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Karo carries you through the air. His strong arms cradle you as easily as if you weigh nothing, and flying is every bit as glorious as you hoped it might be. As you soar above the lavender clouds, the wind whips past your face, sending your hair and clothing billowing wildly. You feel alive, free, and exhilarated in a way you’ve never experienced before. Karo’s powerful wings beat rhythmically, filling the air with a soft whooshing sound.
“You’re really good at this,” you say, wishing you could come up with something wittier.
Karo chuckles, his deep voice rumbling like low thunder. “Ought to be after this many years.”
That sharp scent of ozone returns, complete with notes of blood, iron, stone, and sulfur. Down below you see the dark lake with the brilliant pink portal glowing in its center on the little stone island. Spindly trees stand at attention like skinny sentinels, dark shadows stretching out like creeping arms.
A loud screech pierces through the air, interrupting the peaceful flight. Karo’s wings falter slightly, causing the two of you to dip towards the packed ground below. You grip onto him tighter as he regains control and picks up speed, heading towards the source of the noise.
Monsters of all sorts weave between the trees, advancing out of the portal.
But it isn’t too late.
The call has gone out, and everyone you spoke with on your series of quests is here now. And oh what an assembly it is!
Zen slides through the darkness like a shadow himself, his daggers gleaming with enchantments and his horns glinting in the moonlight. Each strike unleashed arcs of energy that cut through bone and sinew.
At the water’s edge, Hugo demonstrates his own showmanship. Summoning up great columns of smoky magic, he dances with his top hat, weaving a mesmerizing tapestry of illusion—until a misstep sends him tumbling, his hat rolling away. Undeterred, he lunges down to sweep it up and places it back on his head with a flourish as he summons doppelgängers of their troop.
Opal raises her arms like an ancient priestess, chanting in a voice that thrums with power. Vivid streams of orange and pink erupt from her palms, sculpting energy into shields and lances that repel and pierce the monstrous tide.
The air cracks and booms as Beatrice, a short distance from Opal, flings down explosive pumpkin after explosive pumpkin. With each launched pumpkin, she cackles in her best imitation of a maniacal witch though her sparkling eyes suggest she is legitimately having fun. The pumpkins soar through the air, trailing sparks, before blossoming into infernos that turned scales and flesh to cinders.
Dead in the center of the onslaught of monsters is Indigo, snarling and bellowing. His body contorts in the pulsating light, his form shifting between man and wolf, long claws glinting in the moonlight. Muscle and sinew twist under fur and skin as he adapts to each new enemy, his roars and shouts echoing into the night.
From their vantage on the ledge by the lake, Bram and Lyria unleash torrents of magical fire from their glistening black guns. They fight side by side, casting easy banter back and forth between rounds.
Amidst the relentless advance, Silver’s pistols cry out, each shot a requiem of finality. She moves with a dancer’s grace, her firearms extensions of her will, defending her sisters and her friends with practiced grace.
Asher wields his baseball bat like a warrior of old, each swing strong but easy. The bat crackles with unseen energy with every bone-shattering impact.
Into this fray Karo descends, wings unfurled, catching the portal’s neon light through the chaos. He sets you down, steadies you, and then launches forward. With a fierce cry, he swoops into the melee, bowling over three monsters before they can even roar.
Armed with resolve and your favorite weapon, you fight alongside these valiant souls to beat back the monsters and seal the portal and the abyss.
And what a fight it is!
Your weapon sings a deadly duet with Zen’s daggers. Hugo’s fallen hat and smoky magic sets up critical strikes. Opal’s sorcery bolsters your defense, Beatrice’s fiery pumpkins clear your path, Indigo’s ferocity keep your flanks safe, Bram and Lyria’s covering fire give you room to maneuver, Silver’s sharpshooting ensures your advance, and Asher’s bat clears the ground around you with each monster-shaking swing. Karo rained down blows and attacks from above.
At the last minute, a white-haired woman in an elegant gown swoops out. Oh yes! The woman who may or may not be a vampire.
She grabs a monster by the throat and bites down on his neck, killing him with a single bite. As she casts the corpse aside, she wipes her mouth on the back of her sleeve, looks you in the eye, and shouts, “Inconclusive!” as if she knows you’re wondering if she really is a vampire. Then she seizes another monster and rips out its throat.
Shaking your head, you hide a laugh and continue your own fight.
Together with your new companions, you stand—not merely as fighters, but as legends whose courage outshone the darkest night.
Bram and Lyria with Karo’s help advance onto the island where the portal glows, ready for the last stage of the ceremony to bolster the wards and seal up the cracks. They cast the list of new books to read into the pulsing light.
The abyss seals shut, the pink light vanishing into the darkness. In its place lie stories and art prints that you can take with you. Behold your treasures!
Bram sets his gun on his shoulder and chuckles. “Well, would you look at that.”
Lyria picks up a couple of the books and nods with satisfaction. “I’ll certainly be reading one of these tonight.” She hands the others out to the other adventurers who have come to help, and her gaze falls on you. She grins. “Come on, adventurer. Enjoy your spoils!”
Satisfied and thankful that you are no longer falling all over yourself, you step forward to investigate your new treasures. What a night indeed.
Prizes
Please enjoy your prizes! Make sure that you download these before the end of November as many of these are time sensitive. Do not share this link with anyone else. This is only going out to those who qualified, and all of these downloads have limits. Please also remember that winning these items as prizes only entitles you to use them for your own personal enjoyment. You may not upload them anywhere else or sell them or give them away without the creator’s explicit permission. If you need any help, feel free to reach out to me at faeornofae@farofeb.com.
Black in White by JC Andrijeski
Blood Price by Vela Roth
Delerat’s Wish (A Treaties of Moial Short Story) by Jen Lynning
Enchant by Josie Darling
Fit for a Goddess by S.C. Grayson
From the Ashes by Mel Harding-Shaw
The Girl Who Talks to Ashes by Rachel Rener
The Grimoire and Bestiary Daemonum by Traci Lovelot
Her Lumberjack Dragon Mate by Arizona Tape
The Lily Gate by Hanna Sandvig
The Mage’s Curse by Bethany Adams
Nation of the Sun by H. R. Moore
Nation of the Sword by H.R. Moore
Nation of the Stars by H.R. Moore
One Dark Kiss by Cali Mann
Shifting Forms by Laura Greenwood
Sin City by Riley Hunt
Strange Magics by Melissa Wright
The Swordsmith and the Devil’s Dancer by Jennie Lynn Roberts
To the Stars (First Five Chapters) by Renee Edwards
Artwork from Contributing Authors
