《Shadow Runner (Danmachi Fanfic)》No Way It's Been That Long
Advertisement
"Training?" Ais questioned, tilting her head slightly. She didn't even bother to note that Revan had broken his fictitious memory loss, going to show how little of it was actually believed. Either that or she hadn't even put much thought into it.
"Well, I use the word training as loosely as possible," Revan admitted, pushing up into a sitting position. "It was mainly me avoiding arrows, dodging throwing axes, and weaving through an old fool with a katana dipped in poison. Wasn't really much training as it was fending for my life, something that I was quite used to at that point."
"Then why?"
"I let my guard down. If only for the briefest of moments."
The teen could picture the scene as if it was yesterday. A large, empty, white checkered room, various traps and gizmos designed to kill hidden behind panels embedded into the walls, floor, and ceiling, and a dodgy white haired man with a bloodthirsty look on his face. Out of all the sinister stuff put into the room, including the poison gas traps, the poison tipped arrows, and the spinning axes, that singular man was the worst of them all. Relentless and tricky, Revan was forced to fight in that room for many days with little food or rest, to the point where he was about to collapse from exhaustion. It was during his final days within the confines of that hellhole that he managed to get sliced open, his own father dealing what should've been a fatal blow. Even to this day, some 5 years later, he still wasn't sure how he had managed to survive the combination of blood loss and circulating poison.
"This wound is probably the closest I've ever gotten to having Plot Armor." Revan noted it bitterly, feeling a sort of rising anger that he quickly crushed before it could rear it's ugly head. "Such a shitty way to use it, but at least I survived."
"What's plot armor?" Tiona asked, jumping into the conversation before Ais could speak up.
Revan hadn't even heard her approach, her footsteps as light as the air surrounding them. Even when she appeared in his line of sight and trekked across the grass to plop down in front of him, he heard absolutely nothing. It was quite disconcerting, especially since one of Revan's only strong points were his acute senses, his instincts and ability to sense others having always been top notch.
Advertisement
The young woman seemed just as chipper as when the youth had first met her, boasting a large smile filled with a gorgeous set of pearly whites. This time though, instead of empty hands and a boisterous personality, she held a comically large weapon in one hand and a palm sized vial of liquid in the other one. Revan didn't bother to analyze the weapon she stabbed into the ground before sitting. It seemed far too impractical for proper combat, at least to him, someone who was part of a world where monsters came in much different forms.
He had absolutely no room to judge it nor anything to compare it to, save the plethora of anime he watched such as Berserk and Bleach.
"Plot Armor is pretty much doing something that shouldn't have been possible for the sake of continuing the story." Revan answered Tiona's question as best as possible, ignoring the fact that she had just appeared from who knew where. "Such as a hero learning a new technique in the middle of battle in order to defeat someone who should have killed them ten times over. Plot Armor usually, for the most part, focuses on the main character."
"And you think you had this?" Tiona queried, pressing a fist to her chin. She had chosen the most unladylike position to sit in, sitting criss cross without a care.
"Just once," Revan affirmed. "Though I don't really feel comfortable explaining my full story to a bunch of strangers."
"Thought you couldn't remember anything," Tiona teased, eyes filled with amusement.
"That's right. Don't recall a thing."
"But you just said-"
"Not a single thing," Revan insisted, cutting Tiona off. "Can't even recall how old I am."
"Which would be?" Tiona pressed.
Revan rolled his eyes as he leaned back, making himself comfortable. "I'll be 15 in about two weeks. Give or take a day or two."
"You're older than me?" Tiona asked, a surprised look on her face. She was the complete opposite of her friend Ais, the Amazon being much more expressive and easier to read than any of the people Revan had met so far. "But you're so short."
"We're the same height," the youth shot back.
"No." Ais chimed in, not missing a beat. "Tiona.....she's taller."
"Yeah, by like 5 centimeters," Revan muttered. "Can hardly count that as 'taller'."
Advertisement
"What can I say. Taller is taller." Tiona laughed, clearly enjoying the conversation. Lifting her hand, the tanned girl gave the vial she still possessed a small shake. Giving it an underhand motion, she lightly tossed the bottle towards Revan. "Here ya go short stuff. I got this from one of the tents."
Snagging it out of the air, Revan snorted at her lame attempt at a nickname. He hadn't known her for a full 24 hours and she was already giving him trouble, getting far too chummy far too quickly for his liking. Granted, Revan had never had a firm grasp on how to deal with people in the first place, and he could've definitely found far worse people to converse with given the fantasy like setting. The conversation seemed to be going along pretty well, but he hadn't thought it was 'give each other nicknames' kinda well.
But he was probably just overthinking everything and she had merely been teasing him.
"Thanks," Revan held it up, using the crystal light to glance over the object. "I've always wanted a vial of mystery liquid. I'll be sure to cherish it."
The vial was made of a clear glass tube, like the ones scientists would use in chemistry. Inside was a small dosage of a pale orange liquid, reminiscent to that of some orange flavored drinks. Sealed tightly with a cork, Revan felt like he was some guinea pig for some kind of shady potion, someone on the verge of being turned into a random animal or bizarre creature. For all he knew, it could've been brewed by Severus Snape himself and he was about to be turned into a rat or weasel.
"It's a Dual Potion," Ais said helpfully, noticing Revan's hesitation. "Heals both mind and body."
"Figured you would need it since you got tossed pretty badly." Tiona crossed her arms. "I said it was from me but it was actually from Tione."
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
"If anyone is gonna beat the shit outta him, it's gonna be me."
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
(("Huh,")) Revan gazed at the vial curiously. (("Guess I understand less about her than I initially thought. People truly are difficult to read."))
Biting on the top of the cork, Revan ripped the stopper from the vial with his bare teeth, spitting it away. Without giving it a second thought, he chugged it in one swoop, letting the liquid slide down his throat. It tasted like lemons, an off-putting feeling since the drink had made him think of oranges, but Revan was just glad it wasn't something super foul.
"Well? Feel any better?"
"No."
"Makes sense. There was nothing wrong with you in the first place." Riveria strolled up from behind him, announcing her presence. Just like before, Revan hadn't been able to sense crap until the very last second when she was right up on him. "Question is, why make up such a lie."
Revan leaned back fully, his black hues glancing up at the new arrival. Holding up the vial, the young man gave a nod of greeting. "Hey Rivira."
"Riveria," the elven woman immediately corrected. "What are the three of you doing out here? It's been over two hours."
(("Has it really been that long?")) Revan mentally scratched his head, very much confused. It had only felt like an hour at most. (("Where the hell did my perception of time go?"))
"Talking about how nice the weather is," Tiona lied, smiling wide. She seemed genuine and if Revan hadn't actually known, he wouldn't have guessed that it was a huge fib. "We gave Revan a potion to see if it would help his amnesia. No luck however."
Riveria looked towards Tiona for a few seconds then over at Ais, of who added nothing, instead just picking at the grass by her crossed legs. After a half minute of staring at the three of them, the jade elf let out a small sigh, one that was filled with a barely concealed frustration. It was almost as if she was a mother with how she was acting, disappointed at her kids for lying directly to her face. Whether or not she actually believed Tiona's story though, Revan wasn't able to fully tell as Riveria turned around and motioned for them to follow after her.
"Come on. Finn needs you all at the tent." Riveria glanced back, eyeing the black haired teen. "Even you Revan Knox."
Advertisement
- In Serial29 Chapters
The Othryrian Archives
"Humanity is on the cusp of their Great Expansion. It will be the first time in history that they’ve reached beyond their own solar system in an attempt to colonize the galaxy. Or, at least, so they thought. Peeling back the veil of time, The Empire of Sol has uncovered vestiges of a secret genetic program on the far flung planet of Hod. The advent of the Empire’s ancient enemy could upset the careful balance of power throughout in the Sol System. When Hod is invaded by the Empire, Andros Aeton is pressed into their service and his people are held hostage. Unbeknownst to him, factions within the Empire vie to use him to their own ends. He must claim his heritage if he has any hope of escaping the clutches of the forces that seek to use him." This is a work in progress. Major editing will be done after the book is complete, so there will be egregious typos and parts that make no sense whatsoever. Please feel free to point any and all of these things out. Chapters WILL get edited, and that editing might break earlier chapters. I will attempt to keep readers apprised of all changes. As always, feedback is welcome and appreciated. The Scourge Wars Universe Evolve: The Scourge Wars Book 1 (published) Adapt: The Scourge Wars Book 2 (published) Resist: The Scourge Wars Book 3 (published) Path of Divinity Path of Divinity (Read on RoyalRoad) To stay up to date on all my writing, get exclusive e-books, and be eligible for Audible audiobook codes (no purchase required) please sign up for my mailing list.
8 225 - In Serial8 Chapters
Entangled Fates Book 1 - Quantum Beginnings
“By far, the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it.” —Eliezer Yudkowsky Hey all, we're moving over to book 2. This content is in a state of transition. The book is now availble on Amazon (includes extra chapters): https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B07W1534R8 Artificial intelligence was nearly mankind’s last invention. AI took off like a rocket, then when it racked up an impressive death toll, it crashed before it could blossom and took most high-tech industries with it. Resistance and fears became deep-set. Two decades after the infamous Rev. 4.6 incidents, humanity hasn’t quit dreaming of the wealth and power that could be at their fingertips. A new generation of mega-corporations rose from the ashes. When one melds a quantum computer to a barely functional mental patient as a PR move, there are those who seek to profit, those who want to destroy it, and Alex. Alex Sage is a typical college student trying to keep up his grades and maybe find a meaningful connection with the fairer sex. Then, an automated semi crashes into his home, killing his family and turning his head into a pin cushion in the process. Alex awakens to find most of his memories gone and an illegal AI hidden in his brain implant. Now the pet project of a tech billionaire and heavily in debt, Alex struggles to stay valuable enough to be kept online. Still grappling with the repercussions of his injuries, and threats from a dangerous anti-augmentation political movement, there are no easy answers and threats loom around every corner. Alex must use whatever resources he can to escape from under the thumb of a ruthless corporation, while keeping those he comes to love safe. Chapters will stay up on RRL until Aug 10. It'll go up on Kindle Unlimited after that. How do you get those extra chapters I didn't have planned for RR? If you want them, they'll be in the published book. Book 2 will still make sense without them - I made sure of that. But... isn't $3 a lot for extra chapters? Think of it as tipping me for a good job and you'd also be getting my eternal thanks. If you enjoyed it so much that the idea of missing out a few chapters haunts you, I did my job as an author and made an engaging story. What's in those extra chapters? Resolving a few issues, set up for the cybernetic revolution, a rather intense sex scene with a new partner, revelations of who's really pulling strings, and a bit of set up for book 2. Complaints that people missed out on it when it was published here won't help (sorry!). I posted this for the folks who helped me shape the book, which is you all! (Again, yay!) But... Why! Why not keep it all on RR forever? My editor likes being paid for one. For two, I'd like the ability to get broader readership. If I break even on editor costs, I'll be incredibly happy. What about book 2? Drafts for Book 2 will go up around Sept 10. My draft of Book 2 is done, and it will be handed to the editor once Book 1 is published. Feedback has been even more positive. Beta readers devoured it and wanted more. I'll add a link to Book 2 once it's up on RR. I'm more or less, using you all for Beta Readers, so you get it before it's "canon" and edited. I invite active and meaningful feedback during this process. In return, you get early access to chapters. That does mean that the book content or plot might be adjusted before it gets published as I refine it. Sex Y/N? Yes. I heard the feedback, 90% wanted it explicit. You all will get the "full" experience. Will I dump all of book 2 here? Honestly, I'm not sure yet. At a minimum, it'll be up to the 75% mark as we collect feedback, much like what I did with book 1. It really depends on how good the feedback is and how nice people are. Lots of support + meaningful feedback to make it better = higher likelihood you get all the book. Will be it up here indefinitely? No, it'll probably go up on KU at some point, but I'll make sure there's enough time for a large readership to grab it here. Then we move to book 3 which already is around 60K words already. What about other adventures in the same universe/characters? Yep. Absolutely. Nothing ready to share yet though. I plan to keep those side chapters and more slice of life stories as RR exclusive. Since I'm carving this off in book-sized segments, I'll have to figure out where those disconnected story arcs belong. I'm open to suggestions.
8 143 - In Serial28 Chapters
Red Flash
Anna, a 23 years old woman from earth who play at a VRMMORPG everyday since 11 years, she is one of the top player as a Magic Swordswoman. One day, she suddenly got killed by a lightning because of a mistake from God. She got reincarnated as her character in the game in another world while keeping her memory, strength and inventory. Follow Anna's adventures where she explores the world, make news friends and protect them with her sword and magic, kill monster, start a business, gain more and more influence and slape the bad guys! ---------------------------------------------- WARNING / MORE INFORMATIONS: - Female protagonist- Overpowered protagonist from the start.- NO romance! (maybe only a little bit)- No status window / No level / No stats- It's an easy going story, it means that the protagonist won't struggle that much (work hard YES / lose pathetically NO)- The MC mastered her power in the game, so it's not a "i'm OP but I don't understand my power" story.- The MC won't hesitate to kill if someone try to harm her or her friends but she is a kind and gentle person toward those that she loves.- She will build some connexions with nobles or others important persons- A bit business managment- A bit of adventurer guild (not too much, and won't be repetitive)
8 256 - In Serial7 Chapters
The Warring States
What if the Warring States period was set in a fantasy world with dungeons and dragons? What if the tide of a battle could be turned by a single warrior? Follow Chrome, an orphan boy in the Galeforce Country and new bearer of two Ultra Rare classes, in his journey through the Warring States. Extra Notes: Title image obtained from LoL - Ruined Kings. Contact me to have the cover taken down! This is my first attempt at writing, so feel free to leave comments and help me improve! I'm currently aiming for 1 chapter per week
8 75 - In Serial13 Chapters
Bastard's Wrath
The Wyvern reared its humongous head, serpent neck coiling back, onyx scales of opulence shimmering in the dimness of the cloud smothered sky. It spoke, eye's ashen, like the surface of a star, "What is it you desire, boy?" The word's rolled from it's pointed maw, tongue flicking, it's deep and ferocious voice sending the ground below rumbling. Damien looked up, hair sodden with rain, his face battered beyond recognition, his lips curled into a snarl. He had gone past the point of being frightened; he was tired of his weakness. He spoke, voice wavering, mist floating from his mouth in the coldness: "I want them dead. I want everyone who stabbed me in the back; dead." The Wyvern smiled, rows of teeth exposed, "Then sacrifice it. Sacrifice your humanity." - The story of a bastard within a crippled family,who beyond all odds becomes known as the Greatest Swordsman to live: the one that, even the Gods, would someday fear.
8 78 - In Serial10 Chapters
Falling Through the Cracks
After falling through a rather unexpected crack in the universe that spawned under his bed, Alex finds himself in a world filled with monsters and magic. Now instead of worrying about SATs and college applications, he only has demons, magic and rips though the very fabric of the universe to occupy his mind. Quite a bit easier in his opinion. This story has abuse, trama and brushes breifly on suicide. I`ll try to include warnings on chapters that deal heavily in any of those. I’m also a very new writer, so please let me know of any mistakes you see! Updates Mondays and Thursdays Image credit: Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech/S. Carey (SSC/Caltech) (background) And https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Magic_Circle.png (Magic circle used)
8 83

