《Dragon Travels》A Tune of Memory (15)
Advertisement
“Wait, what? Sappho gave him the key? So she’s not a spy?” Ryder raised his eyebrow.
“Her employers, if they exist, would likely only want to strip the city of Cybele’s protection because even if she leaves, the effect of her magic on the crops doesn’t go away. If she escapes and never returns, then Sappho can call off the Pestilence, creating the illusion that her existence itself was responsible for the creature's arrival. All that's left is to let her employers annex the city with an army.” Brown theorized.
Syrinx took a few sips from the cup before resuming. “When I saw that happen, I thought Sappho was perhaps forced to become a spy, and that she still treasured my sister. After all, why else would she have done that?”
“But yer sister didn’t escape. Did something prevent Attis from savin’ her?”
“Not at all. I saw him go in, and about 10 minutes later, he walked out. No one found out.”
“He… left her to die?”
“He loved the city as much as my sister, and he always had a strong sense of justice. I think… he couldn’t let countless innocent people die just to save one person. He’d probably said that if I had confronted him. I was so, so angry at him. There was a period when I was glad my sister cursed him for abandoning her, and I thought she did it because she was angry as well. But, after awhile, when my wrath no longer clouded my mind, I felt sorry for him. He lost as much as we did, yet he’s condemned to eternal punishment. So, my sisters and I used the money our parents left us to put up a request at the Guild and waited for someone to set him free.”
“I see. So, what happened on the day of Cybele’s death?”
“The ritual was set during noon, after the mage, Attis, and the guards captured the Pestilence. Many of Attis subordinates died in the attempt, and even more died as they bound the creature inside the ritual circle. I invited Thalia and Aria to join me and see Cybele for the last time, but they didn’t want to, which I can’t blame them for. So, I went by myself and followed my sister with a crowd when she was transported from the dungeon to the ritual site. I tried to speak to her, but she couldn’t hear me through the noise. I thought she would be afraid, but she looked like she had accepted her death.
Advertisement
When we arrived at the site, all the guards forced us to watch at a distance. I shouted her name, but all she gave me was a bitter smile. I begged Attis to save her as I watched her be tied up to a wooden pole, but he remained unmoved. Once the mage started his incantation, they set a fire under her feet. I had to listen to her agonizing scream as she was burned alive. Many people in the crowd, including myself, tried to fight against the guards to save her, but the guards didn’t give in even by a single centimeter. After all, their defeat would mean the death of their families and friends.
And then, just as I saw Attis turned back to face my sister and shoved his subordinates aside, she cursed him. She said that he had failed to fulfill his promise to marry and take care of her until they die of old age, so she damned him to walk this plane eternally. Everyone was shocked. As for Attis, he fell to his knees, and pure despair was etched on his face. It sent a chill down my spine. I could practically see his mind and heart shattered into unmendable pieces.
When my sister stopped moving, the Pestilence vanished. The plague was gone, but no one was in the mood for celebration. Then, as the crowd returned to the city, an arrow pierced through the mage’s chest from the back, and we saw a sea of Phlenx soldiers pouring out of the jungle. Their commander demanded that we surrender immediately or they will take the city by force. The mayor promptly rushed out of the city, screaming that they had broken their peace treaty. Before the commander could reply, Attis leaped forward, sliced the commander’s head off, and began his massacre. The mayor and all civilians outside were forced back into the city while the guards fought off the army. I had experience as a combat medic, so I was asked to stay and help out.
Attis was like an unstoppable force, a dragon in a Felmier body. His greatsword cut through the soldiers like they were butter and never stopped for even a second. When magic started flinging from each side, the houses outside of the city became part of the collateral damage, including my old family home. I saw him directing the attacks away from my home, thus only minimal damage was inflicted on the house and the piano. That was where Cybele and his wedding was supposed to be hold, after all.
Advertisement
Regardless of how powerful Attis was, he was still mortal, and he fell to the ground after killing nearly half of the soldiers. Right as the enemies were celebrating their assured victory, he stood up again and resumed his killing. However, a sickly black aura began coiling around his body until there was nothing of his former-self left. After he slayed them all, he walked back to the piano and stood there. A guard tried approaching him afterward, and they were instantly cut in half. That’s when we learn he’ll attack anyone that gets close to the piano.”
“After everything calmed down, my sisters and I returned to our family home one last time to retrieve my father’s music sheets. Due to Attis's efforts, the sheets were undamaged, and the house was far enough to not trigger him to attack us. After that, Attis acted as a deterrent, so the city no longer needed to worry about being attacked again. Phlenx issued an apology when the next ruler succeeded the throne. And to mend the relationship between the city and their country, the new king promised to protect us if anyone else tried to do the same as they did once.
When I heard the news, I asked Elisha to help break the curse. But, she believed ‘The Onyx Knight’ is the only thing keeping the city safe, and that the new king’s promise was a hoax. So, she refused. My sisters and I had our own difficulties in life that prevented us from learning how to play the piano again. So, I kept on hoping and waiting for someone or a group of people to break the curse.” With her story concluded, she emptied the cup.
“That’ll be us! Or, rather, the Drag’n Rider!” Findir gestured proudly at his friend.
The old woman smirked. “Many have said the same, you know.”
Ryder assured, “We’ve identified and obtained the sheets that have the song we believe will break the curse. We only need to last piece that is currently in your possession, Ms. Miuzika.”
“Oh?" Her eyes widened. "If that is the case… Are you confident you can hold your ground against Attis for three minutes, Dragon Rider?”
“You described him as having the strength of a dragon, yes? Well, I have three. We can hold him as long as it takes. Although, now that I think about it, is the piano still even playable?”
“Yes. Any instruments that my father made will not deteriorate, no matter how much time has passed. Although, it can still be destroyed, so be careful.”
“Then we simply need the last sheet. Once my companion here mastered the song,” he pointed at Findir, “we’ll go ahead and break the curse. Since we already have the first two sheets, we only need to find the one in your collection that has a matching title.”
“I see. Though, I’m afraid you arrived too late deary, because I already sold the sheets to two gentlemen a few days ago, but-”
“What?!” The human stood in shock.
“-there’s nothing to worry about, because-”
The sound of an opening door behind them interrupted her for the second time.
Advertisement
Lucine: Nightmares of The Blood Moon Heiress
Insomnia is a sleep disease. But what if your nightmares were so horrific that you didn't want to sleep? What if you were afraid that your nightmares would become reality? Lucine Miller is an exceptional talent that has managed to enter one of the most prestigious Arts colleges in the world - Liedman Academy of the Arts. A college well-known for producing some of the world's most prominent talents. Having been offered the elusive full scholarship even before admission, Lucine seems set to become the next 'It' artist of the world. That is if she is able to keep her scholarship. Lucine is determined. This is her one chance to crawl out from the shadow of her older sister, but can she do it? Can she stay on top when the monsters in her dreams keep dragging her down? It is of no help when her nightmares start intensifying and real injuries start to appear. The mystery of her night terrors only deepen as she encounters the dangerously handsome Alec, who claims to knows who she is and what she is really capable of. He wants to help, but can she really trust Alec when he seems to show up in her dreams to kill her? Will Lucine be able to overcome her Insomnia? Is it better that she stay awake? Does she have some sort of power to turn dreams into reality? Who is Alec really? Perhaps the truth can be found in her nightmares. That is, if she can stay alive long enough to find out. A light novel that treads between reality and terrifying dreams.
8 15010 Seconds Left in Overtime (Anderson Series #1)
Alley is 24, she is a world class surgeon. She has worked her butt off to get to where she is. One day her assistant lets her know that she has a very famous client who requires her services. She is intrigued as her assistant is all, but giddy to tell her. She asks her who and her assistant informs her that it's none other than notorious, bad boy, player Ryan Anderson of the Boston Bruins. Ally freezes for a minute knowing that name all too well, not just as the infamous Bruin who makes headlines all the time, but as the boy who broke her heart 6 years ago.See Alley and Ryan grew up together, thick as thieves, but once he got drafted he changed or so she thought he did.Ryan Anderson is the notorious bad boy of the Bruins. Always the first into trouble along the boards, but knows when to score when the time is right. On night though in a playoff game he injures his shoulder badly and his team goes to the best to help.When he meets with his surgeon for the first time he recognizes her instantly as the girl who was always there for him, but one night after he got drafted she up and left the party and never spoke to him again. He never knew why and so to fill the void she left he tried to fill it with meaningless women, booze and anger.Can these two work past their misunderstanding and grab the future they both deserved? Or are the issues of the past too much to get past?**WARNING**Mild foul languageIntimate scenes lolCover by still_just_meBanners by: still_just_me
8 198Unveiling the Arcane
Sage Fleur finds herself being manipulated to attend a boarding school her senior year of high school leaving her mother practically destitute. At Oak Mountain Preparatory strange things that Sage normally tries to ignore refuse to be unnoticed. When she falls in with the most popular boys at school drama starts but the most unnerving attention comes from the person who wants to make sage theirs forever.This is a reverse harem story with more than one love interest and no need to choose.
8 144The Storytellers
Myra Kahani lives in a world of gods and prayers. People around her constantly reach out to the gods for advice and suggestions at critical times in their life. But Myra has a problem. No matter what she does, she can't talk to the gods. When Myra meets Roam, an old, enigmatic Storyteller, she finally gets some answers. She learns of the origins of the Universe, the divide between mankind and their deities, and the important role that Storytellers play in her world. But the truth for Myra is just the beginning of her story. The Storytellers is a story that I began to develop from a series of shorter stories that I wrote for a mythology and folklore class. As such, they have a strong basis in the myths and folklore of various cultures and religions. Join me as I try my best to integrate these stories into my own and develop the world of the Storytellers and Myra herself. This is my first attempt at any sort of longer-form fiction so helpful advice is greatly appreciated!
8 72The Great Erectus and Faun
The Great Erectus, otherwise known as "The Big Guy" is NOT a god. Don't call him that. It will tick him off. He and his newfound apprentice/sidekick the definitely not a creation goddess Faun have a little problem. The Big Guy's universe is blowing up. Faun might have had something to do with that. (She feels awful about it BTW) They must rush about the unraveling universe saving (or judging) worlds as the end of all things is bearing down upon them at the speed of light, so they have a bit of time but really can't mess about. Along the way they will encounter Lovecraftian horrors, divine ex-girlfriends, surly AI's and a host of other hassles. Enjoy such delights as the complete destruction of the universe, a children's "Christmas pageant" except where "the greatest story ever told" involves an eldritch horror from another universe, and an innocent misunderstanding concerning the exact definition of a "red dwarf". Existential dread! Lovecraftian comedy! It's as much madness as can be shoved into a single work and still remotely make sense! If you enjoy completely off the hook lunacy, this one is for you!
8 314Agros de Mortis
Are things ever so crystal clear in life, those of us with experience know that it can be considered a blessing to have such a straight forward path in life. Sometimes things go right, sometimes something occurs that was simply never imagined. Sometimes life seems to flow so quickly but sometimes it just seems stuck, cursed to repeat itself. Cycles upon cycles we see around us, but perhaps in only a moment things change. Can this be stopped or do we even want it to be stopped? Are things always as evil as they seem, or are they so similar that we find it painful. Come visit this little spot and decide for yourself what you interpret this is... _________________________________________________ This fiction is a mix of many things and for simplicity sake is the story of one man's rise to power in a fashion fit be called a demon lord. Ever read all those novels where you get a here is this bad guy we called you here to go deal with by the power of our god so here is some magic and training go kill em. Here is the other side's view of their rise to power in a fashion that perhaps seems evil, perhaps not. Is our MC truly that evil or is he simply following what he feels like is best for him, who is to say that he is truly a blight aganist the gods for surely it is not so simple in life. This will have some elements of dungeon building but it takes mostly a back seat to things as a background thing, a weak to strong theme well yeah but it won't really be personal power since we are doing what is essentially nation building. Don't worry there will be no romance as a main theme, if you find any it is unintentional or simply a very minor element overall, hopefully won't be any of the social/relationship gender issues from last time for those that read my first ficiton since that really is not what I want the story to be about. Progress in story is a bit of a mix of fast and slow I felt overall for the story, time skips were short and things piled up quickly then calmed down before building up again. Not sure how I did with characterizing and writing some concepts but at least I wanted people to think a little. Some attempt to keep things realistic to a degree considering you know magic since I wanted a bit more depth to things. Come check out the story and decide for yourself how you feel about some things.
8 65