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    V00 Overture [Greyscale]
    V00 Overture [Greyscale]
    V00 Overture [Greyscale]
    Ebook114 pages1 hour

    V00 Overture [Greyscale]

    By A. C. Karzun

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Slayer:
    Few can do what I do. Even entire armies fall short, compared to me. The Elementals I slay are too dangerous to fight without the magical and physical skills I have earned over years, through sacrifice and tireless dedication. Even Zom-Ka, the Chaos Child who has travelled to my continent in search of adventure, can only do so because of his training and innate magical skill. And Koshidi? The hook-wielding young woman from the Mountain Clans? She barely manages. But we must slay them for Lady Molvik to make it to the sanctuary of the savannah city of Sharnich before the forces of The Old King catch up with her army. And his people are after us too. Tracking us. Hunting us. And the Elementals are getting stronger, better, more dangerous. Seemingly adapting to Zom-Ka and me. They are using tactics I have never seen before. They are combining with each other into glorious and dreadful new forms. And while Koshidi is careful, Zom-Ka is relishing the challenge. Always seeking out the most dangerous. Feeling rather than thinking. And using death magic. His skill is undeniable. But so is the danger he poses. Not only to our foes but maybe even to us.

    NOTE:
    This is the greyscale version, optimised for greyscale devices. The original version with colour-coded text is also available.

    Books in the Valderia series:
    V00 Overture
    V01M01 Chosen Missionist
    V02M02 Heretical Missionist
    V03M03 Hellbound Missionist

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherA. C. Karzun
    Release dateNov 3, 2015
    ISBN9781310897665
    V00 Overture [Greyscale]
    Author

    A. C. Karzun

    Writer. Philosopher. Human. In that order.

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      Book preview

      V00 Overture [Greyscale] - A. C. Karzun

      Synopsis

      Slayer:

      Few can do what I do. Even entire armies fall short, compared to me. The Elementals I slay are too dangerous to fight without the magical and physical skills I have earned over years, through sacrifice and tireless dedication. Even Zom-Ka, the Chaos Child who has travelled to my continent in search of adventure, can only do so because of his training and innate magical skill. And Koshidi? The hook-wielding young woman from the Mountain Clans? She barely manages. But we must slay them for Lady Molvik to make it to the sanctuary of the savannah city of Sharnich before the forces of The Old King catch up with her army. And his people are after us too. Tracking us. Hunting us. And the Elementals are getting stronger, better, more dangerous. Seemingly adapting to Zom-Ka and me. They are using tactics I have never seen before. They are combining with each other into glorious and dreadful new forms. And while Koshidi is careful, Zom-Ka is relishing the challenge. Always seeking out the most dangerous. Feeling rather than thinking. And using death magic. His skill is undeniable. But so is the danger he poses. Not only to our foes but maybe even to us.

      Valderia

      V00

      Overture

      [Greyscale]

      by

      A. C. Karzun

      Valderia

      V00 Overture

      by A. C. Karzun

      Copyright 2015–2019 ACKarzun

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This free ebook may be copied, distributed, reposted, reprinted and shared, provided it appears in its entirety without alteration, and the reader is not charged to access it.

      NOTE:

      This is the greyscale version, optimised for greyscale devices. The original version with colour-coded text is also available.

      Slayer:

      I trace the white scar running across my dark face for what I can very easily believe to be the four-millionth time. Left by a Metal Elemental slashing open my face years ago, I have no illusions that it did not improve both my looks and my personality.

      Using my magically enhanced vision, which grants me a view of everything within a direct line of sight, I can see the Elementals move. I know that even at this distance they are fully aware of my presence. The existence of Elementals is a much-debated issue among those prone to talk endlessly but until the Deities see fit to explain it to us, I am sure we will never truly know why they exist or indeed how they are even capable of existence. Personally, I could not care less; my sole task here today is to eliminate this particular group so the armies of Lady Molvik can advance. The fact that I, singlehandedly, can do what an entire army cannot, proofs how incredible I have become.

      The early autumn wind brushes through my short, dirty hair and brings with it the scent of charcoal and ashes. My movements are fast enough to surprise even the Air Elemental sneaking up on me with its friends. All four are bereft of their lives without me even needing to break a sweat.

      I hang my golden axes back in their rings on my belt and start running towards the group, I do a quick count, two-dozen-and-five. I have faced greater numbers. As they start getting into a position that should make it easier for them to fight me, I start formulating my strategy. I have a particular opening move that usually takes care of at least two of them but looking at the way these are positioning themselves that is going to be hard. A Lightning and a Metal Elemental make their way towards me, ready to intercept me. Then they hit me with a strategy of their own that I have not seen before. Metal jumps up and stretches out horizontally, Lightning leaps into it and travels through it to come flying out of Metal’s outstretched arms, straight towards me. I pump some extra shaay into the orange shimmer covering my body, which protects me from energy, and brace myself. As Lightning is about to hit me, I catch it as best I can with my redrawn, shaay-charged axes, make a quick full circle with outstretched arms and hurl it back towards the group. I did not have the time to aim it properly, but I am hoping I aimed it well enough. I curse as it misses the Ice Elemental, I was hoping to hit but am relieved to see it hit Water instead. Water turns to steam but not before stumbling into Wood. Lightning travels between both, splitting in half and dying as Water evaporates and Wood is set alight.

      Three down, two-dozen-and-two to go, I am on my usual roll.

      Zom-Ka:

      I am Zom-Ka from Clan Valderia of the House of Valderia. Servant of Morach, God of Shaay, Servant of Aoki, Goddess of Death. I am a Chaos Child and I am in trouble. I am lying on my back looking up at the smoke and dust filled sky, trying to distinguish the stars. My body hurts truly horribly in many places, but what I am most worried about is my left leg, which is not hurting at all. Lack of pain is a bad thing. So, I am trying to see the stars. I am not willing to look down my body to see what my leg looks like, presuming it is still there. I stretch out my arms and my right-hand brushes against my staff. I turn my head so I can see it. It is still in one piece, though it has seen better days. But then so have I. I go back to trying to see the stars.

      I need to get up, the wetness beneath me is not just mud and not all of the blood belongs to the Gorthsian warriors I have slain. I reach out with my right hand and pull my staff closer to me. I use it to prop myself up and become aware of the dead weight on my left side; my leg is still there. I risk a look. I cannot see it under my robes, but I can see are the three arrows sticking out of it. And some of the blood coming from the area is purple, which means one of the arteries has been hit. I try to suppress the fear. For a Chaos Child, the sight of our purple blood is always enough to make us panic. I start pushing green shaay into my leg. Hopefully it will now heal halfway decently, presuming of course I did not lose so much blood that I will die. I start the long trek back across the battlefield to our camp.

      Koshidi:

      Carrion-feeders are not the only creatures that follow armies. I have been following this one too. They leave enough behind for me to live off and at this particular time in my life, I am simply not in the mood to make a lot of effort to live. And I am not the only person doing this. There is a young couple of Dwar’Das, who have also been treading across the battlefields in search of anything useful; though unlike me, they are looking for valuable items. I cannot be bothered to explain to them that they will not find much; Lady Molvik’s warriors will have rolled and looted their enemies already. I think there might also be an Inniad about, but I have not seen much of it.

      I am sure to keep my distance from the army, the last thing I need right now is to be gang-raped to death by a bunch of overzealous SouGors.

      I have to admit though that Molvik has an interesting approach to this war. She is obviously losing but rather than just give in she has been retreating, regrouping, and advancing again, making it difficult for the NorGors to advance far with any speed.

      I look over the night-filled field of dead bodies amidst all but dead fires and pretend I am actually making a decision. Of course, I already know I am going to cut up a soldier for food, just as I have been doing for the past few days. I could go hunt in the nearby woods but why would I? It will be a lot less hassle to simply look for a halfway decent body and maybe I will even be lucky and find a pre-cooked one.

      Slayer:

      Through the dust and smoke, a light blue skinned KayChil with dark blue hair, wearing tattered and dirty, brown robes comes strolling off the battlefield, covered in blood and shaay. Some of the blood on him is purple which I know to mean he has been badly injured, but I guess that the shaay is keeping him from dying. He looks so small and slender beside the tall, broad-shouldered, dark-skinned Gorthsian warriors, but I know without a doubt he could take them all, probably all at once and maybe even in the state he is currently in.

      It would be fair to say that even though I have not met him yet, I like him already.

      Zom-Ka, he says his name is. His grasp on our language is not

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