The Human Emperor looked outside the window of his Royal Carriage as they went on their way to the Beastfolk settlements. After not hearing any news from the messengers he decided, against advice from his council, to personally meet with the representatives of the beast-folk and talk about what was happening. He jolted up and was taken from his reverie as the carriage suddenly halted to a stop.
“What is the matter?” he called out to his coachman.“The convoys in front suddenly stopped, Sir,” the coachman replied, “It seems like we are metwith a roadblock,” “A roadblock?” the Emperor asked, preparing himself in case of an attack, “Are they, bandits? Or beggars?” There was no answer. The coachman seems to be talking with the convoy outside. He was forced to get up and go out of his carriage.It is times like this when he wished for the steward to be with him, but he left hi
Dimitri is troubled. The voices have started calling out to him again and he thought that hismother’s lullaby would drown it out. He could still hear his mother’s voice singing but the whispers have gotten even louder that he could hardly make out the song that his mother sings. The cacophony of whispers and his mother’s singing sounded like an orchestra of people playing different scores and Dimitri felt like his head is about to explode.He tried to cover his ears but the sound came from within him. No amount of blocking can silence the voices that come from within someone’s head. Dimitri tried to scream to drown the voices, but it was his own voice that was silenced and muffled instead. He decided that he needed help from his mother. He looked around but the whole place was black.It was not dark, it was pitch black. In fact, everything around him seemed to have disappeared, leaving him in an endless void – Alone with
“So, how did you get out of the forest?” Amanda asked Alex as he took a break from talking,“There should have been some humans who went after you, right?”“Yes,” Alex replied and continued his tale, “There were humans that we're able to catch up to our group. But they were nothing that the females of our tribes cannot stop.”Amanda noted the glitter of pride in Alex’s eyes. It was not the pride that comes from egoism; it was one that came from his faith towards his race.“No one expected for it to happen that night,” Alex went on, “I can remember playing with the others during the day. We were talking about our dreams. Dimi- I mean Dimitri made us loyal to him that day when he told us what he wanted for the village. We were all drawn by his dreams that we all swore our allegiance to him then and there.“No one could have predicted what happened that night.
Amanda woke up the next day feeling refreshed. She has found a new motivation and she would tell Alex about it. But she also has to look for the best opportunity to do so. She is still not really sure if Alex is really a friend that she can trust, or if he is just doing it for the sake of his Alpha.Of course, it also goes without saying that the plan might even offend Alex, the only prospective Ally that she has that is already close to the Ringleader. She needs to play her cards right if she ever hopes to have the chance to get away from this place again.The Harpy brought their breakfast in and they had a relatively quiet one that day. Amanda barely spoke and they only talked about the weather and what the plans for the day were. Then suddenly, a thought crossed Amanda’s mind.“Do you think Alex is really a friendly person?” Amanda suddenly asked the Harpy and her friend was caught off guard. It took quite some time for the quest
After their stay at the spring, the beast folk had an easier time through the Dark Forest. It seemed like someone was helping them and redirecting the rogue creatures away from their path. It did not take them another day to reach the bottom of the hill that leads to the abandoned castle. All of them stood in awe at the shadow of the building that loomed above them. Some of the beast folk only heard of the castle and never actually saw it.Now they stand in a daze as they look at every spire, at every inch of the outer wall, and at the grand keep that stands higher than the walls. Peering over them as if it is inviting them in. But they could also smell the scent of the creatures from the inside. It was mostly sinister, but they can also catch a hint of milder scents. Maybe there are some that they can speak with.It was Dimitri who first stepped towards the castle and everyone followed suit. The beast folk felt their hearts becoming lighter with every step
Dimitri paced through his study. Alex constantly goes in to check on the girl and being alone with her for a long time does not sit well with him. Dimitri wished that his mother is still with him. If only she were around, she would have known what to say. She would have helped him calm down.She was the only other person that actually understood Dimitri. But her mother is not with him now, or at least she wouldn’t be able to. Dimitri could have gone to the dungeons and watched over the girl himself. But there is a very deep reason why he could not. After all, it was his mother who was first afflicted by the curse. And even until now, she is among the others who transformed and could never revert anymore. Dimitri could not bear to see his mother reduced to a mindless monster. What good is all his glory if he can’t even save his mother?Dimitri remembered the day when they arrived at the castle. The creatures suddenly met them and knelt in front o
The Hero’s party stayed in the castle for a beat after subjugating the Demon King. They needed to make sure that the Demon King is not resurrected again and that none of his generals are alive to leave the army of creatures. At times like this, there is only one thing that comes to the mind of adventurers, that is, thoughts of home and plans for the future. After all, they have ensured the world’s bright future.“So, what do you plan on doing after this?” the berserker asked, “I for one will return to the great forest, maybe live my life peacefully there. Build a home, make a family”“I am going home too,” replied the archer, “there is no place for me or my race in the city. And even if we have eradicated the root of evil, it will still take time for humans to forget about this.”“Yes,” the berserker replied, “You have a point. I am pretty sure our hero here will be m
At times when he is not needed in the village, the Chief practically disappears. Not even his trusted advisors know where he goes. His wife has an idea but she knows better than to tell anyone about it. She could not talk about it for a lot of reasons. In a dark room of a certain cellar 3 floors deep below the ground, the village chief is once again meeting with his not-so-popular clients. There is a reason why it was called an underground deal.“Them wood planks ‘n bricks that y’told us to prepare’s ready,” a short and plump man said,playing with the large gem on his middle finger ring, “I should tell ya, y’have spent a’lot more’n them improvements over th’year than all of th’previous chiefs had, ‘least as far’as I can remember. And I’ave lived a’long life.”“The village needs to attract more and more people,” the chief replied without breaking
“Felipe, listen to me,” Felipe’s father, the village chief, started talking to him as they walked along the path through the village. “You need to take care of these people. You need to take care of the whole village, without these people – without the bounty from the village – we will never be able to keep up the life that we live right now.”“Is that the reason why everyone smiles when they see you, father?” the young Felipe asked,looking up at his father, and then towards the villagers.“Yes,” the village chief replied, “when you grow older, you will understand it better. But for now, look at how bountiful this village is; look at how contented the people are. Make this village even more bountiful; make the people of your time even more contented. That is how you run a village, and that is where we get our own wealth.” Felipe looks at the villagers who are harvesting the