Framework of the Frontier by Sain Artwell (top ten ebook reader TXT) 📕

to the… Dragon Emperor and Letter King via magical stamp letter-thingies. It’s been approved. It’s a terrible mistake I know, but right now it would be a breach of the pacts if you took Rulu, wouldn’t it?”

Please don’t see through the bullshit, please please. Really wish I had read the chapter on foreign diplomacy in the rulebook.

Ishai’s eyes remained on William for many moments. His head turned towards Rulu. He spoke in low groaning undulations, to which Rulu replied in a strangled tone. They conversed, ignoring William, Ember, and the sixteen-ish armed adventurers. After a minute, Ishai released her, letting Rulu slump onto the ground.

Holy shit it worked! Hahaa, yesss!

William suppressed a chuckle of relieved disbelief. A dumb smile tugged the corners of his mouth, until Rulu’s defeated frown rose to meet his gaze.

Last of the limbs withdrew into Ishai as the cracks of silver healed. “Ranger of Nastall, in five days I shall return and you will have resolved your mistake. Else, I will be forced to breach the pacts between our peoples.” He faced Rulu, speaking in their otherworldly language.

She covered her eyes, shivering with suppressed sobs as the leviathan began to walk away.

The rest of them watched quietly, holding their breath until the creature passed the open gateway and disappeared. William, Ember, and a number of the medically inclined adventures — Duhie and two elves whose names William had forgotten — rushed to help Rulu.

“Are you okay? Do you need elixir?” Duhie asked.

Rulu wiped her eyes, swatting them off. “I will heal.”

“Let me help with the wounds,” William spent a dose of his divine energy in a blessing to Rulu. Her accelerated regeneration began to knit shut the bite marks from Ishai’s tendrils. In the flash of connection he felt the dread of the leviathan no longer as a looming shadow. It was now a gigantic celestial body, akin to a moon of the eclipse that cast a shadow of dread over Rulu’s every waking thought.

“You’ve learned to heal? How wonderful,” Duhie said.

“No. She can, I only help her.” William kept his attention on Rulu, gently stroking her cheek in an effort to calm her shivers. He glanced around the crowd. “Alright, sorry about that folks. Scene’s over it seems, thank you all for running over. I’ll be sure to mark your drafts later, but I’ll take it from here.”

They spread out back after a few ‘are you sure’s. Rulu clung to William and did not calm despite how much he petted her.

“It’s okay,” he whispered against her hair. “He’s gone. Five days. We have five days to get the fuck out of here. We can hide out in the Maze, or heck, maybe even go back to New Ea. Nobody lives here. He’ll come back and find a ghost-town with zero leads to hunt you down with.”

“Rettete does,” Ember said.

When William looked up he saw bitter conflict in her downcast face and was struck with a conflicted guilt. The Primordial Maze had been Ember’s last ditch effort to find purpose. Heck, it was probably William’s only chance at reuniting with his old gang too. It wasn’t something they could abandon at a snap.

And yet, he couldn’t possibly doom Rulu for his gain.

“Thank you William.” The small aboleth offered him a distant smile and a brief kiss on the cheek. “I have five more days to dream of happiness. Thank you both, but you need not forsake your lives for my sake. I cannot live in a dungeon without water and your Empire will not help me. I see now my defiance of fate has been folly.” Rulu lowered her gaze for a pause, during which her expression grew grim. “You may have stalled it momentarily by a bold ruse, but do not dig your own grave by stretching the lie further. Anduvu, my nurse was already devoured for her crime of helping me escape, as did her children. I could not bear to bring you two down.”

“It’s okay, Rulu.” Ember sniffled as she gave Rulu a hug from behind.

William joined her, kissing the poor girl’s forehead. What can I say? What should I say? All he could think of sounded like empty platitudes and fool’s promises.

“Don’t give up. Someone fought till death for your freedom.” Amazing. Real inspiring stuff there. Shut up head. We still have time. “Five days is a long ass time. I’m going to get a stamp from Rettete to send a letter to the Letter King and figure out how to get you the Empire’s protection. I’m sure she has the pull, and if we find the sceptre she will have the motivation. And, if he still tries to take you, well we’ve five days to practise magic, scour the Maze for weapons, and figure out a way to defeat him. Don’t worry. We got this.”

21

Four days left.

Sweat beaded down William’s brow as he stood under the baking heat of high noon. Sea birds’ ca-cawed, gentle rippled against his ankles, and wet powdery fine sand squished between his toes. In such a moment of serenity, William sensed the thin swirling mists of divine energy within him even without closing his eyes. Four tenths remained and he prayed hard for a God to top up the reserves.

“Can you hear his voice?” Rulu asked, floating in the gentle waves of the cove, baring her nude albino skin to the sun. Cricket chirped in the hay uphill and out over the waves echoed the distant bleats of a marine creature.

William shook his head. “No angels, no voices, not even half-a jingle of the heavenly bells. Definitely no refill of the divine energy. I usually get mine back with a good night’s sleep though.”

“Truly? It was my understanding that the prayers of the sacred priests replenish their magical might. Deities stand highest among the Lords and Ladies of the Dreaming. They