The Reticent Blade - Chapter 64 - Xue Niangs First Lesson

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.

After learning about my girlfriend's infidelity, I got drunk and woke up in the world of the novel R-19.I became a character who is not even included in the extras of the novel — the useless and unnecessary daughter of the Duke de Walt. However, I didn't care about it, because I knew what this world was waiting for ahead.In the near future, the Ruvens Empire will be mired in chaos, and in order to survive it, I decided to quietly sit out in the manor enjoying a luxurious life. Everything went according to plan, until one day I made just one fatal mistake.A year after my rebirth, I accidentally found a wounded commoner in the forest. Out of pity, I decided to take her in and kept her. We lived together until I found out that this was the main villain who was supposed to die at the end of the novel. But because of my interference, the plot of this damn book continued with me!I have to run now! But where...?!After all, this crazy woman is now stalking me.— Where are you going, lady?— I… just went out for a walk.— Take a walk? The border of the empire is not the best place to walk. Let me walk you back.With the sword in her hand, I didn't have a chance to refuse.

The daughter of a duke, the stuttering Maximilian, married a knight of lowly status at her father’s coercion.

An earthquake, another world, and a tentacle monster in his basement claiming to be his wife are just the beginning of a chaotic new life for Nick. He has new, dangerous, and exciting neighbors to get along with, people who want to kill him just for existing, and monsters with a taste for blood.But he's going to do his best to get to the bottom of everything and maybe even find a way back home. Even if he doesn't, he's at least not alone, for better or for worse.