《The Strays of Dachaigh Gual》Additional Insights - Journey Entries by Marianne Campbell
Advertisement
Day one
.
..
It is with great pleasure that I document my arrival at site Beta.
A cave just north of the peculiar town of Dachaigh Gual.
Mr. Cooper and the locals are doing their best to clean away the rubble that could pose as an obstacle during my primary inspection.
Sleep will definitely elude me tonight as excitement courses through my veins.
Also, the tents are of rather shoddy make, so that may also hinder any attempts I make for sleep.
.
..
Day two
.
..
We have managed to clean up most of the rubble that so stubbornly denied us access to the main temple.
The locals are displaying clear signs of dread and some are superstitious enough to believe that if we continue to disturb the site, we’ll unleash an ancient evil.
Bah, I say!
A rational mind does not amuse such thoughts.
Anyway, we still have some cleaning to do, so off I go!
.
..
My goodness…
We were right.
It would seem as though there once existed an ancient civilization that had completely alien designs and languages.
They crafted their homes within the earth and most of their art was… awe-inspiring, to say the least.
I am a well-educated woman of noble birth and even I cannot fathom what any of their letters mean.
At least… not yet.
Hehe, Oscar said something about how romantic the mystic language was and I couldn’t help but laugh in response.
Although he may have had a point.
There is something… exciting about all of this.
It’s almost as though we’re dipping our toes into ink-black waters.
What lies beneath, a mystery.
.
..
Day 3
.
..
Mmm…
I had the strangest dream last night.
I dreamt that I was in a garden?
Yes, a strange garden.
I was surrounded by four green walls and at the garden’s centre was a dried fountain.
Oh, and there were four doors on each of the bushy walls, on top of which were four strange markings or symbols.
Strangely enough, no matter how close I got to them, they didn’t become clearer.
Mmm… I shouldn’t dwell on such pointless things, but I can’t help but feel drawn to the dream.
It is common for dreams to be fleeting, but no.
The silent garden follows my thoughts relentlessly.
Anyway, onto work.
I wouldn’t want Mr. Cooper to have all the fun.
.
..
I just realized how hot this tent is.
But I really shouldn’t complain since Mr. Cooper and Oscar have to share.
Anyway, today was a marvellous day.
We unearthed an orb covered in strange markings.
It’s made from a strange stone that has nigh translucent qualities.
Even as I hold it up in front of my bed lamp, I can almost peer into its greenish insides.
Also, it’s kinda nice to hold.
Advertisement
It's warm and inviting.
I want to know more about this orb and what it describes.
Hehe, I haven’t been this excited in a while.
.
..
Day 4
.
..
I had the same dream again.
I awoke in the garden. In a world that was illuminated by the light of a crescent moon.
I did my best to investigate my surroundings, but alas, there was nothing to be found.
The symbols were still blurred out and the biggest one was so blurry it just looked like a faint blue light hanging above a rather plain wooden door.
Mmm… I don’t know what to make of any of this.
Anyway, onto other business.
I must crack the code.
I must learn the ancient tongue that lines all art and stone in this place.
.
..
Oscar placed his hand on top of my thigh today at dinner.
I’m not sure what his intentions were, but I should remind him that we’re here on business.
I can’t seem to keep a firm hold on my thoughts.
I keep thinking back to the garden.
Mmm… I should talk to Mr. Cooper about this.
I’m sure he’ll find a way to rationalize these thoughts.
Also, I think we’ve cracked a piece of the puzzle.
Turns out, this entire village area was once home to an ancient people we’re calling the Athraichean’s.
They appear to have been a peaceful people and their mysterious art implies that they were intelligent to a certain degree.
Now comes the question that Mr. Cooper asked:
What happened to them?
Almost no one, high born or otherwise, has any connections with these people.
It’s almost as though they suddenly stopped existing after a certain point in time, but that would be… improbable.
Anyway, off I go to bed!
.
..
Day 5
.
..
Mmm… this is becoming a bit troublesome.
I’ve had the same dream for about two to three days now.
My mind is slowly becoming a mess and keeping singular thoughts is laboursome.
I must finish my work here and return home.
Maybe some time away from work will help.
You know what’s strange?
I have so much control in the dream.
I can move, talk and wonder with painfully vivid accuracy.
I want it to stop.
.
..
Tsk!
Mr. Cooper dismissed my concerns.
He said that the prospects of praise for our work may be driving me mad.
Does he seriously think that I, a woman of high blood, would care about such trivial things?
Bah, no matter.
We made several breakthroughs today and my body quakes in anticipation.
What more is there?
Who is Gi’ Kolarum?
I’m assuming he was a chief like figure, but I’ll reserve my thoughts until we’ve learnt more.
Anyway, some key things that we learnt are that the Athraichean’s used complex runes to convey certain messages.
Advertisement
There are three primary runes we’ve deeply studied and there is a fourth one which is pretty rare.
We’ve searched everywhere in the temple and out, yet the only place that it appears is in the centre of the temple where-
Oh, could it be referring to a singular being?
I mean, this is pure speculation, but could the rune be referring to some sort of god?
I… need to write this down:
÷ The Cuimhne rune – Mr. Cooper and I have deduced that this run has something to do with the mind as it is seen near depictions of men whose skulls are peeled open.
Actually, we’ve seen that on many stone tablets, the peeling of the mind is followed by a strange downpour or outpour of some strange purple something from the sky.
I really hate to speculate, but I think that the Athraichean’s had some sort of ritual that allowed them to induce a strange trance like state where such things would happen, but again. Nothing is proven.
÷ The Sealladh rune – we found this rune next to and surrounding depictions of eyes. It doesn’t matter where we looked. If there was an image of an eye, there was bound to be the Sealladh rune.
I really don’t know what it means and so I’ll have to dedicate more of my time to it.
÷ The Fuaim rune – this one is a strange one.
Well, as strange as any of this can get.
We found the rune near carvings of men yelling at each other.
Well, that's what it looks like.
I really can’t wrap my head around this one, but at least it has a link to sound.
÷ The Dia Rune – this is the worst one. In the sense that we have absolutely no clue what it means.
I find myself gently rubbing the Cruinne at times.
It brings me great comfort.
Its textured spherical shape is almost numbingly comforting.
Oh, how I love it.
It’s so… warm.
So… welcoming.
Anyway, I need some sleep.
.
..
Day 6
.
..
The door!
It opened!
I awakened in the dark garden, as expected and the half-moon clearly lit my surroundings.
That’s when the largest door slowly opened.
I then saw a blinding light as it bathed the central garden.
A voice then called to me.
It was distorted and it made me fall to my knees as I clutched my head in fear.
Something was approaching.
Something was entering my sanctuary.
I wanted to wake up, but the dream wouldn’t end.
I was terrified even though I hadn’t seen or heard anything that justified my reaction.
Reduced.
I had been reduced to my emotional core as I was engulfed in that pale blue light.
Then I awoke.
I… don’t know what to do.
Mr. Cooper believes that I’m just over-enthusiastic about our discoveries, which is supposedly why I’m having such vivid dreams, but I… I don’t think that’s true.
Dammit, Marianne! Get a hold of yourself!
Tonight, as I enter the sleeping world, I will confront the light.
I will confront the voice...
.
..
Mmm… we’ve seemingly reached a dead end.
With no remains to examine and nothing but broken tablets, I feel like all we’ve done was seemingly for nought.
Ooh, I’m so frustrated!
Oscar isn’t helping either.
The fool groped my right breast after lunch.
I’m going to have a lengthy discussion with his parents when we return to Anvil.
Ooh, my mind is a mess.
I need sleep
Oh, maybe not.
But a healthy mind requires sleep.
Ugh!
.
..
Day 7
.
..
I need to go back home
I’m really scared
He put something inside me
Its
I need to tell Mr cooper
.
..
Oh what have I done
I couldn’t help it
They just looked so tasty
I just had to eat them
But that idiot Oscar stopped me before I could eat the second one
Ugh
Now I’m locked inside a room somewhere in the village
I wonder if I can trick Oscar into freeing me
.
..
Day
.
..
I DON’T KNOW HOW LONG IT’S BEEN BUT
I FEEL LIKE SOMETHING’S BEEN GROWIN INSIDE ME
E'ER SINCE HE TOUCHED ME I HAVE FELT AN EMBRYONIC PRESENCE WITHIN ME
IF IT WASN’T FOR OSCAR I WOULD HAVE SURELY STARVED TO DEATH
HE FEEDS ME AND HE EVEN TRIED TO TALK TO ME THE OTHER DAY
BUT I CAN’T STOP THE ACHES AND PAINS
MY BODY SHOWS NO SIGNS OF OBVIOUS CHANGE BUT THE SAME CANT BE SAID ABOUT THE ME WITHIN THE DREAM
SHE IS PANTING AWAY AS THE THING EATS AWAY AT HER
IT'S SO NUMBINGLY PAINFUL THAT I AWAKE COVERED IN SWEAT AND DROOL
PERHAPS I HAVE GONE MAD
I SHOULD ASK OSCAR WHAT MR COOPER IS UP TO
MAYBE HE’LL TALK TO ME TODAY
.
.
M
.
.
It’s gone
It finally left my body
I’m
I barely caught a glimpse of it as it crawled into the open door only for the door to close as it left
It had such cold eyes
Even as it gave its own mother a parting glance
But I’m free now
Yes
Free and cold
I really want to go back home now
I want to continue my research
I wonder if Hammond made any breakthroughs with the runes or the Cruinne
It was a rather beautiful artefact and I do wish that I had it with me right now
Ah well
I’m feeling awfully tired
I think I should sleep for a while
Advertisement
Crazy Leveling System
Your meridians cannot be cultivated? It’s ok! There is the Crazy Leveling System: Do missions, kill monsters, swallow other people’s spiritual power, make pills or forge weapons and participate in big battles. You can gain experience! EXP is too low? No worries! I have double EXP card, ten times EXP card! EXP bursts and level rises! What genius, big family young master, empire emperor, and talent? In the face of this Crazy Leveling System, they are far behind! “Huh, did I level up again?” Yi Tianyun woke up and found himself level up again…
8 715The Gray Mage
The Great Collapse shattered the world, altering its terrain and destroying governments. At the same time, it brought magic to the world in a wave of chaos. Only the Gray Mage, who appeared just as suddenly as magic and disappeared just as fast, saved humanity from the destruction magic's arrival brought. A century and a half later, the world is run by the Orders, the Guilds, and the Families, an uneasy peace between the three as the end of the Third Age of Magic draws near. Ryan Novar, heir of the most powerful Family, was born blind. During his Appraising, however, he learned that he possessed great magical potential, which would be wasted due to his blindness. Determined to not waste his magical potential and to overcome his blindness through magic, Ryan set a goal for himself: become the second Gray Mage. While working towards this goal, Ryan discovers secrets about the Great Collapse, the Gray Mage, and the paradox that was his own birth. Release Schedule: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays by 11:59 PM CST (+/- 1 day)
8 87Unprecedented
*SEQUEL UNPRECEDENTED!!*Freddie Matthews is finishing off her school year and is going to college soon. But before she leaves she uncovers the mystery of her father's death 14 years ago...While also living a normal teenage high school life of course..Copyright © 2019-21 AmbiizaAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Freddie Matthews is finishing off her school year and is going to college soon, but before she leaves, she uncovers the mystery of her father's death when she was just a toddler. She finds out that her father just might be alive and well... But not in the way she expected.... Copyright © 2019-2021 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
8 188Royal Rebirth
With the Earth afflicted by strange anomalies, one incident causes our protagonist to be reborn with memories of his past life. Now yearning to reunite with his previous family, Lee must find a way to adapt to this foreign world where magic dominates the sciences. Volume 1 - Complete (Going through Updates) Volume 2 - On Hiatus - Returning December 24th, 2016 Litsnovels.com (My main site) is currently unavailable as I'm moving hosting services. Should be back in a few days.
8 84Unique Fusion Magic Hex
World Essence. The mysterious energy coursing throughout the entire land of Vor'ten, and very possibly the entire world. This energy has allowed humanity to flourish, building great empires and vast kingdoms, conquering nature itself with just a sweep of their hand. Humans were the strongest existence, and with the help of channeling this World Essence, many were able to turn into Magic Knights, gaining magical abilities to combat the various fierce beasts throughout the lands.Alas... those glory days of old were long gone. Humanity has now been pushed to the brink of destruction, and now the remaining members of the human race are encased within giant domes known as 'Alkkras', made with the last remaining bits of the World Essence. It was said that those giant domes were the last gifts left by the remnants of the ancient human race, as a means to protect the future generation from the attacks of the many wild beasts roaming outside. Five Spiritualist Invokers, all combined together, used the last bit of the World Essence and sacrificed their lives to lay a gigantic, 1028-seal formation magic array to form these barriers, forever saving humanity, but also trapping humanity within these barriers.However, the humans were never completely helpless. No matter how little World Essence was left, the humans still had some remaining. Realizing the incoming crisis, the humans found a way to seal World Essence inside a special type of crystal. Soon, these crystals began to become implanted into weapons, turning them into World Essence Weapons, and they began to display properties of their own. Extreme heat. Bone chilling cold. Absurd sharpness. These normal weapons, after being imbued with the energy of the World Essence Crystals, began to form natural affinities to elements. Fire. Water. Earth. Wind. Darkness. Light. Using these weapons, one could become a Chevalier that wielded the power of the elements.However, if one wanted to reach a higher level of enlightenment and understanding, one could become an Invoker. Via the study of magic array formations, one could directly use the power of the World Essence to cast devastating magics upon the enemy. These people were Invokers, highly valued for their combat potential by the Army. These weapons and magical arrays were used in the great fight between the humans and the beasts long ago. They had long since been put away in storage, almost long forgotten...However, after ten-thousand years of suppression, the human race is beginning its counterattack against the Beasts... Synth was an Invoker in the Magecroft Academy. However, his talent was terrible, being only at the Spark Stage. This led to him being looked down upon and bullied. He was unable to cast any Calamity-rank or even Destruction rank spells, and was only able to cast Coalescing rank spells at the age of 17, a record low in the academy for cultivating these rare Invokers. Even though he put in more effort than anyone else, he was still unable to advance his Channeling Energy. But due to his constant research and study, Synth ended up creating a power that would go against the heavens - he had found how to Fuse spells together. After trying it out once, merging the magical array for the Small Fireball and the Mortal Judgement skills, he was able to create a mid-rank Destruction tier spell, Holy Judgement Flame. However, after this, no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to fuse more spells together or even cast them, and noticed a weird, pentagram shaped formation on his left arm. He would later call this mark the Fusion Magic Hex, a curse that prevented the wielder from casting magic that wasn't their own...This meant that with the exception of Synth's newly created skill, , he was going to have to create unique magic arrays if he ever wanted to step on the path of becoming an Invoker! This power that destroyed the laws of the Invoking System, and his unyielding persistence in testing and creating new spells, would later gain Synth the nickname the Unique Fusion Hex, and lead him to become one of the strongest beings in the entire World!
8 76Den of Vipers
The Year is XXXX, and a deep, heavy fog sets in all over not just the planet, but the whole of the universe, sending all within into a deep, deep sleep. When they awake, all has changed, and both for the better and the worse. Everything has changed, from the new, impossibly massive planet that all now occupy to the terrain to the very rules of reality themselves. But what has changed the most are the people. It seemed as though Humanity was alone in the cosmos, but no longer, as new, monstrous races have been born from the flesh of those whom the Fog singled out. With the survivors rewarded for each altered former human they kill, along with each heroic (and villainous) act that they engage in, those who have changed are forced to run, hide, and try to fight back. But in a distant place, a single altered person stirs from her sleep as the Fog fades. With no Humans for hundreds of miles and a [Quest] that all other Altered share guiding her newly inhuman mind, the newly born serpentine but humanoid monster will have to fight for survival and dominance in a world hellbent on her death, with that violent, pathological hate coming not just from the remaining Humans. [WARNING! THIS NOVEL WILL CONTAIN GORE, VIOLENCE, AND OTHER SUCH THINGS UNSUITABLE FOR SENSITIVE AUDIENCES!] [PLEASE NOTE THAT THE VIEWS CONTAINED WITHIN ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE AUTHOR!] [CLICKING ON THE FIRST CHAPTER WILL BE YOUR WAY OF ADMITTING THAT YOU READ THIS WARNING AND ACCEPTED THE RAMIFICATIONS OF IT!] [ALL ISSUES REGARDING THIS NOVEL'S MATURE THEMES AND DEPICTIONS OF CRUELTY THAT NORMALLY WOULD HAVE BEEN VALID REASONS TO COMPLAIN TO ADMINS WILL BE LESS VALID DUE TO THIS WARNING!]
8 212