《The Guardian of Rynnlee》Sorry!
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Ethyn awoke extremely disoriented. He squinted, but after the darkness of his slumber, all he could see was too much light. Where was he? He rested a moment and let his eyes adjust through a pained squint.
He was in his room on his bed. But how did he get here? The boy pushed away the fog from his mind and tried to think as his memories slowly returned.
Ethyn remembered being tied to a tree with Silver. Then he had retrieved the knife out of his boot and cut his bonds. He had also cut his foot but decided not to bother his mentor with that news even though it stung terribly.
Then there had been strange howling. A moment later, Ethyn had seen Silver's catlike movements to get to the weapons. He had heard Silver say to run, but his determination to help had prevented his obedience.
There had been a flash out of Jarek's belt. Some basic instinct had galvanized Ethyn into action as he tackled Jarek before the knife could fly true. It had been just enough to save his friend.
The boss had grabbed his neck and was going to punch him when…Ethyn struggled to remember…someone had stopped him. A mad roll and feverish crawl had pulled the boy clear into the trees. Ethyn had tried to stand, but his foot was completely useless. He half-crawled half-limped as far as he could, but his head was feeling light. He touched his bare foot and his hand had come back soaked. Unable to remember which way was home, but he crawled with all his might anyway. At last, Ethyn could not go any longer.
His ribs ached from where he had been kicked and with all his blood loss, his body had given up. Finding a tree, he lay down among the roots. It reminded Ethyn of welcoming arms and after everything he had been through, he did not want to die alone. With snow all around, Ethyn closed his eyes and everything went dark.
But there was one more memory tingling in Ethyn's mind. He had seen Silver over him, holding a bottle of something as bright as the sun. The Guardian had spoken comfort to him before letting a piece of the vial drip onto his foot. His whole body had felt warm and tingly, his foot most of all. After a severe pain beyond what he thought he was capable of enduring, the raging pain in his foot was suddenly gone, and again darkness had claimed his consciousness.
Based on everything he knew, Ethyn guessed that his friend had overcome the bandits somehow and brought him home. But how long ago was that? The slits in the wall near the roof were bright, meaning it was probably mid-day or later. He figured he had escaped in the early hours of the morning. There was so much he did not know.
Ethyn noticed his bed was back in its place. He had pushed it carelessly aside in his escape from the cottage. It was likely the Guardian had put it to right at some point while he slept. He peered down at the blanket neatly tucked around his body.
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The coarsely woven beige fabric was far from soft, but it was warm and comfortable. One of his feet lay out from the blanket and was propped up on a pillow. The bright white of the cloth dressing that adorned his leg stood in stark contrast to the dark wood walls.
The door to his room opened and a happy gasp escaped his visitor. "Hello, sleepy head!" Lily said with warmth.
Ethyn started to respond, but his mouth was dry. His attempt at words came out as a strange rasp. Lily nodded and set down the tray in her hands. She took the cup from the tray and helped Ethyn take small sips.
"Drink slowly now," She urged. "It's not a race."
Ethyn humbly complied and took his time. Lily held his head and smiled. The relief in her eyes was evident. When he had finally finished the water, Ethyn moved to sit up. He let out a loud groan and lay still.
"You seem to have cracked a few ribs." Lily told him. "But you will be ok." His ribs? Oh yes, that must have happened when Jarek had kicked him. That combined with his tackling move would have done some real damage.
"What about my foot?" Ethyn asked quietly. He strained to see his bandaged foot, but could only see the thickly wrapped tourniquet.
"Your foot? Oh yes, Silver asked me to check it once you woke up. Would you like to see?"
Ethyn nodded, but the motion sent his head swimming. The world went spinning in a marvelous blur of color as he gripped his blanket tightly and tried not to feel sick. Silently, Ethyn decided that he should remain as still as possible for the time being. He realized he must have hit his head on something on his dash through the woods. He could feel a spot throbbing on the side of his head above his left ear. He would need to take it easy.
Noting the boy's discomfort, Lilly gently propped his head up slightly so that Ethyn could see what she was doing. The woman carefully touched the edge of the cloth.
"Does it hurt?" she asked tentatively.
"No, not at all," Ethyn was surprised by his answer, but it was true. He could feel her touch but nothing more.
Lily took the bandage and unwrapped it cautiously. What she found startled her. "I expected to see a terrible wound. Are you sure Silver wrapped the correct foot?" She queried after a moment. Without waiting for an answer, Lily pulled back the blanket and examined Ethyn's other leg.
Lily's body was blocking Ethyn's view, and her question made him anxious. "What do you mean?"
"Look!" Lily moved and revealed Ethyn's two perfectly healthy feet. There was no scar or remnant of the harrowing event. "Silver said he gave you medicine. What did he use?"
"Magic," Ethyn answered with reverence, "because that's what Guardians do: save people."
A sweet smile shone from Lily's face. She could not argue. Whatever Silver had done had caused a miracle, and she was more than grateful. Placing herself back by Ethyn's head on the bed, Lily stroked the boy's hair gently.
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She found a small bump on his skull, and he winced. "You are just full of injuries," she scolded, parting his hair to examine him. A nasty raised bruise showed itself through his scalp, but it seemed that this problem would have to heal on its own.
"I am talented that way," Ethyn agreed with a lopsided grin.
Releasing his hair, Lily caressed the boy's cheek. "What are we going to do with you, sweetie?" she chuckled. "Are you hungry?" A loud rumbling came from the redhead's stomach. The friends both laughed. "I'll take that as a yes. I have some bread and fruit right here. Let me help you." Lily propped her patient up a little more and helped him eat. She noticed he was slow to move, but everything seemed to be in working order.
After the boy had settled his stomach and eaten his fill, Ethyn's eyes became clearer, and the color in his face returned. "Thank you," he said simply. Then the waterfall of questions began to flow out. "What time is it?"
"It's nearly evening. You've slept all day."
"Where's Silver? Is he ok?" Ethyn was sure Silver was nearly invincible, but a small worm of doubt remained.
"Silver is fine. He had to take care of those bandits. I'm sure he'll be back soon."
"When you say 'take care of' do you mean…" Ethyn contorted his face and stuck out his tongue.
Lily could not help but giggle. She shook her head. "Silver, Conall, Aiden and Aristos," the last word brought a blush to her cheek, "all carted those wretched men back to jail." Lily cocked her head to one side and listened. "I think I can hear the horses return. Would you like me to tell the men to come in?"
"Yes, please."
Lily departed the room and a few moments later, Conall and Aiden entered quietly. "There's the hero!" Conall said jovially as he slapped Ethyn on the shoulder. Ethyn winced and Conall realized his error. "Uh, sorry my boy, I got a little excited. You had us worried there. Last time I saw you, you were, uh, as white as a ghost!"
"How is my trainee?" Aiden asked with a wide grin.
Ethyn smiled weakly but genuinely, "I'm better than I was. A little sore. I'll survive."
"Glad to hear it," Aiden responded. "What you did was brave! Instead of running from danger, you tackled it head on, literally." The soldier produced a short sword. "I retrieved your sword from the bandits. I have been holding onto it, because I wanted the honor of returning it myself."
The large man placed the sword next to Ethyn on the bed, and the boy ran his fingers gently over the hilt. It was not a fancy sword by any stretch of the imagination, but it was his and having it back by his side brought him great satisfaction.
Ethyn's lips curved and his eyes shone brightly. "Thank you."
Bringing two fingers to his forehead, the soldier stood to attention. "No, thank you," he said with a grand salute.
The boy glanced back toward the door. Reading his thoughts Conall answered, "Silver is still outside with Lily and Aristos. He wanted a complete report of your condition while he was gone. Aristos is out there because, uh, Lily is." Conall chuckled. The mayor loved his own wife dearly, and nearly 20 years of marriage proved to only deepen and widen that feeling. But something about the young love birds made Conall nostalgic for the early days with the excitement of every longing glance and without the burdens that age and responsibility brought. He sighed.
Aiden looked at his comrade and furrowed his brow. He elbowed the fat man. "Are you ok?" he asked.
Conall snapped out of his reverie. "Yes, yes of course." He looked at Ethyn seriously, "You saved Silver. We are all in your debt."
Ethyn's cheeks burned. They obviously didn't know the whole story. "I wouldn't say I saved him. You see…"
"Can't you brutes let the boy get some rest?" Silver appeared in the doorway. Adjusting awkwardly, they made space for him in the tiny bedroom.
Then Aristos's face peeked in. The men all exchanged glances, "There's no room!" they all said to the newcomer.
Aristos nodded. "It's just as well. I wanted to give my regards to Ethyn, but I should take Lily home. We've both had a long day. I'll see you soon, Ethyn. Get well!"
"Thank you," Ethyn responded.
Aristos nodded and disappeared from view. Silver made a shooing motion to the other two men, "Perhaps you ninnies didn't hear me. The boy needs rest."
"Alright, no need to be pushy." Conall said, his smile betraying his harsh tone. He was happy to see Silver fuss over the boy. It made him seem more human.
"But we want updates on Ethyn's healing," Aiden added sincerely.
"Of course," the Guardian agreed, trying to usher the men more quickly.
The two men wished Ethyn well. Aiden squeezed the boy's arm gently and then sheathed the sword and placed it in the corner. Ethyn was grateful. He hadn't the strength to move it, but he hadn't wanted to ask for help after their praise. Conall leaned in for another slap on the shoulder, but resisted the urge when he saw Ethyn flinch.
Conall flushed and pulled back his hand. "Sorry, I almost forgot."
"Get out!" Silver ordered as he pushed Conall out and slammed the door in the man's face.
Then he turned to Ethyn and his eyes flashed silver. Ethyn tensed. Something about the man's demeanor scared him. It reminded him of when the servants had beaten him and thrown him from his home. Then he recalled the deadly accuracy of the Guardian's arrow through the bandit's wrist. Fear gripped his heart.
"I'm sorry!" the boy yelped. "I'm so sorry!"
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The Painter: A fantasy psych thriller and epic
*** June 21th Update ***- New chapters are being posted! I haven't figured out a schedule yet, but stay tuned!- Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed, I'm happy to say The Painter is in the top 200 best-rated fictions. - Readers of The Painter have suggested reading through Chapter 6 before making a decision on this book.- The story takes place in the Lootverse, but you don't need a canonical understanding to appreciate the storyFinally, a warning or reader beware: This is not an action novel (despite the coming fight scene) but a slow-burn psychological thriller of sorts. For a time, the Painter's life was simple. He lived in the small town of Kinon (called Kinney by locals) with his wife, Kahriah and his son, Thesdon. The story begins with him alone and unable to travel more than a few hundred miles from his home. For 5 years he tried to chart his prison until one day a letter appears with a mysterious commission that will see him test his condition and his boundary. Set roughly 50 years before the impending end of days (from Loot canon), The Painter is a story about loss, grit, and exploration of a seemingly normal man in a world of magic and monsters. The Painter will follow the man on his adventure to restore his family, uncover his commissioners and discover the nature of his condition. Loot is the decentralized, global, community built fantasy world based on Dom Hoffman's art/tech experiment: Loot. Fun fact: The cover of our book is painted by the artist, who the MC is loosely based on and the same person painting the Banners (digitally) IRL for an art/worldbuilding project.
8 136Across the Realms [Dropped]
Disclaimer: I'll leave this on here for anyone to read. The last time I uploaded a chapter was nearly a year ago, and to all the readers who still kept their trust in me after I came back from my umpteenth hiatus, I am sorry. I will not carry on writing this; I started off without the correct foundations of a novel, nor commitment to fully finish it and I do not want to lie to you all once again. Maybe one day, I may decide to re-write the novel, with a new basis or at least a comprehensive starting point with many of the narrative errors cleared up; but, till then, this is goodbye. And, once again, thank you for the motivation you gave me. Even now, I see many emails come through with people commenting. Goodbye. A child blessed by the Astral. An unprecedented destiny. Watch his path, as he marches up the stairway of Heaven. A March of a Sovereign. [Adventure, Wuxia, Martial Arts, Fantasy] This is a Qihuan novel; it has eastern and western fantasy elements. More often than not in Xianxia or Xuanhuan there is a severe lack of character development, being a western writer I'm changing that. My characters, from my totally unbiased view, feel fleshed out and actually have emotions. This is my first attempt at a novel, I'm writing as a means to better convey my thoughts. I will, hopefully, steadily improve chapter-by-chapter. I'm very open to feedback and constructive criticism. As one can see this is a cultivation novel, so you know how this goes. I've decided to jump-start the whole rags-to-riches scenario. He is strong from the start and is given the utility to do so. *The cover art is not my own, all rights reserved to the owner. I will take it down if necessary. *The style of the recent chapters is comparatively different than Chapter 1.
8 98Year of the Horse
In the far future the descendants of humanity are moving back towards civilisation. A young warrior learns how to tame and ride horses which live on the far fringes of the forest near his farm. He hopes to export this skill to the larger country of his island but is foiled by their belligerent nature. Joining forces with them he discovers a secret third nation and unleashes a series of changes. He then finds that to achieve his goal he has to fight to the death against an unexpected rival.
8 205Myrr: Reincarnated Timemage Assassin
“A cute Half-Wraith magic tutor who hugs my worries away and tells me I’m a genius, a loving auntie who beats the way of the assassin into me while guarding me from demons, and a sperm-less uncle who can’t have kids of his own because he gets beaten so bad by said auntie. I…was really messed up in my past life. But with so much help, I think I might be able to smile in this one. This is a story about beautiful mistakes!” On Earth, I was a filthy-rich, depressed loner. I single-handedly bankrupted six casinos using my ability to see the future. My girlfriend was just using me for my money. I was just using her to appear normal. I trusted no one. Until that girl came. After I saved her...for some reason, I was reincarnated as a baby in another world. It seems I'm really good at magic here. But seeing into the future is a lot tougher in this life. And even if I can peek a few seconds ahead... I can't help but ask, "Why is everyone so freaking strong? I thought all girls were useless gold-diggers!" But seriously, I think I've been saved by every girl I've met in this world. My auntie hopes that I become a self-replenishing bank account...err powerful mage. She's willing to do anything for me, even pay for my education with her retirement money! Everyone here is so...selfless. It's really challenging just to survive each day. Life is way tougher than on Earth...but for some reason...I think I want to smile? [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge] # Pictures licensed under creative commons https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/16206019960 https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/35638801220/
8 248Losers' Club// one shots and smut
this is a book full of smuts and one shots of the Losers' Club. all the losers are aged up to 18+ unless stated otherwise in the chapter. this will be mostly the 2017 it cast, or the 1990 it characters (1990 very rarely).
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❝we are all searching for someone whose demons will play well with ours.❞quiet rituals and even quieter conversations; a collectanea.(© promethean 2013; cover by promethean)
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