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The Saulzar Codex

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The Saulzar Codex

Tag Archives: Fiction

The Contest – Help promote the Saulzar Codex

11 Tuesday Nov 2014

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Writing

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Fiction, Saulzar, Saulzar Codex

The Saulzar Codex is done, but the work of getting the word out is just starting.

I need your help.

I’m giving away signed copies of the paperback to 1 out of every 3 people that can complete 30 points worth of tasks.

Stretch Goal Prize: If we hit #10,000 in Amazon Rank, I’ll include a signed, red-inked, printed copy of the Saulzar Codex manuscript.

Grand Prize:  one lucky winner will have their name/likeness included in a future story!

The deadline is December 31st. The tasks are below.

You don’t have to complete 30 points worth of tasks to help out and earn my eternal gratitude. Anything you can do will help!

Background
The Saulzar Codex is a fantasy novel that I released in 12 chapters over the course of the last year. If you like Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or Conan the Barbarian, you’ll enjoy this book a lot. If you don’t like those things, well, you can still help!

Here’s the blurb from Amazon:

Saulzar is a mighty warrior that wishes for nothing more than a simple life with companions that he loves. But what happens when his life becomes entangled in forces far greater than he can imagine? Can he pay the price to keep the bonds of friendship alive? Or will the lure of power and a sword of legend teach him the true cost of revenge?

Follow Saulzar from his thieving youth in the bustling city of Sol and into the shadow of empire, where he seeks a focus for his wrath. He is a barbarian unchained, and the world will tremble when he finds a release from his rage.

How Can You Help?

Quick and Easy Tasks (1 point each)
1) Like my Author Page on Facebook
2) Follow Saulzar on Twitter
3) Follow me on twitter

Pretty Easy Tasks (2 points each)
1) Like and share the pinned status on the Aaron Brander facebook page. It’s the one that starts “The complete Saulzar Codex is now available for purchase on the Kindle for $6.99. You get all 12 of the previously released chapters and 2 bonus stories!”
Or follow this link. 

2) Retweet and Favorite this tweet from me.
3) Retweet and Favorite this tweet from Saulzar.
4) Forward this contest to your friends.

Tasks that take time (5 points)
1) Read the book and share your thoughts on facebook with a link to buy the book. Tag the Aaron Brander author page in the post please!
2) Read the book and share your thoughts on twitter. Include a link to buy the book and @therealsaulzar

Tasks that cost money (10 points)
1) Buy the book! You won’t be disappointed – it’s good!

Super Helpful Tasks (15 points)
1) Read the book and rate it on Amazon. If you share my last name, you shouldn’t post a review. Sorry, Amazon frowns on that.

Bonus Tasks (1 point each)
1) Like and Share future posts from my facebook page
2) Retweet and Favorite posts from TheRealSaulzar on Twitter
3) Retweet and Favorite posts from brandera33 on Twitter
4) Email me (aaron@branderphoto.com) with typos – 2 points per verified typo.
Please include Amazon location number, chapter name, and the full sentence with the error.

The Contest
You don’t have to enter the contest in order to help. Just doing some of the items above is super helpful, so thank you!

Each task has a point value. If you can reach 30 points, you are eligible to win a free signed book. 1 out of 3 people that reach 30 points will win.

The grand prize winner will get their name / likeness into a later story. I may need to adjust your name a bit to fit the culture, but you’ll know it’s you. We will discuss your character to make sure it’s the right fit.

The contest runs from now until December 31st. I’ll draw the winners in the new year.

Verification
In order to win, you need to verify your 30 points for me. Here’s how:

Once you have 30 points, send me an email.
Tell me which items you completed so it’s easy for me to check.
Add all the values up so I know how many points you earned.

For most of the tasks, just telling me your name and twitter handle are sufficient for me to verify. Other tasks take a bit more:

 ** Forward this contest to your friends – BCC me on the email you send (aaron@branderphoto.com)

** Buy the book!  – Take a screenshot of the book in your Kindle Library. (There are lots of ways to take screenshots. I like using jingproject.com.

Just a note, this is only a Kindle book right now, but there are lots of ways to buy and read a Kindle book without owning a Kindle. Read how here.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this and helping me get the word out. Any little bit helps!

Aaron Brander

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The Complete Saulzar Codex

10 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Writing

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5 stars, Fantasy, Fiction, Saulzar, Saulzar Codex, Writing

It’s finally here! Get the complete Saulzar Codex at Amazon for $6.99.

CODEX

Saulzar is a mighty warrior that wishes for nothing more than a simple life with companions that he loves. But what happens when his life becomes entangled in forces far greater than he can imagine? Can he pay the price to keep the bonds of friendship alive? Or will the lure of power and a sword of legend teach him the true cost of revenge?

Follow Saulzar from his thieving youth in the bustling city of Sol and into the shadow of empire, where he seeks a focus for his wrath. He is a barbarian unchained, and the world will tremble when he finds a release from his rage.

The Saulzar Codex contains the original twelve chapters of the story, plus two bonus tales. It is approximately 300 pages.

It is just the beginning of Saulzar’s epic tale.

The Saulzar Codex

A Fall from Grace
#1 A Price to Pay – Saulzar battles his grief and the vengeful spirit of Flynn.
#2 The Bonds of Friendship – Saulzar and Janus seek the vessel of Herna.
#3 The Illusion of Control – Saulzar and The Wolves must assassinate the Warlord of Komarna.
#4 A Release from Rage – Saulzar completes his task as Kubetsai-jo, but suffers a great loss.

A Lesson in Honor
#5 The Cost of Revenge – A young Saulzar battles the criminal empire known as the Arah.
#6 The Lure of Power – A young Saulzar seeks to join the Durrant Heil.
#7 A Sword of Legend – Saulzar battles the undead to obtain the sword he is destined to wield.
#8 The Love of a Woman – Saulzar fights for the hand of the beautiful Jafina.

A Spark of Hope
#9 To Lead a Pack – Saulzar leaves humanity behind and joins with a wolf-pack.
#10 The Shadow of Empire – Saulzar’s wolves terrorize the Genai at the behest of the emperor.
#11 A Barbarian Unchained – Guided by Omen Taru, Saulzar seeks vengeance.
#12 A Focus for His Wrath – Saulzar seeks to balance the scales of injustice.

Bonus Stories
A Baptism in Blood – Saulzar’s family is attacked by wolves. Survival was just the beginning.
The Warrior – The email that started the series.

The Saulzar Codex is just a prequel to a much larger novel. If you enjoy this story, please leave a review on Amazon and share it with your friends. The more reviews and shares it receives, the more likely that more will be written.

Help me entertain you! Thank you!

Follow Saulzar on Twitter: @TheRealSaulzar 
Follow the author on Twitter: @brandera33

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandera

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A Focus for His Wrath – Saulzar Codex #12

27 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Writing

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Fantasy, Fiction, Saulzar, Saulzar Codex

I’m happy to announce that A Focus for His Wrath is available! It is the twelfth and final chapter in the Saulzar Codex – a series of short stories focusing on Saulzar, a fierce warrior battling to overcome his own past. You can learn more about the project here.

I’d love for you to stop by and pick it up. It’s a short story at 12,000 words and is priced at $0.99.

How about some free reading? Here’s the same sample you’ll find on the Amazon website:

12_Focus for Wrath cover

The falling rain did nothing to lighten his mood. He trudged down the muddy road, the Poi River to his right, a broken past of failure and death behind him. He yearned for the wild and free days he spent with Mane and Dane, with the pack of wolves he had cultivated and led.
But they were gone. Slaughtered in a stunning betrayal that haunted his steps.
Dark thoughts swirled in his mind, stirred by all that could have been and would never now be. He thought of Omen Taru, his master from the Durrant Heil, whose last act was to try and redeem him. He wondered at the bright spark in his soul that the sword made; the sword Omen Taru bade him take.
“Balance,” Omen Taru had said.
But there was no balance. No hope to his desperation, no goal to his aimlessness.
The rain poured down, dripping off his long hair, rolling down his face. He did not care. He moved south because he knew he should, but with no hope of redemption, restitution, or revenge. He was a ship cast upon the ocean without a rudder.
A shrill scream reached him through his haze of downcast thoughts. He looked up and squinted into the rain. He was surprised that he was not alone on the road. A horse pounded north towards him. He jumped out of its way and noticed a look of terror upon the rider’s face.
The scream came again. Motion blurred in the rain a hundred paces down the road. The sword at his side pulsed, and he wondered again at its geas. His legs stretched into a fast walk, transitioned to a jog, then a dead sprint. The katana flashed into his hand, and a blinding need to deliver justice swelled through his arms.
As he closed, the shapes became clear. A wagon with a broken wheel. A dying horse. Two bloody and twisted corpses. Two armed bandits dragging a screaming young woman off the road. A third man wringing his hands in anticipation.
Justice was needed. The sword demanded it. Saulzar would deliver it.
He roared his intention, and the first bandit received a thrust different than he had thought to deliver. The katana snapped a rib, sliced his heart in half, then burst in a bloody spray out his back. Saulzar twisted the blade and tore it loose.
The two men had dropped the girl and were drawing their swords. Saulzar pivoted from the dying bandit and closed with the nearer enemy. His sword snapped down and the man’s weapon and hand fell to the ground. Saulzar drove his shoulder into the man’s chest, knocking him down, then spun left and met the strike from the final bandit.
The man’s fear drove his sword in a frenzy, forcing Saulzar back a step. The man’s eyes widened in triumph, for he saw the retreat as weakness and not the trap it was. Saulzar continued to step slowly back, catching the frenzied strokes on his katana and effortlessly redirecting them to the side. The man pushed forward, strikes coming fast and furious, victory shining in his eyes.
The man stumbled, his feet tangled on his comrade’s separated sword hand. Saulzar struck, too fast for the man to counter, the katana’s blade piercing his left eye and punching through the back of his skull.
“Justice,” Saulzar whispered.
He snapped the sword back and free of the man’s skull. The head bowed as it followed the sword, as if accepting the veracity of the judgment, then its dead knees buckled and slumped to the ground.
The living bandit whimpered as he cradled his bloody stump of an arm. He tried to stand, but stumbled and fell to his knees, both arms reaching out to stop his fall. The wounded arm ground into the mud, and the man screamed in pain.

You’ll find A Focus for His Wrath in Kindle format from the Amazon store  If you don’t already have a Kindle or a Kindle app, I highly recommend it to you. Here are a couple of ways to get started:

Read on a device you own for FREE

Buy a Kindle

Let me know what you think of it by leaving an Amazon review or a comment on this post.

Thanks!

Twitter: @brandera33 @TheRealSaulzar

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A Barbarian Unchained – Saulzar Codex #11

20 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Writing

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Fantasy, Fiction, Saulzar, Saulzar Codex

I’m happy to announce that A Barbarian Unchained is available! It is the eleventh chapter in the Saulzar Codex – a series of short stories focusing on Saulzar, a fierce warrior battling to overcome his own past. You can learn more about the project here.

I’d love for you to stop by and pick it up. It’s a short story at 8,000 words and is priced at $0.99.

How about some free reading? Here’s the same sample you’ll find on the Amazon website:

ABarbarianUnchained

Full winter had come to the northern lands, and with it the blessed return of deep night. With a furtive glance along the quiet alley, he slipped from the hovel. He was dressed in layers of warm, faded clothing, a fox fur hat, and a large hood that cast his face in deeper shadow. In his right hand he clutched a knife, honed to a keen edge during his days of fretful healing.
He slipped through the shadows, moving slowly as much for stealth as from months of forced inactivity. His left side and right thigh burned with a dull ache, but the pain fueled his efforts, an iron core his weakened body leaned upon.
The wind carried voices to him, and torchlight could be seen around the market square. Townsfolk had returned to Budria not long after his betrayal. Their hustle and bustle filtered through the walls and ground to reach his hiding place. He cared nothing for them and wished only to be quit of their cursed city.
Breathless minutes passed as he snuck through the city, avoiding its inhabitants until the wall loomed before him. He crouched in the doorway of a quiet, stone building in sight of the wall. His breath hitched at a sharp pain in his thigh, but he closed his eyes and willed it away.
“Saulzar,” Omen Taru hissed, “it’s too soon. You aren’t ready.”
Saulzar turned to regard the shadowed face of his old master. He saw concern in his eyes.
“Stay if you wish. But I leave. Tonight.”
Omen Taru reached out a hand and grasped at Saulzar’s shoulder, but he shook it off and stood. His eyes ranged the ramparts and noted the sentries before he crossed the dark road to the wall. He pocketed his knife, grasped a stone, noted the absence of ice that made his assault so difficult before, and hauled himself up. The climb was simple, but for the pain in his stiff shoulder.

You’ll find A Barbarian Unchained in Kindle format from the Amazon store  If you don’t already have a Kindle or a Kindle app, I highly recommend it to you. Here are a couple of ways to get started:

Read on a device you own for FREE

Buy a Kindle

Let me know what you think of it by leaving an Amazon review or a comment on this post.

Thanks!

Twitter: @brandera33 @TheRealSaulzar

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The Shadow of Empire – Saulzar Codex #10

13 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Writing

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Fantasy, Fiction, Saulzar, Saulzar Codex

I’m happy to announce that The Shadow of Empire is available! It is the ninth chapter in the Saulzar Codex – a series of short stories focusing on Saulzar, a fierce warrior battling to overcome his own past. You can learn more about the project here.

I’d love for you to stop by and pick it up. It’s a short story at 9,000 words and is priced at $0.99.

How about some free reading? Here’s the same sample you’ll find on the Amazon website:

TheShadowOfEmpire

The frozen wind whipped across the tundra, the snow beaten to a froth in the air, obscuring the herd of reindeer from his vision. He shut his eyes against the onslaught. When the wind died and the snow cleared, the midnight sun illuminated the herd, still moving away from him.
He had followed them for the better part of a week. He would show himself and walk towards them, arms stretched wide and open. The reindeer would turn and look, then continue their migration. It was a delicate dance as Saulzar slowly persuaded the thousand-strong herd to move west.
West to the cliffs.
He stepped out from behind his boulder and walked with confidence towards the herd again. A large buck turned towards him and huffed, his front foot stamped. Saulzar did not slow. He spread his arms wide. The wind stirred, and the snow bear pelt that he wore billowed out behind him. His eyes burned with a savage intellect as they focused on the buck.
The buck stamped again and turned away. It moved south, away from the cliffs.
Saulzar gestured with his left arm. From beneath the snow, a wolf stood. It shook off the snow that had buried it, revealing a tawny hide. Dane loped forward along the edge of the herd, sending the reindeer skittering back north.
Saulzar gestured with his right arm, and Mane revealed himself from his hiding place in the snow. The reindeer were alarmed. The bucks in the herd tried to move them all south once again, but three more wolves stood. To the north, another three wolves. They closed in on the pack, all the while Saulzar walked slowly forward, the noose tightening on the reindeer.
They were thousands against seven, but the ghostly appearance of the wolves had unnerved them. They were unthinking prey, surrounded by deadly predators, yet did not consider using their weight and numbers to run over the wolves.
It was the big buck that turned and stood its ground. It stared down Saulzar, fear and anger warred in its dark eyes. Bellows of vapor puffed from its nostrils. It grunted and stamped the ground. Saulzar stalked on, flung the snow bear cape back from his arms to reveal a musculature like corded iron, and roared at the reindeer.

You’ll find The Shadow of Empire in Kindle format from the Amazon store  If you don’t already have a Kindle or a Kindle app, I highly recommend it to you. Here are a couple of ways to get started:

Read on a device you own for FREE

Buy a Kindle

Let me know what you think of it by leaving an Amazon review or a comment on this post.

Thanks!

Twitter: @brandera33 @TheRealSaulzar

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To Lead a Pack – Saulzar Codex #9

10 Friday Oct 2014

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Writing

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Tags

Fantasy, Fiction, Saulzar, Saulzar Codex

I’m happy to announce that To Lead a Pack is available! It is the ninth chapter in the Saulzar Codex – a series of short stories focusing on Saulzar, a fierce warrior battling to overcome his own past. You can learn more about the project here.

I’d love for you to stop by and pick it up. It’s a short story at 7,000 words and is priced at $0.99.

How about some free reading? Here’s the same sample you’ll find on the Amazon website:

ToLeadAPackcover

The thick clouds parted and a shaft of moonlight speared down to silhouette his prey in its silvery light. Saulzar crept forward, silent and wary. His hair was matted and greasy, his clothes torn to tattered shreds, his feet bare.
And he was hungry, so very hungry.
The rabbit sniffed the air. Its large ears twitched right.
“Damn him,” Saulzar breathed. Mane, the youngest wolf, had made a sound. Saulzar tensed, waiting for Mane to spring the trap.
A shadow erupted into motion. The rabbit screamed. Saulzar sprinted.
His heart beat loudly in his ears as he flowed across the field. Mane pushed the rabbit left, angling towards Saulzar.
It was fast, much faster than Saulzar would ever be, yet Mane closed on it in bounding strides.
Saulzar gambled and angled farther left. He took ten long strides and turned back to his right. Mane closed on the rabbit which zigged and zagged in the moonlight. Mane was close to the prize, his mouth open and ready for the lunge. Then Dane darted into the fray from her hiding spot.
“That’s my girl,” Saulzar said.
Dane flushed the rabbit left, directly at Saulzar. With two wolves in hot pursuit, the rabbit did not fathom that the human was a threat. Saulzar slowed and crouched, ready to dart in and catch it.
The rabbit screamed and died as teeth closed around its neck. Batai had lunged at the last moment to claim the prize.
Again.
Saulzar slumped down to the ground next to the big wolf, breath coming in ragged gasps, strength ebbing. He would have to settle for scraps as Batai feasted.

You’ll find To Lead a Pack in Kindle format from the Amazon store  If you don’t already have a Kindle or a Kindle app, I highly recommend it to you. Here are a couple of ways to get started:

Read on a device you own for FREE

Buy a Kindle

Let me know what you think of it by leaving an Amazon review or a comment on this post.

Thanks!

Twitter: @brandera33 @TheRealSaulzar

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The Love of a Woman – Saulzar Codex #8

06 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Writing

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Fiction, Saulzar, Saulzar Codex, Writing

I’m happy to announce that The Love of a Woman is available! It is the eighth chapter in the Saulzar Codex – a series of short stories focusing on Saulzar, a fierce warrior battling to overcome his own past. You can learn more about the project here.

I’d love for you to stop by and pick it up. It’s a short story at 9,000 words and is priced at $0.99.

How about some free reading? Here’s the same sample you’ll find on the Amazon website:

A storm built far to the south upon the Hadean Sea. Saulzar was perched upon the step of a building and gazed across the Harbor of Emish, past the sleek trading vessels, the lumbering warships, and the multitude of fishing boats to watch its towering black clouds. He could imagine the power within the storm, the fierce wind, driving rain, and dangerous lightning. He could imagine it because he felt the same upwelling of power and danger whenever he unsheathed the sword that was strapped to his side.

That power frightened and intrigued him. He kept it in its sheath as often as he could, and had succeeded in doing so on most occasions. He shuddered at the devastation he had wrought when its naked blade glinted in the sun before bathing in blood.

The storm held his attention until a ray of the setting sun struck one of the many gilded, fluted towers of the city, its reflection shining into his eyes. He shook himself from his reverie and stood, ready to find food. He walked down the stone steps of the massive Temple of Saba, along the busy docks, and back into the heart of the city. Crowds flowed around him, giving him wide berth. He was as different from the people around him as a wolf from a lamb. He was hard and muscular where they were soft. His hair was wild and unkempt where they were perfumed and adorned. His eyes burned with a savage intelligence, their eyes dim with the luxuries of civilization.

He ignored them as he strode through the market, following his nose towards the best smells, hunting for food. A flash of tanned skin caught his eye. A hint of jasmine upon the air. A shimmer of black hair and a face that haunted his dreams.

His hunger was forgotten as he stalked into the crowd after a whisper of a dream. Could she be here, in Emish? Now the crowds hindered him, old women stepped in front of him, he bumped into traders, was blocked by priests. He waded through and around the crowd, an elusive creature of beauty just out of sight. Another glimpse of her hair, a snatch of her voice upon the wind. It was her, he was sure of it.

She disappeared into the theatre.

He bulled his way up the stairs and to the entrance, only to be pushed back by ushers checking for tickets. He growled at them and tried to step past, but they were insistent that he join the queue and purchase a ticket of his own. Saulzar stared into the darkness beyond them and swore he could see the sweep of her dress as she turned up a staircase.

He sullenly joined the queue and waited for his turn to shake out three copper coins for a ticket. He showed it to the ushers with a sense of triumph disproportionate to his victory and swept past them into the ornate lobby. Saulzar joined the flow of well-dressed, affluent patrons.

He felt terribly out of place.

His hardened leather pants and vest were crusty and dirty. His hair was unwashed. He smelled of the wild. A dainty woman in blue, flowing robes with painted eyes and a flowery, overpowering smell sidled away from him as they ascended a staircase together. Saulzar grinned at her and she flinched and stumbled against the railing.

Saulzar laughed.

You’ll find The Love of a Woman in Kindle format from the Amazon store  If you don’t already have a Kindle or a Kindle app, I highly recommend it to you. Here are a couple of ways to get started:

Read on a device you own for FREE

Buy a Kindle

Let me know what you think of it by leaving an Amazon review or a comment on this post.

Thanks!

Twitter: @brandera33 @TheRealSaulzar

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Shattered – Episode 2: Benson Jyri #5

04 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Writing

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Tags

Fiction, Shattered, Writing

***************************************

Here’s another scene fragment from Episode 2.  I hope you like it!

Just a note, this is still very rough. I read through it and pulled out a few big mistakes, but you will find typos and things that do not quite make sense.  Just roll with it!

For the entire first Episode and other posts from Episode 2, see this link: https://aaron-brander.com/tag/shattered/

***************************************

DARK, MENACING laughter chilled Eli’s spine and stopped him dead in his tracks.  Next to him, Jyri looked deflated. The long years suddenly visible on his countenance.

The swarm of goblins came to a stuttering halt, ranging around the courtyard and trapping Eli and Jyri against the temple. Their wailing cacophony assaulted his ears and drowned out the temple’s still ringing bell.

From the west, the goblin horde parted, and through the gap slid a nightmare.  Goblins were a smelly beast, their sweat, grime, and the juice and grit from past meals combining into a pungent perfume that Eli could smell from where he stood.  But the creature that came forth now was preceded by a stench so foul, it knocked the breath from him.

The laughter came again, and with it, an icy wind of sorrow and despair washed over Eli. His body was unwilling to move and attack or to turn and flee.

The thing was taller than Eli and slender.  It did not so much walk, as glide sinuously over the glittering courtyard toward Eli and Jyri.  Its body was hidden in a billowing, black cloak. The hood cast a deep shadow over its face, but the outline of it’s skeletal face was visible beneath the glow of its red eyes.  It was terrifying.

JYRI STARED uncomprehendingly at the stalking nightmare.  How could a dreadmach have returned?  Surely they had all been wiped out at the Battle of Utand when justice and peace prevailed over the evil of the world.  And yet, the dreadmach was there, as was a horde of goblins the size of which he had only previously seen at the Utand.

His powers had failed him, and he had no more fight in him.  He could trust only to Balim, and hope that he would provide a way out of this predicament, because there was little he could do to fight the dreadmach.

“Benson Jyri,” the thing spoke, its voice as oily and sinuous as its movements, “I have been told much about you.  I have desired to devour your soul and send you to serve my Lord, Memnon, since I was told of my task.”

The dreadmach had crossed most of the tiled, temple floor and was but a few steps from Jyri.  He glared down at the dreadmach, his eyes unwavering as he met the nightmare’s blazing, red eyes. The dreadmach reached out with its hand, the cloak falling back from its hand, uncovering a mangled mockery of a human hand; bent, broken, and gnarled with long, sharp claws.

Jyri grabbed Eli’s hand and took a knee, forcing Eli down with him.  The dreadmach reached forward, the icy blast of sorrow emanating from it pushed Eli towards the welcoming inane of death.

The claws brushed against Jyri’s hand, before caressing his face almost lovingly. Then the air pulsed, a bright white flash seared through Eli’s consciousness, and he knew no more.

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Shattered – Episode 2: Benson Jyri #4

28 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Writing

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Tags

Fiction, Shattered, Writing

***************************************

Here’s another scene fragment from Episode 2.  I hope you like it!

Just a note, this is still very rough. I read through it and pulled out a few big mistakes, but you will find typos and things that do not quite make sense.  Just roll with it!

For the entire first Episode and other posts from Episode 2, see this link: https://aaron-brander.com/tag/shattered/

***************************************

JYRI LOOKED about in disgust.  Was this, then, the price of freedom?  A flock of sheep where once there were lions?  The calm had been nice for a generation, but the storm had arrived.  Jyri heard a familiar twang, and looked up to see a flight of arrows heading towards him.  He lifted his staff and willed his god-given powers of righteousness and justice into the weapon.  A blast of wind from Jyri’s staff disrupted many of the arrows, but the shrieks and cries of the wounded told him that some still got through to accomplish their vile work.

“Get to the temple!” Jyri cried, trying one more time to get the sheep moving.  There was no more time to play shepherd.  Jyri dashed towards the goblins and prayed the villagers figured it out and fled to safety.

As he ran, his battle chant spilled from his lips.

“Balim nu doct.  Balim nu molatting.  Solun imort belom, troi memnock dor faruck Balim!”

In the common tongue, it meant: “Balim is peace.  Balim is righteousness.  Through my arms, let evil know Balim is justice!”

To Jyri, the words felt like the embrace of a lover after a prolonged absence — or so he imagined, being a celibate monk after all.
He felt Balim’s power rush through him and transform his as he ran.  Jyri was a large man be any standards, but when Balim’s justice needed meting out, he grew to the size of a small mountain.

As a fisherman in a small rowboat looks upon the sea with fear and loathing as a tempest hits and the sea rages, so too did the goblins quake at Jyri’s approach.  No one had warned them that Jryi Benson, Balim’s Justice on Earth, would be crashing down upon them this day.

It would be their doom, for Jyri felt no mercy as his staff cracked down, pulverizing two goblins and knocking a dozen to the ground.  He waded in, knocking the startled creatures to the ground with each swing of his mighty staff.  But the goblin’s numbers started to bear down on him.  With the momentum of his charge spent, the goblins worked to slide in behind Jyri to encircle him.  Though each strike from the large, orange clad monk took down multiple goblins, there were just too many.  The little biters slipped sword thrusts past his defenses and nicked him.  Blood started to flow down from his legs and mix with the offal of dozens of destroyed goblins.

Jyri knew he needed to disengage from the fight and get back to the temple where its defenses and Maia could help him.  He spun in a circle with his staff held out low.  Four goblins were knocked back and a fifth, shorter goblin had its head staved in.

With room for a moment, Benson picked his unfortunate target.  Green Gummer was a model goblin: short, squat and surly.  Its moss-colored skin had a sickly pallor that was not completely attributed to its skin color, but may have something to do with its rotted teeth.  Black, patchy hair stuck out from under its misshapen helmet, which sported a blunt spike on top.  An equally battered breastplate covered its skinny chest.  In its hands, it hefted what appeared to be a sledge hammer, but with a vaguely pointed face where it would normally be flat.

Jyri noticed this all in a flash of insight.  He felt no remorse or recognition, he merely needed a target for his righteous fury.  Jyri snapped the staff above his head.  He took a deep breath, sent a quick, silent prayer up to Balim for strength, and smashed the staff down directly on the helmeted head of Green Gummer.  The squat goblin exploded in slimy gibbets of body parts.  As Jyri’s staff slammed into the ground, it sent waves of earth spreading out from the epicenter of the strike, knocking goblins into the air all around him.

Jyri did not hesitate, he broke into a run back towards the temple before the first goblin crashed back to the earth.  In the distance, Jyri descried the other goblin groups as they gained the edge of town.  The howls of enraged goblins behind him spurred him in his retreat.  The defenses of the temple were his only hope now.

ELI MAIA had sent one of the young men up to the bell, and it now rang with a desperate pealing that underscored the panic felt in the sanctuary below.  Maia stood outside the doors, his wooden staff in his hand, and herded the running villagers into the darkness of the temple.

The flow of villagers lessened, and still Maia had not seen his parents. He prayed to Balim that they had found a place to hide from the swarm of goblins.  And yet…and yet, perhaps it was best if they had been killed swiftly.  The world was changing. Maia could feel it happening in the air.  The peace they had known the last generation was not just ending, it was being shattered.  There were few people equipped to deal with this change and if this was just the tip of the shift, as Maia was beginning to fear, many would lament living through the desolation.

The last villager ran past Maia, and he turned to see Jyri Benson fleeing from a giant horde of goblins.  He slammed the door shut on the temple, and heard the locking mechanism rumble into place.  It was now just he and Jyri and their belief in Balim that stood before the goblins.

Jyri slid to a halt beside Eli, winked at him, and turned back to face the goblins while he leaned panting on staff.

“You know, young cub, I have not had this much fun in years.  It is lamentable that we were caught unawares, but we will crush these beasts for what they have done, and then we will find out what the devil is going on,” Jyri spoke sideways to Eli while not wavering from gazing a the goblins.  Eli did not know how to react to that.

The horde of goblins was an unstoppable flood of green limbs, gnashing teeth, and howling rage as it streamed into the courtyard.

Jyri raised his arms and intoned solemly, “Vintin sar malincardum”.

Nothing happened.

Jyri looked around, bewildered.

He spoke again, this time with angst edging his words. “Vintin sar malincardum!”

Again, nothing.

Jyri looked at Eli, shrugged, and said, “I guess the temple’s defenses won’t be helping us.  This just got a lot tougher. Get ready, we’ll have to do this the hard way.

Jyri picked up his staff, gave voice to his war cry, and ran to meet the raging green wall of goblins.

And then he stopped.  Balim’s power had not infused him. He remained merely Jyri, a large, overweight monk.

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Shattered – Episode 2: Benson Jyri #3

21 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by Aaron Brander in On Writing

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Tags

Fiction, Shattered, Writing

***************************************

Here’s another scene fragment from Episode 2.  I hope you like it!

Just a note, this is still very rough. I read through it and pulled out a few big mistakes, but you will find typos and things that do not quite make sense.  Just roll with it!

For the entire first Episode and other posts from Episode 2, see this link: https://aaron-brander.com/tag/shattered/

***************************************

JYRI WATCHED and waited, the shock of seeing goblins in the world again was wearing off and leaving behind a good number of questions.  The most immediate was about to be answered.  How much had the villagers forgotten of the old ways?  The bell should bring them all running to the temple with weapons in hand.  Jyri was sure the other planned defensive measure had been forgotten.  Few had kept to the military traditions, for what was the need?

The villagers were achingly slow to respond.  Jyri saw them emerge from buildings across the expanse of the village and look around slowly like so many dumb sheep.  If they had heard the screams from the fields they gave no sign, and from street level he doubted they could yet see the smoke.

Jyri looked again to the fields and saw there were now three groups of goblins rampaging towards the city from different sides.  Two had paused to burn the crops.  Benson Jyri assumed those poor farmers in the fields had fallen like wheat before the scythe.

The third group of goblins had no farmers or fields to distract them from their dread purpose.  They were charging along the main road and would reach the town in mere minutes.

“Damn,” cursed Jyri.

Outnumbered three hundred to one and a half, he would prefer the villagers come to him.  The temple had defenses of its own.  But if he stood on the balcony and waited for the villagers, there would not be many left, if any at all, for him to protect.

Jyri took a deep breath and shook his head.  He should have been careful what he wished for.  It looked like he was to have all of the fighting he could handle.  With a rueful chuckle, he launched himself over the balcony.

He dropped like a stone and landed on one knee with his back bent and his arms outstretched.  Tile cracked and dust billowed up around him as he stood and surveyed the task before him.  His life’s purpose had returned.  He had innocent people to protect and evil creatures to pummel.

The man once know as Balim’s Judgement ran towards the knot of confused villagers to try and get them moving.

MAIA LET out a surprised gasp as Benson leaped off of the tower and crashed to the courtyard below.  He had three agonizing seconds to wonder how he could fend off the attack without his master’s aid before he saw Benson sprinting down the road towards the villagers.  A white light was building around Jyri as he ran. It must have been some magical aura as Maia could hear Jyri’s cries as if he was standing next to him.

“Run! Run for the temple!”

Maia could see the villagers look around alarmed, yet they were slow to react and flee for safety.  Further on, the goblins had reached the edge of town with their frenetic dash down the road.  Maia forgot all about the bell he was supposed to be ringing as he watched a group of goblins stop and load their vicious, small bows.

As the arrows rained down around the hapless villagers, they finally awoke to the danger.  For some, it was too late.  The murderous arrows found flesh with a sickening squelch.

Maia watched the tide of villagers turn and start running towards the temple.  With a start, he recalled his charge.  He gave the bell one last frantic tug and then ran headlong down the stairs in a mad dash to pull the villagers into the temple.

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