《The Book of Dreams Chapter Two, The Temple Of Dreams》Chapter 6
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Garan crouched behind a boulder, scowling at the dozen or so Nightmares that roamed the mountainside. Any of those monstrosities could reap his life in a heartbeat, but more than that, he found the familiarity of the situation a bit jarring. The situation of that cursed day.
It had been a clear morning that day when he had hidden behind the boulders to scan a herd of water buffaloes grazing on the sparse vegetation on the hilltops. Finding a suitable beast for the feast the following day had not been an easy task, and without the help of his huntsmate, Erin, he would have failed the task.
The hunt had gone better than both of them had hoped for, giving rise to hope in their young hearts. The hope of winning against all the other young hunter couplings out there. A matter of great honour and prestige. Imagining the admiration in the eyes of the tribesmen when they rode through the tribe had thrilled them. But their glee had not lasted long.
The long trail of smoke rising on the horizon had been alarming. It had risen to the skies, twisting and turning as if alive. It had lingered there, hovering in the skies above their tribe’s tents like a colossal worm, a pitch-black centipede shaped with smoke.
And Garan had sensed an evil will fermenting insatiable greed to consume all.
“Garan!” Harker’s voice woke him up with a start. “Arda has completed scouting the way,” the big man said. “Let’s leave.”
“Are you certain it’s truly safe?” Garan asked as he sneaked up to them.
Arda’s answering smile sent chills up his spine. “Are you doubting my skills as a scout?” she asked.
“I would doubt you too after you led us to that Nightmare nest last time,” Harker scoffed at her before turning to address Erhan. “What is your suggestion, druid?”
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Erhan observed the tall peak on the horizon. The tallest peak, right in the centre of the Dreaming mountains, its dark exterior that seemed to devour the surrounding daylight, stood in sharp contrast with the rest of its snow-capped peers.
The Mountain of Hunger. Their destination.
It was still far, likely months away through this labyrinthine path. But they were still close enough for it to start affecting him. Primarily, his sense of premonition had dulled significantly. So the time had arrived for Arda to put what she had called her excellent scouting abilities into good use.
Erhan sighed and turned towards Harker. “Trust her judgement,” he said as he stepped towards the scouted path, but before he could take more than ten steps, he suddenly came to a halt.
“What—” Harker stopped, his eyes widening. And Not only him. Dread gripped the heart of the other two like a vice.
A thin trail of dark mist shimmered in the air ahead of them like a line of ink slowly dispersing in water. A Nightmare! It should have passed through the place just a moment ago.
Harker’s sword came out, and so did Garan’s bow and Arda’s knife. None of them dared to take another step, scanning the surrounding as they got ready for battle, but the Nightmare showed no sign of coming out.
Sighing, Erhan pointed his staff in a direction and started muttering a mantra. He barely noticed the pull at his blood, unusual, considering the art he was casting. But not surprising.
The holy land of druids. The interior of the Dreaming mountains received that name for a reason.
A dark silhouette jumped out of the thin air behind them, its fishlike body cutting through the air as swiftly as a falcon as it aimed for Garan’s back. But its choice of target turned out to be poor. The archer’s instincts were sharp as a well-honed blade. He turned, drawing on his bowstring in one smooth motion before he let loose. As sudden as a bolt of lightning, the arrow lodged into the skull of the Nightmare, halting its advance.
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The fish bodied monstrosity flailed its head, shaking off the shaft in one violent motion before it turned its cruel, blue-green eyes once more towards Garan and bared its fangs.
“Avoid!” Erhan’s growl shook the heart of the three. They sprang away instinctually before looking over.
The druid stood in front of the Nightmare, clenching his teeth, breathing harder and harder as he tried to steady his quivering staff. The twisted branch of thunderstruck wood shone an intense white the colour of fresh snow.
The Nightmare sensed an immense threat from within. Its eyes lit up in alarm as It tried to turn around and run, but the last word of the Mantra had already left Erhan’s mouth. An all-encompassing cold pervaded the air, penetrating all and crystalizing the powdery snow from inside.
The Nightmare flapped its body, giving its all to advance, even if only a handspan further. Its strength was immense, but it still couldn’t ward off the inner freeze. Bit by bit, its form turned sluggish. Its scales crackled like brittle glass with every movement until it stopped. Its body dropped from the air, shattering into a million pieces on the snow that had already transformed into a layer of crystal clear Ice.
Erhan lowered his staff, his eyes gliding over the surroundings. The effect was… extensive. Ideally, only the Nightmare should have perished from the Call of Tundra, which only affects what it saaimed at. But now...
His sense of premonition may have dulled, but his druidic arts had strengthened to the point of being almost uncontrollable.
The only favourable outcome of these circumstances was the lessening of the price he had to pay. Even Call of Tundra only left him breathless at best. And with the strength he had now…
He could finally put up a fight against the Nightmares.
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Manabound: Arrival
Mana exists and, somehow, seems to have a purpose, beginning with its arrival triggering a cosmic event that burst through numerous realities, bringing upheaval and turmoil to all within its path… Transported from Earth under mysterious circumstances, Sloane and her daughter Gwyn arrived in the world of Eona only to discover they had been separated from each other. Forced to venture on a desperate quest to find one another, mother and daughter each embark on magical adventures, filled with untold wonders and fantastical beings. They undertake their journeys across a continent rife with power struggles, where ancient kingdoms and guilds are in disarray, scrambling to adapt to the arrival of magic in their world. A hardware engineer by trade, Sloane must use skills learned over a long career to craft any edge she can against beings who have thrived using weapons long since obsolete on Earth. Perhaps mana will provide the answers she needs. Schedule:Daily for first two weeks!M - W - F starting 18 JulyArt by: Vicki
8 228Gameworld
Twenty years ago something had happened. The land and everything in it had changed. Magic was real and Technology was limited. New Races arose from the old and everyone was brought to an even playing field. Everyone starts at level 1 and levels up from there. Most folks will choose their class by level 5 and begin to grind out higher levels as they struggle to survive. Omachiw was different, half human and half elf he had been raised by the Elves he had once hunted. With no class and no family, he has become a jack of all trades, trying to survive in a world that had turned into a game. Based in part in the city of Regina in the Province of Saskatchewan Canada. This is a gritty urban fantasy story with horror elements set in a game world.
8 235R-Suit
The R-Suit, the pinnacle of engineering in the current world. A type of giant mech whose presence is able to single-handedly start, prevent, or end wars. On one end of Iltzik, the capital of Huitzli, the young Tzilpapali has just ascended to the ranks of the very few engineers able to create an R-Suit by herself. But what will happen to her when its existence becomes a defining factor in an upcoming war against a foreign nation? Follow this Aztec and Prehispanic-inspired mecha sci-fi story to find out!
8 98The Drowned Man
When a young wealthy libertine is murdered at the hands of a conjured spirit, the journeyman Wizard Renard Voclain and toughened Watch Lieutenant Vespia Larue are tasked with tracking down the killer - though they may not like what they find.
8 137Dreamland
Dolores is a lucky girl with a high-level avatar in a very popular game. She did not level it up; she got it through some fortunate circumstances. She is not interested in fighting and levelling; all she wants is to have some fun and follow her own fantasies. If only there would not be all those idiots who intend to kill her, capture her, or simply use her. And those flaws in the game! Wait, what? Those pesky game characters now appear in the real world? And they can do magic? How did this happen? Adding to her troubles, her crush does not even look at her. As Dolores tries only to survive and hide between 'normal' people, she encounters stranger and stranger things that force her hand and, in the end, she has the answers to a lot of questions. It is a slow-developing story. I had a lot of fun writing it and hope to share it with you, dear reader if you also enjoy it. On the other hand, putting it in an acceptable form requires much work and energy. I intend to bring it to its end and not let it unfinished. I hate it when I encounter unfinished stories, so I understand the feeling. This is not a classical isekai story. There is travel between the two worlds, and the game world seems to be so very real... well, this is one plot of the story. This is not an MMORP game story. Part of the action happens inside a game world, but it is treated as a real world. Updates on a weekly basis, at least Monday and Friday, with additional bonus chapters as time and energy allow. Cover art: White Flower as A Dark Fairy by Darkrealmsmaiden Yolanda gracefully allowed me to use her dark fairy as cover. There are many more beautiful works of art to be discovered at her site: https://www.deviantart.com/darkrealmsmaiden Additional Grammar Trigger Warning: As a non-native speaker, I do my best. Unfortunately, this is not enough for people with a low tolerance for warped sentences and... they may want to skip the story :( Well, you have been warned :) I appreciate it when a reader points out a sentence that needs rework. That may spare a follow-up reader some pain and helps me understand where my English grammar problems are. * We thought we made the best game in Earth's history We thought we made the best interfaces ever seen We thought we made it - lifelike But it far exceeded our expectations. Dolores, I hope you're happy now. I hope you're alive now...
7.91 277The Present Series 5: If Only (COMPLETED)
A story of LOVE and FORGIVENESS.
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