Novels by A.T_Alkei

The air was thick with the stench of death as I stood before the silent, lifeless body. Joon stood beside me, his eyes darting over the body as he calculated the size and vital parts. My gaze flicked to his, and I caught a glimpse of unease in his expression. But we both knew what we had to do. "So, who's doing the butchering?" Joon asked, his voice low and tense.It was a crude term for such a delicate task, but it was the only way to get what we needed. We had taken the body out for one reason and one reason only - weapons. We needed its bones, and we needed them badly. In this harsh and monstrous world, we couldn't afford to be caught unprepared. "I don't think butchering would be the right idea," I said, my voice low and hesitant. "It's gross as it is. Aside from that, it's going to take forever." As I spoke, I absently caressed my wounds, the pain a constant reminder of the danger that surrounded us. Joon nodded in agreement, his eyes still scanning the body with a mixture o

All the times I've run after coming here, there was one thing I noticed, my body seemed to move at an incredible speed, almost as if I was weightless. The ogres that I had encountered so far were slow and lumbering.I knew from the story, about the Regal members being dangerous and intelligent, and I knew that they wouldn't be easy to fight. But I was determined to see for myself what they were truly capable of.We planned to ambush the Regal camp that we had to cross, and Joon and I had prepared carefully for the attack. I was hiding in a pit that I had dug, waiting for Joon's signal to make my move.As I stared ahead at the camp, my nerves were on edge. I knew that this was just the first of many Regal camps that we would encounter, and each member was more powerful than the last.Right at the moment Joon stepped into the courtyard, she appeared before him in a flash. She was covered in a long fur coat and wore a helmet with wavy horns made of iron. Her eyes were a deep red, and the

For a split second, I felt like I was floating, weightless and adrift in a sea of darkness. I couldn't see anything, but I heard a strange noise around me and smelled the faint scent of blood.I tried to move to reach out and touch something solid, but my limbs felt heavy and unresponsive as if they were floating in the air and felt the motion of something carrying me, like a gentle breeze that lifted me up and carried me away as I felt a sense of comfort and safety in the embrace of the thing that carried me. I was trapped in that strange, blurry sensation, unable to make sense of anything."Joon?" I tried to call out his name, but my voice was silenced by the weight of my unconsciousness.But then I heard his voice calling my name, and it was like a bolt of lightning that jolted me back to consciousness. I felt my eyes snap open, and I saw Joon's injured face and those grey orbs looking down at me. As I sat up, I felt a rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins. It was like I had

"BEHIND YOU!"Being unable to fight back, Joon basically fell to the ground along with that beast. I pushed myself and rushed towards him while gritting my teeth with the dagger pointed towards that creature. Before I knew it, the dagger slit through its neck, splashing its peculiar blood all over Joon's face."It was stung. Or else I'd be dead by now!" He said as he pushed away the body. He inhaled and exhaled sharply, one of his eyes was closed due to blood hardened. "What about Benjamin?""He's unconscious" I tore a piece of the rag I was wearing and covered his wounds that were visual to me. Joon steadily tried to pace with his breath and stood up. "They're coming here now." He said with warning mixed in his voice, pointing me to back off. "They're weak now! So aim for their cords. We can finish them all at once." He said while clutching the broken piece of his sword. "Are you crazy? You want to fight in that situation?" I nagged while throwing the flint towards him to help him s

Without delaying another second, Joon grabbed Benjamin's arm and wrapped it around his shoulder, "Go! Go!"Both of us darted past trails, logs and trees. Thankfully I kept a spare bottle of oil around my waist, which could be used to cover ourselves. Shelps despised the scent of Oil, so they avoid going near it. However, we didn't have kerosene with us."Joon! The oil!" While keeping pace with his fast sprints, I tossed the bottle to him. All of a sudden, we were hit by spiky bushes and our feet halted. I could hear the slow, dragging beat of my heart as panic rushed through me since it was hard to select which part would be safest to set foot in without light. My mind stopped working. A deep sense of uneasiness held me rigid. It felt even heavier when the trees shook up with rustling sounds getting closer to us from behind. I glanced at Joon and saw his sweaty face when his widened eyes gave me a quick nervous glance before looking ahead with hopes shattering, and Benjamin almost pas

A bone-chilling wind brushed against my body as I wrapped my hands around my legs while sitting on the massive branch. I glanced down to see those barely visible black trails snaking through the undergrowth and the moon shining through a lattice of leaves. Benjamin and Joon seemed to be sound asleep further away from me. However, my eyes couldn't shut down due to my tumbling anxiety. Every nerve of mine felt as if someone was watching me. I sprung my head behind, hearing a rustle to see Joon coming closer to me while saying, "Can't sleep?" "Ah! No...But weren't you sleeping just a while ago?" I said as I felt relieved seeing him awake. "I was trying to, but the 'ambush' matter kept bothering me. What's keeping you awake?" His firm shoulder brushed against mine as he sat beside me."I dunno...Flies?""You mean Shelps? I don't think they're in this area." His ash eyes wandered around the tree to make sure what he said was right.Shelps, was it? It's a venomous species of flies. Its b