《Matters of the Heart》Chapter 12
Advertisement
Two days had passed. They had made admirable progress on their journey, and had even come across signs of civilization, which had appeared in the form of a sturdy wooden bridge spanning a creek. Sarah had been excited but Jareth had quelled her hopes by explaining to her that it had probably only been put there by travelers and that they were still far from any city or town. As darkness had set in, they had agreed to camp near the bridge and had begun their nightly preparations for their overnight stop. Jareth had gone to gather firewood and Terra had excused herself to take a stroll, leaving Sarah alone with only the tents for company. She soon began to think that Terra's idea had not been so bad and set out in search of her. She wandered for a little while, admiring the scenery around her before discovering Terra seated on the bridge they had passed earlier. She sat there, her legs hanging over the edge and kicking at the surface of the water, sending up a light spray every so often. In her hand was a shimmering daisy, looking like a small moon against the blackness of Terra's gloved hands. Terra looked up as Sarah approached her.
"Bored?" she asked, "The tents aren't such great conversationalists, are they?"
Sarah laughed, sitting down next to Terra and likewise dangling her feet over the edge.
"What's that flower?" Sarah asked curiously.
"It comes with a story," Terra explained, "See, when Jareth was less than incredibly skilled with his magic, he used to practice by summoning simple life forms such as flowers. And for a long time, it was only flowers. He used to keep them in his room and wait to see how long they lasted. Finally, his poor mother got so upset at the mess of dead flowers in his room, she told Jareth she didn't want to see another flower in there again. So, naturally, his solution was to give them to me. Within a month, I ended up with at least fifty vases in my room. It was hardly possible to navigate through it. When they all inevitably died, I of course had to find a way to get rid of them. I had to carry them out, vase by vase, through the court and down to the woods to dispose of them. Needless to say, I discovered after the first hour that this method took far too long. So I started chucking the dead flowers out the window. Unfortunately, they just so happened to land on a courtier. I really got an earful that day."
Advertisement
Sarah was giggling helplessly.
Terra finished it off, "This daisy was the first flower Jareth gave to me. It outlived all the others by some sort of fluke of magic. I didn't feel like throwing it away so I kept it all this time."
"That's pretty amazing," Sarah said earnestly, briefly letting her fingers glide across the smooth petals, "I'm sure Jareth must have been ecstatic about this little daisy having lasted so long."
"He doesn't know," Terra said, "And I doubt he would care now."
Sarah stared in confusion, "But—"
She stopped as Terra suddenly stiffened.
"What is it?" Sarah asked quickly.
Terra looked at her with clouded eyes.
"Danger," she murmured.
In an instant, she was on her feet, tucking away the daisy safely in her cloak. Without waiting for Sarah, she raced away into the trees.
"Hey!" Sarah shouted, springing after her.
She ran as hard as she could, following the bright red of Terra's cloak. A not-too-distant roar caught her immediate attention, causing the blood to drain from her face. She pressed on, watching as Terra gracefully weaved through the trees ahead of her. The frightening noises grew steadily louder until they sounded like they were almost on top of Sarah. Through the dim glow of twilight, she managed to catch a glimpse of something dark and huge writhing through the trees. But she hardly had time to let the real panic sink in before something shot toward her and slammed into her full force.
Advertisement
Mother of Learning
Zorian is a teenage mage of humble birth and slightly above-average skill, attending his third year of education at Cyoria’s magical academy.He is a driven and irritable young man, consumed by a desire to ensure his own future and free himself of the influence of his family, whom he resents for favoring his brothers over him. Consequently, he has no time for pointless distractions or paying attention to other people’s problems.As it happens, time is something he is about to get plenty of. On the eve of the Cyoria’s annual summer festival, he is killed and brought back to the beginning of the month, just before he was about to take a train to Cyoria.Suddenly trapped in a time loop with no clear end or exit, Zorian will have to look both within and without to unravel the mystery before him. And he does have to unravel it, for the time loop hadn’t been made for his sake and dangers lurk everywhere…Repetition is the mother of learning, but Zorian will have to first make sure he survives to try again — in a world of magic, even a time traveler isn’t safe from those who wish him ill.
8 435My class [Death Knight] is just barely legal...
Ever since meeting his uncle, Arthur has pushed himself daily to achieve an arbitrary goal. He trained like nobody else did, longer than anybody else could. He neglected his personal relationships to pursue something he didn't even understand, in hindsight. When the time came for his class awakening ritual, he was ready. He was ready to receive a powerful starting class and to break free from his boring lifestyle. Well, you know what they say, "Be careful what you wish for, lest your wish be granted." Arthur was assigned the death knight class, which is just barely, technically, maybe legal. With it, he learns about what drove him to such simple minded ambition in the first place: his affinity. Now, he's faced with a dilemma: will he embrace it, or reject it? 'My class [Death Knight] is just barely legal' is a laid back story with occasional tension, that describes Arthur, a young man, exploring the world, the system and his own mental health as he pursues his ambitions. This story is the first serious fiction I ever wrote, so while criticism is definitely welcomed, keep it polite. I'm going to rewrite the first few chapters at some point, since they're not as good as my later ones, but I'm focusing on my current chapters first. I don't have time to do both yet, since I'm also in the middle of my exams. What to expect from this story: -Litrpg elements -A chaotic good aligned protagonist (that starts off as a neutral good protagonist) -(Hopefully) interesting characters. What not to expect from this story: -Grimdark elements -Harem -An enslaved protagonist. (I mention this due to the background of the mc's class) Release schedule: 1 chapter every other day, 2pm European time (14:00) Join the discord here: https://discord.gg/YHZFB4HMHD
8 285The Night the Sky Mourned
The story of a new generation of cultivators thrust forward into a wide and dangerous world to fight for family and eventually to undo the wrongs of Gods and Mortals alike. Please like and comment if you like it or have suggestions.
8 139Starbound: A Space Odyssey
As red tentacles burst from the ground, the whole planet trembled and fell into chaos. It was the beginning....the beginning of the end. Earth was destroyed with the attack of the mysterious creature known as The Ruin.The Terrene Protectorate, the defenders of the universe were left in shambles after the attack in Earth. Only a few people were able to flee from the planet before it's complete destruction. John Connor, an 18 years old fresh graduate Protector, was one of those lucky enough to survive and escape. Armed only with his dubious expertise and a few tools, he will have to avoid the dangers the universe without the Terrene Protectorate can offer, repair his ship, restore the symbol of a defunct organization and carry the burdens of the fate of the universe that lies on his shoulders. Surviving in this chaotic era won't be easy for our inexperienced John Connor. With the end of the Terrene Protectorate, numerous factions that were once dormant, will rise up and start to fight for power. Outlaws, fanatics, greedy corporations, and governments, the conflict of interests of those groups and factions will lead to an unimaginable amount of deaths. Follow John Connor as he explores the wonders of the endless universe, and discover how harsh and unforgiving reality can be. ------- Disclaimer: This Novel is based on the videogame Starbound by Chuckle Fish. Also, sorry about my grammar and possible typos, English isn't my primary language.
8 194Otherworldly Life as a Beastman
After working on a costume for cosplaying, an introverted boy, Shouya Kirikage, suddenly woke up another world where it inhabited by other races such as Elves, Half-breeds, and of course, Beast-humans. When he arrived, his body was mysteriously transformed into a beast-man, an animal that walks and talks like a human. Can he survive in another world in an inhuman form?
8 122Brawl-Cord
Mr. P decides to make a Discord server for all the brawlers for easier communication regarding matches and other normal stuff. Unfortunately, the Brawlers are anything BUT normal and soon chaos ensues.A Brawl Stars Discord Chat Fic. Need I say more? Also on AO3(Warnings for foul language (Mostly Jacky but other Brawlers swear too)
8 141