《Den of Vipers》Book 1, Rebirth, Chapter 42: An Aside, In Which it is Not Easy Being Green
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(An Unknown Number of Months after Chapter 40 of Book 1)
As the daylight crept over the horizon, a growing town met the coming sunlight with joy. Today was just another wonderful day in which they could live beneath the eyes of their Patron God and that of the First Chosen, their undisputed and absolute ruler who was the first and greatest of their kind.
As the children ran through the streets, the menfolk began to change the guard and exchange shifts, all while the women engaged in the day-to-day running of the place and maintained the more intellectual side of keeping a civilization afloat. If this were a normal gathering of people like these, then maybe there would not be any women, but that was why they were immeasurably superior to their weaker, more feral cousins who tarnished the name of their kind and their Chosen.
As the guard shifted and two sets of people were exchanging greetings and gratitude at the guardhouses, a loud, shrill whistle came from one side of the settlement. The whistle sounded once short, then twice long, then twice short, and then a pause followed by a long whistle. At this, all eyes looked up from what they were doing, and smiles crossed their faces. It looked like they would have new members of their community soon enough.
…
As Grekel heard the whistle, he scowled. He knew all too well what that noise meant, and he hated it with an absolute passion.
He didn’t much care for the whole genre that he was unwillingly roped into, but his God didn’t much care for his opinion and had brutally crushed him every time he tried to advocate for a better, more moral way of doing things. Worse still, the more he held out against his new body and mind’s own desires and instinctual impulses, the more his God tinkered with his soul and mind to make him more compliant with his God’s whims.
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He was, day by day, refused rape of captives by refused rape of captives, losing his humanity, and that pissed him off to no end. His followers, the other Goblins, or rather, the other Grekel, were born into this world without any such human morals, and it made him sick to see them treat humans as nothing more than breeding stock, be they male or female.
However, what sickened him the most was, of course, that he was slowly, gradually, piece by irreplaceable piece, beginning to like the idea of engaging in that sick, depraved, and disgusting behavior himself. His God, the damn bastard, had taken direct control over his body enough times to force him to do some nasty, terrible things to a handful of human women, and he always ended up begging them for forgiveness and wallowing in self-loathing and rage each time.
His God, the bastard, didn’t much like that behavior, and so he had been forced to avoid doing so despite his desire to do so in order to keep his God from using him like a puppet while he could still see, hear, smell, feel, and taste what was going on.
And so, deep in his shack in the center of town, he held his head in his hands and said a silent prayer to any merciful God of Humans that would dare listen to a filthy monster.
He asked for forgiveness for his sins, and for those of his kind, and he begged for a swift and painless end for those that had been captured and that his new people would suffer as they should for their transgressions.
The door to his shack was pulled open as he sat still in prayer, and a Grekel rushed in a bit before another, larger one, grabbed the first by the ears and then pulled him back.
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“Boss! Boss! We got new meat! Wanna play with new meat?”
Grekel sighed and shook his head, saying nothing.
“Ooh! Ooh, Ooh! We get first dibs, yeah? We have fun! Save you pretty one for later, yeah? You come by have fun with meat, yeah?”
Grekel groaned and waved the younger one off, and away the younger one ran.
“Boss, you gotta make more strong ones. You Chosen. It your calling to make more strong ones.”
Grekel tiled his head and saw the second figure. The town shaman had come, and while he was magically gifted he was weak enough compared to him that Grekel could wade through whatever spells were slung his way and twist the shaman’s head off like it was the cap of a water bottle.
He was fairly sure that the only reason his Patron (and theirs) hadn’t ordered his ‘people’ to kill and replace him was because that very same God invested too damn much power into him, thus making any attempt from the other Goblins/ Grekel an exercise in futility. Plus, he had said that he would kill all of those goblins/ Grekel bastards and then himself if his God tried to rally the tribe against him, so that might have been one of the reasons why no coups had been attempted as of yet.
“I’m….” Grekel wanted to say he found the idea of raping people in and of itself to be morally and ethically wrong on countless levels, but he figured that if he tried to say that again his Patron would just throw another tantrum and he would be turned into a temporary puppet made to watch himself defile some people. That was not going to happen, so he needed another excuse.”I’m not going to make strong children with people weak enough to be beaten by such a pathetic raiding party. Once someone truly strong is captured, then I’ll make more children.”
The shaman’s face lit up as he swallowed the lie, hook, line, and sinker.
“Yes! Yes, I tell tribe! We find bigger, stronger meat to take, and you make strong little ones! We serve! Glory to Chosen, Glory to Groebeindau!”
“Yes, yes…” Grekel said dismissively while waving away the shaman. “Glory to me, and glory to Groebeindau. Now piss off and leave me alone.”
The shaman continued to nod emphatically as she closed the door, leaving Grekel to wallow in self-pity and self-loathing once more.
“I’m sorry…” he said softly to the people he could not bring himself to meet in person. “He won’t let me stop them… I beg of you… forgive me, please… End this nightmare before I lose myself and what little humanity I have left... Someone…. Please….Kill me… Kill us all….”
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Dear Human
Nial of Grennport needs to get out of town because he just killed someone. In his own words, it was "a self defense thing." So he embarks on a pilgrimage to a mysterious magical shrine across the desert with ten other pilgrims. When the murders begin to happen, everyone suspects everyone else, and it becomes immediately clear that no one is who they claim to be. Who's the killer? Is it the pompous wizard? Is it the strange creature who's always invisible? Is it the girl Nial has a crush on? And who's next? NOTE: This work of high fantasy is complete at 120,000 words, and I'll be releasing a chapter every day or so, including weekends, unless something prevents me.
8 214Mortis Operandi 1- New Hire
Thank you for reading, I have to start with that. The feedback and encouragement from RoyalRoad users helped me finish my book. I left the unedited version up as I worked on editing and making it a little more polished. However the time has come for me to put it on Amazon and hopefully let other people read the story. If you have Kindle unlimited you should be able to read the story there. If you just want to order an ebook version you can do that as well. I should have a paperback version coming up. https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B07T46B4NM Again thank you for reading and helping me on this journey. It hasn't ended however, my second book which I'm hoping to do well enough that reading the first isn't completely necessary, is still being worked on here, https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/24562/mortis-operandi-2--terms-and-conditions . Any feedback, comments, even critism is welcome as I work on giving you the best version of my story. I'll leave the first two chapters up here, unless Amazon says otherwise. There should be enough differences to avoid issues though. THANK YOU! Thank you! thank you! __________________________________ Adventurers enter dungeons every day. Battling evil monsters, defying dangerous terrain, triumphing over devious traps... ... but none of them ever ask why? That arrow trap, who reloads it? The pitfall trap, who cleans out the bodies and sharpens the spikes? What if the grates get clogged, where will the blood and gore drain? When you are trying to study ancient lore or plan on conquering a kingdom, you don't want to worry about all that. You just want peace. Mortis Operandi is a different kind of company. One that celebrates diversity. One that celebrates value in individuals. With flexible pay and plenty of advancement opportunities, it is a company that knows its workers are it's most valuable asset. As they design, build, and install traps, rooms, obstacles, and repair they are a one stop shop. When a possible recall sets events into motion, the company must pivot in a new paradigm of full circle Dungeon service. The Goblin Eft No-toes has a solution that entwines ex-adventurer Elric into the business of death. *Note the above statements are forward looking statements. In no way do they promote or suggest that Mortis Operandi will project greater sales or revenue. Understand that investing in a company does involve some risks, and possibly much rewards.
8 62Vampire Vixens From Planet X!
Bond with powerful alien combat AI. Get the girls. Save the world!All Liam wanted was a good time at his favorite local convention. Hang out with friends, find a con hookup, and make the most of the long weekend!Only Liam’s about to discover that his favorite classic of cult cinema, Vampire Vixens From Planet X!, isn’t as fictional as he thought.That’s right. The vampire vixens are real, and the bloodsucking vampire babes from beyond the stars are invading his convention looking for a few good men!Luckily Liam isn’t all alone. It turns out his day job streaming VRFPS games has caught the attention of a beautiful and badass combat AI looking to escape her vampire captors by bonding one of the local primitives and helping him build a team of beauties to save the day!Liam always fantasized about being thrust in the middle of his favorite worn out VHS tape, but he’s about to discover the real world version is way more terrifying, and hot, than any fantasy!Sexy vampires from beyond the stars! Sexy interstellar cops from outer space! A sexy combat AI looking for a new host to rescue her from the vampire menace! A sexy local girl looking for adventure beyond the stars! An unassuming hero whose Virtual Reality FPS skills just might save the world! Vampire Vixens From Planet X! is a 180,000 word finished novel that will be released on Royal Road via a few new chapters every week.
8 179Alluring Smile (Yāoráo De Wéixiào)
Have you ever loved someone? Ever miss someone - Go through four seasons without him? Feels like 10 Years. But when you finally see him - You hurt him… A tale of how a woman tries to find her Master who sacrificed his soul for her. But what would she do if to find him, she must lie, hurt, reject and leave her fiancé that sacrificed his everything for her. And what would the fiancé do to get her back and start loving him again? Follow the story of a loving ex-couple who brings shock and awe to the JiangHu World, as they play their roles in Ancient China, where they and their friends are entangled in a life of ancient tradition and culture.
8 185The Bronze Players of Recreation
The world of Creation has seen a recent explosion of what can only be called an adventurer’s culture over the past few decades. People who were once looked at as nothing more than lower class mercenaries rose to the ranks of heroes and legends as adventuring became recognized as an idealized lifestyle of overcoming hardship and finding triumph. With the establishment of a guild-based government system on the continent of Terramania, adventurers were soon legitimized and adventuring became a phenomenon universally accepted around the world. Redlette had retreated from this world to live on Earth for the remainder of her years, having been born and outcast by the gods of Creation. However, upon meeting a friend that she treasured dearly, she found herself longing for a return to her world—she wanted to experience it properly and go on adventures with someone whom she holds dear. Putting a plan into action, she meets with her friend, an awkward, nerdy boy by the username of Herring who she’d only known through years of playing online games with him, and invites him to go on this fantastic adventure with her. An adventure in another world had always been an impossible dream for Herring, but when he suddenly found himself with the opportunity to embark on one, he knew it wouldn’t be as simple as books and shows made it out to be. Redlette was notorious for rushing into things without thinking them through, and he was flighty and weak. In the games they played together, they rarely grasped victory. They were losers through and through, both in hobby and life. Despite this, though, he takes the leap and sets off with Redlette into the world of Creation. Together they only had one goal: to have fun and go on the adventure of their lives. This time, they’d establish a guild of their own and be free to take on whatever exploits their hearts desired. This is the story of the founding of their guild. Author’s Notes: -My writing style is largely based off of the absurd amount of light novels I’ve read and anime I’ve watched, so it may come off as cartoonish or exaggerative at times. If that isn’t your thing, I’d steer clear of this story.-Not an MMO story.-No numerical stats.-Relatively slow pacing.-Posts are between 2000-5000 words weekly after Chapter 1. Art Credits: Cover Art, Inserted Art, and Character Designs by @TransFlames on Twitter. World Map and Cover Logo by @figburn on Twitter.
8 138Bound To The Tyrant Prince
A fearless modern girl decided to ignore the real history and go with her own flow.Becoming a proper young lady who is abandoned by her own family was indeed hard. However, the worst has yet to come. Until one day, she was summon to go back to her family manor. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ•••His presence alone exudes dignified air of a noble. Wearing a masks caused people's fear.Her fearless actions impressed him, at the same time he draw a line between them.𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙚𝙧𝙖?
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