《Second Chance: Soldier & Daughter》Vol.1 chapter 5
Advertisement
Left, right, front and back, I leapt out of the way of the minotaur’s barrage of swings. In this tight corridor, they can only make vertical swings but still that is not enough of an advantage for me.
I have overestimated this new body of mind as it struggles to keep up with the demand of battle. Had it been in my prime days, such large creatures would have been a breeze to clear through.
It doesn’t help that Lusaia is in my arms either. Her face plants tightly into my chest and her small fingers clench onto the fabric of my shirt. Barely dodging each attack, the gush of wind that flows past us makes her shriek in fright.
With a rigid body and an imbalance hanging off my front, the margin of errors begin to go from centimetres to millitmetres. At this rate, the both of us will get hit.
I need to get the kid out of here but how?
An opportunity, I need just a single opening in their attacks.
My eyes flutter about the open space available searching for a gap. Then, I notice it. The minotaur’s footwork, it’s unstable.
In a narrow space like this, the minotaurs can’t efficiently move to counteract the rotational force with each swing.
The flurry of attacks the minotaurs generate cause the loose leaves of surrounding trees to float down towards the dry dirt road.
Placing a foot on one of many leaves, I hold for that one instance where the minotaur shifts its weight…
Now!
I swipe the leaf as it frisbees towards where I predicted the minotaur’s foot will land next. Bullseye, it steps on the leaf.
The minotaur notices its hooved feet slipping and the inertia of its axe throws it off balance. A gap in their attacks open and I waste no time at all.
Advertisement
Ripping Lusaia off of me, she doesn’t have time to make any confused expression before I toss her out of the encirclement.
Lusaia tumbles on the rough ground but she seems fine. I don’t know what happens to her next as my focus shifts towards the blade inches form my face. The battle continues.
With my body free of the burdening weight, it moves a lot faster now. The agility is enough to evade the minotaur’s swing without worrying about how close they are from my skin.
Every few seconds or so, I glance towards Lusaia. Lusaia takes her time but is gradually getting up on her feet. That’s good. At least, she can make it out of here alive… Yet, why is she just standing there?
In my mind, I screamed for her to run away.
Lusaia stands feebly on both her injured legs. Her eyes gaze at me unsteadily with tears swelling on both sides.
I cannot comprehend what this child is currently thinking but to my horror, Lusaia started walking towards me.
“What are you doing, kid!” Flabbergasted by her actions, I couldn’t help but blurt out my thoughts.
Are you insane? I gave you a chance to run and even holding them off. I’m putting my life on the line for you even but you choose to come back.
With an arm outstretched towards me, I notice her lips moving slightly as if to whisper something.
It doesn’t take long for the minotaur closest to Lusaia to flicker its attention towards her. The minotaur turns around ignoring my presence entirely.
For a creature to turn its back so easily to one prey that can fight back, are the minotaurs’ original target this girl? That’s absurd but it seems to be the case.
There’s no time to think about the reasons as it begins to charge towards her. Lusaia snaps back to reality and freezes in fear seeing the minotaur coming to kill her.
Advertisement
“Oi! Your target is me, asshole!”
With the full force of my legs, I launch myself towards the minotaur.
Instinctively sensing my killing intent, the minotaur spins around. It couldn’t lift its axe up in time to block and my fists strike true on the minotaurs cheek.
Lusaia falls backward and backs away realising her stupidity.
That punch I gave to the minotaur isn’t the strongest one I can muster. However, I can say for certain that the force behind it would deform 25 mm of armoured steel. Yet, the minotaur comes out unfazed.
This is not good. I can’t kill them. If this drags any longer, not only will I die but Lusaia as well. If I can’t even protect this child, I am truly the weakest being in the world. I would be agreeing to the words of… an old nemesis.
But if I had that sword… Yes, this might work out.
“Papa… Don’t leave Lusaia…”
Conveniently, Lusaia finally comes back to her senses. She holds tightly to the hem of my shirt looking up at me with pleading eyes.
From what I can infer, her actual father had sacrificed himself in order to protect her. Seeing me sacrificing myself so that she can run away, it’s like recounting the events leading up to the trauma that’s still fresh in her mind.
The minotaurs stand before me and the sword in minotaur corpse is far behind my back. From what I can observe in the battle that has elapsed, these minotaurs are fast despite having such burly bodies. The moment I rush to pick up the sword, either me or Lusaia will get hit. However, if one of us were to get the sword…
As heinous of a thought it is, this is the only plan that will ensure our survival.
“Lusaia…” I finally spoke. “I need you to do something for me. Whether you can do it or not will decide whether I live or die.”
“Eh? No… No! Lusaia don’t want Papa to die!”
Lusaia wraps her arms tightly around my thigh desperate as to not let me go. Seeing her like this, I can only see my daughter in her…
“Then, listen carefully. I know you’re not in the right condition but I need you to get that sword for me.” I point towards the sword’s handle protruding out of the minotaur corpse eye.
At this point, the minotaur regain their composure and begin their advance.
“If you want me to live so badly, can I trust you to get me that sword?”
Lusaia looks hesitant, just standing up is taking all of her willpower to endure. She might collapse before reaching the sword but Lusaia don’t want her Papa to leave her anymore.
“Lusaia will do it.”
“Go.”
Right as I finish my sentence, the axe head falls upon me. The battle has restarted.
Advertisement
Project TheirWorld: Book Two - Tatterskin
**IMPORTANT: Because I am trying to reconcile some of the consistancy issues due to unexpected changes in how I've decided to write the story, this story is to be renamed/reordered. I apologize for any confusion or inconvenience. The Tutorial (completed, but unedited) is now to be concidered as Book One of Tatterskin. Tatterskin will contiune without real inturruption, though "Book Two" is really going to be the rest of the series with multiple volumes. Sorry guys! I've gone and brought the chaos of my real life into the storyverse T-T. ----- Dassah Graydon was just another human woman looking for adventure in her life when she moved to the academic floating continent, the Enclave. But while she wanted to escape her mundane reality, she quickly discovers that her life there – with the exception of all the crazy aliens and the unusual setting – was no different than her life on Earth had been. After spending a couple of months getting used to the place, she finally got the chance to play the popular new VRMMORPG, TheirWorld. As she is drawn deeper and deeper into the game, however, she begins to realize that her in-game life is far more connected to the happenings of reality than she could have imagined. Finding herself in the middle of a conspiracy that threatens her life and the lives of the people around her, Dassah must decide whether she allows herself to be a puppet, or she finds the determination to become the master of her own fate. This is a Project: TheirWorld story, and there is a prequel story, The Tutorial (completed, but unedited) but if I am doing my job, you won't need to have read that to enjoy this one. ____ The story will usually update once a week, sometime on Fridays JST. The updates on Royal Road L will be about 1 chapter behind my main WordPress site found here: Project: TheirWorld. This will change, as the WordPress site will have holiday releases and RRL will not. Thank you for reading, and the support! :) ____
8 630Charles the Greatest
Carl Hart, a terminally ill 17yo pro gamer whose career had just been derailed, living in a 22nd century world that is falling apart at the seams, finds a golden opportunity when full-dive technology finally hits the market and takes it by storm. The hotly anticipated fantasy adventure that comes with it, Immortal Frontier, promises to change people's dismal lives forever. Restricted to mature audience, this wondrous realm hides myriad deadly challenges that make the hearts of seasoned warriors palpitate. Undeterred by the obstacles of callous fate, Carl resolves to take them all on as his real body crumbles. But will he make it in time?
8 178Eric the Unready
Just your typical day at college, until on the way to your next class you find yourself in a forest inhabited by pretty nerve-wracking monsters. This is a story about an average student who finds himself in a new world. Erik the Unready.
8 127Quantum Katana Online: Websuit 0.Ɛ
Washed-up e-sports champion Chie "Rose Crow" Shibuyama is forced out of retirement when her family is threatened by the all-too-real Empress NPC of The White Imperium. With a fulfilling career and happy family, what more could Chie possibly want? Still, it's human nature to strive towards self-actualization and the devious Empress knows exactly what Chie's innermost drives are. From the Empress's fortress in the glacial mountains of The White Imperium VRMMORPG, she's formulated her machinations and isn't going to give up until she's forced Chie to take up the quest for the Mirror of Truth—even if it means hurting Chie's husband Ken and their son. Ken "Yamabushi Rock" has always been there for Chie. With his conventionally perfect life, a high-paying career and a loving family, he couldn't ask for anything more—except to fulfill his burning desire to create a game as real as the next-generation VRMMORPG The White Imperium with its collapsible VR gaming sphere and full-immersion websuit. After he receives an offer too good to be true, the line between the digital and the real begins to blur. As the Empress's hypnotic gaze draws Chie and Ken deeper into the desolate naraka hell of The White Imperium with its supernatural yokai of Japanese myth, they learn that the human heart is more unbelievably twisted and horrific than the unhuman. Find out if they'll be forced to make the ultimate sacrifice and read Quantum Katana Online: Websuit 0.E. Genre niche: Techno-phantasia / Gijutsu-phantasia / Dear Readers, It would be awesome to hear your critical and stimulating thoughts! The best kind of feedback is your specific comments and unfiltered, gut-level reactions. Don't worry—even a critical hit won't keep me down for long. I'm releasing new chapters daily for a few weeks and then tapering off to a less frequent weekly schedule. I'll publish the entire novel on Amazon after I've completed serializing it here over the next few months. I love talking about stories—other than my own—so don't hesitate to chat with me on Discord or Goodreads. See my profile for links.
8 152Whiskey Gun-Smoke
In the city of East Diamond Gate crime flows like the blood of its victims. 2048 is the year of Crime lords and local gangs running the streets, as the cities government turns a blind eye and the police wither away. In order to get a grip on crime an assassin agency has been established, and one of its newer employees being Whiskey, an unranked Gun slinging assassin with a selfish motive. That selfish motive will lead Whiskey down an unexpected road.
8 80Awakening in Ruins
The kingdom of Kemnar had been at peace for more than a century. But now it is overrun by an undead army. Almost the entire country lies in ruins. Even the royal castle has fallen. But now something awakens in a secret room inside the royal castles laboratory. And it is something the world has never seen, for it was created by a mage and is the first of its kind. This story follows an artificially created being as it fights the undead while trying to find out what it is and for what purpose it was created. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is my first time writing, so I welcome any critisism.
8 216