《Fire Breather》Chapter 014
Advertisement
Markus finds himself winding through the woods again following the fairies. They've been traveling for a while, but Aurora explains the vantage point she wants everyone to see is just ahead of their position. She only describes it as a great view and nice place for a rest.
Curiosity fills Markus, and he presses Aurora for an answer of what they'll see. “So... this cliff view. You really think it will help?” He asks, but Aurora is tight lipped. A few sporadic attempts are made as they continue moving forward, but she provides nothing extra.
Unsurprisingly, Eclair eventually joins Markus in pestering Aurora for information. Eclair's curiosity was also sparked, and the constant deflections from Aurora only served to make it grow. She flies next to Aurora and rapidly starts shooting off various questions in an effort to get clues. Questions such as “Is there a waterfall?” and “How high is it?” and so on.
As that is happening, Markus is silently enjoying Eclair wear down Aurora. It's difficult to see from his point of view, but he imagines Aurora being slowly overtaken by the cheerful personality of Eclair. However, he's also impressed that Aurora is actually trying to answer everything in some way.
It doesn't take long before Aurora has had enough. Markus hears an audible groan from her as she simply gives up. She says to Eclair “Alright! Enough questions. Trust me, it's better just to see it. Not many folks know about this cliff overlook because it's out of the way. It's one of my favorite places to visit.”
Aurora's response was firm, and quickly makes Eclair shut down on asking further questions. A few minutes pass in silence before Eclair speaks up by saying “I'm sorry, I got carried away. I've never been to this area and wasn't sure what to expect.”
There isn't an immediate response from Aurora as she keeps staring straight ahead, but she suddenly lets out a sigh. Turning to face Eclair, she says “Don't worry about it. Besides... I wouldn't take us anywhere dangerous. I wouldn't be a very good guide if I got us all killed right?” They both laugh, and a renewed calm returns to the pair.
Advertisement
After following Aurora for a while longer, the group finally nears the cliff overlook. The hike felt rougher than usual, with the rocky ground and uneven terrain forcing Markus to slow down. He was quietly observing how Aurora and Eclair glided in the air, ignoring all obstacles below. Even the many leaves and branches of the trees posed no issues for the pair. As the group nears their destination, Aurora flies ahead, but quickly comes back after verifying they were indeed at her spot.
“You're almost there. Just keep going straight.” Aurora says to Markus as he continues his hike. She then waves to Eclair, and points in the direction of the overlook. Eclair quickly gets the hint, and flies ahead to see the view herself. “We'll be waiting for you.” Says Aurora, as she too flies away.
“I hope the view is worth it.” Markus replies in a ragged tone to himself. It only takes a few more minutes before he starts seeing trees thinning out ahead, with blue sky behind them. He now moves faster, knowing his goal was right in front of him.
Markus passes the last line of trees, and suddenly the world opens up for him. The cliff is a dozen yards away, with Aurora and Eclair already staring out. They both cast a glance back, before returning to their sightseeing. Walking closer to the edge, he finally sees the beautiful view first hand. Hills covered by a diverse woodland of green, with open clearings and jagged rocks breaking the uniformity of the land. Looking farther beyond the hills, Markus sees the landscape quickly flatten and the woods disappear. A sea of gold and green grasses starts to form, and continues far into the horizon.
Rocks and stones have created a natural barrier at the edge of the cliff, preventing the growth of trees to obstruct the view. Markus cautiously looks down over the edge, seeing a deadly drop of several hundred yards. In each direction, the view continues for almost the same distance. Taking the time to enjoy the sight, Markus once again feels nostalgia flow into him. Everything seems so similar to where he's from, yet nothing makes sense.
Advertisement
“Well... I guess it was.” Markus softly says to himself. Both girls look toward him, not catching what was said. He then asks out loud “Aurora, where do we go from here?” while gazing out across the land.
“We won't make it to Montillo before dark, so we'll stop at a place on the way with abandoned buildings for camp.” Aurora says, and then flies closer to Markus to catch his attention. Pointing to a spot between some hills at the 2 o'clock position from where they stand, she says “Look, you can see some of Montillo.”
Markus' eyes follow her pointed finger, and sees several buildings in the distance. It's clearly a town, but most of it is obstructed behind a hill. From what can be seen, the buildings are eerily similar to many of the old western towns he's visited over his life.
Another odd and sinking feeling forms inside Markus. His eyes begin to search the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of any familiar landmarks. Turning around, Markus now understands they're at the western edge of a great mountain range.
“This really is a great spot Aurora. I wouldn't expect this view out here, considering it's not too far from Little Creek.” Eclair says delightfully. The girls are still admiring the view, unaware of the growing nervousness from Markus. “I bet if you came out here at night, you would get a lovely view to the Sister Moons.”
“Moons!?” Markus yells in surprise. His head snaps back to the fairies, who are already looking at him with confusion. For the first time since leaving the cavern, Markus tilts his head directly upward into the sky. His eyes open wide in panic at the sight he sees, sweat forming on his brow, and breathing turning deep.
Markus' left hand loosens itself off the fore grip of the rifle, causing it to swing downward. The right hand soon follows, and with a thud, a metal sound echoes into the air from his dropped rifle. It was shock, and surprise, and despair all at once for Markus. High above him, there really were two moons.
The largest looked very similar to the moon he's always known. It's body partially covered by the effects of daytime, colored with blended white and gray patterns. But behind it, and just to the left, sits another partially covered moon half its size. It's dark colored red and rusty tint make it stand out against the endless blue all around it.
“Markus! Are you okay?” Aurora suddenly yells out with Eclair beside her. Both of their faces showing concern, watching as Markus blankly stares into the sky.
“I'm... I'm fine.” Markus weakly responds. Turning to the girls, a half smile tries to form, but his face betrays any sort of calm. A deep panic has set in, and it was clearly showing. He could no longer lie to himself. He could no longer make excuses or theories about his predicament. Markus knew now with absolute certainty, he was far away from home, in an unknown world.
Advertisement
- In Serial37 Chapters
Tim the Engineer
Summoned against his will to a world of swords and magic, an engineering student struggles to find a way home under the shadow of a world devouring threat. ***************************** Updates: 5/13/19: Revisions to several chapters for clarity, grammar, and style. 4/29/19: A short side story and artwork has been added to the blog. 4/8/19: A Side Story has been updated on my new blog (every writer is required to have one). https://talesfromliahar.wordpress.com/ ***************************** “The summoning scenarios are broken down into groups of ten.” Emi Ito stated. “Don’t, don’t you dare say another word.” Muttered Genzo Uchida. His eyes had turned bloodshot and his hands shook with rage. “The first thirty…” “Shut up!” Genzo bellowed “How dare you help these disrespectful gaijin?” Flecks of spit and madness flew from his face, his fist raised ready to strike. But Emi did not flinch, instead she was about ready to continue when Yuma Takeuchi interrupted her. “Uchida, please,” her sweet sounding words could melt ice. “I think we will have a better chance of getting home if we all work together.” When she glanced up with her sleepy looking eyes at Genzo Uchida he deflated visibly. “Were not getting home.” Uchida said coolly. “Group summoning, large, that puts us in the 60 series. No one came to greet us after five minutes of arrival. That leaves scenarios 68 and 69. In scenario 68 there is something that binds the large group together; they are all classmates or a single family. But thanks to the gaijin” he spit out the word “I think we are scenario 69 with no way home.” Ikko Inoue’s eyes went wide, while Katsukno and Hayata started muttering to themselves. Tim took on a serious look and rubbed his scruffy chin. Emi maintained her stoic expression while trying to find something to refute. McKenzie glanced at Randall and giggled. Randall took the prompting of his teammate and followed up by approaching Genzo. “Uh, so we are in a sixty-nine?” “Yes.” Replied Genzo with the seriousness of someone who’s life was about to end. McKenzie covered her mouth and snickered. “You and me, were stuck in a sixty-nine situation?” Randall pushed with a grin. “Yes, we are all stuck in a sixty-nine scenario together!” Genzo retorted in anger. McKenzie fell on her butt laughing. “What the hell is so funny?” Demanded Genzo, whose face had turned red. “It’s a problem with the automatic translation.” Retorted Tim. Randall, who seemed unable to quit started in again “So, about this sixty-ni…” Genzo interrupted Randall with a swift punch to the face. But, because of their height difference it was a bit of an uppercut that left Randall rattled. Tim and Ikko moved to step in between the two, but Genzo showed no further hostility. Instead he just stared at his clenched fist with such intensity it grabbed the attention of the room. “I unlocked a skill.” He said bluntly. ***************************** This is not a light novel, but people who like light novels should enjoy the themes of this book. ***************************** A Map of the Region
8 164 - In Serial9 Chapters
Mistakes Were Made: Short Stories That Shouldn't Be
Plot yourself a collision course with time travel, hypotheticals and subtle™ satire in this collection of experimental standalone shorts. It's not as if anything could go wrong.
8 147 - In Serial222 Chapters
Origin Point
Arc 1 - Azzarath:Origin Point begins with a celebration of the arrival of an Immortal, male kitsune. Whereupon he begins to spin the tale of his origins to a gathered crowd well into such a celebration. The story he weaves begins upon his first world, our Earth, where his first body is dying from something incurable. He is then transferred into a game-like world, and gains a new body that is far stronger. However, this game-like world has its own secrets, which causes the MC to be summoned to a new world. It is here, in this new world, where his personality really comes forth, shaking the world to its very core.Arc 2 - Terra:The story continues with the kitsune's new audience, an army of monsters, as they journey from the forests of Nu'Bai and onwards towards the Lichdom known solely as Necropolis. Whereupon they learn of how he conquered worlds within an area known only as The Abyss. There, his past self meets new creatures and annoyances, as he and his continue to grow ever closer to obtaining their world called Terra. Arc 3 - Abyss:War. The end result in a conflict of words which fall upon deafened ears of those who could not come to an understanding; an agreement. Instead, they must fight one another so that one must come out on top in order to shout to the heavens, "I am right; you are wrong!" Thus is the same in this installment within the series of Origin Point, but instead of outright war, the Ageless speaks to a new audience of Gods, Goddesses, Immortals, and their children of how his past self had to venture into the tutorial world known as Terra where he must fight a War of Attrition. This is so, as he must draw out the God reigning over their world so that he may fight and conquer this deity in order to regain what he desires most. His world. His Terra.Special Thanks to Christian Bentulan for creating the covers for Origin Point.https://www.facebook.com/coversbychristian/___________________________________________________________Origin Point was inspired by the games Everquest and D&D, along with the book series Dragonlance, and the light novel Overlord.This story is a dark fantasy full of torturous experiences. It is not for everyone, but it is tempered with some fluff.
8 481 - In Serial7 Chapters
Blood Island
So far, life had done Nuriel Cunningham no favors. The orphaned daughter of a petty thief, she's had to grow up on the streets, with nothing but her wits, her late father's advice, and whatever luck she can scrounge up to keep her alive. However, now that luck seems to have ran out. After being discovered passing as a boy on a ship sailing the Caribbean, Nuriel is blamed for the ship's troubles and thrown overboard, seemingly to her demise. But rather than die, she awakes on the shores of a strange and terrifying island, one inhabited by monsters from a bygone age. Now she has to use every bit of cunning and skill just to stay alive, as one false step could cause her to be torn apart for some ancient creature's dinner. But as she works to stay alive and uncover the island's secrets, she becomes aware of something very troubling. There is someone else on the island, someone not quite human, a creature with glowing red eyes watching her from the shadows. And though the creature seems benevolent, perhaps even friendly, Nuriel is not about to let her guard down. After all, every stranger is an enemy, and there is nothing more dangerous than the attention of another person.
8 161 - In Serial35 Chapters
Growing Pains
A Saiyan warrior wakes up on final approach to the planet 'Earth' with some extra memories in her head. Rather than carry out her mission, she decides living by her own rules would be much more fun...only to discover that this Earth was not the one she was expecting... DBZ/DC Comics crossover
8 101 - In Serial6 Chapters
Dark Web
Taekook one shot#topkook#vottom
8 118

