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prysmartin · 1 year ago

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No Home for a Hero - Chapter 3

Man I'm really bad at posting to this, but no I haven't completely abandoned this blog; writing hard even if everyone says I'm good at it mannnn Anyways, I've got another nine-page chapter to share with you all. 3,408 words approximately. It's kinda funny that after a three-month hiatus I just. Did that in like three days. It wasn't three months for this blog, but it was three months between my YouTube readings, which are a little more accurate to when I wrote it. Speaking of YouTube, of course, here's the video for this chapter:

Annibelle shot up, woken by a sudden metallic clanging. It was as though the town’s Blacksmiths were right outside her bedroom window. She quickly glanced around the tent, trying to find the source of the noise. There wasn’t much natural light - it must have only barely been morning by now - but she could make out her surroundings inside the tent.

Not that those surroundings were reassuring - she couldn’t see a thing. Where had Phillip gone? What about his sleeping bag? His backpack? Why was the room so barren? Where even was her own bag? She spun around again, frantically grabbing at where she had left it close to the edge of the tent. Annibelle let out a sigh of relief when her hand hit the bag, the rough imprints of her tools pressed into its side.

She cautiously got up, making more noise than she wanted as she slipped out of her sleeping bag. On any normal day the slight rustle would’ve been forgotten and done with in an instant, but today, Annibelle was terrified of drawing the attention of whatever await her outside. It was a somewhat familiar noise in a horribly unfamiliar place.

To make matters worse, she could hear the crackle of the leaves as the beast skulked around. It was all she could hear aside from the wind and her own breath as she moderated every bit of air passing through her lips.

She peeked through the front flap of the tent and glanced around, expecting to see signs of a giant or some monster, or maybe even come face to face with the behemoth. Instead, she was greeted by a much warmer view, as a crackling campfire’s heat before her could be felt in just its vibrant shades of red-orange. The flames leaped upwards, reaching for a small piece of meat hoisted above the fire with a skewer. Phillip sat on a log, gnawing on something.

At least the campfire had given a source to the crackling noise. Considering Phillip’s relaxed state, the metal clanging had probably been from something he’d done. Annibelle relaxed, letting out a small sigh of relief, and stepped out of the tent.

“Oh look,” Phillip said between bites, “The child’s awake.” He glanced at her while continuing to scarf down his meal. Annibelle just sort of stood there in silence, taking in the scene. She was a bit exhausted after having such rough sleep that night.

Anni slowly stepped outside the tent, a waft of cool morning air greeting her with the smell of fresh dew, and a rugged, smokey hint of the campfire. A dim wave of sunlight leapt over the canopy’s edge, casting a glow on the campsite’s clearing. It felt… familiar. Welcoming. One of the few things Annibelle could even try to say she recognized in this weird new world.

She stepped forth, and Phillip broke the silence. “Not very talkative today, are we?” He chuckled to himself. “Well, that’s an improvement over yesterday’s stuttering, that’s for sure,” he jeered. Anni felt her hair stand up in shame. He was right. That’s not how a hero would act.

She sat herself on the log across from him. Phillip gestured towards the campfire, vaguely waving his hand in its general direction. “Breakfast,” he stated bluntly, and resumed gnawing on his own meal.

“Is it ready yet?” Annibelle Asked.

“Hmgh?” Phillip stopped eating for a second. “Uh, probably?”

She sat there for a moment, waiting for him to check the meal. He sat there, chewing on the last of his. It was an awkward minute for Annibelle as she slowly came to terms with the fact that she wasn’t getting any better of an answer unless she asked again.

“Um- Are you- Sure?” It was a shoddy question that didn’t actually get anywhere, but Annibelle was too afraid to try anything more. All she knew was this man’s name, and what little of his personality he’d shown her before was anything but promising.

“Look, kid,” he said with a mouthful before swallowing his bite. “You can play Chef all you want,” he said, glaring her down, his arm resting on his leg as he leaned forwards with a hint of frustration. The memo was clear as Anni’s heart dropped like a rock from anxiety.

She cautiously made her way towards the campfire as Phillip went back to the last of his meal. Though he wasn’t paying her any mind, she still felt as though her every move were being judged, like an actor who forgot their lines in the middle of a show.

After grabbing the Skewer, Annibelle made her way back to the stump she seated herself on. She’d had meals cooked over campfires before, but the skewer was weird. Those were usually used by festival vendors, not camping cookware, and they usually consisted of tiny pieces of exotic fruits, not one large hunk of meat.

Oh well. However strange this all was, it was still breakfast, and her morning hunger was starting to kick in. Maybe getting a little energy in her system would make her feel better.

She bit into the meat. It was… uncomfortably stringy. Like a dying worm was being puppeteered down her throat. It was undercooked. It was uncomfortable. Some water might have helped to chase it down, though she didn’t know where any was and was too afraid to ask just yet. Annibelle swallowed the bite, knowing it would be the only one she could muster.

So much for Breakfast today.

“Slow eater, eh?” Phillip noted. Anni had been trying to chew her way through her morning meal - if you could even call it that - but she had only gotten halfway through her food. She was getting used to the texture, but that didn’t make it magically easier to stomach. It was all the food Anni was going to get for now, though, so she pushed on.

She didn’t speak, as doing so while chewing was rude, but even if she didn’t have anything in her mouth, Annibelle wasn’t sure she would have responded. Not that it seemed Phillip wanted a response, anyways, as he reached into his backpack and started rummaging for something. His arms and head dove in deep, deeper than should have been possible, before suddenly popping back out to stare Annibelle down.

“Oh yeah, before you ask, Horokai’s just out to find you a Void Pack.” He patted his backpack. “Means more storage, and less need to swindle merchants or steal from a world on the brink.”

Annibelle had never heard of a “void pack”, but it became clear to her as Phillip dived back into his bag what he really meant. She’d heard of these portable alternate realities, and even used some in her classes - They were perfect for containing cursed or volatile items - but they were rare, often flaunted by the rich as a show of their status, and hardly used with their actual purpose. Anni, however, knew them by a different name -

“A Hemlay?” she asked.

Phillip groaned, his voice echoing from within the bag. “Oh great, Rathead’s already told you the weird way of saying it.”

“I’ve… Only ever heard them called hemlays…” Annibelle replied.

“Well, you’re weird,” he said, pulling out a book and quill from his bag. “Not that that’s news, considering the rest of your town.”

“Wh-When will Horokai be back?” Anni tried to brush the insult away.

Phillip flipped open the book. “Uhhh, I dunno. Two days if we’re lucky, next month if we’re not.”

“Um-” Annibelle was confused. Hemlays weren’t that rare, were they? Maybe the bigger ones were, since those were the real ways to flaunt implied wealth, but a small bag was common enough that almost every town had at least one for sale. “Would it really take that long to find a small hemlay?”

“Void bag,” Phillip muttered, tapping the page of the book with his quill, now inked. “Sure, a bag’s easy to come by, but Horokai wanted a pack.” He started scrawling on the page. “Yknow, like a uh, backpack or whatever. One of those. And that wasn’t enough.” He paused, turning the page. “She insisted on finding someone who could make you a custom fit.

His eyes, still focused on his writing, narrowed. “I, for one, suggested we not waste our time with that,” Phillip rolled his eyes, “but I guess she knows what the hell we’re doing, and she’s got the final say in this stupid thing.” He closed the book and tossed it back in his hemlay. “Whatever. Not MY void pack, and not my guy to hunt.”

The last statement struck Annibelle as odd. “Guy to hunt?” She took another bite of her breakfast, hoping for this one to be different, only to be met with disappointment.

“Eh, doesn’t really matter.” He stood up. “Considering this world-ending craze, I’d be surprised if the guy’s even alive at this point.”

“I- but why… Hunt him?”

Phillip sighed, slinging his backpack over his arm. “Look, kid. She knows, I don’t. You don’t. Doesn’t matter.” He started walking towards the tent. “We got camp to clean up and places to be.” He looked back at her over his shoulder, piercing into her soul with his stare. “So don’t waste my time.”

Annibelle shut up.

Beyond the campsite, the day was uneventful. Phillip led the way as they traversed the woods, trudging down the winding gravel paths, hoping to stumble across something more substantial than a lone signpost. With every step, Annibelle’s hopes of finding a town drained as the paths waltzed on through the forest, as though someone set them up specifically to spite her.

It didn’t help that breakfast was so unsubstantial, and she wasn’t used to so much walking. Her legs ached as much as her stomach, though at least she got much needed rests as Phillip occasionally stopped to take note of another thing in his book, even if only for a minute or two.

Unfortunately, the pauses didn’t do anything to help her growing appetite, nor her fear of the startling noises coming from the forest. Every falling rock, every rustled leaf, every gust of wind put Annibelle on-edge. Phillip didn’t seem to pay any mind, and considering his experience, there probably wasn’t anything to be afraid of. She tried her best to set aside her fears.

Annibelle had learned something that day. The words “uneventful” and “good” are not mutual.

As the sunset began to light the sky with its dreamy mango-like tones, Phillip ordered her to set up camp for the night, and disappeared into the woods. While it was some respite from his worryingly strict silence, and it would’ve been a great opportunity to rest, Annibelle didn’t dare to fail the job by giving in to her exhaustion. At least she knew how to do everything, having taken a survival 25s class before.

Phillip returned long before she had finished setting up camp. Good thing the 25s taught her to light the fire first, as he pulled a deer out of his Hemlay and strung it up over the fire without a single comment or complaint. In fact, he helped her finish setting up the tent, though it wasn’t clear if he was staving off boredom while the deer cooked or was frustrated with the fact she hadn’t finished already.

The deer was fine. Could have been better if she took the time to prepare it, but Annibelle was too exhausted to push past Phillip, and even if she could, she probably wouldn’t have cooked it much better in her tired state. At least it was a filling meal, and this time, Phillip had got some water for her. It wasn’t much water, but hey, it was something.

Once dinner was done, Annibelle headed straight for bed. Her sleeping bag was uncomfortable, but it didn’t matter. She was ready for some much-needed sleep after such a long, grueling day of nothing but walking. Her aching body was grateful, but her mind wasn’t so pleasant tonight. As she fell asleep, yesterday’s nightmares returned in full force with a punch-to-the-gut kind of question her subconscious would dwell on through her dreams.

“Is mom okay?”

Annibelle knew the answer. She didn’t want to.

Annibelle shot up, woken by a sudden crashing noise. She had just been dreaming of her mother cooking breakfast, and, well, that’s sure what the crashing sounded like - a certain someone screwing up the pots and pans. She glanced around, trying to find the source of the noise. There wasn’t much natural light - it must have only barely been morning by now, if you could even call it that - but she didn’t have the time to really make out her surroundings.

Phillip’s hand clasped over her mouth. This startled her, at first for why he would do such a thing, but then for the look on his face. He wasn’t paying attention to her. He wasn’t even looking at her. He pointed vaguely towards the tent flap, but Annibelle couldn’t spot what he was so concerned by. There was nothing but the campfire’s ash pit out there.

And then she saw it. A paw. It was hard to see in the darkness, but she slowly adjusted and could barely make out the silhouette of a bear as it lumbered around the campsite, clawing the ground for… something.

Phillip silently unsheathed his sword, getting ready to strike the bear, but before he could fully get up and ready, the noises stopped, and the shadow disappeared. He still got up, and with a silent swipe, struck out into the dim campsite. It was a tense few seconds, doused in silence and shadow.

It was soon broken by Phillip’s voice as he re-entered the tent. “It’s gone, kid.” Anni let out a sigh of relief as he reached for a small storm lantern. He held it up, flameless, and looked at Annibelle expectantly. “You know magic, right?”

“Um… Yeah?” she responded.

“You light it, then.”

She didn’t know all there was to magic, but even if her survival 25s training hadn’t taught her the basics on starting a fire, she was a sparkmage. All she needed to do was focus a little bit of her electrical powers to create some concentrated heat, and bam; within around fifteen seconds, the lamp lit up the whole room with a flickering, vibrant orange.

Phillip headed outside without a word, taking the lamp with him. His silhouette painted the tent flap in a crisp, clear outline. Annibelle got out of her sleeping bag, rubbed her eyes, grabbed her belongings and headed outside after Phillip.

The campsite was a wreck, with everything thrown around like an accountant had lost their papers right as the tax collector knocked on their door. The firepit was spread out, the logs they had used as benches were overturned, and the Hemlay was wide open, with clothes, papers, and tools scattered around it. Phillip slowly approached, leaned down, and peered in.

After a few seconds, he let out a sigh. “You know, I had a second deer lined up for today’s meals,” he said, gritting his teeth in frustration, “But it looks like that thing’s changed plans for breakfast today.” He stood up and started walking for the tent again. “I hope you know how to hunt, kid.”

“I can trap rabbits, sir.” It was a skill she barely remembered by now - and wasn’t sure if she knew the right order of every step - but it was what she did know, and was worth a shot nonetheless.

Phillip glared at her as he marched past her to get to the tent. “We’ve got two mouths to feed, kid. Rabbit ain’t gonna cut it.”

Anni had no further ideas. “Um… What do we do, then?”

Phillip stopped in the tent flap. “Well, there’s a bear with our breakfast out there. Why don’t we go… Persuade him to give it back?”

She should’ve protested. She really should’ve. But the time had come and gone, and they were far too deep into the trail to give up now. It had been, what, fifteen minutes since they started? Phillip was doing a good job of tracking down the bear; at least, based on what little Annibelle remembered on tracking animals, and what little she could see in the rising dawn.

But a bear? Really? Sure, it had stolen their food, but why not go after something… safer? Simpler? Another deer, perhaps? Hell, even trapping rabbits would have been easier, even if they needed to trap twenty for the day and even if she didn’t remember how to do it.

It was a long shot, but maybe he would still listen?

“You know, I think-”

Before she could finish her sentence, Phillip shushed her, peering through the bushes. “There it is,” he whispered, gesturing for Annibelle to approach and look for herself. Lo and behold, there it was, chewing away on the deer’s lifeless body.

“I’ll deal with him,” Phillip said, standing up. “You cause a distraction if things go south.”

“I could-” Annibelle started instinctively saying something, but stopped herself. She didn’t need to complicate the situation any further. Phillip had it under control.

But he took notice, crouching back down. “Could what, kid?”

“I-” there was no backing down now. “I could kill it, sir,” she said softly, trying not to alert the bear.

Phillip’s face said it all: unamused doubt. “Considering your last tussle with one of these, kid… You know what? I’d love to see your best go at it.” He sat back down, expectantly looking at her.

Annibelle wasn’t ready for this. She shouldn’t have said anything. It would have been done in a moment had she just let Phillip do his thing. It wasn’t raining, making her plan much harder, but there was at least a cloud in the sky so she wouldn’t completely exhaust herself. It definitely wouldn’t be a pleasant experience either way, but with Phillip breathing down her neck she had to do it.

The bear was hardly moving. The cloud was in position. It was time to act. Closing her eyes as to not blind herself, Anni cast herself into the earth and into the sky. She couldn’t see it, but she could sure hear it. The roaring thunder rolled over her like a dust storm on an open field, echoing off the distant hills as she channeled lightning through bear and into the heavens.

Or, well, the sounds echoed through her, as Annibelle’s body ached from top to bottom and a painful ringing took over her ears. Maybe that was from the lightning. Maybe the thunder. Maybe from overexerting herself. She had remembered to close her eyes, but her failure to cover her ears and stand back from the blast hurt far more than she first planned.

Her head was violently spinning as she opened her eyes. There was some good news; the bear was lying on its side. It was hard to tell if it was truly dead or not, as the movements could be some last pulses through its muscles, a hallucination, or a big problem, but Phillip’s sword being stuck through its head made its fate pretty clear. He stood there, one hand on his hilt, the other on his head as though to keep a migraine at bay.

Annibelle lay down, looking at the canopy, waiting for it to stop shifting about so much. “Water,” she said instinctively, not hearing her own voice. Lightning requires something to help it connect with the ground, and the best way is raindrops. On a bad day, though, the human body happens to have more than enough water to conduct such strong electricity, but any caster needs to stay well hydrated after exhausting themselves from a lightning strike, whether successful or not.

Phillip obliged, handing her his water bottle. She was able to mutter a quick “thank you” before chugging down as much as she could. Her lack of breakfast and any drink that would come with it compounded her thirst. Once the ringing subsided, the world finished spinning, and her thirst was quenched, Phillip addressed her.

“I got two things to tell ya, kid.” He pulled his sword out of the bear and turned towards her. “One, that was pretty damn impressive.” He kneeled down, getting face to face with Annibelle. “Two, don’t you dare do that again so close.”

#writing #storytelling #my writing #my story #original story #fun fact - my sister dared me to show off in nitrotype #this dare gave me motivation to write this chapter #some poor kids who do 10wpm got steamrolled as I did 120

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wttcsms · 2 months ago

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WTTCSMS EGOIST BIBLE !!

while i'm gone on hiatus, i thought now would be a good time for you all to get to know me! i thought the egoist bible questions were so silly but so good at getting some insight into how a person is, so here are my answers <3 i did change up some questions pertaining to soccer, but for the most part, these are all the questions asked from the egoist bible 🤭

BIRTHDAY ► april 21

AGE ► 21

ZODIAC SIGN ► taurus

BIRTHPLACE ► houston, tx

HOUSEHOLD ► dad, mom, older sister, me, younger brother

HEIGHT ► 5'2

SHOE SIZE ► us women's 6.5, eu 37

BLOOD TYPE ► o negative (i actually really enjoy donating blood)

DOMINANT HAND ► right

AGE YOU STARTED WRITING FANFICTION ► 11

MOTTO ► it's cheesy, but i really like nike's "just do it"

WHAT YOU THINK IS YOUR STRENGTH ► my personality must be pretty agreeable because no matter the setting (different workplaces, school, concerts, waiting in a long line, etc.) people always seem happy to talk to me. i'm happy about that because i love listening to people yap and encourage it.

WHAT YOU THINK IS YOUR WEAKNESS ► i get scammed easily. i don't like saying no when i see people asking for money, even if i know they're feeding me a lie. usually, there's a thought in the back of my mind that goes "what if they're not lying and they really do need the money??" it'll all come back to me, anyway.

FAVORITE FOOD ► a ny strip, cooked rare.

LEAST FAVORITE FOOD ► salmon. i hate it; i dislike most fish, but i gag every time i eat salmon. it doesn't matter how high quality it is, how it's prepared, what dish it is — i can't stand the taste. which is a total bummer because salmon has hella omega-3s, and i #needthat (i buy fish oil vitamins because of this)

BEST SIDE DISH WITH RICE ► not a traditional side dish, but i really like bacon and rice. my uncle opened my eyes to this

HOBBY ► playing nitrotype (my average wpm is 127, with a personal best of 144 wpm)

FAVORITE SEASON ► winter, i love cold weather because i live down south & it's christmas season!!!

FAVORITE SONG ► changes all the time, but my current fixation is "packing it up" by gracie abrams.

FAVORITE MOVIE ► 1917; i watched it once a day for two weeks straight.

FAVORITE MANGA ► blue lock, with haikyuu a close second

CHARACTER COLOR ► baby blue

FAVORITE ANIMAL ► labrador retrievers <3 growing up, we had one

FAVORITE BRAND ► new balance, i swear by their shoes

BEST SUBJECT ► english + history; i was on a full ride scholarship during undergrad and wanted to take advantage, so i maxed out my schedule's credit limit by taking a "history of english language" class. it combined my favorite subjects together & apparently it was a required course for all english majors at my uni. funnily enough, i was the only business major in the course but after silently stalking the groupme & looking at the canvas lowest v highest score scale, it turns out i was doing better than all of them. business majors 1, eng majors 0 😋

WORST SUBJECT ► math. i like it and always made A's. sometimes i regret not majoring in math, but it's one of those subjects that didn't automatically click for me.

MAGAZINES YOU READ OFTEN ► national geographic. i can't help but buy the newest issue whenever i'm in the checkout line of barnes and noble. wall street journal

SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY ► when strangers compliment me

SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU SAD ► seeing people mock neurodivergent people for their mannerisms.

FETISH ► hands. specifically, guys with big hands. you know when athletes grip the ball with one hand? wooooooow. or when a guy is reversing and has one hand on the steering wheel

YOUR TYPE ► someone driven & disciplined who also makes me laugh (whether it's unintentionally or because he really is just that funny)

FIRST TIME YOU RECEIVED A CONFESSION ► when i was 14. he admitted to liking me since middle school, and suddenly i was aware that i am capable of being perceived which is scary

HOURS OF SLEEP ► 4-5 hours (i stay up late but wake up very early)

WHERE DO YOU WASH FIRST IN THE SHOWER ► my face. i heard you're not supposed to wash your face in the shower, but idc. it's easier that way.

WHAT YOU UNINTENTIONALLY ALWAYS END UP BUYING AT THE CONVENIENCE STORE ► it used to be an energy drink, but now it's those bottled smoothies.

MOST USED APP ► tiktok. im working on that NOT being my top app.

MUSHROOMS OR BAMBOO SHOOTS ► mushrooms

LAST TIME YOU CRIED ► last night, i was watching sad tiktoks

HOW OLD WHEN YOU STOPPED RECEIVING PRESENTS FROM SANTA ► maybe 8? my parents never did the "from santa" schtick, but i stopped believing in him at around 8 years old

WHAT DID YOU ASK FOR AS A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FROM SANTA ► probably dolls. i liked playing with barbies and polly pockets and bratz

WHAT WILL YOU DO ON THE LAST DAY ON EARTH ► spend it with my family

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU RECEIVED $650,000 ► 10% to my church, 50% in savings, 25% to my brokerage accounts + roth ira, 15% to spending!!!!

HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR DAY OFF ► play nitrotype, color, clean

WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING IF YOU HADN'T STARTED WRITING FANFICTION ► probably (definitely) study more, but i feel like i wouldn't be as happy. writing fanfiction makes me more connected to a fandom, and it adds to my overall enjoyment of media. i met really cool people online because of my fanfiction

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE HISTORICAL FIGURE ► Jesus

IF YOU COULD TAKE ONLY ONE THNG TO A DESERTED ISLAND, WHAT WOULD YOU BRING ► my dad, he'd know what to do. if i can't bring a person, an expensive emergency survival kit (loophole logic; an emergency survival kit is usually sold as one unit).

IF THERE WAS A TIME MACHINE, WOULD YOU WANT TO GO TO THE PAST OR THE FUTURE ► the future. somehow, i don't think i'd get treated right if i went to the past, and besides, i can read a textbook. i can't see into the future.

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