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The Other Option
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth At Lock Heads
Finding Axeris and Khiones together was an impossible sight except if one race was dead and the other was alive and standing over the corpse, but finding Axeris and Khiones working together was more than impossible yet it was where Iris, Xanth, Syrana and her Khione warriors found themselves in as they made their way through Oerth forest.It was very obvious and clear that the tension hanging in the air above them was heated enough to melt the snow and chase away the cold - which it literally did - but the party had a common goal and working together would help them in achieving their common goal faster, and the faster they achieved that goal, the faster they could be away from each other. But in the small tensed group, none was more disgusted than Kye.It was an irritation he didn’t bother to hide.“How long do you think it would take us to get to the other side of the forest?” Xanth asked Syrana as he slowed down to walk beside her.“Whenever we get to the other side, we get to th
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Heart Broken
“To be honest, we never actually had the thought of seeing you here.”“We assumed the proud ruler of Astaroth would never leave his kingdom except if he was going into war.” they chuckled and so did Ryder but without any joy. “But here you are, in the flesh and bone and blood!”It was far from being a party, and it was even lesser than a get together as they were only four men in the extremely large room. Borox led them, he ruled these band of outsiders, exiled from Erstonia and forced to take shelter within the cold caves of Zagaroth mountains. But here, he had built for themselves a fortress, and here, he was know as the king of the exiled.He trusted only two other people, and they were present in the room with him and Ryder. It had been hundred of years since they had had the pleasure of hosting Ryder, and although they were merry about it, Borox could not deny the uneasiness about Ryder. The feared Lord of Astaroth was troubled. And what could trouble an Axeris more than the fast
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Into The Blizzard
Iris still walked with a limp, the wound had sealed up but she still felt the pain on the inside. She was angry, that much was very obvious to see and she walked ahead of the group, nobody spoke, they all walked in silence, Syrana and Xanth walked behind Iris, Kye and the other few Khione warriors that had not been picked off by Indie walked behind.“Iris,” Xanth called out. “You don’t have to be stubborn about allowing Syrana help you with the injury you have.”“What injury do you speak of, Xanth?” she threw over her shoulder.“Iris…” he called again but Syrana placed a hand on his to stop him, and then with a smile, she said.“If she won’t admit to having an injury, then she doesn’t need my help, Xanth.”Iris scoffed. “At least we have a smart one among us.”Xanth frowned at Iris’ remark, he could not understand why she was being this hostile, maybe it was the fact that she had been seemingly humiliated by Indie, or ti was the fact that she had done it through a possessed Khione war
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Captive
Erstonia was just as cold as its climate, and it was not just about the snow, it was its people, their energies and aura, the empty streets and silence as they rode through the city heading toward the castle which sat right in the middle of the kingdom. They could not help the chill that climbed up their spines, feeling like they had just entered a plagued city.“Where are the people?” Syrana could not help but ask as the city held no sign of life within it, not even clothes hanging out on the wires to dry.“In their homes, away from the cold.” Replied an Erstonian soldier. He had the reins of the horse Syrana and Iris shared in his hand as he led them through the city.“It looks like a deserted place, it’s dead.” Xanth pointed out and a soldier close to him sent him a chilling glare. He scoffed.“Better than the place you come from, I bet,” he said and spat.Xanth shook his head and turned his attention from the soldier, then under his breath, said. “Not even close.”Iris was still p
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth The Search
It was freezing, the snow was heavy, and her dress was a burden, a burden she knew she could not get rid of. Should not get rid of it if she wanted to survive this place. She didn’t know where she was nor where she was going, but anywhere away from Ryder and his men would be fine with her.She struggled through the snow, and her vision was blurred by her tears. She was hurt and felt betrayed, to think he had forcefully taken her from Dragonsbane to Astaroth and made her come on this very tedious journey, only for her to find out that they had been on their way to sacrifice her to some dead god they worship.She tugged on her dress in anger, her feet were cold and so were her fingers, and she could barely feel any sensation in them, or any blood coursing through them. She knew she should keep warm but she just really needed to feel the cold just a bit longer.She stopped and panted, she could see her breath, and she could feel her anger“Ryder!” she screamed out loud and collapsed onto
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Prisoners
The room they were ushered in was extremely large, almost as large as the throne room, and was three stories above the ground. Four king-sized beds occupied spaces underneath four large windows, all well arranged, the largest window, having no bed beneath it, over-looked the courtyard. Syrana and Queen Vixra stood in front of the window, looking out and past the courtyard, from here Syrana could see the cold streets of the city, it was a clear reminder of where they were, of the kingdom they were in and it was a sharp contrast to the warmth of the castle.“You had dropped her off in Dragonsbane, in hopes that she would be able to live and grow as a normal girl,” Vixra turned to look at Syrana with pity in her eyes. “Instead, you had unknowingly put her right where she would be found by him. She never got the love of her own mother.”Syrana blinked once and lowered her gaze. Her breathing was even and calm but her heart ached, she had never been this desperate for anything more than to
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Pythias Sai
“You must be tired,” he said to her calmly, extending his hand toward her as he ushered her into another part of the rather large hut, sectioned off by transparent linen curtains, where a single bed was.Lyra took his hand with a smile, she was indeed tired and her feet ached terribly. She sat on the soft bed and took off her shoes - boots she had stolen before fleeing from Ryder.“Thank you.” she said in a weak voice as she laid herself down on the bed, and sleep took over her in minutes.Pythias smiled and walked out of the section, drawing the curtains close. He set down his staff so that it leaned against the table and took a seat, he had his attention on Lyra, watching the Khione girl sleep peacefully on his bed.On his bed. In a hut hidden in the mountains and inaccessible to anyone but himself.He could not believe the coincidence, the gods had sent her to him, placed her right into his hands, and he didn’t even need to go through the struggle and stress of facing off with Ryde
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Ritual
“Some friend you have, Syrana.” Iris said as she watched the Khione pace the room. “Really the best.”“Cool it down, Iris.” Xanth said to her, he stood with his back resting against the window bars and his arms crossed. “Nobody knew it would go down this way. One positive thing though; we are out of the blizzard out there.”“Yeah?” Iris faced him now. “And of what good is that if we cannot get to do what we had come here for in the first place? Should I remind you that Ryder is out there on his way to sacrifice your newly discovered cousin?” she rolled her eyes and in a low voice added; “Frankly, I could only care less about that.”Xanth groaned and moved away from the window, he was getting tired of having to listen to Iris and he just wished Syrana could make her go to sleep again.“The room is not sealed off by magic.” Kye spoke and everyone turned to face him, not finding any importance in what he had just said.“And…?” Iris asked.“And we can make our escape out of here.” he said
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Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Reunite
“Ryder…” Xanth called calmly as he quietly approached Ryder who was kneeling down by the edge of the ledge. The fiery pit had grown cold and was quiet now and the cave was slowly losing the heat, welcoming the cold.“She is gone,” Ryder said softly and lifted his head up to the cave ceiling. He let out a sigh, folded his lips, and raised his eyebrows, his eyeballs darting from left to right as he felt tears coming. His heart ached terribly and his body shivered. “She is gone,” he repeated with another sigh.Xanth turned around when he heard footsteps running, only to see Syrana and Tezani. Syrana looked at him asking him questions with her gaze, but he just blinked once and looked away from her. She sucked in a breath and her body crashed into the cave wall, she clutched on to her dress around her chest area and slowly fell to the floor as tears pooled out of her eyes.“Lyra…” she sobbed. “My baby girl.”Ryder turned his head to see who had just come into the cave and he saw the white
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Last Gift
His wound refused to heal and he was losing blood fast, he groaned and leaned on the horse as it slowed down to a gallop, approaching the mouth of the cave. His body felt extremely weak and he wondered what indie must have applied on that sword she stabbed him with that was stopping his body from regenerating.He groaned as he fell off the horse and onto the hard, hot ground. Never in his life had he felt this way, and he hated it, the feeling of being vulnerable as he was now. He knew that if anyone was to come for him, to kill him, they would succeed in that, he couldn’t even muster the strength to use his powers.He managed to get on his feet, leaning against the cave walls, he stumbled further into the cave where he found Borox, sitting up and propped against the cave wall with a small knife wedged into the side of his neck.“Borox,” Ryder called and went to him, crashing on the ground on his knee beside him, he took the man’s hand and had genuine pain in his eyes. The pain of see
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Stop The Sacrifice
They had all heard the noise, the loud bang from far behind, toward their far left and they had turned just in time to see a mushroom of fire rise up and then die out. The noise had spooked the horses and they stopped riding.“What was that?” Tezani asked no one in particular.“The wizard maybe,” Xanth replied. “But a blast of such magnitude? What is he doing?”“Practicing spells?” Syrana chipped in. “Prepping for a battle.”They both turned to look at her and Xanth’s heart fell, if they could not find Ryder in time and get him to perform the sacrifice with Tezani, then Osyron would break free of his prison and it would be bye-bye to the world as they knew it to be.“What if we can’t get to Ryder in time?” Tezani asked Xanth as if she had been reading his mind.He let out a breath. “Can you go back to Mavrek?”She shook her head and looked down at her horse, she didn’t want to go back to him. She couldn’t. She hated herself for still loving him when all he had ever done was lie to her
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth With Your Child
“They are close now,” Vixra said as she galloped on her horse. She had Pythias riding beside her, Royn and the rest of the warriors rode just behind. “I can sense the girl.”She pulled out the bow hanging on the horse behind her and an arrow, she let go of the horse’s reins but still managed to stay perfectly positioned on the horse. She positioned the arrow in the bow and drew it as far back as she could, closed her eyes and whispered a spell then released the arrow to fly. Without delay, she drew another arrow, whispered the same spell, and let it fly as well.She flung the bow to the side and gripped the horse’s reins, taking control of the animal’s movements. Within seconds, Ryder and his team were within sight. Vixra smirked when she saw that Lyra had been knocked down to the ground, one of the arrows had pierced the horse she had been on, and the other arrow had struck Ryder in the shoulder, causing him to fall off his horse as well.“Do not let them escape!” she yelled out the c
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Sick
The group traveled in silence with Lyra at the forefront, Ryder just tagging behind her, Borox and the rest of his men followed behind. They had ridden way past the city of Beor and were far away from the Erstonian castle so it was safe for them to just allow the horses to walk for a bit.The landscape was slowly changing the further they journeyed, the snow here was lesser, and from a distance, she could see mountains different from the ones she had been used to seeing in Erstonia, these had no snow covering them and nothing grew in the ground around them.“Fang Peek,” she whispered and felt a chill run down her spine. Fear engulfed her as the weight of what she had agreed to do rested on her heavily. In only a couple of hours, she would be dead, Ryder would head on back to Astaroth and life would continue for them just as normal.She thought of Xanth, the man was softer than Ryder, and a lot more understanding, and yes she would miss him dearly. The last time she had seen him was we
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth To Battle
The girl is still alive.The thought rang in his head as he entered his chambers in the castle, one wave of his staff and he had his doors locked with a spell.“The girl is still alive!” he yelled and flung his staff away, it collided with the wall without making a noise and came back to him, floating in the air beside the wizard. He took in a deep breath but was unable to calm down, he thought he had dealt with everything that would hinder Osyron from rising. He thought it was finally all over.He paced the length of the room, from the window to the door, back and forth, deep in thoughts. He stopped abruptly and walked to a part of his room where a he curtain was hung over a wall, he reached behind the heavy curtains and slid out a huge, ancient mirror. The mirror held no reflection and was just black, he reached for his staff which was floating beside him and placed it to rest against the mirror so that the red jewel touched it.With a pin he pricked his index finger, placed that o
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Attitude
“So,” Borox walked up to Ryder atop his horse and took hold of the reins. “No detours anymore, I’m guessing?”Ryder glanced over at Lyra, who was being helped to mount her horse. She had agreed to the sacrifice and with that, he knew a part of him had died. He shook his head to respond to Borox. “No, no detours.”She sat on the horse and picked up the reins, adjusting the fur cloak she had requested for to protect herself from the cold. They all stood by the cave’s entrance, looking out, she, Ryder, Borox and about a dozen of his men were ready for the long ride to Fang Peek.“Erstonia lies in between this place and Fang Peek, is that correct?” Lyra asked Ryder as they eased their horses outside of the cave, behind them, Borox followed with his men.“That is correct,” Ryder answered her question. He could feel her coldness towards him and he hated it, the not caring attitude she had now developed was something he was sure he would never get used to. But then he sighed, he would not be
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth To Seek Refuge
The night was long. Long and quiet.Tonight she had been made to sleep in her own tent instead of having to share one with General Mavrek, the warrior that had delivered the message to her had said it was because the General would be having an all-night meeting with the men in command of each section of the troop, but she knew it was because he had just killed someone in there and the blood was still fresh on the ground, and the smell of blood was still very heavy in the air. She was sensitive and would pick up the scent in an instant.But she was grateful she had not been made to stay with the General in his tent tonight because it might have been more difficult sneaking out of his tent. She didn’t wait for the morning, she didn’t even know what time it was, all she knew was that she had waited for everywhere to be quiet. It was easy staying awake as sleep had eluded her after finding out Mavrek’s plans for her.She felt heartbroken and betrayed because truly, she did love the Genera
Ryder; Lord of Astaroth Treason
“There has not been any earth tremor for days now, has Ryder completed the sacrifice?” General Mavrek asked Iris as she crashed into a chair in his tent, gulping down cup after cup of water. A day’s journey in the cold and snow-covered land had nothing on her, as her body could withstand some levels of extreme temperatures, but her body could not go on without water. She had not thought of that really.She had stumbled into Mavrek’s camp as they were making their way up to Fang Peek, and Mavrek had been shaken, expecting to see Ryder coming up a distance away with Xanth. But after a couple of hours with no sign of either men, he began to relax a bit.Iris looked away after her last cup of water, she had heard his question but what could she say in reply? That the girl they had all their hopes on was dead? That they should go home and prepare for war, promising death by the hand of the bloodthirsty god, Osyron? “We encountered some complications on the way.”“Complications?” that conf
