《Shards》Sawtooth [2.11]
Advertisement
“I know you aren’t really considering staying here because you’re scared of that lady,” Archie said, stroking his facial hair. “She’s crazy, but maybe we could sneak out?”
Rontu shook his head. “And go where? She’s got the keys to the Gemmer and we have no clue where we are. We head in one direction and then what? Die in the desert?”
“We could perhaps fight her again,” Shen chimed in. “We know a little bit about what she is capable of. We just need to avoid the same trap from before.”
“Shen, I’m really flattered that you have that much confidence in me.”
“So we try it?”
“Not a chance in Hell.”
Shen pursed his lips, sighing and hanging his head into his lap. “I am not looking forward to what comes when they try to contact the Tao. They will not be happy.”
Archie sighed out in frustration. Somehow he had not one, but two Shutok who were absolutely useless. He couldn’t really blame them though, especially without having seen what actually went down in that ravine when they met Serratia.
“I almost wish they’d have just killed me at this point. Sitting in this tent and dying with an empty stomach ain’t the way I wanted to go out.”
Rontu and Shen both glanced at Archie with incredulous looks, then back to each other. Rontu raised an eyebrow before shaking his head.
In the brief pause in their conversation, voices could be heard. They seemed to be pretty jubilant, some loud whistles and happy laughs coming from outside of their cloth prison. It seemed like something happy was going on, like a celebration. Hoots and hollers could be heard as the scent of burning food filled the air. Archie looked sick as he smelled whatever was being roasted, his nose wrinkling up in disgust.
“Now that’s torture right there…” he muttered to himself.
Advertisement
Rontu rolled his eyes before the flap to the tent quietly opened, the movement catching his attention.
“Warden’s back. Don’t say anything stupid,” he whispered.
Archie covered his face with his bound hands. “Says you of all people…”
Serratia’s arm appeared first, holding open the entrance as wide as she could as she dragged in what seemed to be a large box. She handled it carefully before bending down and pulling it with both hands to the edge of the tent. She didn’t even acknowledge the others inside before she hastily flicked open the latches and gently pulled the lid open. Rontu watched her carefully, spying on her through a crack next to Archie’s broad shoulders.
The woman knelt down, reaching into the deep crate and gently grasping something. She seemed to be whispering something inaudible to Rontu, tossing aside two burlap sacks into the dirt. Carefully, she reached inside once more and began pulling something up. Rontu’s breath caught in his throat as a head of long brown hair came into view, messy and tangled. A dazed-looking woman slumped against the side of the box, almost deliriously looking around the tent. Her eyes seemed glazed over, her skin covered in light bruises and abrasions.
Rontu had heard the various rumors from travelers coming in and out of Lowlam. How lawless the Barrens really could be. People often went missing out here, and most of them were never found. It was easy to dismiss such things as dramatic or fear-mongering, but the twisting knife in his belly at witnessing the very grim reality made him regret ever disregarding it.
“I’ve got you. It’s okay. It’s okay,” Serratia told the woman, the phrase repeated several times as she propped up another malnourished woman next to her, this one with cropped blonde hair. She steadied the women against each other, leaning forward and checking them for injuries with a sense of care that Rontu never expected out of her.
Advertisement
Serratia stood up, looking around the tent for something before she walked into the opposite corner and flung open a box of miscellaneous supplies, rummaging through it with a sense of urgency. Bringing back a blanket, she tucked it into the corners of the crate and covered both of the new prisoners. A good idea, Rontu thought. He had already heard Archie’s teeth chattering from the desert cold the previous night.
“What’s your name?” Serratia asked the blonde in a gentle tone, her knuckles white as they gripped the edge of the crate. The blonde woman made a quiet noise, her chapped lips barely moving as she tried to form words. Serratia leaned forward and tilted her head so she could hear her better, brushing aside the hair over her ear. Rontu did his best to listen as well, quietly leaning forward enough that his chin was practically resting on Archie’s shoulder.
“Erie…” the woman dryly croaked, coughing a bit. “She’s Cara…”
Things were silent for a moment as Rontu watched, completely focused on the battered woman before him. Eventually, though, the creeping silence caused his attention to turn back to Serratia.
She was looking right at him.
She quickly stood up, walking over with her fists clenched. She stepped over the small barricade and immediately knelt down to face him. Her expression could have subdued the bravest men into whimpering dogs, her eyes like two smoldering coals as she looked into rontu’s very soul. She roughly grabbed him by the collar of her shirt, yanking him within inches of her face.
“Don’t get any funny ideas. Not even a single thought. I don’t care what scheme they have cooked up for you, I will-”
“So you’ve got a plan then?” Rontu cut her off.
This stunned her momentarily, Serratia breaking the fierce eye contact with a sudden blink. Then another. After a few seconds, she seemed to regain her mental footing, throwing Rontu back and standing up.
“Mind your own business and leave both me, and them alone. Especially them,” She warned, beginning to walk away to check back on the two slaves.
Shen seemed to catch on to what Rontu was getting at though, clearing his throat. “I am sure whatever it is you plan on doing can only be helped with the addition of two more Shutok.”
Serratia froze, quickly turning around to look at the trio. She had a slew of words prepared to throw back at them, a diatribe against their very characters and the seeming act of self-preservation. The very thought of trying to bargain their freedom using the lives of the two women made her feel venomous, ready to lash out at them without restraint.
It wasn’t what they meant though, and the moment Serratia looked at the serious expressions on their faces she knew that she was misguided. They may have been pushovers when it came to fighting. They might have been a little cheeky and self-righteous even, but Serratia remembered the night she brought them here. The scorn in Rontu’s voice when his friend was threatened. The complete disregard for his own safety as he attacked Horn. Even if he didn’t know it, Rontu had made good on his promise to the deceased bandit leader.
Serratia cast a glance to the women she had brought, immense feelings of guilt and hatred for herself deep within her gut. Her skin rippled for a moment, the bright colors of her armor erupting from within as she knelt down and summoned a small knife with a flick of her wrist. She grabbed Rontu by the wrists, her visor looking him in the eyes as she effortlessly split the rope around his hands.
“If you try anything-”
“I know.”
Advertisement
The Isekai Police (aka "Earth's Advocates")
When evil kings summon kids from Earth to be used and abused as fast-leveling soldiers in their petty wars, the Isekai Police will be there to stop them. A group of ex-isekai protagonists in their own right, they utilize their collective skills to fight for the end of summoning abuse. Artyom Choi, cynical ex-hero and founding member of the organization, is sent to investigate the presence of an Earther on an innocently idyllic World where no summoning has supposedly taken place. His mission: rescue the Earther and figure out how he got there. Dark secrets lie beneath the surface of paradise, however. Will he be able to find this new hero and get out before whatever malicious forces brought them there doom them both? Book 1 has been finished! You can read Book 2 here in parallel or even before Book 1 if you want more TOAL than Artyom! https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/47708/the-isekai-police-hero-summonings-are-overrated This story is meant to be a deconstruction of the isekai genre that references and sometimes pokes fun at various tropes. Artyom isn’t some kid whose goal is to amass Levels or a harem. In fact, all he cares about is protecting other Earthers, and won’t let anything like that get in the way! So expect to see: -A mature main character who still has some flaws. -Character development over the course of the story. -No harems! (see last point) -A vibrant world full of interesting people, deep culture, and mysterious lore that gets uncovered as the story goes on. -Plenty of funny moments along the way! -The presence of a few cliched tropes and stereotypes only for the sake of poking fun at them. So step in, take the first leap, and uncover the next hot take on this expansive genre! My discord here: https://discord.gg/Zc8CHSrxVr
8 239Exiles
Kalkonu, the lost continent. What was once served as a prison for civilization’s worst criminals has become a dumping ground for political outcasts, refugees, and the undesirables of society. There is no escape. For those who are exiled there is only the cold at the top of the world, the wilderness, and the doom of the long night. But there is fire under the snow. Shadows loom over the clouds. Old evils have begun to wake, and it is in this land of lawlessness that the rejects of the mortal races will find their one and only chance to survive. They may not trust each other, but if they want to get out of this mess, they’re going to have to work together. And if they’re very, very lucky, they might just save the world.
8 182Dark Lands: The Exile and the Prince
A short time has passed since the siege on Ruined Home has been lifted and as the survivors of the battered encampment slowly begin to rebuild their new home, Aurelius has returned from a failed troll hunt. Yet despite the battered prince’s failures, he has set into motion a series of events that will forever change his life. Meanwhile, Iskra has found herself at the helm of a far more favorable position and begins to forge a path that will lead her towards the first steps of a long road of revenge. Author’s Note: This is the direct sequel to the first Dark Lands story and as time goes on I will update the synopsis to help bring further detail about the story. For now however, I hope you all enjoy what is about to be written. Eight Years Arc: Eight Years have passed since Aurelius and Iskra have first met one another, and a lot has changed since then. The vast majority of Aurelius’ family has been slaughtered by the hands of none other than his oldest brother, a man that the golden haired prince had spent the past several years to hunt down and kill all in the name of vengeance. Upon his return, the kin-slaying prince has found that some things have changed during his absence. Iskra, his first wife and love of his life, has proclaimed that she no longer cares about the events that have been unfolding in her former homeland for the last several years and states that she is solely focused on raising her children. Yet it is through learning that the High Elves have taken a keen interest in the once magically-absent lands of Ranislava that Aurelius decides that action must be taken and thus he journeys south to learn more about what his distant kin are up to in such a backwater region of the world. Who he will meet and what he will do will turn the tides of fate, but in whose favor is something that only the Gods will know. (The Eight Years arc is something that was designed to be written in a way where people don't have to feel the need to go back to the very beginning of the Dark Lands story in order to know what is going on or who the characters are.)
8 176God of the Isekai
When a grave disaster happens to Tomini's world he is left with no choice but to create a new one. Leaving behind the old world for this new reality will the same disater befall him.
8 143Maygan 4: Demon Huntress
**I've been busy, so sorry for the slow updates. I have a couple chapters almost ready!** Her pleasantries and professional rigor are but a veil to hide the shame of her past. A darkness speaks to her but is she willing to listen? A untethered employee who holds the key to the universe but couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag. A madman turned CEO desperate to regain dignity even if the price is the destruction of the universe. Maygan 4 finds herself in an unfamiliar world but can always count on her ancient samurai swords Hon and Koga, super-human strength, and Victorian age etiquette to solve any problem. In this story, Maygan battles demons, AI spies, rogue androids, to save the human race from catastrophe. Can Maygan uncover the secrets of Automatomics and cleanse the forces of darkness before it’s too late? — This story is meant to be fun, so enjoy. It's also WIP, so if you have time leave some comments so I can improve the story and my technique.
8 100UQUBAR UWAR MIJINA
Based on true life storylabarine akan wata baiwar Allah wanda uwar miji tajefata cikin matsanancin baƙin ciki ɗa gararin rayuwa,sanadin hakan ta..just read and find out
8 104