--donation bonus week (day 3/5, post 2/5)--
Mariana punched the numbers in and then waved at everyone to back up toward the walls, completely unable to tell them with words.
The floor pulled away below them, revealing an even deeper hole. This one led beneath the platform--the massive structure holding up the entirety of Aguarey. Lights flicked on around the hole, illuminating the dark waters below. As well as a large motorboat.
Mariana wiped her face another time and then returned to Marcos. She was afraid to ask Shenado the obvious question, but before she decided to move him, she needed to know for certain. ‘Is he going to die?’
‘...Yes. I’m sorry.’
It was dizzying, almost. She’d seen people die before. Of course she had. Seen friends fall in battle. Been forced to kill them after they’d lost their reapers. She was no stranger to death. But this was something else entirely. This was her son. Her baby boy. He was only twelve, for god’s sake.
Shenado had to nudge her along. ‘Mariana....’
She bent down and took Marcos into her arms. At his pained groans, she whispered, “Shh... It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”
And she was not lying. She was not going to let him die. The look she gave Shenado seemed enough for the reaper to understand the truth of this promise as well.
Chapter Seventy-Nine: ‘He who burns fiercest...’
Click to display entire chapter at once -- (mobile link)
As he leaned against the wall, Cisco browsed the news on his phone. It was early in the day still, not even past lunch yet, and he hadn’t attended either of his morning classes so far. Nor did he plan to attend any of the others.
Dennex floated next to him, restless as ever. ‘Why do these school days last so long?’ he said privately.
‘Good question.’
To Cisco’s eyes, reapers were hulking, skeletal wolves wreathed in black fire in place of flesh or fur. Their flames flickered and waved constantly but made no sound whatsoever, and their big eyes burned yellow with white at the center. Needless to say, Dennex looked woefully out of place in the middle of a school hallway.
A dark serial novel. Set in a modern fantasy world called Eleg. Mature language. Updates every night at midnight PST by ~400 words.
Ahh, crap
ReplyDeleteI wonder if any other Rainlord children go to that school, ones that might have there own reapers. If they don't they are likely to have cell phones and can call there parents if servants start attacking. I think this might be likely given what happened at hector's school, parents would want to keep the body count down.
ReplyDeleteIts sounds like Mariana is gonna have Shenado take the boy on as a servant and get her give up her life. Or course what mother wouldn't give up her life so that her child will live, I am pretty sure this is gonna cause the Elroy's to leave the Vanguard.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that just the Elroy family could split with the Vanguard as they are also committed to the rainlords, who are servants. If a split does happen, it would have to be ALL the rainlords, witch would start a vanguard civil war.
ReplyDeleteHmm, does it get difficult to come up with constant new ways in which servants see their reapers?
ReplyDeleteMm, not especially.
ReplyDeleteYou don't think the Rainlords have the arrogance/confidence to believe they deserve better treatment than Zeff/Mariana? Especially when a Rainlord's wife or child is likely to die permanently as a direct result?
ReplyDeleteI think the Rainlords will definitely at least threaten a split over such an insult.
And really another split in factions is almost guaranteed to happen the larger they get.
Probably not a lot. You don't want all the children of nobility in one place for hostages or killing. More likely just a couple families to each school if many Rainlords are in the same city.
ReplyDeletewhy does every person so far have a different view of what reapers look like? i kinda understand if they knew before hand about reapers then they wouldnt have a conventional look on how reapers look like. but itd probably be influenced by their parents. ex: "mom what do reapers look like? " ''well, they look like...'' or for your average person, youd think that a lot of them (not most or all. just - ''a lot'') would imagine a reaper as your most popular image of skeletal man with scythe
ReplyDeleteYou might notice that a lot of them are not all that different from one another. Some are very different, yes, as exceptional cases are only natural, but if you were to look for broad correlations between everyone, you'd probably notice something. And if not, well, don't worry. It'll become clearer as the story goes on.
ReplyDeleteThough, I suppose that makes it sound like some kind of grand mystery. It's not, really. Haha.
Things you'd associate with deaths. Scavengers, deadly animals, funerary items, or the skeleton itself. Or ghosts.
ReplyDeleteand probably meet up with Hector somehow.
ReplyDeleteThe vibe I have been getting from at least some of the reaper forms is Spirit Animal (again, obviously not everyone). Just thought I'd put out my two cents' worth.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the jesters? Oh, never mind. Clowns. Scary as hell. Do families all see reapers as related things.
ReplyDeleteMy guess would be that jesters are somehow associated with funerals in his mind. That, or he just thinks death is hilarious.
ReplyDeleteMan, I really hope Mariana's not gonna sacrifice herself. Not when she just totally owned a whole squad of servants. But there's no other way I can think of for her to save Marcos...
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one having a problem with the mobile link? Apparently it's no different to the desktop link on my device, which is rather unlucky since I do so enjoy to read this web serial.
ReplyDeleteImagine what Batman would see
ReplyDeleteAn IRS official. Forget fighting crime, being a billionaire secretly pumping money into high-end technology, Batcave maintenance, and exotic materials has to look suspicious on tax forms.
ReplyDeleteBribed Official: what tax forms?
ReplyDelete