MTL - Marvel: The King - Chapter 37 Ability to flicker

A conversation with a handsome stranger leaves Ariane chained in a cellar with a strange affliction. She soon discovers that the darkness of the nineteenth century’s Deep South hides many dangers. Mages, wolf shifters and the humans who hunt them play a risky game where to stumble is to die, all under the amused gaze of the apex predators of the supernatural world: vampires.

It is never healthy to attract the gaze of the aristocracy of the night. It takes much to survive in this merciless world, but Ariane will not let that deter her. The southern belle has a bite, and she is willing to learn and to grow in this hostile new world. She will use whatever means necessary to reclaim her freedom, be it guile, charm, or those intriguing new instincts that make blood so delectable.

This is a story of vampires as I believe they should be, with their strengths and weaknesses, with their remnants of humanity and the beast inside. Updates every Friday. Mind the tags.

Cover by Antti Hakosaari: https://www.artstation.com/haco

Special thanks to Svensonsen for getting me started, as well as Omi Nya, Hesketh, Rhaegar, Yaksher, Selkie and Raven for proofreading my stuff. Thanks to my patrons and you dear readers, for the support. I could not do it without you.

Journey is on Amazon, both in ebooks and audio. here is a link to the first one:

https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B08DK6G8Y8

The story probably exists in your local marketplace as well of I can tempt you.

Welcome! If you want to jump in without any spoilers, feel free. Otherwise, here's a story primer, with a list of more specifics on what to expect from my work further below.Our story follows a fallen knight haunted by his past, in a world afflicted by war and supernatural wounds. Alken is the Headsman of Seydis, an executioner tasked by the divine powers of his homeland to hunt dark sorcerers, warlords, and traitors of all varieties, lest they drag the world into calamity.Once a paladin, this role ill suits him. Forced to cross lines that shake his beliefs, tempted by dark forces, and seen as an ill omen wherever he wanders, his path is often a bloody one. The longer he spends in the shadows of his world, the more he comes to realize just how many have been disenfranchised by the existent order. During his lonely battles through a land haunted by the restless dead and ancient magics, his journey becomes increasingly strange and personal.Enter a realm where the dead stir in every shadow and brooding demigods wage a millennia long war for a ruined heaven, where blessed knights wield gilded flames and sorcerers battle with weapons forged of their own souls. Enter a world of faustian alchemists, of saintly demons, and of time-weary elves.From Oathbreaker you can expect— A setting heavily inspired by Forgotten Realms, Planescape, Fromsoft games, and authors such as Michael Moorcock and Kentauro Miura. — A first person POV from an older protagonist who already knows a lot about his world’s history and cultures, who shares this information with the reader as it becomes relevant.— A mix of action adventure and quieter moments where the focus is on character development. Lore is shared piecemeal, usually only as it relates to a particular arc or character beat.— A heavy focus on mystery, both with the setting and the protagonist. The main character’s backstory isn’t shared up front, and a lot of the narrative involves learning about him a bit at a time, either from his own narration or other characters interacting with him.— A semi-soft magic system where many mages manifest unique powers tied to their own soul, or gain unique powers through eldritch pacts.— Romantic elements. These don’t crop up much until later in the story.— A variety of supernatural beings, such as elves, vampires, gargoyles, chimera, and trolls. Many are familiar, some are not, and most of the familiar ones have my own twists put on them.—Nobledark fantasy. This means that the world is often themed around tragedy and horror, but it’s not dedicated to being gritty. There are elements of high fantasy intermixed with the scarier stuff.—Episodic arcs. Each story arc usually has a specific locale and antagonist or set of antagonists, but certain overarching plots tie them together.— A long running narrative. I don’t have a specific projection of how long or how many arcs or books, but you should expect this to be equivalent to a long running serialized work.This is my first web serial! I hope everyone enjoys it. For trigger warnings, readers should beware that there are some heavy topics in here. When I think something might upset certain readers, I’ll put a warning in the author notes above a chapter. If I miss or overlook anything, feel free to let me know in the comments! I am currently publishing the same story on my wordpress, which is linked below and in my profile. I release three chapters a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Thanks for reading!(I originally had a link to a wordpress, but I'm in the process of overhauling that space. It's not a priority since my readership is all here, but just in case anyone noticed and was wondering)

Abandoned at birth and raised in an orphanage, a young man endures twenty-five years confined to a body ravaged by a rare genetic disease that kept him in constant pain and left him bedridden in his final years. His life ends quietly, without fanfare, as the flatline echoes through his lonely room.But death isn’t the end.Awakening in a realm of pure nothingness, he’s offered the one thing life never gave him: a second chance, and with it, a system shaped from his deepest desires.Given the opportunity to be reborn with the potential to become the Greatest of All Time in any field, his decision is instant. He chooses Formula 1, the one passion that kept him going during his darkest hours.Armed with a custom-built system, a new life, and the relentless drive of someone who has truly suffered, he is reborn in 2003. This time, he won’t just watch from the sidelines.Disclaimer: All characters and events in this story are purely fictional and have no association with real individuals, organizations, or historical events. Any resemblance to real-life figures is purely coincidental and used for narrative realism.

Just after retiring, Gu Xiyan was entangled by King Qin again.

King Qin looked down on Gu Xiyan, but he was greedy for her body and planned to take her as a concubine.

Gu Xiyan had a smile on her face, MMP in her heart. Becoming a concubine to an ex? It’s a joke, isn’t it good to make money?

I don’t want the peach blossoms to bloom, the second son of Yongcheng Hou and the third son of Qi Anbo all fall in love with her.

Zhou Mu, with [long legs], [buttocks] and [unbelievable appearance], was even more simple and rude, and went straight to the door to ask for marriage.

*

On the day Qin Wang got married, Gu Xiyan also got married in a grand manner.

On this day, there were not a lot of guests in Prince Qin’s Mansion, all the dignitaries in the city went to Zhou Mansion for a wedding, and the emperor condescended to officiate the wedding ceremony for Zhou Mu and Gu Xiyan.

Everyone knows that Zhou Mu is the emperor’s eldest son raised among the people.

Later, Zhou Mu became the emperor, and Gu Xiyan became the queen just by lying flat.

*

Zhou Mu is a man of unrivaled beauty, unique in the world, attracting the hearts of all the girls in the city, but he doesn’t understand amorous feelings, what love is.

Gu Xiyan, who was reborn and returned, knew that Zhou Mu was a non-marriage advocate, and never dared to have unreasonable thoughts about him.

Unexpectedly, on the day when she met with the third son of Qi Anbo, the noble and self-respecting man suddenly went berserk in the street, dragged her into the carriage, and asked her to marry him with red eyes: “My girl’s reputation has been ruined by me, so she can only marry me!”

[Rebirth, Overhead, Double C, Sweet Pet]

- Description from novelbuddy