《Grimjack the Eviscerator Saves Christmas》Chapter 14: Crash and Burn
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Suddenly, Jangle, Grimjack, Freddy, and Santa were all in the snow in the middle of a blizzard. They only had one bike left, and Santa stumbled a moment before collapsing down to his knees and coughing violently. Jangle rushed to comfort him as Freddy eyed the big man cautiously.
Freddy tapped Grimjack’s leg but before he could say anything a rock crashed through and nearly hit the two of them.
“I told you your life was forfeit if you returned!” boomed the echoing voice of the Grump.
“We’ve got to protect Santa! He’s too weak from whatever they were doing to him in that place.” Said Jangle as she pulled out an emergency flask of hot cocoa and handed it to Santa.
Another boulder came flying, but this time Grimjack jumped up and slammed his fist down, sending it into the ground.
“Is that Santa? That gaudy fat man in my territory at last. Very well, give him to me and not only will I spare your lives, but I will reward you with riches beyond belief.”
“Not on your life Mr. Grump!” shouted Jangle.
Then, the snowstorm seemed to peel back to reveal a squat green troll. He was fuzzy, and hideously misshapen. “The word from his slave means nothing to me. You two,” the Grump pointed towards Freddy and Grimjack, “get him for me. You hold no place for Christmas in your heart like me. Help me end this madness at last.”
Freddy stroked his chin while Grimjack stood there defiantly. Finally, Freddy sighed and shook his head, but then gold glitter sprinkled around as Jack started to force his way through time and space towards Santa. He seemed to have recovered most of his former strength, as his massive muscles struggled to pass through the glittering portal.
Freddy swore under his breath and dashed towards the Grump. “Grab the big guy and make a run for it! I’ll hold this one off at least!”
“What? Are you insane?”
Freddy clicked his tongue. “You kind of left me no choice metal Jack. What with how you gave up your arm back there. That was a dumb move…but hey, gotta pay you back for that anyway. Now go!”
Freddy flipped his knife out and jumped towards the Grump, who seemed to be quite confused at the chaos Jack’s summoning had caused. With a quick thrust, he had stabbed out the Grump’s eye, who roared in pain and anger. Along with his roar, the storm seemed to lighten up to just a light snow.
Grimjack and Jangle leaped into action. He threw down the bike, she jumped on before it had even hit the snow and started it up. In a smooth motion, he swept Santa up under his arm while sitting on the bike behind Jangle, who put it into overdrive as soon as they were all on. They could still see Jack struggling to fully form from the glitter while Freddy fought the Grump before they finally got out of sight of the spires.
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“He’s still going to be chasing us! And he seems to have drained enough of Santa’s cheer to travel like he can.”
“So, we have to blow him away with overwhelming power.”
“That’s right! But wasn’t that thing back then the biggest you had Jack?”
He sighed. “If you insist on calling me by my name, it’s Grimjack. And yes, Vera was the biggest and best I had.”
“Grimjack. I mean, you can’t say it doesn’t fit you, eh Mr. Gloomy? Anyway, the elf armory won’t do much good. Not really made for Santa containment, you know.”
“Wait, the landfill!”
“We’re still a ways away, and Santa is in no shape to get all three of us there.”
“We’ll figure out a way to keep him off of us, just head there.”
Jangle nodded and turned the bike away from Santa’s village.
“Sorry about this,” coughed Santa. “That bit of magic seemed to take a lot out of me. Oh, and Jangle, could I bother you for a cookie or two?”
“Of course, Santa, how about some milk as well?”
“Why that’d be just grand.”
There was a short ding, and a tray of milk and cookies popped out of the front council of the bike, which Jangle handed back to Santa. While still being held under Grimjack’s arm, Santa accepted the food gratefully, and with a small “Thank you Jangle,” he happily ate the food.
There was a loud explosion behind them, and a huge plume of white snow rose high into the sky. Grimjack focused his sensors in and saw Jack riding up on top of the pillar of snow before it started to rapidly descend. He seemed to form a sleigh out of ice and skeletal reindeers in front of it that were being pulled down faster and faster by gravity, but they managed to pull up at the last second and avoided shattering against the ground while keeping up the momentum from their fall.
“You’re going to need to speed up Jangle.”
“It’s not really made to carry three people, especially when two are so big. So, this is as fast as it’ll go like this.”
“Burn out the engine if you have to! Otherwise, we’re going to have a fine bike, but no us.”
Jangle did what she could, but the ice sleigh was quickly catching up. Grimjack tossed Santa roughly behind Jangle as he jumped off the back of the bike. “Hold on tight,” he said before he grabbed onto the back of the bike. His feet jumped in the snow for a second before he managed to straighten them out. He locked his arm’s position on the bike and then activated his jet thrusters.
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With a blaze of fire behind them their speed rose rapidly, while Grimjack’s energy reserves got closer and closer to empty. But it was enough. The ice sleigh was still catching up, but it was slow enough now, and indeed they made it to the reject landfill.
“Now what?” asked Jangle over the comms.
“Trust me and hold on. We need to try and attract as much attention as we can.”
“Wait! There’s got to be a…aaaaaahhhhhh!!!”
Jangle screamed as Grimjack pushed out his last bits of energy reserves into an extra boost to send them flying like a missile into Freddy’s old home. Santa seemed almost too nonplussed, but as they fell down, he grabbed Jangle and Grimjack as he jumped off of the bike and started to gently float down when they neared the bottom.
An icy snort rang behind them as the frozen reindeer as Jack followed closely behind them. When they touched the ground Grimjack started to slam into buildings and make as much noise as he could.
“Nowhere to run.” The frozen sleigh landed gracefully while spreading ice everywhere it touched. Jack loomed high over them as he stepped out of the sleigh. “Might as well just give up. It’s time for a new king of the holidays.”
“You never got it Jack. Christmas is about the spirit, not the power, titles, toys, or anything else. About…”
“Shut up!” howled Jack. “Enough of your excuses, it’s over.”
Grimjack tackled Santa to the ground as Jack sent an ice spike towards him that flew through several buildings on the tightly packed streets. As Jack threw out another spike, Jangle pulled out her gingerbread shield, and blocked it. But it was finally too much, and the shield shattered into a million little pieces.
Jack laughed. It sent a chill right down Grimjack’s spine, like it was the purest expression of frostbite in vocal form. But more importantly, it was loud, and he finally heard the cymbals he had been waiting for.
“Jangle, now!” he called out as he tossed Santa to his feet and ran while keeping Santa in front of him.
Jangle quickly followed behind him as Jack simply chuckled and flung several more icicles.
“It’s no use! These streets may be narrow, but I can blow through them all with one mighty wind.” Jack took in a deep breath of air and then blew it out in a stream so powerful it did indeed blow away buildings, discarded toys, and anything else in its path. But as those buildings all collapsed A swarm of monkeys that made Jack look small, locked eyes with him. Each had cymbals on their hands, and with an ear-piercing screech, they charged him.
Grimjack held up the collapsed building on his back as he kept Jangle and Santa safe beneath him. They could hear the sound of an intense and violent battle above them, but it was muffled by the sheer amount of debris.
“Before I forget,” coughed Grimjack as he opened his leg’s compartment and a small package fell out. “I have a delivery for you Santa, or whatever you want to call yourself. It’s from the Council of Grundoks.”
Santa opened the package without a care for preserving the packaging. Inside was a letter and two pouches. He pulled out a tiny pair of spectacles from his pocket and donned them before he read the letter while nodding. As he finished, he smiled and put the letter into his pocket with his glasses. He opened one of the packages, that seemed to be full of dust, and poured it into his mouth.
“Well, what did the letter say Santa?” asked Jangle.
“Oh my dear Jangle, I can’t tell you that. You can’t just go around and tell someone what’s in a Christmas letter. If you do, then it can never come true you know.”
“Wait, really?” said Jangle in awe.
“No, not really. But they asked I keep it private, and so I shall.”
“Wait,” said Jangle as she looked up at Grimjack who had turned himself into a pseudo shelter for them from the collapsed buildings. “Jack, or I mean Grimjack, couldn’t you have delivered that any time after we found Santa?”
“Hmm? No way. There was too much going on to focus on something like that.”
Jangle’s mouth was covered, but it was obvious she was smiling. “Right. Well, let’s hope your plan worked out.”
“Yeah, let’s hope.”
Santa just laughed and soon enough the two of them joined in.
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The Accidental Archmage - BOOK 9 (THE DRAGON HOUSES)
The Accidental Archmage Series (BETA CHAPTERS) NOTE: DRAFTS OF EARLIER BOOKS (BOOKS 1 to 8) HAVE BEEN POSTED BEFORE ON RRL. THEY ARE NOW ON AMAZON AND HAD ATTAINED BESTSELLER STATUS IN THE FANTASY-MYTHOLOGY GENRE. ACTUALLY, MANY RRL STORIES PUBLISHED ON AMAZON HAVE GONE ON TO BECOME BESTSELLERS AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER. HOWEVER, AMAZON KDP RULES REQUIRE THAT MOST OF THE DIGITAL CONTENT AVAILABLE ELSEWHERE BE REMOVED. GENRE: CLASSICAL EPIC FANTASY An epic mythological fantasy in another world. Immerse yourself in a grand and dangerous adventure. In a world both familiar and strange. A world where magic and gods still exist. Meet deities, beings, and exiles from Earth’s pantheons. Encounter warriors, huskarls, satyrs, hoplites, dark and evil mages, and strange beings from myths of pre-history up to the age of iron.Match wits with the likes of Loki, Zeus, Athena, Odin, Amun-Ra, Coniraya, Viracocha, and even Dionysus. Escape plots and schemes played by powerful gods of life and death.Find the truth behind the dark and otherworldly beings from the Lovecraft mythos.Play with dire wolves, drakontes, lamias, keres, amphisbaenae, a sphinx, ice giants, creatures of nightmares, empusas, gigas, minotaurs, vrykolakas, jotnar, dokkalfr, to name a few.Survive being in the middle of wars between civilizations and races. Suffer the arrogance and stupidity of gods and men alike. Cross paths with beings who don’t like you. Thor, Ares, and the Incan death god Supay, to name three.Be burdened with a quest to save yourself and your humanity in the brutal and primordial world of Adar.A world where scientific pursuit will get you a lightning bolt or two. Probably five. All at the same time. Book Nine - THE DRAGON HOUSES His beloved Eira rescued, the rogue Titans have been defeated, and Tartarus sealed. Yet as the rising Archmage tries to escape the Forbidden Isle, events have been set in motion that would embroil him once again in the tides of war engulfing Adar. Escaped Titans, a rising power in the South, vengeful adherents of the Elder Gods, and more have him in mind. Least of all, a far from defeated Loki. New players have come to the fore, each with their own purpose in mind. The lustful drive for power, the search for a release of one's soul, and the companions' storied pasts all come to drive the world deeper and further into chaos. Add a powerful demon determined to open a portal to its own dimension. It's enough to drive a mortal man mad. (Cover image used under license) Book Eight - WHERE TITANS WALK Now in the land of the damned below the underworld domain of Hades, Eira awaits the company and battle portends. But first, they have to find the fortress of the Titans. Above them, Loki's war is going well as the internecine war among the pantheons continues. An old foe rises in the south, more powerful than ever. Astrid finds herself the subject of a wife's rage and the murky past of the companions now comes back to haunt them. Yet amidst it all, a dying Elder won't wait as plots and new players bedevil Havard Ulriksson, formerly Tyler West of Earth, now the Archmage of his adopted world. Cover Image used under license from shutterstock.com. Alterations by the writer. Book Seven - DRAGONS AND DEMONS https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B08122Y739 An urgent rescue and the path to vengeance are not easy in a magical, myth-filled world. Nasty roadblocks and unexpected complications have a way of rearing their wicked heads along Tyler's route across the dwarven lands and into the infernal realm of Tartarus. More myths and legends cross the First Mage's path as Loki's war and Asag's emergence stir up mortal lands and magical domains. Cover Image used under license from shutterstock.com. Alterations by the writer. Book Six - TARTARUS BECKONS Gifts, curses, and problems. The unfolding of Loki's mad and complicated scheme results in a war between and among pantheons, empires, and kingdoms. From Ymir's Domain down to the far south, conflict engulfs Tyler's world and the magical gate to Tartarus is starting to break open, threatening to add mad Titans and other powerful beings to the chaotic mix. And on the forbidden isle of Banna, a dying enemy awaits. (Note: NOW PUBLISHED ON AMAZON) Book Five - LOKI'S GAMBIT With the promise of the First Mage not to act against him, Loki now accelerates his plans. A plot millennia in the making, spanning the length and breadth of Adar. Like a spider spinning its web, the trickster god now puts the finishing touches on an audacious scheme. A revolution to change the balance of godly and mortal power in the world. Book Four - VOID LANDS The Void Lands. A place where gods fear to tread. Where strange creatures and hostile beings emerge. A nexus of dimensions, the origins of which are lost in the mists of time. To stop the Aztecha Empire’s march to power and domination of the eastern lands, Tyler West, now a High Mage, must confront and defeat the empire’s mysterious patrons. Beings of incredible might and magical knowledge. An imperative path which leads him right to the Void Lands. Though a few detours are required, each dangerous yet crucial. The only problem is that the Void Lands are on the other side of the continent. And to get there, he may have to ask a favor from the Trickster God himself, the Norse deity known as Loki. Book Three - BLOOD WARS Continuing our lost mage's epic journey through the magical and extremely dangerous world of Adar. Escaping the convoluted schemes of the Greek pantheon, Tyler finds himself with an old acquaintance, the Incan deity Viracocha. His son, the sun god Inti, is dead. With the Aztecah Empire and its powerful pantheon of deities on the bloody road to more conquests, the deity asks for his help. A request he could easily refuse. Except Viracocha is not alone is asking for his aid. Two other pantheons have made their presence known to the young mage. And the Egyptian deities are watching how he will decide the matter. To add to his burdened conscience, the rise and dominance of the Aztecah pantheon would mean a million or more new human sacrifices. Resulting in extremely overpowered bloodthirsty deities. What's a newly minted Elder apprentice mage to do? Involve himself in a blood war? Book Two - GIFTS OF THE GREEKS Tyler's journey continues. New land, misadventures, friends, foes, skills, and knowledge. Confused encounters of the female kind. More deities become aware of Tyler as he continues his quest to survive, reach his potential, and carry out his burden. Amid convoluted plans designed by divine acquaintances of old and newly met gods, what's an ordinary guy from Earth to do?The god of wine wants to be his friend. Ares and his sons are coming to say hello. Book One - RAGNAROK RISING What if you fell through a crack in reality? Like those people disappearing in plain sight you've read about. What if you find yourself in a strangely familiar world? A world full of Earth’s mythological beings, lost civilizations, and people from its primitive and brutal past? Where magical energy still exists. Where gods play games among themselves, with the fate of mortal men as pawns. A land where a sword is deadlier than a five-inch thick contract drawn by a hotshot lawyer. Would you survive? That's Tyler West. Alone, lost and bewildered, the three moons in the sky made it clear he wasn’t on Earth anymore. It’s not a game. It’s real. And there's no coffee, pizza, fries, or his favorite show on HBO. *** All Rights Reserved. 2017/2018/2019/2020. Cover Images are used under license.
8 141D Days
Dragons were the apex predators of the magical world, feared for their strength and intelligence. They stood at the pinnacle of creation, until mankind fueled by fear and envy banded together and struck them down as the greatest threat to the continued existence of their kingdoms. Peace reigned for many years across the continent, until an accident in the Magocracy of Ken turned one of the most powerful mage lords into a power mad lich. Raising an undead army and creating a cult that worshipped him like a god, he cut a bloody swath across the continent in a bid to create his own domain. A great alliance consisting of the Kingdom of Light, the Magocracy of Ken, the Forest Kingdom of the Elves, the Mountain Kingdom of the Dwarves, and the Wild Tribes of the West rose up and the high lich was defeated, his armies destroyed, and his cult scattered. Still recovering, the world is a constant state of petty power struggles and back biting between nations. Border disputes are common and the constant fighting has taken a toll on the populations of all the nations. Of course, none of this has much bearing on the everyday life of a an ordinary young orphan in the care of a Temple run home. Or does it? *Current Word Count as of 8/4/18: 59,415 I am shooting for at least one update a week. Also, if you see any mistakes let me know and I will fix them. Cover by!*
8 148The Blessed Princess
Long long ago, there was a time of eternal harmony, when pain and anguish ceased to exist. The world was united as one under the rule of a glorious goddess. But this goddess made a stupid mistake, and chaos rained through her lands. Her people fought and fought, and she lost control over her creations. To sustain peace, she destroyed herself, and her remnants scattered throughout the lands and into the souls of her people. Her last words were to her daughter, the goddess of love, whom she had cherished, "Though I cannot fix the mistakes I've made, I can wish my people to be happy. No more endless pain. No more raging wars. Love, please. Save my world. Restore hope into the eyes of those I've created." She became the forgotten goddess after her world lost its ruler. First Princess Azulia was born a human with a shocking resemblance to the forgotten goddess. Her hair was ink black, and her eyes glimmered like priceless sapphires. Her features were uncanny in similarity to the goddess, even in the way she held herself. Though the goddess's eyes were more like icicles, Azulia's resemblance was enough to make you think twice. Azulia was raised with the mindset that she would be the future Empress of Hydrangea. It was a destiny placed out in front of her and carefully sorted out. Those around her directed her life like a pawn. Until one day, comes the beak of time, and her destiny points in another direction. Azulia must learn to break the tension her family shapes and create a destiny of her own. Her world depends on it, even if it means she must destroy herself.
8 117An Ode For The Lightning Phoenix
Some legends remain unforgotten forever...others fade in the sands of time. This is the story of a man... This is the story of a Phoenix... Both living inside the same body...both sharing the same eternal fate. Follow them and see how they shape the world as they wish... ...making their legend echo through eternity.
8 178Haikyuu boyfriend scenarios (DISCONTINUED)
Oya oya oya
8 129shards - pietro maximoff
❝Don't kiss me if you're afraid of thunder. My life is a storm.❞ ❝Hold on, lemme get my umbrella, then.❞Dahlia Anelace has never known comfort, happiness, or love. Her sarcastic comments and inappropriate jokes were the only things getting her through everyday life unharmed.That is, until a certain speedster grabs her heart in passing, leaving Dahlia with a dropped jaw, a million questions, and an uncomfortable amount of butterflies.{pietro maximoff x fem oc}{completed}{cover by me}#1 in #cap 4.30.21.#1 in #avengersendgame 4.6.21.#9 in #pietro 4.13.21.#1 in #dahlia 4.13.21.#4 in #captainamericacivilwar 5.12.21.#13 in #endgame 12.7.21.
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