Dawn of Adventure

by Andrew Bardsley

  The sound of the drums continued. The goblins were dressed in fur rags, each with a spear with a stone head or clubs. Some of the goblins had blood smeared across their faces in horizontal patterns. The drum sound continued to intensify. At a signal from the leader, the goblins roared and charged forward.

  The battle had begun. The goblins ran, some using their hands like four legs. Soon they were at the ditch with the wooden spikes. Some of them tried to leap across the ditch but fell short and were impaled on the wooden stakes. Ahava could hear the cries of the wounded. Others slowly crawled down into the ditch, avoiding the stakes. Ahava and Olga had a supply of large stones, which they started to throw onto the goblins in the ditch. A lot of the rocks hit the goblins, crushing their heads and bodies. A number of goblins reached the palisade and started to climb up. Some of them were knocked off by the stones. Ahava and Olga ran out of stones to throw.

  Ahava used his spear to stab the goblins while they were climbing up the wooden wall. Olga was moving around in a type of dance, chopping with her ax at any goblins that came over the wall. The speed of the ax was a blur of movement. Ahava saw severed heads flying in all directions from the axes Olga was wielding. There were bits of goblin all around the platform. One goblin managed to bite Ahava on the arm. Ahava pulled out his knife and stabbed the goblin in the eye. It screamed and fell back into the ditch.

  The sheer numbers of the goblins were starting to overwhelm the two on the platform. At a prearranged signal from Olga, both of them withdrew. Navigating the route between small pit traps and through a hole in the thorn wall, they retreated toward the cliffs. Ahava blocked off the hole with thorns.

  Their backs were against a large bonfire. The goblins started to run across the area with the pit traps. Many of the first ones fell into the traps and were skewered on the wooden spikes. The followers managed to avoid the pits. The goblins were now pressing against the barrier of thorns. Ahava and Olga started to throw burning wood at the goblins. This set some of the dry material that had been placed before the thorns alight. Some of the goblins burned from the fire. To Ahava’s amazement, the goblins started to climb over the thorn bushes. They seemed to be in such a rage to get at Ahava and Olga that it did not matter the pain they were in.

  Olga had ordered Ahava to not get in her way if the goblins got to the open area past the thorns. He was told to only kill any that were on the edges. As some of the goblins finished climbing over the thorn bushes, Olga attacked with her ax. To watch this was like seeing a beautiful dance, full of grace and power. Heads and pieces of the goblin's bodies went flying everywhere. Ahava used his spear to stab any goblins that tried to make a getaway from Olga’s dance of death. Soon there were no goblins left except the large one, who was the leader. He had been pushing his goblins forward with kicks and punches.

  The City god: The History System Chronicles

  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PT716FY/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

  Second Book in the 'The History System Chronicles'

  This book contains LitRPG based element as part of the magical system in the world.

  Following is an extract from the Book:

  Namzu spoke urgently to the now awoken group of adventurers putting on their armor, “We’ll have to defend the cave from mountain trolls and cyclops, Istar and Etel-Pisha, go now and harass the oncoming enemy while we prepare for the attack. Hurry, you need to buy us enough time to clear the ground for our stand.”

  Istar indicated to Etel-Pisha to follow her to attack the column of monsters, before they reached the cave. They both ran for about ten minutes in the bright moon light, until they could hear the movement of the trolls and cyclops, moving along the path towards the cave. The two took up sheltered positions amongst different outcrops of rock, as soon as the first troll appeared Istar started to shoot her arrows. The first arrow flashed across the intervening distance like a bolt of light, shrieking and then thudding with the impact into the troll's chest, and out the other side. For a few seconds the large troll kept moving, as if nothing had happened, then it fell face first into the road. The troll behind it roared in anger, as moved it forward with no thought for protection. Now Etel-Pisha shot out fireballs, lighting up the area and revealing his position. The fireballs and arrows were hitting the trolls, causing damage as the trolls found themselves alight or with bloody gaping holes from where the arrow had hit. The onslaught of trolls caused the two adventures to retreat, as they could not kill enough to hold their position. Istar and Etel-Pisha ran until they could find another position to attack the oncoming column from. The process of attacking from positions along the trail continued until the two found themselves back the caves entrance. The trolls kept using the same tactic of charging at every attack, ignoring the casualties this caused in their rage. Istar had commented to Etel-Pisha that they were determined but not very bright. The slower cyclops were always behind at the back of the column, and so were not attacked by the arrows and fireball.

  The harrying had brought the required time and as they reached the cave mouth, the rest of the adventurers had formed a shield wall with a killing ground in front of it. Each of the shield men had a bundle of spears taken from the dragon's horde. As the trolls started to charge into the killing ground Namzu ordered the three shield men and one shield minotaur, to throw all at once.

  Co-ordinated, as if through years of long practice, each of them released the spears as one. The four-spears flew across the distance hitting the first four mountain trolls. Each spear impaled a troll and then rammed into the ground behind them keeping the troll bodies standing like grotesque marionettes. The process was repeated again and again as the remaining trolls charged forward. Soon the adventures could see the cyclops at the back moving towards the front. All of them stood taller than Asterion by several feet. On the side of the shield wall, Istar shot off arrows at the cyclops heads to take out their single eyes. Several cyclops were hit in the face, and the arrow ends protruded out of their cheeks, as the tough bone had prevented them entering the skull. Soon the cyclops were in range of the spear throwers, and as the spears hit their bodies, they pierced but did not stop them coming. The first slow-moving cyclops eventually reached the shield wall, spears sticking out of its body with arrows peppering its face. Using its massive club that looked to be a whole tree, the cyclops swept and crashed against Nasha’s shield. If the shield had not been strengthened and Nasha was not stronger, then he would have been thrown backwards from the strike into the cave wall. Gritting his teeth and strengthening his grip, he was able to hold his position, moving back less than a foot in total.

  The Unknown god: The Dark Part of the Soul

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S7YJYCM

  William faces death by execution for a murder he swears he did not commit, while Michael meets his end at the hands of a gang rival in a knife fight. Jane wins her latest legal battle but loses her life in the moments after, as the convicted murderer chokes her to death on the courtroom floor. And Evon? She wants to replace her rival for the affections of a crime boss but feels the sharp pain of death instead.

  Now these four, departed from the world of men, find themselves at a climactic crossroads in a world that is stranger than any fiction, inhabited by armies of orcs and fire-breathing dragons; a world that is ruled by four Gods for their own pleasures.

  But a new God is coming. And this one is intent on restoring the balance to the world and replacing the chaos with order. How will four travellers fare in a land that is beyond death and which holds terrors like nothing they have experienced before?

  Into the Ether: The Ether World Series

  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MQC26LX/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

  Chris Smith, a brilliant researcher, is the first person to discover an entirely new branch of magic inscriptions. The four elemental pillars have been used since mankind learned to scribe, but the world is about to change with the realization that space-time can also be affected.

/>   Chris is ready to lead the charge in making the new world, operating out of a magical start-up with his closest friend. His ideas will be just the beginning. However, when Chris is betrayed, his life is sent spinning in a chaotic downward spiral, leaving him with nothing but his wits.

  Engaging and fast-paced ‘Into the Ether’ spins a story of magic, intrigue, and determination.

  Following is an Extract from the book:

  Chris delayed a few moments longer until he heard the sound of a group of charging footsteps. As Chris looked back, he saw about seven men from the Panther gang running towards the other thugs. The lead fighter of the Panther gang stopped at about two meters distance away from the five thugs and made a sudden movement with his gloved hand. Out of his hand, a bolt of electricity shot out and hit one of the five. The bolt at first, fizzed over some protective clothing without effect and then the thug who was the target started to spasm in pain. The man finally collapsed onto the ground, and the electricity stopped, as the gloved Panther made another hand gesture. With one down the four thugs were attacked using stun rods, two of the thugs that were left activated the inscriptions on their clothing to flare with the absorption of power but were eventually taken down by the sheer overwhelming force of all seven Panthers. All of the Panthers were well armed and protected by magical devices that glowed with use.

  The conflict between the criminal gangs, was quickly over and the leader of the Panthers pulled out a farseeing device for instruction on what to do with the other gang members. Soon a magical hovering platform arrived, and the rival gang members were loaded on to it. A large sheet was then used to cover them as they were taken away.

  The Inscribed Angle: The Ether World Series

  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NHBP8TR/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i3

  This is an extract from the book:

  Ross whispered to Freya roughly, “Time for us, well me at least, to start earning the money. I know that Jack has gone through this briefing already but I’m going to repeat it once. Only hit the targets that are indicated in your farseeing goggles, those are connected to the combat net with the plan uploaded into them. It is most important that you limit the effects to the designated areas, as if you injure or kill any of our people it will not go well. I’ll be keeping an eye on you to make sure nothing goes wrong. If you just do what is in the command net, everything will be okay. Got it rookie?”

  Freya gave a quick, “Yes sir,” and put on her farseeing goggles.

  As soon as she put on the goggles, the whole valley lit up, as if it were day. She could see the fire teams moving closer to the compound. As Freya, concentrated on each member, she was able to see detail of the persons health and who they were. The system also lit up the enemy combatants. For the next half an hour, Freya was able to watch the fire team move from cover to cover to the side of the compound. The movement was a fluid motion of one team's movement and the other team covering. As the fire team reached the edge of the compound, one of its members sent out a mist from his hands. This mist slowly dispersed any magical runes or alarms inscribed on the fence, where the teams would be breaching. Freya zoomed in with her goggles and watched the same man use a small flame, from his finger, to cut a hole in the wire fencing. The fire team moved through the hole and started moving toward a building at the back of the compound. In there was the figure of a woman marked in green as the target for extraction. The first fire team went in for the extraction, as the second guarded the exit route. As they went inside the building Freya started to see the enemy combatants being blasted by stun, fire, force and close combat magic. Every now and then, the mercenaries would be hit by a blast on their shield, but none of her team were down yet.

  Suddenly, a loud klaxon horn sounded from the compound. The compound lit up as balls of magical light shot into the air.

  Ross kept calm and said, “Just follow the orders on the farseeing combat network.”

  Before Freya could respond, several icons appeared on each of the light balls, indicating a requirement of extinguishing the lights. Freya made a mental image of the inscription for opaque shields surrounding each of the light ball. As she added her power into it, all of the bright lights went out. This had only taken a fraction of a second. Now the whole compound was back into darkness. Soon several circles appeared within the compound ordering fire strikes confined within each of the circle.

  Ross said clearly, “You are free to strike with fireballs anywhere inside the circles.”

  Freya just pulled on her fire power and mentally worked the inscriptions for the desired effect. Emerging from the sky above the compound, jets of fire washed down, and stayed restricted to the circles. At the edges of each circle, the flames cascaded and stopped. Ross let out a muffled exclamation but said nothing. As the circles in the command system moved, the waves of fire moved with them. Next were several commands to force shield certain areas, Freya accomplished this with little exertion. As the Fire Teams were exiting the compound, the shields and fire kept the enemy combats at bay. Freya saw people start to shoot magical bombardments attacks on her shield. To counteract this, she channeled more magical energy into the shields, which easily held. The next command that came across the combat network was an order to destroy all vehicles in the compound. Each vehicle was lit up by an icon, and an area of effect of not to exceed. Freya decided that the best way to destroy the vehicles was with pure force.

  First Chapters of:

  The First Era: The History System Chronicles

  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07LDZSH9Y/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

  The First Era

  The History System Chronicles

  Andrew Bardsley

  Page Break

  Copyright © 2019 by Andrew Bardsley

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Page Break

  Contents

  Chapter One: All Things Have a Beginning4

  Chapter Two: Survival29

  Chapter Three: An Emergency Rescue63

  Chapter Four: Weapons and Traps79

  Chapter Five: A Journey92

  Chapter Six: Into the Deeps112

  Chapter Seven: Civilization at last124

  Chapter Eight: Training151

  Chapter Nine: Trolls and other Monsters175

  Chapter Ten: Weapons making and other discoveries197

  Chapter Eleven: Storm-Demon212

  Chapter Twelve: A Request243

  Chapter Thirteen: The Power of a Tribe274

  Chapter Fourteen: The Power of a Tribe in Battle283

  Chapter Fifteen: Alone with Evil291

  

  Chapter One: All Things Have a Beginning

  Ahava woke up as the light slowly increased through the window in the bathroom. The bathroom was adjacent to the bedroom, and the window allowed the early morning light to shine directly onto the bed, where Ahava’s head lay. As Ahava slowly gained consciousness, thoughts of what he would do today slowly ran through his waking mind. Originally, his family had planned to have a day out, taking the time to go walking around some of the waterfalls nearby. The walk had been planned because his son Chris was home, on leave from the army, and as this was Chris’s last full day with them before flying back to his base. The noise from the rain outside indicated that the possibility of getting soaked during the up-and-coming walk was high.

  As Ahava lay in bed, listening to the rain, he re-considered the plans for the day, considering what to do instead. He checked his computer tablet, an old device with a small crack across the screen, for the weather rep
ort. The screen lit up showing a Google weather report with an icon of a storm cloud for the day, and for the next week. This spring in Perth had been cold and rainy for Western Australia. Around this time Ahava’s wife, Kate, had also woken up. She was glancing at her phone, a sleek new model as she had just lost her phone a few weeks prior.

  Ahava looked over at Kate. “It’s raining outside, so I think it’s best if we cancel the plans for the walk. As I have some work to do, I might as well go into the office today.”

  Ahava worked as an engineer in the drilling industry and, due to a recent downturn, he was working whenever there was work available. This week he had been at home and his family had been off doing activities together. This unfortunately meant that Ahava had already had had a couple of days off this week and there was a bit of outstanding work in the office to be done for a client.

  Kate blinked rapidly as she yawned, clearing her eyes and looking over.

  “That will be ok; after all, it is raining today. I can take the time to prepare the house for the board games event this evening.”

  Kate had been planning a games night for some time, inviting several other families that Ahava knew.

  Ahava thought for a moment. “OK then, I’ll go into the office, but I may come back early in the afternoon as I do not have much work to do,” he decided.

  It was about five thirty in the morning, and as Ahava did not normally start getting up for work until some time after six o’clock, he tried to go back to sleep. Upon finding that he was not able to sleep, he sat back up and chatted to Kate about what was on her Facebook feed that day. While Ahava had his own Facebook account, he only used it for news and keeping in contact with a few family members. This meant that he largely relied on Kate for updates about the wider circle of family and friends that both he and Kate had made over their twenty-seven years of marriage. The anniversary was last month, though they were still deciding what to do to celebrate it properly.