《LEUR: The Unsung Tales》Chapter 20: A Way with Words
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The street the party is on curves off to the east, turning to a large square with a fountain. Standing by the fountain is a small creature of greenish skin, ears longer and pointier than an elf's, with bright yellow eyes. Long, gangly arms ending in sharp claws gesture about wildly as the creature stands before a laid out mat overrun with a variety of items from potions to books to clothes and even a weapon or two. "Come one, come all! Look at Beejnak's wares, peruse the finest quality items! Scrap, they say! Junk, they say! Bah! Beejnak know good quality when he sees it, yes! Come, come!" Those shifty eyes spot the party and the creature giggles. "Ooooh! Fresh faces here in the Iron City! Come, come! Look at my wares! Beejnak give good price to visitors, show hospitality of Kaina in every transaction, yes!"
"What in the world are you?" Hope ponders, leaning down to look at the strange creature, who stands proudly and grins with wickedly pointed teeth. "I am Beejnak, goblin by birth, merchant by trade. You are devilkin. Hell flesh. You and I much alike."
"How do you figure?" Hope looks down at the mat full of items, picking up a small silver ring with a square emerald set in it.
Beejnak steps back to allow the party to peruse. "Monsters, they call us. Born of monsters, Beejnak was, but this does not define him. Beejnak is own person, make big impact with shiny trinkets." One gangly claw gestures to the ring in Hope's hand. "Enchanted, it is. Protection from poisonous creatures and gases. Saved many lives, it has."
"What about this?" Amadeo asks, holding up a book bound in leather with a title in runic lettering. The goblin smiles wider than before. "Wizard spellbook, it is. Magical secrets, protected by wards. Beejnak try reading, turned into chicken for two days. You want? I give for five sove-" The coin graces Beejnak's palm before the goblin has even finished naming his price. He blinks and makes a noise somewhat like a surprised coo. "Oooh! Thank you for your patronage, human friend. Beejnak glad to be rid of that thing. Did not enjoy time as chicken, chased many times by dogs." The goblin shudders.
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Tyrion looks over the various items, before lifting out of the pile a crossbow made mostly of wood with brass filigree etched along the side of the barrel. "Oh...This is beautiful. How much for this lovely thing?"
"Ah, that special item, highly recommended for anyone who doesn't want their enemies to get too close. Beejnak call it the Gust Shot, not sure who made it. Definitely magical. For new friends, Beejnak say one hundred and fifty gold pieces!" The goblin grins wide as Tyrion's face drains of color. "I don't think we have enough-"
"Throw in this armor and rod. Say three hundred for all of em?" Anna holds up a rod with a single ruby at the top, arcane runes dotting the ruby's surface. Her other hand grasps a breastplate that she holds in front of Hope, who looks down at the armor curiously. "What's with the fish and seashells?" The devilkin wonders aloud about the etched decorations along the armor's surface.
The goblin frowns. "Hmmm, you seek three items for the price of two? Beejnak is generous, but not that generous." Anna's eyes seem to glow for a moment with a golden shine as she dips her finger in a makeup tin, brushing gently over her cheeks with it. "Come now, Beejnak. If you do us this small favor, we may be more inclined to come back." Her words seem to echo for a brief moment, as Beejnak's eyes glaze over. "No. Beejnak thinks three hundred is too high. For new friends, we make it two-seventy-five. Beejnak accepts this as good faith transaction."
Anna smiles, as a stunned Hope shells out the coin to the goblin. "Thank you, Beejnak. We'll be sure to return if we're in need of more goods."
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The formerly frowning goblin waves at the dark elf with a smile as the party departs. "What did you do to him?" Hope looks back at the still smiling goblin as he goes about his business once more.
"A little spell, that's all." Anna shrugs. "It's effective, but hopefully he won't feel too bad about it. He seemed really nice, just kinda stingy."
"Well, as nice as this gear you snagged us is, that was most of my savings. We're gonna need to be careful about what we spend our money on. Don't want to go broke renting a room for the night."
Though Hope's words are gentle, Anna frowns. "Sorry. I should have thought of that."
The devilkin shakes her head. "Nah, you're fine. No sense keeping money to stay in a fancy place when it can be put to better use keeping us alive. Besides, we're in a port city. Maybe it'll come in handy." Patting Anna's head, Hope smiles. "Come on, let's go see about jobs and a place to stay."
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Origin
A group of college students find the last known warship from the Imperium, which came to Earth and started civilisation millenia ago. They will have to repair the ship, launch it back to space and then decide what to do with it. Will they restore the empire? Explore the galaxy? Or get up to unspeakably hilarious hijinks..... This is my first work, so please comment and critique as much as possible. This work is being migrated from Webnovel to Royal Road cause RR has a muuuuch better text editor and formatting options. I aim to release five chapters a week unless this catches on. In which case I'm happy to increase the release schedule up to 2 chapters a day based on readership.
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8 186My Good Friend Murphy
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8 119Fall of Jupiter
What happens when the most powerful man in the world loses his soulmate to a heart attack? What happens when an innocent woman is dragged into a world of magic, and superheroes? Who is the true hero of the story? Note: This is the first book I ever wrote seriously. (I even had a cover made before I decided against publishing it) I'd like to think my writing style has improved with practice, and the multiple other books I've worked on. It felt wrong to leave a nearly completed book gathering dust in my google docs, but I don't think it's good enough to be officially published. As a result, I'm putting it here instead where it at least won't be totally wasted. Eventually, I'll put in the last 10 hours or so to finish it for you guys. Hope you like it :)
8 157Escaping the Abyss
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8 67Seeds of Evil: Rophion Forest
At the beginning of this world, when the First War between Good and Evil happened, the Balance of Times split up and its many parts hid on Earth. Those who have in their power the restoring of the Balance are the Rophions, which the prophecy says that the One will be born from them, the being with a wolf and human blood, flowing in his veins, and the only one capable to control times... But evil isn’t asleep. It is spying on them from everywhere, but there where is the home of Rophions, the forest with the same name, is also the hidden den of the darkness, which expects only the right moment to attack and to rule this world, for eternity. However, the world has other plans for itself and it will be who decides the master of all the world, when the Last Battle will be fought in the Valley of Silence, where everything started and where everything will end, giving to Rophions the gift of Love and Magical Power. Seeds of Evil. Rophion Forest is the first book from a series of 10, focused on Magic, Brotherhood, love, and devotion, which are capable to fight against the Devil itself, only to control their souls and the pulsation of life on Earth. What type of reader is this book for? You might enjoy Seeds of Evil. Rophion Forest, if you like... stories related to secrets, betrayal, fight for supremacy, and a lot of characteristics and Epic Events related to the Internacional Mythology. **** This novel has in it the power of Magic, Action, Love, and suspense, including in its structure the power of the reader that loves to read fantastic stories, where brotherhood prevails over betrayal and love triumphs above evil.
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