The Merchant And The Alchemist's Gate Novels & Stories

Hecate pointed to the receding tide. A massive, obsidian gate was rising from the seabed. It was covered in barnacles and glowing runes. "The First-Born," Hecate whispered. The gate creaked open. A hand, the size of a house, gripped the edge of the obsidian. It was pale. Translucent. "Kaelor, run," I whispered. Kaelor didn't run. He turned toward the gate. He set me down on a pile of ash. "I'm not running anymore," Kaelor said.

Arielle put on a hood. "Stay close, Sera." "Don't look anyone in the eye." "And if someone touches you..." "Break their fingers." Sera nodded, looking tough. Or trying to. They walked through the crowd. Goblins hawking scrap metal. Dark Elves selling poisons. Arielle ignored them. She was looking for one shop. The Alchemist's Den. Run by a legendary crazy person. Dr. Aris. She found it near the back. A small shop filled with bubbling jars.

“You’re unbearable on sugar.” I gasped. “I am delightful.” “You are trouble.” “You like trouble,” I said. He didn’t answer. His mouth twitched like he agreed. The shop was dim and smelled like leather and lamp oil. Shelves crowded the walls. A bell jingled when we stepped inside. The merchant behind the counter looked up - thin, quick eyes, a smile that was too quick to be warm. “Welcome, friends,” he said. “What can I get you?” “Thread. Coarse salt. Small flask of oil,” Kael said. His tone was polite, forgettable. The kind that didn’t stick in minds.

“Don’t show off. Stay calm, and remember we’re his guests and want something from him, even if he throws insults.” “Is he that terrible person, Alpha King?” I asked. “When he’s not in his mood. By the way, his guards are humans.” We arrived at the gate after walking ten minutes from where Zarah sent us through the portal. “Lord Archibald is expecting us,” Alpha King said, and these are my presents. He showed two cases of his wines carried by Luka and McKaye. “I’ll assist you to his study,” the other man, older than the blonde at the gate, said.

For monsters like me. "Alora?" Mom's soft call makes me jump. I didn't even hear the door open. "Come in here, baby. We need to talk." Dad stands by the window, his shoulders rigid with tension. A shattered vase lies at his feet – the source of the crash. Mom perches on the edge of their bed, clutching a silver envelope bearing the Alpha Stone crest. "How much did you hear?" she asks quietly. "Enough." My voice comes out steadier than I feel. "You're giving me to him. To the Beast."

It placed a single, rolled-up piece of parchment on the table, then melted back into the shadows before they could speak. Jack picked it up. There was no writing on it, only a single, complex symbol drawn in what looked like silver ink. As he touched it, the symbol glowed and dissolved, and a voice whispered directly into his mind. It was a synthesized, anonymous voice, stripped of all inflection. I have a piece of what you seek. Not the whole, but a thread. I do not want your gold. Information for information. The Alchemists' Guild ruins. The Old Town Square. Prague. Come alone. Prove you are a seeker, not a competitor.

“Your inability to handle your own heart doomed all of us.” A knock at the door interrupted my spiral and I jerked my head towards it. "What?" I barked. One of the guards entered, his head bowed low. "My lord, there's a merchant here to see you. He says it's regarding the trade routes." I stared at him with a frown. What was a merchant doing here? No one had visited the fortress in decades, at least not since my grandfather’s time. "A merchant," I repeated slowly. "Yes, my lord.” The guard responded. “He says he represents Blackwood's trading guild."

There was something about him, and I didn’t think he was a dealer at all. He looked like… he was covered in some sort of darkness that felt heavy on the ground. His hands were moving and I saw something shine under the cloak of dark he wore. They were symbols, this was not a dealer… he was an alchemist. I twisted through two more dead body guards, tearing one’s neck completely with my teeth. The other had a smaller build and my claws around his neck squeezed until I felt the spine snap. There were two wolves on Mara but she was handling it. She had already slashed one considerably.

He brought me to him, kissing my temple before allowing me to open the steel door. It shut behind me. The first thing I saw was four arrangements of cells. Although the cells were dark, I was able to amplify my vision and see them, and the sight was enough to make my skin crawl. Their cells faced each other with a stone path in the middle with two cells on either side. They confronted one another, a stone way in the centre with two cells on each side. Each cell had a guard stationed outside. I gradually began to stroll down the path. The first person I saw on my right was Luta. On my left were Jeremy and Danni. Their faces were wounded and swollen. Blood and deep cuts stained their faces. Al

As if someone just left a puke unwashed for several days. Kazal retreated a few steps back from the metallic structure. Coincidentally after he did, he heard a sound of footsteps from a distance, followed by the sound of a heavy breathing, and several steps of different weight. “Is there a group running nearby?” Was what he originally thought, but along with the sound of the primary footsteps, comes along that smell of blood which has been disturbing his nose for some time. The dog merchant angled his head to the exit of the alley way, where he could see a considerably bright light lighting up the exit. A figure appeared out of nowhere under the light and rushed into the lane Kazal was stand