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132 pages

English

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Description

Everyone needs a little magic.For some, that means seeking out a machine that can make you a god. For others, it's about saving a floating isle from crashing into the sea.And then there are those who desire magic for darker purposes like revenge.Seven authors bring you seven unique stories about magic and magical items in a fantastic world of imagination.Welcome back to Mirstone.

Sujets

Fantasy (canción de Mariah Carey)

Short story

Fantasy

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Publié par	Distributed By PublishDrive
Date de parution	18 avril 2021
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781947329706
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0208€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Magic
of
Mirstone

EDITED BY RICHARD FIERCE

Magic of Mirstone © 2021 by Richard Fierce

This is a collected work of fiction. All events portrayed in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form without the express permission of the publisher.

Interior design by Richard Fierce
Cover design by pdmac
Cover art by Rosauro Ugang
Anthology Editer: Richard Fierce

Dragonfire Press

Print ISBN: 978-1-947329-71-3

eBook ISBN: 978-1-947329-70-6

First Edition: 2021

CONTENTS

Introduction
The Darklord and the Godmachine
My Wish, Your Cage
Once Upon a Crossroads
Hinter Wizard
Us Gnomes Stick Together
The Armor of Dusan
The Ring of the Feywilds

Introduction

Welcome back to the world of Mirstone!

This time around, we’re exploring magic and magical items. From rings to god machines, there’s plenty of creative stories packed into one book. I hope you enjoy reading them as much we enjoyed writing them.

Happy reading!

-Richard

The Darklord and the Godmachine
A.R. Cook

“This is the part where we die, isn’t it?”
Galvanius Domhnall, Dark Lord of the Violet Flame, could have done without the goblin’s remark, but the two-story tall magma golem that rose from the lava pool before them did make the situation look bleak. If this was something the group could have witnessed from a safe mile away, they might have considered the golem an impressive sight, a colossus of blazing amber and imperial topaz, dotted with glistening black crystals and topped with a crown of crimson fire. Its radiance was lost on the Dark lord, goblin, swarm elemental and its summoner, as they had to crane their heads back to look up at the monstrosity that was within spitting distance. The heat alone could have melted armor and weapon, and Galvanius now understood why his tutor had instructed him to procure heat-resistance charms for himself and his band before heading into the Ash Mountains.
Galvanius glanced at his party. “Any thoughts?”
“Running away,” Greez replied, which was not surprising since goblins tend to not fight things that melt the skin off their bones.
“I don’t know,” Millie said, eying the molten monster. She wiped a lock of her sweat-drenched auburn hair out of her face. “Maybe we can ask him where the god machine is? I bet he’d know.”
“Oh, sure, he looks like the talkative type,” Greez sneered. “Why don’t we just ask him for the full tour?”
Swarmdog buzzed nervously, inching back from the golem. Despite being a sentient insect swarm, a black mass of fluttering wings in the vague shape of a hound, its hive mind was aware it was no match for this burning beast. Millie cooed to her elemental, reassuring it that she would not let it come to harm.
Galvanius narrowed his eyes on the golem. “We didn’t come this far just to be chased all the way back down the mountain. And Dissandra said we’d have to come up against a guardian at some point. Just wish she had said it would be a magma golem.”
“What’s that hag know anyway?” Greez snarled. “She probably led us up here to get a good laugh when we all die screaming in agony!”
Before either Galvanius or Greez could make a move, Millie stepped forward and waved up at the golem. “Excuse us! Mister Lava Monster, sir?”
The magma golem looked down at the small dwarf maiden below.
“Millie! What are you doing?” Galvanius snapped.
“Come on, Jimmy, it’s rude to not introduce ourselves,” Millie said.
Galvanius gritted his teeth. “Galvanius of the Violet Flame. Not Jimmy, not Jimbo, and definitely not—”
“Our Mighty Purple Pookums,” Greez snickered. “I always liked that one.”
Galvanius sighed. “I swear, if anyone else in Mirstone could control that swarm elemental…”
Millie turned her attention back to the golem. “Yes, hi! I’m Millie Merrybrew of the Caskpike, this is Dark Lord Jimmy, Greezelsnag, and my faithful Swarmdog. We’re looking for a god machine? Really old, hasn’t been seen since the Dawn of the Gods. Have you seen anything like that around here?” She beamed a big, friendly smile.
The golem opened its mouth and spewed forth a stream of lava directly at Millie.
Millie darted back, narrowly dodging the downpour, and Swarmdog rushed to her in a swirling horde of buzzing, sweeping her off her feet and whisking her to safety behind a tall stalagmite farther back in the cavern. Galvanius and Greez also retreated for cover behind a cluster of rock formations, as the golem spat a glob of scorching ooze in their direction.
“That wasn’t very nice of him,” Millie huffed. “Thank you, Swarmy.”
The swarm elemental, reforming its canine shape, gave her a whirring sort of bark.
“Greez, we could use frost orbs right about now,” Galvanius said.
The goblin snorted, his two porcine ears twitching. “I’d need about fifty of those to even slow down that thing, and I’m a bit short.” He quickly cast a glare at Galvanius. “On alchemy orbs. No height jokes.”
“Joking isn’t on my mind.” Galvanius rummaged through his pack and withdrew a canteen, a small marble bowl and a birchwood spoon.
Greez curled his lip. “You really think this is a good time to consult the soup witch?”
The Dark lord glanced over at the golem, who had not left the confines of its lava pool. It simply stared in their direction menacingly. “It looks like it can’t advance any further. As long as we’re out of range of its attacks, we should be fine.”
“Maybe we could just—” Millie started.
“You tried diplomacy, Millie. We need a more robust way to handle this thing, and Dissandra knows her magical monsters.” He uncorked the canteen and poured a small amount of its contents—tomato bisque—into the bowl. He murmured the words “Ab imo tenebris” while stirring the soup and tapped the spoon on the edge of the bowl three times. After a beat, the soup began to gurgle and bubble, and a milky mist blossomed the surface, forming the vague impression of a female face.
An exasperated sigh came from the summoned visage. “Good gods, Galvanius, can you go an hour without needing to call me?”
“I could, Dissandra, if you’d tell me how we’re supposed to deal with this golem!”
“Oh, that.” The face, pale and gaunt as a week-old corpse, smirked. “I thought you could at the very least handle that . Any Dark lord worth his caliber—”
Galvanius clenched his teeth. “Before we all roast to death, please!”
Dissandra rolled her eyes. “Fine. Golems are created with one sole purpose by their masters—in this case, a guardian. However, if a golem’s master is long gone—and in this case, I’m betting his creator’s been dead for quite some time—the golem’s resolve to its purpose gradually weakens. Appeal to its baser instincts. Greed, desires, you get the idea.”
“Of course!” Millie said cheerfully. “Poor guy’s been stuck in these awful mountains for so long. And does anyone ask him how he’s been doing? What his dreams and aspirations are? Of course not.” She climbed up the stalagmite until she was near the top, which put her closer to the golem’s eye level. “Hey Mr. Golem! We’d like to help you, if you’ll let us!”
The golem tilted its head to the side.
“This must be a horrible way to live, stuck in that lava pool with nowhere to go. If you show us where the god machine is, then we could use it to free you!”
“We can?” Galvanius asked in a low voice.
“You said the god machine can make you a god, right?” Millie said. “So, once you’re a god, you can do anything.”
Galvanius peaked out from his cover, noting that the golem had not attacked again, and it looked docile for the moment. He took a deep breath and stepped out into view. “That’s right! By my word as a Dark lord, my first act as a new god will be to grant you any wish you desire, as reward for your sworn allegiance to me.”
The golem’s eyes narrowed. It opened its glowing, hellfire maw again and said, “That’s a rather magnanimous proposition, although how feasible your avowal may be is a matter of contention.”
Everyone silently gawked.
The golem eyed the group. “What? Did you postulate because I am an amorphous automaton, that I am incapable of judicious repartee?”
Galvanius raised his eyebrows. “I…what?”
The golem let out a long, steamy sigh. “You thought that because I’m a golem, I’m stupid?”
“What? No!” Galvanius chuckled nervously. “After all, if I thought you were stupid, I wouldn’t have made you my offer. We’re rational men, you and I. Speaking of which, could I reason with you to turn down the heat? It’s difficult to breathe in here for mere mortals, you know.”
The golem lumbered out of the lava pool, but as he walked, the magma receded from his body, causing him to shrink until he was about six feet tall. A casing of ashen stone solidified over him, with hints of veins glowing through his igneous skin. The top of the pool also solidified into stone, causing the heat of the cavern to cool substantially.
“Dark lords consider themselves reasonable nowadays, do they?” The golem snickered. “You are unlike any lord I’ve ever seen, but I suppose time changes things. I’m Krag.” He extended a huge stone hand towards Galvanius. The Dark lord shook his hand but winced as the golem’s skin was hot enough for him to feel through his glove.
“And I’m Millie!” the dwarf announced as she slid down from her stalagmite and offered her tiny hand to shake. Whether or not Krag’s touch was hot to her, Millie did not let on as she shook his finger with a genuine, warm smile.
Krag couldn’t help but smile back at the dwarf’s gregariousness. “It’s been some time since I’ve seen treasure hunters come through here. Most don’t get through the mountains.”
“It helps to have a goblin who knows how to avoid the thickest hordes of monsters. And I have a