit wrecked. And the world outside is ruins. And he's pretty sure that whoever put him here is going to come looking for him at some point... Dungeon Core, Post-apocalyptic style. Come for the mutants, stay for the dystopian adventure! Claimer: My name is Andrew Seiple. I write this story, and I own the rights to it. It is posted on Spacebattles.com and Sufficientvelocity.com, as well as royalroadl.comCover art by Amelia Parris.
8 65Smoke - The Fallen Reaches
Civilization has collapsed, and humanity has once again fallen into the dark ages. In this dystopian future, Knight Commander Jack Storm is a man of duty and dedication. Forged from an audacious young boy into the prince's blade, he has begun to unravel a conspiracy that could reach deep into the kingdom's aristocracy. With gun and blade he will battle his way to the end of the thread to find those who would try and bring down the Monarchy, regardless of the cost.
8 178[Book One] Querencia Quintet [Polarity/Pestilence]
Migrated from: https://www.wattpad.com/story/187324475-querencia-quintet-polarity-pestilence This is my official work and my official username, both on Royal Road and Wattpad. Any reposts of Querencia Quintet are not mine and should be reported straight to myself, all copyright ... rights... are withstanding. Book one in the Querencia Quintet franchise is titled "Polarity/Pestilence" and it starts off with our sarcastic, overpowered protagonist, Charley Dunne, a 17 year old werewolf who has been cordially invited by his Werewolf clan's boss, Markus Fell. The invitation is related to Charley's supernatural academy's graduation party. He is about to move out of his parents' house and attend college. The events prior to his successful passing marks within his last exam, all 17 years of his life, have been leading up to one moment and one moment only; war. The war shall begin when he turns 18, the night of April 2nd, 2017. Whose side(s) will Charley Dunne possibly select as his loyal allies; Fleshflingers (Zombies)? Moonbearers (Werewolves)? Spellcasters (Witches and Wizards)? Bloodsuckers (Vampires)? Or Mortals (Humans)? A few, more than a few, or, miraculously, will he be able to unite all five supernatural Councils (groups) and form an eternal pact that may just last a dozen or so centuries? Find out in the very first instalment of: Querencia Quintet. Quoted from my official Wattpad story's description: "Werewolves. Demons. Angels. Spirits. Vampires. Zombies. Humans -- and the greatest supernatural species of them all; witches. The nine Lords of the Night, the thirteen Lords of the Day, the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the god of war, Horus, and the greatest progenitor of the mystical arts, Merlin. These five Councils could form a pact that lasts many lifetimes ... but will their differences and flaws work against them? Do the five magical chambers butt heads, or do they accept their uniqueness and strengths and work together?"
8 193A Warlock's Luck
Adrian Black, the half elven son of a Duke is sent to the Onyx Tower, a place of study for promising young mages with the hope of gaining prestige to increase his marriage status. During his free time he takes up adventuring to increase his renown and line his pockets, however he is in the middle of various political machinations that will see him deprived of his birthright and forced to lead an army with his elite squad of dangerous and beautiful women to reclaim his place as the Duke of Blackwood.
8 315〰 Therapist - R.S.L 〰
How could I be needing help when I'm the one to grant itHow could a patient of mine make me desire the forbidden How could I hold the feelings that are soon to be erupted Where am I going to keep my needs hidden
8 206lucy, over the garden wall
jos buttler rents an apartment. next door lives lucy, an actress and social media star. he falls in love. social media fic
8 189