《LEUR: The Unsung Tales》Chapter 22: Grimm and the Reaper
Advertisement
The port of Kaina is vast beyond anything any of them has seen before. Amadeo looks about with wonder at the various ships and boats in drydock undergoing repairs. "This is gonna be a trip. Where do we even start?"
"With the least expensive one of em." Hope points to a sloop about forty-five feet in length, with a grizzled old man sitting on the dock by it as he whittles away at a small wooden figure. As they approach, the old man looks up with one bulging eye, grinning with a crooked smile missing more than a few teeth. Hope steps forward as the man stands upright, towering over the devilkin. "Allo. You've come for the Reaper, haven't ye?" That bulging eye scans the four strangers.
Hope tries to maintain her voice at an even pitch as she speaks. "Y-Yes. How'd you know?" The man gestures to the other boats setting out with groups of people aboard who were listening to Kiriel's speech. "Everyone wants a piece of that beasty. Me too, for that matter." He pulls up one leg of his trousers, revealing that rather than a left foot in his boot, there is a wooden prosthetic that starts at the base of his knee. "I was his third victim. The beast took me wife and son, may the light bless em."
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that...How much to charter your boat?" Hope reaches into her purse, and the old man waves a hand dismissively. "No charge. Kill that beasty, I might just pay you."
"Well, I mean...If you're sure." Hope stands up straight as the old man boards the little boat. "Come on, then. Can't be wasting daylight when there's a Reaper to hunt." The party follows him onto the sloop. It's a bit cramped with five people, but the old man shows them down to a cabin below the main deck. "Feel free to make use of it. We're gonna be traveling quite a ways before we get there."
Advertisement
He holds a hand out to Hope. "Name's Matthias. Matthias Grimm." She shakes his hand. "Hope. These are my companions Tyrion, Anna, and Amadeo."
Matthias looks over them, scratching his chin. "Odd bunch. Ye one of them adventuring parties, then, hm? Don't see drow and devilkin together often."
"We're just traveling together. It's been an interesting experience, to say the least." Tyrion says, nudging Hope. "Don't you need to get dressed and ready?"
She nods and disappears into the cabin, followed by Anna who assists her with getting the new armor on. Tyrion helps Matthias maneuver the boat out of port while Amadeo studies his spellbook. Matthias takes over fully when they get into the open ocean, piloting the sloop in a southeasterly direction.
Hope comes out of the cabin, examining herself in the new armor. The breastplate covers her torso from belly to shoulder, her arms left to hang freely. The etched fish and seashells along the frontal plate seem to shimmer as she stands at the railing beside Amadeo. "It's not half bad. Actually really breathable in this thing. It's lighter, and while it exposes my arms, the range of movement I get feels so much better compared to the chain mail. I really must thank you, Anna."
Anna nods, sitting down in the cabin and laying her head back. "Of course! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna take a nap before we reach our destination, conserve my energy out of the sun."
"Sure thing. I'll let you know when we get there." Hope quietly closes the door to the cabin to give her some time alone. "So, about this 'Reaper'. We know it's a big shark, but there wasn't much more info provided other than where it is."
Matthias nods. "Aye. It's a tough one that doesn't leave many survivors, and those who do escape remember mostly the flash of teeth and its black eyes. Lifeless eyes, like a doll's eyes. I saw firsthand what that thing can do, and even I don't remember much but..." He shakes his head. "Regardless, it's deadly as its number of victims can attest to. Being an aquatic beast, it's gonna be faster than you in the water, so don't bother trying to outrun it. If you're in the water with that thing, stand your ground so to speak and wallop it hard. Unless you can swim like a fish, your movement will be slowed, so most weaponry is out unless you're using a crossbow or a trident or something similarly fast moving."
Advertisement
"We've got that covered." Tyrion states, holding up his new crossbow with a grin. "I've got this puppy, Red here is tough as nails, and the other two are weavers."
"Just don't ask me to take the hit from a big fish and we'll be fine." Amadeo chuckles, inscribing new spells into his book.
Hope looks over his shoulder curiously. "How do you do that anyway? You just think up new spells or somethin?"
Amadeo shakes his head. "Not really. Most current spells are simply re-workings of the Swell, the energy that flows through the world around us. Magic just harnesses that energy and converts it to a new form. More powerful effects require more energy. What I'm doing is reaching out to the Swell and plucking prior knowledge left behind by my predecessors, then copying that knowledge down. Maybe one day, I can leave a spell behind for someone else as well."
"Why don't you just write all the spells down at once?" Tyrion points out.
"As I am now, I can't draw alot of energy in. It would be detrimental to my health to even try. But with experience comes knowledge. As we grow, my magical repertoire also increases. I just have to keep studying. Having spellbooks like this also helps." Amadeo holds up the book he bought. "I can copy spells I don't know into my book from these, so it pays to get them when I can. I can only keep a mental checklist of so many spells per day, though, so I also have to be careful to prepare what we may need. I imagine that Anna doesn't have that problem since the knowledge for her spells is granted by this Sola-Ret."
"Wow." Hope sits down across from the wizard. "I think that's the most you've ever talked at length about any subject in the last few days." Amadeo turns bright red and looks back at his book, hurriedly scribbling into it before flipping open the other spellbook. "Anyway! Not alot of stuff here, and most of it I already have." His eyes light up as he flips one page. "But it's well worth the five gold just for this. Now I just need an amulet."
Hope tilts her head quizzically. "What's the amulet for?" Amadeo looks up with a sly smirk. "Might be able to get Anna some protection from the sun after all. I just need an amulet and about four to five days of work."
Inside the cabin, Anna twitches and shifts, her head turning to catch the sound of a voice calling her name.
Advertisement
- In Serial9 Chapters
Rebirth Online V3
*This is the reworked version of my original story Rebirth Online, due to the vast changes that will be taking place and a desire for a proper number of views and new comments on the changes I have made a new page and will include a link back to the original Rebirth Online for those interested in seeing the changes. Click Here for Rebirth Online* Adam Sterling, A man who through a series of events went from being a bouncer at the local biker bar to being a pro gamer in the world of Rebirth Online, a fantasy VRMMO based upon real life ancestry and myth. Players will each have a tailor made story much like a tabletop campaign, their choices in all things will have an effect on the game itself even if it is small. Players will have their DNA tested which will allow accurate placement within the old world, in the same general area as their ancestors would have been. Allowing them to chose their starting area from the many races that make up their ancestry. from there they will undergo the Trials, a series of events serving as their entry into adulthood which will start the players off at the age of Thirteen, with every trial completed they will be advanced in age until they are Eighteen, from there they will have the option of staying Eighteen or advancing to their physical age. From there the world is open for them to go where they please, be it becoming a blacksmith, a cook, or a lord, though they will have to earn everything through the proper ways, hard work, and dedication to their roles. After all, one can not show up to a city expecting to be its mayor for nothing.
8 199 - In Serial9 Chapters
The Shadow Domain - A litRPG
Carter Hart receives a pair of glasses which allows him to enter the Virtual fantasy world of Baria. He is pulled into the dark underworld of an MMORPG and has to fight to survive. Literally. On his quest he meets another adventurer named Alora with her own secret, a plot for revenge. Not any revenge, revenge against the elite, for they have taken something that was very precious to her, her hardcore account. Together they venture forth into this magical world, Gnome wizard and Human ranger. But as soon as the son of Elite businessman Chang, finds out about her revenge plot, he sends assassins after her. In real life. This is the start of the Baria tales. The story of how an a-grade student on his way to engineering school in a dystopian world meets a girl from a rich elite background and together they find a way to show the elite how to have humanity again.
8 174 - In Serial13 Chapters
Agorɔ
In a seemingly normal world. [Welcome to The Game]. Adam, a young adult addicted to gaming, sees this message appear in front of him. The first thought which comes to his kind is 'Damn it the boss killed me while I was distracted.' Follow Adam as he explores the game, discovers the secrets of the world he is living in, and grows ever stronger to take on the enemies which threaten him and his family. The story is mostly about exploring his abilities and the world including possibly others ( No not anime worlds), as well as hunting in dungeons and labyrinths. I am also trying to improve my writing.Constructive criticism is welcome. Disclaimer: Art is not mine , If the artist wants me to remove it, please contact me
8 139 - In Serial6 Chapters
Space Apes (AKA Spapes)
For as long as there has been faith, there have been the unfaithful. Persecuted for nothing but her doubts (and reading the wrong books) one girl has a chance to start a new life on a new planet. But wherever there are cities, there is the presence of the Novoastrian Church. Unable to even go to school without the watchful eye of the Inquest searching for non-believers, how long can an apostate maintain their sanity when surrounded by faith?
8 117 - In Serial18 Chapters
Dragonlord (HP×ASOIAF)
As Master of Death, time refused to touch Harry. So, he decided to use the Veil seeing as his world was slowly dying. But the Veil, it turns out, was not what he expected. And so begins the journey of the Master of Death in Westeros.
8 192 - In Serial24 Chapters
HOMOLOGEO ✓
Dear psyche, I find pleasure in pain, the pain that i choose to suffer.Date Posted : Sat., 27 Aug. (2022)Date Ended : Wed., 31 Aug. (2022)
8 213