《Forest Trickster》Chapter Twenty One
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The Trickster woke up gently to the rocking stride of someone awkwardly carrying a heavy load. She opened her eyes, and looked up at the face of a tired-looking man she didn't recognise. He had a choppy, outgrown haircut, and relatively hollow cheeks. His tunic had bloodstains, and his knuckles had half-healed bruises. The Trickster was content to be carried until she caught sight of the red compass medallion around his neck, whereupon she promptly tried to strangle him.
"Wait ten minutes before you try to do anything strenuous, or you'll do your neck in again," Magnus's voice said from behind the Trickster's head. She reluctantly released her hold on the cultist, who gave a grateful gurgle.
"What are you doing with this cultist, Magnus?" the Trickster asked.
"He defected," Magnus said. The Trickster felt the cultist take a breath to object, but he evidently decided against it in the end and let out the breath in a sad sigh.
"Why have you kidnapped me?" the Trickster asked.
"I rescued you, not kidnapped you," Magnus said.
"So where are we going?"
"The Glade."
"Alright then," the Trickster muttered. She assumed Magnus was up to something, but if he was taking her where she wanted to go, there wasn't much use in running away and having to walk--for now, in any case.
"What happened to the village?" the Trickster asked.
"You really did a number on it, didn't you?" Magnus said. "It was still standing, barely, when I saw it."
"What about Arnold?"
"Who?"
"Never mind," the Trickster sighed. She assumed that Edith would make sure that he was safe.
The Trickster settled back in the cultist's arms, and idly watched the world go by. There were more green leaves on the branches above them now, meaning that they really were heading to the Glade. The cultist's breath was even, and his heartbeat slow.
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"So, how do you feel, being an undead plaything of my brother?" the Trickster asked the cultist. He started.
"I'm not undead, and I'm not a plaything!"
"So… you were alive when Magnus found you? It's all right, nothing to be ashamed about. After all, you could technically call me undead, and you're my cultist, right? It can't bother you that much."
"Can you stop blathering on? You'll put your spine out of alignment," Magnus said stiffly.
"Don't be coy, Magnus, you just want me to shut up."
"Well, will you?"
"No," said the Trickster, but this turned out to be a lie, as she was silent for a while after that. The winter's cold wet air was clashing with the Glade's warm growth and rot, and made patches of mist pool where the ground lowered a little. Magnus's cape kicked the mist up into turbulent swirls, and the Trickster amused herself by pretending she could read the future in the random designs they made.
"Why bother? You already know the future," Cassie said in her mind.
"You already know," the Trickster muttered.
"What was that?" the cultist asked.
"Nothing," the Trickster said quickly. "What is your name?"
"My name? Why do you want to know my name?"
"I can't keep on calling you 'Magnus' pet cultist' now, can I? You'll just get upset."
"You want it for some nefarious purpose, don't you?"
"If you're upset that we have not been introduced formally, I am afraid that Magnus is hardly going to oblige. But look, I will start: good morning and fortune to you, young man, I am Cassie Strathfield."
"... Brian Alberton," the cultist said reluctantly.
"Brian Alberton, you say," the Trickster said, her eyes gleaming - -
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"It won't work," Magnus said from ahead of them, without looking back. "I have not taken his will, so you cannot use it yourself."
"I knew you were up to something!"
"Brian, you are one of my cultists, correct? Or at least were one until recently. If you hadn't thought I was up to something I would have been very disappointed."
"Brian?" Magnus called.
"Yes?"
"She has probably healed by now."
Brian promptly dumped the Trickster on the ground, and continued after Magnus. The Trickster sat on the ground, collecting her thoughts. After a moment she sighed, picked herself up, and headed onwards to join the others.
The trees they passed became larger, with wider leaves and thicker roots. They had to carefully walk around a clearing filled with holes as wide as a person's reach across, where a family of giant rabbits had made their home. Huge chrysalis hung from the trees, home to moths the size of your head.
"I don't think you have been through the next town in a while," Magnus said, "But they have become very anti-god in the last century. We have to not let on what we are, and that means keeping a low profile. Do you understand what 'low profile' means?"
"Why don't we just go around?" the Trickster asked.
"We can. It will add around three weeks to our journey."
"Ugh. I can be low profile, no problems."
Unlike the villages which housed a large proportion of the people on the continent, the town was large and built up. The path leading towards the main gates was covered in short, young grass and ash. The town was ringed by a smoke stained stone wall.
"Were they beseiged?" the Trickster asked.
"They set the approach on fire every seven days to burn back the forest," Magnus said. "They tried salting the earth at one point, but it was very expensive and did little long-term but encourage mangroves."
Despite the imposing wall and the thick iron gates, the guards were very friendly and let them in without trouble.
"Welcome to Frieton," one said.
"Thank you," Magnus replied. He looked back at the Trickster and Brian, who were busy gawking at the giant stone archway they were moving under. "Hurry up, you two."
The two caught up with Magnus, and together they walked into the town.
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HEfTY
What if everyone in the world gave you $1? That’s what Hefty, a fat and cocky 14-year-old computer hacker tries to do. He bets on Bitcoin, and becomes a millionaire. Nevertheless, it’s short lived because Hefty is under the beck and call of his BPD mom. Hefty’s mom has leukemia. After seeing his mom’s hospital bill, he goes full tilt on the internet, selling crazy things on the Dark Web, like drones, drugs, and guns. And under his nose, someone’s been watching Hefty. Before he knows it, he’s abducted by ISIS and transported to Syria. ISIS’s chief tech officer was blown apart in an airstrike. All of ISIS’s money freshly minted into Cryptocurrencies. The passcodes in his mind blew up with the airstrike. The King of ISIS, forces Hefty to find the passcodes. At gunpoint, Hefty can’t say no, but tricks the King. The King makes a deal with him: If Hefty gets the money off the server, he gets to keep his life (and 10%). Hefty agrees and sees the amount from his 10%: $1.1 Billion in BTC. Drunk with money, Hefty joins the King and naively agrees to help ISIS, and starts buying everything he’s always wanted. He still misses home though, and after a google search brings up his mom, he throws bread crumbs through the internet. He creates digital trails throughout the back end of sites he hacks so people can find him. Even though his lifestyle is fun and exciting, ISIS starts to look less inspiring. Hefty sees the cruelty of ISIS’s cause and it disillusions him from thinking the Caliphate is noble. After some ISIS friends start dying, Hefty sees that war is dumb. Hefty tells his dying friend, on his last breaths, that he is going to take down ISIS. Mistake. With his last yells, his friend tattles on Hefty. Overnight, he goes from Multimillionaire to POW. The King gives him 2 options: blow up his favorite team on a game day of the Cleveland Browns, or his mother dies. Hefty chooses his mother. Within weeks, Hefty covertly writes software to defeat ISIS, leaving enough breadcrumbs to attract the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, General Tarvish. Acting quickly, General Tarvish works to find Hefty and uncover the Brown’s Stadium plot. Hefty finds a way to bomb the stadium, using an order that the president enacted putting all combat planes: no matter where over the US, had to be fully loaded and ready for war. Tarvish didn’t plan this into his counter measure. Hefty has set up ambushes against the Caliphate of ISIS… but the joke turns on him when he forgets to delete his code, and his terror attack on Brown’s Stadium goes off. Hefty’s location goes live, and an air campaign against the Caliphate starts. The US President angrily tries to drop a nuclear bomb on Hefty and the Caliphate. Tarvish kills the President before he can order the attack. The King flees by truck into the desert, but brings his cyber weapon: Hefty. Fed up, unafraid, and frankly pissed off, Hefty grows some balls and kills everyone in the car, giving the King his just reward, and careening down a mountain in the process.
8 316Grand Defender
New chapter every two days or so A story of bite-sized chapters that follows the life of a Defender, a soul summoned to defend the ancient lands. Our protagonist faces harsh challenges as they get summoned to an unpopulated land with nothing to their name, not even their own name, as it was stolen by the System, and fight against the never-ending problems that surrounds them, such as climate, monsters, and loneliness! This is my first, ever, story. Any criticism will be delightfully accepted. Also, the main protagonist will be given neither gender nor appearance. You can Imagine them as you prefer.
8 77A Tale of Casual OPness
Welcome to the world of Traversa, the Fantasy World filled with characters broken beyond belief. We got you're usual Sickos, Perverts, Justice Idiots, Harem Masters, Reverse Harem Masters, Gender Benders, Traps, Heroes, Villains, Demi-Gods, Demonkings Reincarnators, and Transporters as well as all the other sort of absurdities out there. Join our not so lovely, yet not so ugly MC on his adventure as he traverses the world, adventuring, and living out his life casually with the help of his almighty, all power, cheat-like abilities without attracting the attention from the other Otherworlders.Can he live his life in peace? Or will he be forced to use his powerful cheat-like abilities.Now I'm sure you're asking, ""What powers does he use oh mighty Author!"And, I shall reply, ""Well, you wouldn't read the story if I told you now would you ( ?° ?? ?°)"But, then you would reply, ""But almighty Author aren't you trying to hide how bad your story is?"Which will force me to reply, ""Nah........."[Warning: Mature Content ( ?° ?? ?°) you should know what you're getting into....]
8 71A Gatored Community
Global warming has raised the sea level by 30 feet. People live in floating communities which rise and fall with the tides. In the floating community of Shellfish, Shoals, A woman pearl thief, becomes involved with the owner of an oyster farm where cultured pearls are produced, and an alligator is used for security. In the meantime, she and her gang are planning to raid the facility.
8 69Please Stay[Stray Kids × Reader]
(Y/N) tried to avoid the music industry as much as possible. However with fate, her twin brother Hyun Tae got into a car accident forcing her to disguise as him and continue the steps of her brother with the stage name of "Alex", being one of the members of STRAY KIDS, a new JYP boy group to soon have a debut. Will she be able to succeed?(Rewriting)04/19/19 - 10/05/20 [Completed]
8 135I Don't (August Alsina)
"Just tell me you love me, man." He said. I thought about and after what he said, my love for him died. There was no love. He wasn't the same man I fell in love with. He was different. He changed and I didn't love this new guy in front of me. "I can't." I said. He looked at me, tears in his eyes. "Don't do this, man. You love me, baybeh. I know you do."I bit my lip, trying hard not to cry in front of him. "August," I gulped, cursing myself because the tears I said I wouldn't shed, were shedding. "I don't love you anymore. I don't."
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