《Crafty devil》 Prologue the run down What a life I''ve had, born an orphan in one of the scummiest place on the blue marble we called earth. Hell I don''t even remember the name of the place; hell i don''t even remember my old name. But I do remember the orphanage, it was called "Nirvana''s Garden", and believe me that place was heaven. It''s funny really I called the city shit, but where I lived most of my life was the best place in the shitehole, and it''s also the reason the city was so fucking bad. The orphanage was owned by the top crime family in the world the "Lucky 46" . They wher so powerful they took over five city''s, and made the country recognize them as a independent state of goverment. They were ruthless, killed anyone who got in their way. They even killed haft the damn parliament to make their own place in the world. But the leaders the "46" we called them they had a soft spot for kids. If you hurt a child you''d wish you where dead. They made this one junkie who tried to mug me think that if he lived any longer he would never be able to see again, but get this the bastard could see just fine "hahahhaha". But enough about them for now let''s get back to the orphanage. Nirvana''s Garden the bosses daughters name was Nirvana and the orphanage was her garden hence the name. She was angel though any thing we wanted any thing at all she would get us. We wanted education we got the best money can buy; we wanted parents she got the nicest people in the gang to take care of us, they also got a strong suggestion to treat us like diamonds or well... I already told you about the junkie. But one day she had this one little whim; To teach us discipline though the art crafting and that''s when I got hooked. I had to know everything about crafting how to build houses how to make paper from a tree to my desk I learned it all. That''s also where I got the name blacksmith. I was arms dealer for the 46 as well as the top assassin I built everything my self, from the slide of my pistol to the primer in my bullets. Any time another family or gang needed a clean piece, they came to me because my guns where the best silent, powerful and as deadly as a 50 cent hooker in a gangbang. Stolen story; please report. My assasin career was as perfect as a 900 series in bowling, three perfect games in a row just in case you didn''t know. Also because every crime lord in the world was scared shitless of my name, I ended up marrying the bosses granddaughter and became the boss my self one day, and because of that even the government became weak in the bladder at the first syllable of my name. Thanks to the fear and respect I earned, I live to the happy cranky old age of a 112. I moved out from the palace we called a headquarters when my son got old enough for role of being the boss. We moved into some suburbs in the east part of the world. Where I can make anything I wanted. I even rebuilt my own house but I never went to a hardware store. To the neighbors I was just a loving husband how built a house for my wife, to the rest of the world I was a nuke waiting to be launched. But to my wife Lucy I was a bastard who had the audacity to die before her. But that wasn''t the end of it oh no the universe had other planes for me. I was reborn into the world of Argus, a world of swords and magic into a minor noble house, the Riker house hold I grew up to be the pride of the whole family. With my other worldly knowledge on crafting and the art of politics, I brought my family from minor nobility to Archduke status when I was 18. I then left the family and started a guild, to travel this new world and to get back into the underworld. For some reason the light of the nomal people world always seemed to irritate me. I think it was the lack of gutter mud smell in the air I found most displeasing. Well where does my story start? Ah yes it starts in the best damn smithy this world has ever seen the "46 swords" 01 The run down part 2 My name is Allen Riker. I''m the owner of the 46 swords smithy in Crosh the capical of Klish. I make 46 swords each month, and only allow 46 swords in the shop front at one time. I do it in memory of my past life but don''t get me wrong though I moved on from that life. It''s just without the Lucky 46 I wouldn''t know the skills that I know today. So to commemorate them for all they''ve ever done I named my corporation after them. I say corporation because that''s what it is I have a smithy ,3 logging mills, 2 wood working shops, I also hold the monopoly on distilled liquor in the four kingdoms, and let''s not forget my guild the 4 paths. Every one in my guild members I have trained since I was apart of the Riker house. Most of them where beggers or ophans in the village my family owned. I took them all in and made an army so discipline, that it makes the chinese army look like a joke. We are called 4 paths because there a 4 types of service you can procure from us. They are transportation of any good and I mean anything. Assassination of anyone not affiliated with the guild. Information on anyone not a client unless you got the coin to make us drop the client. And the last one monster subjugation. I''ve told you all of this but I haven''t explain the world I live in Argus. In Argus there are 4 kingdom the republic of Jamar, the merchant kingdow of Klish, the kingdom of bones Nicro and the warrior kingdom of Grash. Argus is a world swords and magic, where how much skill one has determines the life they will have. But let''s talk about magic first I personally specialize in magic engineering. What that means is that I ether use runes to enchant things or to make machines, it also means I can make new magic to sell. There are other schools of magic, such as invokers who are you classic mages who shoot fire balls at each other. Then there''s the enhancers who boost their physical strength with mana. This is something everyone but invokers can do. This is because of them opening mana pores to cast mana outside of their bodies, because of this their flesh can''t hold in the mana for enhancing. We engineers can cast magic out side of our bodies and enhance, but only from our hands to place down runes so we can''t get the best of both. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Now I said we engineers can make new spells to sell. I should explain what that means we can not cast spells like invokers but with runes we can design spells for others but we need to know exactly what is happening in the spell. Take fireball for example the person who made that spell made it so that with mana a flame is created and by pushing mana forward the mana would act like a fuel creating a ball of fire. This way of making it was the most common but also the most wasteful. The invoker would run out of mana in about 20 to 30 fireballs this way if they were your average invoker, but if they were exceptional they can use this way for about 80 to 100 times. So the engineers reinvent the spell with better performance; but this time they vibrate the mana in the air to make a spark then use their mana as fuel to launch the fire ball. Thus making it so average invokers can fire it 80 to 100 and exceptional ones 300 to 500 times. Get it we engineers are constantly reinventing the wheel and trying to one up each other. This also works for runes but I''m the only person who knows that or if anyone else knows it they wouldn''t share it with anyone unless they were an idiot. The job "Bev can you throw in a roll of tissue"I yelled out from the restroom. "For fucks sake boss, ask one of these other lazy bums to do it next time " the woman named Bev replied as she opened the door and tossed in a roll. "I''m afraid if I asked any if them to do it, they would be to fucking retarded find their way back from the cupboard" I replied as I finish washing up. First thing I created when I came to this world was tolet paper because I refused to use what they used at the time, don''t ask what it is. This invention soon spread like wild fire in all the kingdoms. It was so appreciated my family was promoted three ranks, all the way up to duke status I told you it was bad still don''t ask what it is. Next I created regular paper which was 10,000 times better than the papyrus they where using. Before I came to this world the technology was the equivalent of the bronze age besides the metal industry which thrived because of the Warriors that are in regular need of more weapons. This also spread like wild fire , and because me and my father decided that the way to manufacture it would be a house secret our family gained the monopoly on it and soon became the riches noble besides the crown. I could have fixed that and made us richer but decided to stop or the family would have been annihilated. Kings don''t seem to like being poorer than their vassals. My family didn''t have strong enough fighters to protect them from an army. So I struck a deal with the king. I could do this because every one knew I was the real leader of the house, and not my overly kind father who couldn''t scheme if he was trying to steal a bread crumb from an ant. This wasn''t a bad trait to have as a person, but in both worlds those in power have to be as sly as a fox and as deadly as a viper. The deal was that my family becomes Archduke and they will be like blood relatives to the crown and in return I stop weakening the crown from the shadows, and they can get the manufactur process of paper and tissue the deal was settled by a generation soul contract that will kill anyone blood related to us effectively killing off our family if we were the one to break it but what the king doesn''t know is that I created a null rune that makes the contract invalid for the one who wears it. I created it because I plan on killing the crown prince in a few years because I have a deal with the second prince. The details on that deal are on a need to know bases and right now you don''t need to know yet. "Hey boss you in for that transport job today" Jax asked me he was big man about 6.5 ft with red hair and steel gray eyes ,he also has muscles that can strangle an lark. A lark is a lama the size of a elephant but it has three heads that each spit something different like acid ,poison ,or just plane spit. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "Sure I''m in its to Nicro right?" I reply. Oh and if your wondering I am 6.2 lean muscle body think Bruce Lee. I have black hair cut in a longer crew cut. "Yeah! Its practically a steal the guy wants us to transport his slaves from the slave city Bolan to Tosh mountains" Jax reply as he gets his gear on. All of our gear is made by me it consist of ballistic leather armor a inverted wrist crossbow, a minthrile damascus karambit, a specialty weapon the weapon our members are most proficient in in Jax''s case it''s a kanabo or japanese war club made of minthrile damascus. The leather armor is made of bahemoth leather which is almost impenetrable when processed but I split it into layers it goes leather, minthrile scales , leather, and X pattern chainmail. The minthrile scales are about .5 inch thick each and they a layered on top of the other like fish scales making a light but monstrous defense. Each scale has a anti magic rune on it to help block invoker spells it''s not a perfect defense but if I say that it is second in the world no one will say that theirs is first. "That''s sounds easy enough plus I get to go get some bone steel on the way back, so what kind of slaves we talking dwarves, elves, human or what?" I reply getting my gear on. My weapon of choice is a demothrile macuahuitl it can also be called an aztec sword. The construction is all metal, the metal used is the demonic version of minthrile called domothrile it has the property to absorb mana and storing it. I use the mana stored in it to power the runes that are on the body of weapon, that activates the motor that makes the blades spin like a chain saw. I can also power the runes myself but it would drain me to power it for a long time. "All of them the guy wants to have every race he could buy for an experiment of some sort." Jax says taking a sip of his beer " He wouldn''t say what but we did a background check and some reconnaissance work on him." "And let me guess he apart of some cult or he''s trying to make an immortal body" I say cutting him off. "Well your right about creating a body but not an immortal one but zombies an army of zombies. He has yet to succeed but he''s close." Jax say after slamming his mug on the table. "Mark the job as black and assemble my team and get the Humvees ready. We''re rolling out in an hour."
The Humvees will be explained next chapter but they work on a rune motor which spins the crank shafts turning the axle so there is no need for gas Yeah about the next chapter My phone keeps crashing as I''m about to post the chapter, and because I was an idiot I was writing it in the create new threads part of website when it crashed it deleted what I had wrote so I''m gonna take a breather before I break my phone. A black job and a human husk A black job is a job that endanger the guild if completed. Now common sense would tell you to not complete the job right. Wrong we complete all jobs but there are rules for the jobs. Rule1 : we don''t kill our own. Rule2 : we don''t kill our clients unless you have the coin to make them ex clients. Rule3 : all information is for sell but some information will cost you your life. Rule4 : the job can''t endanger the guild or you will be killed after completion of the job. This job broke Rule4 so after we deliver the slaves, we will kill the guy or organization that is with him. We will take any healthy slaves. We will take any kids and train them for the guild. Any parents of the kids will be hired as workers in my businesses. We will also train their kids but they will not be able to join the guild because the guild is family anyone who has loyalties elsewhere is not allowed in. Yes I could brainwash the parents and the kid but then they would lose originality and I cherish originality. That is why in the Guildhall at the back of the smithy. We all joke and play around with each other but once we go into battle mode the jokes stop. Well they should but in my team we joke and bet on who can get the most kills. An hour after I ordered Jax to assemble my team I step out of the Guildhall. The sight before me is glorious. My six team members are in two rows of three on my right and left side. I walk forward not saying a word passing all six of them they all file in behind me towards the black humvee. The Humvee have tank treads instead of tires so it is all terrain. It is made with demothrile that''s the reason for the black color it is also for defense. It protects in invoker''s spells stopping the humvee by destroying the treads. On top of the humvee is a automatic inverted ballista with a drum mag. A ballista is a giant crossbow. An inverted ballista has the bow arms facing forward and the bow string pulls like a slingshot mine is a more modern design as it functions like a compound bow with pulleys and more bow string to maximize the draw length and adds more power. Now in the old world to make a ballista automatic you would need a motor of some sort to pull back the bow string and it would still be very slow. But don''t fret that problem is fixed with runes. It''s much simpler to make runes pull something back or spin something than it is to make it make a fireball or a unbreakable armor. This is because if you wanted to make the armor unbreakable, you would have to describe the process of the armor breaking in the rune language and you would run out of space before you even get past the anti rusting part of the runes. This because you would have to explain oxidation and how oxidation affects the metal and what happens to the metal it just to much work and the problem with writing small is because you need laser precision to write the runes perfect and and you still need mana to power each and every runes because no matter the size of a rune it all cost the same amount. This is also how I power the motor I didn''t need all the Pistons and other moving parts; so the engine is only the size of a gaming console with all the mana gathering runes, the runes to power the crank shafts and the anti friction runes so the crank shaft doesn''t overheat and breaks. All the rest of the space under the hood is room to work around to replace runes and so I can see everything without having to take out the rune motor. Fifteen hours after leaving the guild we arrive at the city of slaves Bolan. The city is disgusting slave merchants everywhere selling their products. The slave trade itself isn''t disgusting the way they show off their wares is how the hell do you sell dirty slaves or malnourished slaves if slaves are how you make your money a lot of it should go towards the slaves food training or hygiene. That way you can sell them for monstrous prices compared to the others. Well that''s how I sell my slaves and my slave shop is number three in this city and that''s only because I don''t sell women and children. The women go to my brothels and the children to the guild. The women only go to the brothels if they don''t have children or are at least 30. This is because they''ve probably have been used and abused by this age as younger women are kept pure for the nobles. The younger women all go to my family''s mansion or my guilds mansion as maids. Whichever one they go to their pretty much free people by then because they won''t be abused or treated like slaves there one because my father hates slavery and two most of my guild members used to be slaves so they will treat them good. The women in the brothels are treated well also because who want to sleep with dirty abused hookers. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. If the older women have had children or have taken care of children they can take care of the recruits. The children are treated just like how I was treated in the orphanage. They get the best of everything but are taught to not be spoiled and to not bully or fight anyone in the guild because we are family. In here we are all equal and if there are weak people in the guild we help them grow strong, and everyone has a place in the guild if they want to craft or fight or be in the other parts of the guild we will help make everyone accepted. Every slave trader in this kingdom knows our stand on child slaves and that we crush anyone who sell kids. So they usually just sell them to us so we won''t cause trouble for them. Sometimes the newer ones or the bolder ones still sell children and they even abuse them in the open. This is what''s happening in front of me now. ¡°Little shits hurry up and move or I''ll beat you again¡± the slave trader yells venomously as he pulls the chains on the group of child slaves. Everyone is looking at him like he''s a dead man. Well he''s not and he''s never gonna die well not for the next month or two because by then he''ll be a little less than a living husk. ¡°Come one and come all I have here children from the demon race when they grow up they can be trained as fighters or you can use them as gladiators and the females can be trained as sex slaves from young¡± the trader screams towards the crowd. ¡°You better leave those kids alone or the four paths will make you wish you were dead¡± a pedestrian yells at the trader ¡°Yeah if you let them go and get them to a healer fast they might spare you!¡± another agrees. ¡°Who the fuck are the four paths I''ll kill them if they make trouble for the boss¡± a goon that''s with the trader yells at the crowd before a small crossbow bolt goes through his eye and passes through his skull killing him instantly. The crowd parts to show a green haired demoness walking towards the slave trader. The green haired bitch is Chris one of my teammates and also the one who just won rock paper scissors so she can get the trader and his goons thus she is a bitch until she done with soon to be living husk. After she''s done she can go back to being my guild sister and one of my most trusted friends but until then she is green haired bitch. ¡°Get that green haired bitch I''m gonna fuck her till she begs for it¡± the soon to be human husk yells at his goons. ¡°ahhghsvtfdjggnjdvhhghhh¡± the human husk screams as my throwing knife reaches his junior. ¡°Hey boss he was supposed to be mine¡± green haired bitch yells at at me. ¡°Only we can call you green haired bitch so suck it up green haired bitch.¡± I reply nonchalantly ¡°Hmph¡± green haired bitch pouts. ¡°Take this¡± the first goon to reach her sends a downward swing of his sword at her. Green haired bitch sidesteps to the left on the outside of his guard with her karambit slashes his throat at the same time her right foot goes behind his right foot which when combined with the force of slash at his throat causing him to fall on his back drowning in his own blood. While green bitch continue forward towards the last goon as the other one got smart and fled only to have an bolt put in his skull. The last goon with a sword and small wooden shield tries to stab towards the green bitch only to have her sidestep and slash his right wrist causing him to drop his sword. ¡°Bitch you''re gonna pay for that the lopa¡¯s tongue bandit gang will kill you all for this¡± the goon screams. ¡°Green haired bitch leave him alive we''ll give him to information branch to get the location of his bandit clan it seems there''s a new one that popped up¡± I yell from the humvee. ¡°Got it boss¡± she yells back as she spartan kicks the guy''s shield knocking him out. ¡°Boss I think we should send him to Polaris drop to be a sexual release for the prisoners¡± green haired bitch says as she reaches the soon to be sex slave human husk. ¡°Sure you won you get to pick what happens¡± I tell her. ¡°Now let''s go get those slaves so we can get paid¡± I say after we give the sex slave human husk and the bandit to the guild members who showed up after everything was done they also stared daggers at Chris for getting the guy before them because we all enjoy crushing those who don''t follow the rules even the nobles know to follow them because the king said so after I told him how to make softer tissue paper. I''m telling you what they used before would be considered torture of the worst kind still don''t ask.
Please tell me what you think of the story so far Lopa image If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. this is a lopa a small lizard that has a poison that can kill anything. There is no cure and the poison is delivered through the tongue
The art is done by me I wanted a encyclopedia type look almost water color. To Tosh mountain As we reach the slave merchants tent where the slaves we are guarding are be held I can''t help but notice the luxury in the building. The building is in a manners style with four columns in the front and beautiful carved stairs think a museum or court house, just smaller and without the dome. The building is painted in a vibrant yellow and deep purple accent on the columns. A pale skinny man comes out to greet us with his business smile on. ¡°Honored guests what brings you to our shop¡± the shop clerk says in a humble tone. ¡°Yo we''re here to pick up the slaves Alfon ordered , we have the bill of sales so don''t try to cheat us by saying we have to pay or your gonna have to explain to Corvix why his shop is burned to the ground¡± Jax threatens from the open hatch of the humvee ¡°Certainly good sir we have them a read and in a wagon out back let me tell one of the slaves to bring it up front.¡± the clerk said as he walks off after giving a respectful bow ¡°Excuse me!¡­.excuse me!.... EXCUSE ME!¡± A man screams as he runs towards us. ¡°Ehh What do you want¡± Jax say in an annoyed voice. ¡°Hah..ahuh.hhaaah wh..er..where did you get this fine piece of craftsmanship¡± the man says. ¡°Fumu you like it don''t cha¡± Jax say with pride like he''s the creator of the humvee. ¡°Like doesn''t even begin to describe how much I adore this piece of work¡± the man says with almost worship in his voice. ¡°Hahaha boss you hear this he''s almost bowing down to your workmanship I told you you were a freak of nature with you inventions¡± Jax bellows towards me from the hatch on the roof of the humvee. ¡°What the creator of this thing is inside!? Please take me as your disciple I will do anything to be able to given the chance to learn how to create this.¡± the man screams at yells while groveling on the ground ¡°Are you an invoker or a magic engineer¡± I ask in a cold voice ¡°I am an enhancer my mana pores are blocked so I could never be anything else but I''ve dedicated my life to blacksmithing¡± the man says in a prideful voice ¡°Sorry but to make this you must be a magic engineer or an invoker to power the machine to make this¡± I already knew the man couldn''t do it if you''re asking why is his appearance he was huge man bigger than even Jax standing at 7 ft even with ripped muscles and hair in a messy chard bedhead. Invoker''s are to prideful to work out and gain muscles or to look messy even the scum of the underworld would still look somewhat decent, and magic engineering is a rich man''s profession because even if your shit at runecrafting the ready made runes would still get you a life of luxury. ¡°Even If I can''t make this please take me as a worker I come from Yulna in Grash and have come here to gain work¡± the man pleads. I may not be a charity but I am an employer and it''s hard to find a man dedicated to the craft of blacksmithing most do it for the coin or because it''s been in their families for generations. ¡°Hmm go to Crosh in Klish and go to a place called the 46 swords tell them Allen sent you they''ll put you in one of our inns wait there for 2 months I should be back from Nicro by then when I get back I''ll personally test you¡± I tell him not bothering to look out at him. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°If you want you can pay 4 gold to practice with our equipment and get use to things there, and if there''s something you want to learn how to use just ask someone who''s not busy to teach you how to use it¡± I tell him as I look him in the eyes for the first time. ¡°I have great hopes for you. Oh yeah what your name?¡± ¡°My name is John Falcone¡± John says excitedly ¡°I''ll see you in 2 months don''t disappoint me.¡± I may seem arrogant but this is how I am towards outsiders I have the strength and the influence to back up my haughtiness. ¡°Sir the slaves are here as ordered three of each race and two Beastmen enhancers. In total 23 slaves.¡± the clerk comes back with the cage wagon. Jax hooks up the the wagon to the back of the humvee and we drive off towards a branch office of the 4 paths we have offices in all of the 24 major cities of each of the 4 kingdoms a total of 25,000 members active and another 20,000 hidden away and yet another 10,000 in training for a grand total of 55,000 troops. In the 35 years I have been here in this world I have personally saved 12,000 of those members when they were children from ages 5 to 18. Most of them were released and ¡°donate¡± to us so we wouldn''t crush their noble house or place of business. Crushing 60 to a 100 slave traders would have that effect on people. After reaching the branch office we have the slave wagon fitted with thick metal wheels so it can handle the speed of the Humvee. We also get enough food for us and the slaves for 3 months even though Tosh mountain is a month away with horse''s it doesn''t hurt have extra dry rations. Once that''s done it''s off towards Nicro to deliver the slaves. It takes us 1 week to reach Tosh mountain. With the tank treads and the mana motor the rough rocky terrain was nothing. For us it was comfortable but not so much for the slaves. Well after this they''ll either be resold or offered work in the guild. When we reach the cave or evil lair of the necromancer what greets us is an army of ghouls. They''re like zombies but unlike zombies they don''t turn people into zombies after they''ve killed them. This is a type of necromancy is acceptable in the eyes of the world because it can be beaten and it doesn''t make a Never Ending army. Apparently ten thousand years ago there was a necromancer that found out away to create zombies but was stopped before he could make an army of them. The way to make them and all of his research was destroyed. Only one document is left from back then written on a sheet of human skin. It was written in dungeon language better know as English. Yep I''m not the only one that was from the old world. From my research and lots of dungeon crawling I have learned that people from the old world come here as either dungeons with only memories of the language they spoke, the fact they use to be human and how to make a dungeon. Or as a resident of this world with no memories, as to why I have memories it because of karma apparently saving children''s lives or the lives of the innocent are worth most karma points in the the universe''s karma score. I''ll explain more about dungeons and what they have to do with magic but right now I have ghouls to kill.