Not much in the way of updates today but that's only because I've found myself quite busy lately!
The most important thing though is Chapter 4 of Phantom Dawn is ready for your reading pleasure. Please check it out below!
Before we can get to that though, let's see what mischief Brennan and Riz have gotten themselves into today.
The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz
I thought it would be amusing to see what kind of mess Riz would make if he got cocky and decided to do a flat pack all by himself. I was not disappointed. Art could have been better here but I think it was the inking process that lef me down. Also, I need to look at Brennan’s design again as I think this current 'look' (if I'm feeling charitable to myself) is doing more harm over all. Still weird looking back at subtle change his hair underwent.
Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn- Memories of a Rose Chapter 4
Chapter 4 sees Rose and Neal finally make it to the relative safety of a town, but what kind of place is it? And are they truly safe? Read on to find out!
Phantom Dawn Chapter Index
Chapter 4
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Chapter 4: The World’s Paradigm
Rose first got her glimpse of their destination as they neared the top of a rocky outcrop, Neal pointing to the dense collection of ruined and ramshackle buildings.
“That is the town of ‘New Hope’, though all the locals call it ‘No Hope’ with how Finch's thugs run it,” Neal explained.
“Finch?” Rose asked, not knowing who he was talking about.
“Best way to describe him would be to call him a local warlord. He built himself a small empire by taking things from others,” Neal rubbed his chin, trying to find the perfect balance of being diplomatic and honest about how he really felt about Finch. He could have unloaded a lot more there, but right now, it wasn’t important. “He is not a person you should ever wish to meet. Well, him or anyone associated with him. “ He added, if there was an important takeaway that Rose needed, that was it.
“Okay…” the red haired girl said, she looked at the town and tilted her head a bit. While she couldn’t say for certain, there was something very wrong with the way the town looked to her. This was the first town that she had seen, at least as much as her memories told her, but she also knew that this was not what a town looked like. The whole world felt off like this. It had been a feeling that had only crept up on her after the beast had attacked earlier. She’d wanted more information on that, but Neal had been quiet up to this point, with a well earned fear of attracting more trouble. Knowing that they were heading to a safer place to rest, she thought that there would be a perfect time to ask for an explanation.
Neal watched Rose, with her not realising how lost in thought she truly was.
“I promise I’ll share any information I have about…Everything,” he cast his own eyes over the landscape, it’s odd colours and the even odder ambience that had settled in along with the Phantom Dawn that was still watching down on them. “I’m afraid it won’t answer everything, as I’m in the dark with a lot of why this place is what it is. For now though, let’s head into town. I think we both could do with some freshening up/”
That wasn’t something Rose was going to argue with. She looked down at her clothes, she couldn’t tell you the first thing about them, or where she got them from, but she didn’t think there were supposed to be as many holes as there were.
Neal waited till Rose had stopped inspecting herself, and then they both started moving again, both feeling a bit bolder that they weren’t being followed by anything.
Given how light it was getting, despite no change in the clouds or the Phantom Dawn that was still lurking in the sky. Rose wondered when exactly they would be resting if it was true. While she herself was feeling okay, which seemed odd considering how much had happened since she woke up. Neal however, looked more tired, but he was putting on a brave face regardless. She didn’t speak up about it however, she didn’t feel like it was her place to try and question if they needed to stop before they got to the town. Last thing that she wanted was to cause an argument.
Even though it looked such a short distance, it felt like anything but, with every inch seemingly taking hours to cross. Eventually though, the buildings that had looked tiny and microscopic before, were finally coming into focus, and that included something that had been previously obscured that caught Rose’s attention. It was a long black cylinder looking object, taller than Rose herself and seemed to be made of marble, with green veins running across it. At the distance she was, she could see that it was hovering in the air as opposed to being held up. There were metal chains tying it to that spot, as though whoever put it there, might have believed it was going to fly away unless they did something.
“We call them Heaven’s Rods,” Neal announced, seeing that she was staring at them so intently. “They offer some protection against the beasts and the Phantom Dawn. Once we’re a bit closer’ we’ll be completely safe against anything monstrous that lurks in this wasteland.”
“Heaven’s Rods? Did someone make them?” Rose asked.
“No, they were dug out of the ground, and then placed at the outskirts of a new town, whenever one is founded. They’re supposed to signify our’ victory over the untamed wilds’ but they’ve become a byword for control. People can’t just install these ourselves, letting us make our own settlements. No, usually, we have to beg people like Finch who hoard these.” There was a sense of bitterness in Neal’s voice as he talked about them, as if there were barely held memories that wanted freedom. “I suppose that was more than what you asked for, wasn’t it.”
“It’s fine…” Rose answered. They had been walking while talking and she felt a change in the air when she passed into what she guessed was the safe zone of the town. The path they had taken had put the Heaven’s Rod on their right, a silent guardian watching their every move. There were also more people walking around now, and each of them reminded her of Neal, in the sense that they all looked like they didn’t want to be there.
“Why is everyone so sad?” Rose asked. Her focus darting from person to person. Neal looked at the people that Rose was referring to, and let out a heavy sigh.
“Because of how everything is, that is the simplest answer I can give right now. The world's paradigm weighs heavy on everyone, and if you can't bear it, it crushes you.”
“What do you mean by that?” Rose's followup question was one he expected.
“Why the world is as it is. Why are people stuck in it as it is. Why does the Phantom Dawn bear down on us so. Why can't we escape,” Neal took a breath, waiting to see what his companion thought of that.
“So, you mean the questions of the world?”
“Yes, while we have to learn to move past them to a certain extent, in order to function but they're always there. How we deal with them differs from person to person. Some try to dig up everything they can from the world before this. Others they to control everything. Others still, turn to places like this,” Neal pointed to the building ahead of them, a non-descript building that matched the others, except for one detail, the posters on the front showing different, multi colour bottles.
“And what building is this?”
“A tarven.”
“Do you need this place?”
“No!” Neal laughed. “No, this is where my grandson and his friend hang out.
“Do they need this place?”
“My grandson? No, his friend…”
At that point a person was chucked out through the door. At a glance he looked a similar age to Rose but had a bigger build, and was a little bit more rotund. He landed flat on his face, groaning as he did.
“Oww…”
“Si!” Neal exclaimed. He rushed forward to see if the young man was okay.
“Is he your grandson, or the friend?” She asked me, taking note of this person who was just thrown at them.
“No, Si, or Simon as he was born, if my grandson's friend and business partner. Si arranges the jobs for us.”
“Hey! It's you old man!” Si said in a drunken slur. “Ohh,” the lad turned to look at Rose. “Who’s the babe, and maybe it's the beautiful talking but you look drink!”
“I don't get it?” Rose replied.
“He's drunk, I wouldn’t worry about it. Si!” Neal turned his attention back to Si.
“Where is my grandson, where is Kurz!”
“He's in there! Dealing with the rude guy who threw me out here!” Si almost sounded jovial about it. He went to pick himself up but realised he couldn't be bothered half way through.
Before anything else could be said, another young man staggered back from the door. He was leaner but looked like he'd could handle himself better. He had raven black hair and tattered clothes that had seen better days.
“Kurz!” Neal shouted at him.
“Not now granddad!” Kurz yelled back, as another man stepped out from the target. This man was made of muscle it seemed. He had a large green mohawk that seemed to emphasise his behaviour as he cracked his knuckles.
“Well, well. the whole gang is here! Finch is going to love this…” the man said smiling. Rose was once more confused by events but that feeling within her started to rise once more…
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Updates
There's still time to preorder your copy of Daemon Soul Awakening (check it here on Amazon, and here on Books2Read). I'm still working on Avalon but personal life is crunching down hard on me at the moment and my work balance is a bit wonky shall we say!
Hopefully it can be done before too long as I've got a lot to say about it!
If you want to follow me on socials, I've now got a link Tree you can check out here.
Well, that'll do it for this week.
Till next time...
Keep on writing!
Peter James Martin
Quick Links
Daemon Soul Awakening- Amazon, books2read
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