#fantasyfiction

But im stuck on Sam.

Im currently leaning towards latent Omega. But a beta sounds fun too.

BUT ALSO im tip toeing around Sam getting magic.

Like Tank and David are still werewolves, Sam is just and Uninformed and Unempowered and being in Dahlia awakenes his rank of Omega. OR it awakens his Freelancing AND Omega type.

⚖️ A stranger asked one question. The answer changed everything. 🌫️

Rain needled around Elias as he stalked down the empty street. He paused outside a luxurious store. He glanced at his reflection in the glass, but his gaze fell to the empty shelves. The lavish coats that had once lined the bare mannequins would’ve fetched a pretty penny before everything changed.

Elias shoved his fists into his pockets as he turned away from the dying storefront and continued walking. His head sank between his shoulders with each step until he reached the lake at the city’s edge. As he stood watching the waters, the rain stopped and the rippling water stilled. He plucked a smooth stone from the shore and tossed it in his hand as he stared out upon the lifeless surface.

“Not many would come out this way.”

Elias snatched the stone as he whirled around, finding an elderly figure leaning on a cane. He tossed the stone up again as his eyes narrowed. “The same’s true for you.”

The man laughed as he stepped beside Elias and plucked another stone off the ground. He threw it out over the water, and the stone skipped five times before it fell into the still water. He turned and thumped his cane against the ground four times.

“I’m here every day.” The old man leaned closer and poked Elias’s shoulder with a finger. “I’ve never seen you here before.”

Elias shook his head and threw his stone across the lake, getting it to skip across the lake’s surface four times. “The city’s dying. The disease is wiping us out.”

“If you’re worried about the sickness, why aren’t you with family?”

Elias picked up another stone and tossed it into the air. “They were among the first to succumb.”

“I’m surprised you came.” The man pointed his cane at Elias. “Why do you think you’ve survived?”

“To suffer,” Elias said, chucking the stone across the lake.

“That’s a terrible mindset to have, isn’t it?”

Elias whirled about, shoving a finger into the stranger’s face. “How can you spin losing your entire family in a positive way?”

The old man smiled and thumped his cane on the ground seven times. “You might consider grief the toll for walking farther.”

“What are you talking about?”

The man’s smile widened as he thrust a finger into Elias’s chest. “Pain doesn’t make the road easier. Rather, the agony teaches you how to keep walking when the road gives you no mercy.”

“Well, I’ve hit rock bottom.” Elias grabbed another stone and whipped it out over the lake. It skipped the surface seven times before plunging under the still water. He wiped his mouth as he squatted down. He punched the earth and swallowed a curse.

“What would you give to help those still afflicted with this illness?”

He grabbed another stone and rose. Elias turned to the stranger and bit his lip. He brushed his nose and scoffed…

Continue reading the story below:

🛡️ The armor led him to judgment. The silence after made it harder to believe. ⚔️

Kael’s gauntlet clenched as he stared at the smoking timbers. Several guards fled into the trees, but his armor held him in place while they vanished and his target writhed at his feet. When the wizard tried to drag himself away, Kael grasped his shoulder and hauled him off the ground.

“Why did you attack me?”

Kael released his breath. “You were warned that you crossed a line Caedren declared none shall pass.”

“Just because I refuse to follow his demands?”

“According to Caedren, you turned the roads near your sanctuary into a private court. You waylaid travelers, punished refusal, and forced weaker people to accept your commands.” Kael pulled the broken wizard closer. “He warned you to stop abusing those who had no means to resist.”

“Says the man gifted with armor that absorbs magic.”

“Caedren created me to end tyranny.”

The wizard’s eyes narrowed as he dangled from Kael’s hand. “Power corrupts everything it touches. Carry out his commands long enough, and your retribution will turn on him. I can free you.”

Kael’s fingers tightened around the man’s shoulder as he marched forward, shattering engravings with each stride. “Alain, Caedren is striving to make a world where none are abused by power.”

“No,” the wizard said, slamming his hands against the metal squeezing him. “What you’re doing is thinning out his rivals and letting him call it justice.”

“You shouldn’t have opposed the greater good.”

“I helped Caedren shape the spells threaded through that armor.” Alain’s voice cracked, but his eyes held Kael’s. “I know the compulsions he buried in its metal. I’m aware of the difference between judgment and obedience dressed in holy words.”

Kael’s fingers squeezed until the wizard’s shoulder snapped. Alain’s cry echoed off the trees as he tumbled to the stone. Kael circled him, drawing his sword. He lowered the point to the man’s chest, sank to one knee, and grabbed Alain’s thinning hair. When the last echo vanished, Kael leaned closer. “Your contributions don’t matter. All that matters is the terror you give others.”

The wizard’s gaze fell to the blade’s tip pressing against him...

If you enjoyed this excerpt, the full story is available on Patreon as well as the back catalogue.

⛈️ Ramas silenced one danger, but the sea is not finished with him. ⚓

As the dark clouds dispersed, the captain glanced back at the wanderer. Before he could speak, the ship shuddered, threatening to knock him down.

In heartbeats, a sickening sound of wood buckling and bursting filled the air as sailors stumbled with the ship’s sudden lurch. Ramas gripped the arms of his chair.

“Reef!”

The captain spun toward the bow, muttering a curse. “There aren’t reefs here!”

“There are now,” Ramas said, rising from his seat. He turned, his cursed sight latching onto the reef gouging the ship’s keel. He clenched his fists as water poured in.

As curses echoed across the lurching ship, the captain seized the nearest sailor. “Get below deck and start patching that hole. Drag everyone you need to repair the hull!”

Ramas walked closer to the gaping breach. “Your crew won’t reach it in time...

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