Horrific Shorts: Zombie Edition - Chapter 902 Story Shadows in the Mist

Winner of the 2017 Joara Novel of The Year Contest-

In a world plagued by Morgellons, a deadly disease that turns humans into non-human creatures, people have chosen to abandon their humanity in order to fight against the bloodthirsty corpses. In the end, there will be no humans left on Earth.

But that harsh world is, in fact, a world fabricated merely for entertainment. A world for humans to live in exists neither inside nor outside.

This is the story of a boy who, while living a miserable life, stares at the stars as he desperately tries to keep his humanity.

This hilarious fantasy story mixes mythological figures, cosmic entities, and a wolf babysitter with just too much contracts on his hands.It revolves around a Monstrous—though, gullible—wolf, reduced to a babysitter and a magnet for bad contracts.Ruben—formerly Ravenswood—is a classic “grumpy but good-hearted” reluctant hero. He is powerful and fearsome, but his terrible decision-making and misfortune always puts him in some kind of inconvenient pact.He got captured by a Human, who later tricked him into a lifelong contract of protecting his daughter, Alicia—whose identity is shrouded in mystery—who also turned out to be a psychotic Yandere!In an attempt to flee the suddenly-catastrophic Gihon—which is earth—with the Human’s daughter, Ruben was obstructed by Pluto, who also tricked him into an absurd pact to slay THE Cthulhu, as the ticket to let him through the other world.Ruben urgently sought to escape Gihon, so he unwisely agreed, only to recall who the all-powerful Cthulhu was. It was too late, though.Successfully crossing worlds to Pison—another type of earth—our Fenrir was met with the “Queen of the coast,” also known as Leviathan—a severe pervert.She attacked and defeated him, but when he woke up, she had apparently made a Master-servant pact with him, in his sleep.As they traveled seeking human cities in Pison, our misfortunate wolfie encountered a godman; Jobina, the daughter of Job, the second of the seven mortal powers.Jobina—a masochist with a vendetta against Leviathan, and a tendency to turn everything into a competition—attacked him for being associated with the evil Leviathan, only to be soundly defeated.Shocked by reality, Jobina protested that she also wanted a pact with Ruben, so he’ll coach her to be powerful. And when the time is right, she’ll slay Leviathan!Our easy-to-fool protagonist, and his terrible life choices, agreed, recruiting yet another troublemaker he’d have to babysit.He only wants an easy going life without problems and crisis!The story has a larger plot, where Ruben—and his babies—constantly, “accidentally,” ruin Sarvest—the antagonist—plans.Sarvest is used to dealing with gods and cosmic entities, not an unworthy—yet effective—opponent in a bubbling wolf-turned-human.Ruben later meets what we would call God—a dumb teenager who only cares about entertainment—who also duped Ruben, using his kind-heartedness, into some kind of horrible pact.“The Silent Pact of a Wolf Babysitter” is a story filled with laughs, chaos, and unexpected twists. It follows Ruben’s misadventures as he navigates a world of cosmic powers, absurd pacts, and the challenges of babysitting a group of eccentric and overpowered individuals. With a larger plot involving Satanas’s grand schemes and Ruben’s accidental heroism, this tale promises both humor and a compelling narrative.

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!

In my last life, it was difficult to have a child. In this life, I was given three radish heads as soon as I passed it, and there was an extra head. I thought my husband was a rough guy, but I didn’t expect a tough guy to have tenderness.

- Description from novelbuddy