A Slave's New Purpose (6/?) by MichaelArchangelus, literature
Literature
A Slave's New Purpose (6/?)
“Come now, pumpkin. It isn't polite to stare.” Father tugged her hand, disrupting her concentration. Her magic ebbed from her eyes, and swirling auras of colorful magic faded from view. Bustling crowds of gifted pushed past one another under a chill winter sky, grey and bright in the midmorning. Her quick breaths made little puffs of steam as she kept up with Father’s long strides. Mother had told her to wear her heavy clothes, but Ana had insisted on wearing Best Blue Dress as she made her way through the Capital. As it turned out, the thin cloth did little to keep out the cold, but she too stubborn to complain. Father held
A Slave's New Purpose (5/?) by MichaelArchangelus, literature
Literature
A Slave's New Purpose (5/?)
The wood-walled room was small and functional, with two simple wooden chairs facing an equally simple writing desk. Wall-mounted oil lamps illuminating the room in a cozy orange-brown glow. Framed landscapes punctuated the walls in an effort to add a bit of decor to an otherwise plain office. The yellow dragon was seated in a large, leather chair on the other side of the desk, framed by dozens of small boxes and bags of foreign origin that lined the back wall. Oriana was curious as to what they might contain, but refrained from using any divining abilities for the moment.
“Please, sorceress, sit.” Pulling out a curved pipe, the w
A Slave's New Purpose (4/?) by MichaelArchangelus, literature
Literature
A Slave's New Purpose (4/?)
It’s looking at me again. Arthur gawked at the immense creature on the other side of the fence. The purple dragon was taller than the guards, larger than anything he had ever seen, cloaked in some sort of vibrant violet garment. It appeared almost frantic as it had stepped forward, backward, turned around, and started gagging into the bushes. Arthur could have sworn that its pupils disappeared for a moment. Arthur eyed as it peered over its shoulder at him. From the contorted look on its face, it looked like it was struggling not to vomit. Was it sick, or did he smell that bad?
Without prompting, the image of a deranged dragon bursting
A Slave's New Purpose (3/?) by MichaelArchangelus, literature
Literature
A Slave's New Purpose (3/?)
“What do you mean, you weren’t listening?”
“I mean, I wasn’t, you know, there for the speech. I had a vision.” The excuse sounded even worse out loud. “Sorry, Trish.”
Atricia’s scowl gave way to slight annoyance. “Well, I suppose I can’t fault you for that. How much did you miss?”
“Pretty much everything from when you stepped up to the podium until I was pushed onto the stage,” Oriana shrugged. “What happened? And when did you get back to town?”
The two of them were seated at a small diner just outside the city’s central walls, out of t
A Slave's New Purpose (2/?) by MichaelArchangelus, literature
Literature
A Slave's New Purpose (2/?)
“You know damn well that I’m the perfect candidate for the job!” Erwin shouted over the cacophony of booming voices. Hundreds of dragons stood around them in the courtyard, all angrily competing to be the loudest voice in the crowd. Thankfully, Council regulations dictated that all dragons must remain “upright”, or in their smaller, humanoid forms, for the duration of Council meetings. Otherwise, the din thundering from the gathered dragons could have leveled trees.
Oriana glared down at the orange dragon amongst the sea of her peers, standing almost a head taller than most of the dragons in attendance. She had
A Slave's New Purpose: A Brief History of Dragons by MichaelArchangelus, literature
Literature
A Slave's New Purpose: A Brief History of Dragons
The dragons in this universe are naturally capable of changing size with their magical abilities. They are able to comfortably stay either size for long periods of time, although this wasn't always the case. Normally reclusive and territorial creatures, dragons began as large predators that used their magic to hunt large prey in order to sustain their huge bodies. While they are omnivorous, the heavily wooded area they inhabited grew very few edible plants, and berries and fruit were a rare delicacy. Over time, dragons formed a peaceful tribal society in a large forested region of the planet, thick with wildlife and magical energies. Large, s
A Slave's New Purpose (1/?) by MichaelArchangelus, literature
Literature
A Slave's New Purpose (1/?)
Arthur stared at the fence, just as he had done every day for as long as he could remember. He stared past the metal links to the road and the sparse forest beyond, barely paying the fence any attention. It was made of rusty cross-hatched barbed wire, just over ten feet tall and topped with spiraling razor metal that would tear any would-be escapees to shreds. To Arthur, a slave who had been born and raised inside the compound, it was a wall, a barrier between him and freedom. Today, Arthur gazed past the fence, barely seeing the jagged metal that kept him trapped. He watched the outside world, the world he never knew, with an intense longing
A Pirate's Life For Me by MichaelArchangelus, literature
Literature
A Pirate's Life For Me
The wood before you explodes into a shower of splinters. You hit the deck, the rough wood of the ship’s planks hard against your aching knees. The tattered remains of clothing that hang from your arms and legs do little to protect your body from wooden shrapnel or the chill of the wet sea air. In moments, you’re back on your feet with gritted teeth, barely noticing the violent shifting of the boat beneath you. The storm could not have come at a worse time. Something wet and sticky covers the left side of your face. You reach to wipe it away and your hand comes back red. Blood, but it isn’t yours. A comrade lay facedown on th