12 Miles Below - Chapter 23: Things of Metal And Pride

“I’m sure we’ve all had that weird kid in our class.”“You know, the one everyone avoids like the plague.”“The moron who always comes to school with messy black hair, torn-up clothes, and so many bruises on their body it looks like they were mauled by a bear.”“I know that kid well—”“Because I’m him.”[DING!][YOU HAVE AWAKENED YOUR BLACKSMITH SYSTEM]“Blacksmith system? What the fuck is that?”It’s the power to forge.The power to create weapons that can split the heavens themselves.Weapons that can challenge gods, rewrite fate, and reduce galaxies to dust.Weapons that can cut through time and space.With the Blacksmith System… you have the power of creation.Do you accept?[Y/N]

The ancient Buddha's head was stolen by a monster with a human body and a sheep's head.The Ghost buried an eye in the Buddha's temple, and from then on, the world's fire was extinguished, and darkness engulfed the continent.To combat the Ghost' invasion, the gods of day and night were born between heaven and earth.This is a narrative passed down for generations by storytellers.What was the true nature of the ancient Buddha, the Ghost, and the wandering gods of day and night on the once great continent?Perhaps, traces can be found in a troupe named 'Zhou Family Troupe.'The Zhou Family Troupe,is a troupe that performs operas specifically for the dead...

What life is left for a warrior when there is no more enemy to fight?

…He knelt before her in the posture of a soldier giving honor to their Queen. And she didn’t even know it.

“Harth,” he rasped, “I come empty-handed. I bring no weapon. Because I swear to you, I will never choose to harm you. Never draw your blood—in anger, or in fear. I bring no shield. Because I vow I will never defend myself from your eyes, your hands, your mind. I am yours.”

*****

After a year of peace in Anima, Tarkyn finds himself… lonely. As the Captain of the Queen’s Guard and a lion-shifter, he has met every female in the tribes, but never found his mate. Certain he must have overlooked someone, Tarkyn undertakes a grueling ritual, pleading with the Creator to reveal her. But the ritual presses him to the end of even his formidable strength.

Yet, the Creator heard his cry…

Discovered on the brink of death by his mate, Harth, and nursed back to health, Tarkyn now faces the most difficult battle of his life. Because Harth isn’t just a stranger to the Anima, she is a weapon of the humans who tried to destroy them.

Can the love of a warrior and his enemy bring peace to Anima? Or will they be torn apart forever by war between their peoples?

*****

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STANDALONE STORY: While Tarkyn’s story is a part of the Anima world and fans will be reunited with some of their favorites as side-characters, Tarkyn and Harth are new POV characters and their story is a new plot arc, so their story can be enjoyed without reading the previous books! But please add Falling in Love with the King of Beasts, and Taming the Queen of Beasts to your library to enjoy later!

Caelen died doing what he loved most: playing survival games non-stop like a sleep-deprived goblin. Unfortunately, dying in your chair from gaming overload isn’t exactly what you’d call a dignified exit. Even God laughed at him.But lucky for Caelen, or maybe unlucky, he gets a second chance in the world of his favorite survival game. It’s a brutal fantasy realm full of monsters, magic, swords… and absolutely zero indoor plumbing.Armed with only a stone pickaxe, a limited-use “Google Brain” search skill, and the stubbornness of a man who once built a Minecraft mansion out of dirt, Caelen sets out to survive. But surviving isn’t enough he wants to upgrade the world. Electricity? Toilets? Toasted bread? Why not all three?As he fends off nighttime horrors, awkwardly crafts furniture, and tries to avoid becoming monster chow, Caelen has one mission: bring modern convenience to a medieval world, one ridiculous invention at a time.And maybe, just maybe… not die again in a chair.[System Notes:No Ntr, No Yuri(gl), No Yaoi(bl)]