《The Book Of The Sword: The Dragons Of Arcadia》


 Chapter One: The Castle of Flowers

    This book is dedicated to Austin Post.


    Chapter One: The Castle of Flowers


    Hello, I am an enchanted book. I am here to tell you a story.


    In a time when knights battled mythical beasts, kings ruled over stone castles, wizards threw fire and elemental magic, there lived a young man cursed by dark magic. He was a necromancer named Nathaniel. He lived in the Castle of Flowers.


    The Castle of Flowers was a beautiful city. The Castle was well stocked with food and resources. The vault was full of gold. The king was calm, and laughed often. Everyone was welcome. The walls were surrounded by gardens full of beautiful flowers. Rows upon rows of purples, reds, blues and yellows.


    The outer gate was the entrance to the village. It was a robust town, with many manors. Every corner had a shop, either selling potions, books or armour. The city was famous for it¡¯s architecture. The homes were beautiful, built from wood and they had steep black tile roofs.


    there was a Tavern that most of the locals preferred. It was bustling with activity for most of the day.


    The locals loved to drink ales and wines in the tavern during lunch. They served incredible meats, and a wide variety of them. Everything from enchanted potatoes, to frog milkshakes.


    The door to the inn swung open and the locals continued their conversations in loud voices, laughing at simple jokes. The man in the doorway was a young man, twenty four years old. He was dressed in long, tattered black robes. He had a rune tattooed under each eye, his right ear was pierced three times and his neck had scorch marks.


    ¡°Behold, the Evil Necromancer!¡± One of the bar patrons said, noticing the man, then the table erupted around him in laughter.


    ¡°Fuck you, Doug.¡± The necromancer responded, with a rude gesture.


    ¡°Oh no he''s going to raise my cat from the dead!¡± Another patron said with a smile. Which garnered an undeservingly huge laugh from the rest of the group. The necromancer simply walked past to the bar and ordered a Cider. He took his drink to an empty table in the corner of the room and sat there drinking by himself. Occasionally he would dodge thrown beer cups with a nonchalant expression. It was normal. Most people hated him. He wasn''t evil, but dark magic was feared by many. It''s not his fault he was born a dark wizard. He was employable by the townspeople. He gave people the chance to speak to their loved ones from beyond. He also revived some favourite pets, a blacksmith''s dog, a hunter¡¯s pet deer and a farmer¡¯s biggest bull. The pets were simply bones reanimated, but they maintained their nature after resurrection. It was cute, and terrifying.


    The necromancer finished his drink peacefully and left the bar. He started walking home when he was stopped by an old woman.


    ¡°Excuse me, dear.¡± she spoke and she grabbed his arm. ¡°My husband passed away last week. I was hoping I could ask for your help.¡±


    The necromancer sighed deeply.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Alright.¡± He said, slightly drunk.


    A few hours later the necromancer and the old woman were standing beside a pile of dirt next to an open grave. He was holding a shovel, and was covered in dirt and dust. The coffin was visible in the hole. He jumped down, lifted the lid and came face to face with a grey haired corpse. The body was gaunt and the skin was pale with deep circles under the dead man''s eyes.


    He cracked his knuckles and stretched his neck from side to side. The necromancer started singing softly.


    ¡°Your body is cold, your spirit is free


    Return to your bones, rise and serve me


    Your soul is returning, to bring you new breath.


    I command you, skeleton, stand up from this rest.¡±


    As the necromancer sang, small bubbles of light appeared from his hands, casting an eerie glow over the graveyard. The orbs of light floated gently towards the face of the dead man. They drifted past the dead skin and moved into his skull. They could see the light emanating from behind the man''s eyelids and cheeks. The lights disappeared and the dead man took a very deep breath in. He sat up in the coffin, eyes pointed in different directions. He looked around with a confused look, and then he closed his eyes and started snoring.


    ¡°Gordon, wake up!¡± the old woman shrilled. Gordon awoke.


    ¡°Mavis, what are you doing up there?¡± The old man said, puzzled. ¡°I was just having a very good sleep.¡±


    ¡°Gordon, dear. Where did you put the shovel?¡± She asked.


    ¡°It''s in the shed, next to the pitchforks.¡± He said.


    ¡°Oh, I didn''t look there.¡± She said, ¡°Love you, hon. Go back to sleep. ¡± She smiled.


    The necromancer stopped the spell and Gordon closed his pale eyes. Then he closed the dirty coffin and simply used a spell to push the dirt into the hole. Then Mavis and the necromancer walked out of the graveyard chatting quietly.


    This was his career. He was hired by the town for odd jobs like this. The necromancer returned to his home. The basement of a magic shop. He rented beneath the main store that sold potions, magical items, hexes and cursed items. The shop owner had decided to lease the downstairs to make some extra money.


    He walked into his front door and heard a very powerful voice.


    ¡°Behold, Nathaniel the Necromancer, who is kind of shit at being a necromancer.¡± The voice said.


    ¡°I conquered three cities, but you can barely conquer three ales.¡± A second deep and gravelly voice said.


    ¡°Alright take it easy, General. You died storming your fourth one.¡± The Necromancer said back.


    He saw his three best friends sitting on a couch. They were all reanimated skeletons. They were currently all staring at a large scrying orb that was positioned opposite the couch on a waist-high wooden cabinet. They were watching the gladiator fights from a few cities over on the scrying orb. The first wore the robes of an emperor, and a golden breastplate and pauldrons. He was a king from over 200 years before. It was Brutus. The second skeleton wore a full suit of black armour with a deep red cape. This was Arkanon, a king and conqueror with a love for battle and fire. The third skeleton was dressed in a white gold suit of armour. His suit of armour shined like a pearl. This was a fallen elven prince. Rodon.


    The three skeletons were mostly a trophy of Nathaniel¡¯s own accomplishments, but also his only friends. They constantly tried convincing the human to start a rebellion. They insulted him and laughed at his passive and peaceful attitude.


    ¡°So when are you going to bring a girl over?¡± Arkanon asked jokingly, which brought a huge round of laughter from everyone. Even the necromancer smiled.


    The necromancer¡¯s house was filled with cauldrons, spell books, flasks and chemistry stations. Drawings of skeletons covered the walls, some were for medical purposes with measurements and notes. Other drawings were child-like, showing skeletons doing things like patting horses or riding on dragons, or fighting with zombies. These child like drawings were made by Brutus.


    The room was lit by dull oil lamps and a glowing green cauldron.


    ¡°How is dinner?¡± he asked the skeletons, gesturing to the glowing vat.


    ¡°Delicious.¡± said the dead king. A large green bubble popped and sent a large glob of slime onto the cheek of the necromancer.


    ¡°Smells good,¡± he said.


    The necromancer jumped into a hammock and fell asleep, as he closed his eyes, the souls of the dead filled his vision, horrifying mutant faces taunted him as they swirled in a cloudy void. His connection to dark magic was strong, this was a depressing side effect.

 Chapter Two: The Town of Buttermilk

    Chapter Two: The Town of Buttermilk


    In a small town near the Castle, there lived a very good friend of mine. His name was Jason. He was a young man when I met him, barely twenty-five. He was a young blacksmith, the only blacksmith in the lazy, small town of Buttermilk.


    Buttermilk was a cattle rancher''s dream, cows and horses roamed in open grassy lands. The farmers looked after their cattle, grew vegetables and traded goods at the daily markets.


    The village had no more than 50 houses, It had a stable, a blacksmith, a market square, two churches and a clocktower.


    The rich villagers lived in small stone houses in the middle of town. With amenities like magical freshwater plumbing, adjustable dimming magelight lanterns, slow burning logs and magical wards on the locks. In the outskirts, some villagers lived inside wooden houses, made from thick boards and planks, while some of the poorer families, or workers lived in the wildlands outside the territory inside tents, yurts or caves.


    On the outskirts of the town was an abandoned mansion, with an overgrown garden, that used to be owned by a great adventurer. When he died, the mansion fell into disrepair.


    Jason had grown up in the village. He was taught to be a blacksmith by his father. He had wide shoulders and black hair. He had blue eyes, a large moustache and a light beard. He wore a black wool shirt, a black apron and some black pants. He wore some brown boots on his feet and on his chest was a home-made safety plate to protect him from heat so he could get close to the furnace.


    Jason worked the shop alone after his father had joined the knight guard at the Castle of Flowers nearby. Jason was a master blacksmith now, nearly better than his father. He had worked with blades most of his life, but also crafted other metal items, like pots, pans, armour and custom pieces.


    Jason was working at the shop when an elf girl approached him. This was unusual to see in Buttermilk. The Elf Homeland was very far north. She was wearing adventurer¡¯s clothes, An elegant white gold and silver bow on her shoulder, and an ornate katana on her hip. She was wearing a green cloak over some dented steel armour. She held a steel helmet with wings underneath her shoulder. Her long blonde hair gently glided over her pointed ears. She looked at him calmly and tossed a quiver onto the table.


    ¡°Hi there, what can I help with today?¡± Jason asked the elf.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to repair some of these broken arrows.¡± She commanded.


    ¡°How many arrows?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Fourteen.¡±


    ¡°If you come back in a few hours, I¡¯ll have them ready. Is three Dime okay?¡± He said to her, he had opened the bag and was inspecting the arrows for damage, appreciating the fine elven blacksmithing.


    ¡°You should try Tenzen¡¯s pies over in the market. If you tell Tenzen that Jason sent you over there he¡¯ll give you one for free, I swear.¡± Jason pointed to the centre of the village square, where locals traded daily goods like milk, eggs, paper, flavoured waters, potions, seasonings and livestock.


    The elf maiden let the blacksmith do his work and she walked to the village square. While there, she met a tall blonde man. He stepped out from behind a stall selling chickens in wicker cages. He handed her a cage with a small chicken and told her it was a gift.


    ¡°Hey this one is for free, I¡¯ve never seen you around. Welcome to the village. This pretty little lady is called Snowflake.¡±  He said, then winked at her and smiled. He was handsome and carefree. She looked at the chicken. It was white, soft and fluffy. She decided to keep her new pet.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± She calmly stashed the entire chicken into her bag of holding. It disappeared into an imaginary void. The shopkeep jumped backwards.


    ¡°What was that!? Did you just kill Snowflake?¡± The man wildly accused. The elf simply laughed and pulled the cage back out. She then showed the man the chicken and stashed it back inside.


    ¡°It¡¯s called a bag of holding. It¡¯s a magic bag.¡± She said, smartly.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen one,¡± he said, then laughed. ¡°Can I put my head inside?¡±


    ¡°No, sorry. But I''ll trade you for the chicken.¡± She pulled out a phoenix from her bag and gave it to the man.


    It was a small budgie with gently glowing red feathers. It wasn¡¯t actually on fire, but the glossy red feathers had a pearlescent orange effect, so it shimmered in the light and reflected light onto other surfaces.


    ¡°His name is Ignacio.¡± She said, ¡°He was my brother¡¯s pet. I have been caring for him since my brother died. That was two hundred and seventy years ago. He can be a bit annoying sometimes so I¡¯ve let some new owners take over. It gives me a break. He eats a lot.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t take your brother¡¯s pet.¡± The blonde trader said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see that little son of a minotaur again, he¡¯s an eternal being, I¡¯ll live almost as long as he does. He¡¯ll fly home to the elf homelands once he matures for mating season. He always comes back home. It¡¯s pretty hard to kill the little bitey guy.¡± As she spoke, the fiery budgie nipped the neck of the trader and then sang a little chirp.


    ¡°See you in about fifty years, Ignacio.¡± She said.


    She gently pat the little bird with her pointer finger and the bird bit her gently and blinked one eye, then the next.


    ¡°Th-Thank you, lady.¡± The blonde man said, then the bird burped and a stream of fire shot out of its mouth.


    She walked to the market centre and looked around. Food stalls were set up, people were buying freshly baked bread from a bakery, a rotisserie boar was being cooked over a coal fire and the people running the stall were using tongs to put the meat into fresh bread rolls.


    She found Tenzen¡¯s pie shop. It was full of delicious looking freshly baked pies. She joined the line and looked around. It was a peaceful day.


    I needed a break, thank goodness, she thought to herself.


    Suddenly she heard something incredible from a few shops over.


    ¡°Enchanted Items! The Sword of souls! This sword will make you stronger than any man. You will be given the strength of magical enchantments!¡± The shopkeeper bellowed to a crowd of bearded knights.


    The Elf girl walked over and cast a spell to detect enchantments. The sword was just a regular sword. She brushed it off and left the toothless idiots to gaze at the ripoff sword and the con man shilling the bad merchandise.


    She waited in line at the pie shop for a little while, when a shopkeeper dressed in an apron ushered her forward.


    ¡°Hi, I was just talking to Jason over at-...¡±


    ¡°Say No More!¡± The shopkeeper bellowed. ¡°What discount did he offer you?¡±


    ¡°He said I could have a free pie if I mentioned his name.¡± She said back, shyly.


    ¡°Of course, anything for Jason.¡± He laughed. Then he put a pie from the warming rack above the stove into a bag made of parchment paper and handed it to the girl. ¡°This is the town¡¯s favourite. Bacon, Beef and Salted Butter.¡± The Elf girl noticed that the oven had an enchantment, making the food come out perfect every time. She wondered how many people knew about it.


    He handed her the warm pie and she looked at it with wide eyes. It was so big in her hands. She looked around the busy town square for a place to eat. She couldn¡¯t find one so she started walking back the way she came. She approached the front counter of Jason¡¯s shop, found a hefty sitting rock and sat down. On the gentle sunny afternoon she sat there, listening to the sounds of hammering coming from inside the blacksmith. Villagers calmly walked past as she ate her pie.


    She took one bite and it was delicious. She took another, and another and before she knew it, it was completely gone. She was dusting pastry from her clothes and licking gravy from her fingertips. She overheard a conversation.


    A pretty blonde human girl had approached the front counter. Jason started blushing and talking shyly.


    ¡°Hi Jason.¡± The new girl said.


    ¡°Hi Stella.¡± Jason spoke, smiling ear to ear. ¡°I am almost finished with that order. I might need another ten or so minutes. How is your day today? Did your dog have any pups?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. I think she might be due any day though.¡± Stella responded shyly, she looked down at the ground then up at his face. Stella was dressed in a white sundress, with a brown apron over the top. She had freckles and her blonde hair was elegant and smelled like berries. Jason was in awe of her perfection. Stella was too shy to admit she was into Jason. She looked at his deep eyes and sharp brow. She felt something inside.


    ¡°I was wondering if you had a date to the show this month? Could I maybe take you there, Stella?¡± He said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.


    ¡°I was already asked by Aaron.¡± She said, stinging Jason. ¡°I didn¡¯t say yes,¡± she said next. Which made him feel relieved.


    ¡°I was thinking It might be best to just see you there. I will go alone, but you can buy me a sugar cake, and we can split it.¡± She laughed.


    ¡°A sugar cake, sure thing Princess Stella.¡± Jason laughed. Stella turned red and thanked him.


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°I¡¯ll come to see you tomorrow, Jason. I¡¯ll see you then.¡± She said, and walked away. Jason waved and watched her go. He got distracted by the movement of her butt and didn''t notice the Elf was staring straight at him. He was so lost in thought. He jumped when he turned and saw the Elf so close. Jason blushed, having just been caught checking out Stella¡¯s walk.


    The Elf giggled to herself then looked around. Her detect enchantment spell was still active. Jason had returned to work. He was fletching her arrows. She looked at his wares and realised they were all enchanted.


    She curiously asked about his items for sale.


    ¡°How much for the enchanted gear?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t sell any enchanted items. I just craft things out of steel and wood, and iron. Sometimes gold and copper. I¡¯m always looking for new metals though.¡±


    She looked around and saw a sword with an enchantment of life drain, a shovel that increases strength, A pickaxe that gives the user nightvision. The shop was full of metal trinkets and miscellaneous wares. A metal toy knight had the enchantment of love. A soup pot had an enchantment of creating dishes with magic healing properties.


    Most of this stuff could be sold in the Elven Realms for lots of Dime, but here it was in the commoner¡¯s shop being sold a few Dime each item.


    ¡°How much for everything in the shop?¡± She asked. He dropped his hammer.


    ¡°Uh, are you serious? Sure.¡± he said, rubbing his forehead. ¡°Let me count.¡±


    He took stock of all of his inventory quickly and came up with a number.


    ¡°About a thousand Dime.¡± He said quietly. She reached inside her bag of holding and pulled out a large treasure chest. She smacked it on the counter and started counting gold Dime. Jason was flabbergasted.


    ¡°Keep working, I still want my arrows.¡± She said. He started attaching the old arrowheads to new wood shafts. She sat at the counter on a stool and counted one thousand and three Dime. Stacked in neat piles on the counter. She locked the chest, stashed the chest back inside, and pulled out the cage. Snowflake the chicken looked around in wonder.


    Jason approached the counter with her fixed arrows and handed them to her. She smiled and inspected them. Some of the arrows were enchanted. Two had explosive damage, three of them had love enchantments and one of them was given a swiftness enchantment. She didn¡¯t tell Jason.


    Jason was very pleased as he counted the money on his counter.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have so much money to start new projects,¡± he said, smiling. ¡°I have so much room to start making new inventory. I might have to close the shop for a bit, except for custom orders.¡±


    She started loading all of the loot inside her bag of holding. Soon Jason¡¯s shop was empty of everything but his tools and raw materials.


    ¡°I¡¯m rich. I gotta tell my dad.¡± he said, smiling. ¡°I can buy a horse!¡± He couldn¡¯t hide his smile.


    She started smiling too.


    ¡°Is there a place I can stay the night?¡± She asked Jason.


    ¡°Conveniently, I have a room upstairs for guests. Two rooms actually.¡± I charge Two Dime a night. It¡¯s not fancy, but It¡¯s warm. There¡¯s a small wood stove in your room so you can cook. I can help you start it. I have a hot shower too.¡± He said. This gave her goosebumps. Humans are so clever sometimes, she thought to herself.


    She was used to waterfall showers, but waterfalls are rarely heated.


    ¡°Jason, that sounds great.¡± She said, smiling, curious to try a hot shower.


    Jason took her upstairs and showed her the room. It was a humble room. Single bed, straw mattress. Wool blankets. A pillow made of wool. A small chest was beside the bed, it held a few children¡¯s books. There was a wood stove connected to a chimney system. It was made of steel and had a grate on the front. A small cart of firewood was next to the stove. Jason started the fire with a flint and steel rod. Some linen scraps and pieces of parchment were the tinder. Jason rapidly built a fire from small twigs and started some logs burning slowly after. Then he showed her the shared bathroom. He pointed to a steel bathtub and a copper exposed pipe overhead. The pipe was connected to a tank of boiled water. A temperature controlling spell made the water very warm and pleasant. Not too hot. Jason showed her the water and put his hand in to test it. It was good.


    She reached out and touched the warm water with her hands. She shrugged with nice surprise and started to take off her armour. Jason saw this and started to leave. She pulled off her dress as he stepped outside.


    Her perfect elf body stepped into the water. Her soft, perky breasts beaded up with water. Her hair became a wet silky mess. She grabbed a jar of scent-berries from the shower¡¯s shelf. She poured berries from it into her hands, She squished the berries to make a soap and massaged it into her scalp. She smelled like Apple, Berries and sugar now. She washed the soap off her body and she stepped from the water, goosebumps forming on her skin. She grabbed her clothes and walked naked back into her room. Jason was downstairs.


    He came up a few hours later to see her. She was tucked in bed, reading a book. The fire was burning in the stove in her room, which made it very warm. She was wearing a pink silk singlet. He walked over to her and thanked her for buying the whole stock.


    ¡°Hey thank you, the money will change my life,¡± he said.


    Mine too, she thought to herself. She thought about the profit she was going to make selling these items back at her home village. She would be set up for a long time.


    ¡°No worries, my name is Freya by the way. I am princess Freya of the Timber Elf Kingdom.¡± She said and then Jason''s jaw dropped. ¡°Goodnight magic boy.¡± She said, with a smile.


    He smiled and walked out.


    ¡°Goodnight Freya,¡± he said. He stopped outside the door and thought for a moment. Then he remembered Stella and went over to his own bedroom. He undressed and got into the shower. While he was in there he smelled the apple, berry smell of the soap and thought of Freya. She was incredible. He washed up, and put his towel over his waist as he walked to bed.


    The next morning Jason woke up feeling strange. He walked downstairs and saw everything missing from his shop. He nearly thought for a moment he¡¯d been robbed when he was interrupted by a noise. A creak on the step behind him. It was Freya. She asked about breakfast.


    He cooked up some pancakes, bacon and eggs. Then they ate. They started talking about one of her past adventures.


    ¡°So the rock monster was crushed by it¡¯s own boulder?¡± Jason asked, in disbelief.


    ¡°It was too heavy for it to carry. I made it trip over and it crushed itself. I laughed for about fifteen minutes.¡± She said, giggling sweetly. Jason laughed again.


    ¡°So tell me about this show again, Jason. In a few weeks?¡± She grabbed his forearm when she said this and looked him in the eyes. He nervously looked at his arm and pulled it away gently.


    ¡°It¡¯s when the King comes down to inspect the cattle. Each farmer puts forward their biggest animal. We have chickens, ducks, boar, cows and pheasants. I don¡¯t own any animals, but travelling brew salesmen arrive with carriages in a big convoy, all loaded with strange and wonderful flavours. It is a mighty time. Not to mention the travelling bands. I¡¯ve seen some bards conjure all types of illusions to make their stage shows incredible.¡± Jason said, excitement overflowing from his words.


    Stella approached the shop and saw the doors closed. She continued walking towards the town. She heard a girl laughing and Jason laughing too. She frowned and got upset.


    ¡°Can I come?¡± She asked. ¡°Go with you? I mean.¡± She said, bluntly.


    Jason stuttered.


    ¡°Oh yeah, Well I got this thing.. What time is it? I should probably open the shop.¡± He said, changing the subject. He then opened the front door of the shop and started stoking the fires of the forge, gathering his tools from his wall. The Elf princess sat there slightly defeated, but very impressed by his resolve. She went upstairs to change.


    She came back downstairs in her full armour, and left through the door without saying goodbye. She felt something grab her arm. It was Jason. He was flustered.


    ¡°Did you¡­ Are you coming back?¡± he stammered, then looked at the floor. He was shy? She thought to herself.


    ¡°I can come back, if you want me to come back.¡± She said, giving him a sly smile.


    ¡°Yes, sure,¡± Jason said, nodding slowly. ¡°I want you to come back.¡±


    ¡°Okay then, Jason,¡± she said, walking away smiling. ¡°Don¡¯t miss me too much.¡±


    ¡°Bye Freya.¡± He said with a wave. Then he finished opening his shop.


    He finished repairing a collection of cooking pots and pans for Stella. He had done ornate flower engraving on the sides of the pot, and he was only supposed to attach some broken handles. He went above and beyond for Stella.


    Stella appeared and smiled shyly at Jason. Jason carried a big crate to the counter for her. It was all of the pots and pans. Once she saw them she beamed with delight!


    ¡°They¡¯re beautiful! But I don¡¯t have enough money to pay for these!¡± She said.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright Stella, I did this one for free.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve been my friend for a long time and I just wanted to help.¡±


    ¡°I also wanted to give you this,¡± he pulled out one hundred Dime in a small wooden box. He opened it and handed it to her. She gasped!


    ¡°Jason! What is this? Where did you get this money?¡±


    ¡°I sold my whole stock, calm down. I made a thousand Dime yesterday. From a new customer.¡± He pointed to his empty shelves. She looked around and nodded.


    ¡°Why are you giving me this money?¡± She said, looking at him strangely.


    ¡°You told me you wanted to buy some books from the Castle of Flowers library. With this money you could buy maybe three or four new books.¡±


    ¡°But the Castle of Flowers would take me four days to walk there. I¡¯m not allowed to travel the road alone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had my eyes on Tenzen¡¯s work horse for a few years, I think he¡¯d let me have him for a hundred Dime.¡± Jason said. ¡°I have to go to the city tomorrow to buy new materials for my shop, ask your father if he would let you travel there with me. We will be back in a few days. We can stay with my father in the city.¡±


    ¡°Sure¡± She said, shyly. ¡°I would love to get some new books. You are the best Jason.¡± She kissed him on the cheek and walked away carrying her crate of goodies.


    Jason saw this and thought about helping, then closed his doors. He put up a sign and left, running to catch up with Stella. He stopped her, grabbed the crate and started carrying it on his shoulder. They soon rounded the corner and left. Chatting away about some local town gossip.


    ¡°Did you hear about the herd of cattle that went missing last week. Farmer Brown''s put a bounty out for the leader of the gang living in the woods far south. Reckons it was them.¡±


    Jason said.


    They were interrupted by the same blonde chicken seller.


    ¡°Stella, beautiful as ever. Have you thought about my offer?¡± The man asked.


    ¡°I''m not taking anyone to the show, but I will see you there.¡± She said.


    Jason looked at Stella¡¯s gaze and his heart sunk. He could tell she liked talking to Aaron. The blonde handsome rich guy. Jason looked at the ground. The conversation continued but Jason wasn¡¯t paying attention.

 Chapter Three: The Manor At The Edge Of Town

    Chapter Three: The Manor At The Edge Of Town


    Four young farm boys were wandering through the forest. They knew exactly where they were headed. The abandoned mansion with the overgrown garden. They snickered as they sprinted through the bushes.


    ¡°I¡¯m faster than you,¡± The kid in first place screamed and then giggled.


    ¡°Not fast as me, I¡¯ve got swift foot enchantment. I can run really fast.¡± He said. ¡°Psscha!¡± He shouted at his boots. Then he ran a little faster, but definitely not because of magic.


    The kids all laughed until they arrived at a giant stone wall overgrown with thick green vines. The first kid climbed a piece of vine until he was sat on top.


    ¡°I can see it!¡± The kid said, eyes wide with wonder. He pointed at a huge mansion. The other kids soon joined them at the top.


    They looked at a stone manor, with wooden balconies and a garden of overgrown flowers. It  was two storied, with a lot of intricate patterning on the outside of the house. The exterior looked broken, and dismal. Boarded up windows let only a little light inside. The kids were curious.


    ¡°Woooooaaaah,¡± the second kid said. ¡°This place is bloody, stinky massive.¡±


    ¡°Stinky massive for sure.¡± The third kid agreed.


    ¡°I claim it! Hahahahah!¡± The first kid said loudly. Then he jumped off the wall into the yard of the abandoned mansion.


    He clambered from the bushes with haste and ended up face to face with a giant stone alligator. ¡°Haha cool!¡± The kid said. His motions and words were followed by the three other kids almost exactly.


    He walked towards the house, parting overgrown grass with his feet. He arrived to a wooden porch surrounding the house and looked around for movement. He looked back at the front gate and saw something move. It was a person from town. They were carrying a crate.


    ¡°Gronk¡± the kid said, angrily. He pushed the other kids behind a large flower hedge and told them to keep quiet. The boys peered through the cracks in the foliage as the stranger approached the front gate. The iron bars were unlocked and the stranger wandered inside. He had company. Four men walked behind him, also carrying crates. The boys watched the men put the crates by the front door. Then without saying a word, the men nervously left. Locking the gates behind them.


    The kids waited for a little while but the owner of the house did not arrive to pick up his crates. The first boy walked to the steps of the house and moved a cloth from the top of the crate. It was open, and full of delicious food. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The kid immediately reached for a bread roll and started eating it. It was tasty. He called over the other kids. The kids started eating.


    A pair of eyes watched them concealed behind some trees in the garden. It was a man dressed in a suit with a short wild haircut, and a neat tidy beard. He had black and silver hair and he watched the kids laugh and eat. He wasn¡¯t upset. He was amused. He remembered when he would play like that, almost 200 years before. He smiled. He decided to let them eat all his pastries and sweets, but when the boys moved their attention to the crate full of whisky, the man decided to intervene. They were his groceries after all.


    The boys were uncorking a bottle of whisky when they heard a slow rumbling growl, as if from a massive beast. The kids looked at the garden where they saw a timberwolf in the bushes, watching them. It was black, with a grey underbelly, and red eyes. It had a stump instead of a tail and it was covered in scars. The kids dropped the food and ran for the front gate, which magically opened for them, and closed when they left running into the forest.


    The wolf slowly transformed in a cloud of magic back to a suited man. He walked up the front steps and took a seat on the creaky timber step. He then uncorked the whisky bottle the child had tried to open with a very sharp canine tooth and started gulping down the drink while looking at his garden. He took in the view for a while. Then walked back inside at sunset. His house was immaculate inside. The interior was shiny and new. The man walked over to his desk, where parchment and quills lay waiting for his gifted hands.


    He finished the last pages of his newest book and then sat in his chair and took a sigh. On his shelves around him were thousands of books. All handwritten by the werewolf. On his walls were paintings of the wolfman with different adventurers. All were painted many years before, and many of the faces in the paintings belonged to dead friends. Some passed due to battle, but most were met by old age. The wolf man was two hundred and forty. Immortality was part of his enchantment. The man had watched his family grow old and pass. This was his life now. He wrote books, and every Sunday at noon, the townspeople provided him with food. This was a secret exchange with the farmers, the wolf gave generously from his large savings. The farmers agreed to spread rumours of the haunted mansion in the town to keep people away.


    The wolf had a large bank account from his years of travelling and adventuring. He was also a top seller at the library for the past hundred or so years. He was drinking from his whisky when he heard a knock.


    The wolf cautiously turned, then he heard a voice.


    ¡°Hi, it¡¯s me,¡± said Freya.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming, stand back a bit.¡± The wolf said. He flicked a wrist and opened the door. Freya was standing back a little bit. He saw the elf standing there in her armour, smiling.


    ¡°You bitch! Where¡¯s my fucking tail?¡±

 Chapter Four: Batuuk, the Son of Gorb

    Chapter Four: Batuuk, the Son of Gorb


    Twenty-Five Years Earlier.


    There was an orc son born during winter. His name was Batuuk. His father was a warrior in a large clan, his mother was a warrior also. The orcs were infamous among society for violent, savage attacks. They were bloodthirsty and cold.


    They were being hunted by Paladins and Knights. The orcs had very few magic users, and the human armies had plenty of wizards. They could easily overpower the tribal-combat orc armies. The orcs had fled to the far south of Arcadia¡¯s lands.


    His mother was killed shortly after his birth, by an army of paladins. The clan was massacred in a raid one dark night.


    His father, Gorb, escaped with Batuuk wrapped in a blanket under his arm. They disappeared into the woods.


    A few days passed and Gorb came across a cabin glowing in the forest at night. He crept up to the window and peered inside. Gorb went inside and dealt with the couple sleeping, then moved himself and his son inside.


    Gorb raised Batuuk at the house, hiding from the Law. He taught his son how to speak. And punished his son greatly for laziness or failures. Large kicks. Hefty stones thrown at his son.


    Batuuk was beaten, punished and bruised. As all Orcs are when they are growing. Gorb is a traditional parent. He even held back his punches. Gorb loved his son. He could have easily killed him. Gorb is a good dad.


    Five years passed. Gorb had grown fat, built a smoker extension for the house, and decorated his garden with neatly organised bones. Arm bones in one section, Rib cages in one section, leg bones in another, and skulls decorated the trees. All of the bones were animals that had failed to outrun Gorb¡¯s boulder tossing.


    Gorb hunted. Kicked his son. Listened to birds and tried to kill the birds. Then he went to the river with Batuuk to drink for the day.


    Batuuk and Gorb were walking, Gorb¡¯s ears were listening to the birds. He saw a yellow bird in a tree singing and threw a pebble at it like it was a bullet. He hit a nearby branch. The bird flew away in fright.


    ¡°Bunkus!¡± Gorb shouted. ¡°Bird flew up.¡±


    ¡°Birds taste yum.¡± Batuuk said.


    They soon arrived at the river, and Batuuk started drinking with his hands. His father stood watch.


    A deer appeared and Gorb wanted to hunt, so he kneeled down to pick up a rock. The deer walked away and Gorb silently walked after it. Leaving Batuuk by the water¡¯s edge.


    Batuuk watched his father go and kept drinking. He felt a pair of eyes watching him. Across the river, on the other side, stood a ten year old boy. He was dressed in peasant clothes.


    ¡°Hey,¡± said the boy.


    Batuuk didn¡¯t know what to do, so he ran back to the house.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be scared, okay.¡± The boy said. Batuuk could hear the kid say it as he ran away.


    He waited inside the house for hours. There was no Gorb. The whole night Batuuk was alone in the cabin. He woke up and saw his father enter the house with a big smile on his face. Three deers were slung over his shoulder. He held their legs in one hand.


    ¡°Clean these for me, boy.¡± Said Gorb. Then Gorb discarded the deer onto the floor of the cabin and he fell asleep.


    Batuuk removed the leather from the deer, peeled back the hide and went outside to hang the leathers over a fence. He went back inside and pulled the guts from the beast. He put these into a wooden bucket and put it by the door. He would put these in the river later.


    He returned to the beasts. He de-hooved and removed the heads. He was left with fresh venison on the carcass. He picked up a wooden spear from his father¡¯s wooden spear collection and slid the wood through the carcass from the neck to the rear. He did that for the other two carcasses and went into the smoker. He hung the carcasses on a rack, where the spears were designed to fit. There were smoked river fish hanging on twine and a few smoked ducks on spears. He added some wood from a pile to the smoker¡¯s burning coals.


    Then he looked at his sleeping father. Batuuk was covered in blood. He looked at the bucket of fish bait and over at his sleeping father. He would be asleep for another ten hours at least. He decided to grab his father¡¯s fishing gear.


    Batuuk wandered down to the river and left the fishing rod and bucket of guts on the shore. He looked down at the calm water and saw fish in the clear water. He jumped in and washed the blood from his face, hands and clothes. Then he sat on the shore with his feet in the water and grabbed the guts and put a small piece of intestine on his line. He threw it in the water and waited for a bite. He sat there for a few hours fishing. He caught a massive Red-belly Catfish and a few Riverstang Muppets. He heard a commotion as he waited for his fourth catch. A rustling in the bushes on the other side of the stream. It was the young boy from before. They both looked at each other.


    Batuuk stood his ground. This was HIS river, after all. He just ignored the young boy.


    ¡°Did you catch anything today?¡± The young boy asked.


    Batuuk ignored the stupid, inferior child.


    ¡°I like fishin¡¯ too. I caught a couple of sharks. Like Twenty.¡± The young boy shouted.


    Batuuk couldn¡¯t resist.


    ¡°I¡¯ve caught like fifty sharks.¡± Batuuk said. ¡°Big ones. Way bigger than yours.¡± He was lying.


    ¡°What are you?¡± asked the boy.


    ¡°I¡¯m an Orc.¡± Batuuk said. ¡°What a stupid question. What, you¡¯ve never seen an orc before?¡±


    ¡°Whats a Nork?¡± The boy shouted.


    ¡°Um, we¡¯re like the strongest.¡± Batuuk replied with a disgusted look on his face. ¡°We¡¯re like really strong. Are you a human?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Well duh, obviously. I¡¯m really strong too.¡± He said. He picked up a pretty big rock with a lot of struggle and tried to throw it in the water. It dropped in the water and splashed. The boy jumped out of the way. He then tried a bigger rock but couldn¡¯t lift it at all. He kept trying though.


    Batuuk looked at the boy trying to lift the rock and laughed. ¡°Oh yeah? I can lift that rock.¡± Batuuk jumped in the water and swam across. He picked up the rock with a lot of effort and tried to throw it into the water, but only managed to drop it at the shoreline, similar to the other boy¡¯s throw. Batuuk shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯m William.¡± The kid said.


    ¡°I¡¯m Batuuk.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to play Guards and Robbers?¡± The kid asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Batuuk had never heard of guards and robbers.


    ¡°Oh, you never heard of Guards and Robbers, what are you stupid?¡± William said.


    ¡°Nah, I know how to play. I play it all the time with my dad. I always win. I¡¯m really good.¡± Batuuk said, puffing his chest.


    ¡°Ok then lets play. I¡¯ll be the guard and you can be the robber. Ok, Go!¡± William tapped Batuuk on the shoulder. Batuuk didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡°Wow you¡¯re really bad at this game.¡± William said. ¡°I¡¯m suppose¡¯ to chase you, you need to run.¡±


    ¡°Oh you mean THAT version of Guards and Robbers, I play it a different way.¡± Batuuk lied.


    ¡°Ok well now it¡¯s your turn to chase me.¡± William said. He ran into the forest and started laughing.


    Batuuk looked back at his cabin and decided to play. He chased after the other boy and for the first time in his life, he laughed.


    After twenty minutes of playing, William told Batuuk he had to go home for lunch. Batuuk went back to the river and started fishing with his feet in the water.


    He caught a few more Riverstang Muppets and then brought all of the fish inside. His father was still sleeping.


    A few weeks passed before Batuuk saw William again. Batuuk was drinking with his father at the river. William came out of the bushes and Batuuk threw a rock at him, silently mouthing for the boy to leave. Gorb was looking the other way. William left.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    A few days after that, William returned and knocked on the cabin door. He was a bit scared of all the bones. Batuuk answered the door and came outside.


    ¡°My dad is gone. He went hunting.¡±


    ¡°I know I watched him leave and I waited for a while.¡±


    ¡°Are you watching me?¡± Batuuk asked.


    ¡°Only when I come over this way to play.¡± William said. ¡°I stay away from that grumpy big guy. Is your dad a Nork too?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Batuuk said.


    ¡°Do you want to go fishing at this river I found with my dad?¡± William said.


    ¡°Okay. but really quickly. I don¡¯t know when he is coming back.¡± Batuuk said.


    The two of them left the cabin and wandered for about half an hour to a new spot, on a different, much wider river. They arrived at a shoreline where a deer was drinking. William shooed the deer and they both started casting lines.


    They didn¡¯t see the alligator lurking in the reeds very, very close by.


    ¡°Why come I don¡¯t see Norks in my class at school?¡± Will asked.


    ¡°There aren''t many Orcs left. I only met my dad. He talks about other Orcs that used to be alive. Like my mom.¡± Batuuk said.


    ¡°My father said that Orcs are deadly. He says you¡¯re scary. But you¡¯re not scary.¡± William said. ¡°You¡¯re stupid though.¡± He laughed and punched Batuuk lightly.


    ¡°No I¡¯m not stupid, I¡¯m smart. I¡¯m really, really smart.¡± Batuuk said. ¡°I have a magic brain. It¡¯s super smart.¡±


    Batuuk was interrupted by the alligator at the shore lunging forward. It grabbed William and started flailing. It retreated into the water with William in it¡¯s jaw.


    Batuuk screamed and jumped in the water. Batuuk gripped the alligator in both arms and slipped on the rocks further into the water. He found some grip on a water weed and started moving towards the shore. William was punching the alligator¡¯s head now. It had grabbed him by the pelvic bone. Batuuk pulled the alligator from the water and it started trying to roll and flail about.


    Batuuk was so angry. He punched once right through the alligator¡¯s ribcage and smashed it¡¯s heart and lungs to mush. It instantly died and let go of william. Batuuk¡¯s arm was scarred and cut from the tough hide like sandpaper on his lightning punch. The bones of the ribcage shattered and splinters remained in his arm.


    William fell out of the gator¡¯s mouth and started bleeding everywhere. Batuuk left the fishing equipment and picked up William in a piggyback.


    ¡°Take me, up the river. Home.¡± William said faintly.


    ¡°Ok Friend.¡± Batuuk said. ¡°Ok William, friend.¡±


    Batuuk went into the place his father forbade, the village. Townspeople were shocked to see a five foot tall muscular green boy carrying William. A few men arrived and stopped the pair. Batuuk explained what happened.


    ¡°We were fishing, an Alligator attacked him, but I saved him. He needs medicine, or a healer.¡±


    ¡°Who are you? Some sort of goblin? What did you do? Did you attack William?¡±


    ¡°No he¡¯s my friend-...¡±


    ¡°He attacked William!¡± Another villager shouted. Batuuk dropped Will on the dirt road, knowing he¡¯d be safe and started sprinting home.


    The villagers did not follow him, most of them were in shock.


    When Batuuk arrived home, Gorb was still gone. He decided to grab his fishing gear to hide his tracks from his father. He left the house and went to the river to collect his fishing gear. He arrived at the riverbank and found some birds attacking the alligator corpse. He picked up the bucket and rod and went home. He left William¡¯s rod there, leaning against a tree.


    He considered picking up the alligator but it would be too heavy to bring home.


    A few days later, Gorb and his son were cooking some stew when a knock was heard.


    Gorb grabbed an axe from his weapon pile and waited behind the door. The figure at the door called out.


    ¡°Hey Batuuk, I just wanted to say thank you for saving William¡¯s life. Sorry about the townspeople. I¡¯m his dad. I know you must be scared, son. I know you¡¯re an Orc. But I won¡¯t tell anyone. I just came to say thank you, and I¡¯ve brought you some chickens and some clothes. I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±


    A few minutes passed and Gorb opened the door. A few chickens in a wicker cage were at the door next to a pile of kid-sized clothes.


    ¡°Batuuk. We are leaving.¡± Gorb said.


    Gorb started packing everything into large leather satchels


    Almost everything in the hut was packed into bags and then Batuuk and Gorb left carrying everything. They wandered following the river, away from the town. They walked for a week before arriving at a road. They followed the road for a while and then wandered into a swampland. The new location was miserable. They found a rotting shack with a collapsed roof and Gorb decided this would be their new spot.


    A few weeks passed, and the hut was renovated very poorly. The roof was rebuilt out of leather hides and thin tree trunks, The hut was originally built from flat beams and planks so it was a very obvious repair job. The bone piles had started to grow, and the mood of Gorb was worse than ever.


    The flies, snakes and mosquitos were constant. Batuuk was so unhappy and longed for another riverside fishing trip, but his father said no.


    One dark night, Gorb was fast asleep, but Batuuk was awake, he was playing with the campfire. He threw in a handful of wet leaves and watched them pop and fizz in the hot coals, producing lots of white smoke.


    This soothed him, and made him feel better. He heard some twigs snapping in the distance, then saw a glow from a torch.


    He swore and ran inside and woke his father.


    ¡°Gorb! Strangers coming!¡± Batuuk said as he jostled his father awake. ¡°Lights.¡±


    Gorb got up quickly and grabbed his war axe. He ran outside and doused the fire by covering it with wet leather hides. It was too late. They had been found.


    Gorb ran back inside the cabin and he watched through the cracks in the planks as the cabin was slowly surrounded by the amber fiery glow of torchlight.


    ¡°I think the monsters are in here.¡± Said a man quietly.


    Gorb smashed his whole body through the weak wall and swung his axe at a man. He cut his arm clean off, and the man¡¯s arm fell into the swampy water with a splash.


    A crossbow bolt flew at him and stabbed his back. He turned around and ran towards the attacker. The human pulled out a dagger as he needed to reload, and Gorb simply grabbed the man by the skull with one hand and threw him like a football ten metres away, where he landed in a bush.


    Gorb roared like a lion, and bared his rows of chipped and jagged teeth.


    He ran towards another hunter, who shot him in the chest during the charge. The hunter fell shortly after as Gorb slashed his chest open. Two more arrows hit Gorb, one in his shoulder, which stunned him, and knocked him back and one arrow pierced through the side of his neck.


    Gorb lunged with his axe at the attackers and his axe got stuck in a hunter¡¯s wooden shield.


    Gorb simply used the axe-shield as a club and splintered the shield as he smacked the next attacker.


    A hunter hidden in the trees a little further back notched an arrow into his bow. He saw Gorb raise his axe to chop down and he shot his arrow.


    A clean kill. Straight into the forehead.


    Gorb exhaled his last sigh and fell face first into the muddy water. Everyone was silent.


    Then the men started cheering. They tied Gorb¡¯s body to a large, thin pole, and four of the men hoisted him over their shoulders.


    The hunters picked up Gorb¡¯s axe and were surprised by its heaviness.


    Some of the hunters carried the wounded or dead hunters back the way they came.


    Batuuk was inside the cabin, hidden under some leathers.


    Some hunters went inside the cabin, but Batuuk was hidden. They did not see him under the furs. The men soon after went away but Batuuk did not move. A few hours later the sun rose, and started peeking through the boards of the shack. Batuuk waited until the sun was fully up before stepping outside.


    The grass around the cabin was trampled. Blood stained the grass and mud in sections. There was a human arm half-stuck in the stinky mud. Batuuk cried.


    He didn''t know what to do without his father, all he wanted to do was go fishing back at his old cabin. So Batuuk cried for a few hours, then grabbed a spear, the fishing rod and big leather poncho and left.


    He tried to remember what direction they had travelled and he walked. After a while he came to the road. He remembered this part, all he had to do was follow the road back to the river.


    Batuuk walked all day, luckily the road was quiet. He spent the whole day alone, except for seeing birds, insects and a few deer.


    Eventually the sun went down and Batuuk was in the forest all alone. He leaned against a tree and tried to hide from the cold under his poncho. Batuuk kept his eyes open for as long as he could, shivering in the cold. He heard owls calling and strange noises from the forest animals that were waking up for a night of hunting.


    Eventually Batuuk fell asleep. His eyes closed and he had a dream about his father catching fish by the lake.


    Present Day


    Batuuk stood on a cliffside, overlooking the lands below. He could see the town of Buttermilk far below him. His army was tending to fires around the camp, or counting gold and putting the riches into piles.


    They lived inside a vast collection of treehouses. Giant leather yurts littered the forest floor. Racks of drying meat and piles of bones were next to stone coal pits. Bandits of all races, Elf, Human, Lion-men, centaur and dwarf. They lived in chaos, fighting over stolen goods, each one of them responsible for their own loot, and required to meet a quota to avoid public punishment.


    Batuuk¡¯s cabin was in a tall tree, he had a decorative wall display made of bones. A wall of weaponry from golden swords, to war maces. His bed was a large mound of furs and he had a table full of delicious smoked hams, fresh fruits, wine, beer, breads and cheeses.


    He looked down at his army of three hundred men, women and magical beings, he smiled. Batuuk the King of Thieves was always smiling.


    He had come a long way, and he was waiting for the perfect time to demonstrate his power.


    Soon, when the village of Buttermilk held their festival, he would bring his armies down from the hills to ambush everyone, and take some royals hostage, so he could bargain for more lands, and more horses, and more weapons.


    Only a few more weeks until the festival began.

 Chapter Five: Freya鈥檚 Escape

    Chapter Five: Freya¡¯s Escape


    Inside the mansion on the outskirts of Buttermilk, the wolfman and the elf spoke.


    ¡°It''s good to see an old friend.¡± She said.


    ¡°It''s been almost one hundred and fifty years.¡± He replied. ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°I may have stolen some artifacts that didn''t belong to me.¡± She said with a grin. ¡°But I stole from thieves, stagecoach Bandits and Highwaymen. They tracked me while I was wandering. I almost bit it. I just learned this spell, let me show you.¡± She started moving her arm strangely and conjured a small scale forest on the table as if it was a hologram. The two sitting at the coffee table could see a small version of the elf princess in the forest. The Wolfman looked closer and suddenly he was standing beside the elf woman. He was watching her as if he were a bird. or ghost.


    ¡°This is a memory spell I learned.¡± she said proudly. The Wolf man could hear her speak inside his mind.


    The elf Maiden was quietly wandering through the jungle when she heard a snapping twig behind her. She set off in a run towards a cliff. She approached the top of a waterfall and realised she was cornered high on the hill.


    Four massive creatures emerged from the bushes. One was a giant orc dressed in black jagged armour. A few steps behind him walked a giant hog on a leash. The other two creatures were Giants. They were dressed in a patchwork skirt of leathers and hides. Handmade by the giants themselves.


    ¡°Ho Hum. Nowhere to run.¡± Said one giant, who was holding an axe made from a tree trunk and an anvil, sharpened.


    ¡°Stro hum. Dee Hum. Smashing you with my club is fun.¡± Said the other giant.


    ¡°Shut up and stop rhyming.¡± Said the orc to the giant beasts. The giants smiled weakly. ¡°Now you!¡± He said with a shout, pointing at the elf princess with a rusty, bent and bloodied blade. ¡°You GIVE ME BACK all my loot! I stole that, fair and square.¡±


    The elf looked at the water behind her and decided to risk it. She dodged a vicious swing from the anvil-axe and it dented the rock.


    She fell into the water to escape and started to swim for shore. She emerged onto the bank, dodging arrows that started coming from the bushes on top of the cliff. More bandits.


    The arrows rained down beside her. She conjured a skeleton horse made from vapour. It was the spectral steed of her first horse, a white horse named Lady.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    She summoned her ghostly steed just as a thrown boulder landed on the shore nearby, then an uprooted small tree thrown by a giant crashed and exploded against the tree beside her. The giants were throwing everything they could grab.


    She rode into the forest as the giants splashed into the water at the bottom of the cliffs. They started running after her.


    Bandit magicians appeared through portals onto the backs of the giants. They mounted the giants like acrobats, riding their shoulders and using their portals to teleport the giants closer to the elf princess.


    The princess jumped over a tree log and landed inside a portal, appearing face to face with the two giants. She dodged them both and ran away. A portal appeared in front of her and a boulder was hurled at her by the giant on the other side. Then the portal closed. A portal appeared again, in front of her, but she dodged it by sprouting spectral wings and abandoning her ghostly horse spell. The horse vanished into pale mist. Her new wings glowed with angelic beauty. She flew high into the treetops to escape and confuse the bandits. This worked, they kept looking on the ground for the elf princess, but she had flown into the sky. A few minutes later she followed a white bird towards the Castle of Flowers.


    The elf landed on the outskirts of the castle and walked through a field of beautiful flowers. Her magical wings disappeared into thin air. She walked into the city gates and into a tavern. She sat down at the table and ordered five steaks, a salad and a small barrel of ale. The bartender almost kicked her out, but she pulled out a golden statue of an ancient Tiki Totem from her bag as payment and the bartender happily agreed to give her the portions. She spent the next few hours demolishing every plate. She rented a room, crawled into bed and slept with a large belly full of ale and beef. Her energy was drained, she was tired and needed time to recharge after flying for so long. That spell caused some wizards to pass out and fall to the ground. Luckily Freya was an adept magic caster. She looked like a young girl, but she was almost immortal, thanks to her pure royal elven genetics. Her magic had been honed over a thousand years.


    Freya then walked through the city, looking for a blacksmith. She spotted some thieves standing by the city gate, and then realised the bandits had arrived. They were blending into the crowd. She noticed a few large men in the crowd looking at her with hands on their blade hilts. She walked into an alleyway and used a spell to turn into a lady beetle.


    She flitted outside of the castle walls and over the castle''s fields to the forest surrounding the castle. She found the road leading out of the castle and hitched a ride on the back of a carriage. Trying her best to not be seen. She put on her travelling cloak, concealing much of her armour. She wandered towards the closest village, The small town of Buttermilk, where her old friend lived.


    The illusion faded and the wolf man and Freya were sitting by the fireplace, next to a regular coffee table.


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve had some trouble.¡± He said.


    ¡°The bandit faction keeps growing.¡± Freya said. ¡°They have one hundred and fifty men, and they keep getting more. The Elf Kingdom doesnt want to intervene, I fear some bribes may have tainted our leadership. Their camps are huge, and they have killed 3 of my scouts with traps. Something has to be done, before they are big enough to take a castle. Then what? We have another two hundred years of war. Sieges. Militaries dying. I am nervous.¡±


    ¡°We must plan, stay at my manor and wait for me to return and we will discuss this more.¡± The Wolf said to her. ¡°I need time to come up with solutions. I have connections to the king, I will make sure this is taken seriously. I will be gone three days at most.¡±


    He then turned into a wolf, knocking everything off the coffee table as it happened, and then he ran out of the door. Freya watched as the door slowly closed. The fireplace was crackling.


    She sat in stunned silence.

 Chapter Six: A New Horse

    Chapter Six: A New Horse


    Jason woke up. He was in his bedroom. It had a comfortable feeling.  It was simple, he had a shelf with some of his favourite items. A chest to stash his clothes,  a bed with a comfy mattress.


    A little while later,  he decided to visit the market.


    Jason walked into the village square and saw the bustle. He saw the pie shop. He had made an oven for them a few years ago. He approached his friend.


    ¡°Hey, how is business today?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Kind of slow,¡± Tenzen said, with a blank expression.


    ¡°I was wondering if I could buy your horse.¡± Jason said, dropping a small cloth bag full of Dime on the table. The bag was heavy, it held a hundred and fifty Dime.


    ¡°You don''t want him mate, Bentley has only got a few years left to live, but you can borrow him for a few days to go buy a horse from the city. The stables at the Castle are well stocked.¡± Tenzen replied.


    ¡°You are a legend, mate.¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Let''s get you saddled up and ready.  While you are there, can you get me some ingredients? I need sixteen sacks of flour, two sacks of pepperspice, four barrels of olive oil, twenty-five barrels of Sweet Jonny Ale¡­¡± Then he started ushering Jason towards his house. They walked slowly together.


    ¡°... Twenty-five bags of potatoes, about twenty-five cabbages¡­¡± he continued.


    Jason suddenly realised he''d be doing a big errand run for the pie shop owner and smiled. He was happy to help. The man had conned him gently, but at least he was lending Jason the horse. Perhaps he could find a better horse with the money he¡¯d made.


    ¡°... Forty six enchanted ales¡­¡± The pair disappeared around the next corner.


    A few hours later Jason was sitting atop a cart, wearing a borrowed straw farmer''s hat, and the Piemaker was attaching an old horse to the reins. Tenzen''s horse was chewing some grass. It was a brown and white horse, a big steed, with strong legs and a fat belly.


    ¡°Now, take good care of my friend here,¡± Tenzen said.


    ¡°I will,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I was talking to Bentley.¡± Tenzen said with a smile.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jason said, laughing lightly.


    ¡°You should be fine. The Castle of Flowers is a day''s ride away, you should be home by tomorrow night. If you travel at night, be careful. The bandits are getting braver. I heard the butcher''s wagon was raided last week. If you travel during the daytime, you should be fine.¡±


    The chef spoke. ¡°I have a ledger with the traders there, so just tell them to put it on my account. Just bring old Bentley to the shop. They''ll recognise him and know they can trust you. You will have to help them lift everything onto the cart.¡±


    ¡°Got it, anything else I need?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°As long as you know where you''re headed, that''s all.¡± Tenzen said.


    ¡°Yes, my father lives there.¡± He replied. ¡°I''ve travelled that road a lot.¡±


    ¡°Say hi to him for me, and tell him to come to the festival.¡± Tenzen said with a winning smile. ¡°And buy him a beer for me.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said. He thought about sitting down for a beer with his dad and smiled warmly. ¡°I¡¯ll have two.¡±


    ¡°Alright, better leave soon,¡± the cook said. ¡°HYAA!¡±


    He shouted and smacked the horse on the rear. Jason was stunned by the horse''s lack of reaction . Tenzen put his eyes right next to the horse''s eyes, his face pressed against the long face of the beast. ¡°WAKE UP, HANDSOME.¡±


    The horse blinked one eye, then the other eye and then sneezed. Then slowly began walking forward. Jason and Bentley walked towards the centre of town. The carriage''s wheels gently rolled over the dirt roads. Jason rode past stone houses, back to the market square. He rode the cart past the chicken stall and out into his own street, he arrived at his house and slowed the horse down. Stella was waiting there, on the front steps. Jason held his arms open wide and leaped from the carriage.


    ¡°Princess, the royal coach.¡± He bowed with a flair.


    She hugged him and he helped her up onto the seat.


    ¡°This must be the magical pegasus I asked for.¡± She said, with a smile.


    ¡°Yes, I found him eating trash behind the inn,¡± he said, smiling.


    ¡°I believe you!¡± She said, looking at the chubby old boy.


    He locked his door with a large metal bar and a padlock and then he put the key in his pocket. He climbed onto the horse and the pair of them set away, on the road out of the town, towards the farmlands.


    ¡°I heard that there''s a bull coming to the show the size of an elephant.¡± Stella said.


    ¡°I''ve heard that one before¡­¡± he said. He knew the punchline to her joke and started laughing heartily. It was a dirty one.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The carriage rolled past fields of grazing cows. The main road became more worn. The open pastures of springtime grass were a beautiful backdrop for their conversations. The pair talked long about life, ambitions, dreams and goals.


    Jason learned Stella wanted to try new foods, travel the world and buy a cottage. Jason shared with Stella his passion for swords and metals. She laughed at his vast knowledge of metals, as he started listing every type and their strengths and weaknesses.


    The pastures ended after five hours of travel, the grassy landscape slowly turned into a jungle. The trees were thick, a road had been cleared through, but branches hung high overhead and the road was bumpy from roots, and large stones.


    The horse and carriage rolled through a shallow river and started going uphill. The horse slowed from the incline and the trio climbed the hill, keeping a steady pace. The next few hours they trudged past bushes, trees and stones. The ride was very uncomfortable.


    Jason saw Stella was uncomfortable from the ride so he decided to stop in a flat circular clearing, under the shade of a massive tree.


    The pair dismounted and stretched.


    ¡°They don''t make the seats on these things soft,¡± she said, her backside numb from the shaking and the hours of travel.


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± he replied, legs and butt equally as numb.


    They sat down and Jason opened a picnic bag. He pulled out some cheese, a jar of olive oil, some leafy greens, some salami, and a long breadloaf.


    He grabbed two white plates.


    He made a small sandwich for each of them.


    She giggled at his jokes while they ate.


    They set off again shortly after.  He held her hand as he lifted her onto the carriage. The forest soon began to be clearer, it showed more signs of human activity, the road was better maintained and less bumpy here. At the end of the forest the carriage arrived onto open fields of flowers. Jason looked at Stella¡¯s face and saw a smile. That made Jason smile. The sun was quite low on the horizon.


    Jason rode up to some guards who were watering the flowers. A cow was towing a cart, it was a giant barrel, small circular mechanical bellows turned by a crank allowed for the water to spray like a fountain from a bamboo pipe, the pipe had a dragon-shaped carved figure on the tip. The water shot from the dragon''s mouth with a misting effect. The water droplets floated gently over the fields of pink, red and purple.


    Jason stopped the carriage fifty metres away and got down to look closer. He leaned forward to pick one and he heard a shout from behind him.


    ¡°It is a twenty-five Dime fine to be messing with the king¡¯s flowers.¡± The guard shouted. ¡°You better move along mate.¡±


    Jason backed away and got back onto his cart. He rode up to the gate.


    They looked up at the Castle. A very high stone brick wall stretched for miles. Ahead of them was the gatehouse. A giant archway with archer windows on the towers. The towers had blue tiled octagonal roofs. The walls were made of clean white stone.


    Inside the castle walls there were four districts, one for the wealthy inside the keep, the business district, where traders sold wares, the resident district, for the working and common classes, and the gardens, where the city''s greenhouses and fishing ponds were kept.


    Jason and Stella entered through the residential district and the cart¡¯s wheels clattered on smooth cobblestones. Jason took a left turn and a few rights and ended up in a small residential street. He dismounted the cart and helped Stella off.


    ¡°This is my fathers house.¡± He said. ¡°Let me go knock.¡± Jason walked to the door and raised his fist to knock. The door swung inward and Jason''s father pulled him into a tight hug.


    ¡°Jason, you look strong, son.¡± His father said.


    ¡°Thank you, dad.¡±


    ¡°Come inside. God¡¯s Above! Is that Bentley!¡± Jason¡¯s father said excitedly. He went to the horse and kissed him on the cheek, then patted his mane. Bentley huffed happily. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in a long time, buddy.¡± Then he approached Stella with a handshake. ¡°...And Stella, how are you?¡±


    ¡°I am good, sir, Jason is my best friend.¡± She smiled sweetly. ¡°He¡¯s buying me some books tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I sold the entire stock, I made a thousand Dime! There was this elf, she wanted to get some arrows repaired, while we were talking-...¡± Jason explained to his father the story as the three of them went inside for dinner.


    Meanwhile, inside the castle walls a wolf crept through the shadows towards the castle. The wolf walked behind a house and shifted form into a man. He walked through the streets calmly. He had walked these streets often. The city was the main place where he sold his books.Tonight was different. He wandered to the city gates and the knights stopped him. The shone a fiery torch near his face and the guard calmly opened the gate.


    ¡°Welcome back, Lord Redran.¡± He said in a smooth tone.


    ¡°Gunner,¡± Lord Redran said, nodding his head. Gunner nodded back.


    ¡°The king has been notified of your arrival. Please give him a while to prepare.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lord Redran said, he started running up the steps.


    The guards looked at each other and shrugged. Lord Redran was a regular at the castle, popular for his best-selling books. Bookstores around the world had books by Redran for sale. He was a very popular author, and quite famous, especially at the Castle of Flowers, where he stocked most of his books.


    The king was in his office, dressed in a half-unbuttoned white shirt. He was barefoot, wearing brown pants. He was smoking a long pipe and blowing the smoke out onto the balcony. He had short brown hair, and a handsome face, with some gentle stubble. The office was very large. It had a desk with quills, a ceiling-tall bookshelf, stocked with many spellbooks, botany books, creature books, history books, and fiction books. A collection of wicker baskets held rolled maps. There was a small seating area with a coffee table and a few lounges, where the king kept his herbal studies.


    Lord Redran burst into the king¡¯s office.


    ¡°Your highness.¡± Lord Redran said, and then he stiffly bowed. ¡°I have an urgent manner to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°I saw you running up here like a mad goose. What¡¯s going on, old friend?¡± The king said.


    ¡°Sir, there is a very large population of bandits living in the forest nearby. They are being led by an Orc outcast. They have a hundred and fifty men and women in their militia. You have a small army growing larger and larger, right under your nose.¡± Redran said. A stern look on his face. ¡°You must prepare an army, and drive out these rebels from the hills. They are robbing caravans, travellers, and people keep disappearing. I¡¯ve heard gossip from the townsfolk that a number of cattle have been stolen by these criminals, right before the Festival. It¡¯s depressing to the farmers, as now they have nothing.¡± Redran spoke, the king thought for a long time. The room was silent except for the crackling of the fireplace. The king refilled his smoking pipe, and struck a match. He lit his pipe and took a few drags.


    ¡°It seems you have made up your mind.¡± The king said, as he sat on the chair and looked at the wall, away from Redran¡¯s piercing gaze. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you¡¯ve lived to be two hundred years old, but my father trusted you. I¡¯ve read many of your stories.¡± The king gestured to his bookshelf. ¡°If you need my army, then you may lead them, and I will join you, wearing my father¡¯s armour.¡± The king said, and then looked out the window. Lord Redran nodded in agreement and left. The king watched him leave from the balcony.


    Lord Redran wandered into a tavern and was suddenly greeted by a loud cheer. The locals came and forced him into hugs and arm shakes. One patron asked for a punch in the face which Lord Redran politely declined, then most went back to their business and the Wolf man walked up to the bar. He sat down at the only empty chair, next to a young man with tattoos under his eyes, and on his arms. The young man was Nathaniel. Lord Redran got the attention of the barkeeper.


    ¡°Hey Bartender, have you got a room available? And could I grab an Ale Cola?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, I¡¯ll pour you one now. But as far as a room, we¡¯re pretty busy tonight, fully booked.¡± The barkeeper said, tossing a rag over his shoulder ¡°But you could check out the Rocky Inn, or the Fish and Pike, both of those are serving grub till midnight and might have some rooms.¡± The bartender poured an Ale Cola for Lord Redran and moved to another customer.


    ¡°I know you,¡± said Nathaniel. ¡°My roommate used to hunt massive reptiles with you. He told me you found a passage to the centre of the earth.¡±


    ¡°Your roommate?¡± Lord Redran thought about his time in the past. He looked at the runes on the young man¡¯s face. ¡°Are you a necromancer?¡±


    The door to Nathaniel¡¯s house was kicked open and Lord Redran stood in the doorframe.


    ¡°Fucking Arko?¡± He said. He saw Arkanon the dead skeleton drawing a picture of a flower garden, wearing some glasses over his helmet sitting at the table. Then Redran tackled him.


    ¡°Oh you rotten bloody¡­ Oh, is that you Redran the small?¡± Brutus said.


    ¡°You resurrected and never bloody wrote me a letter?¡± He said, punching Arkanon in his face. Then he stood up and reached his arm out. He pulled up Arkanon and then they shook hands.


    ¡°Sorry mate, my mind is a bit empty these days.¡±  He knocked on his hollow skull. They both laughed. Lord Redran and Arkanon sat down at the table and began catching up.


    ¡°So how are you still alive?¡± Arkanon asked. Lord Redran leaned in and whispered.


    Nathaniel stood in the doorway watching them talk. He closed the door and quietly joined the other skeletons on the couch, they were watching a play on the Scrying Glass.


    A few actors in a city far away re-enacted a drama about a Hydra and a lone knight rescuing a princess. The hydra was played by a centaur in a paper mache costume.

 Chapter Seven: The Carriage

    Chapter Seven: The Carriage


    The next morning, Jason, his father, and Stella walked Bentley and the empty cart to the market stalls. Jason spoke to the farmer at the stalls and explained the situation. and Jason and his Father helped to load the carriage with all of the supplies.


    Eventually the carriage was full, and the shopping list was completed. It was mid afternoon.


    ¡°Lets buy some books¡± Jason said to Stella.


    ¡°Sure¡± she said, grabbing his arm.


    ¡°Father, can you look after Bentley for a while, we will meet you at the house.¡± he exchanged a quick look at his dad, then looked at Stella.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll see you guys soon.¡± His father kissed Bentley on the face and led him down the street.


    Jason and Stella went into a bookstore and started to browse. She got herself a spellbook for beginners, so she could study magic. She wasn¡¯t magical, but she was interested. She got another book by Lord Redran, an adventure novel. Then she found a recipe book.


    Jason paid for all of the books, and when they left the store, they started walking towards the stables, so Jason could buy a horse.


    ¡°I hope you like them, Stella.¡± Jason said. Pointing at her books in her arms.


    ¡°I''m sure they will be excellent additions to my collection at home.¡±


    ¡°The stables are just ahead. I¡¯ll get a new horse and then we can leave.¡± he said with a large smile.


    They walked into a dirty yard, where some horses were wandering inside a small fenced area. There was a stable made from a dark brown wood, it had been built 20 years before.


    The pair were standing by the gate when Redran appeared on a white horse, accompanied by a knight in a black hood on a black horse. The pair were giggling and laughing.


    ¡°I remember that girl from Lilytown. She had the biggest crush on you.¡± Redran said with a smile.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t get her off me. She used to throw love potions at my window at night.¡± Arkanon replied, his cloak covering his skeleton face. They both laughed and rode past Jason and Stella. They disappeared down the street.


    Jason and Stella did not recognise the strangers. Another man appeared from inside the stables. He was wearing overalls.


    ¡°Good afternoon, friend. Might I interest you in a horse?¡± He said with a smile that was missing a few teeth. He held out a muddy hand and Jason shook it and smiled back.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking to buy a horse for travelling. Have you got any good for long-distance?¡± Jason said.


    ¡°A horse is a horse, mate, they are all long-distance, as long as you stop for a while to rest and feed them an apple, some grass, maybe a bit of cake I suppose.¡± The shop owner paused. ¡°Come have a look. I just sold my two best horses, but you can have my third best for a discount, I¡¯m thinking, one thousand-two hundred Dime? Come, come, look, look, look.¡± He ushered Jason and Stella inside.


    The stable was cramped. There were twelve stalls, with eight horses. Each horse had a water and feed bucket. Jason walked up to the first one, it was a brown horse with dark eyes and a black mane. The second was a black horse, but it was very young, and still small. The third, fourth and fifth were far too young for Jason¡¯s purposes. The sixth horse was a petite white mare with a gentle yellow tinge at the tips of her mane. She was a little muddy. The seventh horse was a giant thing, a black steed with black eyes, mean. The eighth horse was even bigger, but was white.


    Jason asked the shopkeeper about the prices.


    ¡°How much for the two big ones?¡±


    ¡°Cassius, the white big son of a bitch is one thousand and two hundred Dime. Romeo, the black one, is unfortunately reserved for a buyer from the North.¡±


    ¡°How about this brown one?¡± Jason said, asking about the first horse.


    ¡°We can do, best price, with my best customer discount, six hundred Dime.¡± The shopkeeper said.


    ¡°And how much for the horse in stall six? The small white horse?¡±


    ¡°I can do maybe four hundred and fifty Dime.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take this one, the brown one here.¡± He said, pointing to the steed in the stall behind him. The shop owner smiled. ¡°Of course. He is a good horse. I will miss him dearly.¡± Jason smiled and pulled out a small wooden box from his satchel. Inside were the gold coins. He counted six hundred Dime with the shopkeeper. This was his life savings. He had twelve hundred Dime left.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Would you like to keep the name or give him a new one?¡±


    ¡°What is it right now?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Bronson¡± He said


    ¡°I like it.¡± Jason said, then he turned to his horse. ¡°Hey Bronson. You¡¯re coming home with me, buddy.¡±


    Jason and Stella rode Bronson to Rodrick¡¯s home and tied him next to Bentley¡¯s cart. Jason¡¯s father had covered the supplies on the back with leather wraps. He was wearing his guard armour and was standing beside the horse.


    Jason dismounted and helped Stella to the ground gracefully.


    ¡°Look at this magnificent beast.¡± He said, beaming.


    ¡°We should leave for Buttermilk now. I¡¯m dressed for the road. I¡¯ll stay with Tenzen and Dottie for a few weeks while the festival comes to town¡± He said. ¡°If we leave now we can make it to the outskirts of town by night, then it¡¯s only a few more miles in the dark. I¡¯ve got plenty of lanterns.¡± Rodrick said.


    ¡°Sure, let''s leave now.¡± Jason said. Rodrick smiled, and then he locked his front door, and started climbing onto the seat of the carriage. He held out his hand and lifted Stella up onto the chair. Jason got onto his new horse, Bronson, and the trio left through the rough stony roads of the Castle of Flowers.


    They walked out of the gates and saw a beautiful expanse in front of them, snowy mountains in the distance, forests, pastures and the town of buttermilk in a valley far below. It was a spec on the horizon.


    They walked until the sun started dipping on the horizon.


    ¡°We should only be an hour''s ride from Buttermilk.¡± Rodrick said. ¡°So, Stella. Is your mother still making those rosewater candies?¡±


    ¡°She does, she makes some berry infused ones now that have become more popular,¡± Stella said, ¡°And some with ginger.¡±


    ¡°Ginger?¡± He said, puzzled. ¡°Ginger¡¯s not my favourite but I hope it goes well.¡±


    They heard a rustling in the bushes and Jason, ahead of them, stopped. He thought he saw a person hiding in the shadows.


    ¡°I think I see someone-...¡± Jason said. Then three men, dressed in black rags holding swords jumped from the bushes and started shouting at them.


    ¡°Give us your gold and the horses.¡± The men said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be taking the carriage too.¡± Another one said. He bared his teeth and snarled.


    Rodrick pulled his sword from his sheathe and stepped off the carriage. He stepped forward and the three men stepped back. Then they took a step closer.


    Jason dismounted his horse, and reached down, picking up a medium-sized rock from the trail.


    They raised their swords to attack and moved a little closer to Rodrick.


    A black wolf pounced from the shadows onto one of the bandits and ripped his throat out. His gargling scream echoed through the woods.


    Everyone stood in silent shock, suddenly a sword appeared through the chest of one of the bandits. Behind him stood the same black knight Jason had seen earlier. His dark cloak was hiding his face. The knight easily lifted the man with his sword and threw him off his blade by swinging him off it. The man careened into the bushes a few metres away. The final bandit tried running back to the Bushes he was hiding in, but the wolf jumped on his back and bit down on his head, then twisted his neck sharply, snapping the bandit''s neck. Then the wolf let go and licked its lips, then sat down, staring at the three travellers. The black knight also stared at the trio.


    ¡°Thank you, sir knight.¡± Rodrick spoke.


    ¡°It is my duty to protect my people.¡± Arkanon said, ¡°Even in my death.¡± Jason thought he could see a skull beneath the Knight''s cowl. ¡°We should travel the rest of the way together.¡± He said, with a voice that sounded strange.


    They were all too stunned to respond, they were even more shocked when the wolf stood on it''s hind legs and started morphing into a handsome, silver haired man, who Stella recognised immediately.


    ¡°Lord Redran?¡± Stella asked.


    ¡°Yes, I just saved your life, maybe we don''t have to share my secret with the world.¡± He said, his teeth were still sharp. He called his horses and the white stallion and the black horse trotted forward. The knight and the famous book writer mounted their horses and Jason did the same. Redran led the five of them along the road home.


    ¡°I won''t tell anyone,¡± said Stella, ¡°Right guys?¡±


    Jason and Rodrick agreed..


    ¡°Thank you for the help.¡± Rodrick said. ¡°Might I ask your name?¡± he said to the black knight.


    ¡°I am Arkanon,¡± said the Knight. He pulled back his shroud and revealed his ivory skull. ¡°I used to be kind of a big deal.¡±


    ¡°King Arkanon?¡± Rodrick gasped. ¡°What are you doing? Why are you back, here?¡±


    ¡°Just for fun, I guess.¡± He said. ¡°A necromancer raised me from the dead as a trophy. Now I just live with him in the city. We watch gladiator fights on the scrying glass, talk about old war stories. He¡¯s actually a pretty cool guy. I''m assisting my friend Lord Redran here, with some rebels living in the forest. Those fellows behind us, laying in pools of their own blood. Are some of the bandit friends we are looking for.¡± He snarled as he said this.


    ¡°Bandits¡­ That''s probably why the livestock keep disappearing.¡± Jason said. Riding his horse next to Redran and Arkanon.


    ¡°Perhaps.¡± said Lord Redran.


    ¡°Thanks for the help anyway. We definitely needed it. I was using a dumb rock¡­ and how did you¡­¡±


    ¡°...Turn into a wolf? It''s a long story, and one we must save for another time. We must go now.¡± Redran said.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said. Then everyone fell silent, the only sound was horse¡¯s hooves and rattling carriage wheels.


    The lights of Buttermilk glowed far in the distance. Almost home.


    Another hour later and the party had arrived back into the main street of the town. A few drunk men sat and talked on a stoop of a house, they were spilling ales and smoking from a pipe. The five people rode into the town with tired eyes, and stressed minds. Lord Redran and Arkanon turned their horses and Redran spoke.


    ¡°I will part ways with you here, young Jason, Knight Rodrick and princess Stella. May our paths cross again, under better circumstances.¡± Redran said.


    ¡°Thank you, again. You really saved our lives back there.¡± Jason said. Nodding his head with gratitude. Redran bowed his head in return. Arkanon did the same.


    ¡°I wish we did not live in such a dangerous world, but the land is full of darkness and evil. We must try to remain good.¡± Redran said. ¡°And buy my books. Let¡¯s go, Arko.¡± The pair rode off towards the edge of town.


    ¡°What the holy hell just happened?¡± Jason said. Standing there in utter disbelief. Bentley was gently munching on grass, all three of them looked pale and terrified.


    ¡°I will go see Tenzen, I hope I don''t have to wake him up. We''ll get these crates unloaded. You two head inside and get cozy, start a fire. I''ll stay with Tenzen tonight, or I might come by and take the guest bedroom.¡±


    ¡°Sure, thank you, sir.¡± Jason replied. ¡°Maybe we''ll see you soon.¡±

 Chapter Eight: A Crate of Ales

    Chapter Eight: A Crate of Ales


    Jason woke up the next day in his bed. Stella was sleeping beside him peacefully. They didn''t make love, but they did sleep next to each other. Jason woke up and put on a shirt, he was already wearing pants.


    He looked at the sleeping girl and smiled with delight. He had waited for this moment for so long. Stella had been his dream girl for a long time.


    He went downstairs and looked at his empty shop. He hadn''t had enough room on the carriage to bring back any ores or raw materials. At least his new horse could make the next trip easy.


    Stella wandered down the stairs after him. Jason made some eggs, bacon, grilled tomatoes and buttery mushrooms for breakfast. Jason¡¯s father arrived as they were finishing their plates and he walked inside holding a crate.


    ¡°Tenzen says thank you,¡± Rodrick said, as he placed the crate on the table with a jingle of bottles. ¡°He shared some ales with us. I told him we were almost attacked, though I told him we were saved by some Guards patrolling the road, not by Lord Redran and King Arkanon.¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°I can''t believe it happened. Those roads used to be safe.¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I will inform the knights at the castle. Get word to the king about the ambush we just experienced.¡± Rodrick said with a stern expression. ¡°We would have had a dramatic fight if Redran wasn''t there.¡± He looked shaken. ¡°I must leave now, Tenzen has let me borrow Bentley to ride home to the castle. I must share the news at once.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving already?¡±


    ¡°I can''t risk the road at night. I must tell the other guards quickly. We will have mayhem, the travellers are coming far and wide for Buttermilk¡¯s festival.¡± Rodrick said. ¡°We must be prepared to protect them.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, dad, will you come back for the festival?¡±


    ¡°I will be here as a guard.¡± he said to his son. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you, my son. We shall speak in a few weeks.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for making the trip with us. I hope we see you very soon, dad.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Rodrick,¡± Stella said.


    ¡°Everything will be OK.¡± he said with a forced smile. He hoped it was true.


    Rodrick left on the horse and wandered down the road out of town.


    ¡°That was really scary, Jason.¡± she said, talking about the night earlier.


    ¡°It was. I¡¯ve never experienced something like that.¡± He said. ¡°I was ready to fight, though. I wouldn''t have let them hurt you.


    ¡°Maybe you should make yourself a sword.¡± She suggested. He thought about it.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± He said.


    ¡°What should we do today? Have you got time to spare?¡± He asked her. ¡°We should take my horse for a picnic.¡±


    ¡°Sure, It sounds like a good distraction.¡± She said, smiling.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Jason said.

 Chapter Nine: Zombies and Ghouls

    Chapter Nine: Zombies and Ghouls


    Inside the manor, Freya sat in an armchair, sipping some mead from a tall glass. Snowflake the white chicken was walking around the cabin, flying to the top of chairs and bookshelves looking for places to roost. She had attempted several books, but mostly just flipped through the books looking for the pictures. Half eaten plates of food were scattered on the dining table. She heard footsteps outside and looked for her weapons, They were on the couch. She sprinted over to the couch and dove through the air, landing on the couch, knocking it over backwards. She slotted an arrow into the notch and pulled it tight. The door opened and Redran called out.


    ¡°I made it back, did you-...¡± Redran saw the mess. ¡°You haven''t changed, have you?¡±


    He said with an expression of amusement.


    ¡°Sorry, let me tidy up a little,¡± she said, getting up from behind the couch.


    ¡°Thank you, Freya.¡± He said, smiling.


    ¡°This is my good friend, Arka-...¡±


    ¡°Kill that thing!!¡± She said, surprised to see a skeletal knight striding through the door frame.


    ¡°-...non. it''s okay, he''s friendly. Smile, Arko.¡± Redran said. The skeleton couldn¡¯t smile due to an overall lack of facial muscle, so instead, he opened his mouth wide and stared with no eyes at Freya. This, however, did not seem to calm down Freya.


    ¡°He¡¯s a cursed skeleton.¡± She said.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m actually a king, so¡­ Ouch.¡± Arkanon said.


    ¡°She¡¯s got a point, Arky.¡± Redran spoke with a gentle laugh. ¡°Anyways, Princess McElf Bitch. The king made me General. So, you will leave with us to the castle tomorrow at sunrise. I need you to show me where their camp is hidden.¡±


    Meanwhile in the town of Buttermilk, Jason was feeding his horse some carrots in his backyard. Stella was sitting on a haybale nearby reading from her new magic book.


    ¡°Did you know there are over fifteen types of basic magic, Jason? Light magic, fire magic, ice magic, water. Void magic? Have you heard of that? Draconic-magic, which is dragon magic, portal magic, soul-drain¡­ This book is really cool.¡± Stella said. ¡°I wish I was special.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°Oh Stella, you are special.¡± Jason said. ¡°You have a magic smile.¡± He kissed her on the forehead and then sat down next to her.


    ¡°I think you have a magic big nose.¡± She said laughing at him.


    ¡°Magically handsome nose, maybe.¡± He said with a tender smile.


    ¡°No, a big one.¡± She said, tapping him on the nose. He kissed her softly, she kissed him back.


    She kept reading from her book.


    ¡°I want to try a spell.¡± She said. She sat up and Jason sat up next to her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try one together.¡±


    ¡°Easy one.¡± She said.


    ¡°Nah, start with a hard one, did you say Void magic?¡± Jason said, leaning over her shoulder. ¡°Let us open a portal to another Dimension!¡± This made her laugh.


    ¡°You¡¯re cute, but maybe. What if we try something like fire?¡± Stella said. ¡°Here, I found it. It¡¯s in Chapter five. Give me one minute.¡± Stella flicked through the book until she landed on the page. ¡°I like the pictures.¡± She said.


    The magic book had a picture of a young man with a goatee and a short haircut. He was dressed in a red shirt and red pants. He was punching and fire was coming from his hand.


    ¡°What¡¯s the magic word?¡± Jason asked. Stella rolled her eyes and cleared her throat to speak.


    ¡°The fireball is conjured by imagining a fire. Then with a large amount of concentration, you can summon a fire bolt with enough power to stumble an attacker, and set them alight. You simply punch in the air, aiming at your target.¡±


    ¡°That sounds good.¡± Jason said. ¡°Go on then Arcane Stella.¡± He joked with a sly smile.


    Stella thought about her fireplace at home, when she was young and touched a hot burning log by accident. She concentrated on the heat and remembered what it felt like. She punched in the air and nothing happened. She looked over and saw that Jason was staring at her with loving eyes.


    ¡°Okay, your turn, mate.¡± She said, tapping him on the shoulder.


    ¡°So what do I do? Think of fire and punch?¡±


    ¡°Imagine fire.¡±


    ¡°Okay, got this. Watch me set that tree on fire.¡± Jason aimed his fist at a tree and laughed. There was no way Jason was a wizard. ¡°So I think of fire. Ok.¡± Jason had spent his life around fire, the campfires with his friends from town after school, the forges of the furnace at his home, the fire of his cooking stove.


    Jason pictured a fire burning brightly inside his furnace. He punched at the tree and sparks flew out of his knuckles.


    Things moved in slow motion as Jason watched the sparks turn into a fiery rock. The meteor made of fire flew towards the tree and splintered the bark. It went deeper into the tree and then exploded. The tree was shredded into bark, leaves, wood and all of it was on fire.


    Jason looked at Stella.


    ¡°Holy fuck.¡± He said, and then started laughing.


    ¡°Jason, what the hell!?¡± Stella shouted.

 Chapter Ten: The Trap

    Chapter Ten: The Trap


    Redran stood in the king¡¯s war room. It was a large room within the castle. Mounted swords, poleaxes and various maces were decorating the walls. Giant maps were hung next to these in ornate wooden frames. In the centre of the room was a long rectangular table. On the table was a small-scale diorama of the entire realm. It was mostly accurate, and had magical clouds, and magical moving rivers with real water.


    Lord Redran stood at the head of the table with the king and Freya. Arkanon stood in the corner of the room looking non suspicious, the rest of the room was slowly filling up with guards and royals.


    After the hall had been filled, the doors were closed and the room fell silent. The king¡¯s second in command announced the meeting had commenced and the royals and knights sat hushed and waited for the king to speak.


    ¡°Noblemen, Noblewomen, Knights of the Castle of Flowers and friends of the kingdom, we are gathering to discuss war.¡± The king said. The crowd started to murmur and whisper.


    ¡°Bandit clans have been gathering together, their forces started small, but grow larger and larger every day.¡± Lord Redran spoke.


    ¡°This is stupidity, the kingdom is safer than it''s ever been.¡± Said one fat nobleman, this was met by agreement from the men sitting around him.


    ¡°Fifteen carriages last month, and over sixty-five people have disappeared.¡± The Castle may be safe, but the lands and roads surrounding it are being poached by the evil and wicked.¡± Lord Redran spoke again, louder this time. ¡°Just yesterday evening, a carriage on the road to Buttermilk was assaulted by three men, I witnessed it myself.¡±


    ¡°Three men is hardly an army.¡± Another noble said, interrupting Lord Redran.


    ¡°...And you look like you ate three men yesterday,¡± The King snapped back at the overweight nobleman. ¡°Your job is not to speculate, or question the facts. We are simply assembling you here to tell you the news. Times are no longer safe, and the peace we once knew is gone. I will be assembling an army to wipe out these rebels. Once we have located the enemy camp, we will march on it. I have scouts deep in the woods looking for any signs of bandit activity. They are estimated to be somewhere south of the castle, although we have no exact location yet. All of you noblemen were once knights, or soldiers, I expect many of you to take up arms yet again to wipe this scourge from the planet and defend our realms.¡±


    This was met by a cheer from some of the audience, but not all of them were happy.


    The king dismissed everyone and they all left the castle talking loudly among themselves.


    Freya, Arkanon, Redran and the King remained with some guards.


    ¡°You might not be a conqueror, but you¡¯re a pretty good king,¡± Arkanon said to the young king.


    ¡°Thank you. I''ve got nothing on you, Sire.¡± The king replied. ¡°I wish I could be as famous as Arkanon the Handsome.¡±


    Arkanon blushed, but he was a skeleton, so it just looked the same.


    ¡°Freya, I have a plan.¡± Redran said. ¡°We¡¯re going to set a trap.¡±


    A few hours later, Lord Redran and Freya were dressed in farmer¡¯s clothes sitting atop a carriage loaded with cabbages. Arkanon was buried in the back under the vegetable pile.


    The carriage was rolling towards the town of Buttermilk, the sun was setting fast and the roads were getting dark. Redran ignited some oil lanterns and decided to relieve some boredom. He started singing a popular folk tale to pass the time, and also to attract the attention of any bandits who might be watching. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°My lady is the wind,


    My lover is the sky


    My heart belongs to sunny days


    I long to kiss my life


    My every day is wonderful


    I love just being alive


    I don''t need a baby,


    My lover is the sky.¡±


    Freya started singing as well, and soon Arkanon joined in, though his voice was muffled by cabbages.


    ¡°When it rains, its raining kisses


    Kisses just for me.


    Everyday, I know what bliss is.


    Bliss is everything I see.


    Ooooooh, my lady is the wind,


    My lover is the-....¡±


    The carriage rolled down the road, the sun got lower and lower.


    Creeping closer through the forest was a small team of bandits. They were patient this time, and they watched from a distance.


    ¡°-....My lady is the wind,


    My lover is the sky


    My heart belongs to sunny days


    I long to kiss my life


    My every day is wonderful


    I love just being alive


    I don''t need a baby,


    My lover is the sky.¡±


    The carriage rumbled down the road and the sun was set. The moon was dim tonight. The carriage wheels were loud, but the singing was louder. The three of them sang.


    They started rolling down a hill and the carriage picked up a bit of speed.


    ¡°I live my life so happy


    Because I love to sing


    My lady is today


    I am loved by everything


    I travel round the lands


    I love, my love, my lady


    ¡°My lady is the wind,


    My lover is-...


    A bandit opened a portal in front of the carriage and Redran didn¡¯t have enough time to stop the carriage because the horses were travelling downhill. The carriage disappeared into the portal and reappeared on the edge of a cliff.


    ¡°-The sky¡­¡± Redran shouted.


    The carriage immediately raced directly off the cliff and started to fall to the ground far below.


    The horses fell forward and the carriage flipped forward over them. Arkanon and fifty cabbages were tossed from the carriage rear. Freya turned into a lady beetle and flew away.  Lord Redran was too stunned to move. His plan had failed. Arkanon was falling in front of him. The bottom of the cliff was a rocky shore next to a river. They were headed for the rocks.


    Redran jumped for Arkanon¡¯s body. Redran used his telekinetic magic to slow Arkanon¡¯s fall. The horses hit the rocky terrain below and their carcasses exploded. Their deaths were quick and bloody. The carriage exploded into splinters and the cabbages were minced upon impact. Redran had slowed Arkanon¡¯s descent completely. They hovered metres above the broken carriage. He was clinging to Arkanon for life. Redran¡¯s spell was momentarily interrupted when he realised how exactly he was holding onto his long dead best friend and they both fell the final few metres into the carnage. Redran and Arkanon got up, covered in blood and looked around. They were in a valley, but neither of them knew where.


    They looked at the ledge far, far above them and saw a huge orc standing there, with two bandit wizards.


    Redran and Arkanon sprinted for the forest.


    From high on the cliff¡¯s edge, Batuuk snarled and smiled. Let them run, he thought to himself. He was humming the tune to the folk song quietly.

 Chapter Eleven: Treasure Hunters

    Chapter Eleven: Treasure Hunters


    Nathaniel woke up in his bed and looked around. The sun was rising outside, birds had begun to chirp and wake up the neighbourhood.


    Nathaniel did not want to leave the cosy blankets of his bed, but he got up and started brushing his hair with tired eyes. He yawned and then stretched. His arms were covered in tattoos under his sleeves.


    He grabbed a pan, started a magical fire in his stove and started making some fried eggs in olive oil. He procured a bread roll from his pantry and sliced it in half.


    He waited until his egg had cooked all of the white, but left the yolk runny and delicious. He lifted the egg from the pan with a metal spatula and put it inside the bread roll, making an egg burger. He next added some caramelised onion and tomato chutney from a jar to the roll and closed it up. He took a big bite and yolk oozed from the burger onto his face and the plate.


    ¡°Yum,¡± he said, with orange yolk on his chin.


    He quickly finished the egg burger and wiped his face clean.


    Nathaniel set about his daily chores next, tidying scrolls, cleaning up old candle wax, taking stock of his herbs and medicinal ingredients.


    He noticed he was low on pickled toadstools, ground ivory and blank scroll paper. He made himself a shopping list and started to leave his house. He opened the door and saw a small group of men outside, sitting on some benches nearby.


    The men were all dressed in adventurers clothes, some wore armour. Some were dressed in cloaks. They were laughing and chatting quietly among themselves. A man with shoulder-length blonde hair dressed in dented steel armour, with a long green cape approached Nathaniel with a smile.


    ¡°Hello,¡± he said with a flourish, ¡°Good sir, my party and I would very much like to hire your services for a quest we are currently undertaking.¡±


    Nathaniel was a bit caught off guard, he looked at the blonde man, and then looked at the other adventures behind him. There were eight of them in total. All of them seemed friendly, but their weapons and armour had clearly seen lots of use.


    ¡°What kind of service do you require?¡± Nathaniel asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± The blonde man said.


    ¡°No.¡± Nathaniel responded coldly and walked away.


    The man in the green cloak stopped him and called him back. ¡°Ok, ok. I¡¯ll tell you. But you need to keep it down.¡±


    He ushered Nathaniel closer and whispered.


    ¡°We¡¯re hunting treasure, a shit load of treasure. Five thousand Dime in it for you.¡±


    ¡°Five thousand?¡± Nathaniel shouted. He started thinking. ¡°What do you need me for?¡±


    ¡°Legend says the old Elvish King, Vaelinnor, was buried in a hidden chamber with his riches. The biggest collection of priceless gold artefacts in the realm.¡± The mercenary stopped.


    ¡°There''s only one way into the secret parts of the tomb. We need you to revive the Architect. He is buried in a smaller chamber, closer to the entrance.¡±


    ¡°An architect. Sounds like something I can do.¡± Nathaniel had heard of ancient treasures, and he felt excited to be invited. Though he had some concerns.


    ¡°Excellent!¡± the adventurer said. ¡°Are you ready to leave now?¡±


    ¡°Right now?¡± Nathaniel looked at his shopping list and then crumpled it into a ball ¡°Just let me lock up.¡±


    Nathaniel left the city with the adventures. Most of them had horses, but four of them shared an empty carriage, Nathaniel sat in the back of the carriage nervously meeting his new party members.


    The carriage and the horses rode into the forest.


    A few days later, Nathaniel and the adventurers had arrived at the entrance to a tomb. It was an ornate archway carved from the mountainside. A large, thick wooden door blocked the way, it was barred shut from both sides. The doorway had been abandoned and overgrown with thick vines. They were halfway up a mountain in a dense jungle. The carriage had barely made it. They¡¯d somehow parked it near the entrance though.


    The blonde man, Tanner, had introduced Nathaniel to the rest of his small gang over the journey. They were all waiting to enter the tomb.


    ¡°The Elf Architect has a tomb right near the entrance of the grand hall. We can find his tomb by finding his statue, he was a tall elf with short hair, and a long nose. Keep your eyes out for any statues like that near the Grand Hall.¡± Tanner said. ¡°Nathaniel, our necromancer, will bring the elf back to life, then we simply need to persuade the dead man to help us get in.¡±


    ¡°Are there any monsters in this dungeon?¡± Buck, one of the warrior¡¯s asked.


    ¡°The ancient elf translation wasn''t clear. There were no mentions of any traps or beasts left to guard the dead. We should probably assume that since we are the first people to find this place in years, we may have some critters, or monsters to deal with inside. Large insects even.¡±


    All of the party members nodded and understood.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°All right then, Let¡¯s go, Nala, you stay outside with the horses.¡± Tanner said, and he adjusted his sword sheath strap so it was more comfortable.


    ¡°Sure,¡± said Nala, a strong female warrior.


    ¡°William, you know what to do.¡± Tanner said, as he gestured to the door.


    Nathaniel wondered how William would open the door, but was not expecting a fireball.


    The party stood back as William punched quickly and a fireball came tumbling from his fist. It exploded against the door and ripped the rotted wood from the hinges. The door was left splintered and charred. The heavy wooden beams groaned and knocked against each other as they tried to find places to rest on the floor.


    The doorway was open, and a large gust of cold air rushed from the inside of the crypt.


    The tomb was black, the darkness seemed to swallow the hallway.


    William conjured a mage light and sent it forward into the tunnel. The ball of glowing white plasma hovered gently as he commanded it.


    The adventurers slowly walked inside the tomb.


    Nala watched as they disappeared deeper into the entrance.


    A few hours passed and Nathaniel strangely did not get bored of wandering through dark stairways, and cobweb-filled stone rooms. Each step was filled with excitement and curiosity.


    They came across burial chambers, food offering rooms, some hallways had collapsed, some tombs had been looted and defaced. Statues lay crumbling, ashen scorch marks covered the walls. They would come across rotten tables, with equally rotten chairs, old wooden chests that were full of damp ruined scrolls. Critters like spiders, beetles and centipedes seemed to appear from the brickwork every few seconds. They regularly came across statues of elven lords, kings, queens and people of high importance. The sarcophagus of the person was located behind these statues. They saw a lot of long haired elf men, some had short noses, others had long beards, none of them perfectly matched the one they were looking for, the Architect of the very dungeon they had been wandering.


    The adventurers searched for a long time before they came across a statue of an elf. He was tall, had short hair and a long nose.


    ¡°This must be him,¡± Tanner said. The magelight orb cast a ghostly light over the stone figure.


    Behind the statue was a stone coffin. The lid was ornately decorated with stone engravings. Three of the party pushed the stone lid and it fell onto the stone floor.


    Inside the coffin was a very dried out, very decayed skeleton. The clothes it wore were shredded brown robes, that may have once had some decorative patterns, moths and rats had long since destroyed these.


    ¡°Alright. This is your moment, Nathaniel.¡± Tanner said.


    Nathaniel approached the coffin and looked down at the skeleton. He closed his eyes and held his hands over the ribs of the elf. Nathaniel started singing, his young voice echoed off the walls of the darkened chamber.


    ¡°Your body is cold, your spirit is free


    Return to your bones, rise and serve me


    Your soul is returning, to bring you new breath.


    I command you, skeleton, stand up from this rest.¡±


    Magic bubbles of light extended from his hands and moved to inhabit the bones of the dead elf. The skeleton then took in a deep gasping breath and sat up straight.


    It looked around at where it was.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± The Architect spoke. He could speak magically, even though his neck had no muscles and his lungs did not work.


    ¡°Who are you all?¡± He asked again, confused and puzzled. The skeleton looked at his arms and then his body. ¡°Aaaah!¡± He screamed. ¡°What did you do?¡± The skeleton shouted as he grabbed Tanner by the shirt.


    ¡°Are you Barraud? The architect?¡± Tanner asked.


    ¡°Well hold on a minute, mate, first things first. What the fuck is going on right now. I¡¯m feeling pretty naked here guys. Where is my skin?¡±


    ¡°Barraud, you¡¯ve been dead for over two-thousand years.¡± Tanner said.


    ¡°Two-thousand years-... Then what the bloody¡­ What did you wake me up for?¡± Barraud shouted. Tanner looked at the rest of the party.


    ¡°We need a guide.¡± Tanner said. ¡°To get into Vaelinnor¡¯s Tomb¡±


    Barraud sat silently for a moment, thinking this was some elaborate joke. He looked at the dirty, battle-worn adventurers huddled around his coffin and finally came to terms with where he was.


    ¡°So I¡¯m dead?¡± Barraud said, knowing the answer. ¡°How did I die?¡±


    ¡°We don''t know, that was two thousand years ago.¡± William said.


    ¡°But will you help us, Barraud?¡± Tanner asked, casually. Barraud though for a moment.


    ¡°You really came here for me?¡±


    ¡°We are standing in a dungeon that has been abandoned and left to rot. The only living things in here are us, and the rats and bugs. We really came down here to get you mate.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little bit flattered.¡± Barraud said. ¡°Do people still sing songs about me?


    ¡°Uh¡­ Yeah.¡± Tanner lied, and nodded at the rest of the group.


    ¡°Yeah all the time,¡± said William. The rest of the group lied as well and nodded to each other.


    ¡°Well,¡± Barraud said and paused for a while. ¡°I suppose I can help you fine fellows find the secret tomb.¡± Barraud tested his arms and found them surprisingly strong. There was no muscle connecting his bones together but he was whole, as far as he could tell. He grabbed the sides of the coffin and lifted himself out.


    He stood up and tested his feet. Somehow, all good.


    ¡°Alright follow me, this way!¡± Barraud said. Then he confidently walked into the darkness¡­


    Only to emerge moments later, confidently walking the other direction. ¡°This way.¡± He said with a small laugh.


    The party slowly followed after.


    A few hours later they had arrived in the middle of a hallway. the skeleton architect stopped and looked at the wall.


    ¡°The first secret passage is through here.¡± Barraud said. ¡°We have to break this wall.¡±


    William punched and the meteor shot from his fist straight at the wall. The bricks crumbled easily and fell into a dark stairwell. The wall had been built to conceal the entrance entirely. No one had set foot in this part of the tomb since it was built. The adventurers all gathered and slowly ventured inside.


    They walked down a long narrow staircase that eventually opened up to a giant chamber. There was a fountain in the middle, it was a tiered water fountain and the water was still running, which was a calm and relaxing sound in the dark dungeon.


    On the opposite side of the room stood a very big statue. An elf man with a huge crown, he was striking a heroic pose.


    ¡°This is just the first room.¡± Barraud said.


    The adventurers looked at each other and groaned, they had been walking in the dark for over ten hours.


    ¡°This way!¡± Barraud said.

 Chapter Twelve: The Town Blacksmith

    Chapter Twelve: The Town Blacksmith


    Jason and Stella were in the town square. Jason was buying some raw iron bars from a travelling merchant. He had a number of ingots of metal on the back of an ox-drawn cart


    Jason bartered to get forty bars of iron for two-hundred Dime. He paid the salesman and took the ingots back to his shop by loading them into cloth bags on the saddle of his horse, Bronson. He wandered around the town square with Stella and they bought some pulled pork rolls from a vendor. Jason bought some seltzers from a different shop and they found a place to sit in the food court at the bustling plaza. Jason hitched Bronson near the edge of the square.


    They were surrounded by villagers, happy people who were living life, and eating all sorts of food at the tables beside them. Fruit salads, roast beef and potato, flame grilled chicken kebabs. The sight and smell of it all was calming and filled them both with a sense of family and community. They were silent in a sea of laughter and conversation.


    ¡°So, Magic Boy, when are we going to do some more magic?¡± she said with a sly smile.


    ¡°I told you, I don''t know what that was.¡± Jason said. He was talking about the tree he exploded with a fireball.


    He had tried it again afterwards, over and over but he simply failed. It was a trick he couldn''t seem to replicate.


    ¡°Well, I can bring my book over tomorrow and we can go for a walk.¡± Stella said. ¡°We tried water and air. You''re clearly not a water wizard or a wind wizard.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m an exploding tree wizard.¡± He said with a sarcastic smile. ¡°My power is tree exploding.¡± He laughed, but Stella was being serious and didn''t laugh.


    They got back to Jason¡¯s shop and he pulled the heavy bags of iron off the saddle slowly. He went inside with Stella and they looked at his empty shop.


    ¡°So, what should I make first?¡± He asked Stella.


    ¡°Remember those bandits, I think you should make a sword.¡±


    Jason thought for a moment then agreed with Stella. He pulled a dusty book from a shelf and opened it. It had pictures of swords. All shapes and sizes, with a different section for pommel and crossguard designs.


    Jason settled on a straight sword, with a double-edge, a simple crossguard, with minor engravings and a basic pommel. Something he¡¯d made a few times before.


    Jason heated his forge and then put a crucible into the flames, he used a mechanical bellows that had a magical enchantment that would automatically cause the bag to inflate and deflate.


    He dressed himself in his leather apron, welding helmet and his safety plate.


    Soon his crucible was hot, he put four bars of iron into the crucible and waited for them to meltThis tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Jason then grabbed a sword mould from his assortment of metal moulds. And put it onto a short brick table, made specifically for holding his hot metals.


    Jason stirred the crucible, and the molten iron left a small layer of slag on the surface. He scraped the slag off with a long steel slag spoon and used some blacksmith tongs to pick up the crucible. He poured the molten iron into the sword mould and watched as the metal hissed and bubbled and settled into the grooves of the mould.


    A few minutes passed and the sword had cooled into a solid, it was still extremely hot. Jason had a tall bucket of oil to quench the sword in, which bubbled and squeaked as the blade hardened.


    Stella quietly watched with innate curiosity.


    He then let the blade cool completely and after that he began to add an edge. He grinded the sword with a simple whetstone, he made over a thousand passes, delicately honing the blade.


    While he sharpened, Stella made some dinner on Jason¡¯s stove. They had some steak, broccoli and carrots. Stella added some spices from Jason¡¯s spice rack and they ate, then Jason kept honing the edge for a few more hours while he and Stella talked about their futures.


    Jason was happy with the edge on the blade, so he grabbed a thin leather strap and started to wrap the handle of the blade. He finished the wrap and looked at the final product.


    It was a simple sword with a sharp edge, Jason was very happy. He¡¯d given it his best.


    Jason didn''t know, but he¡¯d made an enchanted blade.


    He had imbued the blade with fire, so that when any magic user interacted with it, the blade would catch alight.


    Jason¡¯s magic was still lying dormant, so he was unable to access the sword¡¯s hidden ability. For now.


    Jason and Stella decided to lay down in bed, ready to go to sleep. Jason looked over at his beautiful partner and smiled. This was his happiest moment.


    Jason kissed Stella on the lips and moved himself closer. They kissed again, this time they lingered a little longer. Jason was very excited. He positioned himself above her and looked her in the eyes as if to say, ¡°now?¡±


    She giggled at him.


    They heard a violent knock on the door downstairs.


    Jason collapsed onto Stella with an annoyed sigh.


    He got out of bed and went downstairs to look. He opened his wooden door and was surprised to see Freya. She was looking behind her, up and down the street, as if she was being followed.


    ¡°Can I stay here?¡± She asked quickly.


    ¡°Um, I guess. It¡¯s pretty late, but. Sure.¡± Jason said, very confused.


    He ushered the elf inside.


    ¡°Thanks, Jason. The same room?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yep. It''s ready and waiting for you.¡± he said.


    She thanked him again and hugged him. Then she ran upstairs, past Stella who was standing on the top step.


    ¡°Who is she?¡± Stella asked Jason.


    ¡°That''s Freya. She¡¯s a princess, I think.¡± he said back, trying to play it cool. His mind was currently on overdrive. He was attracted to both of the girls.


    ¡°Why is she here so late?¡± She asked, suspicious of Jason.


    ¡°I don''t know, I¡¯ll ask her in the morning, let¡¯s get you back in bed now, princess Stella.¡±


    Jason smiled and tapped her lightly on the butt, she smiled and climbed the staircase and went into Jason¡¯s room.


    Jason followed her up and went into his room. He cast a long gaze at Freya¡¯s door before he went into his own room and got into bed next to Stella. They fell asleep shortly after.

 Chapter Thirteen: Lost Redran and Arkanon

    Chapter Thirteen: Lost


    Redran and Arkanon trundled through the forest looking for signs of civilization. They were completely lost as they had no idea where they¡¯d been teleported. Redran was covered in grime and sweat.


    They had walked for a few days without seeing any signs of life. Finally Redran and Arkanon came to a road. They decided to walk North, and they used the sun as a compass. After a few minutes they saw a hand carved wooden sign.


    ¡°Road to Buttermilk: A Cattle Ranchers Dream, Five Miles.¡±


    Redran realised they had been teleported south, into the southern mountain range. If they kept on the road they would make it back to Buttermilk in a matter of hours.


    ¡°Are we there yet?¡± Arkanon asked.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°If you ask me again, I¡¯m giving your leg bones to the next dog we see.¡± Lord Redran said shortly. They kept walking, and soon the night was dark. They arrived at the outskirts of town at sunset.


    Redran and Arkanon wandered through the town at night, wary of strangers. They walked out of the town, at the opposite end, and continued down the path towards Redran¡¯s Manor.


    Redran saw his walls and gates a short while later and felt relaxed. He opened the gates, without magic and locked them behind him. Redran and Arkanon walked into the front door like a pair of worn-out partygoers after a night of heavy drinking.


    Redran was so exhausted that he kicked off his boots and jumped face first onto his couch. Moments later he was sound asleep.


    ¡°That was a long walk,¡± he thought to himself as his leg muscles pounded and throbbed gently.


    Arkanon sat down at the table, uncorked a whiskey bottle and poured it down his throat. It simply wet his rib bones, but it was still satisfying to Arkanon somehow.


    Arkanon soon fell asleep, slumped back in the chair.

 Chapter Fourteen: The Glorious Lich King Saddal

    Chapter Fourteen: The Glorious Lich King Saddal


    Inside the dark halls of the Elf burial chambers, Nathaniel followed the others. He was quite shy, so he followed at the back of the group.


    ¡°And then there was this hidden lever here¡± Barraud, the skeleton said as he reached behind a statue into a small hole in the rock. Moment later a large wall descended into the floor, like it was never there.


    The travellers walked through the new hallway and it was just as dark and damp as all of the others.


    This hallway led into a room that was natural. It was a cave that the miner¡¯s had found during construction. There was a large pool of water with a staircase that led into the deep water.


    ¡°Ahhh. It seems this passageway has been affected by erosion. Normally that water isn''t there.¡± Barraud said, with a defeated tone.


    ¡°How far is the passage? Can we swim?¡± Tanner asked.


    ¡°A few hundred metres, maybe?¡± Barraud replied. ¡°This is the only way to the secret chamber.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we''re resting here for now. Start thinking, everyone. I need ideas now.¡± Tanner said.


    The group finally rested. They started a small fire and the shadows danced on the walls. Nathaniel was handed a tough biscuit and he swallowed it down with some water. The party rested, most of them fell asleep. They had been dungeon crawling for the entire day. They didn''t even know what time it was. They had no way of knowing.


    A lot of the party members fell asleep around the fire. Nathaniel stayed awake, so did Tanner, Barraud and William. They spoke quietly.


    ¡°How did you all meet?¡± Nathaniel asked Tanner.


    Tanner looked around at his sleeping party members.


    ¡°We met in church.¡± Tanner said. He was clearly lying. Then he sighed and looked at Nathaniel. The young man was sporting a fresh beard from the days of travel, and his tattoos and scars unsettled Tanner. ¡°We were kids, some of us. Just friends at school, and then later in life, we needed certain people with skills. Nala is our horse-whisperer. Literally. She talks to the horses. She talks to all animals. We¡¯ve got a mage, we¡¯ve got a very skilled uh-...¡± Tanner thought of a word different to killer. ¡°Gardener¡­ and a few others we picked up along the way.¡± Tanner finished speaking and then decided to ask the question he¡¯d wanted to ask the whole time. He opened his mouth to speak but Barraud stole his sentence.


    ¡°Where did you get those markings under your eyes?¡± Barraud asked Nathaniel. Nate was caught off guard.


    ¡°My father gave them to me. He tattooed me when I was ten. It was supposed to stop the magic. It didn¡¯t work. It¡¯s not regular ink. Tattoos will heal if you cast a powerful healing spell. Mine never fades. It never loses ink. It never goes blurry. It¡¯s a ward of protection. It¡¯s alive, just as I am.¡± Nathaniel said.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°I see ghosts I see everyday when I close my eyes. It¡¯s quite harrowing actually. I sometimes hear voices from people who aren¡¯t really there. People from the other side.¡± Nathaniel said.


    ¡°Are you an evil necromancer?¡± Barraud asked. He looked at the party members around him, and then back to Nathaniel.


    ¡°No,¡± he replied. "I¡¯m a good one. I didn¡¯t choose my magical gift, and the nature of resurrection magic is destructive to the mind. That¡¯s why most necromancers become villains. My magic is very powerful, and I know the call of evil. I don''t have time for it, I don¡¯t want to be king, or conqueror. I like painting, and drinking ales. My magic is so much more powerful than most because I can bring the dead back permanently, with all of their memories attached. Every time I close my eyes, I-... I still get the visions. Terrifying. It¡¯s like a grey tornado of mean looking faces, all of them calling me to find them and set them free.¡± Nathaniel stopped talking and his gaze lowered to the ground. He was done talking.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know Necromancy affected the mind in such a way.¡± Barraud pondered.


    ¡°Can you control the dead, like, make em do stuff?¡± William asked.


    ¡°I can control anyone I bring back, but it requires effort. I can only pilot one at a time, and it requires me to enter a state of paralysis, I can¡¯t move my real body. So it¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°But I thought-... I heard about the conqueror Saddal. He, and his skeleton armies took over the realm a few hundred years ago.¡± Tanner chimed in.


    ¡°Necromancers cannot control a whole army. Lich King Saddal was just¡­ Really good at making deep connections with people, and inspiring them to be there. He didn¡¯t control them with magic.¡± Nathaniel paused for a while, there was a silence except for the fire.


    ¡°Why are you helping us get the gold?¡± Nathaniel asked Barraud.


    Barraud was stunned, it took him a moment to think for himself.


    ¡°I suppose. It was getting rather dreary back there, floating in essence. You are the first people I¡¯ve met in two thousand years. I was quite a gentleman when I was alive. These bones and tattered robes don¡¯t quite sell the picture. I dressed mostly in blue silk. I miss that.¡± Barraud thought about the feeling of the soft fabric on his shoulders and smiled. Though he didn''t have any muscles, so nothing happened.


    He continued speaking. ¡°To be honest, Vaelinnor was always a bit of a chud. I thought he was trash, but he paid me millions to build this tomb, so I thought. Let¡¯s build a fucking tomb, you know. Make it failsafe for robbers and thieves. I never guessed that I would be the thief.¡± Barraud thought for a moment then stared at Tanner and Nathaniel. ¡°Fuck yeah.¡±


    ¡°The serpent eats its own tail,¡± said Tanner, smacking Barraud in the shoulder with a punch.


    ¡°Hey, can I have some of this money? I¡¯m a part of this heist too. Technically, I am alive. My soul is here in this room with you, AND my body.¡± Barraud bargained.


    Tanner was not expecting this. He looked at William. They both shrugged.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Tanner said.


    They started talking about old war stories, and past lovers as the fire burned. Nathaniel went to sleep shortly after.

 Chapter Fifteen: The Handsome Dragon

    Chapter Fifteen: The Handsome Dragon


    In the volcanic northlands there was a split in the black soil. It was a cave entrance, the size of ten coliseums. It was an entrance to a wide network of tunnels. These tunnels connected to deep underground cave systems all over the world. Navigating them is impossible for humans, elves, orcs or dwarves. But some wizards and fairies had survived to gather information to share.


    The tunnels were extraordinary, they were dark, except for volcanic magma rivers. The rivers illuminated an undergrowth where mosses grew. A lot of running water flowed as well, rains from above. Mixed with glacier melt all over the planet. This allowed plants to grow as well, though the leaves were grey, or the plants had very carnivorous appetites.


    Monsters of all kinds were found here. Prehistoric, or evolutionary cousins of species that lived on the surface, the animals often fitted into two categories, albino skin colour, or a colourful, glowing display, that were designed to lure prey.


    Down in a cave close to the centre of the earth lived a Dragon. He sat atop a pile of unimaginable gold artefacts. The pile of treasure was so vast that it spanned miles. Ships carrying gold were half buried in the piles of gold coins. Waterfalls of lava illuminated the rocky terrain. The gold made the cave glow yellow. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    The dragon had been hunting monsters in the caves for a long time. Long ago, the dragon had swallowed entire kingdoms, claiming their shiny shiny.


    It was HIS shiny shiny.


    The dragon was massive, the caves were wide enough to easily fit the dragon and his hunting grounds.


    It had been doing the same thing every day for a long time. Fly around the caves, do some exploring, get a meal and fly home to stare at his reflection in the mountain of gold.


    ¡°I¡¯m so handsome,¡± said the dragon to himself.


    He got bored and decided to go explore.


    He flew away from his cave, to the outer surface. He smelled something shiny outside. He decided to seek it out.


    The dragon flew out of the crack in the earth and appeared in the sky above the volcano.


    He was beautiful. His wings stretched out and he flew into the sky. His size was impossibly huge.


    ¡°I¡¯m so handsome,¡± the dragon thought to himself.

 Chapter Sixteen: The Statue of Prosperity

    Chapter Sixteen: The Statue of Prosperity


    Nathaniel and the other adventurers stood at the edge of the water, looking in. Those wearing armour had taken it off, leaving just their normal clothes. The fire was smouldering, the staircase leading deeper into the secret chamber looked very unappealing. They looked into the water and saw a dark hallway.


    William summoned a mage light orb and they stepped into the water one by one. Each taking a deep breath before walking further.


    Soon they were swimming. They swam to the edge of the cavern and then one by one, they dove down, into the water. William¡¯s magelight illuminated the dark water. They followed him. Those at the back had to swim in darkness, looking ahead at the blue lit hallway.


    They swam for such a long time that Nathaniel thought about going back, but he pushed himself to go forward. Nate¡¯s lungs were burning as he saw Will and Tanner rise up to the surface at the exit. He followed soon after.


    They had arrived in a very different tomb to all of the others. They were standing inside of a church. The pews had been replaced by ornate mosaic tile work on the floor. There were tall columns holding up a beautifully painted ceiling. The floor was gold inlaid, and the mosaic depicted Vaelinnor in various battles across his life. A statue of Vaelinnor made of pure gold, taller than all of the others in the entire dark mausoleum, stood in the centre. It was holding a massive gold sword in its hand. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    The room didn''t have any other chests, trinkets, or gold coins of any kind.


    ¡°Here we are, take your gold.¡± Barraud said as he pointed at the room.


    Tanner looked at the giant golden sword and then looked at William. They both silently nodded and smiled.


    William pulled a rope from his bag and threw it like a lasso over the statue¡¯s head. He climbed up the rope and stood on the golden arm.


    Tanner took off his wet shirt and took a shirt from a few of his men, he tossed them, one at a time to William, and he made a place to sit on the arm. He put his hands close to the gold arm and started melting it with a fiery blast.


    A few hours later the statue¡¯s forearm was halfway melted. Will was cutting it like it was a tree. Tanner and the others had been collecting the molten droplets and putting them into bags, as well as picking out the gold tiles from the floor artwork.


    William needed another break because the arm was too hot, so he climbed up onto the shoulder to wait for it to cool and Tanner tossed him a health potion.


    Nathaniel was picking at a golden tile on Vaelinnor¡¯s bicep with a dagger.

 Chapter Seventeen - Burning Blade

    Chapter Seventeen - Burning Blade


    Jason woke up with Stella still snoring. He went downstairs and turned on the stove to make breakfast.


    Freya walked downstairs in her usual armour and walked up to Jason.


    ¡°Jason, thank you, here is your payment.¡± She said and then handed him five Dime.


    ¡°Thanks Freya, I was wondering if I could ask you a question about magic?¡± Jason asked Freya.


    ¡°Maybe next time, Jason.¡± She said, and then walked out of the door in a hurry. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Jason was so amazed by her.


    Jason picked up his sword and the blade caught fire.


    He admired the glow of the blade. The fire danced in the reflection of his eyes.


    He ran upstairs and kicked his bedroom door open.


    ¡°Stella!¡± He shouted, and then pointed to his flaming sword. She woke up looking like a tired cat and yawned. She saw his fire sword and her eyes turned into saucers. She smiled and then started jumping on the bed.


    ¡°How do you turn it off?¡± She asked?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason dropped the sword and the fire was extinguished. It clattered onto the floor. Stella jumped from the bed into Jason¡¯s arms and they kissed.

 Chapter Eighteen: The Great Pirate Hammerstein

    Chapter Eighteen: The Great Pirate Hammerstein


    A ship rode the waves of the north seas. It was a massive wooden vessel, with great white sails. Over one hundred men served on the vessel under the leadership of Captain Hammerstein. A feared and brutal man, his second-in-command smoked a cigarette in the doorway to the galley below decks. A large amount of treasure, robbed from villages, other ships and dungeons filled the ship¡¯s hold. He admired the treasure and was happy while he smoked.


    The captain was in his quarters, he was sleeping next to a small barrel of wine. That he was spooning. In the skies above the ocean, the lookout spotted a giant flying creature.


    The beast was red, it looked like a lizard with wings.


    A dragon.


    He¡¯d only ever heard of them in children¡¯s tales.


    ¡°Dragon! We are under attack!¡± Shouted the lookout.


    The crew looked up and started to ring the bell to alert the sleeping men below decks.


    The dragon, high above the water, smelled the vapour of clouds. It felt the sun shining on its scales and liked the warmth. It was sure that something shiny was close. He could smell it.


    The pirates rang the bell and the Dragon could hear it. He saw the small boat below him in the water and recognised the familiar smell of gold.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    The dragon dove towards the sound of the ringing bell. ¡°I bet these guys are going to think I¡¯m really handsome,¡± Thought the Dragon to himself.


    The captain woke up and burst out of his doors. He looked into the sky and was quite upset to be woken from his nap. The second in command arrived next and pulled out his sword. He looked into the sky and both men¡¯s jaws fell open.


    The dragon was massive. It was easily larger than the boat. Some brave men started to fire cannons at will but they missed due to the Dragon¡¯s height in the sky. The dragon dove headfirst into the ocean and went deep into the water.


    The dragon loved the feeling of the cool water on its body. It looked around at the giant squid, and schools of fish on the seafloor and then looked up at the surface. The ship bobbed on the surface.


    He started floating to the surface and paddled with his giant claws and emerged next to the ship treading water, like a giant dog. Its long snake-like neck attacked like a whip and swallowed the Captain, and a large chunk of boat in one bite. The second in command jumped overboard and swam for it.


    Some men shot cannons at the dragon, and the cannonballs embedded in the flesh of the dragon, but it didn''t seem to hurt it much.


    Massive wings unfurled and the beast started gaining altitude. It then flew over the ship and snapped the mast, it grabbed the ship in it¡¯s front left arm, like a bird holding a fish and started to fly, The ship groaned and creaked, but the dragon knew that these floating monsters had gold inside their bellies, so he would wait until he was home before he spilled the guts of the creature he was holding. The cannons kept firing from the boat, but the men inside the vessel had no idea what to do. Some of the men jumped from the boat to their deaths.


    The dragon flew north, to the volcanic crevasse it came from. It took in a deep lungful of fresh air and then descended in a sharp dive into the dark cavern. The pirates were screaming.

 Chapter Nineteen: The Biggest Cow in the Realm

    Chapter Nineteen: The Biggest Cow in the Realm


    In the small town of Buttermilk, once every year, the King held a festival. People from all over the realm traveled to compete for money by submitting their biggest animals. This festival was due to start in a few hours.


    The past few days, Buttermilk had been filled with travellers and merchants. A section of farmland close to the city was turned into a stage area for a large performance taking place at sunset. The magical acrobats and talented bands from the main cities far north of the Castle of Flowers were here to give five days of shows. Bards and illusion casters were everywhere.


    There were many knights present, to keep the people protected from bandit attacks. Jason and Stella were walking hand in hand to the show, to buy some dinner and maybe try some exotic ales.


    Redran, Arkanon and Freya stood in a tent with fifteen guards. Redran was talking about defensive patrols to the men. The king was busy making appearances at the festival mainstage.


    Batuuk and his army waited in the hills south of the city. They waited for darkness, and they all silently hid behind the trees and foliage of the farmlands nearby.


    The biggest cow in the realm, a female heifer named ¡®Chunky¡¯, was standing in a long stable, next to other, slightly smaller cows. Her horns were capped with silver, and a rhinestone diamond tipped each of her horns. Chunky was clearly the biggest cow by far. She was fed six buckets of peaches, and six buckets of pears every day. The farmer she belonged to was a peach and pear farmer, not a cattle farmer. Chunky also loved eating cabbages, and apples, and broccoli and grass, and carrots, and small sticks, and weeds. Sometimes, Chunky ate celery, corn, onions, beets, sugarcane and even cakes and sweets. Chunky was an old girl, maybe five, maybe seven years old. Chunky was at her peak.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Chunky pushed against the door and it creaked against her weight.


    Chunky was such a clever girl, She could topple most fences just by running fast. Chunky was smarter than most dumb humans, you see. And chunky had goosebumps. She could sense danger, and she wanted to run. All of the cows wanted to run.


    Chunky ran against the door and the hinges simply failed. The sturdy wooden stable door toppled to the ground and Chunky stomped right over it. Two stablehands tried to stop the panicked beast but Chunky ran towards the open stable door and into the crowd. She was frightened by the large amount of townspeople, so she bolted for the safety of the dark road. No one wanted to stop the huge cow. Chunky was free. She ran into a nearby field of apple trees and sprinted. She stopped to taste an apple and wanted to stay, but she was scared. Chunky sprinted away into the dark forest surrounding the north road out of Buttermilk, goosebumps on her spine and adrenaline rushing through her blood.

 Chapter Twenty: Big Sword for a Small Man

    Chapter Twenty: Big Sword for a Small Man


    Nathaniel watched as William melted through the last remaining piece of golden arm. The sword, hand and wrist of the statue was seconds from snapping off the statue. It was bent very far already. Nate wondered how they would move it out of the dungeon.


    Obviously, Tanner had started to plan to come back for the rest later.


    Nathaniel looked at his progress. He had removed half of the gold tiles from one of the mandalas, and had stashed around five hundred small square pieces of gold in his bag of holding.


    The giant golden sword came falling to the floor of the dungeon and the treasure hunters cheered, Tanner pulled out a cask of ales from his bag of holding and they decided to rest and celebrate. They set up a campfire and sat down.


    They cooked chilli spiced chicken meat on skewers and Tanner talked about how they would remove the sword in-between bites.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to open a portal from here, and drop the sword onto the carriage gently so we can cart it into town and smelt it down at the forges.¡±


    After dinner, William opened the portal to the surface and Tanner sent one of his team to the surface to fetch Nala and tell her the plan.


    Nala and the other Treasure hunter appeared on the road beneath William¡¯s portal. The entire group, including Barraud, jumped down onto the carriage and climbed off onto the forest road. William waited and stood beside the gold sword. He opened the portal and dropped the sword onto the carriage. It fell only a few metres but the carriage was broken by the weight of the sword. The rear right wheel fell off because the axle snapped. They would have to repair the wagon in order to move it.


    Tanner cursed and they quickly covered the gold sword with cloth tents. It looked maybe like a pile of lumber under some rags. Tanner told everyone to wait and guard the carriage while he found some help in the city. He walked away and left them standing there. Nathaniel looked at the sky for the first time in two days.

 Chapter Twenty One: Whos A Handsome Boy!

    Chapter Twenty One: Who''s A Handsome Boy!


    Jason and Stella were close to the stage waiting for the festival performance to begin. The sun had set and the energy from the crowd was buzzing.


    They were in a large crowd, young men and women from all over the kingdom were seated nearby in their most extravagant outfits. Some of the girls had glued fake diamonds to their faces.


    Everyone was drunk, full of good food and ready to see the first performers take the main stage.


    The MC stepped onto the stage and got everyone¡¯s attention. He was dressed in a white silk button up shirt, he had shoulder length hair that was lightly wet and curled. It was parted in the middle. The MC had an interesting face, and a striking jawline. He was very handsome.


    ¡°Hi Arcadia! Are we ready to start the festival!¡± The MC said, and then raised his hands into the air. The crowd cheered loudly, and some people whistled through their fingers. A wizard in the crowd shot a spray of water droplets over the crowd like confetti and everyone cheered as a rainbow could be seen through the droplets.


    ¡°First things first, we¡¯ve had an escaped animal. There is a massive, I¡¯m telling you, massive cow somewhere out there. If anybody¡¯s seen him, come and see our main staff at the yellow staff tent. And with all that out of the way. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce our first act of the festival, Kane and the Mage!¡± The MC shouted and the crowd went wild. The MC walked off the stage and some curtains parted, on the stage was a handsome man with very long hair standing in a rowing boat. He started singing to the audience as several instruments floated beside him. A cello, a violin, a bass drum and an accordion.


    As he sang the instruments started to grow and form a beautiful upbeat melody. It was inspiring and clever. He sang slowly.


    ¡°My lover is a devil!


    She tastes like fire and metal!


    Her kisses leave scorch marks on my skin,


    She¡¯s got sharp teeth and a devil¡¯s grin.¡±


    The song suddenly went doubletime and the violin and drums got everybody dancing. Jason and Stella swung around in the mosh pit, both of them couldn¡¯t dance that great, but they were in the right place and they both cut loose.


    ¡°My lover is a godly being


    She kisses me with sunbeams every evening


    I love my goddess, she¡¯s exciting


    Her eyes shoot lightning¡±


    The boat then lifted into the air and sailed above the crowd. Small blue pieces of paper floated from the stage and created a floating layer over the crowd. The layer of paper rolled and moved like the ocean, with waves that carried the boat above the crowd.


    ¡°My lover is a devil!


    She tastes like fire and metal!


    Her kisses leave scorch marks on my skin,


    She¡¯s got sharp teeth and a devil¡¯s grin.¡±


    The mage then conjured a giant holographic snake illusion. The serpent swam through the paper water surrounding the man in the boat. The crowd was shocked, thrilled and stunned to see the massive beast above their heads.


    ¡°My lady is a fire


    When the dark is far too strong, she burns brighter.


    I will love you, and always take you higher.


    My lady is a raging, burning, melting fire.¡±


    The man in the boat turned the giant serpent into a beautiful holographic woman by singing to the snake. Then the girl stepped onto the boat and kissed the singer as the song ended with a crescendo.


    The hologram vanished into butterflies and the boat was returned to the stage safely with the singer inside. Then the magician stopped the spell on the confetti paper, which caused the pieces to fall into the crowd.


    Jason kissed Stella as the confetti tumbled around them. Her kisses were sweeter than anything he¡¯d ever tasted. They looked into each other''s eyes and Jason was so happy.


    The singer started to move into his stage positions for the second song and felt chills run down his spine. So did everyone in the crowd, including Jason and Stella.


    Freya inside the guard¡¯s tent narrowed her eyes and sprinted outside to stare up at the night sky. She knew what was coming. She conjured her skeletal horse and then she mounted it and sprinted out of the town as fast as she could go. She passed Redran, who was standing at the outer gates with a team of fifteen knights. Redran let her go, but wondered why she was in such a hurry to leave.


    ¡°Classic, Freya.¡± He thought to himself. Redran was sure the danger he felt meant the bandit attack was imminent. He was at the north gate, and had fifteen men at the south gate. They had a hundred more knights inside the festival, keeping peace and confiscating any weapons. He was not impressed by his knights.


    ¡°Lord Redran, would you sign my helmet?¡± One of the knights asked weakly.


    Lord Redran gave a very long sigh and agreed to sign his helmet.


    Batuuk and the bandits had started walking towards the town slowly. The sounds of the festival were muffled from the paddocks, but they could hear a grand show being put on. The crowd was cheering and having fun.


    Batuuk¡¯s natural orc instincts kicked in and he felt danger. More danger than he¡¯d ever felt before. He wasn¡¯t scared of anything though, so Batuuk didn¡¯t know why he felt so¡­ Strange. Surely he wasn¡¯t afraid of a few peasant meatbags with swords. They knew all about the additional guards and Batuuk definitely wasn¡¯t afraid of them. Measly humans. Why do I feel scared? Batuuk asked himself silently. He felt uneasy. But he stayed silent and kept moving forward with his army. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Back at the festival, the singer, Kane, stepped out of the boat and onto the stage. The curtains closed but Kane stood in front of them. He started singing his second song. This was a slow song. The mage played the violin, cello and a piano as Kane sang.


    ¡°I¡¯m wishing for you, daily.


    I¡¯m saving all my karma.


    I know god put you here, to be my lady.


    So just come on and be my baby.


    Oh Baby please give me your heart.


    Without you, Girl, I fall apart.


    I will love you until our sun glows dark


    Until our earth explodes or tears in half.¡±


    Kane sang from his heart such a beautiful melody that moved everyone. Jason and Stella couldn¡¯t help but feel special. The wizard conjured some magical fireflies that assembled to form the shape of Kane¡¯s face and torso. This massive hologram of Kane hovered above the stage.


    Batuuk watched from the paddock, confused. He was looking all around him and felt huge, looming danger. His orc senses were being triggered by something and it pissed him off. He couldn¡¯t find who or what was making him nervous. He got agitated and looked at the forest behind him and saw more of his own men. He looked at the soldier beside him and thought maybe it was him so he walked over.


    He looked the soldier right in the eyes and snarled. The soldier weakly ran away confused.


    Kane was singing with sweat pouring from his brow.


    The violins peaked and the piano started to arp beautifully.


    A giant dragon then flew through the hologram of Kane. It tried to bite the illusion but failed. The dragon smelled meat, and it was hungry.


    It landed in the middle of the city, and turned to face the crowd. Some people thought maybe it was part of the show until they looked back at Kane, who was staring at the Dragon in horror.


    ¡°It¡¯s a fucking dragon! Run!¡± Kane screamed and he sprinted backstage. Kane and the Mage used a portal to teleport back to their hometown with their stage manager and their stage crew.


    The Dragon opened its mouth and breathed fire over the village. Screams were heard from people in the village square. Jason and Stella were in the middle of a screaming crowd. They tried all they could to not be trampled by other escaping people. Most people ran, but some stood still in silent shock, staring at the dragon, as if cursed. They were jostled to life by friends, or strangers who were running past them.


    The dragon leaned down with its neck and ate a horse in one bite. It sniffed, and everyone in the village could hear the sound of the dragon¡¯s nostrils taking in air. The dragon¡¯s irises narrowed into slits and it looked towards the main stable. It quickly walked, stomping buildings beneath it, and arrived next to the stables. It curiously clawed open the roof and looked inside.


    ¡°THIS is the delightful smell.¡± The dragon thought to himself. He had found the source of the luring scent that had drawn him near. He then started to use one claw to grab fistfuls of prize-winning animals and stuff them into his mouth. He swallowed them like a pelican, sometimes not even chewing on the meat. The dragon then turned his attention to the rest of the village. He was getting shot by arrows from guards and villagers.


    Batuuk and his armies watched as the dragon descended from the sky and attacked the village. His eyes lit up as he witnessed the massive beast.


    ¡°RETREAT!¡± He screamed to his horde, the army sprinted back the way they came. No man wanted to join that fight. Not even Batuuk, the strongest Orc alive.


    The dragon, being slightly annoyed at the arrows, decided to demonstrate his power. He spread his wings wide and stood on his back two legs. He extended to his maximum height and he towered over the small village like a colossus. This dragon was huge.


    A hot spray of fire escaped the dragon¡¯s jaw as his front two legs came forward, destroying Jason¡¯s house and a few others nearby. He filled the streets of Buttermilk with white, hot fire.


    The dragon killed hundreds of townsfolk, and reduced parts of the city to smouldering ruins.


    He flexed his large wings and started to fly above the town. He started spraying fire over unburned parts of the village. Redran looked at the Dragon from the city outskirts. He had never seen anything so massive.


    ¡°Fuck it, Redran, I¡¯ve seen you do worse.¡± Lord Redran said out loud to himself. He gripped his sword tightly and he let out a cry and ran towards the city.


    The dragon saw a few crowds of tasty snacks trying to escape the burning village so he flew over them and landed near them. He opened his mouth and his snake-like neck began swallowing victims like a whip. His head was like a tunnel to darkness. He swallowed more and more travellers.


    Redran was in the village centre and saw the church tower on fire. It was about to topple over and land on a family. Redran called out.


    ¡°Move! The building is falling!¡± He called out to the family. They heard him and started to run.


    The bell tower fell over and echoed.


    The dragon was distracted by the sound of the bell. It came very close to it. The head of the beast looked at the vibrating gong and smiled. It swallowed the bell and then looked at Redran, it attacked like a viper and tried biting at the wolfman with lightning speed. Redran dodged the jaws by jumping backwards. He started running toward the edge of town, trying to escape the beast¡¯s attention. Such power and speed for such a massive beast. It was impossible. The dragon lost sight of the wolfman, and decided to attack Aaron¡¯s chicken stand. It sucked up the wicker cages like a vacuum. Then it picked up a building with a claw and dropped it onto another building.


    Jason and Stella were escaping in the woods to the north. They came across a small dock that had a canoe moored.


    ¡°We should take this down stream, to Port Anna, and we can buy a ride on a carriage back to my father¡¯s at the Castle of Flowers.¡± Jason said to Stella.


    ¡°There are no oars,¡± Stella said, so Jason grabbed a large branch and removed the twigs.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He said shortly.


    He gently helped Stella into the canoe and then tiptoed into it himself. They lay down, Jason poked them off the shoreline and they lay down and floated down river.


    The dragon killed hundreds of townsfolk and animals.


    He continued to rampage, and burn everything until he was bored. Then he flew home, very satisfied with his delicious meal and curious new friends.


    ¡°I¡¯m so handsome,¡± the Dragon thought to himself as his massive wings lifted him into the clouds.

 Chapter Twenty Two: The Phoenix of Buttermilk

    Chapter Twenty Two: The Phoenix of Buttermilk


    Arkanon walked the destroyed streets of Buttermilk. He had spent the entire night trying to rescue people from the rubble and ashen ruins. It was now early morning. Arkanon searched for his friend, Redran, but he could not find him anywhere in the small town.


    He assumed that Redran was probably lost in the fire. Arkanon tried to remember the last time he saw his friend Red, and it was before the music started, in the main guard¡¯s tent.


    The tent was burned, but there were no corpses inside it. Arkanon had only survived the fire of the dragon because he was already dead. He was in the main street when the dragon covered it with fire. His clothes had melted, but his armour and bones were fine, a bit blackened and charred though.


    He had spent several hours since then trying to save as many people as he could. The town of Buttermilk would never be the same. The dragon had destroyed the hope of the townspeople. Arkanon came across two horses, roaming free. Bentley stood in the town square, looking for Tenzen. Bronson, Jason¡¯s brown horse, stood next to Bentley, not sure what to do.


    Arkanon saw a small glint of fire in the coals. It was a bird. Ignacio woke up from a very warm nap and looked at his new father. The skeleton king looked down at the pretty phoenix.


    ¡°Hi, Pretty Bird.¡± said King Arkanon. The bird flew onto his shoulder and chirped. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Arkanon got onto the back of Bronson and whistled for Bentley to follow. The four new friends wandered to the edge of town. Arkanon noticed that a time wizard had placed some of the injured in a time freeze spell until more healers arrived.


    Arkanon walked to Redran¡¯s manor. It was surprisingly untouched. The walls were still covered in green vines and the mansion did not get a single scrape. He hacked open the chains at the gate and wandered inside. The Skeleton walked into the house and saw that it was empty. There was a painting that caught his attention. It was Arkanon and Redran. This was a painting Redran had commissioned many years before. Arkanon looked at his own face and his features. His goatee, young eyes, awesome outfit.


    He wished he was still alive. Technically he was still alive. But Arkanon felt pretty sad. He decided to drink his sorrows away, even though he couldn¡¯t get drunk, and he started reading the tales of Redran on the couch next to a cold fireplace¡­


    ¡°Fuck this.¡± Arkanon said after one minute, and he stood up and opened the door and went outside, leaving the door open.


    He shooed the horses and the bird inside and started lighting the fireplace. The horses were acting very strangely, unsure of what was really happening. Their hooves were very noisy on the wooden floorboards.


    ¡°Shut up, I¡¯m going to read you a story.¡± Arkanon said to the animals. Bronson started to eat a sofa, which prompted Bentley to want to eat from that exact same spot of sofa too. So both horses fought over sofa fabric while Arkanon read aloud from the first chapter.


    ¡°Chapter One: A Boy Named Arkanon,¡± The skeleton king read.  ¡°Long ago, there was a land full of dangerous monsters¡­¡±

 Chapter Twenty Three: Port Anna

    Chapter Twenty Three: Port Anna


    Jason and Stella woke up in the canoe fifteen miles south of Buttermilk. They had followed the gentle river the whole way to the coastline. The trees were different here, and the air was salty from the windy seas.


    The two of them were scared and confused. They reached a small dock, where some fishermen were casting out lines and pulling in some large, colourful fish. They saw the canoe and Jason started to move the boat closer to the shore with his long branch. He touched the bottom of the river with his stick and moved the boat by pushing themselves closer to shore. Soon they had landed on the shore and Jason stepped off the canoe into the sand. He pulled the canoe onto land and Stella jumped out.


    They both collapsed onto the sand while the fishermen looked at them curiously.


    They had made it to Port Anna. They only needed to walk a few hundred metres to the town.


    Jason and Stella got up eventually and began to walk. They left the canoe on the shore. They made it to the town and were greeted by a welcome sign. It was a smaller town than Buttermilk, but still quite large.


    The city was built on the beachside, and was mostly made up of wooden houses. A large dock system stretched into the water and many, many sailing ships were docked. A few larger ships were anchored out in the lagoon.


    The town was the trading capital of the south. Goods from all over the world could be purchased here. Unique ingredients, animals and furniture from all reaches of civilization were stocked by a number of travelling merchants. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Jason and Stella approached a carriage and asked for transport,


    ¡°Hi sir, can I buy passage to the Castle.¡± Jason asked the driver.


    ¡°A trip to the castle for two is fifty Dime.¡± The carriage driver told the pair.


    ¡°I can pay,¡± Jason spoke and pulled the coins from his satchel. He was down to his last bit of money, he¡¯d left it all back at his house. Only taking enough to buy a lot of drinks and food at the festival the night before.


    ¡°Leaving in ten minutes,¡± The driver spoke. ¡°Just let me drain the lizard.¡± He patted Jason on the back and walked away to find a toilet.


    Jason and Stella walked to the market to kill some time. They didn¡¯t have time to have a proper look at the unique items, the armor, swords, animals and trinkets. But they found a very nice chicken and pineapple burger. The chicken was seasoned with coconut and fiery spices, the pineapple was thinly sliced and very sweet. The burger bread roll was different to the bread the bakers made in Buttermilk. It had a fluffy texture. The burger was topped with slices of brie cheese and iceberg lettuce. The final element was the cranberry jam, spread onto the buns.


    Jason and Stella both ordered one. Then Jason bought a six pack of Apple Cider. They waited a short time for the food and then walked to the carriage. They met with the driver and they climbed into the back. Jason handed the driver a cider and he happily accepted it.


    Jason and Stella ate their burgers as the carriage gently rolled out of Port Anna, and headed north. They had a long journey to the Castle of Flowers. At least they had each other.

 Chapter Twenty Four: The Sword of Gold

    Chapter Twenty Four: The Sword of Gold


    Tanner and his merry band of adventurers rode on the repaired and modified carriage through the outskirts of the castle. Nathaniel sat next to Barraud, who was cloaked in a brown robe wearing a fake wig and beard made of horsehair. Tanner led the party to the back streets, where he met with a blacksmith outside his high fenced yard.


    ¡°I have it here. Let¡¯s get it melted down quickly, and keep it out of the nose of the Guards, too.¡± Tanner said to a gruff, bearded man. The blacksmith simply shrugged and spat.


    ¡°Give me forty-five minutes.¡± He said as he looked at Tanner.


    William used levitation magic to carry the sword into the blacksmith¡¯s courtyard, where long wooden saw horses were lined up. William dropped the sword onto the thick wooden supports and the sword clanged, but stayed there.


    ¡°Fuck me, mate, that¡¯s a big sword.¡± The blacksmith said. He stroked his beard and then had an idea.


    He grabbed all of his moulds. He started laying them underneath the sword. He started with ingot moulds. Then he moved to shields, then he moved to armour pieces, and then swords and axes. Eventually the blacksmith had to use things like pots, pans and vases. Then he summoned his fire magic and started to melt the sword by focusing blue fire on the blade. It started dripping messily into the ingot moulds. He worked quickly. They filled up and started overflowing, so the blacksmith moved down the blade until he¡¯d made all of the moulds start to overflow.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    He splashed many buckets of water on the cooling gold items and then tipped the items over into the dirt, then he put the warm moulds back under the big sword and started melting again.


    Soon they were standing in front of a pile of golden swords, vases, pots, pans, gold armour, gold coins and gold bars. The party members started drinking and singing to celebrate. The blacksmith even joined in for a few songs.


    Nathaniel felt like part of a team. Barraud had come to live with him, and he had a spare bed with Arkanon gone for a while. Barraud had planned to keep sketching architecture, try and get a job again in his new life doing what he was great at.


    The merry party were singing and having fun, when a blood curdling roar echoed over the castle.


    The dragon appeared overhead.


    The massive dragon towered over the castle. It smelled gold. Lots of it. The dragon landed in a field of purple and blue flowers. Its giant feet crushed the soil and ruined the gardens. It looked at the pretty place and smelled something sweet. Flowers.

 Chapter Twenty Five: Two Suits of Armour

    Chapter Twenty Five: Two Suits of Armour


    Jason and Stella sat on the carriage for a long time. They had left Port Anna behind them and had travelled through the whole day. Jason didn¡¯t realise the carriage driver had made a detour and was now heading towards a bandit camp.


    Jason and Stella were confused as they arrived at a heavily fortified outpost in the middle of the forest. There were bandit archers on log walls. There was a series of interconnected treehouses, as well as tents visible to Jason. There must have been forty-five bandits on the walls watching the carriage approach.


    A voice called out to Jason.


    ¡°You just made a bad mistake, kid.¡± Batuuk the orc shouted from the battlements above them. ¡°Come inside, we will talk soon.¡±


    ¡°Run, Stella!¡± Jason said, and he grabbed Stella¡¯s hand. They jumped off the carriage and sprinted towards the trees. The bandits cursed but didn¡¯t waste any arrows. The carriage driver and four of the bandits on the ground near the entrance started sprinting after them.


    Jason and Stella were running through the trees looking behind them. Jason didn¡¯t see the bandit portal and tripped over a tree trunk. He fell right in and let go of Stella¡¯s hand. The portal closed and Jason could hear Stella scream out his name. The portal closed and cut off her shout.


    Jason looked around him, he was kneeling in the middle of a circle of Bandits. Too many to count. Batuuk sat in a high-backed chair eating an apple. His chair was sitting on top of a pile of gold coins and gold crowns. There were gold vases and some rubies, sapphires and emeralds as well as large chunks of quartz and amethyst. Batuuk looked at Jason and didnt say anything. He looked bored, and impatient. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    A portal opened above Jason and Stella fell to the ground quite hard. She looked around, saw Jason, and then grabbed him for safety. Batuuk snarled.


    ¡°Normally I would kill you, but I need more soldiers.¡± Batuuk spoke. ¡°I have seen something ominous. We must all work together now. I understand it now.¡±


    ¡°The dragon.¡± A bandit shouted. This sent chills down Jason¡¯s spine. The surrounding bandits murmured.


    ¡°Will you let us live if we join you?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°We will train you to become a soldier, and then you must rob and steal for me. I have to buy weapons and armour for my men. I need to hire more wizards. I have to find a way to kill this infernal beast. The dragon. I, Batuuk, Son of Gorb, will be the first warrior to kill a dragon. This will make me the most feared man in the land.¡± He stood up from his chair and offered Jason a hand. He helped Jason up and patted him on the back.


    ¡°I guess we don¡¯t have a choice.¡± Jason said. He looked up at Batuuk. Batuuk stood two feet taller and had a massive jaw and incredibly dense muscle formation. He was a pillar of muscle.


    Batuuk walked Jason away from the space to show him the sleeping tents. Some female bandits approached Stella and walked away with her.


    ¡°What skills do you have, fishing, farming?¡± Batuuk asked Jason.


    ¡°I¡¯m a blacksmith by trade.¡± Jason spoke.


    ¡°A blacksmith, good!¡± Batuuk shouted and then laughed. ¡°This might be fun after all, come, let me teach you the ways of Orcish blacksmithing. Come, friend, come.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay sure.¡± Jason said, not really having a choice in the matter.

 Chapter Twenty Six: The Loner

    Chapter Twenty Six: The Loner


    The dragon smelled flowers. It also smelled something shiny. Something hot and shiny. The dragon used its long neck to peek over the walls of the castle and into the suburbs. People ran and screamed as the massive head appeared above them. The snake-like eyes were hunting all.


    The dragon could smell the shiny better here. It turned to look at the source of the smell. Curious. A sword.


    The dragon knew what a sword was. Bad for eating. The dragon leaned down closely and picked up the sword in it¡¯s jaw, sideways, like a dog with a stick, then it lifted up into the sky and flew away.


    ¡°Well mate, I don¡¯t know what to tell you.¡± The blacksmith said to Tanner, who was pale and frozen with fear. The blacksmith tapped him on the back, grabbed a golden shield, Golden pot and a Golden helmet and as many vases as he dared carry, then he went inside his shop and closed the curtains and loudly locked the doors.


    Tanner was broken from his trance by Nathaniel, who offered refuge inside his house.


    ¡°Tanner, bring the gold inside my house, we need to get it out of the city as soon as we can,¡± he said.


    Everyone loaded the pile of treasure into the back of the carriage and then they covered it with large wool blankets. It looked like a very odd pile of things. It was very suspicious.


    They brought the carriage to Nathaniel¡¯s house and he brought them to the back alleyway.


    ¡°Wait here.¡± Nathaniel said that party. He went to the front door alone and went inside. The two skeletons were sleeping on the couch while a female singer performed a love song on the scrying orb. Nate approached a window and opened it wide, it led into the back alley. They loaded the gold into his house by haphazardly tossing it through the back window. Nathaniel put blankets and pillows on the floor to catch it all. But the sounds of metal smacking on stone echoed through the basement. The skeleton kings woke up and saw gold flying through the window.


    ¡°What spell is this?¡± Brutus asked.


    ¡°Nathaniel, why is there gold shit flying through the window?¡± Rodon asked.


    ¡°Long story, come help me catch some stuff.¡± Nathaniel asked.


    ¡°Pass.¡± Brutus said and the two skeletons went back to watching the orb.


    ¡°I like this song,¡± Rodon said, about the singing girl.


    Soon the party had emptied the carriage and they all went inside Nathaniel¡¯s house to lay low. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Soon, after introductions had been made between the new people and the skeleton room-mates. Everyone settled around the main dining table, some were sitting, and some were standing. Tanner pulled out his map of Arkadia and laid it on the table.


    ¡°Our cave is three days ride away. We need to be wary of bandits on the road, and now, a dragon. My father told me that they can smell gold. I don¡¯t know how much of that is true. Whatever move we make, we do it fast.¡± Tanner said with a firm tone.


    ¡°We can rotate horses on the carriage, and ride through the night which would cut the travel time in half.¡± Nala said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll buy supplies, we need another carriage for storage and transport. We can easily buy what we need. Stock up on long-life essentials, salted pork, barrels of ale, pickled fruits. Let¡¯s buy some chocolate, coffee, sugar, salt and anything else we can carry. We¡¯re rich, gang.¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± Nathaniel started to speak and Tanner noticed him.


    ¡°Nate, I suppose I should ask. Do you want to join our gang?¡± Tanner asked the young Necromancer.


    ¡°No.¡± Nathaniel replied. ¡°I¡¯ll be here if you need me, but my life is here.¡± He smiled and opened his hand to shake Tanner¡¯s. They shook hands and Tanner grinned. Tanner and the others left. The skeletons had gathered around the golden pile and were dressing themselves in the armour and playing like children, throwing weapons and vases at each other.


    Nathaniel looked at the gold and then sat on the couch and watched the singer finish her stage performance. Then the scrying orb went black. Nathaniel thought about Tanner¡¯s offer.


    Tanner opened the front door and the men started loading the gold into the carriage, carefully stacking it by size this time. It took a long time, but they made everything fit. They covered the gold with supplies like crates of pickles and barrels of wine, then they covered it with cloth. The second carriage and new horses had been acquired, alongside the rest of the camp¡¯s supplies.


    Tanner gave Nathaniel ten golden swords and left through the front door. Nathaniel had also been given permission to keep the golden floor tiles he¡¯d picked up from the mandala.


    Some time passed and Nate woke up in the middle of the night. He sat in his kitchen, and looked around. His life was back to normal.


    He went to his dresser and donned a black cloak. He walked into the inn and saw the streets were filled with knights running back and forth. Some were swearing, most of them looked scared. Nathaniel arrived at the tavern where people threw ales at him, but strangely, the inn was empty except for a few stragglers. The dragon had scared them all home.


    The bartender cleaned a cup with a cloth and shouted over to Nate.


    ¡°Oh hey, you¡¯re back, I hear there¡¯s a dragon about. Good time for a beer.¡± The Bartender said.


    Nathaniel sat at the bar as the man poured him a stein of ale.


    ¡°Good time for a beer.¡± Nathaniel said.

 Chapter Twenty Seven - The Bandit Camp

    Chapter Twenty Seven - The Bandit Camp


    Jason and Stella sat in a large clearing with the rest of the camp members. It was dinner time. The camp cooks were serving people tankards of chicken soup.


    The stew smelled great and was very hearty. They had made enough for seconds and thirds. The stew had carrots, celery, capsicum, garlic and ginger. The cooks used the chicken meat and chicken bones in the stew. It tasted salty, with a subtle spicy flavour.


    Jason thought it was delicious. He sat next to Stella at a fire. Batuuk sat on the other side of the fire. He had chosen to have a private dinner with Stella and Jason.


    ¡°I am one of the last Orcs.¡± Batuuk said to Jason. ¡°I am the end of a bloodline, but soon, I will be king and these lands will be my lands. So, tell me. How can you be of service to me, Jason? You can make me blades, and make my soldiers armour for their battles, but I want more, Jason. Tell me, where are you from? Port Anna? The miserable town that reeks of fish? No blacksmith in Port Anna.¡± Batuuk scrutinised Jason, looking for cracks.


    ¡°Buttermilk,¡± Stella responded, cutting in. ¡°We live in Buttermilk.¡± Batuuk started laughing uncontrollably. He had seen the entire town turn to rubble in the furious attack.


    ¡°Buttermilk is not looking well these days. The town has been flattened.¡± Batuuk said after he was able to calm down. ¡°What a sight that was, magnificent beast, eh?¡± Batuuk shook his head in disbelief at the memory.


    Jason and Stella realised that their home had been destroyed and fell silent. They looked at each other and Stella¡¯s tears flowed silently down her cheeks. Jason held her.


    ¡°My father works as a guard in the city. If you let us go, I can take you there and get you close to the king. If you wear my father¡¯s armour you can walk right in, walk right up to the king.¡± Jason said, hoping that the Orc would take the bait. Jason was hoping they could escape by meeting up with the guards. His father could warn the castle and get Batuuk stuck in a trap.


    ¡°And walk right into the dungeon.¡± Batuuk quickly responded. ¡°This sounds like a trap. You want me to walk against an army.¡±


    ¡°In disguise.¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I want fifteen suits of armour.¡± Batuuk said. Then I can bring my best men.


    ¡°Fifteen?¡± Jason shouted and stood up. ¡°Two. My father¡¯s neighbour is a guard, we can borrow his.¡±


    ¡°Two?¡± Batuuk stood up and shouted.


    ¡°Two.¡± Jason walked closer. ¡°And Stella and I go free, and you leave us alone.¡±


    Batuuk thought for a moment. The king. Jason hoped he would take the bait. Batuuk huffed and shook his head. He walked away from the fire looking annoyed.


    Jason looked at Stella and looked down. He had failed. They were trapped there.


    Jason sat back down. He picked up his tankard and sipped some chicken soup.


    After dinner, they were ushered to a tent on the forest floor near the middle of camp. They slept next to each other under furs. Bandits loudly joked by firepits nearby, getting drunk on stolen liquor.


    In the morning Jason woke up to a kick in the leg. Batuuk stood above him, dressed in a beige wool shirt with a collar and dark brown pants with a brown belt. He was wearing hefty brown boots and he had a sword in a sheath on his waist. He was standing beside a mage.


    ¡°Two suits of armour, for two souls. You get me my armour, I will give you your freedom.¡± Batuuk threw an apple at Jason and walked to the gate with the mage.


    Jason and Stella were excited to be leaving. They quickly stood up and followed behind the pair.


    The four of them got onto the same carriage they had ridden earlier and got onto the road.


    At nightfall, they had arrived at the castle gates. Batuuk hid his face under a hooded cloak. Jason directed the men to his father¡¯s house. The lights were on, Rodrick was inside.


    The four of them stood outside Rodrick¡¯s doorway.


    ¡°Let me talk to him first,¡± Jason said. Then he knocked on the door. Rodrick opened the door and was surprised to see Jason and Stella. He hugged Jason and ushered him inside, then noticed the Orc.


    ¡°Jason! The Dragon! I thought it killed you.¡±  He patted Jason on the shoulder and sighed deeply. ¡°And Stella, you¡¯re okay too. That¡¯s great news.¡± Batuuk rolled his eyes.


    ¡°What are your friends doing here so late?¡± Rodrick said, eyeing the orc nervously.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming inside, close the door behind us,¡± Jason said.


    Rodrick¡¯s house was humble. A scrying orb on a dresser, a comfortable couch set, a simple kitchen and a bedroom. The scrying orb was currently tuned to North City. A stand-up comedian was performing to a drunk crowd.


    ¡°What¡¯s the deal with flying carpets? Somebody looked at a carpet and said, ¡®You know what. Make it fly. Imagine that conversation.¡± He paused and the crowd erupted in laughter as he raised his eyebrows.¡±I tell you what, if somebody made a flying couch I would never leave that bitch. The adventures of me and my flying couch.¡± The comedian said to more laughter from the crowd.


    They all smelled Jason¡¯s father¡¯s dinner. Roast Beef and baked potatoes.


    ¡°Dad, we¡¯ve been kidnapped and we are being held hostage. If you give these men your armour, and steal Arthur¡¯s armour from next door they have agreed to trade us our freedom.¡± Jason said, getting it out in the open. Batuuk shrugged and put his hand on his blade gently. Rodrick saw this and noticed how outmatched he was. Batuuk was clearly a very dangerous killer.


    Rodrick thought and spoke very carefully. ¡°Okay. I will convince Arthur. Give me a moment. My armour is in my bedroom.¡± The bandit immediately entered the bedroom to start getting dressed. Jason¡¯s father grabbed his money pouch and started to count the coins, then he walked outside, looking scared.


    He returned a little while later missing his coin purse and he was awkwardly carrying the whole set of Arthur¡¯s armour. Batuuk started to dress himself when he noticed the MC was introducing the next comedian on the scrying orb.


    ¡°All the way from Ashwood, this next comedian is the biggest and baddest. Welcome to the stage, Rico Atilla.¡± The MC shouted and the crowd cheered. Onto the stage stepped an Orc dressed in a fine suit. One ear had many piercings. He stood in front of the crowd and spoke into a wooden magic wand. It amplified his voice.


    ¡°Hey guys, It¡¯s great to be here in North City. I¡¯ve travelled a long way to be here tonight so I hope I can put on a good show and not burn down the place.¡± The crowd laughed and cheered. ¡°My name is Rico and I can tell you the best thing about being an orc is the barbecues. Orcs can be all big and angry but as soon as you give a big son of a bitch like my dad a chicken wing he¡¯s gonna turn into a puppy.¡± Rico joked. The audience was loving it.


    ¡°Did you know orcs once had a war over seasoning? Over five hundred years ago, the spice wars changed the trajectory of history. Now that''s how you know you make a good chicken curry. Am I right or am I right? Nothing says good curry like five years of war.¡± Rico said.The crowd was laughing at every line. Batuuk was stunned. He stopped and moved closer to the scrying orb.


    ¡°Where is this?¡± Batuuk asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a live show, from North City.¡± Rodrick replied, confused. ¡°It¡¯s about fifteen days by horse.¡±


    ¡°Shut up- I¡¯m watching the- thing.¡± Batuuk shouted, interrupting Rodrick. Batuuk was brimming with joy and sadness at the same time. He looked confused.


    Batuuk stayed and watched until the show ended. The other bandit joined while Jason, Stella and Rodrick took a seat at the dining table.


    When it was finished, Batuuk got dressed into Arthur¡¯s armour and walked out of the door with the bandit. The door slammed shut and the trio sat in silence. Then Rodrick left through the back door and started sprinting toward the castle, staying out of sight. Stella started crying.


    Batuuk walked through the streets with the bandit. They were inconspicuous now, they could blend in perfectly. The helmet covered enough of Batuuk¡¯s face to hide his skin colour, although he barely fit the armour. It was good enough though.


    Batuuk followed the bandit mage to the main keep. They walked right past two other guards who simply nodded.


    ¡°Fucking dragons.¡± The bandit mage said as they walked past.


    ¡°Fucking right.¡± One of the guards said.


    They wandered through the courtyard and came to the castle doors. They entered the empty throne room and started wandering through the corridors. Soon they came to the king¡¯s room.


    Batuuk stepped inside and saw the king smoking in his chair. The king noticed the guards and spoke to them.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m okay, thanks for checking.¡± The king said dismissively then he hesitated. ¡°I probably shouldn¡¯t ask this, but would you like to smoke with me.¡± The king shyly asked. Batuuk was stunned. This was going to be easy. The king was a lot younger than he had anticipated. He remembered the king before. An old man with strong shoulders and long white hair. This was a different king.


    The bandit looked at Batuuk with an eyebrow raised. Batuuk looked around the room. The four-poster bed, the bookshelves, the lavish decorations. One thing that stuck out was giant painting of a naked female, with quite amorous breasts. Batuuk pulled out his sword and started marching forward quickly towards the king. The king put up his hands and shouted.


    ¡°Stop! Stop! Stop! What are you doing! Stop him, Guards!¡± He shouted as Batuuk came closer. He asked the bandit for help. Batuuk looked at the king. He lowered his sword and took off his helmet.


    He sat down on the couch, picked up the king¡¯s long wooden pipe, topped it up from the king¡¯s golden bowl of wizard tobacco and lit a match. He smoked the pipe long and hard. Then refilled the wizard tobacco and passed the pipe to the king.


    Inside the tavern Nathaniel was talking to the barkeep. He was drinking straight out of a moonshine bottle sitting in a booth. The barkeeper was sitting beside him drinking from a large bottle of rum. The pair were laughing about some drunken mishaps that had occurred in the past at the tavern.


    ¡°He¡¯s still banned actually, and we put up a sign that says, No Fire Spells In The Bathroom.¡± The bartender slurred.


    Nathaniel started laughing.


    The church bell started to ring and a very large number of armed guards rushed past the windows. Nathaniel and the bartender looked at each other nervously.

 Chapter Twenty Eight - The Dragon鈥檚 Cave

    Chapter Twenty Eight - The Dragon¡¯s Cave


    Inside the prehistoric cavern, the dragon landed in the gold pile. He dropped the golden sword and it clattered loudly. Then the dragon regurgitated some chewed up golden statues. They were covered in slime. The dragon yawned and curled into a ball, covering it¡¯s eyes with it¡¯s wings. The sailing ship of the Great Pirate Hammerstein was in one piece. It was one ship of many that survived. The dragon was not a butcher. He was a collector. These stupid animals had gold in their bellies but they did not move outside of water. Silly beasts. Stupid. The dragon had a dream about flying high into the sky and his wings twitched. He snored.


    Inside the cave, a team of pirates had survived the journey. They were living inside a different, much larger ship, close to the entrance of the cave.


    They had decided to stay there. They were trapped. The dragon¡¯s cave had one entrance. It led to a massive dark cavern. This is where prehistoric creatures roamed. The pirates had already tried to escape in the beginning when the dragon had left. They were attacked by lizards the size of horses that were quick, They had glowing patterns on their backs. The lizards stayed well away from the cavern of gold, so the pirates decided to stay there.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    They nicknamed the dragon. They called him ¡°Red Mama¡±. They passed the time mostly by playing poker. They used real gold coins as poker chips. The money didn''t matter, they were surrounded by gold, but also the massive downside of being trapped underground hundred of miles from the surface. They had no idea how long they had been there, no one could see the sun, just the light of a perpetual lava flow. It was humid and hot in the cave. They had survived by looting other ships for barrels of salted pork and casks of ship''s bread and they were harvesting water from the waterfalls in the cave walls. Some of them were freshwater, though some were saltwater.


    They played cards while the dragon outside the cannon windows slept. The cave of gold was massive. The pirates felt like they were in heaven, or hell.

 Chapter Twenty Nine: Smoking Buddies

    Chapter Twenty Nine: Smoking Buddies


    The king was sitting on the couch watching the orc smoke from his pipe. The orc started speaking.


    ¡°You know I could kill you right now.¡± He said coldly. ¡°I just think that¡¯s funny.¡± No one laughed. The king looked at the other guard, who was now holding a sword. The king looked back at Batuuk and smiled weakly.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± the king said, his voice cracking.


    The sound of forty guards running outside in the courtyard made Batuuk hesitate, he looked at his magician and then returned to the smoking pipe.


    ¡°I just think it¡¯s funny.¡± The orc said as he lit the pipe again and took another long drag.


    The guards burst into the room and surrounded them. The mage opened a large portal beneath the three of them and they fell into a garden on the outskirts of the castle. The couch, the coffee table, the king, the mage and the orc. Everything gently landed on the grass and the portal lifted over them and instantly closed.


    Batuuk was smoking gently from the pipe. The flowers gently danced in the wind. It was dark but the moon lit up the night. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°What do you want from me?¡± The king asked.


    ¡°I want your swords, and every single piece of armour in this castle, I don''t care if it was your grandfather¡¯s heirloom sword, or if it¡¯s from a museum, if it is spiky and sharp, you give it to me.¡± Batuuk coughed and he started to feel it. He swiftly reloaded his pipe and lit it with another match.


    ¡°But then how will I protect my kingdom?¡± The king responded.


    ¡°That¡¯s just it, mate, It is not your kingdom anymore. These lands, everything you see, belongs to me. I will be back in one week with my entire army, either we kill you and take it, or you hand it over and hide behind those walls.¡± Batuuk coughed and then spat, he stared at the king and threw the pipe into the field behind him. The king winced seeing his favourite piece get lost in the flower garden.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking your crown too.¡± Batuuk said. He got out of his chair and grabbed the gold crown off the human¡¯s head. It was delicate and ornate. Batuuk tied it to his belt and let it dangle on his hip. The mage opened a portal and the forest was visible on the other side. Batuuk and the mage casually walked inside and the portal closed. The king was sitting in the purple flower field alone.


    The king was distressed, he pulled out a second pipe from the folds of his robe and filled it to the top. He lit a match and smoked the whole thing. When he exhaled he fell backwards into the chair and thought about who he was going to fire first.

 Chapter Thirty: The Elf Homelands

    Chapter Thirty: The Elf Homelands


    Freya had been riding her ghostly steed for days. She had ventured far north. She was dressed in her usual armour, her hair bounced with the motion of the horse¡¯s infinite gallop. The ghost horse had gone full speed the whole time, they only stopped so Freya could rest and recover occasionally.


    She saw the mountains on the horizon. It was sunrise.


    At sunset Freya slowed her horse to a trot as the road led into a lush green forest. The trees had white trunks, and branches dangled like a willow. Lush green canopies contrasted with the dark green shrubbery and the orange and purple ferns on the forest floor.


    She started riding faster once she entered the forest.


    ¡°Good Job, Belle,¡± Freya said, patting the horse on the neck, it huffed and shook its head.


    The horse was happy to be home.


    The Elf rode the horse down the dirt road she had known since she was a child. Her horse picked up even more speed. A cliff appeared in front of her, an ocean stretched out over the horizon. She galloped towards the cliff and the horse jumped.


    Freya and the horse sailed in midair. She knew how far she had to jump. The horse and the elf broke through an invisible barrier and the horse¡¯s hooves landed on dirt and solid rock. The elves lived in a magical realm that was hidden from humans. They lived on a landmass that levitated in the air. It was connected to the ground with a few very long tree trunks, and vines. These did not support the weight, they simply connected the two realms. The elven realm had been enchanted thousands of years before with powerful ancient magic. The entire city was raised from the ground to save them from a great flood.


    It was full of intricately designed castles. Each house was like an expanding box, bigger on the inside. Some houses had been entirely themed around courtyard statues. These were gold plated wood carvings of the natural wildlife. These carvings were enchanted with protective wards, blessings from earlier generations of the family.


    The elves raised magical beasts, birds, foxes, raccoons, deer and house cats. The cats had elongated ears, like the elves. These magical beasts were kept wild, and left to roam the wilderness. They had subconscious magical abilities that kept the island afloat in the sky. So as a result, they were protected fiercely by the elves. Human poachers had been a problem, as well as invasive species of animals like toads and poisonous snakes.


    The elves were all supposed to stay here, leaving is seen as a massive disrespect to Elf tradition. Abandoning the realm and not contributing to the protection of these small creatures was a very rude thing to do as an elf.


    The elves mostly trained in archery and sword fighting. They had some time in the day for farming, then the elves went into the forest to hunt for predators to the local wildlife. They would eliminate anything that climbed up the tree trunks or the vines, sometimes big lizards, jaguars, anacondas and massive crabs. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    At night the elves would cook and eat as a family, then meet in the town centre for storytelling and singing. They would play instruments until late at night, when the winds got too cold.


    They had shops selling goods, some were food shops, others sold insanely powerful enchanted weapons, some sold potions and some sold armour. Other shops included trinket shops for niche magic up-skilling, or some sold furniture, or even travel agents giving tours of the outer world.


    Freya¡¯s horse landed on the edge of the island. She rode around the edge of the forest, looking out at the view over the edge. The ocean was still beneath her, the rest of Arcadia waited in the distance, for now, it was distant hills on the horizon.


    She felt her homesickness fade away as she came up to a regularly used path. This is where she saw her first elf in two years.


    ¡°Freya!¡± The Elf called out. He was an old man, slightly chubby, he was holding a long sword over his shoulder.


    ¡°Hi Thomas!¡± Freya shouted as she cantered past. ¡°You look fat.¡± Thomas chuckled and so did Freya.


    ¡°Go see your mother!¡± Thomas called out after her.


    ¡°I¡¯m on my way!¡± She shouted behind her with a big smile.


    She rode into the elf town, Freya arrived home and looked at her house. It was a simple cottage, it was quite large, double storied and her father, Anton sat on the front stoop, doing up the shoelaces on his leather boots. He was dressed in a beige hemp shirt, and some brown pants tied by a drawstring. He was not wearing his elegant king armour today. He had short blonde hair cut in a fade and a golden goatee. He was strong and had a wide chest.


    ¡°Bout time you came home for a kiss.¡± Anton said.


    He got up, opened his arms and Freya got off her horse, smacked it on the backend and it galloped away. She walked up to her father and hugged him. He kissed her on her hair five times rapidly.


    ¡°I am so proud of you, my princess.¡± He said as he held her tightly and warmly. He was a handsome man, king of the elves. ¡°Your mother¡¯s pretty pissed off though.¡±


    ¡°You greedy little-...¡± Freya¡¯s mother shouted from the front door.


    ¡°Two years away and you only send me four letters. I should have had another child. Mine doesn¡¯t love me. Come, give your mother a hug,¡± her mother shouted.


    A beautiful chubby blonde elf stepped out from the doorway and down the steps. She grabbed her daughter in a big squeeze and held tightly.


    She kept holding for another sixty seconds, while Freya tried to worm free from the hug in any way she could. They were both laughing.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m home, I¡¯m home. I¡¯m home, let¡¯s eat some Tallyroot. I haven¡¯t had it in YEARS.¡± Freya said as she walked into her house, followed closely by her parents. The bag of holding filled with Jason¡¯s entire stock of enchanted gear dangled by her hip.

 Chapter Thirty One: The Vault of the Castle of Flowers

    Chapter Thirty One: The Vault of the Castle of Flowers


    The king sat in front of the vault¡¯s gold. He was in a room with his assistant and Redran. They were in a dungeon, deep under the Castle. He planned to spend it. He was drawing up a plan. Redran sat beside him, helping. His age had given him years of battle knowledge. They were planning to defend the castle from Batuuk.


    Maps and charts were laid out.


    ¡°In one week, the assault will happen. We must have the men to defeat the orc.¡± The king said but half asked Redran.


    ¡°We will put up a very good fight. As long as we maintain our advantage. We have a castle built to sustain a siege. I was here when these bricks were carved and moved into place. The Castle of Flowers is a monument of death, and the flowers were planted over the graves of fallen enemies and fallen heroes. That¡¯s the main reason they are here. Not for beauty. They are here to cover the bodies. We will survive any attack, as long as we maintain our advantage of high stone walls, with plenty of archers.¡± Redran said confidently.


    ¡°Please take this scroll to my captain.¡± The king asked his assistant.


    The king and Redran were planning more defenses, steel wire traps and hidden archery nests, when the castle shook.


    Redran and the king walked up the stairs slowly. The castle was rumbling above. They walked into the main hall, the throne room and stood by the throne. They watched as the dragon ripped open the throne room ceiling and stared at them.


    It shook it¡¯s head and started sniffing the ground. It sniffed more and more and broke the earth with it¡¯s nose. It collapsed the floors beneath the castle and moved it¡¯s snake-like neck further and further down. It reached the dungeon and smelled the gold.


    Shiny. The dragon thought to himself. He reached down more and opened his jaw. He took a few bites of the ground, and continued to eat dirt and rock when the gold was all gone. Every single coin in the vault. The dragon¡¯s neck retracted rapidly, and caused massive destruction. The dragon, a bit full from the dirt, felt a bit sleepy.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.Arrows pestered the dragon from all over the kingdom. The sky became dark with the amount of arrows. The dragon breathed fire for fifteen seconds over the kingdom, then became irritated.


    ¡°Home now,¡± The dragon said to himself. He was tired. He found a lot of shiny things. They tickled his throat. He felt happy. The dragon flew home. The King looked out over his destroyed throne room. The dungeon far below was open to the sky. He sat down. Redran started to run away, to speak to the guards and help those wounded in the fire.


    The castle had been under attack for at least five minutes before it attacked the throne room. The walls were destroyed in sections. The city had been entirely flattened in some sections by the outer wall. Other parts were currently on fire. The castle was incredibly ruined.. The gate was bent, and opened halfway.


    The flower fields were muddy with footprints the size of a house. The king went pale and sat on his throne. He pulled at his hair and punched the air in anger. He had a massive meltdown and threw his chair down into the void.


    A few hours later, everyone had assembled. The fires had been extinguished by the water and fire magicians, and the city was quiet. The worst type of quiet.


    The king emerged from the castle to find smouldering fires, and broken rubble in the streets.


    The king noticed people had stopped talking and turned to see what he would say. He was their leader, after all.


    ¡°Does anyone have any ideas on how we can kill a dragon?¡± He asked meekly.


    It was quiet for a long time.


    ¡°I will kill it,¡± One knight said, holding up his sword. ¡°I will be the first man to kill a dragon.¡±


    ¡°Catapults.¡± One villager shouted.


    ¡°Burn it with whiskey!¡± A farmer shouted.


    ¡°Feed it and worship it like a god!¡± A drunk man shouted.


    ¡°Just get, like, fifty ice wizards and freeze its brain.¡± Nathaniel said quietly. The king heard it and his ears pricked up. He got goosebumps.


    ¡°My wife¡¯s cooking.¡± Another villager said, which made everyone laugh.


    ¡°Fity Ice Wizards!¡± the king shouted. ¡°And freeze the brain!¡± The king shouted, he ran back to the castle to plan a journey north, to the snowy mountains, where a large number of Ice Wizards lived.

 Chapter Thirty Two: Home Flat Home

    Chapter Thirty Two: Home Flat Home


    Jason and Stella were walking to Buttermilk. They had been wary to stay hidden at night. They would camp in hidden sections of forest. They were on the outskirts now. Jason could see the town in the distance. Surprisingly the farms and orchards were mostly okay. All the regular smaller cattle were still thriving. The dragon didn¡¯t prioritise these ones.


    The town was entirely destroyed. Tents were constructed in one of the Farmer¡¯s paddocks. Jason assumed the villagers now lived here temporarily. He walked with Stella to the ruins of his house. The dragon had stepped on it. Jason had to go digging.


    He¡¯d left his sword and his gold at home the night of the festival.


    A few hours passed and some villagers approached them. They recognised Jason and Stella and were amazed.


    ¡°We added you to the list of the dead.¡± The villager gasped. ¡°This is so lucky. Come to the food tent and show everyone you¡¯re alive. They will be thrilled.¡±


    ¡°We will visit soon.¡± Stella said politely.


    Jason found his small wooden chest under a large pile of roof tiles and planks. It was his gold. He had about one thousand left.


    Not enough to build a new house. Maybe buy a horse though.


    As if by magic, Arkanon appeared on the road in the distance, a small fiery budgie sat on his shoulder and two horses walked beside him. He spoke to them as if they were his friends and the horses walked with no leads or saddles, they simply followed Arkanon as if he was another horse.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Bronson!¡± Jason shouted.


    Arkanon looked confused.


    Bronson recognised Jason and walked over to him, then walked back to Arkanon.


    ¡°I guess this is your horse.¡± Arkanon said to Jason, gesturing to Bronson. Bronson huffed.


    ¡°Yes, thank you so much!¡± Jason said. ¡°I thought he was dragon food, and Bentley! Hi Bentley!¡± Jason said, waving to the horse, then Jason realised what that meant. Jason realised his oldest friend, Tenzen, was dead. Jason knelt down for a moment. ¡°Tenzen¡±


    Jason went over and hugged Bentley. He could tell the horse was sad.


    ¡°Come.¡± Arkanon said. ¡°Let¡¯s drink Redran¡¯s wine collection while we mourn his death.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I must find my sword first. It¡¯s under there.¡± Jason said, pointing to the rubble.


    ¡°Godspeed, young Jason. Meet me later.¡± Arkanon said. He bowed and walked away with the bird and Bentley. Bronson stood beside Stella and she patted his nose. Jason started digging through the rubble.


    A few hours later, Jason and Stella arrived at the mansion and walked inside. Jason was holding the sword, it was nicked and scratched up from the rubble. The gardens looked different. Arkanon had let the horses eat everything. Bentley and Bronson started running together and they went over to a flower bush to eat some pink fluffy petals. Their funny lips opened and their dirty teeth chomped onto the flower bushes, then they ripped the branches off with strength and force. The horses enjoyed their meal together.


    Jason and Stella went inside to greet Arkanon. He was sleeping with a book in his hand next to the fire. They went upstairs and they found a guest bedroom. It was a luxurious double bed with a soft, comfortable mattress. They both felt incredible in the ornate room, sleeping under the soft, cool blankets. They fell asleep quickly.

 Chapter Thirty Three: The Shopkeeper

    Chapter Thirty Three: The Shopkeeper


    Freya was standing at the desk of a trader. She knew the trader would rip her off, but she¡¯d already won.


    She slowly added more and more treasure to the pile. Soon, it was covering the counter, and the front lobby of the shop.


    The trader looked at her with a stern look.


    ¡°I can do about five thousand for everything.¡± The trader said.


    ¡°Nuh, uh.¡± She said, harshly. ¡°Enchanted.¡± She smirked. The trader cast a spell to detect enchantment and gasped. He apologised and started re-tallying. She could tell from his face he was frothing with excitement. He wanted to buy it. After about fifteen minutes of close inspection he valued the collection at close to one million Dime. Jason¡¯s loot was only half of Freya¡¯s total collection.


    ¡°I can give you two hundred thousand Dime.¡± He said, furiously writing notes into a book.


    ¡°Give me my brother¡¯s sword back as well.¡± She snapped. ¡°And it¡¯s a deal.¡±


    They shook hands and the shopkeeper pulled an ornate sword down from a display behind him, then he started handing Freya small wooden chests he procured from a back room. They were full of gold.


    Forty five small wooden chests later, Freya¡¯s bag of holding was brimming with gold.


    She smiled and shook the man¡¯s hand. Her brother¡¯s ornate sword was strapped into the holster on her back.


    A few hours later Freya was in her bedroom, embarrassed of her outfit.


    She was dressed in a traditional outfit. It was very silky and very open at the back. It was a dress with lots of incredible textures. She felt like a cloud. She looked hot, but she hated that she looked hot. She stashed all of her armour in her bag of holding and reluctantly left through the front door.


    She walked with her parents to her front door and they left together. They went to the town square and her father joined the singers during the ceremony. It was casual. She loved being there, but hated how revealing her dress was. She was getting the eyes of many men around the fire pit. Her beauty was striking. She figured she would honestly try it on with a few of them when she finally felt like settling down, but for some reason, she thought of Jason. The blacksmith. She pushed the thought from her mind. ¡°Not him.¡± She thought.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Her father started to speak after singing.


    ¡°My daughter has returned. She brings dark tidings. Dragons have returned to the land. We must leave now and assist the king at the Castle of Flowers. We owe a deep gratitude to the son¡¯s father. All men must report with me tomorrow. We will ride after preparing and debriefing. Midday tomorrow. Women, children, teenagers, you are all to keep the sacred magic beasts alive, as usual.¡±


    ¡°NO! Stop it! We should hide! This is not like the dragons in our distant past. This thing is massive. It is taller than a city. We should stay and hope it does not find us through the magic forcefield. It has protected the Elves for my entire life.¡± Freya shouted. Hoping others would join in.


    ¡°Young girl, dragons are not that big. I¡¯ve killed seventy. Only as big as a tree. Small tree.¡±


    An old elf said. This got a round of applause from others, but Freya stuck out her lip.


    ¡°This dragon is different.¡± Freya said. ¡°I think it is from the dark chasm. The place of monsters inside the earth. It destroyed Buttermilk in one night. I watched it happen with my own eyes. We cannot stop this.¡± She stood up angrily.


    ¡°Daughter,¡± Anton said, he put his hand on her shoulder. ¡°I understand that this dragon seems impossible to defeat, but we must fight.¡± He hugged her. Everyone around her seemed to be at peace with the idea.


    ¡°We must protect our sacred animals. Including you, little ladybug.¡± He kissed her on the forehead.


    Freya looked around at the tame house cats. They were lying next to their owners, or curled up sleeping. Freya looked at her father and knew he was right, fighting was better than being a coward. She just wished she could show him how big the dragon truly was, and how unbeatable this fight would be.


    ¡°So tonight we celebrate, hangovers tomorrow for sure.¡± Her father had planned a surprise party for the village. The instruments started magically playing a popular folk tune and the elves began to dance like water to the tune. Some elves brought out carts with bottles of wine and they were rushed by the elves. The good stuff was being brought out tonight. The type of wine that comes out when you know some soldiers won''t be coming home. The good stuff.


    During the party, Freya hugged her mother and her father in a group hug. She left the party on foot and conjured her horse. She rode away in the night crying. She wished she never came back.


    Her father was going to kill everyone she loved. She had to find a way to kill the dragon, and fast. She thought about the library in the city of the Castle of Flowers. It had books older than the elves. It had more books than anywhere else in Arcadia. She just prayed she could find a weakness to exploit. That damned thing was near invincible. With her bag free from miscellaneous loot and full of gold Dime, she was more prepared than ever, except that right now she was in a sexy dress. Her horse jumped off the island back to the cliff and landed perfectly. She rode her horse through the white bark forest and headed south.

 Chapter Thirty Four - The Healing Hammer

    Chapter Thirty Four - The Healing Hammer


    Jason woke up next to Stella. They were curled up under the sheets of Redran¡¯s Guest Bed. Jason yawned and stretched out. They went downstairs and saw Arkanon dressing himself in Redran¡¯s clothes. He put on some slippers and walked outside to greet the horses.


    Jason and Stella went downstairs and watched from the front step. Arkanon noticed Jason nearby and remembered his great idea.


    ¡°Jason, have you got a nail mould that survived the fire?¡± Arkanon asked. ¡°Maybe some axe head moulds, or a hammer?¡±


    Jason started thinking. Maybe, buried beneath the layers of wood and tile, the moulds did survive. They were made from very rigid metal.


    ¡°Sure, that¡¯s an excellent idea.¡± Jason responded, finding a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I was voted most handsome king of the year, three years in a row.¡± Arkanon said. ¡°Also, I¡¯m brilliantly smart.¡±


    Jason and Stella rode Bronson into town. They arrived at a neat assortment of large tents. Some were carnival tents, some were home-made. The villagers who survived had decided to build a temporary community. Most of the travellers had ridden home or walked. Only the locals, and a few stragglers remained.


    They walked to the food tent, where a large number of tables and chairs had been placed. A small group of townspeople were eating. They recognised Jason and Stella and got up from their chairs. After some hugs, some catching up and some food. Jason convinced some of the men to help him find the mould to make nails. The villagers recognised the importance so they offered willingly to help rebuild the forge.


    Jason and the other men carried planks and beams from the crater that used to be his blacksmith shop. During the excavation, Jason¡¯s moulds were found.


    They found all of them. A few had been bent and damaged, but the necessary ones were complete.


    In the wreckage, they found one by one, some of the ingots Jason had purchased earlier.


    Jason grabbed his crucible for melting steel and they departed from the wrecked house. They went to the town church. It was missing a roof, but the walls were still strong. The furniture had been converted into seating in the tent city, so the floor was clear of any obstacle, save for a few broken chairs pushed to the walls.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    In the middle of the church floor, the villagers built a brick circular fireplace waist high. Jason started a fire in the middle with a flint and steel and a villager poured magic moonshine into the fire, which turned the flames purple and blue for a short while. The alcohol burned out and the fire glowed bright yellow.


    Several villagers brought scrap metal from the city into the church and placed it in a pile. Melted vases, melted statues, broken buckets, broken swords and broken armour.


    Jason watched the villagers move a big wooden ornate dinner table into the room. Stella found a corner of the church to sit, and started reading from her magic book.


    A small brick table was constructed to hold the moulds in the centre of the stage, where the priest would normally talk. A half-broken stained glass window cast scattered colours over the stage.


    Jason melted some iron bars then, using some tongs, poured his crucible into the hammer mould. The whole hammer was cast. The handle included. It had an ornate arched handle, and a simple, yet sleek hammer head.


    Jason then poured the rest of the metal into the nail mould, and filled it halfway, about fifty nails. Jason returned the crucible to the fire and began melting more and more metal. The hammer cooled and Jason removed it from the mould. His hammer was enchanted, but Jason did not know that yet. Jason placed the hammer at one end of the table and emptied the nail mould into a bucket. The nails were still hot. Jason returned the crucible to the fire and began melting more.


    One of the villagers curiously picked up the hammer. The man realised that his back pain of fifteen years started to subside. It even turned some of his gray hairs back to brown. The hammer was healing him. Jason¡¯s concentration on helping and fixing his village had a subconscious effect that gave these effects. The nails were imbued with magic too, being in proximity to the nails gave a feeling of hope, and so the town would be rebuilt with hope imbued into the new buildings. The town would be influenced by the magic to believe something better was awaiting them, soon. The man healed by the hammer, didn¡¯t realise the magical properties of the hammer, and he dropped it again, walking away, glad to have full motion in his back again.


    Jason and the villagers kept making nails, axes, saws and hammers. The villagers joined in, and Jason taught some basic skills to the men.


    Soon, they had wooden buckets filled to the brim with nails. A pile of Hammers and a lot of woodworking tools.


    They worked all day, the sun dipped over the horizon and the church was only lit by the roaring forge. The scrap metal pile had been reduced and then more men had scavenged to rebuild the pile to be even bigger than before. Jason and a few other villagers decided to work through the night, taking long breaks between some of the smelting.


    At sunrise, the steel pile of scrap had been halved and Jason was tired and ready to give up. He sat down and wiped the sweat from his brow. A few other men had taken over, as they had learned everything they needed from repetition. Jason fell asleep against a pile of stones, with Stella asleep on his shoulder.

 Chapter Thirty Five - Nathaniel鈥檚 Plan

    Chapter Thirty Five - Nathaniel¡¯s Plan


    In the Castle of Flowers, the townspeople were busy moving houses. Some families had nowhere to stay, so they were brought in by relatives. Some houses had begun to be rebuilt, The king had taken residence in a grand manor in the rich suburbs. The castle had begun refurbishment. Large tents had been constructed over the broken roof, and wooden scaffolding was built around the crumbled walls. It was currently closed to the public, only the workers allowed inside, and guards.


    Nathaniel was sitting in the town square one morning. The sun was rising, but people were already in the streets. A guard approached Nathaniel and spoke.


    ¡°The King has requested you.¡± He said gruffly.


    ¡°Well okay then.¡± Nathaniel said. He got up from the bench and started walking with the guard to the Manor. Two guards stood outside the door, but about ten guards patrolled the entire street right outside keeping vigilant watch.


    The pair entered and Nathaniel saw a few more guards sitting around a table covered in books and maps. Small figurines made of tin, knights and bandits, stood atop some of the maps.


    The guard went up a set of ornate stairs with the guard and arrived at the king¡¯s new office.


    There were hundreds of books in messy stacks inside the room. The king was halfway through a book about dragons.


    He wasn¡¯t reading everything, just scanning through, finding pages that specifically mentioned dragons being slain.


    He had ripped several pages from a few different editions and nailed them to the wall.


    It looked like a detective¡¯s office, with notes, drawings and book pages cluttering the wall. The paintings were simply leaning against the wall, on the floor. Beautiful maidens in a flower garden, ships on the high seas. The king did not seem to focus at all on the valuable paintings with the gold-painted frames.


    The king had dark circles under his eyes.


    ¡°Nathaniel.¡± The king asked.


    ¡°Yes, king.¡± Nathaniel responded. ¡°You know my name?¡±


    ¡°I had some guards ask about you at the tavern. Your idea. Ice Wizards. Please, tell me more.¡± The king spoke, and then sipped from a cup of water. It seemed like he¡¯d been dying of thirst the way he drank the entire glass down.


    Nathaniel remembered back to a few nights earlier, when he¡¯d said the phrase out loud.


    ¡°All I said was to get some ice wizards. The spell Gelida Glacios can turn a human into an ice sculpture. The spell literally turns flesh, bone, hair and skin into water. Imagine one sorcerer and one man. Now we just scale it up, get fifty of them. That should do it, but I¡¯m just some kid.¡± Nathaniel said.


    The king looked at his wall of notes, then wrote down fifty ice wizards and nailed the new paper to the wall.


    ¡°Thank you Nathaniel. That will be all, will you be coming to the meeting tomorrow night?¡± The king asked. ¡°I would love for you to be there.¡±


    ¡°Uh, maybe.¡± Nathaniel said. He''d been planning to hammer some beers at the tavern.


    The Guard and Nathaniel left the king to his plotting and went back outside. The guard waved goodbye and went to the table with the other guards.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Nathaniel started walking down the street. He wandered into the pub. He saw the mood was quite low.


    Nathaniel decided to leave. He wandered out of the city to the flower patch. There were bodies laying in neat rows on top of the flowers. Guards had built a temporary fence to keep out animals, and they also kept watch from inside a tent. They shooed vultures, and wild dogs. The bodies smelled. They were slowly being buried in individual graves by a few priests.


    Nathaniel walked through the rows, the guards did not stop anybody from visiting the dead.


    He arrived at the dead body of a particularly loud bar patron and he woke him up.


    ¡°Your body is cold, your spirit is free


    Return to your bones, rise and serve me.¡±


    Your soul is returning, to bring you new breath.


    I command you Skeleton, stand up from this rest.¡±


    The bar patron shot up.


    ¡°Dragon! Run!¡± He looked around. ¡°What the fuck, where did it go? Oh man. Nathaniel?¡±


    The man looked at his body and realised he¡¯d lost a leg. It was bandaged, So was the man¡¯s head. He¡¯d died after the initial attack from his injuries.


    ¡°Hi Greg. Look mate, it¡¯s a weird night and I know we¡¯ve never really gotten along.¡± Nathaniel said frankly.


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering if you would have a beer with me, mate.¡±


    ¡°Mate, look, I¡¯m a bit sick right now. But¡­¡± Greg realised, he didn¡¯t feel sick at all. In fact, he felt no pain. Suddenly the look on Nathaniel¡¯s face explained everything.


    ¡°Oh, fuck me.¡± Greg said. ¡°I died.¡± Greg started to cry for a few seconds, then laughed. He sobbed a little harder and put his face in his hands. ¡°Nathaniel, mate, what have you done to me, how long is this gonna last.¡±


    ¡°Well, Greg, your body is dead, but your skeleton is bound by magic, so your flesh will rot, but you could, theoretically, live forever as a skeleton if you wanted to.¡±


    ¡°Am I your servant, what is this about? Am I some type of minion bound to do your evil bidding? Do you want me to go and steal Dime from some old ladies?¡±


    ¡°No, mate, not like that at all. You¡¯re simply you. Just reanimated.¡± Nathaniel said. ¡°Everybody misses you. Me too. I just think, if you walk into the pub right now it would make everybody feel really better, because we need a bit of happiness Greg and I¡¯m not that type of person. Nothing I say will make a different mate, but they love you.¡±


    Greg thought about it.


    ¡°Sure mate, let¡¯s have a beer. Just one beer. Then maybe I can kiss my wife and say goodbye, and tell my friends that I love them. For real this time. Then you can release me and I can be dead, like normal.¡± Greg said, the reality of his death slowly setting in.


    ¡°Sure, Greg.¡± and with that, Nathaniel helped Greg up and then Nathaniel held Greg as they walked back into town, the guards were confused as the pair walked past, but didn¡¯t ask questions.


    Nathaniel and Greg walked into the street and saw the pub, someone standing by the door opened it for them and they walked inside. The room fell silent for a few seconds, and then erupted in cheers.


    ¡°You fuckers are no good, Nathaniel here helped me walk all the way over here. I¡¯m feeling better boys, bring us some glasses, maybe a chair for the injured war hero!¡± Greg shouted, which garnered a massive laugh from everyone in the tavern.


    Nathaniel smiled. Greg winked at Nathaniel. He and Greg walked over to the table, and someone grabbed two chairs from a nearby table. Nathaniel sat down and a beer arrived from the bar for Greg and Nate. They clinked cups. Greg stared at Nathaniel''s eyes and nodded, thanking him.


    Nathaniel understood, and laughed alongside everyone else as they made a joke each about Greg¡¯s bad luck.


    ¡°The dragon had one bite of you and said, this bastard¡¯s gone off.¡± Nathaniel said to Greg. Everyone laughed at his joke and Greg¡¯s eyes twinkled and then he burst out laughing.


    ¡°Someone go get my wife, I got a bum leg.¡± Greg asked the men at the table. Someone left the tavern in a run.


    Greg looked around at his best friends and sipped from his cup.


    ¡°Did I ever tell you guys how much I love you?¡± Greg said, which brought a big group hug from the boys all around him.

 Chapter Thirty Six - The Quest

    Chapter Thirty Six - The Quest


    Jason and Stella appeared at the Castle of Flowers and were shocked to see the destruction. They had left early in the morning with Bronson. They arrived in the afternoon.


    Jason had picked up his flame-sword, it failed to ignite anytime he¡¯d picked it up. He¡¯d also taken his hammer of healing, although he had no idea he¡¯d enchanted anything.


    They were hungry, and Jason rode his horse to his father¡¯s house. He knocked on the door but it was locked. Jason tied Bentley to a post in the yard and the two of them walked to the main city square, where a large number of people had assembled.


    Lord Redran was sitting next to the king on a newly built stage. There was a table with a few pieces of armour on it. There was also a wooden longbow and a basic sword.


    The stage was surrounded by guards. Jason saw Freya in the crowd, her familiar armour stood out to Jason. He was glad she survived, and wondered what made her so panicked last time they had spoken.


    Nathaniel was in the crowd, sitting on some hay at the back of the group.


    The king stood up to speak to the crowd.


    ¡°Our kingdom has been broken. I have a plan to fix this. In the temples far north the wizards and mages are incredibly powerful frost sorcerers. With enough wizards, the dragon would not be a match. I am not asking for men to fight a dragon, I need men to travel the roads to the North. It will likely be dangerous. I cannot send any men to patrol the roads. Our losses have been massive. I need more knights. This is an opportunity for you, the farmers, the scholars, the old and the young. If you return alive, having succeeded, you will be given knighthood, lordship and generational lands inside the castle walls.¡± The king paused.


    ¡°If you leave tomorrow, you will be given a sharpened sword, armour, and a longbow. You will be given the title of Ranger. I am also recruiting new squires to stay here at the castle. The squires will be in charge of protecting the castle and rebuilding our great city.¡± He said clearly, and with a lot of bravado. He¡¯d practised the speech for hours.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°If you would like to participate, please. Come and meet me after Lord Redran gives a short speech. The king sat back down and Lord Redran got up to speak.


    ¡°This dragon is straight from hell. Please, sign up and I will write your name in my next saga.¡± Redran said. ¡°You will be heroes of Arcadia for all of time. We are not saving the Castle of Flowers. We will save the world. Ride with me tomorrow morning for the north. That is all.¡± Lord Redran looked angry as he walked off stage.


    The crowd bustled as people excitedly decided whether to risk the journey. It would be a massive trip. It would take a few months by foot. The new armour, sword and bow was an expensive gift. Most knights would have to train for years to earn armour, but the king had excess in storage and needed the men as soon as possible. It seemed to be a good trade.


    Jason and Stella looked at each other. Jason kissed Stella slowly on the lips, held her kiss for a long time, and then he walked through the crowd towards the sign up sheet. Jason couldn¡¯t explain why, maybe it was his house getting flattened, or his town being destroyed, the death of Tenzen and all of his other friends. He was burning inside. He arrived next to the stage and waited in a short line of ten other men. Freya appeared beside him.


    ¡°Hey magic boy,¡± She said, winking at him.


    ¡°Hey Freya.¡± He said back. ¡°Good to see you.¡±


    ¡°I went home and saw my family, I told them about the dragon. They¡¯re bringing the elf army out of the homelands.¡± She said nervously.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. We¡¯re going to need all of the help we can get.¡± Jason said. ¡°Do you think it will work?¡± Freya thought about the ice spell. It was a very powerful spell. It could definitely work, in theory.


    Nathaniel appeared behind Freya. He didn¡¯t say anything to anyone.


    Jason arrived at the front of the line and the guard standing there took down his name. The guard recognised Jason, noticing how much he looked like Rodrick. Eventually the crowds dispersed. The king had gained twenty five new soldiers for his quest to the north, and sixty new squires to serve as new guards and builders at the castle.


    Jason and Stella went to sleep with strange sensations floating in the air.

 Chapter Thirty Seven - The Road

    Chapter Thirty Seven - The Road


    Jason woke up early, kissed Stella and hugged her. They both put on clothes and left for the main gate with Bronson.  Jason hugged his father before he left. When they got to the gatehouse, they saw breakfast for the soldiers being made under a tent, eggs on a big griddle. They were served with bread rolls and raisin oatmeal biscuits.


    Four Carriages and twenty horses were being readied for travel..


    Jason watched as Redran commanded two scouts to go ahead. They galloped to the next town. They would be watching the road ahead from afar. Occasionally waiting for the group to catch up.


    The carriages were loaded with a month¡¯s supply of potted meats, sacks of flour and spices. Also some pickled vegetables and some wicker cages of chickens.


    Jason walked over to a tent where they marked off his name. The man attending estimated by eye Jason¡¯s armour size and called out a colour to the squires behind him.


    ¡°Red.¡±


    The squire collected a pile of armour with a small red ribbon attached to the inside plate of each armour piece. I¡¯m Red sized, I suppose, Jason thought to himself. He thought it was funny.


    The armour fit him quite well. He looked like his father. It was quite a simple, but nice armour set. Not incredible, but it did the job. He put it on while Stella helped him tighten the buckles. Around him, similar things were happening. Wives buckling husbands, soldiers buckling other fellow soldiers. Some of the rangers had moved onto the next step, training. They were hitting straw puppets with wooden training blades. Jason now had two swords. His fire blade, which was modeled after a very similar style sword, and the now assigned guard¡¯s sword.


    He put his enchanted sword on his hip and the new one on his back.


    He tied the hammer to his belt on the other side. He felt good holding it, he didn¡¯t know why.


    He saw Freya arrive and approach the armoury tent. She was wearing simple clothes, no armour. She was a yellow size.


    The attendant gave her the armour and she quickly buckled it all by herself. It fit her nicely. Jason was unsure why she wanted it, but then thought about it for a while. Free armour. He realised she was actually pretty smart for arriving with no armour on.


    He nodded at her and she smiled. She walked to the horses nearby and started patting one. Her ghostly horse spell was off-putting to most humans so she was just trying to take the nicest horse she could find.


    Nathaniel arrived and approached the tent. He was also a size yellow. The attendant smiled as he handed the armour to Nathaniel. Nate smiled back.


    Redran arrived, he was already dressed in elegant gold and silver armour and a long blade sat on his hip. He buckled up Nathaniel quickly and shook his hand. The king arrived shortly after, he was standing on top of the gatehouse walls. He didn''t say anything, just watched.


    The king hired some trumpet players to play some slow triumphant sounds as the knights rode away. The band started to play.


    Stella kissed Jason and he walked over to the carriages. He took the initiative and attached bronson to a carriage and then he got on the carriage reigns. The soldiers all mounted up, and Lord Redran began leading the large convoy. The trumpets played a hopeful, but sombre tune.


    The Castle of Flowers disappeared on the horizon behind them.


    The small army marched towards the ice mountains. They ventured through peaceful landscapes. Occasionally the group would have to traverse through shallow rivers. Other times they rode past meadows brimming with large yaks, and wild bucks. The party rode over a rickety wooden bridge and into a small town.


    Breadtown was named after the founder of the city. Geoffery Donald Bread. He was the son of a famous king, In order to claim his own lands and namesake, Geoffery travelled to a small forest north of the Castle of Flowers to settle a new town.


    This forest was just above sea-level, and located ten minutes from the beach. The weary travellers walked through the town to the stables and parked their carriages and horses in the courtyard. Redran approached the stablehand who immediately recognised him.


    ¡°I¡¯ve read every single one of your books, are you kidding? Will you sign one, maybe two?


    ¡®The Beasts of Belixic Hall¡¯ is my favourite one. The romance was great, and that scene with the crossbow, and the giant alligator.¡± The stable hand started ranting.


    ¡°Yes, I can sign maybe something. But, I have news from the king. There is a drag-...


    ¡°A dragon!¡± The stable hand hollered. ¡°Everyone saw it fly over the town a few weeks ago. We¡¯re fucked. That thing is huge.¡±


    Redran began to explain the mission of the convoy, and bartered to buy horses from the stables. Jason got off the carriage and gravitated towards the only person he knew. Freya.


    ¡°Hey, Freya.¡± He said, smiling.


    ¡°Hi,¡± she said with a huge smile. She¡¯d just made a lot of Dime selling his enchanted items back at her homeland. ¡°What¡¯s new these days, Blacksmith?¡±


    ¡°Just, trying to kill a dragon.¡± He said offhand, and then raised an eyebrow. They both laughed.


    ¡°Maybe you need three swords, instead of two.¡± She said, pointing to his dual carry. They both laughed some more.


    Nathaniel walked into the town, he was looking for the magic shop. Just to browse, although he did have gold mosaic tiles to spend. And ten golden swords to trade with. He wandered through the shops looking for the sign to the magic shop.


    He saw it at the end of an alley, and stopped. The alley had a few doorways, a book shop, an ink shop and a magic shop. On the stoop of the magic shop was a coiled up sleeping brown striped cat. He had four white paws. Nathaniel approached and spoke to the cat to wake him.


    ¡°Excuse me little buddy, can I get past you there?¡± Nathaniel said. ¡°Meow¡±


    ¡°Hey, Jackass, I was sleeping, but sure, I¡¯ll get up, you look like you¡¯re gonna walk out of here with a bag full of weird shit, might as well let you through.¡± The cat said, as he yawned and stretched. Then he jumped off the steps into some grass and wandered down the road in a slow, confident walk.


    Nathaniel was taken aback, he had never seen a talking cat before.


    ¡°Sorry for waking you up.¡± Nathaniel said.


    ¡°Yeah, thanks for that, mate.¡± the cat said sarcastically, without looking back at him.


    Nathaniel stepped inside the shop and found a dusty, cluttered shop. There were shelves filled, almost overflowing with every manner of magical type of item.


    Nathaniel chuckled. He wanted to see what he could find among the junk. A few old dusty wizard robes hung from a bamboo pole. There was a male mannequin decked out in a blue robe, and a pointed blue hat. The sleeves and collar were painted gold. The shopkeeper was an old asian woman. She spoke with very good english.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Welcome, Nathaniel. You are welcome to browse anything you like.¡± She said, and then smiled. She looked at Nathaniel like he was the most handsome man she¡¯d seen in years.


    Nathaniel was a bit unsure how she knew his name, but it was a magic shop, she was probably a seer or mind reader. Nathaniel waved to her and replied.


    ¡°Hi there, what¡¯s your name?¡± He asked.


    ¡°My name is Grace.¡± She said, ¡°My inventory is always changing. I buy items too, if you are selling.¡±


    ¡°Have you got anything interesting?¡± He said with a nervous tone.


    ¡°Many things. Have a look.¡± She said, with a winning smile.


    Meanwhile Jason and Freya had made it to the market. Freya saw a bandit she recognised. He was trying to blend in, but she knew she was being hunted. The man was staring straight at her, snarling.


    ¡°Watch this, Jason. Do you see that big fly, about to land on that donkey¡¯s back?¡± Freya said. She distracted Jason by throwing an apple from a market stall at a fat fly. Perfect hit. The fly was definitely dead, the apple landed against a wall and half of it exploded. She then threw a dagger from her sleeve at the bandit. He fell backwards into a water trough. Nobody saw it happen.


    ¡°You fucking nailed that fat fly.¡± Jason turned back around and Freya was innocently picking up another few apples and she paid the man and she tipped a few extra Dime.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been to Breadtown,¡± Jason said. He was just talking to fill Freya¡¯s silence. He could sense she was unsettled.


    ¡°I come here normally for the inn.¡± Freya said. ¡°You can get drunk on ale and walk right onto the beach. There are normally some campfires, and groups of travellers singing. Depending on the night.¡± She was eyeing everyone they walked past.


    ¡°Would you like to see the blacksmith with me?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Freya said, eager to get herself out of public view.


    Freya and Jason walked to the blacksmith shop. They stopped outside the door. Freya saw a bandit on a roof, peeking over at her. She pushed Jason inside and stood by the inside of the door.


    Jason started talking to the blacksmith.


    ¡°Hi mate, I¡¯m a blacksmith too, how is it going today? Have you got any Emeralds, or any gold ingots?¡± Jason asked the Blacksmith, who was sitting in a chair reading a book behind the counter.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything like that here. We don¡¯t have enough fancy customers to get something like that in stock often.¡± The blacksmith thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ve got a bunch of iron, about fifty cows worth of leather hanging on some racks out back, a whole bunch of wood, but feel free to browse through my stock on the shelves. I sell other items. I made a whole lot of this gear. Pots, pans, anything you need.¡±


    Jason looked behind the shopkeeper. This guy had a warehouse that continued for a long stretch. There were racks of tanned leather hides, and a few shelves of wood and iron.


    Right above the blacksmith was a wall of swords and battle axes.


    Jason walked around the shop for a little while. Freya slipped outside while he was distracted by the blacksmith¡¯s wares.


    She quickly conjured her angelic wings and floated into the sky, she saw the bandit perched on the rooftop. She shot him with three arrows and he was pegged to the roof. She landed next to him and conjured an almost invisible spectral hand. The hand picked up the dead man and she tossed him three hundred feet away, into the ocean. She jumped to the ground and walked into the blacksmith. Her wings were still ignited. She looked like an angel.


    She walked inside and Jason was still distracted. The blacksmith was reading his book. She approached Jason, touched him on the shoulder. He jumped and turned. He looked at her wings and blinked rapidly.


    ¡°Hey Freya¡± He said. Freya¡¯s wings vanished as she cancelled the spell. ¡°Did I just see you have¡­ Uh.¡± Jason was doubting what he saw. He only saw the wings for a brief moment before they turned completely invisible. He was about to say she looked like an angel. Jason decided not to embarrass himself.


    ¡°Do you think I should get this?¡± He showed her a tiny wooden carved frog. It was very silly looking.


    She laughed and grabbed the toy to look closer. She smiled at the frog¡¯s simple but goofy face.


    ¡°Definitely get the frog.¡± She handed it back to him.


    Jason purchased the small frog and they both went back outside.


    ¡°There¡¯s a magic shop around here somewhere.¡± Freya said. She was scanning the people in the street. Looking for any aggressors.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bite.¡± Jason replied.


    ¡°This way,¡± she said.


    Jason and Freya walked into the magic shop and saw Nathaniel holding a long mace. It was about the length of a sword, it was thin, but held heft. The end was spiked in a gothic fashion. Nathaniel picked it up and it started to glow purple. The light came from runes that were etched into the steel.


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good weapon for you, love.¡± Grace said, waving sweetly at him. ¡°I will give you a special price.¡±


    ¡°Where is it from?¡± He asked.


    ¡°It is a prison guard¡¯s baton, from the Forbidden Castle.¡± Grace said. ¡°It¡¯s a standard issue. The light is really just a light for seeing in the dark. It looks cool though. A prison guard came out here to retire and sold it to me. Very cool, very scary.¡±


    Nathaniel liked the look of the weapon and decided to buy it. He put it on the counter.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it but I¡¯ll keep looking if that¡¯s okay.¡± Nate said, curious to see the shop.


    ¡°Take your time, take your time, handsome man. Okay?¡± Grace said with a lot of speed.


    Jason and Freya started walking through the shop, looking at the shelves.


    ¡°Have you got any health potions?¡± Freya asked the shop owner.


    ¡°Sure, I have plenty. They are twenty five Dime each.¡± She said with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get fifty.¡± Freya said. Jason was stunned.


    ¡°No problem,¡± Grace said. Freya pulled out one of her treasure chests and started counting out the Dime. Grace was happy to watch and count. After the Dime was counted, Grace went to the back of the shop and started shouting at her asian husband. Shortly later, a fat, short asian man appeared carrying a crate. The crate was clinking gently with the sound of potion bottles. Freya opened her bag wide and the shopkeeper gently lowered the crate inside. Grace came out with a smaller box and also stashed it into the bag.


    Jason and Freya walked outside.


    Nathaniel approached the counter with a wicker basket filled with a few trinkets.


    A shiny, silver goblet, a live scorpion in a jar, a spellbook, some jars of salt, a shiny, elf-made cutting knife, a deck of tarot cards and a forest green cape and hood. There was an assortment of potion ingredients and herbs too.


    The shopkeeper smiled at Nathaniel. He pulled out twenty pieces of gold and showed them to her.


    ¡°These are some golden mosaic tiles.¡± Nathaniel said. He whispered to her after that. ¡°They are from Vaelinnor¡¯s tomb. We found the lost tomb and robbed it.¡±


    She inspected the gold, and weighed it on a brass scale. She pulled out a big iron weight and placed it on the other side. The gold passed her test. She accepted the trade and smiled.


    Nathaniel loaded the items into his bag of holding, leaving the basket on the counter. He waved to Grace and then left through the door. He came face to face with Jason and Stella.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Jason.¡± Jason said, reaching out a hand.


    ¡°Nathaniel,¡± Nate said, shaking Jason¡¯s outstretched hand.


    ¡°City guard in the magic shop, hey, what¡¯s your story?¡± Freya asked the young man.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a city guard,¡± Nathaniel said. ¡°Oh well, I am a city guard now. I mean before I was. I used to make. Um. Dead bodies. Well I would, um, magic, and then they talk and fight and stand up and walk around and.¡± Nathaniel said. He was really nervous because Freya was intimidatingly beautiful.


    ¡°Necromancer.¡± Freya said, casually. ¡°I thought so.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a necromancer.¡± Nate said.


    ¡°I¡¯m Freya, by the way.¡± She said and waved politely.


    ¡°Well, I got your back Nathaniel, with all this dragon stuff. I am an enchanter.¡± Jason said. He pulled his sword from its sheath and it immediately caught fire.  Freya was blown away.


    This farm boy was impressive.


    ¡°I can do a lot of magic. Let¡¯s eat, I¡¯m hungry,¡± Freya said dismissively, walking away.


    The two boys looked at each other and shrugged. Then they followed her back to the market.

 Chapter Thirty Eight: Ben the Magnificent

    Chapter Thirty Eight: Ben the Magnificent


    The king sat in his bedroom and looked at the wall. In all of the drawings and studies, the dragons were small. They only grew about the size of a tree, maybe a house. Small dragons were the size of a monitor lizard, the babies. The fully grown adults normally were shorter than a roof.


    It was easy to kill dragons, that¡¯s why they had been banished, and tamed. It was like any other beast. The dragons were protected from hunters now, kept locked in zoos for entertainment in other areas of the world. The dragons grew fat, fed by humans, locked in cages with unbreakable chains cuffed on each limb. They were lazy.


    This new dragon didn¡¯t appear in any books. It was mentioned in some fictions. The size of the beast was uncanny. Some unique outliers the king had found to the traditional dragon slaying stories were pinned on a separate wall.


    The tale of Ben. A knight who killed a dragon with a catapult. He was a mentally challenged son of a lord, who loved to shoot the catapult. His father, loving his mentally challenged son, decided to make sure he could always practise. The king ordered the serf to stay away from Ben¡¯s boulder field, so he could practise every day.


    The men would bring carriages to retrieve the boulders, until they were cracked. Then they would replace the broken ones with new ones. Ben was practising one day, when a giant dragon landed in the field carrying a yak. It had landed there to feed, not expecting to be hit by a boulder. The dragon started clawing at the belly of the dead yak with it¡¯s claws, and then began to eat. The dragon¡¯s head exploded as Ben, the mentally challenged knight, landed a perfect hit, directly on the beast.


    He was hailed as a hero, and a book was written about him.


    Another strange dragon kill was the serpent of the lake. The king found the short story in a compilation of mysteries. It was written by a traveller who collected stories of cryptids and unnatural creatures.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    An unnamed fisherman was high on a cliff above a lake when a dragon attacked him. It was the size of a horse, and bright green. The fisherman was pulled off the cliff and landed in the water. The dragon dove into the water to eat the fisherman, but he was a very good swimmer, and started heading for the shore. The dragon started to fly up, out of the water but was allegedly eaten by a large snake. The fisherman swam for shore and never returned to the lake again. The snake was apparently ¡®massive¡¯ according to the fisherman. That was a dead end. The fisherman¡¯s tale was brief, and did not contain the location of the lake.


    The third, most enticing story to the king.


    The harpoon.


    A whaling ship carrying nordic fishermen in the north seas was sailing at night when a dragon the size of a house attacked. It set the sails on fire. The whalers shot the dragon with a harpoon, and it stabbed straight through the beast. The harpoon was massive. This book contained pictures. The king saw a large man with rippling muscles standing next to a ship. The ship had a harpoon ballista mounted on the front. The king¡¯s mind started turning.


    He wanted to design a crossbow that could shoot a harpoon big enough to kill that dragon.


    He started designing on paper, making crude illustrations of crossbows. Then the king started upscaling the project. The crossbow trigger was replaced by a lever on the ground. The ballista could rotate and tilt up and down. The tower would be reinforced and have a reloading station. The harpoons would be tree trunks, capped with spearheads made of iron.


    The king ordered some of his best builders to begin to build a prototype.


    He looked at his wall. Most knights killed dragons with swords, arrows. Every dragon story in his library had heroes slaying dragons with a team of twenty men. He was outmatched. This was no regular tale of Dragons.


    This was truly a fight against the apocalypse.

 Chapter Thirty Nine: Arkanon鈥檚 Afternoon

    Chapter Thirty Nine: Arkanon¡¯s New Job


    Arkanon walked Bentley by the leash, he ditched his normal armour, instead, he wore brown pants, black boots, and a black wool shirt. He was just wandering the town of Buttermilk, helping to rebuild. With Jason¡¯s nails, and new tools, the townspeople had begun to demolish the rubble and rebuild. The houses were built quickly from logs. Buttermilk soon became filled with humble cabins.


    Arkanon and Bentley wandered over to the village. People were walking around the town normally. Some stepped casually over huge bricks in the road. Ark and the horse arrived at a stable. Bentley was attached to the front of a cart. There were four other horses on the same cart. It was a long cart, with many wheels, for carrying logs into the city. Bentley was the lead horse. He was strong and he followed directions incredibly well.


    Arkanon led the cart in a walking pace through the village. Townspeople stopped and moved out of the way as Arkanon walked next to Bentley. They wandered a short distance until they came upon a forest, recently culled. The forest had become barren. Only the berry bushes remained. The young saplings had been harvested to make pitchforks and shovels. The larger trees had been turned into cabins.


    The skeleton king walked up to the group of lumberjacks. They had been working all morning. It was still early. Many large trees had been cut into neat logs. The branches were laying in piles. Cows munched on the leaves in the piles, haphazardly scattering branches across the landscape. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    The lumberjacks began to lift one of the logs together. They put it onto the massive cart with ease and then they began to lift the second log.


    A short while later. Arkanon began to walk the full load back to the village. It was a short walk, but it was a heavy load.


    The horses were happy to be given such a slow walking master. Arkanon was grateful to be given the most relaxing duty. He liked hanging out with Bentley. He was a smart horse.


    The carriage arrived into town, and the men at the church began unloading the wood. The church had become the town workshop. They smelted tools and they carved the logs into planks here. Arkanon turned the carriage around by wandering the long way out of town, the carriage was too big to turn normally. The skeleton man walked the horses back to the forest, picked up some more logs, and then walked back into town. The workers unloaded the wood and added it to the processing pile.


    Arkanon watched as a woman supplied five buckets of water. One for each horse. Some of the horses drank. Bentley drank some water and Arkanon patted his neck.


    The town square had been rebuilt and breakfast had started. People flocked to the stalls to buy breakfast. Prices had been reduced severely for basic foods, to help in the trying time, but other foods, like coffee, and imported grains, were much more expensive.


    Arkanon wanted to eat something so badly, but he knew he could never taste the food. He decided to try a banana. He picked one up from the free fruit pile and peeled it. He took one bite and sighed. No flavour, but it was nice. He took another bite and then walked over to Bentley. He held it out for Bentley to eat. They walked out of the town.

 Chapter Forty: The Bridge

    Chapter Forty: The Bridge


    The convoy of carriages left Breadtown in the morning. Nathaniel rode on the carriage beside Jason. Freya rode her horse near the front. Lord Redran sat on the back of one of the carriages.


    They had picked up new soldiers, three asian swordsmen, they wore Samurai Armour and each had a pair of Katanas. They also hired a sellsword, a cook and the talking cat decided to join the party as well. The cat was currently sleeping in the back of a carriage, nestled in some blankets on top of the sacks of rice. The cat had somehow talked Redran into accepting his help. He was going to be a knight.


    The party rode for a few hours, passing cottages, farms and forests.


    Eventually the party arrived at a bridge. It was a long stone bridge. It crossed over a wide river. The carriages began to roll across. When the army had made it halfway across, a giant emerged from the forest on the other side. He stood, waiting. Behind them, from the road they had just come from, another giant and a small army of bandits emerged from the bushes.


    Both of the giants held clubs. The horses got scared. One of them bucked their rider to the ground and ran towards the first giant. It slipped past, the giant wasn¡¯t trying to kill an innocent horse. Lord Redran told everyone to hold positions. The men started preparing to defend their position.


    The giants began to roar. They sprinted towards the carriages. The giants did not see Freya turn into a lady beetle. She flew towards the giant ahead of them and re-appeared on the giant¡¯s neck. She stabbed the huge man with her brother¡¯s enchanted sword. Electricity crackled and flowed forth from the stab wound on the neck. The sword had the power of lightning.


    The giant fell to the ground dead. The wound from his neck was smoking gently.


    This impressed Batuuk, who was watching from a distance. Giants were hard to kill.


    Fire arrows rained down on the convoy from the forest behind them. Some hidden catapults started to rain boulders on the far side of the bridge. The boulders landed very hard and began to break the bridge.


    ¡°Forward, now!¡± Redran shouted. All of the knights began to run for the shoreline in front of them.


    The carriages raced towards the bridge exit. More boulders landed, and the bridge ahead was hit and reduced to half a lane. The carriages would have to be precise.


    The horseback riders made it to shore first.


    The carriages came close to falling into the water, but with enough speed. They made it past the destroyed part of the bridge.


    The carriage in the rear was clipped by a boulder, and it broke a corner of the carriage. The wood splintered. The carriages were now on fire, due to the fiery arrows.


    Redran looked back at the bridge. Three of his men had died due to arrows. They lay on the bridge motionless.


    He used his magic to pick up a large broken chunk of the bridge. He lifted the chunk high into the sky and dropped it onto the remaining half of the bridge.


    The bandits were trapped on the other side of the river.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Redran commanded everyone to run. The carriages kept a rapid pace all the way to the next village.


    Nightfall came and the army arrived at a beautiful castle. The castle was strong and sturdy.


    The city was called Farimor. They would be sure to find a lot more knights, horses and equipment in a big city like this.


    Redran led the group to the stables and dismounted. He began to speak to the stablehand.


    ¡°Oh my god, it¡¯s Lord Redran! You¡¯re bloody famous, mate. My wife¡¯s got a poster of your book cover on our wall!¡± The stable owner shouted. He was an old man. ¡°That tome you wrote! Dragons of the Frozen North! That one is my favourite! I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m seeing you right now in person! You must be five hundred years old, mate. I¡¯m bloody seventy, how do you look so young?¡±


    Redran chuckled and continued his conversation with the stable owner. Jason, Freya and Nathaniel walked to an inn with the other soldiers. They all were in dampened spirits. They¡¯d lost three men, possibly six, as the other scouts had never returned.


    Jason, Freya, Nate and a few other soldiers shared a drink around the table.


    ¡°Gannon was a strong young man. Wait till his mother hears about this,¡± one of the other soldiers said.


    ¡°Gannon introduced me to my wife.¡± Another man said.


    ¡°To Gannon, and Percival, and Rannok!¡± Said a different soldier. He raised his glass to cheers. Everyone at the table clinked their metal cups and drank some ale.


    ¡°Rannok was the best drinker in the whole city. He could put back beers like he was getting paid a hundred Dime each cup. This one is for Rannok!¡± One of the soldiers said. He then downed an entire glass.


    ¡°Chug, Chug, Chug, Chug!¡± Shouted the soldiers at the table. Nathaniel saw everyone else chanting, and decided to join in. The soldier finished his drink, and then Nathaniel, without saying a word, started chugging too. This inspired Jason to finish his drink too. The soldiers chanted for the two and then cheered as they both finished. Nathaniel¡¯s brain went cold as the icy ale gave him a rush. Jason laughed and relaxed a little.


    Freya walked to the bar, she asked about getting a room for the night. The bartender took her money and gave her a key. She then bought a bottle of wine and decided to retire for the night. Jason appeared next to her at the bar.


    ¡°That looks vintage,¡± he said, gesturing to the bottle in her hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s a couple years old, at least.¡± She said, with a sly smile. ¡°Want to come get drunk in my room?¡± She asked. Jason was caught off guard.


    ¡°Do you mean like, right now?¡±


    ¡°No, tomorrow night.¡± She said sarcastically. ¡°Of course right now, come on. Or is your girlfriend gonna turn me into a stone statue for drinking with you?¡± She said playfully.


    ¡°Stella, she. I mean¡­ I can come drink but I¡¯m not sleeping in the same bed with you.¡± Jason said. He was honestly surprised by Freya¡¯s confidence. She was beautiful too. Jason¡¯s heart was with Stella though, they were childhood best friends, and he¡¯d finally begun to court Stella.


    Jason felt confident some drinks in Freya¡¯s room would not lead to romance. Not today.


    They entered Freya¡¯s room and inspected the furniture. A small table with two armchairs sat in a corner, a queen bed with a soft mattress and down-filled pillows and duvet. The room had an oil lamp, already burning, mounted on the wall. It had a small window, and a small bathroom.


    Jason sat down on the chair while Freya jumped backwards on the bed. She lay in the soft blankets and they talked for a few hours. Jason learned about her elf culture, and why she was travelling. Jason told her all about his life growing up in Buttermilk as a young blacksmith. He was always burning his hands while he made things.


    A few hours later, Jason and Freya fell asleep. Jason slept uncomfortably, sitting in an armchair with a small blanket, while Freya sprawled out under the soft blankets of the queen bed in the room. Three wine bottles lay empty on the floor. A stack of playing cards sat messy on a counter. They¡¯d become close friends.

 Chapter Forty One: Gold

    Chapter Forty One: Gold


    Inside the caverns, the pirates wandered the mountains of gold.


    They discovered incredible artifacts. Treasures from millenia before. Some of the treasures were broken, bent, or melted. Statues were often skewed, or warped. The pirate ships had all been explored. They had built safehouses in each of the boats. The dragon would leave for weeks, then return unannounced.


    The pirates had survived by hunting some of the lizard creatures who entered the dragon¡¯s lair. They cooked the lizard meat by roasting it on a cannon they half-sank into the shore of a lava pool.


    They seasoned the lizard with salt from the walls of the cave, and some interesting spices from one of the pirate ships. They mostly ate lizard steaks. It didn¡¯t always agree with their stomachs.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    They used their cannons to kill the lizard predators. They only ventured into the dragon¡¯s lair occasionally. They were deadly. Most were the size of a horse. Some were smaller.


    The pirates had begun to get used to living in the cave.


    The pirates were standing on the gold mountain, when they heard a familiar sound. The flapping of wings.


    They sprinted to their ship and went inside. The dragon entered the cave with a massive wooly mammoth in its jaw. It also carried a Tyrannosaurus Rex in its claw. It dropped the dinosaur, which started limping towards the mouth of the cave. It growled and roared in pain and anger. The dragon started munching on the mammoth. Too distracted to chase after the Tyrannosaurus.


    The pirates watched the dragon eat. They hoped it would leave behind some mammoth meat for them as well.

 Chapter Forty Two: The Creatures in the Forest

    Chapter Forty Two: The Creatures in the Forest.


    The next morning, Jason and Freya walked out to the stables. Lord Redran was standing on top of a carriage with a few other knights. He was addressing a crowd of strangers, knights, shopkeepers and villagers.


    ¡°If you would like to join our crusade, we are willing to pay with lands and titles. You will be equipped with armour from the Castle of Flowers, we will give you training and a sword.¡± Lord Redran said to the crowd. ¡°We leave in twenty minutes. Please come and meet me if you would like to claim some glory, and write your own story!¡±


    The crowd cheered but most of them dissipated. Twenty extra men signed up. Lord Redran kitted them with gear and the army began walking away.


    Jason and Nathaniel were sitting on a carriage, when a new soldier got onto the carriage beside them.


    ¡°Hi, my name is Brock,¡± he said. He reached out a hand and Nathaniel shook it. Brock was young, about the same age as Jason and Nathaniel. He had messy black hair, brown eyes and some freckles. He was quite athletic, he had a muscular build and a very friendly smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m Nathaniel, this is Jason.¡± Nate said.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Brock.¡± Jason chimed in.


    ¡°What brings you on this journey?¡± Nate asked.


    ¡°A story. I want to make my father, the King of Vallinor, proud.¡± Brock said. ¡°How about you?¡±


    Jason and Nathaniel looked at each other.


    ¡°The dragon burned my village.¡± Jason responded. ¡°It seemed like the right thing to do.¡±


    ¡°And you, Nathaniel?¡± Brock asked.


    ¡°The dragon burned my city, too.¡± Nate responded.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming along so I can afford to reverse this curse.¡± A voice behind them said. The three new knights turned around. It was the brown tabby cat. ¡°Don¡¯t date an elf, guys, just don¡¯t. And especially, do not, sleep with that elf¡¯s sister. It ain''t worth the hairballs kid.¡±


    Jason and Brock chuckled at the cat¡¯s joke.


    ¡°And what¡¯s your name?¡± Brock asked the feline.


    ¡°My name is Dominic, people call me The Don.¡± The cat replied. ¡°I probably can¡¯t hold a sword, but maybe I can scratch that Dragon to death like, ¡®Bow, bow! Bowbowbow!¡¯¡± The cat imitated swatting a massive fly as he said each ¡°Bow.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any other powers?¡± Nathaniel asked.


    ¡°Powers? Nah, I don¡¯t have any magic. My charisma is my main weapon. My weapon is making people love me. I haven''t paid for a meal in five years, and every pretty girl I see I just walk up to her and boom, belly rubs. Unlimited Belly rubs.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re eager to switch back? Maybe you should stay as a cat, it seems to be working out for you.¡± Brock said.


    ¡°I¡¯m too handsome of a human to die cursed as a cat.¡± The Don said. ¡°I¡¯ll kill your dragon, and earn enough to pay for the potion ingredients, then I¡¯ll be a man again, and a hero. The tale of Dominic Astartes will be remembered for many ages to come. ¡°


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°Hopefully the Ice Wizards are willing to help us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been far north,¡± Brock said. ¡°My uncles tell me it¡¯s quite beautiful up in the mountains¡­ and cold.¡±


    The army walked for the entire morning. They walked through a forest where the trees changed dramatically. The trees had wider trunks, and long twisting tree roots. The road started getting muddier as they walked further north. They made a stop at lunchtime and decided to stop for a while for lunch.


    The camp cooks made some small fires and began to cook for the soldiers. They ate one apple each, and the cooks served a small cup of venison and vegetable stew to every soldier.


    The soldiers hungrily ate their meal and then the carriages continued rolling further north.


    After another hour, the carriages rolled into a small town. The houses were made of sticks and thatched roofs. The cracks in the walls were filled with dried mud. The entire village was located on a swamp. There were wooden walkways that extended over the water and connected every house in the village. The village was very small.


    The locals who lived here looked very distressed and hungry. They looked scared to see the soldiers.


    Redran approached an old woman and explained their situation.


    ¡°Hi there, we are looking for any young men strong enough to fight. There is a dragon terrorising the lands. We are on a mission to the north, to enlist the help of the Frost Mages. Do you know of anyone in the village who might want to come? We offer lands and titles to any man willing to fight with us.¡± Redran said.


    The old woman stared at him blankly, and then she left without saying a word. She shut the door for her stick hut in Redran¡¯s face.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Redran said to the closed door.


    ¡°I fight, I am strong.¡± A voice said behind Redran.


    ¡°We are willing to take any strong men to battle with us-...¡± Redran turned around to greet the new voice. He was shocked to be face to face with a mutant.


    The mutant had the torso of a strong man, his head and tail were shark-like. He had black eyes, tough grey skin, and very wide hands.


    ¡°I am Sharky.¡± Sharky said to Redran. He held up a fist, for Redran to tap knuckles.


    ¡°Hello, gallant Sharky.¡± Redran said to the fish creature. He knocked his fist against the shark¡¯s hand. ¡°Do you have any experience fighting?¡±


    ¡°No fighting, just winning.¡± Said Sharky, with a wide sharp grin.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never met a Shark-man,¡± Redran said.


    ¡°What is a Shark-man?¡± Sharky asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you are.¡± He said.


    ¡°I am a shark-man? Hahaha.¡± The shark said happily to Lord Redran. His laughter was slow and genuine. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°You will be given lands and a title if you come along and fight with us.¡±


    ¡°Lands, and a title?¡± Another voice spoke up. Redran turned to see a scrawny old man. He had long silver hair and a short grey beard. He was dressed in some dirty peasant clothes. ¡°Sign me up, young buck.¡± The old man said, slapping Redran on the back.


    ¡°We are leaving soon, go try on some armour.¡± Redran said to the old man. ¡°Can you fight?¡±


    ¡°I can do this.¡± The old man used a fireball punch. He aimed at a tree and the tree exploded after being hit by a fiery ball of energy.


    Redran was stunned. A fire mage! Jason watched with awe as he potentially found a mentor to teach him magic. Jason got off the cart and wandered to the armoury cart. He looked around for some armour that would fit the old man.


    ¡°That¡­ We can work with that.¡± Redran said, stunned. The old man happily walked over to Jason and got his armour.


    ¡°Hey, would you mind teaching me how you did that?¡± Jason asked the fire mage.


    ¡°Sorry kid, I was born with it.¡± The old man said.


    ¡°Me too,¡± Jason spoke. ¡°Sometimes. I¡¯ve only done it once before.¡±


    ¡°You are a fire mage?¡± The old man asked.


    ¡°Yeah, well, maybe.¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m a blacksmith, I made an enchanted sword.¡± He pulled the sword from its sheath and it set on fire. The old man looked at it in awestruck wonder.


    ¡°The flaming blade.¡± The old man said, his eyes sparkled in the flame.


    ¡°Well, young man. We can trade. I will tell you my knowledge and you can make me an enchanted blade. ¡°


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to make an enchanted blade.¡± Jason said. ¡°This was an accident.¡± He said, holding up the blade. He then put the blade into its scabbard and the fire went out.


    ¡°Ah.¡± The old man said. ¡°Well let¡¯s give it a go anyways. The next blacksmith is north of here, in a village in the frozen north. When we stop there, you can make me a blade. My name is Ogden by the way.


    ¡°I¡¯m Jason. Sure I¡¯ll make you a blade and you can teach me how to throw a fireball.¡± Jason said, he shook the man¡¯s hand and helped him to strap his armour on. Then the old knight jumped onto a carriage and Jason mounted up. The shark minotaur got onto a carriage behind Jason. He was quite heavy.


    Lord Redran ordered the men to move and the carriages started rolling away from the town, further north. They wandered for a long time, the sun dipped low on the horizon. They were walking through a swampy forest. Their scenery became eerie, they saw more and more spiderwebs in the treetops. The birds did not sing in this part of the forest. The carriages rolled past the carcass of a large snake. The snake had been ripped open. It must have been a massive beast as the snake was a little larger than a human. They heard very weird footsteps in the leaves around them. When they looked, they could not see anything.


    The sun kept getting lower and lower.


    ¡°I hope we can make it out of these woods before nightfall.¡± The old man said under his breath. Jason could tell he was very paranoid.


    ¡°Why?¡± Jason asked the old man.


    ¡°These woods have monsters in them.¡± The man said. ¡°They come out at night.¡± They both looked up through the trees at the sun dipping lower and lower. They finally came to a shoreline. A massive river stretched out in front of them. They would need to cross it. There was no bridge, just a shallow crossing. The old man got off the carriage and walked to Redran to warn him.


    Redran decided to ford the river immediately, based on the old man¡¯s fears of the forest.


    The horses and carriages started rolling into the water. The sun kept dipping lower. They slowly walked across the river. It was knee height deep in the lowest points. The horses were getting spooked, and each of the soldiers had goosebumps appearing. Something evil was coming.


    Halfway across the river, a wheel dislodged from a carriage and the cart stopped. Redran turned his horse around and started running after the wheel. It floated downstream and out of sight. Redran cursed and turned back around. He ordered all of the men except the driver to lift the carriage and walk it to shore. Sharky really helped a lot, as he lifted the carriage easily. They began walking the carriage slowly towards the shoreline.


    Jason and the other carriages made it to the other side of the river, but the broken carriage had only made it halfway.


    The sun dipped past the horizon, and Jason pulled out his sword to light the way. Other soldiers lit their torches too. On the other side of the shore, creatures began to move in the darkness. Giant thin legs started moving. Jason watched as a paranoid deer was suddenly lifted into the treetops by a massive black object. He thought he hallucinated the whole thing. Slowly, one of the creatures emerged from the cover of the foliage. It was a massive spider.


    The spider was taller than the carriages. It started tasting the air with the hairs on its front two legs. It could tell there was a lot of meat nearby. The spider began testing the water in front. It put two legs into the river and started moving forward slowly. It would take each step carefully, it would feel the ground in front of it. Behind that spider, another larger one emerged. It also started feeling the ground in front of it, trying to find the location of that sweet smell of flesh.


    The two spiders suddenly were joined by another twenty. They emerged from the trees like a small army. They all started marching faster and faster through the water. The shark man, fearing for his life. Dropped the carriage and started swimming for the shore. The shallows weren¡¯t meant for sharks, but he knew he could swim faster than he ran.


    He made it to the shore and jumped out, ready to fight the oncoming spiders.


    The men had decided to ditch the carriage and most of them were trying to run through the water. The spiders gained on them. The spiders stood on top of the waterlogged food carriage and then started attacking it with their powerful mouths. They brutally started eating the horses while they were still alive. The sounds of dying horses, men shouting and many footsteps splashing echoed over the river. The spiders lunged forward and they splintered the planks. The carriage crumbled and planks, jars of pickled goods and loose fruit began floating downstream.


    The spiders had almost made it to the guards. One of them turned around and pulled out a sword but he was quickly killed by a large spiked leg striking him down. Blood filled the water. The spider quickly started to swallow the man whole. It returned to the other side of the shore dragging the dead man through the water. The spiders started swarming the rest of the men left in the water. Redran ordered his men to wait on the shoreline, and hold a defensive line. The old man started throwing explosive fireballs at the spiders. He was able to take three of them down with ease. The spiders exploded and their legs were launched into the air. Many more spiders emerged from the forest on the other side. Jason tried to use a fireball, but he could not focus.


    Redran changed his mind, they were outmatched. Their only hope of survival was to try to outrun the spiders. He commanded everyone to run. The men still wading were unfortunately already lost. They were soon overcome and died to the spider attacks. One of the guards was impaled on a spider¡¯s sharp leg. Redran and the soldiers started sprinting into the forest along the road.


    The spiders reached the shore behind them and kept following. Out of the water, the spiders were much quicker than the men on foot. The men running were quickly eaten and lifted into the trees as the spiders stepped off the road. Jason was up the front with Nathaniel, Freya, Redran, the old man, the Shark and Dominic the cat. The horses were freaking out.


    They galloped so fast that it was hard to see the carriages following them in the twists and turns of the forest path. Jason¡¯s fiery sword lit the road ahead. They gained speed. The carriage, and the horses exited the forest into a mountain plain. There were wild horses roaming around. Redran and the others refused to stop. They rode on through the darkness. Eventually they looked behind them and the spiders could not be seen. They had lost them.


    At the same time, they could not see any of the carriages or soldiers. A few hours later they stopped at the ruins of a temple.


    Redran cursed and threw his helmet as far as he could. He had just lost forty men in one night. A few hours after they had started a fire, a single horse galloped towards them. It was one of the Samurai they¡¯d hired a few villages ago. Redran asked him for news. The samurai simply bowed his head in shame.


    Redran and the others sat at the fire. They didn¡¯t speak. Nathaniel thought about reviving everyone, but their bodies were all taken by the spiders. It was a total loss.


    Redran fell asleep against a destroyed temple statue. Freya and Jason fell asleep against a fallen column. They shared the same blanket. Freya rested her head on Jason¡¯s shoulder and chest. Dominic the cat was curled up next to Nathaniel.

 Chapter Forty Three: The North Village

    Chapter Forty Three: The North Village


    The adventurers woke up and saw the beautiful mountains before them. They were in a very low mood. They had lost almost everyone the night before.


    Only Redran, Ogden, Jason, Freya, Nathaniel, the cat, the Samurai and the Shark man remained. They mounted their horses and started to walk slowly north. They followed the road out of the grassy plains and into another forest. The trees here were tall. Snow began to fall around them. The ground became icy and frost-covered. They started shivering, Their armor got colder and colder.


    They walked a long way up the mountain, eventually the road disappeared beneath a thick layer of snow. They left deep footprints in the soft white powder. The carriage and horses moved slowly uphill. They followed a fence that had been built on the roadside. The fence was half-buried in thick snow.


    They rode their horses for a while. Then the sun went down. They camped on the side of the snowy mountain. They broke some pieces off the carriage to start a fire, they huddled for warmth as a group the whole night. They barely slept. When the sun rose, they started walking. The incline was too steep to ride, so everyone walked beside the horses.


    The snowy winds became fiercer and they walked into a snowstorm. Redran knew there was a village outside the temple, so he kept scanning the mountainside for the stone houses that belonged to the villagers.


    He spotted one through the storm and shouted.


    ¡°There!¡± Redran said. ¡°That¡¯s the village.¡±


    They walked further into the village and were frightened to see it was deserted. There were no fires on, and no lights. Redran looked around him, confused. He had been here before. The village was normally bustling with farmlife, wooly cows, tamed chickens. There was normally a huge bonfire burning in the middle of the town. The bonfire instead was cold charcoal. Something was wrong.


    Redran saw a figure ahead of him. In the darkness he could see they were dressed strangely. They didn¡¯t have any warm clothes on. The person was very thin and also hunched over in pain. Redran walked over and touched the figure. It was a very thin woman, her skin was pale and glossy with ice. She turned around and Redran was shocked to see her eyes were ice blue. They glowed gently. The woman looked up at Redran and opened her mouth. Redran saw black rot, and disgusting teeth. She snarled and tried to bite Redran on the arm. He was shocked, he walked back a few steps and then cut her across the shoulder. He sliced into her and almost split her in half.


    ¡°Guys¡­¡± Redran said to his party. More shadowy figures appeared out of the snowstorm. They walked slowly, some were limping. They surrounded the group of travellers and started moaning.


    ¡°Cold,¡± one of the locals wheezed.


    Jason pulled out his sword and it caught fire.


    Freya pulled out her brother¡¯s sword.


    Ogden raised his fist, and his new guard¡¯s sword.


    Nathaniel raised his sword.


    The samurai pulled out both of his katanas.


    The shark man pulled out two swords, and held one in each hand.


    Dominic jumped into the carriage to hide.


    The frozen attackers lumbered slowly forward. They only attacked with their jaws, as if they were animals.


    Freya was attacked by three tall men. She stabbed the first one in the chest, and then kicked out his leg. He fell. She sliced the head off the other two in one motion.


    Jason stabbed a villager with his sword and they caught alight, as if they were made from paper. He used his sword to slash another one across the chest and it died and fell face first into the snow.


    Nathaniel was surprised by a teenager who tried to grab him. He kicked him back and stabbed him in the chest, and then pulled his sword out. The teenager fell to the ground and started crawling.


    None of the villagers made any sounds of pain, they simply exhaled their last breaths in soft moans.


    The Shark man attacked a group of three by rolling into them. He jumped and tackled all three into the snow. He quickly got to his feet and used his blades to slice their necks while they were on the ground. He smelled their meat and decided not to eat it. They smelled rotten.


    Redran killed three more in quick succession. All went down in a single blade stroke each.


    Ogden started blasting the villagers with explosive fire blasts. They quickly fell and most were knocked a long distance away.


    The samurai was able to kill four of them, he beheaded the last one and it¡¯s body fell to the ground next to the head.


    They fought another ten of the cursed villagers, and then everything went quiet. They were all cold. Redran inspected one of the corpses. Inside of the soft, rotted flesh, long red worms started trying to leave the bodies. The worms crawled into the snow, and started looking for anything warm. They felt the flame from Jason¡¯s sword and inched towards the heat slowly. Redran was curious. The corpses all had worms now ejecting themselves from the corpses.


    Freya started freaking out. Jason got goosebumps. He quickly put away his sword and the worms got confused. They started sensing heat elsewhere. Some of them returned to their host bodies to hide from the cold, and some started inching towards the alive party members.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°We need to go.¡± Lord Redran said. He got onto the carriage and insisted everyone else get on their horses. They left the frozen village behind them.


    They walked further north, seeking the temple. They had planned to stay and rest at the village, but instead they pressed forward. A massive growl gave the adventurers chills.


    Lord Redran looked ahead of them. A fierce, giant polar bear stood in their path. The polar bear had icy blue glowing eyes and was stabbed full of arrows. It had a terrifying face, it was missing half of it¡¯s face. One eye and one ear remained. The red worms could be seen devouring the bear from the inside.


    The polar bear stood on two legs and smacked one of the horses driving the carriage. The horse bucked and started to stomp the polar bear. Lord Redran transformed into a wolf and jumped on the massive polar bear. They fell lower down the mountain. The polar bear howled and chased Redran into the snow, down the side of the mountain. They disappeared into the snowstorm. Redran made it to a cliff and stopped. The polar bear behind him snarled. The other adventures approached. Lord Redran made a choice. He jumped at the bear and tried to push it off the cliff. The bear took a big bite of Redran¡¯s leg and the pair of them tumbled off the cliff.


    The adventurers standing at the top could not see the ground due to the snowstorm. They watched as Lord Redran fell out of sight. They heard a wild whimper as the beasts struck the ground. Jason closed his eyes and knelt to the ground. He said a prayer and they slowly returned to the road. They walked slowly up the mountain. The snowstorm was fierce and everything was cold. They shivered.


    They found a cave and stepped inside. The cave was part of the road. It was very tall, but did not have a lot of room. They barely fit the carriage inside. The cave was attached to a giant stone bridge built into the side of the mountain. There was another cave on the other side of the bridge.


    The bridge, unfortunately, was destroyed. They could see the rubble and ruins buried under snow hundreds of metres down. They needed a new idea.


    They decided to stop and rest. They ate a small meal of bread and chocolate and started a fire, again, using wood from the carriage. They sat in the cave and rested. They were safe from the snowstorm here. Jason decided to sleep.


    When Jason woke up, there was a commotion. Nathaniel and the Shark were plotting ways to get across. The shark man was getting ready to throw a rock and a rope across the gap.They¡¯d found an oddly shaped boulder. Jason decided to watch, as he didn¡¯t have any better ideas. The rock missed and the entire rope sailed down off the cliff after the boulder.


    Nathaniel laughed for a brief moment.


    ¡°I give up.¡± He said. ¡°Does anyone else have a plan?¡±


    Jason looked at the carriage. Maybe.


    A few hours later Jason, with help, had carefully deconstructed the carriage. Jason used his hammer to nail the boards together. After a short while they had created a very rickety wooden bridge. It was only three boards wide, but it would carry one person at a time across. They gently lowered the bridge across with a rope they¡¯d made from caravan supplies. The bridge worked.


    Nathaniel looked at Dominic.


    ¡°Do you mind going first, and testing it?¡± Nathaniel asked Dominic.


    ¡°You want me to test the death trap?¡± Dominic groaned. ¡°I knew you were going to ask me to do this. Okay, fine.¡± The brown tabby cat looked down at the drop below. He gulped and started to walk across. He barely moved the bridge with his tiny weight. He made it across and started to boast.


    ¡°Ohh yeah, baby. I¡¯m the best,¡± the feline said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go next.¡± Jason said. He started walking out over the bridge and it creaked and groaned with every step.


    Next, Freya walked across. Her footsteps were lighter and much quicker than Jason¡¯s


    Ogden came next, he was thin and wiry. Nathaniel walked across after, and then the Samurai. The Shark-Minotaur was stuck. He was definitely too heavy to make it across. Instead, he simply took a very large run-up and he jumped. He almost made it to the other side but fell short. He gripped the rocky wall a few metres below the rest of the adventurers. The Samurai offered to lower his body and the shark, panicking, grabbed the samurai¡¯s legs, and then bit his thigh out of fear, locking his jaw around the man.


    The asian man cried out in pain, but Jason, Ogden, Freya and Nathaniel pulled them both up off the cliff. The Samurai winced in pain and Freya began to heal him with a spell. It was able to be healed effectively, but it still hurt. The Samurai was quite angry, so Sharky apologised and hugged the Samurai.


    They had made it across the cavern.


    They walked through the cave and found it was much larger. They wandered through a narrow corridor and then emerged into a big cavern. A small cave high on the wall opened up to the outdoors and let in some light. The adventurers saw a giant stone door in the wall of the cave. The snow temple.


    They had made it.


    The temple door was closed, and skeletons lay dead around the door. Nathaniel walked closer and the door opened.


    Four frost mages walked out carrying large steel axes. They were all silver haired men. They wore silver armour with wool underneath. They saw the travellers and noticed they were not threatening.


    ¡°Why do you come here?¡± One of the frost mages asked.


    ¡°We come on behalf of the Castle of Flowers, and the King who rules over those lands.¡± Jason said. ¡°Our lands have been ravaged by a dragon, it destroyed my hometown. The king has tasked us with bringing you South.¡±


    ¡°We need you to freeze the dragon¡¯s brain.¡± Nathaniel spoke.


    ¡°A necromancer. Ahh, how curious.¡± The frost mage spoke,


    ¡°The king is willing to trade your services for lordships and land.¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We could definitely use a change of scenery.¡± The Frost mage said. ¡°How is the village? It is not far from here? We destroyed the bridge years ago. They had begun attacking us at the temple. We found vile, disgusting worms in their bodies. The villagers were unable to die, but they were no longer living.¡±


    ¡°We¡­ Took care of them.¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Good.¡± The Ice Mage said, with a look of sadness on his face. ¡°Come inside, we have much to discuss.¡±


    The adventurers went inside the frost temple, the giant stone door closed behind them.

 Chapter Forty Four - Lord Jason

    Chapter Forty Four - Lord JasonThe adventures found themselves in a room. The room had a large assortment of soft furs to sleep on. They sat down around a chimney carved into the mountain. They had been ushered inside by the four Ice Wizards. They waited for a short while, and then one of the mages appeared carrying several plates of steak and potatoes. The steaks had been nicely seared and the potatoes were delicate and delicious, seasoned with rosemary twigs. The travellers eagerly grabbed a plate each. A second wizard appeared carrying warm tea.


    ¡°We have decided, young Jason, that we will help you.¡± The mage spoke. ¡°Fate has plunged our temple into darkness. We can no longer thrive here. Our supplies have been cut off by the cursed villagers. It seems in order for us to move forward, we are required to fight. We will earn a new temple by slaying the dragon for the King in the Castle of Flowers, and the frost mages will be remembered for many generations.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jason said. He put his hand on the mage¡¯s shoulders and looked him in the eye.


    ¡°We are saying our final goodbyes to the temple, and then we shall travel through a portal to the Castle of Flowers. One hour Jason, then you will be home.¡± The mage said, ¡°We have already teleported your horses back, and sent a few mages through to speak with the king. Eat now, and relax.¡± He spoke and then he left to pack.


    Jason sat down by the fire and relaxed. He ate his steak slowly.


    ¡°I am glad I have met you, friends.¡± Sharky said. His tail was lightly wagging behind him. Sharky had already finished eating his steak and potatoes.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to say the same,¡± Freya said.


    ¡°Soon, we¡¯ll all be lords.¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯ve lost a lot.¡± They thought about Redran¡¯s death, and the spider attack that killed their small army. They¡¯d travelled many weeks on the road. ¡°Freya, now you¡¯re a princess, and a lord.¡±


    ¡°Lord Freya, I like that,¡± She said with a smile.


    ¡°Lord Sharky,¡± the shark man said with a grin.


    ¡°Lord Dominic¡± the cat said, ¡°The human man! I can¡¯t wait.¡±


    ¡°Lord Nathaniel.¡± Jason said to Nathaniel, he clinked his tea cup against Nate¡¯s. Nate nodded happily.


    An hour later, the adventurers were gathered by the mages. Everyone assembled into a large ceremony room and one of the mages opened a portal. The fields of flowers could be seen through the portal. Jason could smell the sweet air. Everyone in the room entered the portal and started to assemble on the other side.


    Jason finally stepped through and saw the Castle around him. There were guards noticing the commotion and they started to respond. Jason asked to speak to the king.


    A short while later Jason was standing outside the King¡¯s manor. He was let in by some guards. He saw the king sitting by the fireplace.


    ¡°My King, unfortunately we lost a lot of men. We numbered fifty five at our best, but an unexpected horror took us out. We barely survived. We were ambushed by monster spiders, we lost almost everyone.¡± Jason said, remembering the horror. The king winced.


    ¡°And Redran?¡± The king asked.


    ¡°He fell off a cliff. He died trying to save us from a polar bear.¡± Jason said sadly. ¡°We did return with the Ice Mages. They all came.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s some good news.¡± The king responded. ¡°Thank you, Jason. Kneel now, so I might grant you a title.¡±


    Jason knelt before the king. He took his sword and tapped Jason on each shoulder.


    ¡°Brave Jason, for your service to our Kingdom, I name you Lord Jason, and I give you lands to make a home upon. I am in your debt.¡± The king said. He helped Jason to his feet.


    ¡°Thank you, your highness.¡± Jason said and he nodded as he looked him in the eyes.


    ¡°I will give you a public ceremony later, I just wanted to thank you now.¡± The king said. ¡°Thank you Jason.¡± The king gave Jason a handshake and then sat in his chair, staring at the fire.


    Jason left and the guards locked the door behind him. Jason wandered through the streets of the city, heading for his father¡¯s house. He made it home and lifted his fist to knock on the door. Before he could knock the door swung open and Jason¡¯s father pulled him into a tight hug.


    ¡°Jason, you¡¯ve returned!¡± Rodrick said. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you, son.¡±


    They both walked inside. Jason asked where Stella was. His father rubbed the back of his neck.


    ¡°She¡¯s with Aaron¡¯s family.¡± His father said. ¡°They¡¯re a few streets over.¡±


    Jason was heartbroken. ¡°Aaron survived the dragon attack?¡± He asked his father.


    ¡°Yes, son.¡± His father responded gently.  ¡°I think you should go see her.¡±


    Jason went to Aaron¡¯s family home. It was Aaron¡¯s father¡¯s house. A grand manor, close to the king¡¯s. The rich chicken farmer¡¯s generational home. They had a chicken empire, and the wealth to back it up.


    Jason knocked on the door and Stella answered. She was shocked, and looked guilty. She grabbed Jason¡¯s arm and he could tell something was off. Aaron appeared at the door behind her and said Hello. Jason felt cold. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    He turned and started to walk away. Stella watched him go, and then turned to Aaron.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in five minutes.¡± She said. She trotted after Jason.


    Jason turned a corner and started walking home. Stella kept trying to catch up to Jason.


    ¡°Jason, wait, I¡­¡± Stella said. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re back.¡± She said.


    Jason turned around and tears were brimming in his eyes.


    ¡°Why?¡± He accused. ¡°Why are you staying with Aaron.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my friend. I¡­ We¡­¡±


    ¡°Have you kissed him?¡± He asked. She lowered her eyes to the floor.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said quietly. ¡°Or, he kissed me. I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I was out there risking my life for you Stella. To protect us all. To find a way to kill this dragon.¡± Jason shouted. ¡°The same dragon that killed your family, and burned your HOME, Stella! And I come home and find you kissing the fucking chicken boy.¡± He threw his hands in the air. He was frustrated.


    Stella sat down on the floor and started to cry. She let out a long wailing ¡®no¡¯. She sobbed into her hands as she realised she¡¯d been caught in such a betrayal of trust.


    Jason knelt down beside her. His heart was beating fast.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know what I was doing. He came up to me one night and I thought he died and we were drinking on the walls and he kissed me. I¡¯m sorry Jason, you weren¡¯t here. You weren¡¯t here.¡± Stella said, trying to justify her emotions.


    ¡°I almost died for you Stella! I was attacked by bandits and catapults. Nearly every one we left here with was devoured by a giant spider!¡± He shouted. ¡°I watched my friend die, falling off a cliff as he tried to save us. I¡¯ve met a fucking talking cat and I almost got eaten alive by some cannibals and a polar bear. You couldn¡¯t even wait for me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jason,¡± she said, sobbing into her dress.


    ¡°We¡¯re over.¡± He said. And he left her crying in the street. Jason walked into the tavern and saw Nathaniel drinking in a booth with the rest of his party members. He took a seat next to Freya, and Nathaniel passed him a spare beer that was on the table. Jason took a sip, and then chugged the beer and smacked the cup on the table.


    ¡°One more,¡± he said loudly, and then buried his angry face in his arms. Sharky handed him another fresh mug and Jason started to chug.


    The next morning, Jason woke up in his father¡¯s living room on the couch. A few of the other party members had fallen asleep beside him, and on the floor. They had gotten drunk as Dionysis and spent the night singing until they fell asleep.


    Jason had a ringing headache. There was a knock on the door. A guard had come to collect the travellers. They were being requested for another mission.


    Jason, Nathaniel, Freya, The Samurai, Shark-man, Ogden and Dominic the Cat all stood outside the castle gates with another ten knights. The king stood on a roughly made stage and addressed them.


    ¡°We have our ice wizards, thank you for completing that quest, brave knights. I wanted to show you the idea I had while you were gone.¡± The king pointed to his tower. A massive ballista stood on the hill. The flowers around it were trampled. The trees nearby had been cut down a lot in order to build the tower.


    A tree-sized spear was placed inside and the king had the knights manning the tower make preparations. They turned a huge crank to make the rope taught, They turned the tower with some pulley systems and then the king pulled a lever on the stage. The ballista shot the tree a few kilometres away. Jason was blown away by the massive engineering. The massive crossbow would certainly be able to pierce the dragon¡¯s hide.


    Jason smiled. He felt hope.


    The king turned to the adventurers.


    ¡°You must travel south. We are planning to lift the Ice wizards into the sky. They will fly using magic alongside the dragon, and freeze the beast¡¯s brain from a flying sailing ship. You must travel to Port Anna, and collect my royal barge. It is the most decorative and beautiful ship ever made. You will escort a few of the Ice Mages, they can teleport the boat home to the Castle.¡±  The king said. ¡°Be ready to leave by midday. This is a much shorter journey, Port Anna is two days by horseback. You will not need any carriages. Before you leave I will publicly congratulate all of you in a ceremony. We are forever thankful for your valiant efforts.¡±


    The crowd dispersed and Jason decided to go find Bronson. The ice wizards had brought him home, he was probably in the stable.


    Jason found Bronson in the same stall he¡¯d purchased him from. That was almost a month ago now. They¡¯d travelled the entire continent together. He patted Bronson and fed him a handful of carrots.


    ¡°Good boy, Bronson.¡± Jason said.


    Bronson huffed and nodded happily.


    Jason hugged Bronson and sobbed very quietly. He was mad at Stella. He was so upset by the betrayal. Jason had worked so hard his whole life, and finally it seemed like they would be together. Jason hated Aaron for ruining that. His heart was shattered. He hugged Bronson instead.


    Freya appeared behind him at the stalls. She was caring for her new horse when she overheard him crying.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, magic boy?¡± She asked gently. He thought about hiding the truth from her but he needed to be honest.¡±


    ¡°Stella kissed someone.¡± He said without looking. ¡°I just need some time.¡± He asked.


    ¡°Okay, I can give you some space.¡± Freya left. Now she was upset at Stella too.


    Freya walked out of the stables and then she was grabbed from behind. She panicked and pulled out her dagger but the assailant started to laugh. It was her father.


    The Elf man picked up Freya in a big hug.


    ¡°You thought you could escape me, huh?¡± Her father said.


    ¡°You brought the army?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes, we came to support the king.¡± The Elf King said. ¡°We are all in this together, little ladybug.¡± He said as he messed up her hair.


    ¡°I was on a scary adventure, dad.¡± She said as she walked away holding her father and started describing her journey north, fighting Giants, huge spiders and the terrifying villagers.


    Her father would interrupt to ask questions every now and then. Freya was sad that her father was here to fight with his army, but she was glad to be spending time with him.


    The forty ice mages, and the ballista the king built finally made her feel safe.

 Chapter Forty Five: The Lake

    Chapter Forty Five: The Lake


    Jason and the rest of the party rode towards Buttermilk. The ceremony had gone well, and Jason had seen Stella in the crowd with Aaron and his Family. She seemed very sad.


    Jason hugged his father and they¡¯d departed. They galloped the entire journey and made it to Buttermilk much quicker than Jason had ever travelled before. It only took half a day. All of the horses had been in a sprint. Jason rode into the town and saw the village thriving. The houses had been remade mostly, and the streets were filled with people. The only remains of the dragon''s attack were the ruined church and the burnt orchards.


    Jason smiled. The soldiers stopped for a brief rest. Jason walked into the town square and looked around. He saw Arkanon chatting to some locals and laughing. Jason smiled. That old skeleton king was an incredible addition to the morale of the community, Jason thought to himself.


    Jason was called back to the horses and they began riding south again.


    They made it a long way before nightfall. They found a beach next to a large lake and decided to make camp. Some of the soldiers cast fishing lines, and Jason started a fire.


    They ate salted beef, bread rolls and seared white fish from the lake. The night got late and the soldiers went to sleep. Jason stayed awake, staring out over the water.


    He was so upset with Stella. He thought about her and Aaron sharing a bed together and he clenched a fistful of sand and rocks. Freya came to speak to him.


    ¡°Jason.¡± She said,


    ¡°Yeah?¡± he said.


    She sat next to him and kissed him. He was surprised.


    She looked out over the lake and smiled.


    Jason moved her chin up and kissed her back. They made out for a while. The others slept.


    The crickets chirped as Jason and Freya got horny together. They decided to find some privacy and they ran to a nearby forest. They rounded a tree and Jason pushed her up against it. He picked her up and bit her lip. She reached down and rubbed his abs with her slender fingers. His hard dick pressed against her soft tender spots and she loved being there.


    Jason turned her around and pulled down her pants. Her underwear came next. He pulled down his own pants and pulled out his dick. He spat on his hand and wet his dick and pushed it inside her.


    She moaned as it slipped inside. He fucked her against the tree for a short while, taking her from behind. She would moan with every motion he made, though she tried to be quiet. He felt close to finishing, so he decided to edge himself, and he pulled out.


    He spat on his hand, and asked her for some spit too. She left a little pool of spit in his palm. He rubbed her vagina with his wet hand and finished taking off her pants. He took off his own pants and they went to the floor. Her bare ass felt cold on the rocky, sandy shoreline. Jason entered her in missionary and kissed her. They made passionate love by the glistening water. She felt his soft brown hair, and he admired her gorgeous facial features and elegant ears. Her pussy was wet, and she was so smooth. His large dick made her feel incredible as it hit the right spots. Her body was jiggling, her breasts and her round ass bounced with every stroke.


    Jason let himself finish inside of her and her vagina oozed his white, hot spray. She lay backwards, sweating everywhere.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Jason felt every emotion in the world as he finished. His horniness went away and he felt some regret, because he was still in love with Stella. He then looked at the actual royal person he was currently fucking. He pushed the thoughts of Stella from his mind and turned Freya over again. He admired her perfect ass and started fucking her from behind on the shore. She raised her ass up to his dick and smiled with devilish pleasure.


    In the morning. Freya and Jason woke up in the same tent. They exited their tents to see some of the soldiers were fishing. Jason yawned and looked at Freya. She was smiling too.  They shared a very secret look and then decided to get armoured up. They both put on their armour and their weapons. A few of the other knights were still waking up. Dominic, the cat, was sitting next to the fisherman, begging to be given a fish.


    ¡°Come on, man, you know you want to give me the next fish.¡± The Don said to the guard.


    ¡°The next fish, you say? And why would I give you that little buddy? All I¡¯ve caught this morning is some cow bones.¡± The guard said.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t call me ¡®little buddy¡¯, guy!¡± The cat snarled and quickly pawed at the man¡¯s shin.


    ¡°Alright, alright¡± The guard said. ¡°I¡¯ll catch you a fish, the next one I catch is all yours.¡±


    The man¡¯s rod started to yank out of his grasp.


    ¡°Holy shit.¡± The guard said, struggling to hold the rod. ¡°It¡¯s a big one.¡±


    The rod was ripped from his hands into the water. A massive wave started to appear and the surface of the lake showed a large shadowy serpent.


    A giant snake burst from the lake. It was huge. It was as tall as the church in buttermilk, and about as wide as a tree trunk. The snake snapped the rod in it¡¯s mouth, and the hook came free. Then it snapped forward and almost ate the knight.


    ¡°Snake!¡± Jason shouted, and everyone tried to think of what to do.


    The snake whipped out and swallowed the top half of one of the knights. One of the ice wizards tried to cast a spell on the lake, but he was the next one swallowed. Freya darted for a tree to hide behind, and the rest of the party did the same. The horses were spooked and ran back up the road, the way they had come. A few of the knights chased after them.


    Jason saw Ogden shooting fireballs from behind the tree and closed his eyes. He thought about fire. The fire they¡¯d made in the icy mountain cave. The fire that rained down from bandit arrows, setting his carriage on fire. The fire from the dragon that destroyed his village during the festival.


    Jason emerged from the tree, opened his eyes. His eyes were glowing bright white, and he had no pupils. He punched towards the centre of the lake. A massive fire blast emerged from his hand and sailed towards the dragon. Ogden¡¯s eyes grew wide as he saw the power of Jason¡¯s fireball. The ball collided with the water¡¯s surface, near the body of the snake, and then Jason saw a white light. He was knocked backwards and he passed out.


    A minute later Jason woke up. Everyone was standing over him. Their faces had been blackened by soot. Their clothes and hair were singed. They were also covered in a lot of blood. Jason thought he was dead.


    He sat up and saw what had happened. His fireball had almost drained the lake. A sizzling snake carcass lay before him in two pieces. The snake had been violently ripped apart by the explosion. The trees around the lake were burning lightly, and the ground was blackened.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could do that, magic boy.¡± Freya said with a wink. She helped him up.


    ¡°Jason, the Basilisk!¡± the knights started cheering! They had given him a fierce new name.


    The knights had returned with the horses and the party decided to head south quickly.


    They found a river and looked very carefully before they stepped inside and started washing the soot and serpent blood from their bodies.


    Jason and Freya shared a secret glance. She walked over to him while they were washing. When nobody was watching, she grabbed him by the dick and whispered in his ear. ¡°My basilisk.¡±


    He laughed and flicked some water at her with his fingers. He was falling in love. After washing themselves, everyone returned to the shore to air dry. One hour later they were all dressed and clean. They continued riding further south.

 Chapter Forty Six - Wrecked

    Chapter Forty Six - Wrecked


    The adventurers rode their horses south towards Port Anna. They were travelling along the main road. Jason started to smell smoke. Ahead, they could see plumes of black smoke coming from the direction of Port Anna. Jason picked up speed and galloped with Bronson the rest of the way.


    Jason arrived at the outskirts of the town and his fears were confirmed. The city was smouldering. The houses had been trampled underneath massive footprints. The city was covered in ash and soot. The ruined houses were smoking gently.  Small fires still burned in some areas of the town. Jason looked towards the docks and went pale.


    Every single ship had been sunk. They jutted out from the shallow water. Jason saw the king¡¯s barge broken in half. The front and back half were now diagonally sticking out of the water. Some boats were still on fire too, the planks and sails were gently burning slowly.


    Jason swore and kept looking for survivors.


    The rest of his party arrived and tied up the horses in the town square. A few hours passed and Jason and his friends had extracted a few survivors.


    The frost wizard used his magic to put out any remaining fires on the land.


    After saving everyone they could, the ice mage opened the portal home. The refugees and the knights, and Jason, went inside to deliver the bad news.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Jason arrived in the flower garden, he walked Bronson through the portal. He then mounted Bronson and trotted quickly into town. He dismounted his horse outside the king¡¯s manor and the guards let him inside.


    ¡°Lord Jason, has my boat arrived?¡± The King asked.


    ¡°The dragon has razed Port Anna to the ground. No ship remains.¡± Jason said sadly. The king thought for a moment.


    ¡°That was a really expensive boat.¡± The king said angrily. ¡°Can it be salvaged?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, my liege.¡± Jason said, ¡°It was in two different pieces.¡± The king then looked at a painting on his wall. There was a giant sailing ship there, with a large gold ramming cap on the front of the ship. The king pondered.


    ¡°One hundred years ago, my grandfather owned this ship. The Admiral.¡± The king explained. ¡°He loved this vessel so much he had it sunk when he died. It was part of his legacy, and he didn¡¯t want it to be sunk in battle. It should be in one piece at the bottom of Horseshoe Lake.¡±


    ¡°The lake in Buttermilk?¡± Jason asked. He had been fishing at Horseshoe Lake since he was a child.


    ¡°It is an old family secret.¡± The king said slowly. ¡°I am going to lift the ship from the lake and we shall use it instead. Thank you Jason, that will be all.¡± The king said.

 Chapter Forty Seven - Forced Alliances

    Chapter Forty Seven - Forced Alliances


    It was midnight when the king walked out of his manor. He took the back door. He was wearing a cloak covering his head. He walked to the castle gates and got onto a large black horse. He rode towards the woods.


    He arrived at a small clearing in the forest. He met with one of the ice mages there. The Ice mage opened a portal and the king and the mage stepped inside.


    The king had appeared at the edge of Batuuk¡¯s camp. Everyone inside was sleeping, or distracted by the fires. The king had come through the portal right next to Batuuk¡¯s hut.


    He gently walked to the bandit king¡¯s room. The king saw Batuuk sleeping alone under some furs. He pulled out his ornate, golden sword and aimed the blade at Batuuk¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Orc!¡± The King shouted.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Batuuk opened his eyes. The king allowed Batuuk to sit up.


    ¡°I should have seen that coming.¡± Batuuk said, laughing.


    ¡°Bring your armies to my gates. But do it as my ally. I dont have time for this fucking shit. I was face to face with a dragon the size of a mountain. Arcadia has bigger problems than a stupid fucking Orc! Either you fight beside me, or I will have you assassinated tomorrow.¡± The king snarled. He spat on Batuuks floor. The ice wizard walked into the room holding his axe. The king lowered his sword and walked over to Batuuk¡¯s table. He picked up an apple and the ice mage opened a portal to the castle of flowers. The king took a bite of the apple and smiled menacingly at Batuuk, then he stepped through the portal. The ice mage followed.


    Batuuk clutched his intact throat and stared at the wall where the portal had just been. He clenched his fists in rage and threw a dagger from under his pillow right where the portal was. He got out of bed and flipped his table. All of his food fell to the floor. He walked out of his tent to wake up his troops.

 Chapter Forty Eight - The Admiral

    Chapter Forty Eight - The Admiral


    The king stood at Horseshoe lake with the legion of Ice Mages. A fisherman stood on the docks, confused about the stampede of horses and the commotion. The king asked to borrow the fisherman¡¯s wooden dinghy and the fisherman politely bowed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a luxury barge, but anything for you, my king.¡± The fisherman said, tipping his cap.


    The king got into the boat and two ice mages rowed alongside him. The king was looking into the murky water.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see anything.¡± He said to the ice mages. The water was too cloudy. He had an idea. Without telling anyone, he grabbed the anchor and held it to his chest. Then he held his breath and jumped into the cold water.


    The king sank to the bottom of the lake. His ears adjusted to the pressure. He opened his eyes and saw nothing but rocks and seaweed. A few fish floated around him, curiously looking at him. The king let go of the anchor and pushed off the bottom of the lake. He came to the top and the ice wizards looked at him.


    ¡°Did you see it?¡± One of them asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not down here. Pull up the anchor and let''s try the other side of the lake.¡± The king said, gasping for breath. The king looked around the lake in different places. Eventually, on his fourth dive down, he came face to face with the ship¡¯s mast, and then he landed on the ship¡¯s deck. It was buried in the sludge at the bottom of the lake. The king dropped the anchor and rose to the top. He was cold and wet, but there was a big smile on his face.


    ¡°I found it.¡± The king said. ¡°We could drain the lake, but that could take weeks. I have a better idea.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    A few minutes later the king was treading water beside the ice wizards. They were all splashing around, some of them were happy to be swimming. It was a beautiful day.


    The king dove to the seafloor and the wizards followed. The king showed the wreck and gestured with his hands. The wizards created a massive portal by working together. It opened beneath the sand. The sand, the ship and a massive amount of water started to fall through the portal.


    Meanwhile in the Castle of Flowers, a large portal opened above the town square. Water, sand, mud and the large ship came falling through. The town square was drenched. The portal created a whirlpool in the lake and the mages and the king were sucked inside. They fell onto the ship, and were caught by the ship¡¯s railings. Water quickly started to flood the street. The portal overhead closed, and the water barrage stopped. The king sat in the middle of the town square absolutely soaked. The mages were splayed out across the courtyard, gasping for air.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do that again!¡± one of the mages yelled, a smile appeared on the king¡¯s face.


    The king got off the ship and walked a few metres away. He admired the ship.


    It was still in one piece. It was leaking water slowly from some small cracks in the hull. The ship was beautiful. It was definitely something to be proud of. The ship¡¯s front was decorated with a large ram. It was made out of ornate metalwork.


    ¡°The Admiral,¡± the king muttered to himself. It was surreal seeing it in the flesh. All he¡¯d ever seen was the painting. It was a truly beautiful ship.


    The wood had started to decay in some locations, and seaweed, and algae covered half of the ship. The king simply sat on a bench nearby and admired the scene.


    The town square soon became filled with curious villagers and guards.


    The king smiled. The Admiral was his ship now.

 Chapter Forty Nine - The Human Man

    Chapter Forty Nine - The Human Man


    Dominic sat on Nate¡¯s couch next to Rodon and Barraud. They were watching a play on the Scrying Orb. An elf girl was currently doing ballet while she fought against a man dressed like a vampire. It was a low-quality production.


    ¡°This actor sucks.¡± The Don shouted.


    ¡°Oh no, don¡¯t bite her!¡± Barraud shouted at the scrying orb as the vampire tried to bite his victim.


    Nathaniel entered through the front door carrying a very large bag of ingredients. Dominic got up from the couch and hopped onto the dining table.


    ¡°Alright, did you get everything?¡± The Don asked.


    ¡°I got everything on this list I could find.¡± Nathaniel shared. ¡°The only thing I couldn¡¯t find was the striped bone-fang venom. We might have to go hunt some snakes.¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡± Dominic cursed. ¡°They don¡¯t have any snake shops around here do they?¡±


    ¡°They sell some snakes in the shop upstairs, but they don¡¯t sell any striped bone-fangs.¡± Nathaniel said. ¡°Bone fangs are only found in the south ocean. We would have to travel to Port Anna and go for a swim.¡±


    ¡°Well, can we do that?¡± The Don asked Nathaniel. Nathaniel looked at the small cat. He was helpless.


    ¡°Yeah, sure. I can help you.¡± Nathaniel said, begrudgingly. He felt good helping.


    The cat walked to the front door and started scratching at it. Nathaniel laughed softly and opened the door. They both walked outside.


    The Don led Nathaniel to the stables, and the cat pounced onto a horse¡¯s saddle.


    ¡°Ready to go when you are, big boss.¡± The Don said.


    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s go.¡± Nathaniel said, as he mounted the horse. He put the cat in his lap and it sank its claws into the leather saddle.


    Nathaniel and The Don started riding out of the castle.


    Two days later, they arrived in Port Anna. Nathaniel and the Don walked through the abandoned village. The townspeople had decided to flee instead of rebuild.


    They walked through the quiet town and Nathaniel saw a canoe upside down on the beach. It was tied to a dock by a rope. Nathaniel found some oars on another boat that was splintered and crushed. He put the oars in the boat with the cat and started to row beyond the shore. The waves were quiet and soft, so Nathaniel didn¡¯t have much trouble getting out to a reef.


    ¡°Now what?¡± The Don asked. Nathaniel lowered the anchor and pulled out a fishing rod from his bag of holding. He attached a worm to it and cast out his line.


    ¡°Now we stay here until we catch a Striped Bone-Fang.¡± Nathaniel leaned against the side of the boat and relaxed.


    ¡°Bother.¡± The cat said.


    Several hours passed. Nate caught a few tropical fish, which he turned into more bait by cutting them up. Finally Nathaniel pulled up a striped sea serpent and he grabbed it by the neck. He put the snake¡¯s mouth against an empty glass jar. The top of the jar was sealed by a thin piece of wax paper tied by string. The necromancer grabbed the snake¡¯s head and made the fangs stab into the parchment on the top of the Jar. The venom leaked from the fangs into the jar. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Dominic looked at the snake venom in disgust. It was a combination of purple and blue. The striped serpent had begun to coil around Nathaniel¡¯s arm. Nathaniel was fine though, he knew how to handle snakes. After the venom stopped being produced Nathaniel simply uncoiled the snake and tossed it twenty metres away from the boat. It hit the water with a satisfying whack and swam under the water. The snake was very thankful to be back in the ocean.


    Nathaniel took out a jar lid from his bag and re-sealed the jar. He shook the jar in Dominic¡¯s face and then put it into his bag of holding. He picked up the anchor and started to row the boat to shore.


    Nathaniel and the Don galloped into the Castle a few days later. The cat was singing on his perch on the saddle.


    ¡°My lady is a devil,


    She tastes like fire and metal!¡±


    The villagers looked at the smiling necromancer and the singing cat with weird smiles. It was an unusual combination. Nathaniel rushed inside his home and started to brew a potion.


    The cat paced nervously on the table as Nathaniel worked.


    The cat fell asleep and was woken rudely a short while later by a pat on the head. Nathaniel had finished the potion. He showed a bubbling vial of purple drink to the cat.


    ¡°It¡¯s finished?¡± Dominic asked, he looked at his two front paws like they were his hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s finished.¡± Nathaniel looked very proud of himself. He poured the fluid into a bowl and the cat started to drink. It cleaned the bowl and started licking the edges.


    The cat soon grew drowsy and fell asleep. The Don awoke moments later with a splitting headache.


    He opened his eyes and looked at his body. He saw human hands and human feet. His torso was full of abs and he had a very muscular chest. He was completely naked.


    Dominic jumped to his feet, feely a bit woozy, and he hugged Nathaniel tight.


    ¡°Dude! I¡¯m a Human again!¡± Dominic shouted. A few tears fell from his eyes.


    ¡°Bro, you are fully naked.¡± Nate said, patting the naked, handsome Dominic on the back.


    ¡°I owe you my life, dude.¡± Dominic said, hugging Nate even closer. Nathaniel blushed.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s okay.¡± Nathaniel said gingerly. Nathaniel handed him a pair of black pants and a dark wool shirt.


    Dominic was a handsome tall man, about thirty years old. He was quite muscular and tan. He had piercing eyes and the face of a prince. Light stubble adorned his face and his hair was shoulder-length and perfectly wavy. He put on some pants, but skipped the shirt, and then walked out the front door. He spread his arms wide and shouted.


    ¡°Hello world, it¡¯s me again!¡± He then started walking out. ¡°And hello, ladies.¡± he said as some maidens walking past caught sight of the Adonis walking past them with rippling muscles. The girls all blushed. The Don left to go explore the city with his human eyes.


    Nathaniel paused for a moment and then decided to follow and he quickly caught up with him. Dominic was already talking to some girls on a bench just around the corner. The girls were around the same age as them.


    ¡°...And this stud! I can¡¯t forget Lord Nathaniel. Come over here and meet Wendy and Caitlyn.¡± Dominic said as he gestured for Nathaniel to approach. Nathaniel shook their hands and Caitlyn checked him out.


    ¡°Nice tattoos,¡± Caitlyn said to Nate, he blushed.


    ¡°Thanks, I like yours too.¡± he said, and pointed to the roses she had inked on her arm.


    This made her smile.


    ¡°Would you ladies like to go drinking with some real Lords?¡± Dominic said with a sly smile, he put his arm around Nathaniel and winked at the ladies.


    Nathaniel, The Don and the two girls sat in a tavern booth giggling as they talked about their adventures. They were sipping on jugs of ale and Caitlyn kept staring at Nate seductively.


    Nathaniel couldn¡¯t stop himself from smiling. ¡®Fuck yeah¡¯, he thought to himself. Everyone at the table was joking with each other.


    ¡°You were a fucking cat.¡± Nathaniel said drunkenly, the whole table erupted into laughter. The Don kept smacking his palm against the table trying to stop laughing.

 Chapter Fifty - The Fire Mage

    Chapter Fifty - The Fire Mage


    Jason and Freya were sleeping in his bed. He woke up and smiled wide. He was so happy. She was feisty and she made jokes with him all the time. Freya was also incredibly beautiful.


    She was snoring a lot though. Jason laughed at his drooling new girlfriend and got out of bed. He kissed her on the cheek, got dressed and went to make some tea. He sat outside the front door on a bench as the morning sun rose. Ogden walked up to him.


    ¡°The power running through you is very strong, Jason.¡± The old man said. ¡°I was wondering if you had time today to learn some magic.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Of course! And then I can make you a sword at the blacksmith here, in the Castle of Flowers.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to craft me a sword, It would just be an honour to train with you.¡± Ogden said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go now.¡± Jason said. He tipped his tea into the bushes nearby and placed the cup on his chair.


    They walked to the outer gate and out into the flower meadows. They walked a little bit into the forest and Ogden started to teach.


    ¡°The Fireball spell is guaranteed to work if you can hold a strong vision of fire. The stronger you imagine the fire, the stronger your fire blast will be.¡± Ogden said. ¡°Now try on that stump.¡± Ogden pointed to a tree stump in the middle of a rocky clearing.


    Jason imagined the dragon¡¯s fire and punched. A fireball came from his hand and the tree stump exploded.


    ¡°Perfect!¡± Ogden said. He extinguished the fire with a wave of his hand. It was as if he blew out the flame like a candle.


    ¡°A second spell I must teach you.¡±Ogden said and he pulled out his sword. ¡°Similar to the first spell, you must imagine a great fire, and then you slash with your blade. Like this.¡±


    Ogden sliced through the air and Jason was amazed to see a beam of light flash forward. The beam of light followed the stroke of the blade, except it moved like a projectile. The light moved like a bullet, and it sliced a tree diagonally. The tree gently slid down on an angle and impaled itself in the ground. Jason¡¯s jaw dropped open.


    ¡°You just cut that tree in half!¡± Jason said excitedly.


    ¡°Yes, fire magic is pretty cool, young Lord.¡± Ogden said. ¡°Now you try.¡±


    Jason tried several times but could not manage to swing a beam of light forth from his blade. Ogden kept pushing him to keep it up.


    Jason closed his eyes and thought of Freya. He sliced with his blade and a beam of light shot forth. He sliced a tree in half, the same way that Ogden had done so. Suddenly Jason felt quite tired.


    ¡°I did it!¡± he shouted. Ogden smiled.


    ¡°One more then, young Jason.¡± Ogden said. He clasped his hands together and rubbed them, then he opened his hands, as if he was holding an invisible orb. A small fireball grew in his hands. Occasionally the fire would glow bright red, or sometimes pink.


    ¡°This is an eternal flame, Jason.¡± Ogden said slowly. ¡°This is a fire that will never die. Not unless I say so. It can glow underwater, in the freezing snow, in the darkest caves or the highest peaks. It requires no fuel, only a vessel to hold it. A lantern, or a candle.¡±


    Jason was mesmerised by the fire. Something seemed very different about this particular flame.


    Ogden smiled. ¡°I won¡¯t force you to make one of these. It shortens the lifespan of a mage to conjure this spell.¡± Ogden pushed the flame inside his body and Jason watched as Ogden¡¯s heart glowed and then went back to normal.


    ¡°You can conjure an eternal flame from your heart.¡± Ogden said. ¡°You must think of someone you love.¡± Ogden blushed. ¡°I think of my wife, Lola. She was¡­ Incredible.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ogden.¡± Jason said. ¡°Seriously, thank you. I promise I will make you a sword. Although I cannot promise it will be a flaming one.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, young Jason.¡± The mage said. ¡°You surprised me with that fireball. I didn¡¯t know¡­¡± Ogden thought. ¡°I didn¡¯t know they could be so powerful.¡±


    Jason blushed. He was proud of his magic, even though he wasn¡¯t exactly sure on how to conjure it on command. Jason and the Old Mage walked back to the castle, and Jason waved goodbye as they reached Rodrick¡¯s home.


    Jason stepped inside and was surprised to see Stella sitting on the couch. Rodrick was sitting at the dining table looking amused. Rodrick pointed to Stella quietly.


    ¡°Stella,¡± Jason spoke.


    ¡°Jason, I¡­¡± Stella said, she was flustered.


    ¡°Stella,¡± Freya said, nodding at the girl as she walked out from Jason¡¯s bedroom.


    ¡°Freya?¡± Stella said in an accusatory tone.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Stella.¡± Jason said firmly. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Can we talk, Jason?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Come outside, we can talk there.¡±


    ¡°Okay.


    Jason and Stella stood outside Rodrick¡¯s front door.


    ¡°I caught Aaron sleeping with someone else,¡± she said, and she buried her face into his chest.


    ¡°I told you he was like that, Stella. I told you that two years ago.¡± Jason said firmly.


    ¡°I thought he changed.¡± She sobbed.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t my problem anymore, Stella.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have anybody!¡± She screamed. ¡°I lost my family and my dogs and my house and my friends.¡±


    ¡°You had me,¡± Jason said coldly.


    ¡°I know,¡± She wailed. ¡°I know. I want you back.¡± She cried but Jason just sighed. He did not hug her back.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take my house in Buttermilk. I¡¯ve had the villagers rebuild me a house. You can go live there and you might meet someone from town. You can leave here.¡± He said. He still loved her.


    ¡°Will you come with me?¡± She begged, sobbing.


    ¡°No, Stella.¡± Jason said. He grit his teeth. ¡°I live here now. The king has given me some land and a title. I am a lord. Why couldn¡¯t you have waited for me to be a lord? Instead you¡¯re the girlfriend of a rotten chicken baron.¡± Jason said angrily. ¡°He was courting every single girl in Buttermilk, I told you that!¡±


    ¡°Jason!¡± She wailed.


    ¡°Stella. Stop. Please.¡± Jason asked.


    It was intoxicating having his dream girl fawn over him so much. He was tempted to take her back. He still really loved Stella, but Freya was just inside, listening to every word. He¡¯d lost his virginity to the Elf Princess, but Stella was just the daughter of a cow farmer.


    Jason felt bad for Stella, but he felt she got what she deserved. He removed himself from her embrace and went inside. He shut the door gently.


    Stella started to cry quietly as she walked back to Aaron¡¯s house.


    Later that night, as Jason and Stella walked to the tavern, he saw Stella getting onto a horse to ride to Buttermilk. Aaron was trying to convince her to stay but her face was furious. She kicked the horse and galloped into the night.


    Jason was worried about bandits on the road.


    He walked into the tavern with his friends and sat down.


    ¡°Hey guys, I¡¯m not in the best mood for tonight. I think I might go home and sleep.¡± He said. The table of adventurers bullied him for being soft.


    ¡°Do you want me to come with you?¡± Freya asked Jason.


    ¡°Not right now.¡± Jason said quietly. He left the table and walked outside. He sprinted to the stables and found Bronson eating hay. He put on his saddle and mounted up. He galloped out of the gates towards Buttermilk.


    After twenty minutes he saw Stella on the road ahead. She was holding a lantern and riding fast. He raced after her but she was quite far ahead. He called out.


    ¡°Stella!¡± He shouted.


    She couldn¡¯t hear, and she didn¡¯t stop. Jason rode faster. Eventually he got close enough to shout and he called her name again.


    She stopped and turned around. She saw Jason galloping towards her and she smiled.


    Jason arrived with his horse and pulled it alongside Stella¡¯s. She jumped from her saddle onto the front of Jason¡¯s. She kissed him passionately and wrapped her arms around him.


    He kissed her back slowly, and they kept trotting towards the town. Her horse was walking closely behind.


    ¡°Stop.¡± He said, after a minute of making out with stella. She started kissing his neck. He grabbed her body to push her away, but instead he started feeling her breasts. She moaned softly and moved her vagina closer to him. He stopped the horse and got off. Stella looked horny on the saddle.


    ¡°Come back,¡± she said.


    ¡°Stop, Stella.¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m with someone else.¡±


    ¡°Freya.¡± She snarled. ¡°That fucking dumb bitch elf. Sorry my ears aren¡¯t pointy and my face isn¡¯t carved from marble.¡± She put her hand over her lips and started crying. ¡°Sorry, Jason.¡±


    Stella stopped shouting and calmed down. She got down off the horse and got back onto hers. Jason got onto the back of Bronson and started riding slowly. They walked in silence down the night path. Jason would have been scared of bandits a few months ago, but with his experience fighting, he felt sure he could protect them both.


    They made it into town with no trouble. Jason and Stella arrived near midnight. Jason walked to his new home, lovingly crafted by the villagers for free. He opened the door and saw the new furniture had been put into one corner of the room. It was a downgrade of his previous home and furniture. It was a simple home with a small bathroom and a fireplace. No frills.


    He pushed a bed into a different corner, set up the bedside tables and unpacked the crates of blankets and cooking utensils. Then he moved the dining table out of the corner and started a fire.


    He tucked Stella into bed and sat on the side of the bed. Stella felt warm inside, and she felt happy that Jason had come. Stella got excited.


    Jason watched as Stella undressed for him. He looked down at her breasts. They were perfectly bouncy and round. She had soft pink nipples. She wiggled her shoulders softly and her tits bounced from side to side. Jason leaned over and started kissing her.


    Stella undid his pants. Jason took off her dress completely.


    The sun came up and their bed was soaked with sweat.


    Jason felt sinful. He had betrayed Freya, he also felt glad that Stella and him finally made love. It was the best day of his life, he thought to himself, honestly.


    Jason woke up and grabbed the naked Stella¡¯s boobs. She was surprised by how forward he was. Jason made breakfast and they ate it while naked. Jason would tell Stella some stories about the road, and he would get distracted by her tits when she was laughing at him.


    ¡°Oh boy,¡± He thought to himself. ¡°What the fuck did I just do?¡± He decided to leave.

 Chapter Fifty One: The Architect

    Chapter Fifty One: The Architect


    The king sat in his manor, reading about dragons. A guard approached him with a message. The king got up from his chair and went to the front door. He opened it and was greeted by a very wounded, battered and unshaven Lord Redran.


    The king embraced his friend in a hug even though Redran winced due to his injuries.


    ¡°So you thought you could fly, hey?¡± The king joked with the writer.


    ¡°I¡¯ve fallen off too many cliffs this year.¡± Redran said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Have you seen my ballistas?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve built a lot of them. I could hardly recognise the landscape, so many fallen trees.¡±


    ¡°I am going to make the dragon bleed.¡± The king said.


    ¡°I surely hope so.¡± Redran said, ¡°And the ice mages? I found their temple abandoned. It took me weeks to travel back here.¡±


    ¡°The ice mages deserted their temple. They informed me of a parasitic worm that transformed the villagers nearby into horrifying beasts. They opened a portal and all travelled here.¡± Redran relaxed as soon as he heard this.


    ¡°I thought everyone else had perished. I couldn¡¯t see any footprints leading home.¡± Redran said. His mood got better. ¡°Give me a few weeks to recover, and then you will have my full service again, your highness. I plan to return to my manor in Buttermilk. I am leaving the castle in a few days.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°I am surprised you did not immediately head home and do that.¡± The king said bluntly. ¡°I am glad you are alive though.¡± The king smiled. ¡°Someone has to write a book about this.¡±


    Redran laughed and turned to leave.


    ¡°I shall see you soon.¡± Redran said slowly. He left through the door.


    In the street, he transformed into a wolf and started to sprint to his old temporary quarters inside the ruins of the castle.


    Nathaniel was surprised as the wolf galloped past him. ¡°Redran?¡± Nathaniel whispered to himself. Nate continued walking back to his house. He sat down at the dinner table and Barraud set out two plates of roast chicken breast and potatoes.


    ¡°I can¡¯t taste it anyways, but It¡¯s my favourite recipe.¡± Barraud explained. ¡°Let me know what you think.¡±


    Nathaniel took a bite and was blown away. The chicken was seasoned very nicely.


    ¡°I was speaking to some people from the castle today. After they got past the whole ¡®skeleton¡¯ thing, I was able to show them some of my new drawings.¡± Barraud showed Nathaniel some pictures he had sketched.


    Barraud had redesigned the castle of flowers. Each of the houses were redesigned as well. The homes were intricate and beautiful. Barraud was truly a master of his craft.


    ¡°These are incredible, Barraud.¡± Nathaniel said with glee.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s how I got a job.¡± Barraud said smartly.


    ¡°You got a job?¡± Nathaniel cheered. ¡°Did you hear that, Brutus?¡±


    ¡°Bite me, you¡¯re not my dad.¡± Brutus snapped back. He was watching the Scrying Orb, sitting on the couch.


    ¡°I¡¯m proud of you Barraud,¡± Nathaniel said. ¡°And a month ago you were a pile of bones hanging out with spiders.¡±


    Barraud smiled and happily finished fake eating his chicken.

 Chapter Fifty Two: The Castle of Towers

    Chapter Fifty Two: The Castle of Towers


    Jason returned to the Castle of Flowers with Bronson. He¡¯d left Stella in Buttermilk at his cabin. He¡¯d given her the home.


    Jason realised the castle had changed so much. The flower fields were mostly trampled. The forests around the castle had changed completely. There were now acres of tree stumps instead of lush forest.


    Jason looked up at the castle walls and saw large sharpened posts lining the tops of the walls. Anti-dragon architecture. The main keep lay in disrepair, the king did not bother with it, he focused all of the builder¡¯s attention on the Ballista towers. Almost one hundred of the towers surrounded the castle. More and more were being built each day.


    The Castle Of Flowers was now an ugly city. The beauty from before had been lost as the priorities of the townspeople changed. The flower fields, the namesake of the castle, were muddy and forgotten.


    Jason thought about how he had changed.


    He had turned from a simple blacksmith to a soldier. He could shoot fire from his hands. He had been knighted by the king. He¡¯d met a talking shark, and fought insane monsters. His town had been flattened by a dragon and then rebuilt. It really had been an interesting couple of months.


    Jason decided to hide the truth from Freya. He decided to leave Stella behind. He felt conflicted, but he couldn¡¯t tell her. Jason didn¡¯t want to get turned into a cat like The Don. He wondered how she would react if she found out.


    Jason walked through the town and saw his friends sitting in the town square. They were sitting on some benches, admiring the massive ship that was parked in the centre of the square. Some men were repairing it, and making it seaworthy again.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Nathaniel was talking to a tall, handsome man. Jason walked over and said hello.


    ¡°Jason!¡± Dominic shouted. He pulled Jason into a quick hug.


    ¡°Hey, do I know you?¡± Jason asked the friendly man.


    ¡°Of course you know me.¡± Dominic laughed. ¡°Paws of fury.¡±


    ¡°The Don!¡± Jason looked up and down at the man and realised he¡¯d been magically transformed.


    ¡°Damn dude, It¡¯s good to see you.¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I would have never made it without you guys,¡± Dom said. ¡°I will always be grateful. Now we just need to find a potion to turn Sharky here into a human too.¡±


    ¡°No way, I am too handsome!¡± Sharky shouted defensively.


    ¡°Okay, sharky, okay.¡± Dom said playfully. The group laughed.


    ¡°So should we come up with a name for our team?¡± Jason asked?


    He looked around at Freya, Nate, Dom, Sharky, Ogden and the Samurai.


    ¡°I was thinking about calling you the Dragons of Arcadia, it seems like it would fit nicely into my next book.¡± A stranger said. Jason turned behind him and saw Lord Redran standing there.


    ¡°Redran!¡± The party shouted together.


    ¡°Hello everyone.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I survived the fall. I went looking for you at the temple, but you had all gone. I¡¯ve been walking back slowly since then.¡±


    ¡°Did you land on the?-...¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°-...I landed on the polar bear.¡± Redran said, cutting him off. ¡°Poor creature. It was in a lot of pain before we arrived. That parasite is unlike anything I¡¯ve ever seen. That polar bear, and all of those villagers must have been in excruciating pain. I am glad we were able to survive.¡±


    ¡°Have you got any orders for us? Are you still General?¡± Ogden asked Redran.


    ¡°Right now, I¡¯m just a guy looking for a couple of beers.¡± Redran said as a grin spread over his face. This brought a cheer from the group.

 Chapter Fifty Three - The Orc King

    Chapter Fifty Three - The Orc King


    Batuuk and his army walked slowly to the castle. Batuuk walked his army past some lumberjacks. They dropped their axes and ran into the forest to hide. Some scouts on the walls saw the army approaching and raised the attention of the guards.


    Nathaniel and Jason were buying a round of drinks at the bar, when some guards rushed in and called everyone to defend the castle.


    Everyone ran home to put on their armour. They assembled on the inside of the front gates. The king was there, dressed in fine gold and silver armour. He rode on a massive war horse, armoured in a similar way. He wore a beautiful golden sword on his hip. Jason admired the sword. It was the most beautiful blade he¡¯d ever seen. A large ruby was buried in the pommel of the sword that caught the sunlight, and glittered in the rays.


    Batuuk and his army approached the outskirts of the castle and they started to make camp. The guards were confused as the bandits started unpacking and setting up tents on top of the trampled flower gardens.


    A guard whispered to the king.


    Batuuk waited in front of the castle gates. A throne made of deer bones, cow skulls and antlers was placed in the middle of the road. Batuuk took a seat and he waited. Twenty five bandits emerged from the army carrying boars on sticks. The king had climbed to the walls above the gatehouse.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°Young King.¡± Batuuk shouted. ¡°We shall kill this dragon together. We will share in the victory. We can be allies, until the dragon is slain. I have brought fifteen of the biggest boars in the south as a gift.¡± Batuuk paused. ¡°I await your gifts in return.¡±


    The king was wary of a trap, but he did not want all of his citizens to die tonight. The king came up with a bizarre idea.


    He whispered to a guard nearby.


    ¡°Bring fifteen barrels of Ale.¡± The King said quietly.


    ¡°Yes, your highness, at once.¡± The knight said, and started to leave. The king grabbed his arm.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give them the good beer.¡± He added. The knight laughed and then started to find some men to help him carry the casks.


    ¡°Batuuk!¡± The king shouted. ¡°Welcome to the neighbourhood. Don¡¯t step on my fucking flowers.¡±


    The king left the wall and went back into his manor. Everyone stayed alert. Preparing for the bandits to attack.


    Some soldiers rolled some barrels of ale to the gates. They met the bandits at the gate carrying boars. They made a trade and Batuuk smiled. He ripped open a cask with his hands and drank from it like it was a bucket.


    The boars were taken into the main square, and then cooked on some freshly made firepits. They were tested for poison, or enchantments, but they were just boars. The entire city feasted on boars and drank like lords. The bandits drank and partied outside the walls, and made their new homes more permanent.

 Chapter Fifty Four - The Reunion

    Chapter Fifty Four - The Reunion


    Redran was riding a horse towards the town of Buttermilk. He was still sore and bruised from his injuries. The trip was short, compared to his long journey north. He arrived at the outskirts of the small town at sunset.


    Redran found the path that led to his manor home and noticed it showed signs of more use. He was curious.


    Redran arrived at the walls of his home and was skeptical to see his gate unlocked. He wandered inside the gates and saw an old work horse munching on his hedges. He raised an eyebrow and got off his horse. The horses said hello to each other by huffing, and Redran¡¯s new horse started to eat from the gardens too.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Redran put his hand on his sword and wandered to the front door. He knocked and the door swung open. Arkanon, the skeleton king, was dressed in a white button up shirt and some black pants.


    Redran saw his friend and was surprised when the Skeleton king cheered and lifted him up in a big hug.


    ¡°You stupid, stupid, dog,¡± Arkanon said happily. ¡°I thought the dragon killed you!¡± Arkanon said happily.


    ¡°That was a long time ago, friend. I have much to tell you.¡± Redran said, as the breath was squeezed from him.


    Arkanon let go of his friend and pointed to the garden.


    ¡°Your garden was overgrown so I hired some help.¡± Arkanon said, pointing to Bentley, who had grown much fatter. Redran laughed, and went inside to catch up with his old friend.

 Chapter Fifty Five: Jason and Stella

    Chapter Fifty Five: Jason and Stella


    Six Months Later


    Catapults rolled gently across the flower fields as men were trained to push them and turn them. The flowers were now a forgotten memory. The trees around the castle had all been cut down for miles around. Ballista Tower ammunition was being stored outside the walls in large piles.


    The king had sent more knights on a quest to retrieve an army of Time Sorcerers. The wizards were practising with crossbow bolts, learning how to hyper-accelerate them into a target. Some of the wizards were able to split boulders with a single accelerated crossbow bolt. They started to train with the ballistas too, the tree trunks were able to soar through the air with frightening speed.


    The king held weekly meetings with his commanders, the leader of the Frost wizards, The King of the Elves, Arkanon The Skeleton King, Batuuk the King of Bandits, Lord Redran and the leader of the time mages.


    The king and his commanders were talking around a small scale diorama of the kingdom. The king had hired two artists, Emil and Lukas, who were sculpting and painting ornaments from clay. The king¡¯s clay figure was suspiciously buff. Batuuk thought his miniature was some type of witchcraft, and he had managed to steal his small scale figure almost weekly. The orc quickly snuck this week¡¯s Batuuk into his leather bag. Lukas watched him do it and sighed deeply, but he knew better than to pick a fight with the giant green orc.


    Batuuk had made very helpful contributions to these meetings. He had brought catapult blueprints and Orcish warfare strategies with him. The castle now showed a lot of orcish architecture. Large metal spikes adorned the rooftops and the walls now. The towers were also spiked. The bandits and villagers grew to have some peace with each other. Most of the bandits came from Buttermilk and the Castle of Flowers to begin with. The bandits still lived outside, as the trust they¡¯d broken was hard to regain.


    Jason lived in the Castle at his own manor house. He had grown very close to Freya. They woke up next to each other every day. She trained him, and taught him to be better at his magic. He could conjure a fireball every time.


    Nathaniel moved into a separate manor with the rest of the adventurers. He had returned to his normal job reviving the dead for odd purposes. Dominic had helped him to come out of his shell, and be more social.


    Jason was wandering the busy castle streets one day when he caught a glimpse of a beautiful blonde girl. It was Stella.


    Jason froze. It had been six months since he¡¯d left her. He decided to go and talk to her.


    ¡°Jason, I''m living in the castle as an archer. I¡¯ve practised a lot.¡± Stella spoke nervously. Her eyelashes batted as she saw him. She still loved him.


    ¡°That''s great, I¡¯m proud of you.¡± He said softly.


    ¡°I miss you, Jason.¡± She said, grabbing his arm.


    ¡°I miss you too, Stella.¡± Jason replied. Despite his adventures and new wealth, he still remembered the farm girl¡¯s warmth.


    ¡°Are you seeing anybody?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m¡­¡±


    ¡°-...Still with Freya?¡± She finished his sentence for him.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He said with a soft smile. Stella was wounded by this. She looked at the ground.


    ¡°Ok.¡± She said as she lowered her eyes and started to walk past him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you around, Stella.¡± He said. She didn¡¯t respond, just walked away.


    This hurt Jason. Deep down he still loved her. She was his first love. He thought about the moment they kissed in the crowd at the festival. She¡¯d truly broken his heart. He was glad he¡¯d ended up with the Elf Princess.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Jason went to his home and sat on the couch. He sat down and watched a gladiator fight on the scrying orb. A tall, muscular man with a spear was fighting a lion in a stadium.


    The man stabbed the lion as it jumped at him.


    Freya emerged from Jason¡¯s bedroom and sat on the couch next to Jason. She put her head on his shoulder.


    The gladiator killed the lion.


    ¡°I will live forever," the gladiator shouted at the crowd. ¡°Not even old age will kill me.¡±


    Freya thought about that phrase out of context. She was almost immortal too.


    The man on the scrying orb was then shocked to see the gates to the arena open, and an elephant with bronze-capped tusks emerged


    Jason, Rodrick and Freya laughed as the man started to climb different obstacles. The beast would destroy them and chase him around the screen. The muscular man screamed like a child. He was able to evade the elephant though. Eventually the man surrendered by waving a white cloth and some guards rushed to shepherd the elephant back into the arena cages.


    The gladiator did not win any money and the show ended shortly after.


    Jason and Freya decided to go for a walk along the castle walls.


    ¡°So Freya, do you remember when we met?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I had just been attacked by Giants, and you fixed some arrows for me.¡± She said, laughing.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off you,¡± he said. He grabbed Freya by the hand and knelt down onto one knee. ¡°I was wondering if you would stay by my side forever.¡± Jason pulled out a ring and showed her. It was a gold ring, with a large clear diamond nestled on the top.


    Freya was caught off guard. She stepped backwards in shock. Freya looked at the simple blacksmith before her. She was definitely in love with him, but it was a double edged sword.


    ¡°Jason, I..¡± She started speaking. She paused for a long time. ¡°I¡¯m going to live for a very long time Jason.¡± She thought about the gladiator¡¯s words. ¡°Elves are almost immortal, Jason.¡±


    ¡°So then stay with me until I die.¡± He asked. Freya didn¡¯t speak for a long time. She started to cry and looked over the wall, out at the scenery.


    ¡°I love you Jason, but maybe we should stop this now. We¡¯ve both had a lot of fun. I just can¡¯t make that type of commitment to you.¡± Freya said, tears flowing freely. ¡°Seeing you die would just break me as a person. I love you Jason, but I¡¯m sorry.¡± She ran away sobbing quietly, looking for her father.


    Jason was cold. He was confused as well. This morning, their relationship had been excellent. Jason loved Freya. He¡¯d spent a lot on the ring.  He¡¯d imagined their lives travelling the world, and then having some children together.


    Jason waited on the walls until the sun dipped on the horizon. The stars and the moon appeared and Jason sobbed quietly.


    He was found by Stella.


    ¡°Hey Jason.¡± She said softly.


    ¡°Stella?¡± He said as he turned around to see her.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Jason?¡± She asked. He didn¡¯t respond, he just held up the ring and she put the clues together.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She said, and moved beside him on the wall. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jason.¡±


    They sat in silence for a long time.


    ¡°Do you remember that joke?¡± She said, ¡°About the bull the size of an elephant?¡± Jason started laughing as he remembered the punchline.


    ¡°The farmer¡¯s wife left him for it.¡± Jason said and they both chuckled. They sat in silence again and then Stella spoke up.


    ¡°You¡¯ll find someone, Jason.¡± she said, looking at the floor. ¡°You¡¯re a really great guy.¡± She looked him in the eyes and he stared back.


    He kissed her softly and slowly. They kissed again and Jason pulled her closer. He hugged her tightly and she hugged him back.


    The next day, Jason decided to pack his things to move to Buttermilk with Stella. He was upset about Freya, but he understood why they couldn¡¯t be together.


    It would be a painful relationship for them. She would stay the same while he got older and weaker. Eventually he would die and leave her behind.


    Perhaps it was best to be with Stella. He decided to follow his heart and move home to Buttermilk.


    They loaded some horses with gear and they both left the Castle of Flowers behind. The castle was an ugly, defensive fortress now. The flower fields only had small patches of colour left. The towers, ballista ammunition and bandit houses had buried the colourful plants in the mud. Jason left for greener pastures, with Stella by his side.

 Chapter Fifty Six: The Dragons of Arcadia

    Chapter Fifty Six: The Dragons of Arcadia


    One Month Later


    Jason had moved into a grand manor and built a blacksmithing shop right next to it. Then he built a tall stone wall around his house and made a nice courtyard. He had some small vegetable gardens and an apple tree sapling. His new courtyard home was excellent, and he and Stella had felt blessed.


    They had found peace, and renewed their love for each other. They had been through a lot together, and Jason finally felt like he could start a family.


    One morning, Jason woke up next to Stella and felt so happy. He¡¯d forgotten about the massive spiders, and the huge dragon. His day to day life was fixing things for the villagers and making enchanted swords in his spare time.


    He would occasionally get visits from Nathaniel, Dominic, Ogden and Lord Redran, although the others seemed to stay within the walls of the castle. It had been an entire month since he¡¯d seen Freya. Jason still thought about her.


    He was heartbroken. He still loved the Elf Princess, but he also loved Stella. His heart was torn in two. After dating the elf for six months, he would fondly look back on their times together. Jason settled with the idea that it was never meant to be.


    Jason was weeding his garden when he heard something terrifying. A giant roar broke the serenity. Jason looked in the sky and located the source of the screech. The dragon had returned. He could see the massive creature descend from the clouds. It landed near the Castle of Flowers, far in the distance.


    It seemed much smaller from such a long way away.


    Jason realised his friends were all about to enter their fiercest battle yet. He wanted to help.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Jason looked into his chest and his heart started to glow similar to Ogden¡¯s eternal flame. His heart glowed red and pink, then the light spread to his arms and face. His eyes turned red and he blinked.


    When he opened his eyes, he saw the world in very different colours. Everything was now purple and blue. Jason¡¯s eyes were reptile-like. He felt himself changing, and growing. He fell to the ground in pain and then his bones started to crack.


    Jason¡¯s skin grew scales, which made him cry out in pain. His arms began to break and bend as they grew longer. His skull fractured and Jason mutated into a dragon. He was in a lot of pain. His face became elongated, and he realised he could breathe much deeper. His spine cracked and more vertebrae grew rapidly.


    Jason screamed in pain, except the scream was a roar. Jason looked into the well and saw his reflection. He was a red scaled dragon. He had four legs and wings extruding from his shoulders. He was taller than his house, but not anywhere close to the size of the massive dragon.


    Jason stopped feeling pain as the transformation concluded. He suddenly understood why his magical powers were so strong. Jason was a dragon. He¡¯d never even known.


    Stella came out of the house and saw Jason. She¡¯d seen him transform through her window.


    ¡°Jason,¡± She called out in fear. She grabbed him by the arm and hugged him. ¡°Jason, what happened to you.¡±


    ¡°I love you.¡± He said to her, his voice rough, and deep. She let go of his leg and stood in front of him.


    ¡°I love you too, Jason.¡± She said. Jason looked up at the Castle. The dragon was breathing fire over the city. Ballista bolts had begun to fly across the skies. Jason flapped his wings, and hovered over his house. He shot a long jet of fire into the sky above Stella.


    Then he used his powerful wings to fly towards the castle. He picked up a lot of speed and the wind whistled past his body.

 Chapter Fifty Seven: The Book of the Sword

    Chapter Fifty Seven: The Book of the Sword


    Batuuk stood next to the ballista towers. The dragon was flying above the city, looking for somewhere to land.


    He snarled and raised his axe. The ballista towers around him were incredible. The ballista bolts were the size of trees and capped with steel barbs. Time-altering wizards stood on the ground, adjusting the velocity and acceleration of the Ballista bolts. Unfortunately, the dragon was quite agile in the sky.


    The dragon landed on a part of the wall and cried out in pain. The sharp spikes stabbed through his claws. The dragon returned to the sky, the sharp defensive poles had become lodged in its paws.


    The dragon attacked with a fiery blast over the city. The houses were set on fire.


    The king was standing on the deck of The Admiral, which was fully repaired and perched atop a set of stone scaffolding. The king ordered a mage to open a portal to the shore of the horseshoe lake. The king stepped through the portal and shouted to some ice mages who were waiting in a row boat.


    ¡°Fire! He shouted. ¡°Send the water through now!¡± Then he stepped back through the portal.


    The king watched as portals opened above the city. The portals were connected to the bottom of Horseshoe Lake. Ice mages in the city diverted the direction of the water deluges to strike the flaming rooftops.


    The dragon landed outside the walls in front of the orc.


    Batuuk had never been so afraid in his life. He raised his axe and charged straight for the beast. The dragon heard him cry and focused its attention on the large green man. Batuuk charged and the dragon opened its mouth to breathe fire.


    Some ballista bolts sailed past the dragon. Unfortunate misses. Batuuk eyed the beast and kept charging.


    The dragon¡¯s eye was then struck by a tree trunk with a vicious steel spike. The dragon eye exploded and covered Batuuk with white and red slime. The furious dragon ripped out the spike with his damaged claw and he filled the air with fire. The dragon spewed fire and smoke everywhere in the air. The sky became blackened with ash. The castle of flowers entered a strange, unearthly, hellish twilight. The sky had completely changed colours.


    The dragon was pelted by an onslaught of ballista bolts while it writhed on the ground. The cut and scarred the beast. Some of them penetrated and stuck into the side of the dragon.


    The king ordered The Admiral to levitate into the sky.


    Some of the mages lifted the beautiful ship into the sky and the sails unfurled. The levitating ship floated over the walls of the castle headed towards the dragon.


    The dragon stopped spewing fire and lifted itself into the air. Its massive wings sent clouds of dirt and dust over the city.


    The dragon tried to escape. He floated high into the blackened sky and started plotting revenge.


    He.


    Was.


    ANGRY.


    The dragon dive bombed into the city from a massive height. He aimed his shoulder at the castle¡¯s main keep.


    The impact of the dragon killed hundreds of soldiers. He was impaled by some of the spikes, but he could not feel the pain in his blind rage. A shockwave could be seen from miles away. The dragon¡¯s limp body started to tumble downhill. A massive crater could be seen where the Keep once stood proudly.


    The king looked at the carnage from the levitating ship¡¯s helm. He pointed toward the unmoving beast¡¯s body and the ship picked up speed. The ship floated near the head of the dragon. The ice mages started to cast.


    The dragon¡¯s brain started to freeze. The spell was able to turn most humans into a clear ice sculpture. It was a deadly and horrific spell. It was their only chance.


    The dragon¡¯s eye socket started to leak water as forty ice mages cast the freeze spell. The dragon woke up slowly and felt ill. It vomited molten rock and blinked a lot. It lifted its head and started to walk. The King ordered the flying ship to go higher.


    The dragon began walking towards the city. It stretched its wings but it was quite dizzy. Nothing, it seemed, could stop the dragon.


    The dragon walked slowly. It stopped caring about the ballista bolts sailing close. The dragon used its remaining eye to dodge the oncoming missiles with its rapid moving head. A lucky strike tore a large hole in the dragon¡¯s wing. The dragon screeched in pain and blasted fire at the turret. The tower and five others around it were incinerated. The screams of the soldiers made the dragon even angrier.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Jason dove from the sky and landed on the dragon¡¯s head. He clawed at the fierce dragon¡¯s other eye, and blasted fire on it. The dragon closed its eye and grabbed Jason in a single claw. The dragon threw Jason at the castle and he flew over the walls and crashed into a roof. He fell through the house. Jason was badly wounded and groaned in pain. He lifted himself up and took to the skies again.


    Jason flew back towards the dragon, this time he aimed for the wing. Jason landed on the torn wing and ripped at it with his sharp teeth. He peeled the wing flesh back to bone almost completely, and the dragon cried in excruciating pain and snapped at him with vicious snake-like speed. It grabbed Jason in its jaw and bit down. Jason¡¯s ribs were cracked. The dragon shook his head like a dog with a rat and tossed him into the forest miles from the battle. Jason was unconscious.


    The king and his sailing barge came closer and the mages started to cast the spell from a longer distance. A ballista bolt struck the dragon in the neck and it went straight through. A tree-sized hole started to gush blood. The ground beneath the dragon started to turn red.


    The dragon felt his brain turn cold and he was irritated by it. He could feel icy cold water running down his face and he smelled mould.


    The dragon spied the ship filled with sorcerers attacking it and roared. The dragon began to fly away, poorly. It launched into the sky and flew away, it then crashed into Horseshoe Lake by accident. The king sailed the ship closer. The dragon was not moving. The sorcerers lifted the Admiral to the lake.


    The king ordered the ship to land in the water. He could tell his mages were about to break under the intense strain of the levitation spell. The ship crashed into the water and sent ripples to every shore. The wizards at once began to cast the same ice spell. The dragon was still sleeping. The dragon¡¯s brain started to melt out of its eye sockets again, the water around the dragon froze solid and started to freeze the entire lake. The king noticed the ice started to freeze the bottom of The Admiral. The dragon was having a very peaceful dream.


    The dragon was looking around his cavern of gold. The walls were gold too now. The entire cave was gold. The dragon looked at his arms and they were gold. He looked at his wings and his tail and they were gold too. Everything was gold, just the way he liked it.


    The dragon woke up feeling very drunk from his nap and saw the king standing on the helm of The Admiral. ¡®Such silly creatures,¡¯ the dragon thought to himself. The dragon lifted his head and realised it was stuck under the ice. He pulled harder and the dragon¡¯s head rose from the frozen lake with a large chunk of ice still attached to its face and neck. It¡¯s brain was now melting in a steady cascade out of its nostrils and eye socket.


    The dragon used its tail to smack the ship into the air. It landed on the shoreline with a massive crack and splintered into pieces. Everyone on board was mortally wounded. Their bodies were filled with splinters and the force of the crash buckled ribs and folded people in half.


    The king stood up. He had broken ribs and a broken foot. It had bent to a very painful angle. His golden armour gleamed in the sun. The dragon burnt off the snow covering its body, and boiled the lake for half a minute. The dragon felt good to be warm again. It narrowed its eyes at the lone survivor. The king pulled out his magnificent golden sword and held it by his side.


    ¡°Fuck you.¡± The king said, and he spat blood at the dragon.


    The dragon smiled. This meal was shiny.


    Jason flew above horseshoe lake, and watched the king pull out his sword. Jason dive bombed into the dragon¡¯s ruined eye and started ripping at its brain with his jaws. The dragon grabbed Jason with a claw and pushed him under the water. Jason struggled for air and had an idea. He transformed back into a human and swam through the cracks between the dragon¡¯s claws. Horseshoe lake was deep. Jason swam to the surface and gasped for air. Jason was treading water next to the dragon in the water. The dragon¡¯s terrifying head ate the king in one bite. The king¡¯s beautiful golden sword was dropped on the shore. The dragon stomped out of the lake and started walking towards Buttermilk. Jason swam for the shore.


    The dragon took slow steps toward Jason¡¯s home town. It growled in anger.


    Jason saw the king¡¯s golden sword. He knelt beside it and remembered what Ogden had taught him. Jason reached to his chest with both hands. He thought of love.


    Stella and Freya, Nathaniel and Dominic the Cat. His Father and Lord Redran. Tenzen and Bentley. His friends from buttermilk and his strong horse Bronson.


    Jason thought long about the people he loved. He conjured an eternal flame.


    All of his eternal flame.


    Jason didn¡¯t know enough about magic to understand what he was doing. He put his entire soul into a fire.


    He fused this fire with the blade and picked it up in his hand.


    With tears in his eyes, scars and burns covering his body, cracked ribs and blood gushing from his wounds. Jason screamed at the top of his lungs.


    ¡°HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!¡±


    The dragon heard and turned its body around. He saw Jason standing there. Jason punched a fireball at the beast and it exploded against its face. The beast growled and snapped its jaws.


    Jason sliced in a diagonal motion with his blade and a beam of light travelled from the blade. The beam of light grew to a massive size and travelled towards the massive giant.


    The beam sliced the beast in half cleanly.


    Its organs spilled over the paddocks. The dragon stopped moving and toppled to the ground like a puddle. The kingdom was silent for a few seconds then Jason heard cheers coming from the town of Buttermilk. His eyes went pale and he fell to the ground lifeless. The sword was clutched in his hand. Jason suddenly disappeared in a flash of light.


    His soul and life force were bonded with the blade. Jason was immortal. Jason was trapped. Jason had become a sword. The most beautiful golden sword, owned by kings. Jason became an enchanted blade.


    He lay in the dirt. The dragon did not move. The ice mages around him were dead.


    Jason slayed the dragon.

 The Epilogue: Two Hundred Years Later

    The Epilogue:


    Two Hundred Years LaterThis story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Freya Vaelinnor stood atop a cliff near the edge of her elf homeland. She put her hand on the hilt of her exquisite golden sword and a ghostly visage of Jason appeared on the cliff next to her and smiled. They looked out over the beautiful scenery and Jason kissed her.

 The Epilogue Part II:

    The Epilogue Part II:


    Two Hundred Thousand Years Later


    A team of Icelandic workers were drilling ice in the mountains. They uncovered a stone temple. A man dressed in a white adidas puffer wearing silver cuban link chains called their boss to report their progress.


    ¡°We found the ruins.¡± The man said, in a thick slavic accent. ¡°Work is done. Where is my million?¡± The man asked.


    The man was then shot in the back of the head by a silenced pistol. The workers panicked as the assailant started shooting them all in the head. The assassin was dressed like a construction worker. His face was covered by snow-goggles and a black bandana


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    The assassin walked inside the dark ruins and looked around with his flashlight. It looked like a magical, sacred place. The man walked for a while and then found a room with a grey haired man in it.


    The grey-haired man was staring at a wall standing in complete darkness. He looked thin, his bones were clearly visible under his flesh. The old man turned around and opened his jaw. The assassin saw black rot and blood in the old man¡¯s teeth.


    He shot him in the head.


    The old man walked closer.


    The shooter got scared and walked backwards. He emptied his clip into the old man¡¯s face and the dead man fell backwards. The old man¡¯s face was destroyed and gushing with blood. The assassin leaned in to get a better look. Red worms started crawling from the face of the dead ice mage onto the floor towards the Assassin.


    The assassin was horrified. The worms kept inching closer.

 Note from the Author:

    Yo I cried like a bitch when I wrote the final chapter. Specifically Jason''s ending.


    Thank you for reading my book. I hope you enjoyed it and had fun.


    Jason will return (Haha like Friday the 13th)


    in The Book Of The Sword II: The Sword Of Aggemmon


    Here is a sneak preview of the sequel:


    Chapter Three: The Butcher


    Logan rode his horse all day southbound. He was headed to the Castle of Flowers thieves guild to return the sword to his boss, Aldous Cage. The sword was Logan¡¯s chance to make a lot of money. He realised the sun was getting low and decided to stop for the night. He took his horse off the main road and down to a riverbed. He made a campfire and started to fish in the river. The sun went down and Logan continued to fish. He caught a Riverstang Muppet and cooked it on a pan with some garlic and olive oil.


    Logan ate the fish off the tip of a knife. He finished eating and washed his pan in the river. Then he sat next to the fire and waited for sleep.


    He closed his eyes and heard a snapping twig. Then another twig. He was concerned. He opened his eyes and looked out beyond the light of the fire. It was too dark to see anything.


    He heard more steps, it sounded like something big. He heard a large branch snap and he jumped. Behind him, two large pale ogres appeared from the darkness.


    ¡°What¡¯s we gots?¡± The first ogre said playfully.


    ¡°Dinner¡¯s nice and big tonight.¡± The second ogre said.


    ¡°Hows you wants your dinner, Rory?¡± The first ogre said, ¡°Squished, or drowned?¡±


    ¡°Bit of both.¡± Rory said.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Logan pulled out the golden sword and got to his feet, facing the two ogres. Jason woke up from a nap. He looked around and saw the thief was about to get murdered. Jason put his hand on Logan¡¯s shoulder, but didn¡¯t show Logan his ghostly form.


    Logan felt a hand on his shoulder and the sword ignited. The sword glowed orange and red.


    ¡°No, no, no.¡± The first ogre said. ¡°Can¡¯t have that.¡±


    The ogre pulled out a vicious cleaver. The second ogre pulled a club from his back.


    The first ogre attacked with the cleaver and chopped straight down, Logan rolled to the side.


    He chopped the ogre¡¯s hand and it let go of the blade. The cleaver was buried in the dirt. The ogre put his sore hand in his mouth.


    Rory attacked with his club. He took wild swings towards Logan, and Logan had to dodge. He grabbed a log from the fire and threw it at Rory¡¯s face. It hit him in the eye.


    ¡°Ouch, I¡¯m going to double squish you for that.¡± The ogre started to attack faster.


    Logan watched as the other ogre started to walk towards his horse. He threw his knife at the ogre and it turned back around and picked up its cleaver.


    Logan rolled towards Rory and stabbed him in the guts, he sliced open the ogre and intestines spilled out onto the riverbank.


    ¡°Rory!¡± screamed the other ogre.


    The ogre ran towards Logan and then made several slashes side to side. Logan retreated further and further. He hid behind a massive tree and the cleaver chopped into it and got stuck. Logan jumped onto the cleaver and ran up the length of the blade. He stabbed the ogre in the skull and rode the body down as it toppled backwards.


    Jason was impressed. Logan Sat down against one of the corpses and chuckled to himself.


    ¡°Stupids you are.¡± He mocked. He was stressed and he stared at the fire. His horse neighed.