The Moon & The Night -- GrimDark LitRPG (Book 2 of Blood Brothers), page 1
THE MOON & THE NIGHT
BOOK 2 OF BLOOD BROTHERS
BY
JD GLASSCOCK
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2022
When I see the scars in her eyes and on her flesh it tells me a story..one of cement and grenades and life.....tells me she's beautiful
Cover Art by
ambientpixeldesign
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1 – BRAVE NEW WORLD
CHAPTER 2 – A BREATH AND MEMORY
CHAPTER 3 – CLASSES, CHOICES, DESTINY
CHAPTER 4 – MASON
CHAPTER 5 – THE FIRST STEPS OF FATE
CHAPTER 6 – LEVELS AND DREAMS
CHAPTER 7 – THE FIRST STEP IS A DOOZY
CHAPTER 8 – THE FOREST AND STORIES AND FAMILY
CHAPTER 9 – BIRTH OF A CITY OR VILLAGE REALLY, AND DID SOMEONE SAY BARD?
CHAPTER 10 – MEETINGS, GREETINGS , DIRECTION AND A KISS
CHAPTER 11 – BEGINNINGS AND GROWTH AND A HUNGRY SPRITE, AND I MEAN, HUNGRY HUNGRY SPRITE
CHAPTER 12 – A SEA OF TRAGEDY AND WOLVES
CHAPTER 13 – A CITY AT BIRTH
CHAPTER 14 – CHIT CHATS WITH GODS
CHAPTER 15 – EYE OF THE TIGER TRAINING MONTAGE
CHAPTER 16 – THE PATH TO THE HUNT
CHAPTER 17 – REST BEFORE THE REAP AND THE STARS TELL A STORY
CHAPTER 18 – THE DEN BECKONS AND BLOOD THE PRICE
CHAPTER 19 – WHEN SHIT HITS THE PROVERBIAL FAN
CHAPTER 20 – WE TREAD WHERE SPIDER BITCHES ROAM
CHAPTER 21 – THE FINALE OF TRIBULATIONS
CHAPTER 1 – BRAVE NEW WORLD
She might have been the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on but the fury and confusion marring her face and the trembling fatigue that had her barely standing made keeping a smile from my face a difficult challenge.
I sheathed my seax looking towards Mase and seeing a smirk flit to eyes while his lips remained stoic, raising his glaive to a standing position, body relaxing. Doze went from bristled hair to feeling my amusement, body shifting to fun affectionate piggy, taking a step towards her, and twisting into his dance clown moves, jumping here and there, shaking his booty, haunch, whatever you called it. Both Mase and I started cracking up, we couldn’t help it which made Doze go into even more chuck and jive disco grooves.
Her eyes sparkled, seeing our lack of aggression and the lunatic beast dancing in front of her, the energy lighting up her eyes and hands slowly faded, then, a small tilt up of lips as her hand involuntarily wanted to pet the cutie dancing for her till fatigue and weakness won out and she collapsed, darkness rolling across her long strained body.
I looked at Mase and sighed then went and lifted her into my arms. I had to do my best to ignore the curves and muscle I felt within her frame as I went up the stairs and entered the Temple for the first time. It didn’t help that beneath the thin silver and blue robes all she was wearing was an outfit that covered very little, thin shoulder straps leading to a large amount of cleavage exposed, and boy did she have an ample amount, then sliding down into some silky looking pants that left her outer thighs bare, shapely, outer thighs. She was almost as tall as me with lithe muscles along the same build as my brother though with the well endowed hourglass femininity.
Mase coughed and Dozer sent humor along the bond as I realized I was standing in the opening of the Temple doing nothing but staring at the woman in my arms. I adjusted her weight like that had been my goal the entire time and my gaze took in the Temple. It was a wide open space with a huge statue taking the central area, the same woman from above though this time with her blades in hands and bow across her back. There were two large benches in each directional quadrant of the room and so I headed to the closest one.
As I shifted up to the bench bending to lay her down, eyelids fluttered and opened. It took her a breath to take in her surroundings and that I was carrying her before she smacked me across the face. “Unhand me you ass!!!” I obliged the lady and dumped her. A loud ‘oof’ escaped her lips as she landed on her rump. Mase sniggered and Dozer ran up to her and snout kissed her. Her eyes went from indignity at being dropped to affectionate gaze at my boy giving her lovings, hand involuntarily moving to scratch his chin, and a smile flitting lips, then a dismissive anger when they came to rest on me and my gaze that against my better judgment had fallen on one of her breasts which had escaped earlier mentioned outfit.
Her fury went up a few octaves when she tracked where my eyes landed then a growl as she placed her ample curves back where they belonged. She scrambled to her feet, piercing eyes of crystal blue throwing daggers into my flesh. Mase saved the day by stepping in. “Sorry Miss. You’ll have to forgive my Brother..” She cut hum off as she stood. “Where are my Mother and Sisters and fellow children of Mystriel?” Mase sighed and threw his eyes towards me. “Dom why don’t you take Doze outside while I do my best to catch the Princess up on things as best as I can?” The aforementioned lady still had blades for eyes locked onto my every flinch of flesh. I knew when a hasty exit was the best choice available.
***
Dozer and I played for what seemed to be an hour. I say played but in reality it was just me tossing him trail rations that he gobbled down and me watching him do little spin moves and hops, fishing for more.
Mase slid to my side and grabbed the last of the trail ration taking over playing with his Nephew. After a couple tosses to dervish disco shifts he turned to me. “That girl is gonna have some stuff to work through. She’s been in that bubble since the fall of her people, a hundred and fifty years. All she knows is gone to dust; family, friends, culture, her fucking race.” I nodded not even being able to imagine that level of trauma, even with the loss of Mom and Transition, a lot of humanity ground to bones, still I wasn’t shoved in some time displacement for hundreds of years and I still had my Brother and Doze and others of my race I would soon be rejoining.
I turned towards Mase. “What does she want to do?” He threw the last piece of trail ration to a leaping Dozer. “For now I talked her into joining us, the rest she can figure out as she goes. She’ll be out in a few moments.” I nodded and he put his hand on my shoulder as he got up. “I can tell ya got some juice in the game Dom, which almost never happens with you. But give her some space. And maybe keep your eyes off her tits.” He laughed and jumped back before I could smack him. He stepped into the Temple.
My hand still playfully raised to smack my runaway Brother, she came out, said Brother trailing her, and I did my best to not go into a trance from her beauty. She now held a quarterstaff that looked to hold silver runes along it’s length. I also checked the pouch on her waist I missed earlier, obviously her dimensional bag. I Identified the staff.
Staff of the Magi – Rare – Base Damage – (20) Runes of Mana Efficiency – -20% Mana cost to all abilities and spells while staff is held.
Nice. I stepped up to her, her eyes edging my movement. “I apologize for my behavior earlier, uh, sorry. We’ve been through some tough few days. We lost our Mom in this place. Something I think you can relate to.” Her eyes softened for a moment but still wary. At least it was some movement in the right direction. “My name is Dominique but people just call me Dom.” She looked me up and down, appraising. “Ruri.” Not much but I’ll take what I can get. I stepped past her and looked to Mase. “You ready Crow?”
He smiled and stamped his glaive. “It’s a brave new world Big Brother, let’s go kick it’s ass.” I heard a tinkling laugh that sounded like magic, like a mosaic that could massage my ears for eternity. Of course her laugh was just as fucking sexy as the rest of her. I’m in trouble. I brought up the quest as did my brother and hit accept. There was a bright flash then darkness as we traversed into War World. The Tutorial was over and our Mom was the price paid.
CHAPTER 2 – A BREATH AND MEMORY
Darkness traversed to flickering after images on backs of lids, old television white static drifting to cut out then black before opening credits.
My world skipped from dimmed non existence to breath exhaling and earthy aromas drifting in strong breeze, splaying mist sliding hellos from sky to skin.
Eyes opened and I found myself on an overlook getting sprayed from a small waterfall ten feet to my left, and twice that above, pouring into a large pond about thirty feet below. I took a look around and to my right saw Doze, Ruri and Mase all with eyes swallowing our new birth. A stony path led past them in a slow decline spiraling down to the pond and mossy bank.
I let my gaze drink in the beauty of the view, the kaleidoscope playing off waterfall creating prismatic funnels from the bright sun above, cascading into the rippling pond and the endless forest that lifted from it’s edge trailing off in all directions around the cool liquid. It was wondrous and I knew my Momma would of loved every second of it.
Tears welled up in my eyes, limbs trembling, Doze shaking from our connection and his own scarred emotions of the Grandma he would never see again, came, leaning into me. My hand naturally lifted to rest on his head, his bountiful love driving into the emptiness digging pitfalls in gouged cracks and his own welled up heart sifting memory of our matriarch, our font of spirit that would forever be silent, and it was enough, it was simply enough.
My Brother joined us, his own eyes spitting reflective sorrow in repose. He put one hand on Dozer then
That was a mountain for my Brother to push out, and the pride, pride was too small a word, the endless well of love and warmth I felt in his growth, his coming to terms with his deep burrowed empty, his forever haunting, and psychosis that was always a step away from falling, lifted me, invigorated me in a way that was needed in this breath, this moment, this remembrance of what we lost to get here, who we lost.
My gaze found Ruri by herself, holding her arms as if to keep the loneliness and her own monumental loss away from our moment of memory and tribute. I called to her, reached for her with my heart, spirit and empathy. “Ruri” Her eyes lifted to mine and for once saw the real me, not the one oggling tits, but the real Dom, the one who had a leonine heart as my Momma would say, smile, and would never leave his family to face hardships alone and uncared for. “Come here, we weren’t the only ones who lost someone.” She hesitated but then Mase, his own face shadowed with dirt strewn tears beckoned, then Dozer, the ever glue to all things with affection in their lining, ambled over, strutted behind her and butted her in the ass which stumbled her a couple steps forward, that beautiful melodic laugh echoing off stone.
Her arms joined our own as we leaned, heads together and Dozer shoved his way between us, a circle of remembrance, a coven of family and familial heart strings and an ode to forever love and loyalty.
CHAPTER 3 – CLASSES, CHOICES, DESTINY
Mase pushed back out of the circle wrinkling his nose. “I’m going out on a limb here and say we all desperately need a bath, and I do believe that’s severely understating the aroma. And guess what? There happens to be a large body of water sitting right down there.” He pointed with a wink and Ruri gave him a strong hard stare.
“Are you saying I stink?!” He smiled, actually smiled, painting the truth of his growth. “I certainly am Princess.” She sniffed with indignity. “I have told you numerous times Mason Drake during our conversation in the Temple that I am not a Princess, I am the Daughter of Baroness Asari Sav, High Priestess of Mystriel and Ruler of Runehold, the 4th City of Moonhaven, well, at least I was, and she was, and, and, all of it is bones in the ground.” Her eyes rimmed liquid but then grew iron in their depths as her thoughts drifted back to being referred to as one that smells.
A smile did fight to corners of her lips. “A bath does sound wonderful but in no way, shape or form am I admitting to smelling.” My Brother winked again and I knew what was coming before he did it, damn Mase, really. He gave Ruri a bow. “Whatever you say Princess.” Then he proceeded to scoop her up and toss her off the ledge to the waiting water thirty feet below. I heard a definite girly scream erupt then a large splash. Dozer feeling the fun in the air joined in by ceremoniously edging back a few feet then running and jumping in perfect stretched form, then looking back at me as if saying ‘Look at my magnificence’ then scrunching into cannonball style as I watched him nail a small tidal wave over the just emerging Ruri.
Dozer and his love for water. He would live in it if he could. Whenever we took him to Lake Diablo, the end of the day always came to spending an hour plying him with treats to get him out so we could go home.
I gave a hard look at Mase. “Was that really necessary?” He shrugged and grinned. “Yes, yes it was.” He started strolling down the path that led to the banks of the pond. He glanced back over his shoulder. “Go join her Dom and find a class. I’ll scout and keep perimeter watch then we can switch.” He winked and kept on strolling, turning to a trot, glaive held loosely at his side as he made it down and shifted into the shadows of the trees.
I sighed and started walking down the path, no way was I going to be jumping off any edges, that was a Mase thing. I liked to choose my risks when I could. I glanced over the side as I moved down and saw Ruri and Doze playing in the water. She was actually riding him around, his huge size cutting through the water, a torpedo of amusement.
Dozer could always move like a shark swimming and now with 400lbs of pure muscle, that was an understatement. More of her hypnotic laughter peeled out through the sky. I did my best to not stare too hard at all those curves now in nothing but her undergarments. At some point she had divested herself of everything else, and the already sheer thin material of said undergarments, now soaked, prevented nothing and no one from seeing everything that there was to see, the lithe muscles and her silver/white hair slicked back, powder blue skin and the insanely intriguing runic patterns in silver that seemed to cover her body in geometric patterns, damn. I thought I was going to have a coronary or a very uncomfortable stiffening in the nether regions that would embarrass the shit out of me if seen.
The only answer I could come up with is what I did, willed everything but my shorts and undershirt into my pouch then leapt from a now very safe, ten feet off the sloping path and splashed into the cool, refreshing liquid. And none too soon as I felt an erection already exploding into existence.
I did my very very best, cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye, to not drink in her curves and beauty, which I had to admit I was failing miserably at. And just as I thought that, her eyes found my own, staring, at all the parts of her she had already slapped me for. I did what any gentleman would, and dunked myself under the water to escape her scrutiny and judgment.
When I arose out of the depths Dozer was doing circles around me, strutting, if a 400lb pig, could actually strut, while swimming, and Ruri was inches away from my face, her eyes ogling me from head to toes, like a piece of meat, staying just a second too long at the obvious bulge in my shorts in the crystal clear water. Damn. Both of our cheeks blushed as her eyes lingered on the huge size of said bulge and mine at the sheer fucking embarrassment. What, so I was big down there, did she have to fucking stare so hard, as if she either wanted her hands on it or wanted to slice it off. I couldn’t tell which, that in itself, jump starting my nerves, jangling insecurity, and far too much self awareness of my cock raging hormones at the insane, mostly naked body of the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my fucking life.
Ruri caught in her own awkward machinations, skin reddening, though with her it seemed to be bluing, cheeks taking on a darker shade then the sky light blue that was her normal pigment, her eyes, piercing frost.
We both turned away, neither of us finding any victory but only tumultuous confusion and stuttering tongues attempting to form coherent words. I took a deep breath, my back to her, not knowing her eyes darted back to the raw, bulky, taut muscles lining my shoulders and arms, tongue dancing across lips.
Dozer rescued us both by leaping out of the water to cannonball our foolishness with a tidal wave of water. We both turned back and he again, strutted between us, swimming off into his forever fun. Her melodious mirth slid out as wondrous as song. I couldn’t help but match her, with my nowhere near as beautiful sounding, snorting chortle. “Can you keep an eye out for a moment Ruri? I have some serious leveling to do.” She gave me a look, a quick glance down towards an offending member of my anatomy but then grinned. “Sure man meat, I mean Dom.” More twinkling in her eyes. “Go to it, I know how exciting getting your first class is. Make sure to choose wisely, there are no do overs in War World. I’m gonna go play with my new best friend.” She swam towards Dozer who was doing dolphin leaps in the water. And no, I couldn’t help but lock vision on the best ass I’d ever seen as she swam away.
Okay Dom, time to nut up and get yourself a Class. The notifications had been banging relentlessly on his vision for a while now. I pulled them up. I skipped all the skill ones, per usual, they went up, the only interesting upgrade was dual wielding.
DUAL WIELDING – JOURNEYMAN – RANK 2 – You have learned how to wield two weapons with actual skill, not a lot of skill, but some. No Penalties to using two weapons at the same time. +11% Deflection when wielding two weapons. Good going and remember to keep the edges in enemies.
