Andrew Thompson
Stories
8
Chapters
3,542
Words
1.4 M
Comments
0
Reading
4 d, 23 h
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Walking, training, food, and rest—those were the activities associated with the hunting party—as the soldiers called the group. Looking at it logically, that much was a given. What made them different from troops on Earth was the ability to condense everything except the walking in three neat thirty-minute segments. It turned out that sleep in an awakened realm was just as adequate as the real thing, provided one didn’t do it for over a real time week, as the Cleric has explained. Dallion found the…-
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The creature snarled, leaping away from Gloria. Without the status information there was no telling how much health it had remaining, but the damage was obvious. The beast’s movements, although nearly as fast as before, were less precise, as if it had to think and guess where to go before it did. “The left side!” Gloria shouted as she leapt off the ground, doing a wall run that would make most action heroes envious. “Shoot at its left side!” On cue, red markers appeared in the relevant side of…
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The cage burst open, releasing the darkness within. Black strands whirled through the air, giving form to the unknown creature. This was the first time that Dallion saw something unknown. Even when his perception was low, the white rectangle still gave the species name and class. It was as if the creature had somehow surrounded itself in a shroud of invisibility. All three trainees came to the same realization in less than a second and reacted in an entirely different fashion. Gloria used her acrobatics…
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Walking turned out to be far less fun than expected. Initially the trio was fascinated by everything, as if they had stepped across an invisible barrier at the village limits and earned themselves a taste of freedom. As time passed by, the sense of wonder faded away. The grass was just as green as in the village, the surroundings just as empty, and the roads mostly nonexistent. The entire village began to look like a bubble of civilization in the wilderness. Another interesting thing, as Dallion found…
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“Here’s your emblem,” the cleric handed Dallion a pendant on a silver chain. The pendant was composed of six gems placed on a circle of pale blue metal. “Wear it all times, don’t lose it.” The materials alone were probably worth more than the entire village and everything in it. Dallion could see how a less scrupulous person would be tempted to grab a few pendants and run off to enjoy their ill-gotten gains. As the metal touched his skin, a sudden warmness enveloped him, feeling like a summer…
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As time passed, interest in the soldiers began to wane. While the children and some young adults remained on the edges of the village square, most of the rest had gone back to their everyday chores. Bread, fruit, water, and what little other provisions the villagers had were brought to the soldiers only to be grumbled and accepted with such disdain one would think the soldiers were doing the locals a favor. Even the horse had initially ignored the hay given to it with a series of snorts. A quick glance…
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The arrival of the Order was accompanied by the calm type of confusion that Dallion had grown to expect. For the most part the people seemed vaguely intrigued, just as someone would be if a distant relative suddenly showed up on the door. On her part, the members of the order had annoyed contempt written all over their faces. “I am Dame Vesuvia, here by order of his grace Archduke Lanitol,” the woman said loudly. It was impressive that her horse didn’t budge an inch as she did, as if it were made of…
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“Brother, brother!” Linner shouted loud enough for half the village to hear. “Look what I got!” The child never seemed to get tired, making Dallion wonder whether he was the only awakened in the family. If stamina was any indication, his younger brother definitely had him beat. “Look!” Linner rushed up to him, holding a small scaly fish. “Isn’t it great?!” “Wow, that’s a winner.” Dallion smiled. If he were to be honest, the fish wasn’t anything special. It was barely large…
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Life slowly returned to normal after Dallion’s first “village task”. It was outright astonishing how quickly everything around the events left the villager’s consciousness. After just one day the only people who referred to the improvement of the well, were the boy’s parents. After one more even they hardly mentioned it anymore, carrying on as if that had always been the case. The village chief and his family also ended all interactions, remaining in their mansion. On a few occasions Dallion…
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Dallion had managed to enter the awakened state without focusing on an object. The room was just as he remembered it from before. The only difference was that this time there was a doorway, as well as two framed items on the wall—a buckler and a short sword. Looking closer, he could see a word beneath each. “Attack six, Guard nine,” the boy read out loud. The moment he did, a blue rectangle appeared in the middle of the room. “Thank you for the obvious,” Dallion laughed and tapped the rectangle…
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