William Jones
Stories
10
Chapters
3,868
Words
2.6 M
Comments
0
Reading
8 d, 21 h
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There were groans and mock protests as Harmonia announced to House Franklin that they would be doing drills and weapons training for the next seven days. The plan was to rise at dawn and take over the Academy's practice salon. "Any sword needs sharpening, and it's good to remind a few people that even though most of us are on the road or the high seas, part of the house is always here. Whether they take that as a comfort or a threat is up to them." Ben welcomed the news; he was enjoying himself and…-
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A bit of light from the rising sun was coming in the library's windows and through the door to his bedroom as a pounding on his door awakened Ben. He opened the door to see Harmony waiting for him. She took one look at him and burst out laughing. Ben did his best to curtsy, "When bold young ladies wake innocent, handsome men before the sun is up, they take what they get." She gave him a considering look and smiled. "Normally, I'd have second thoughts based on your dress style, but there's something to…
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Franklin house was lively tonight. The extended family members could smell a party three towns away and started converging on the house bringing with them alcoholic beverages, musical instruments, and appetites. Local eateries strained to fill large orders on a moment's notice, but the payment was in gold upfront, so no one complained more than any chef normally did. Ben and his new friends found themselves at the center of a large group of people eager to hear their stories. News of the destruction of…
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"Butchers? You're seriously telling me that the Baron of Gadobhra has over 200 butchers, and he will be training more?" All pretense of a casual dinner and polite conversation had ended when Bernice and the Kallvek family returned from watching the evening's fireworks. Emilio was mixing drinks, some of which smoked or sparkled, from a collection of bottles he'd picked up in his travels. With any other guest, he would be careful. Not this one. She could drink all of them under the table. The benefit of…
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As smoke and flames shot from the tall, dark building, the sounds of battle filled the town. The clang of metal on metal echoed out of the smokehouse. The roars of a great beast shook the houses, coupled with insane screams that hurt the listener's ears and brain. The workers who knew him could tell the difference between the roars from the Butcher and those from the daemon. Off-duty legionnaires, in town for dinner or a beer, and members of the Red Banner drew weapons and formed a rough circle in front…
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Ozzy saw a notification from the bank that he'd sold three barrels of Billy and Layla had become much easier to deal with after he returned from the Smoke and the new trade routes were opened. They were mostly happy as long as money and building points were pouring into their coffers. The only worry was finishing the fortress on schedule. The walls and buildings were going up fast. They were ahead of schedule on that part, despite the annoyance of constant raids by players and mercenaries. Billy was…
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It was toward evening when Captain Bernice finally made it back to Kallvek's Emporium. She was allowing her horse to walk slowly while she gathered her thoughts. It would not do to have dinner with Roderick Kallvek, or worse, his father, with slowed wits. The man heard everything that occurred in the Empire and had several employees who gathered the information for him. Not even spies, just normal scribes who asked questions about prices, new laws, monster attacks, or any of the thousands of bits of…
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Billy sipped from his flagon of beer as he sat across from Bob in the tavern. By agreement, Lord Alwyn and Baron William were rarely, if ever, in each other's company. It made things much simpler. No one carred about what Billy and Bob did. Alwyn's Twitterberry had briefed Billy on the rules a fae lord had to follow. He could talk to Bob about just about anything, and it was just Billy and Bob, two drinking buddies who didn't matter at all in the scheme of things. But anything that the Baron of Gadobhra…
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Fifty large wagons made their way north, each pulled by teams of eight mules each. The wagons had oversized wheels to make travel easy across rough ground. Wide rims made it easier to drive them across sandy soil and mud. The routes by which the merchant train traveled were through wilderness areas where narrow roads connected small villages. If the train of wagons stopped near a village, they traded in the evening, but otherwise, they ignored the little hamlets, needing to make good time and deliver their…
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"We seem to have a few minutes while the helpful members of the Inquisition summon our playmate. Perhaps we should introduce ourselves. If you didn't catch my name from all the shouting, I am Benjamin Franklin the 7th, a courier who probably should have stayed in bed this morning." He made a sweeping bow with his hat. The other people in the circle relaxed slightly. "I'm Doby Finnegan. I'm going to be a Paladin; my sword says so." The old weapon looked plain and well used, but Ben could see a layer of…
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