A scream carried to his right, gunshots to his left.
He looked both ways.
“Gunshots, I guess… because I hate myself,” Abe groaned and turned left.
Several more shots echoed in the distance and he picked up his pace.
A bald man in a trenchcoat pointed a revolver and fired between two rows of hedges. Between him and the hedges was a frozen fountain, snow heaped up at its sides.
“Where’d you go, ye’ freak?” he fired again. “I’ve got ple...
2024-04-04 04:01:46 +0000 UTC
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Elissa stormed across the armory, picking up two heavy-looking, double-axes and flinging them over her shoulders.
Turning back around, she glanced at Abe, “What are you waiting for?”
Abe nodded and turned to the racks.
Not having time to ponder, he grabbed the first sharp-looking thing he spotted—a longsword, taking it by its black leather hilt, drawing out the reflective, steel blade with a metallic hum.
“Elissa, what’s happening?” he said, hurrying after ...
2024-03-23 22:20:49 +0000 UTC
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“This is for you,” Kearn said as Abe left the room, handing him a key.
Abe eyed the intricate silver key in his palm marked by a heart.
“It's the key to your new room. The Mistress deemed your actions worthy of earning it.”
Nodding, Abe closed his hands around the key, “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me,” Kearn turned away. “Upstairs, on the third floor. The third room on your left,” he said, already walking away.
He turned to the spiral stairs th...
2024-03-14 05:28:32 +0000 UTC
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Abe showered and then made his way to the Kennels—fresh clothing and boots were provided. Ricky no longer bothered locking him up, or even forcing him into a cell, allowing him to roam the room.
Gliding his hand across rusty, metal contraptions, Abe turned to Ricky, fiddling with the same device he had been since he arrived.
“What’s this all for?”
“Oh,” Ricky turned with a perked brow of bone. “Those? Instruments to help keep the extra rotty ones together. Surv...
2024-03-14 04:23:17 +0000 UTC
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Pulling the dagger free, Abe spilled blood across the ground and steadied his feet. Twirling the stiletto around his hand, and almost dropping it in the process—Abe cast an embarrassed frown as he eyed the zombie.
The lashing tentacles flung around for a moment in anger before it charged toward him.
Narrowing on the monster Abe readied for its attack, but a feinting tentacle to his right made him flinch whilst another shot from his left, slamming into him and sending him flying ...
2024-03-14 02:15:21 +0000 UTC
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Pushing into the dark, Abe stopped to sniff. He hoped to illuminate that monster in his mind’s eye. Unfortunately, his senses were dulled—the same earthy scene from earlier filling the air.
He ran a finger along the wall, then rubbed it against his thumb, feeling the sticky moisture and bringing it to his nose.
Sap. Sticky and earthy.
It had been lathered down here far thicker than above.
His stomach sunk.
Could they be hiding something else, som...
2024-03-14 00:52:34 +0000 UTC
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Stabbing another zombie through the temple, Abe tried to calculate a rough idea of the position below the hanging crate.
He glanced back over his shoulder. The pile of zombies that had formed over his finger hadn’t been big enough for his plan.
I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?
He pressed the stiletto against his wrist and gritted his teeth—not against pain, but the thought of it.
Who needs a left hand?
He forced the razor-sharp blade ...
2024-03-13 23:20:11 +0000 UTC
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Putrid stench of rot hit his nose the moment he landed on the frozen, once-muddy ground.
The darkness faded—shifting to his hazy, gray vision.
“It stinks of death,” Abe stammered, raising a hand to his face.
“Get used to it already,” Elissa shook her head and continued into the dirt tunnel.
Low light tunneled into the tunnel from ahead, and several figures robed in black rose from rickety timber chairs as they entered a room—the dirt walls around them cover...
2024-03-13 21:40:00 +0000 UTC
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Back in his cell, Abe leaned against the wall, face down. It seemed he needed to further prove himself until he was gifted a room in the manor.
Stomping into the kennels, Elissa sighed deeply and snorted, “Fledgling!”
Slowly, Abe rose, his careful gaze cast on Elissa.
“You’re with me,” she growled, noticeably more irritable than she usually was.
Banging the key into the lock she released it and flung to gate open, “Out!”
Abe nodded and obeyed, “Wh...
2024-03-12 05:24:44 +0000 UTC
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“Stop looking at me like that, fledgling,” Elissa snapped. “You’re still weak. I could hold you down with one hand, and pick you apart with the other.”
Warily, Abe eyed her—struggling to suppress his smirk against the intoxicating power that still filled his veins.
“Feels good, doesn’t it,” Elissa chuckled, a smile peeling back what little lip she had to exaggerate her already puffy, red gum.
“What’s happening to me?” Abe muttered as his heart slowed,...
2024-03-12 05:22:13 +0000 UTC
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Grunting, the ghoul that had been thrown against the wall tremored as it tried to climb atop its broken limbs, only to fall back into the water.
Twisting its head to the left, it eyed the corner Abe hid behind, a grunt escaping its hung jaw.
There was no point hiding, this creature was obviously closer to Abe than the others.
He stepped out, gaze narrowed on the upright ghoul.
Sniffing, the ghoul waved its head in the air as if thinking.
Is it planning someth...
2024-03-12 05:19:07 +0000 UTC
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Sniffing the air, Abe’s senses pulsed. There were six remaining. He was certain.
Their scents distinguished them. Each with a unique tinge that set them apart. The air, how it curried the scents, from where it blew. Vents, entrances, corridors, and enclosed rooms. They all painted a picture in his mind’s eye. He knew where the remaining ghouls were, which paths to take to find them, and when and where to turn.
Scooping up the last bit of brain matter, he sniffed again.
M...
2024-03-12 05:13:43 +0000 UTC
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His eyes rested on the bloodied ghoul’s skull, a blackish ichor oozing and bubbling around the bone protruding from the side of its head. It was only inches from his face.
Abe expected disgust, but what he felt was hunger. An almost fruity, sweet scent mixed with one of meat struck his senses. It was drawing him in. Fueling his hunger. Calling out to him.
I can’t, that fucking disgusting. I’m not a fucking monster. I don’t care what they say, I’m not eating a fucking...
2024-03-12 03:37:18 +0000 UTC
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A musky, damp scent of mold and stagnant water assaulted Abe’s senses as he was led down the stone stairs to the sewers—Elissa leading, and Ricky trailing.
Torches dimply lit the room below, whilst a dip sounded against water somewhere out of sight.
The others had already been moved to their new cells—sunken knee-deep in the placid water that filled most chambers.
The collars used to drag them here were still fastened around their necks.
“In you go,” Elissa s...
2024-03-12 03:21:01 +0000 UTC
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Pulling at his collar, Abe straightened. Every time he looked at the silver-haired beauty sitting across from him, he struggled to keep his thoughts straight.
“So,” he stammered, eyes darting away as her seductive, long-lashed, and half-lidded gaze caught them.
“Are you always this shy?” she said, and he flinched as her paper-white, manicured hand landed atop his—the sharp tips of her red nails tracing his hand as he pulled away.
“No, I,” he swallowed.
He...
2024-03-12 03:19:34 +0000 UTC
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Hi Everyone,
As you've likely noticed I've taken a break from writing Caster V Caster. Sorry about this.
I'm not certain when I will get back to it. My heart hasn't been into it, and I don't want to force out subpar chapters.
I have been working on other stories. Shortly I will be releasing them and consolidating my tiers into one, and it will all be provided. However, this won't be chapters for Caster V Caster, but another, entirely different book. As such, I understa...
2023-12-01 19:21:14 +0000 UTC
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“Raise a toast to Earon,” Fane echoed throughout the Withering Vine, or rather, what was left of it. One side of the building had collapsed during the fighting, with rocky rubble from the dwarven siege weapons still present.
Mugs rose alongside Fane’s, clashing briefly before being brought to mouth. They were mostly soldiers that had fought at the outer wall, with a few officers that had come to pay their respects, such as Caesil.
Earon and his compatriots had pai...
2023-11-16 01:28:52 +0000 UTC
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Reverberations shook the underground passage, throwing Earon off-balance as he caught himself from falling with a quickly placed step.
They were getting stronger now.
He was jogging now, worry twisting his stomach. Hopefully, they can hold out up there.
Untying a vial from his belt, Earon removed his last rejuvenation potion and drank it whilst running. He wasn’t sure what to expect when he got back to the surface, but he was fairly certain he would nee...
2023-11-12 22:16:10 +0000 UTC
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The enemy clashed against the inner walls. But without their siege weapons, their attacks quickly faltered and fell back. That wouldn’t last long, as they would bring them through the outer walls soon.
Earon turned toward the city center where smoke billowed. A scaled, green tail flicked up and crashed against a building, sending debris flying through the sky.
He didn’t even think, making his way for the stairway down from the wall and toward the beast.
“Ear...
2023-11-09 02:56:46 +0000 UTC
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Whatever excitement Earon had managed to rally in troops of the outer wall, it quickly vanished as the crowds of dwarves below gathered.
Volleys of arrows sprayed against their wall of shields as more gathered, the occasional ballista bolt crashing through and severing limbs. But the mood was feverish, and the horde of bulky, armored warriors was unchallenged by the losses.
Gargled cries sounded across the battlefield and the heavily armored army charged up from trenche...
2023-11-08 04:26:47 +0000 UTC
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“You sure she’s still here?” Yaslin said as they approached the inn.
“Who knows? All I can say is I saw her head in there when she returned to town.”
“For your efforts,” Yeslin said, dropping a few coppers into that man’s palm.
He wouldn’t usually go chasing after strangers, but something was off about that chimera. Besides, being stuck in his master’s manor was beyond boring. But the pay was hard to walk away from.
“Hello and welcome-...
2023-11-06 03:49:21 +0000 UTC
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Still a work in progress, but it gives you something to visualize the world.
2023-11-04 19:33:26 +0000 UTC
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“Do you swear your soul internal to my slavery?”
“Yes, my king,” bowed the messy-haired dwarf in scruffy robes.
“Then so be it, raise your head serpent whisper, for you are my new Warmaster.”
The dwarf’s uncomfortably long tongue slapped at his lips whilst he rose to his feet. “It is an honour, Slave King.”
“My last Warmaster was a failure, but at least he did me the dignity to die in battle. See to it that you uphold the honour he held.”
Th...
2023-11-01 21:21:18 +0000 UTC
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Dashing between eaves Lexi made her way toward the temple of Arks, as if they might provide some protection if she got unlike and became victim to one of the hurling boulders that near constantly flew into the city.
On her way, she passed a bakery, a line stretching out from it as if life had returned to normal. It was kind of amazing, that amongst such destruction all around them, people were living in almost normal conditions.
Her hand dipped into her pocket and squeezed the Ear...
2023-10-31 22:59:17 +0000 UTC
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Secluded to a corner at the edge of the wall, Earon kept to himself. He didn’t feel like a defender, not like the other war-hardened soldiers nearby; and it was clear they didn’t see him that way either.
They were all no doubt higher levels than Earon, a combination of enlisted soldiers, landed men, and those in service to Teyarthia – squires, men-at-arms, and others of lesser standings than the paladins themselves.
Hurried footsteps pounded the ground, shaking Earon from hi...
2023-10-31 04:32:42 +0000 UTC
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Fane and Earon embraced in an awkward hug. It wasn’t that they didn’t get along, but they weren’t exactly good friends or anything.
“Where’s Iliana and Dordan?” Earon asked as they separated.
Fane’s eyes escaped Earon’s as they darted nervously around. “Dordan didn’t make it,” he signed. “And I have no idea about Iliana. The last time I saw her the ground beneath us was breaking apart. When I awoke, I was alone.”
Earon’s heart sank. Was this reall...
2023-10-30 02:07:22 +0000 UTC
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Earon spread out his arms, catching himself as dizziness took over. He was panting, hard.
“Earon, are you okay?” Lexi called out as she dashed over from the fire, where she had sat, alongside others.
It was night, and all but those chosen for the night watch had taken rest. But Earon had been acting weird, and Lexi hadn’t been able to sleep, having always kept one eye on him.
“I-I'm... I'm fine,” Earon stammered as dizzying shapes spun and the world seemed to morph...
2023-10-26 22:49:23 +0000 UTC
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Days went by with little change as they marched across the arid landscape of the Clain. There had been a few small skirmishes with monsters, but nothing of much consequence. Wherever the beasts from the scars were charging up from, they weren't appearing around here.
Earon couldn’t help but wonder where the goblin shaman had teleported him to. He had marched quite some distance through the Scarworld himself, but he was certain it was a far shorter distance than what was between the Sc...
2023-10-26 02:30:32 +0000 UTC
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“I don’t like those guys, not one bit.” Lexi huffed as she dropped herself beside Earon, who sat atop a knee-height ledge beside the merchant square.
“We’re not trying to make friends,” said Earon. The truth was that his mind was elsewhere. He had not expected to hear his companion's name.
How was Fane tied up in this?
Relief came with the revelation. At least Fane was alive. However, it was concerning that Rayets had no idea who Dordan or Iliana were. C...
2023-10-25 21:31:52 +0000 UTC
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“Stop it, stay still!” Lexi scolded as Earon’s leg instinctively pulled away as she brought the cloth smeared in healing salves to it.
Not only was the giant wound in Earon’s leg agonizingly painful, but the formulas made in Saner seemed different than Ome, or at least he never remembered them stinging so damn much.
“Earon!”
“Sorry,” Earon said, gripping his leg with both hands in an attempt to tame it.
Lexi’s eyes narrowed on Earon. “You better sta...
2023-10-24 21:29:14 +0000 UTC
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