《Vivex's Idea Dump》


 The Book of Decadence

    The sun shone down upon the wooden stand in the center of the compound. On a platform stood two men, suspending a girl between them by the arms. Another man stood behind the girl with a whip in his hand.


    ¡°Twenty lashes for failure to obey orders,¡± the man with the whip drawled. He raised the whip high into the air. No remorse or hesitation could be seen in his eyes. A loud thud rang out as the nine-tailed whip connected with the girl. She trembled violently and blood splattered the ground, but she did not make a sound.


    The young girl being whipped was Deidra, a slave. A deep tiredness could be seen in her eyes. This was not the first time she had been whipped. Her mind drifted, running away from the pain.


    ¡°Was that twenty?¡± the man holding the whip, Gregor, questioned. The men holding Deidra shrugged. They weren¡¯t counting.


    ¡°Better do ten more then,¡± Gregor laughed. Deidra didn¡¯t respond. She knew perfectly well that she had already received twenty lashes, but resistance would be futile.


    After the whip descended for the thirtieth time, Deidra was dropped to the floor. None of the nearby slaves ran over to help her. They continued about their business as usual. The hestus mines were an unforgiving place. If they attempted to help her, it would be their turn to get lashed.


    Gregor turned to the fallen Deidra


    ¡°You better come to my room tonight,¡± he said with lust-filled eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t try to run away again. Next time I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    Deidra nodded. After seeing her consent, Gregor smiled and walked away. Once Gregor had disappeared from sight, Deidra used her remaining strength to stand on her feet. She slowly limped towards her room located in the lower levels of the mine.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    As she walked the sound of pickaxes striking stone filled her ears. The workers were mining hestus, a stone that was ground into powder and used in healing potions. Ironically, injured slaves would never get the potion used on them.


    Her pupils dilated as she circled down the ramp that led to her home. In the center of the spiraling ramp was empty air that continued downwards for miles. The workers referred to the hole as The Pit. Waste and corpses were thrown into it, never to be seen again.


    After walking for numerous minutes she entered the shack that was her home. The second her foot crossed the threshold a hate-filled voice yelled at her.


    ¡°Stupid girl,¡± a woman snarled, ¡°Look at the mess you¡¯ve gotten yourself into. If Gregor orders you to go to his room, you go to his room.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only thirteen grandma,¡± a tired Deidra said in a quiet voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± the woman said, releasing a vicious kick that sent an already injured Deidra to the ground.


    ¡°Yes Martha,¡± Deidra said weakly, crawling towards her bedding.


    ¡°Lazy girl,¡± Martha sneered, her hands on her hips, ¡°You have two hours to rest. After that you¡¯re back to work.¡±


    ¡°Yes Martha,¡± Deidra nodded her consent. Martha snorted before exiting the hut.


    Deidra laid on her side, her entire body was wracked with pain. She didn¡¯t feel it though. She had become numb to such torture long ago.


    ¡°Why am I alive?¡± Deidra wondered, ¡°Why is the world so cruel?¡± Tears fell down her face.


    ¡°I wish it would just end already.¡± She hated this world. It was full of nothing but suffering. From the moment she was born she had known nothing but sorrow.


    As she finished her sentence a chord struck her brain and she struggled to her feet. That¡¯s right she thought to herself. She could end it anytime she wanted.


    She exited her house and walked towards the railing that separated her from the abyss. It would be easy, she thought to herself. All she had to do was fall over. Hesitation flickered through her eyes. Did she really want to kill herself?


    Just as the thought crossed her mind she felt a pair of hands push her back. As her body fell over the edge she turned and saw the cruel eyes of her grandmother staring back at her.


    ¡°The world really is cruel.¡± Deidra said sadly, just as her body plummeted into the darkness.

 The Book of Decadence 2

    Chapter 1: The Book of Decadence


    Deidra fell for so long she was beginning to suffocate.


    ¡°Maybe the pit goes on forever?¡± she thought curiously. Even though she was plummeting to her death she still was calm.


    ¡°This is for the best,¡± she sighed. Once she hit the ground she would no longer have to worry about anything. Her mind drifted to thoughts of her life. She tried to think of all the happy moments, but she couldn¡¯t think of anything. Her entire life was a waste. It was filled with nothing but misery.


    As depressing thoughts went through her head, a change in the air woke her out of her reverie. She turned in the sky to gaze at the expanse below her. A large pile of corpses and skeletons, stacked hundreds of feet into the air, laid below her. She was about to collide into them. She closed her eyes.


    She smacked into the tower and felt excruciating pain before the life faded from her eyes. She died instantly. Her corpse rolled down the mountain of bodies for hours. It miraculously avoided getting stuck as it made its way down, deeper into the pit. Her body picked up speed before bumping into a skull. It went soaring through the air before smacking into a wall. Her body slid down it, ending up in a location far away from any other corpses.


    Deidra¡¯s body landed on top of a thick, dusty book. Her blood poured onto it, drenching it completely.


    After sitting in the darkness her body turned greenish-black. Her skin became marbled as the blood vessels began breaking down. Fluids drained from her eyes and nose, seeping into the soil and the book below.


    After an unknown length of time, insects located her body. They crawled through and ate away at her remaining flesh, turning her body into a skeleton.


    It was at this point that the book, miraculously intact, shone. A baleful aura was released from it that seeped into Deidra¡¯s bones. Deidra¡¯s skeleton trembled. Tendons and organs were created from nothingness. Skin grew back and covered her body once more. An evil presence permeated through her newly created flesh.


    The body raised a hand to its face.


    ¡°How am I still alive?¡± Deidra thought bewildered. All she remembered was smacking into the ground. The next thing she knew, she was here, completely free from pain.


    She rose to her feet, stepping on the fluid-stained book in the process. She picked it up. The words on the cover were scribbled in an archaic language but she instinctively knew what it said.


    ¡°The Book of Decadence,¡± she breathed. The book filled her with mixed emotions. She felt a deep fear for the book, but at the same time she felt a deep attachment to it.


    ¡°Am I alive because of this book?¡±


    She heard of the magical treasures contained in the world of Aeron. She knew this book must be one of them. She could think of no other reason as to how she survived the fall.


    She opened the book and turned to the inside cover. The following words made her shudder:


    Book 1: Summoning


    Book 2: Bones


    Book 3: Pain


    Book 4: Siphoning


    Book 5: Disease


    ¡°There are more?¡± she wondered, knitting her eyebrows. After thinking for a moment she turned back to the cover. At the very bottom she noticed a ¡°1¡± engraved on the book. She owned the first of the series.


    She flipped to the first page and read the words:


    ¡°There are six elements of magic,¡± the book opened, ¡°Water, fire, wind, earth, light, and darkness. At least that¡¯s what people think.¡±


    Deidra frowned, ¡°What is the book talking about? There are more than six elements?¡± Even though she never met a mage in her life, the basics of magic were common knowledge.


    ¡°There are forbidden types of magic too,¡± the book continued, ¡°Magic so powerful and so deadly that it was outlawed by the gods. The elements of blood, death, and life.¡±


    ¡°This book is one of the few remaining that teach these dark arts. Once you have bound the book you will walk down a path of power. None will stand in your way. They call us heretics but they are afraid of our might. Read carefully and the world will be yours to control.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Deidra sighed before closing the book. She didn¡¯t want to control the world. All she wanted right now was to die. She set the book aside. She was tired.


    She walked around the mountain of corpses, searching for an object. After looking around for a while she finally found a rusty dagger. She immediately plunged it into her chest.


    ¡°Just as I thought. It doesn¡¯t hurt,¡± Deidra exhaled. No blood poured from the wound. After a few seconds it closed. She changed her grip on the weapon and slammed it into her head. Her consciousness didn¡¯t even fade. She was immortal.


    With a tired sigh, she began walking around the pit, trying to find a way out. After searching for weeks she gave up. There was no escape.


    ¡°What do I do now then?¡± she pondered, ¡°Do I just sit here?¡±


    She closed her eyes and sat against the wall of the cavern. She would lay there until she died.


    Deidra sat unmoving for a month. Dust covered her body. Eventually, her eyes snapped opened.


    ¡°I can¡¯t die of starvation either,¡± she concluded. After a month she didn¡¯t even felt a trace of hunger. She couldn¡¯t even sleep. Instead, she went into a strange state of awareness, not really asleep, but not really awake either.


    The world truly was cruel. She wanted nothing more than to die, yet the world wouldn¡¯t even allow that. Maybe the book would have the answers she was seeking. She flipped through it. The book contained very detailed explanations on how to summon and control the dead. There was nothing about ending her life though.


    After a moment of hesitation she brought her dagger to the book. She stabbed at it, only to have the dagger deflect off of it. She groaned inwardly. How could she expect her dagger to destroy a magical artifact?


    She was running out of ideas. Maybe magic could kill her, but she didn¡¯t know any. The magic contained in the Book of Decadence was all summoning magic. There was nothing directly offensive.


    Deidra sat down and pulled out the Book of Decadence.


    ¡°At least I have something to read,¡± she mused. The book explained that only someone with very strong death element could bind with the grimoire in the first place, so she didn¡¯t have to worry about lacking talent.


    The first chapter explained the importance of being able to sense the element of death. Luckily for Deidra, she was surrounded by it. Thanks to the book, the stench of the dead didn¡¯t bother her at all. She grasped the concept quickly. With just a thought she could sense any dead bodies in the vicinity. According to her calculations, there were approximately a hundred-thousand skeletons sitting inside of the pit. For some reason, none of them completely decomposed.


    Deidra read further. According to the book, after being able to sense death, one could begin to control it. There were two paths. She could attempt to summon and control the undead that existed in other planes, or she could inject her magic into corpses and control them that way.


    Conjuring the dead from other dimensions was risky as you could end up summoning something beyond your strength to control. On the other hand, summons were usually stronger than the undead that were made from existing corpses.


    After some thought, Deidra decided she would follow the second route. There was already a large amount of dead bodies in front of her. She might as well take advantage of the situation.


    She paused. It was bizarre how the vast amount of corpses didn¡¯t disturb her. Was this another effect of the book? She shook her head. It wasn¡¯t important.


    Deidra walked around to the body pile. The book said that the fresher the corpse, the better and stronger the undead would be. She decided to start with one that had been rotting for a long period of time. That way, if she lost control of it, she believed she would be able to fight back. Not that it could kill her anyways.


    After searching for a while she found what she was looking for. A skeleton with no discernible age or gender. The bones were brown from sitting in the dirt for so long.


    Deidra took a deep breath. She gathered the death elements at her fingertips. With a thought, they coursed from her fingertips and began making their way towards the bones. They covered the skeleton in a malignant aura.


    She concentrated on the task for two hours, but in the end nothing happened.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t it work?¡± she thought, puzzled. She turned back towards the book.


    ¡±Oh!¡± she exclaimed in understanding, ¡°I didn¡¯t see that part.¡± She was missing an important aspect of the ritual. Emotion. The Book of Decadence explained that strong emotions were needed to make the revival a success.


    Deidra was puzzled. What emotion should she use? She wasn¡¯t happy. She wasn¡¯t sad either. She felt nothing inside.


    After lapsing into thought, an emotion rose to the surface. Hate.


    She grit her teeth. That¡¯s right. Hate was an emotion she hadn¡¯t allowed herself to feel in ages. Hate towards Gregor and towards Martha. Hate towards the world.


    She trembled in rage and injected her magic into the skeleton once more. This time it reacted instantly. The bones shook and vibrated with great intensity. The magic changed the skeleton, turning it from a faded brown to a brilliant white. The skeleton¡¯s limbs were connected by magic. In an instant the ceremony was complete.


    The skeleton immediately knelt on one knee, head bowed in subservience. Deidra was satisfied, but felt fatigued, a feeling she hadn¡¯t experienced since she was revived.


    ¡°I¡¯m too weak,¡± Deidra muttered. Just awakening one measly undead made her this tired. Luckily, the book told her the phenomenon would not last. The more she used her magic, the stronger she would grow.


    Deidra looked up towards the sky, the pit loomed above her. An idea formed in her mind. She knew how she could get out.


    Magic swirled at her fingertips once more. She would continue her practice until her plan could come to fruition.


    That¡¯s exactly what she did. For three years without rest Deidra practiced her magic. Her control over the element of death grew at an exponential rate. There was one side effect though. Her state of mind. Hate filled her thoughts every second of the day for the three years she practiced her magic. The desire for vengeance began to permeate her very being.


    ¡°As soon I get out of here you¡¯ll pay!¡± a sixteen-year-old Deidra swore. Her desire for vengeance didn¡¯t extend just towards Gregor and Martha, but towards the very world itself.

 The Book of Decadence 3

    Chapter 2: Revenge


    Gregor whistled to himself as he watched the slaves work. The dull thuds of pickaxes were music to his ears. This year¡¯s haul had been exceptionally good. A worker had discovered a new vein of hestus.


    There was only one thing that could have made his day better. His loins itched as he thought back to the black-haired girl who had killed herself three years ago. He should have taken her when he had the chance, he lamented.


    After making sure the slaves were following directions he headed towards his quarters. After he entered his home, he poured himself a glass of ale. Life was pretty good, he grinned. Most people would look down upon a mine foreman, but it was an easy job. He got to boss people around all day and he didn¡¯t have to pay the slaves a single copper.


    He took a long sip from his glass. He was about to set it down and take a nap when he heard multiple screams resound throughout the mine.


    ¡°What now?¡± he thought, furrowing his brow. He grabbed his sword off the desk to his side and made his way towards the direction of the scream. He approached one of the guards in charge of overseeing the workers.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he asked in gruff voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure boss,¡± the guard replied, ¡°The slaves just started going crazy. I think they¡¯re trying to escape.¡±


    ¡°A rebellion!¡± Gregor grinned. Rebellions were fun. Unarmed slaves versus armed guards. The result was obvious. It was the perfect opportunity for Gregor to have some fun.


    Just as the thought crossed his mind, the ground began to tremble. He looked down the ramp that led deeper into the mine and went pale. Thousands of slaves were charging towards him.


    ¡°All of them?¡± he panicked. This was the first time he had seen so many slaves rebel at once. Usually they were so cowardly that only a handful fought back at any given time.


    It was then that Gregor noticed something strange about their behavior.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯re trying to rebel,¡± the bizarre notion filled his head, ¡°It looks like they¡¯re running away from something.¡±


    Deep dread filled the eyes of the running slaves, they trampled over one another in their haste. Gregor¡¯s heart grew cold, he had never seen them behave in such a fashion.


    ¡°Seal the gate!¡± he roared. A massive portcullis stood between the mine and the outside world. It was reinforced. Once it was shut no one could get in, and more importantly no one could get out.


    The gate rumbled as it began to descend. The running slaves panicked. Their speed increased as they bolted towards the exit. Gregor¡¯s guards stood in their way with swords drawn. They slashed at the incoming thralls, doing everything in their power to combat the surging tide.


    Some slaves successfully made it to the other side of the gate and continued on to freedom. The unlucky ones were crushed beneath the weight of the gate or were trapped on the other side.


    ¡°Stop this instant!¡± Gregor bellowed. The slaves were slamming their bodies against the gate in an attempt to break it.


    Just as he was about to personally go and remove the slaves pounding against the gate, he noticed movement in the distance.


    ¡°Why are those slaves moving so slowly?¡± he wondered, bewildered. He couldn¡¯t understand why some people were rushing towards the gate while others were slowly shambling towards it. It wasn¡¯t until they got closer that Gregor understood. Dread immediately filled his heart.


    The undead!


    The lumbering figures were decayed. Some were missing limbs and others were complete skeletons. He instantly turned towards the men operating the gate.


    ¡°Open up!¡± he howled. His men looked at him in confusion. Didn¡¯t he just tell them to shut it?This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°It¡¯s the undead!¡± he shouted, ¡°It¡¯s the undead!¡±


    The men operating the gate immediately went pale. Their hands trembled as they rapidly began turning the switch that controlled the gate. Just as the gate was about to rise, an arrow streaked through the sky and caught one of the men in the throat.


    ¡°Dear gods,¡± Gregor whispered. The undead had weapons! Gregor immediately changed his plan. He knew there would be no escape. They would have to fight.


    ¡°Get into formation!¡± he cried. The veterans among the guards obeyed instantly. They immediately lined up, shields and swords at the ready.


    Armed skeletons made their way to the front of the horde. They wore rusty armor and had equally depreciated weapons. However, they held an overwhelming advantage in numbers. Gregor¡¯s band of one hundred guards would not be able to hold out for long.


    Just as the undead got a dozen feet away, they abruptly stopped. Their formation split in half, creating a long aisle down their center. Gregor blanked at their strange behavior. His hand gripped his weapon until his knuckles turned white. He wasn¡¯t sure what was happening, but it unnerved him.


    The mine turned deathly quiet. The slaves huddled against the gate, trembling in fear. Gregor¡¯s men waited with their breath held, not sure what to expect.


    After a few minutes of waiting, the sounds of footsteps rang out. Someone was walking through the corridor of the undead.


    When the figure made its way into view, Gregor¡¯s heart immediately lurched.


    The figure had long black hair that reached towards the floor, and pale white skin that looked as if it had never seen the light of the sun. More importantly was the aura the individual possessed, deep hatred seemed to seep out from her very core. Her eyes contained a baleful light that caused Gregor to quake in fear.


    With a voice that grated against Gregor¡¯s nerves, the woman spoke.


    ¡°Hello Gregor.¡±


    Gregor trembled. The woman knew his name.


    ¡°I-I-I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve never had the pleasure of meeting you before, o¡¯ mighty necromancer,¡± he stuttered. He immediately knelt upon the floor in submission, casting his gaze towards her.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t remember me?¡± the figure frowned, ¡°No matter.¡±


    Deidra cast her gaze amongst the slaves, causing them to back away in fear.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Martha?¡± she sent Gregor a questioning glance.


    ¡°Who?¡± Gregor asked, confused. There was no way he could remember the names of all the slaves that worked in the mine.


    ¡°Useless,¡± Deidra sighed. She closed her eyes and began to sense the element of death. Her grandmother was old. She should be a hair¡¯s breadth away from leaving the mortal realm. After a minute of searching, she found who she was looking for. Cowered amongst the center of the slaves, sat an old woman with white hair. A cruel expression was etched into her very being.


    Deidra snapped her fingers. Two skeletal warriors immediately walked forward and grabbed Martha. They dropped her in front of Deidra.


    ¡°Hello grandmother,¡± Deidra said, hate-filled eyes glancing downwards.


    Gregor¡¯s mind reeled. He recognized the old woman. It was the grandmother of the girl that died three years ago. He grew faint. The last thing he had done to Deidra was whip her. What would be in store for him?


    ¡°Stupid girl,¡± Martha spat, ¡°Can¡¯t even die properly.¡± Deidra¡¯s face grew cold.


    With the assistance of her skeleton helpers, she hoisted Martha into the air.


    ¡°An eye for an eye,¡± Deidra muttered. She dragged Martha to the edge of the abyss.


    ¡°Goodbye Martha,¡± Deidra said with a frown. She threw her into the pit.


    Gregor felt a wetness in his pants. He had pissed himself from fear. He slowly backpedaled, trying to escape from Deidra¡¯s notice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Deidra ordered, without turning her back.


    ¡°I still haven¡¯t carried out your punishment.¡±


    Gregor grew frenzied. He ran in attempt to escape from Deidra¡¯s wrath. He was too slow though. With speed unbefitting the undead, Deidra¡¯s skeleton army dashed forward and grabbed him by the arms.


    Deidra slowly walked towards him.


    ¡°Twenty lashes for failure to obey orders,¡± she drawled. She reached his side and pulled away his whip.


    With the flick of her wrist she sent the scourge directly into Gregor¡¯s back. He howled in agony.


    She slowly counted aloud. However, when she reached nineteen she stopped.


    ¡°What number was I on again?¡± Deidra asked her skeletons. Naturally, they didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°I guess I better do a hundred more,¡± she grinned.


    An hour went by as Deidra carried out Gregor¡¯s punishment. His back was a mess of blood and gore. He had fainted long ago.


    ¡°Maybe this will wake you up,¡± she said, pulling out the rusty dagger she had retrieved long ago.


    She held it towards his crotch. Then, with a slash, she severed Gregor¡¯s member from his body.


    He jolted awake, howling in agony before passing out once more.


    Deidra still wasn¡¯t satisfied. Her hatred ran too deep. With a thrust of the dagger she inserted it into Gregor¡¯s neck, causing his blood to spread onto the dirt.


    She then closed her eyes, gathering her magic into the air. With a snap of her fingers the death elements surged through the air and entered Gregor¡¯s body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll let you go that easily,¡± Deidra smiled, a crazy look in her eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯ll serve me for the rest of eternity.


    With a laugh, she turned towards the remaining slaves.


    ¡°Kill them,¡± she ordered. Her hatred had consumed her long ago. She would not stop until the world itself was destroyed.


    Her undead army surged forward. Rotten teeth sank into human flesh. Rusted swords bit into bone.


    Deidra¡¯s nostrils flared, taking in the smell. Her smile grew wider in satisfaction.


    Now there were more corpses to add to her legion.

 The Book of Decadence 4

    Chapter 3:


    Deidra surveyed her army from atop the whipping stage. Her hair whirled back and forth as the wind blew through it.


    Of the one-hundred thousand dead bodies that existed in the pit, she could control one-tenth of them. As it stood, she owned an army that could rival a small kingdom. She just wasn¡¯t sure what to do with it.


    Her hatred wasn¡¯t appeased, even after enslaving Gregor and killing her grandmother. She planned on destroying the world itself, including its inhabitants.


    ¡°The world has existed for far too long,¡± she muttered aloud, insanity raging through her eyes, ¡°If I don¡¯t end it, the cruelty will never stop.¡±


    She turned towards the newly resurrected Gregor who stood by her side. No emotion was visible in his eyes as he looked at her. He was now her puppet.


    ¡°Do you think the escaped slaves will cause a problem?¡± she asked him, referring to the slaves who managed to run away before the gate closed.


    ¡°No,¡± her thrall said in a monotone voice, ¡°They are defenseless and without food or water. They stand no chance at escaping the mountains alive.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Deidra nodded. She didn¡¯t want to worry about loose mouths telling someone about her army before she was ready.


    ¡°I need more power,¡± Deidra sighed. After three years of practice she could control ten-thousand corpses simultaneously, but that was her limit. She knew that without the knowledge from the other books of decadence, her power wouldn¡¯t increase.


    After a moment of thought, she turned to Gregor, ¡°Where¡¯s the biggest library?¡±


    ¡°The largest library is located at Sindak Academy in the Tolbera region,¡± Gregor answered without moving.


    The Tolbera region was a grassy plain land, located about a month away from the harsh mountains where the hestus mines lay.


    Luckily, Deidra had not been a slave her whole life. Her parents were merchants, they taught her the basic qualities of life before they were slaughtered. Her face grew dark. Her parents¡¯ deaths were another cruel injustice of the world.


    She took a deep breath and shook her head. She needed to stop focusing on the past and worry about the present.


    ¡°Get a group of undead and gather all the valuables in the compound. I want to see what wealth I¡¯ve accumulated.¡±


    Gregor bowed, then immediately set off to follow her orders. It wasn¡¯t long before large sacks were placed in front of her.


    Deidra walked forward and used her rusty dagger to slice one of the bags open. Instantly, gold poured out of the cut in a flood.


    Deidra¡¯s eyes lit up in surprise. She walked towards the next bag and repeated the process.


    ¡°Are all these sacks filled with gold?¡± she asked Gregor.


    ¡°No. Two-thirds are filled with gold. The other third is filled with silver,¡± he replied blankly.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Deidra grinned in satisfaction. Apparently overseeing a mine was more profitable than she realized.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the closest city from here?¡± she asked thoughtfully.


    ¡°Corat is a week¡¯s travel due south.¡±


    Deidra nodded slowly. Corat was on the way towards Sindak Academy. This would work perfectly.


    ¡°Good. Fetch a half-dozen of the healthiest looking undead you can find and give them all headgear. I don¡¯t want anyone to realize they aren¡¯t alive. After that, go grab a wagon. I know you have a couple.¡±


    Gregor nodded and set off to complete her task. In a matter of minutes six undead were lined up in front of her, wearing the armor of deceased guards. Closed helmets covered their faces preventing their dead eyes from being seen.


    Deidra pointed towards the six. You are to be my personal guards. Don¡¯t let any harm befall me.¡±


    The undead fell to their knees with a thud.


    She then pointed towards an undead that was standing by the side, ¡°You¡¯re going to steer the wagon.¡±


    ¡°Gregor. You¡¯re going to be my attendant. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes milady,¡± Gregor replied, instantly falling into character. Deidra was glad the undead weren¡¯t stupid. Though according to the book, their intelligence directly correlated to her ability as a spellcaster.


    ¡°Hook up the wagon and load it with the gold. Then fetch me a carriage and horses for each of my guards. We¡¯re going to travel to Corat.¡± The compound contained numerous wagons and carriages to transport the mined hestus.


    Four days later on a forest trail, a wagon could be seen slowly plodding forth. Surrounding the wagon were six men on horseback, keeping a steady pace alongside it.


    Hidden farther up the road, a group of bandits waited in ambush


    ¡°Are you sure this is a good idea?¡± one the bandits asked their leader, a nervous look on his face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a coward,¡± the bearded leader grunted, ¡°There are fifteen of us and only six of them.¡±


    ¡°When they get close the archers will pick them off from the trees. The rest of us will surround them and pick off the guards.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re obviously robbing some snotty noble,¡± he laughed, pointing towards the carriage and the wagon following it.


    Just as he finished talking, the wagon approached.


    ¡°Attack!¡± he roared. Instantly, the air filled with the whizzing of arrows.


    The archers¡¯ aim was perfect. Three of the riders immediately took arrows to chest and were knocked off their horses. The rest of the bandits followed up quickly. Before the rest of the guards could react, daggers and swords impaled them.


    Another barrage of arrows followed closely. The people steering the wagon and carriage were riddled with arrows.


    ¡°That was easy,¡± the bandit leader laughed, ripping his sword out of a fallen guard¡¯s chest.


    He then turned towards the carriage and yelled, ¡°Come on out!¡±


    Slowly, the door to the carriage opened.


    The bandit leader was instantly bewildered.


    ¡°A slave?¡± Standing in front of him was a dirty looking girl in disheveled clothing.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he barked towards her.


    Before he could get an answer a squeak of fear stole his attention.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± he asked angrily, turning towards his nervous comrade.


    ¡°Y-y-your sword!¡± the bandit said, pointing towards the bandit leader with a trembling finger.


    ¡°My sword?¡± the bandit leader asked, his eyes furrowed in confusion. He looked at the blade in his hand. His face drained of color. There was no blood on it.


    The girl in ragged clothing opened her mouth, ¡°Attack.¡±


    The fallen guards surged to life, grabbing the bandits by the ankles. Tooth and nail sank into exposed flesh. The bandits let out howls of pain.


    ¡°Leave none alive,¡± Deidra ordered. With supernatural strength her undead soldiers leapt into the trees, dragging screaming archers to their doom.


    The bandits tried to fight back. Their weapons sank into the bodies of the guards repeatedly.


    ¡°Cut off their heads!¡± the bandit leader roared, but it was no use. The undead were too strong for them. After a few minutes of bitter struggling the body of the bandit leader slipped to the floor.


    Deidra sighed. Her guards were a mess. Numerous stab and arrow wounds existed on their bodies. Thankfully, she had new, fresh, corpses she could use. After dismissing her older soldiers to the grave, she raised new ones.


    ¡°That was fun,¡± she grinned. After a moment of thought she looked down at her clothes. She sighed.


    ¡°I need new clothing, don¡¯t I?¡± she internally grumbled, ¡°Just another thing to do when we get to Corat.¡±


    She gathered up her entourage.


    ¡°Time to go,¡± she yawned.

 Gorehound

    Prologue


    He was suspended from the ceiling, a look of disbelief in his dead eyes. A meat hook protruded from his jugular, entering from the back of his neck. A pool of blood lay at his feet as the warm liquid dripped slowly from his severed wrists.


    The man¡¯s name was Drew Finch, a guard for the kingdom of Asthar. He was investigating a disturbance in the middle of the night, and before he knew it, his life was robbed from him.


    Standing in front of his corpse stood a fat man with a cleaver. He licked his lips jovially as he flourished his knife.


    ¡°Sorry Mister Finch,¡± the man laughed, a sound that would send a shiver down even the bravest man¡¯s spine.


    ¡°You were in the wrong place at the wrong time.¡±


    He walked towards the hanging man and lifted him from the hook, throwing his body towards the ground. The corpse¡¯s head collided with the floor with a sickening smack.


    The fat man circled around the body, inspecting it. After a moment of thought, he stooped over it, raising his cleaver.


    He brought down the weapon with blinding speed, striking Drew across his already shredded throat. With a sickening squelch, the head was severed from the body.


    The fat man didn¡¯t pause, he repeated the process with Finch¡¯s limbs, removing them from the torso.


    ¡°Chop, chop, chop!¡± the man sung. Insanity raged in his eyes.


    After splitting the body into pieces, he pulled a carving knife from his pocket. He stabbed it right below the man¡¯s sternum and dragged it downwards, cutting open the stomach.


    With the jovial smile still on his lips, he reached inwards, grasping an object in his hands. With a wrench, he removed the organs one by one, setting them in a pile by his side. As he removed the heart, he stopped, noticing that it was still beating dully. He stroked it gently for a few moments before setting it aside.


    After gutting the man, he walked into the corner of the room and retrieved two buckets. He gently set the limbs and organs inside. He grabbed the torso and hauled it into another room. A fireplace glowed hotly nearby. The man threw the remainder of the corpse into the fireplace, letting it burn.


    The body charred quickly, sending dark plumes of smoke through the chimney opening. The fat man closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, shuddering in delight at the smell.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    After inhaling a few more times, his eyes snapped open and he returned to the previous room. He grabbed the bucket containing the limbs and hauled them onto a nearby table. He retrieved a knife and began the process of skinning. He slowly and methodically removed the flesh from the appendages, humming during the process.


    After the skin was successfully removed, he tenderly cut off the fat and ligaments, isolating the muscles. With an experienced flourish, he cut off the meat, putting it on to the table. He then retrieved his cleaver once more.


    He expertly cut the muscles into bite-sized pieces, placing them onto a pan. He held the skillet over a fire, adding pieces of onions and bell pepper to the mix. After the meat had browned, he walked over to the dough he had set aside earlier. He used a spoon to add the meat, quickly transforming the materials into a meat pie.


    After the pie was complete, he placed it into one of the numerous brick ovens that lined the walls. He repeated this process multiple times, creating dozens of pastries.


    After the pies were cooked, he carefully pulled them from the oven, and took them into yet another room. This one was crowded, multiple people sat waiting in anticipation.


    ¡°Sorry for the wait,¡± the fat man laughed, ¡°This one took a while to subdue.¡±


    ¡°No need to apologize Alexander,¡± one of the guests said with a smile, ¡°As long as it tastes good none of us will have any complaints.¡±


    The rest of the crowd nodded in agreement.


    ¡°The meat on this one was a little tougher than usual, but it will still taste fantastic,¡± Alexander grinned.


    After giving the pies to the guests, they all began to dig in. Teeth chewed through the brown crust of the pie, sinking into the meat.


    ¡°Delicious!¡± they exclaimed, eating with renewed fervor.


    Alexander smiled as he gazed over his ravenous guests. Suddenly, that smile faded. He noticed one individual who hadn¡¯t touched their pie yet.


    ¡°Is something the matter Lilith?¡± he asked, knitting his eyebrows, ¡°Do you not like my cooking?¡±


    The woman named Lilith was beautiful. With white hair and violet eyes, she would mesmerize anyone who saw her. She stared at the pie in front of her, various emotions in her eyes.


    Upon hearing Alexander¡¯s question, she sighed.


    ¡°Not at all, Alex. I¡¯m just thinking about some important matters,¡± she placated him.


    ¡°Oh?¡± the fat man voiced, raising an eyebrow, ¡°What could be more important than dinner?¡±


    ¡°Deciding the best way to kill you all,¡± the woman sighed once more.


    The room immediately went quiet, sounds of chewing stopped. All the heads in the room turned to focus on her.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Alexander asked in confusion, ¡°Did I hear you correctly?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Lilith smiled, standing up from her seat.


    She shook the long sleeves of her dress, causing multiple knives to fall into her palms. With the flick of her wrists, they soared through the air.


    The blades moved as if they were alive, traveling through space of their own accord, making their way to their targets. Alexander and company weren¡¯t able to react in time. The knives found their marks, implanting themselves in eye sockets and throats. Blood spewed forth, soaking the table and the food.


    Lilith smiled sadly and sat back down in her chair, taking care to not get any blood on her clothes.


    Then, with a sigh, she bit into her blood-soaked pie.

 Eyes of Evil 1

    Chapter 1:


    ¡°The first essential of life is blood,¡± said a young woman as she wrote on a board, ¡°The second essential of life is bone.¡±


    Inside of a cathedral sat a group of young children. They stared at the woman at the board with rapt attention.


    ¡°The third is muscle. The fourth is skin,¡± as the woman ended her sentence, she finished drawing a diagram.


    The woman turned to the kids and smiled, ¡°I am a bone priestess. Of the 100 levels within the ranking system, I am rank 32.¡±


    Awe spread on the children¡¯s faces.


    One of the children raised her hand. The girl was petite with a lovely face and startling black hair.


    ¡°Are you going to test us Sister Wex?¡± she asked. Her big, brown eyes were opened wide in curiosity.


    ¡°Yes, Ferra,¡± Sister Wex smiled lovingly, ¡°I¡¯ll need to extract some of your essence first. It¡¯ll hurt the first time, so you need to be brave, okay?¡±


    The children nodded their heads in determination, already knowing what was expected of them.


    ¡°Get in a line and come on up then,¡± Wex laughed. The kids quickly shot to the feet and scrambled to get in front of her.


    The first to appear in front of Wex was a brutish looking boy. Wex¡¯s eyes lit up in appreciation as she grabbed his hands.


    Before the boy could react, she placed a finger on his forehead. With a tug, conjured a tiny, pink-colored thread. At her gesture, the boy grunted in pain, growing pale.


    ¡°Muscle essence! As expected Cassus,¡± Wex grinned, giving the boy a hug, ¡°You¡¯ll make a fine knight or mage.¡±


    After Cassus stepped aside, a big grin on his face, Wex called the next child up.


    One-by-one Wex withdrew different colored threads from their foreheads. A white thread for bone, a red thread for blood, and a gray-colored thread for skin.


    Last up was the girl who had spoken before.


    ¡°Come on up Ferra,¡± Wex said with a tender expression.


    Ferra lightly stepped up with an expectant gaze in her eyes.


    Wex reached out her hand and placed it on Ferra¡¯s forehead. She grabbed her essence thread and began to pull it outward. When Ferra¡¯s essence thread was finally freed, Wex recoiled and dropped it.


    A look of horror and disgust appeared on her face.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ferra asked in a panic.


    Wex pointed at the thread with a trembling finger. It was black and wriggled as if it were alive. Noxious fumes wafted off of it.


    ¡°You have tainted life essence,¡± Wex whispered.


    Sister Wex closed her eyes and made a gesture of prayer.


    ¡°You need to leave at once and are forbidden from returning.¡± All traces of love were gone.


    Ferra went pale. Confusion swirled through her mind.


    ¡°Get out!¡± Wex commanded, grabbing the other children and hiding them behind her.


    ¡°I-I¡­¡± Ferra stuttered.


    Before she had a chance to finish her sentence Wex moved her hands. With a flash, a shield of pure white bones appeared in the air. With a flick of her wrist, the shield moved towards Ferra, physically shoving her towards the exit of the church.


    The other members of the congregation backed away from her in fear. They held out charms and the book of the god of life in front of them, as if warding away a demon.


    With a final shove of the shield, Ferra was outed from the house of worship. Her stomach churned in terror of the situation.


    The clergy gazed at her from the windows of the basilica with eyes filled with dread.


    Ferra¡¯s face continued to lose color as she backed away from the church. Uncertainty filled her mind.


    ¡°I have tainted life essence?¡± She knew what that meant. People with tainted life essence were worse than lepers. They were doomed to die an early death and they could poison others that came in contact with their essence. Worse yet, the taint in their essence would drive them to a path of madness and insanity.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Luckily, the church sat in a forest just outside of the city of Turah. If she had been discovered inside of the city she would have been quarantined or killed on the spot.


    ¡°What do I do now?¡± Ferra wondered worriedly. She was orphaned at a young age and was raised by the church. Now that she didn¡¯t have their support and couldn¡¯t enter the city, she was likely to starve to death.


    Without much conviction and under the hostile gazes of the nearby people, Ferra set off into the forest, alone and hurt.


    She walked randomly for what seemed like ages, miraculously avoiding the dangers that lurked within. Eventually, she came across a large rock next to a lake. After she sat upon it, tears began to fall from her eyes.


    ¡°What did I do to deserve this?¡± she sobbed. Her life was ruined. She knew it was likely that she would die here.


    As she cried, unbeknownst to her, the taint of her life essence had begun to spread now that it had been freed. Slowly it changed her thoughts of sadness to thoughts of hate. The first traces of madness were already beginning to appear.


    A deep, terrible thirst for blood ran through her body. She was just about to return to the church, when a whistle resounded through the air.


    She turned her head at the sound and was surprised to see a red globule of liquid headed directly towards her. Before she could react, it crashed into her, sending her flying off of the rock.


    The liquid surged as it attempted to open any opening in her body.


    ¡°Blood?!¡± Ferra panicked as some of the metallic liquid entered her mouth.


    As the globule of blood entered her body, her life essence was slowly beginning to be overwritten.


    However, the tainted essence struggled violently against the intruder. It pushed against it, forcing some of it back out of Ferra¡¯s body.


    The two forces intertwined, battling against one another. Waves of pain wracked Ferra as her blood constantly made its way in and out of her body.


    After a few hours of struggling, night began to settle upon the forest. Ferra was still trapped amidst the two forces when something approached her fallen body.


    A large black leopard with blue spots slinked forward. It circled around her body, sniffing at her. A look of confusion crossed its eyes. It didn¡¯t understand what was happening to the girl.


    After a moment of hesitation, it lowered its head towards her and opened its mouth. Large fangs glittered through the darkness.


    However, just as it was about to bite her, a change happened within Ferra¡¯s body. The two mingling forces had stopped fighting and were now resting in her body.


    Ferra opened her eyes her eyes with a groan and was startled to see the beast in front of her. She backed away in a panic, mind filled with dread.


    ¡°Tainted life essence, attacked by a ball of blood, now a leopard?!¡± she screamed inwardly. Her luck was truly horrible.


    The leopard, noticing her regained consciousness, let out a vicious snarl. It tensed its hind legs, prepared to pounce.


    Right before the leopard moved, Ferra felt a tug in her mind. She immediately raised her hand towards the monster.


    ¡°Blood Cloud!¡± she yelled. Instantly, a hissing noise rang out as bloody particles filled the air. They shot towards the startled leopard, immediately entering its body through its nose and ears.


    ¡°Burst!¡± she ordered. At her command, the blood that entered the leopard exploded, instantly turning the leopard into a pile of gore.


    Ferra looked at the remains in shock. After a few seconds of staring, she turned her head, vomiting all over the forest floor.


    ¡°W-w-what did I just do?¡± Ferra stared at her hands in horror. The attack had been instinctual.


    ¡°That was an Azure-spotted Leopard!¡±


    She remembered a lesson from the church. Azure-spotted leopards were creatures comparable to a rank 20 knight or mage, and she had killed it instantly.


    ¡°What in the world was that ball of blood?¡±


    Ferra was smart. She immediately concluded that the mass of blood from earlier must be responsible for her changes.


    She stood up, immediately inspecting her body for any noticeable differences. After a few minutes of thoroughly searching, she sighed in relief. Everything was normal.


    All of a sudden she paused, turning towards the remains of the leopard. Lying in the middle of the destroyed body parts was a small string. Its life essence remained! She walked towards it and picked it up. After a few moments of hesitation she popped it into her mouth. She felt a warmth as she absorbed it. She felt her strength increase too.


    As the essence digested, she realized her mind was filled with new bits and pieces of information. However, the knowledge was incomplete. It was split into fragments.


    As it stood, there were two strands of knowledge she was able to completely access. One was about how to use Blood Cloud. The other was how to check her own life essence.


    She immediately set her newfound ability into practice. She reached up towards her forehead and withdrew a string of life essence. She held it beneath the moon, using the light to observe it.


    It was no longer pitch black. Now it was a dark red, only slightly blacker than typical blood essence. In addition, it had increased in size.


    ¡°Does this mean I¡¯m no longer tainted?¡± she wondered, furrowing her brows. She eventually shook her head, unable to come to a solid conclusion. Luckily her efforts were not completely wasted. Judging from the length of her life essence string, she was rank 15. Each centimeter of length represented one level.


    Ferra sighed in tiredness. The events of today were too much for her young mind to handle. She walked over to the nearby lake to wash out her mouth. As she cupped her hands together over the water, she gasped in shock.


    Her eyes were two different colors. One was pitch black and the other was bright red.


    Ferra held her hands to her eyes in amazement.


    ¡°I guess there were some physical changes after all,¡± she thought with wonder.


    She stood up and backed away from the lake¡¯s edge.


    ¡°What do I do now?¡± she pondered.


    She couldn¡¯t go back to the church or the city of Turah. Her description would have been handed out by now. Although her appearance had changed slightly, it would only attract more suspicion.


    The ball of blood concerned her. She needed to find more information about it, but she wasn¡¯t sure where to begin.


    ¡°Maybe Pho Academy¡¯s library would have some information about it?¡± she thought, thinking back towards the largest library on the continent.


    Her mind was now set. She knew what she would do. She stared towards the exit of the forest.


    She took a step forward.

 Eyes of Evil 2

    Chapter 2:


    Alone on a dirt road, surrounded by trees, was a young girl. She had dark, black hair and multi-colored eyes. This was none other than Ferra.


    She squinted her eyes as the sun shone down upon her. She had been traveling alone for a few days now. She knew the way to Pho Academy as she had traveled with the church as they went to preach. However, it was quite a few days away and she was getting hungry and thirsty.


    Unknown to Ferra, a little farther up the road was a group of bandits wearing uniforms marked by a dagger. As they laid in wait, they noticed her approach.


    One of the bandits turned to their leader, ¡°Is that the person we¡¯re waiting for?¡±


    ¡°No, you idiot,¡± the leader snapped, ¡°We¡¯re waiting for a carriage. This person is on foot and alone.¡±


    ¡°What do we do then? Do we let her through?¡± the bandit questioned.


    ¡°No,¡± the leader shook his head, ¡°She might see us as she comes through. We can¡¯t leave any potential witnesses. Kill her.¡±


    It was at that moment that Ferra reached them.


    ¡°Something is wrong,¡± she frowned. She didn¡¯t know why but alarm bells were ringing through her mind.


    She slowed her pace, nervously looking around.


    All of a sudden a group of five men jumped from the trees, surrounding her.


    ¡°Sorry about this girlie. You can only blame your bad luck,¡± one of the men said, brandishing a dagger.


    He dashed towards her, intent on making quick work of her.


    Ferra panicked. She immediately stretched her hands forward, ¡°Blood Cloud!¡±


    The scent of blood filled the air as the bloody cloud stretched forward towards the incoming bandit. He attempted to stop moving, but his momentum carried him forward into the cloud, a look of horror appeared on his face.


    ¡°Burst!¡±


    The man exploded into a pile of gristle, painting Ferra and the nearby bandits red.


    ¡°A blood mage!¡± one of the bandits yelled in terror.


    Three of the remaining bandits turned tail, retreating into the forest. Only one man remained, the leader of the bandits.


    ¡°Stupid men,¡± he cursed, ¡°It¡¯s only a child. So what if she¡¯s a mage?¡±


    ¡°Growth!¡± he grunted. At his words, his body began to swell. His muscles increased exponentially in size, nearly ripping his clothing.


    Now it was Ferra¡¯s turn to be horrified.


    ¡°A muscle knight!¡± she exclaimed inwardly.


    The difference between a mage and a knight was the way they utilized their life essence. A knight would use body strengthening, while a mage would use offensive magic. There were some people who used both, but it was considered common to specialize.


    Ferra had never fought another Essence Warrior before. However, she was quick to react. She immediately cast another Blood Cloud.


    The bandit leader snorted and jumped away from the cloud. The cloud¡¯s attack power was great, but it moved slowly and in a straight line.


    The bandit gripped his sword tightly, swinging it towards her head. Ferra threw herself to the ground in a panic, narrowly dodging the devilishly-sharp edge.


    After the blade sailed over her head, she immediately rolled to the side, almost avoiding the second blow. However, it sliced apart some of the skin on her arm, causing her blood to stain the ground.


    The bandit leader frowned. He had expected to have killed her by now, but she kept moving out of the way at the last second.


    He grit his teeth, concentrating. His next blow would kill her for sure!


    It was at this moment that Ferra¡¯s hunger reached a peak. Her stomach growled loudly, awaking the sleeping forces in her body.


    The awakening sent her bloodlust to the roof, sending her into a mad frenzy. She immediately charged the bandit, ignoring any thoughts of her own safety. She hugged him closely, sinking her nails into his body.


    The leader howled in pain, he wasn¡¯t expecting her to make such a reckless maneuver.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Before he could shake her off, she opened her mouth and howled.


    ¡°Drain!¡±


    The bandit leader¡¯s eyes bulged as he felt his blood flow change direction. His life essence was being absorbed through Ferra¡¯s nails!


    The bandit shook back and forth, desperately trying to throw her off. However, she was stuck to him like glue.


    The man slowly grew pale. His large muscles rapidly deteriorated and he grew thin and weak.


    After a few moments, his struggling ceased and Ferra jumped off. All that remained of the man was a dilapidated corpse. She had drained him completely.


    Now satiated, Ferra regained her sanity. Her eyes went wide as she looked at what was left of the bandit leader.


    ¡°I did this?¡± she questioned. She barely remembered the act. However, one thing was certain. She was no longer hungry.


    Ferra lapsed into thought for a few minutes. Eventually, she reached her hand upwards and extracted some of her life essence. It had grown 2 centimeters.


    ¡°I¡¯m rank 17 now,¡± Ferra thought bewilderedly. A person could increase their rank by absorbing the life essence of monsters. Humans weren¡¯t supposed to be able to absorb the life essence of other humans, but Ferra had done so directly!


    Ferra let go of her essence string, watching it as it disappeared into the air, returning to her body.


    She shook her head. The ball of blood was too mysterious.


    All of a sudden, the sound of horse hooves shook Ferra out of her reverie. A carriage was approaching. It got within a few feet of her before the coachman pulled on the reins of the horses.


    The driver frowned, giving her a glare. Clearly he had expected for her to move out of the way. It was then that he got a good look at her. His mouth dropped open as he realized she was soaked from head-to-toe in blood. The corpses at her feet told him more about the story.


    He instantly went on guard, a wary look took over his face.


    ¡°We mean no harm,¡± he told Ferra, ¡°Please move so we can be on our way.¡±


    Ferra blushed, an action undetectable due to the copious amounts of blood that covered her. It was only at that moment that she realized that she was blocking the road. She had been too preoccupied with earlier events.


    Just as she was about to move, a head of blonde hair poked its way out of the carriage.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± a girl asked with a voice as sweet as honey.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing Miss,¡± the coach driver said hurriedly.


    However, a strange note in his voice gave him away, causing the girl to stick her head further out the coach. Her eyes went wide as she saw Ferra.


    ¡°Oh my goodness! Are you okay?¡± she asked Ferra, opening the door to the carriage and jumping out.


    ¡°Milady! It¡¯s unsafe!¡± the coachman warned, panic in his voice.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you see this girl is hurt?!¡± the young woman snapped, ¡°We must help her at once.


    Ferra blinked as she lifted her arm. She had completely forgotten about the wound.


    She frowned slightly, it appeared that healing wasn¡¯t a side effect of her newfound drain ability.


    The blonde-haired woman quickly approached Ferra, looking her over from head to toe.


    ¡°Thank heavens,¡± she sighed, ¡°Hardly any of that blood is yours. Still, we better get you patched up.¡± Right after saying that, she picked up a fallen sword from the ground, using it to tear apart her pure-white dress.


    Before Ferra could react, the woman grabbed her, skillfully bandaging her arm.


    ¡°Come along,¡± she told Ferra, grabbing her by the hand, ¡°You must be tired, come in the carriage and rest for a bit.¡±


    The coachman nearly fainted at the woman¡¯s actions.


    ¡°Miss Lura!¡± he cried, ¡°You see a young girl covered in blood and you invite her to travel with us?!¡±


    The woman named Lura glared at him, ¡°Be quiet Philip. Can¡¯t you see that this girl helped us?¡±


    ¡°She helped us?¡± Philip asked bewildered.


    ¡°Clearly,¡± Lura huffed pointing towards knife emblem on the corpse of the bandit leader.


    ¡°That¡¯s the body of a Vile-knife bandit! They¡¯re renowned for attacking the nobility. Their target was obviously us.¡±


    Philip¡¯s mouth hung open. He hadn¡¯t noticed at all. Now that he took a closer look it made a lot more sense. It very unlikely that the bandits would target a lone traveler for no reason.


    ¡°Now come along,¡± she said, turning a gentle smile towards Ferra.


    Ferra was confused, but allowed Lura to pull her into the carriage. The man named Philip shook his head reluctantly. It was no using arguing with the lady.


    Ferra sat across from Lura inside the carriage, wiggling nervously. She had never met a member of nobility before.


    ¡°This is unnecessary,¡± she told Lura, ¡°I should travel alone.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Lura laughed, ¡°You¡¯ll stay with us until you recover. Where are you headed?¡±


    ¡°Pho Academy,¡± Ferra admitted.


    ¡°Fantastic,¡± Lura said clapping her hands, ¡°We¡¯re headed there as well. It¡¯s decided, you¡¯ll stay with us until we get there.¡±


    Ferra opened her mouth to argue, but quickly shut it. The carriage would travel faster than she could on foot. It would be foolish to turn down such a kind invitation.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Lura asked kindly, ¡°Fighting those bandits must have taken up quite a bit of energy.¡±


    She reached into a basket at her side and pulled out a muffin, offering it to Ferra.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Ferra wasn¡¯t hungry after using her drain ability, but she felt it would be rude to turn down Lura¡¯s invitation.


    She bit into the muffin and gagged, almost spitting it out on the spot. It tasted vile.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Lura asked curiously.


    ¡°No. Not at all,¡± Ferra said, hiding her disgust. She choked down the rest of the muffin. It was then that she noticed the muffin didn¡¯t fill her at all.


    ¡°Do you have any water?¡± she asked hesitantly.


    Lura nodded with a smile and passed over a canteen.


    Ferra took a sip to wash down the horrible tasting muffins and almost spit once more. The water tasted awful too!


    ¡°Is this girl trying to poison me?!¡± Ferra wondered in confusion.


    It was at that moment that Lura reached into the basket and withdrew a muffin of her own. She sank her teeth into it and closed her eyes, savoring the taste.


    ¡°These muffins are delicious, aren¡¯t they? They came directly from the capital.¡±


    Ferra frowned. Was this another side effect of the blood ball? That food would taste bad and not be filling? How was she supposed to eat then?


    All of a sudden her eyes went wide with horror.


    ¡°Drain!¡± she exclaimed, her face growing green. Draining that bandit had filled her stomach up instantly.


    She stared at her hands in disgust. She was growing further and further away from normality.


    Ferra felt a strong gaze burning into her. Glancing upwards she caught Lura¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± she asked tensely.


    ¡°No,¡± Lura shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s just that you have the most beautiful eyes I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    Ferra jerked as if she had been punched. She had forgotten about her eyes. She would need to come up with a way to hide them in the future.


    ¡°Anyways, rest for now. We¡¯ll arrive at Pho Academy within a few days.¡±


    Ferra nodded, closing her eyes.

 Public Enemy

    Prologue:


    Deep in the recesses of a hospital sat a patient writhing in pain. Deep agony raced through him as he felt torture akin to his nerves being ripped apart. Screams were torn out of his throat, echoing throughout the room.


    Nearby, doctors looked at him in a panic, unable to help. Morphine was injected into him, but it couldn¡¯t provide any relief.


    An hour later, just as the man on the bed felt he was about to go insane, the room¡¯s door burst open. In entered a young woman wearing a lab coat. The woman immediately ran to the patient¡¯s side and grabbed his wrist. With a look of concentration on her face, her nails extended by an inch, turning into claws. With a smooth motion, she stabbed her fingernails into the man¡¯s arm.


    The man¡¯s eyes went wide in horror and he began to flail. However, after a few moments his eyes grew heavy and he fell asleep. For the first time in days, he couldn¡¯t feel any pain.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± the woman asked, glancing at the sleeping patient.


    At her question, one of the nurses grabbed a clipboard hanging from the side of the patient¡¯s bed and handed it over.


    ¡°Thomas Finch. 24 year old male. Attacked by villain ¡°Torment¡±,¡± she read, skimming the chart.


    The woman clicked her tongue, ¡°Nerve magic, nasty stuff. Give him 5mg of Healing Lotus extract every six hours. As you¡¯ve seen, normal medicines won¡¯t have any effect.¡±


    The nurse nodded in confirmation.


    ¡°Good work Doctor Sang,¡± one of the other physicians in the room praised.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Lia Sang smiled wearily.


    ¡°When¡¯s the last time you took a break?¡± a doctor asked.


    ¡°Too many patients, no time.¡± Sang said, shaking her head.


    ¡°You really should get some rest,¡± the doctor warned her, ¡°You¡¯ll be no use to anyone if you¡¯re tired.¡±


    Lia hesitated, but nodded her head reluctantly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go take a small break then.¡±


    Under the caring gazes of the other medical staff, Lia Sang headed out of the room.


    She walked down the long white hallways of the hospital, numerous thoughts on her mind.


    ¡°Villain crime has escalated lately,¡± she thought, furrowing her brows, ¡°We¡¯re getting patients in droves. Those heroes are sure incompetent.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    She shook the thought away, ¡°No use thinking like that. I¡¯m sure the heroes are trying their best.¡±


    After a few minutes, Lia arrived at the break room. She grabbed her lunchbox and headed towards the stairway. Eating on the roof always refreshed her.


    After climbing the spiraling staircase, she arrived in front of a door. She opened it up and stepped through, placing a nearby wooden block to prevent it from shutting.


    She walked forward and sat on the ground, staring up at the moon.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired,¡± she groaned, stretching her arms. After sitting in silence for a moment she opened up her lunchbox, withdrawing the contents from within.


    She slowly ate the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, not really tasting it. She only consumed it so she could regain some energy.


    ¡°I wish humans had never been born with superpowers.¡±


    It was an unexplained phenomenon. No one was entirely sure why the past couple generations were ones of magic and fantasy. One thing was for certain though, Lia hated it.


    She stared at her hands and frowned. After a few moments of thought, she withdrew an ID card from her coat pocket and read some of the information.


    Name: Lia Catherine Sang


    Occupation: Head Hospitalist


    Power: Painkiller, Rank S


    Threat Level: 1


    She looked at the card and sighed, sadly shaking her head. When her parents realized her gift, they had immediately forced her to go to school as a doctor. After numerous, grueling years she had finally achieved her parent¡¯s wishes.


    ¡°Unfair isn¡¯t it?¡± a soft voice rang out.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± Lia jumped. She hadn¡¯t seen anyone else on the roof when she got here.


    The voice continued, ¡°This era is one of freedom. Power users are able to achieve all of their dreams. But what about you? You¡¯re living an unfulfilled life working at a job you hate.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worth more than this. Your power has so much potential. You¡¯re wasting your talent,¡± the voice echoed.


    Lia shivered. The voice mirrored some of her deepest, most secret thoughts.


    At that moment, a man appeared from the shadows. He was completely cloaked in darkness. Lia was unable to make out any of his features.


    Lia immediately pulled out her ID card and pointed it towards him. The card hummed and vibrated, sending information to her mind.


    Alias: Shade


    Occupation: Super Villain


    Power: Shadow Manipulation, Rank A


    Threat Level: 120,572


    The color drained from Lia¡¯s face. A super villain!


    She instantly turned around and looked at the door. She grew even more nervous when she realized it was closed.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± she demanded.


    The man laughed.


    ¡°I want you to join me of course.¡±


    ¡°Y-y-you what?¡± asked Lia bewilderedly.


    ¡°I want you to become a villain,¡± the man reaffirmed, holding out a hand towards her.


    ¡°Why would I do that?¡±


    ¡°I already told you. You have great potential,¡± the man sighed.


    Dozens of thoughts whirled through Lia¡¯s head.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want me,¡± she said defensively, ¡°I¡¯d make a terrible villain. The only think I¡¯m good for is easing people¡¯s pain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me,¡± the man snapped, ¡°We both know what your power is capable of. Remember what happened to your dad?¡±


    Lia blanched. How did he know about her dad?


    ¡°I¡¯ll make my offer once again. Join me,¡± the man continued.


    Lia shook her head rapidly. There was no way she would become a villain.


    ¡°Looks like I¡¯m going to have to do this the hard way,¡± the man said, his voice turning cold.


    Instantly the shadows came to life, reaching tendrils of darkness towards her.


    Lia screamed. She ran towards the door and attempted to yank it open. It was locked. She scanned her surroundings, looking for another exit.


    Before she could make a move, the tendrils grabbed her. The quickly bound her, preventing her movements.


    Shade slowly walked towards her.


    ¡°Welcome to villainy!¡± he said, a smile in his voice.

 Ring of Hedony 1

    Prologue


    ¡°Choose wisely.¡±


    The voice boomed through the air, causing the surroundings to shake. In the center of a room, the only thing that existed, stood a girl. In front of her laid a table.


    The young girl¡¯s eyebrows were furrowed in contemplation as she looked down.


    ¡°Six elements, six patterns, thirty-six rings, and only one choice,¡± the girl mused.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    As the girl made her choice, multi-colored panels of light floated around her. In the panels were moving images of people fighting. Beams of light blasted from their fingertips, others fought with sword and shield. Regardless of how they fought, they shared one common denominator. They all wore rings on their fingers.


    The girl¡¯s fingers lightly brushed one of the rings on the table.


    ¡°A fire-elemental ring branded with the pattern of strength. Definitely the most offensive option, but I won¡¯t be choosing it.¡± Her hands touched yet another ring.


    ¡°A darkness ring with a willpower pattern. No, not this one either,¡± the girl smiled. She thought back to information she had obtained earlier.


    After a few hours of contemplation she finally grabbed a ring and slipped it onto her right hand. As soon as the ring settled at the base of her finger, the room flashed and swirled. The voice echoed forth once more.


    ¡°You have chosen. The ceremony is complete.¡±


    Then, with a flash, the girl disappeared.

 Rings of Hedony 2

    Chapter 1:


    Shadows cast themselves upon the earthy, forest floor. The grunts and growls of beasts echoed eerily throughout the environment.


    In the middle of this gloomy place appeared a distortion. The air shook and shivered, before a hole ripped its way through the fabric of the universe. From this hole, emerged a girl.


    The girl, Vee, tilted her head as she glanced at her surroundings.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± she wondered, slightly taken aback. Just a few moments ago she had been in the ceremony room. She nervously twisted the ring located on her right index finger. Before she could take any further actions a voice rang out through the forest.


    ¡°Greetings ring-bearer.¡±


    Vee turned her head towards the source of the voice. Standing in front of her was a shadow. No, to be more precise, it was a man wrapped in shadows. Other than the gender, Vee couldn¡¯t detect any attributes that might give a clue to the creature¡¯s appearance. It sent a shudder down her spine.


    After a moment, the shadow man interrupted Vee from her reverie.


    ¡°Give me your ring,¡± the shadow man said. For some reason his order sent alarm bells through her head.


    ¡°What?¡± Vee asked, confused. She just got the ring, now someone wanted to take it away?


    Before she had the chance to reply further, the shadow leaped at her with stunning speed.


    Vee immediately panicked and threw herself to the side.


    ¡°Wait, stop!¡± she yelled, scrambling to her feet. She formed a placating gesture with her hands.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the ring. Okay?¡±


    The shadow ignored her, lunging at her once more. Vee¡¯s eyes went wide, she turned around and started running with all her might. She tugged at the ring on her finger, quickly realizing that it couldn¡¯t be removed.


    She ran through the forest, dodging fallen logs and trees.


    ¡°Does this forest ever end?¡± she worried. After running for a dozen minutes she stopped, gasping for breath.


    ¡°It¡¯s no use. I can¡¯t escape,¡± she quickly turned around, coming face to face with the shadow-man.


    ¡°Why are you chasing me?¡± she demanded.


    The shadow-man offered no response, it simply closed in on her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get any closer!¡± Vee yelled. The shadow-man ignored her.


    When it was a couple feet away from her, Vee remembered her ring.


    ¡°How do I use this thing?¡± she wondered, quickly growing panicked. She held her hand out in front of her.


    ¡°Activate!¡± she yelled, ¡°Attack! Start! Fire! Shoot!¡± Her commands were no use, the provided no response.


    ¡°Am I going to die?¡±


    It was then that Vee realized something obvious.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t choose an offensive pattern!¡±


    Rings could be branded with one of six different patterns: intelligence, strength, dexterity, constitution, willpower, and perception.


    They also could hold one of six different elements: fire, water, wind, earth, light, and darkness.


    Vee had chosen a wind ring of perception. It was a scouting tool with no real offensive ability.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Vee grit her teeth. With a last ditch effort, she concentrated and began thinking of words related to perception.


    ¡°Detect!¡± she shouted.


    A gust of wind immediately shot from her fingertips sweeping through the air. It gently touched the shadow-man and the surrounding trees before dissipating.


    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Vee though, astonished. However, before she had the chance to lament, the shadow-man howled in fear. It snarled at her before turning around, retreating into the forest.


    She gaped in astonishment. Such a gentle touch had scared him off?


    ¡°What just happened?¡± she asked, her mouth still open in surprise.


    After taking a few moments to calm herself, she let out a sigh.


    ¡°This is just too weird.¡± She grumbled, shaking her head.


    She took a moment to stare down at her ring.


    ¡°How disappointing,¡± she sighed.


    ¡°Detect!¡± she yelled again.


    The wind picked up once more, it twirled through the air before spreading through the trees. Just as she was about to try again, she felt the presence of someone through her ring.


    Vee paused in surprise, ¡°Another person? Where?¡±


    Just as she asked the question, the sound of footsteps rang out.


    ¡°Hello?¡± a voice asked, ¡°Anybody out there?¡±


    As the voice drew closer Vee noticed something on the ground out of the corner of her eye.


    ¡°A ring? Did the shadow-man drop it?¡±


    With some slight hesitation, she quickly picked up the ring and slipped it into her pocket. She then turned her attention towards the other person in the forest.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Vee asked, on guard. She wasn¡¯t sure where she was. For all she knew, the man would attempt to rob or kill her.


    A man walked out from between two trees. On his right hand were three rings that glowed with a red light.


    Vee¡¯s eyes went wide when she saw the rings, ¡°A rank 60 ring-bearer?¡±


    A ring-bearer¡¯s rank could be calculated based on the amount of rings they had. A person could get a new ring every 20<sup>th</sup> rank. No one was sure what the limit was, there had never been a person to exceed rank 200.


    The man scanned Vee with his eyes. When his gaze reached her hand, a confused expression appeared on his face.


    ¡°How did you get this far in the Forest of Decay? This area is forbidden to anyone under rank 40,¡± he said with a stern voice.


    ¡°I¡­I teleported here from Halaya,¡± Vee said, telling the truth. She figured there was no harm in letting the man know.


    A taken aback expression appeared on the man¡¯s face, ¡°You teleported here from Halaya?¡±


    Vee nodded.


    ¡°How did that happen?¡±


    Vee shook her head, ¡°Something went wrong during the ring ceremony.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bizarre,¡± the man said, his eyebrows creased in thought ¡°Want me to take you there? It¡¯s not too far.¡±


    Vee sighed in relief. It didn¡¯t look like the man was a threat.


    ¡°Yes please.¡±


    ¡°Follow me and be careful, it¡¯s dangerous here,¡± the man said with a smile.


    ¡°By the way, my name is Darius. What¡¯s yours?¡±


    ¡°Vee. Nice to meet you,¡± she replied courteously.


    The man grinned before a serious expression appeared on his face. He unsheathed a sword from a scabbard at his side and began walking forward. Vee followed him carefully from behind.


    As they were walking in silence a rustle from the bushes quickly grabbed their attention. Without any other warning, a massive creature burst out from cover. It reminded Vee of a tiger, except it was completely covered in metal armor that sported sharp points.


    ¡°An Armored-back Reaver,¡± Darius muttered, ¡°This¡¯ll be tough.¡±


    ¡°Flame ego! Resilience of Ash!¡± he shouted. His sword and armor immediately burst into flames at his command.


    ¡°Two willpower patterns!¡± Vee internalized. Weapon and armor enchantments were the trademarks of a willpower ring.


    The Reaver let out a ferocious roar before leaping towards Darius. Giant claws half a foot long swept forward. Darius stepped to the side, slashing the beast with his sword. Sparks flew off of the Reaver¡¯s armor as the sword made contact.


    ¡°Damn,¡± Darius cursed, quickly dodging backwards as the Reaver¡¯s claws headed towards him.


    Darius glanced at the third ring on his finger, a look of determination appeared in his eyes.


    ¡°Ember Skyfall!¡± he roared. At his voice the air began to tremble, the sky turned red and the scent of smoke filled their nostrils.


    All of a sudden thousands of sparks of fire filled the air, raining towards the Reaver. Panic immediately filled its eyes. It attempted to retreat but the hail of flames was too fast. It engulfed the Reaver, causing it to emit roars of pain as it was cooked from the inside of its protected covering.


    Vee¡¯s eyes went wide in admiration.


    ¡°An intelligence pattern! Such a powerful offensive ability!¡± Intelligence patterns were characterized by powerful spells.


    As the air cleared, Darius staggered. It was obvious that his attack had drained him.


    ¡°That was tough,¡± he smiled weakly, ¡°We better get moving before something else appears.¡±


    Vee nodded, quickly catching up with him.


    ¡°Actually, wait a second,¡± Darius said to her, ¡°It would be a waste to leave the beast here without extracting it.¡± Darius knelt beside the corpse of the Armored-back Reaver. He pulled a metal rod out of his pocket and traced a pentagram in the air over the beast¡¯s body.


    ¡°Extract!¡± he shouted. Immediately, red wisps flew upwards from the beast into the center of the pentagram. They swirled in the air before solidifying into a small disc the size of a fingernail.


    ¡°A strength pattern!¡± Darius said in disappointment, ¡°I can¡¯t upgrade my ring with this!¡±


    He stared at the ring a little longer, it began to shake and then with a ping, it disappeared.


    ¡°If it was an intelligence or willpower pattern I would have been able to advance to the next rank,¡± he said sadly, ¡°Oh well. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    He and Vee then headed towards the exit of the forest.

 Velvet 1

    The sun shone between the trees, illuminating a bench and the young girl who sat on top of it. The black-haired child slowly licked an ice cream cone, a gentle smile on her face. After finishing the cone, she sucked the remnants off her fingers, happiness shone in her eyes.


    ¡°Almost time,¡± she thought, glancing at the expensive watch that was fastened around her wrist.


    She looked down a wooded pathway, following something with her eyes. With a large grin, she hummed to himself, watching the distant object approach.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Tires whirled as a bike sped down the path. A man was quickly approaching, prepared to bypass him.


    As the man crossed in front of him, his head jerked backwards and he suddenly lost control of the bike. With a crash, both the body and bike flew, slamming into the ground.


    The young girl chuckled, slowly climbing up from the bench. She pulled a pair of scissors from her pocket and walked towards the nearby trees. With a snip, an invisible wire was cut, falling to the ground.


    ¡°Mission accomplished,¡± she laughed.

 Velvet 2

    Chapter 1:


    In the Tora Police Headquarters a loud sigh could be heard.


    ¡°Another one?¡± the police chief asked, wearily running his hand through his hair.


    ¡°Yes sir!¡± one of the officers chimed.


    ¡°The body was found along an old trail in Yupo Park. It belonged to company CEO Gregory Falldaw. The cause of death seems to be traces of a wire trap that we found nearby.¡±


    ¡°Was there a card?¡± the chief asked with a frown.


    ¡°Yes sir!¡±


    The police chief sadly shook his head, ¡°That¡¯s the third one this week. Were there any witnesses?¡±


    ¡°No sir.¡±


    The chief cursed.


    ¡°We need to catch this person, the citizens are growing fearful. Double the manpower!¡±


    After giving his orders, the chief walked out of the room. Numerous thoughts were swirling in his mind.


    Two years ago, a mysterious murderer named Velvet appeared. After every kill, they would leave a mysterious card marking their deeds. The police had been on their trail for ages, even teaming up with the Special Forces division, but to no avail. They were too slippery.


    The chief grabbed a cigarette and went to the roof. He lit the cigarette and took a long puff.


    ¡°If only we could find some connection between the victims. I don¡¯t understand why the kills are so indiscriminate. One day it¡¯s an important leader, the other day it¡¯s a bum off the street.¡±


    All of a sudden, the door to the roof screeched open. In entered a young girl with a black ponytail. In one hand she carried a lunchbox.


    ¡°Good afternoon Chief William!¡± the girl beamed with an angelic smile.


    ¡°Good morning Tara,¡± William smiled back, ¡°Where¡¯s Lia?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s in the car, she hasn¡¯t done her makeup yet,¡± Tara rolled her eyes.


    William laughed.


    ¡°I hope she knows I don¡¯t care about the way she looks,¡± he said teasingly.


    ¡°She knows, but she doesn¡¯t care!¡± Tara giggled.


    After talking for a few more minutes, Tara handed over the lunchbox and left.


    William was thankful. Both his girlfriend and her daughter were truly wonderful. He wouldn¡¯t want anything to ever happen to them.


    He grit his teeth. That¡¯s why he had to catch Velvet. He couldn¡¯t allow a murderer to do as they pleased in his city.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Outside, in the car, sat Tara and her mother.


    ¡°Did you give him the lunchbox?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡± Tara chirped.


    ¡°Any suspicion?¡±


    ¡°No. Everything is proceeding as expected,¡± Tara said, a serious note in her voice.


    ¡°Very good. Returning to base.¡±


    The car sped off into the distance.


    After fifteen minutes of driving they arrived at their destination, a middle-class house located in the midst of the suburbs.


    The pair stepped out of the car and went into the house.


    Everything was organized neatly, nothing stood out from the ordinary.


    The two walked deeper into the house, heading towards the main bedroom.


    They turned to a closet and pulled open the door. After pulling up a piece of carpet, they opened a trap door and went down a ladder.


    With the flick of a switch the gloom was illuminated, revealing walls filled to the brim with weaponry and equipment.


    ¡°Get changed and get ready to spar,¡± Tara¡¯s mom ordered her.


    Tara nodded in agreement and quickly switched into exercise clothing.


    The two entered combat stances and lunged at each other. Blows were exchanged at a rapid pace. Even professionals would be amazed. Their blows went faster than the eye could see, seemingly inhuman. Their bodies twirled through the air, bending at impossible angles in order to dodge powerful blows.


    After nearly half an hour of intense combat, the two finally came to a stop.


    ¡°Good work,¡± Lia said, wiping her sweat, ¡°You still have room to improve though, make sure you don¡¯t slack.¡±


    Tara beamed in response, clearly happy from the compliment.


    ¡°Who¡¯s next on the list?¡± Tara asked curiously.


    ¡°Henry Stackland, age 43, threat level 27,¡± Lia said, recalling the information from memory.


    ¡°Threat level 27?¡± Tara snorted in derision, ¡°What are his powers?¡±


    ¡°Enhanced regeneration and pistol mastery. According to intelligence he¡¯s responsible for the deaths of three of our agency¡¯s members.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been given free rein on this assignment. Just make sure there are no witnesses as usual.¡±


    Tara¡¯s grin widened, ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower, then I¡¯ll head out,¡± Tara told Lia.


    ¡°Good. Remember, failure won¡¯t be tolerated,¡± Lia warned, a threat in her voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I don¡¯t make mistakes.¡±


    After getting clean, Tara put on an outfit and grabbed the equipment necessary for the task.


    Two hours later, she was outside of Henry¡¯s house.


    She walked straight towards the front door and rang the doorbell.


    After a few seconds, the door opened up with a click. Standing in the threshold was a bald man with his arms crossed.


    He glanced over her before opening his mouth, ¡°Selling girl scout cookies?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡± Tara answered, completely decked in the clothing of a scout.


    ¡°Five dollars a box. Do you want some?¡±


    The man frowned, thinking for a minute. After a second he sighed.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll take three boxes of thin mints. Just let me go get some money.¡±


    He turned around, leaving the door open, and went upstairs.


    Two minutes later, he came downstairs, only to see that Tara was gone.


    ¡°What the heck?¡± he cursed, ¡°Where¡¯d she go?¡±


    All of a sudden he saw a flash, as something was looped around his neck. It immediately tightened, choking him.


    Tara held the garrote in her hands, using her weight to pull the wire taunt.


    The man staggered, clawing at the cord in a desperate attempt to free himself.


    Tara burst out laughing, a sound that sent a chill down Henry¡¯s spine.


    ¡°You¡¯re too weak. Sadly, regeneration and pistol skills aren¡¯t going to save you,¡± she taunted.


    Henry¡¯s eyes went wide with horror.


    ¡°V-v-velvet,¡± he choked out before passing it.


    Tara kept the garrote tightened around his throat for a few extra minutes just to make sure the deed was done.


    After checking Henry to make sure he was dead, she reached into get pocket and pulled out a black card marked with a ¡°V¡±.


    She set it on his corpse and arranged it with a smile. Afterwards, she took out a syringe and plunged it into his wrist, extracting a vial of blood.


    After securing the bottle with a topper, she exited the house, taking extra care to make sure no one saw her.


    Three days later, Henry¡¯s body was found.


    Chief William arrived at the scene, boiling in anger.


    ¡°Send this card to the lab too. The others didn¡¯t have fingerprints, but we have to check anyways,¡± he ordered his subordinates.

 Roulette

    Chris sat at his computer, his cursor hovering over the internet icon, deciding what to do next.


    ¡°Everything is boring¡­¡± he muttered dejectedly, his depression kicking in. He took his hand off the mouse and stretched, stifling a yawn at the same time.


    ¡°There¡¯s gotta be something to do,¡± he sighed internally, looking around.


    His room was messy. College textbooks and pieces of paper were scattered haphazardly on the floor. He briefly contemplated doing his homework before shaking his head in dismissal.


    ¡°There gotta be something interesting to do,¡± he reiterated to himself.


    As he was about to give up and go to sleep, a knock pounded on his door. He slowly got out of his chair and went forward, peering through the peephole once he got in range.


    He saw the back of the postage man, walking away from his house. He hurriedly opened up the door, glancing at the package that lay at his feet. Curiosity shone in his eyes. He wasn¡¯t expecting anything.


    He double checked to make sure the name was correct and retrieved the package from the ground. He slammed the door shut, heading back into the seclusion of his ¡°lair¡±. He set the package on his desk and pulled his keys out of his pocket. Using the key¡¯s edge, he cut through the tape sealing the box.


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± he blinked in confusion.


    In his hands laid an object reminiscent of an olden-day ¡°See N¡¯ Say¡±. It was essentially a roulette game. By cranking the handle, an arrow would spin around, landing on one of the multiple objects marked on the round surface.


    Chris peered at the twelve images inscribed on the device. The thing was bizarre. Options such as death, disability, war, and famine were mixed with options such as life, strength, peace, and change.


    ¡°Who sent this to me?¡± he wondered, looking over the remains of the package. To his disappointment no name was written upon it.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Should I give it a crank?¡± he mused.


    At that moment, a strange sense of foreboding filled his mind. He laughed at the ridiculousness of his behavior and shook his head to clear his brain of such thoughts. It was just a silly toy.


    He reached towards the device and pulled the handle. The arrow spun rapidly before coming to a stop on the word ¡°change¡±.


    Nothing happened.


    Chris laughed self-mockingly. Of course nothing happened, it was just a toy.


    However, at that moment, he realized his laugh had sounded different. The pitch was much higher than usual. A deep sense of unease filled his body. He dashed towards the bathroom.


    When he saw his reflection he emitted a high pitched squeal. His body had completely transformed. No longer did he have the appearance of a lanky college boy. He was a girl.


    Long eyelashes blinked in front of crystal blue eyes. Short-cut black hair laid atop of a perfectly symmetrical face. Two objects bounced as he stepped backwards in fear.


    ¡°What happened to me?¡± he spoke out loud. He then gasped at the clear chime emitted by his new vocal chords.


    ¡°How did this happen?¡± he trembled. Tumultuous thoughts raced through his mind before settling on one, clear note.


    ¡°The roulette!¡± he instantly dashed back towards his desk, almost tripping due to the odd sense of balance.


    He grabbed the device in thin, trembling hands, almost dropping it as his nails began to elongate in front of his eyes.


    ¡°How do I reverse this? There¡¯s got to be a way! Maybe if I pull it again?¡± he panicked. He almost pulled the handle before going pale. What would happen if the arrow landed on death or war? Would those things actually happen?


    He set the device back on the table and collapsed into his chair, his head in his new hands.


    ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a time limit?¡± he laughed manically, ¡°Yeah. That must be it. If I go to sleep I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be normal in the morning.¡±


    He went into the bathroom and opened his medicine cabinet. He swallowed a couple pills to make him tired and then went to his bed and shut his eyes.


    However, even with the aid of the pills, he found himself unable to fall asleep in the middle of the day. He cursed fervently.


    As if to make matters worse, the doorbell rang. Horror appeared on his face as he dashed to the door and peered through the hole. His mom was standing outside.


    His heart raced as he contemplated his choices. After thinking, he desperately headed back to the roulette, hoping that he would transform back to normal after pulling the handle again.


    He felt sick as he saw the arrow spin around. He prayed that it would land on something good.


    As if to mock him, the arrow landed on change once more before slowly sliding onto the word death.


    A thud sounded outside his door.