Tag: ancient rome

The Apostate Saint: Chapter 16 – Into the Abyss

Andrew Michael Miller1 Comment

"Help!" shouted Alaric, seeing Fridok's body bounce off the walls of the crevasse that neither of the two had seen before starting their ill-fated race. The sound of the wet but solid impact of Fridok against the hard cave floor echoed upward and reverberated throughout Alaric's head like a sudden fortepiano bar in an otherwise soft, gleeful melody. He felt the absence of that sound even louder than the sound itself. To Alaric, there was little chance that Fridok was alive after a fall like that, but he hoped that perhaps the impacts against the sides were enough to mitigate the damage of his friend's descent. There was only one way to find out.

The Apostate Saint: Chapter 15 – A Dark Place

Andrew Michael Miller1 Comment

The world outside the City was far different than Fridok had imagined it would be. Rather than the demonic badlands he expected, he found the wilds to be something of considerable beauty. He had lived his whole life contained within the white walls, and none but the rich and the guards were permitted to view over the walls. Now he could see for himself what the ruling class had selfishly kept from him for all these years, and it made Fridok hate them even more than he already had up until this point. The fact that the Senate consul had pulled such a stunt right after the Son had spoken his benediction made Fridok all the more certain that change must come at any cost. To Fridok, the Son was destined to be the bringer of change that the City, and he, so desperately needed.

The Apostate Saint: Chapter 14 – The Leader of the People

Andrew Michael Miller2 Comments

"Last chance to give this madness up and go off to live a simple life as a singer in a tavern somewhere." Geilamir's nerves were apparent in his remarks to Alaric, a clear indicator that he was himself having second thoughts about the whole thing and projecting that upon him. All of this came about at such a maddening rate, it was only natural for them to experience cognitive whiplash. Just a week prior, Alaric's biggest problems were finding time to dedicate to his artistic interests and maintaining a rigorous training schedule while also studying the law so that he could one day succeed his father in the Senate.

The Apostate Saint: Chapter 13 – A Farewell to the City

Andrew Michael Miller2 Comments

Fridok still couldn't believe the sword he held in his hands was truly his own. The Soul-arm he had created through the will of the Son and the support of his new Daoine Farraige friend Art had captured Fridok's interest more than anything he had ever seen. It was long, much longer than the gladius he had purchased and lost in the melee, and it had a dull but noticeable glow at the tip and down the length of the edges of the blade. It had neat indentations all down the face of the blade that resembled a neatly laid stone wall, a feature that likely stemmed from his many years working for the stonemason. The blade was curved on both sides, similar to his gladius, but it was much, much longer. The most confounding thing about the blade for Fridok was how it seemed to have different weights depending on whether he was holding it in one hand or in both. In both cases, it was perfectly weighted and perfectly balanced for either one handed or two handed combat.

The Apostate Saint: Chapter 12 – The Bearer of Bad News

Andrew Michael Miller1 Comment

Alaric marched his charger through the streets without a word to anyone. Despite the stares and the questions and the whispered confusion of the onlookers standing in his way, Alaric had to report his failure to the Son. It would not be easy, and Alaric knew there were no words he could use to lessen the blow. Not only was the Spear stolen, the betrayer was someone whom the Son and Alaric had loved dearly. All of that now was thrown to the wind, and Alaric could not understand why Fridok chose to do the unthinkable. Vitus. Oh, Fridok, you fool. You have leapt into the abyss from which there is no return.