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156 pages

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A young man seeks to join a prestigeous mercenary group. He's put through rigorous testing to do so, while confronting a deadly new threat.
Pilet Whydah dreams of joining the "Hired Blades Association", the world's premier Mercenary organization. The brash, young high school drop-out would soon find his prayers answered; when "Faxion of the Deadeye", a notorious member of the famed group passes through his mountain village. Before long, Pilet finds himself on a perilous crash course with this new friend and mentor, as he struggles to train for the deadly "Hired Blades Exam". Meeting a trio of fearsome friends along the way; swordsman Max Quinn, and the aura-casting, arcane sisters Faith and Yuuna Sierro, the group sets forth in their quest to become revered Licensed Hired Blades. But under the surface lies traces of a force far more sinister than what anyone had imagined. A parasitic entity called "The Wurm" begins to mysteriously grip the creatures of this world, and only The Hired Blades have the power to stop them.

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Science Fiction

Fiction

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Publié par	AuthorHouse
Date de parution	21 novembre 2022
Nombre de lectures	1
EAN13	9781665571791
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0200€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

BALLAD OF THE HIRED BLADES

THE DEADLY EXAM

J.D. RAJOTTE

AuthorHouse™
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.authorhouse.com
Phone: 833-262-8899

© 2022 . All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/17/2022

ISBN: 978-1-6655-7178-4 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6655-7179-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022917857

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

I’d like to thank my beautiful fiancé, for supporting me throughout this process, my family for always believing in me, and my amazing son, for teaching me how to be a better man with every passing day...
CONTENTS
Prologue
CHAPTER ONE
The Veteran Blade
Maw of the Unbound
CHAPTER TWO
Plight of the Young Dreamer
The Mysterious Miner
Enter: The Fiery Prospect!
“There’s nothing more we’ve ever wanted for you in this world.”
CHAPTER THREE
The Capital
The Sisters Sierro
The Stoic, Island Swordsmen
The Prehistoric Pugilists
Origins: Fossil resurrection
“You are, to say the least, completely terrible at most aspects of Bladesmanship.”
CHAPTER FOUR
The Hired Blades Exam
HBA Headquarters
The Prospects Unite!
A Written Fiasco
The Lone Archeologist
The Physical Begins: Birth of The Hidden Blades!
A Deadshot trained by a Deadeye
The Beatdown in the Cage
A Fearsome Duel: The King Killer V.S. The Star of Menanois
The Master Auracaster
Auracast Exam, Begin!
Shortcoming of the Elder Sierro
The Torrent V.S. The Hollowpoint
Mighty Fleet of The HBA
CHAPTER FIVE
Tip of The Devil’s Tongue
Awaited Departure
Return of The Wurm
The Village Giduh
Clash: The Hidden Blades V.S. The Funk Munkeys!
Rampage of The Reaper Elite
A Deadly Duel of Clans, Sanda V.S. Fubuki
The Killer and The Gavel
The Arcane Sisters V.S. The Twins from the Shadows
Hidden Technique of The Sanda
Trouble! Onslaught of the ARK Tri-Cannon
Plight of the Spellbound Sisters; The King of the Sands Draws Near
A Gash for A Gash/ The Might of The Younger Sierro
Round Two; The Hidden Blades V.S. Kuweha The Melter
Mystery of The Emerald Flamecaster
CHAPTER SIX
Ancient Secrets, Hidden just beneath the Surface
About the Author
PROLOGUE
In the year 2097, a mysterious plague befalls the world of Giganus. Unwitting creatures both big and small, begin to fall victim to a mysterious, mind-altering affliction. The culprit? A new breed of parasite with an appetite for mischief and destruction, a fiend they call “The Wurm”. The unfortunate hosts targeted by this mysterious new threat? Animals; birds, fish, mammals, and any creature that inhabits the planet save for humankind. Once infected by this menace, hosts become ruthless, gifted with unnatural speed, power, and a hunger for flesh and violence. As Wurm-infected insurgents begin terrorizing towns and villages, the people call upon the world’s most powerful and respected group of mercenaries, The Hired Blades Association. Notorious for their skill in the fray, the members of The Hired Blades Association start fighting back the ranks of the unwelcome parasite. Sharing what knowledge they earn in battle with the world government, the two begin working in tandem to dig deeper towards the source of the fearsome threat. But as the Wurm forces continue to fall to the Blades, more questions begin to arise than the answers they receive. After nearly twenty years pass by, the mysterious Wurm threat steadily becomes largely under control by the efforts of The Hired Blades. But suddenly in the past six months, a significant surge of Wurm activity is felt throughout Giganus; prompting the Hired Blades to take a new stance on their elusive foe. Specialized teams, focused on zeroing in on the heart of the Wurm menace; and learned, Veteran Blade recruiters tasked with gathering them. One such Veteran makes his home in the trees outside a meek mountain village, awaiting the arrival of his next target.....

ONE
The Veteran Blade
I t was dark, the air riddled with the smell of gunsmoke. One hundred bandits gather in ragtag huddles, planning their assault. In the distance, a lone mercenary hides, nestled in the trees. Readying his rifle; a dark blue, 7mm Arcane Pierce, he studies its various clips and cartridges. His nest nuzzled in between two mighty oaks yields the perfect cover to accomplish his deadly task.
As the bandits drunkenly cackle about their plans to raid the humble village of Macorin, the mercenary laughs to himself. For only he knows the soon-to-be fate of these marauders. Tonight they do not raid a village, a treasure trove, or a bank vault. Tonight, they raid only the gates of hell.
The Sniper takes aim toward his first victim, the largest goon to be seen with the meanest mug.
*Krrrackk* *Pew*
He fires. A vibrant projectile of light finds its way to the base of the target’s skull, exiting through the front of his forehead. The bandit drops his frothy, half-full glass of mead and falls to his knees. He lets out a wheeze as the air escapes his now lifeless lungs, then collapses with a resounding thud. The entire camp falls silent, not a sound but the ominous wind whistling through the wispy oaks to be heard. Then, a more courageous bandit speaks out.
“Who was it! Who killed Patrice?!?!”
No one can speak, for they do not know. He speaks again, his raspy voice bellowing through the silent encampment.
“I know you’re out there!!” he turns to his bandit peers. “What are you fools doing?! Clearly, we have guests! Let’s give ‘em a warm Piranha Gang welcome!!”
The disheveled Group starts to sober up.
“Yeah! Get the bastards! They took our mate!!”
“Let’s skin ‘em alive!!”
The rowdy bandit leader retorts.
“Get to the weapons shack! Let’s flush the bastards out...
*Pew. Sizzle. Fizz.*
The mercenary marks his second victim. The bandit leader falls to the ground, a singed hole burned through his eye socket. The thugs relent.
“Oh God! Chief!”
“Get those weapons!”
The Sniper grins. He lifts a detonator towards his ear and presses a shining green button. *KABOOM* An explosion goes off inside the bandits’ artillery shack, blowing their heavy weaponry to smithereens.
“Shit! What’s going on?!”
“We still have our rifles! Get to the tents!”
The Sniper takes aim and picks off several more thugs as they scramble to the barracks for cover. Barreling through the door, the bandits swiftly begin to arm themselves. They hurriedly grasp at pistols, rifles, knives, swords, and anything they can get a hold of to defend their lives from the unseen assailant. As the last of the bandits make it to their tents, the mercenary prepares the next phase of his plan. He chants a mysterious incantation, as an eagle tattoo on the inside of his left forearm starts to glow a golden hue.
“Nubibus autem oleum.” Said the Sniper.
A nimbostratus cloud formation appears over the perimeter. From it begins to rain a grease-like substance. The bandits revel in this freakish occurrence.
“God wants us dead!”
“What the hell is happening?!”
“Wait... This smells like gasoline!!”
The Sniper follows up his Arcane combination.
“Ignis Sagitta!” He mutters.
He points his index and middle finger towards the now saturated tents full of bandits. Brilliant arrows of pure flame shoot from his fingertips, striking the tents and setting them ablaze in an instant.
“OooOOAAaaAAAHHH!!!!”
“AAGH!! HELP ME I’M BURNING!!!”
Several bandits catch fire, running from the tents and crying out for help before suffocating to death. A number of them flee the tent unscathed, scrambling to get their wits about them. The Mercenary continues his chant.
“Disseminabunt. Sequitur quod venari!”
The rain stops as the nimbostratus separates into smaller formations. The miniature clouds follow the escapees directly overhead.
The Sniper whispers. “Fulmen.”
Each small cloud releases a lightning bolt to the top of the target’s head. *Thud* They fall to the ground, frozen and lifeless. Smoke billows from their singed hair.
Some raiders cry out. “We’re all gonna die!!”
“I have a son!! This can’t be happening!!”
The Sniper’s arm begins to tremble. He digresses.
“Uggh, oh stop you! We’re almost finished here. Just one more...”
He raises his arm.
“Obice Tenebris!”
An Indigo dome of impenetrable light surrounds the encampment. The bandits watch in horror as they are locked inside the blazing forest. The lone mercenary readies his Arcane Pierce.
“Alright, time to earn your keep.”
He begins to pick off bandit after bandit. Skillfully landing a finishing blow with each shot. Some unwitting foes take to hiding behind a pile of mead barrels.
“Hmm, this calls for a trick shot.” Said The Sniper.
He selects a different clip loading it into his weapon with swift finesse. Aiming with great care, he takes a precise shot at the tru