Back to yonder for publi.., p.1
Back to Yonder for Publication, page 1
BACK TO YONDER
License Notes: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this e-book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Back to Yonder
Copyright © 2022
David Burke
Cover art copyright
David Burke
Contents
Forward by Author:
Acknowledgments:
The Story Up to Now
Prologue
Chapter 1 – A Sleep Disturbed
Chapter 2 – Some Trust
Chapter 3 – Getting to It
Chapter 4 - At Face Value
Interlude 1 - Footprints in the Sand
Chapter 5 - Past That
Chapter 6 – Stats 1.0
Chapter 7 - A Gold Piece and a Night without Guard Duty
Chapter 8 - A Shocking Contrast
Interlude 2 - A Clerk’s Duties
Chapter 9 – Troll Guts
Chapter 10 – Great Friends or Dire Foes
Chapter 11 – Not Enough Carrot
Chapter 12 - Duty and Delight
Chapter 13 - Just Letting Go
Chapter 14 - Something Stupid and Reckless
Chapter 15 – Shadow Blessed
Chapter 16 - Travel and Play
Chapter 17 - Not a Silly Bunnygirl at All
Chapter 18 – Back to Yonder
Chapter 19 – Time to Hunt
Chapter 20 - You Want to Talk?
Chapter 21 – Verbal Sparring
Chapter 22 - Indecently Decent Proposals
Interlude 3 - Opportunities
Chapter 23 - Oh No You Didn’t
Chapter 24 - What’d you do now?
Chapter 25 – the Porcelain Mug
Chapter 26 – Bar Fight!
Chapter 27 – Lina was Right
Chapter 28 – Stats 2.0
Chapter 29 – Friends?
Chapter 30 – More Pressing Problems
Chapter 31 - Throw those High
Chapter 32 – Bertrand’s Daughter
Chapter 33 - Reconnecting
Chapter 34 – What an Elf Wants
Interlude 4 - A Mother’s Grief
Chapter 35 - Preliminaries
Chapter 36 - And It Begins
Chapter 37 - Fast and Slow
Chapter 38 - Not Gonna go Easy on Ya
Chapter 39 - Red Bull
Interlude 5 - A Mother’s Fury
Chapter 40 - Semi-Finals
Chapter 41 - Finals
Chapter 42 - The Real Fight
Chapter 43 - A Bet’s a Bet
Chapter 44 – Some Good Dirty Fun
Epilogue
Index
Stats at the End of Book 6
Cultivation Ranks
Forward by Author:
The opinions contained herein are those of the characters and not necessarily supported or even condoned by the author. That may seem like same thing, but you’ll have to trust me, it isn’t. The characters reveal the story to me, and I simply try to be a faithful scribe.
Finally, with a cast this size, not every character gets a much screen time every book. I did not forget about those characters who were not in this book as much (Mursha and Daria). They will get their time in the sun later.
Fell free to let me know in your reviews or by messaging me who your favorite characters are. I can’t change overall plots but if enough people are asking for more of a particular character then I will be certain to heed that.
Acknowledgments:
No story is created in a vacuum. This story was created with the help of many people, actually too many to name them all.
I’ll call out a few people though:
First there is my editor: Dutch Palmer. Not only does he help me clean up my poor punctuation – and yes Dutch – I actually am allergic to comma’s; but he also helps arrange art and a myriad of other tasks.
Second there has been a silent alpha reader who has helped me for some time. He never asks for credit and I’m far from the only author he does this for. He doesn’t offer feedback on grammar or things like that. He just tells me if something feels off or if the pace of the story seems right. I previously gave a nod to him by putting a character in the story named after him, but I feel like he needs to be acknowledged here- so thanks Denny.
There are also my great Patrons. This time I’ll call out one who caught a plot flaw and pointed it out. It was easily fixed but made me feel stupid that I had forgotten something so fundamental to the world I had created back in the first book. So thanks- Tanner Lovelace. None of this is intended to slight any other patrons for their comments, but I wanted to call out Tanner’s catch of that mistake.
Finally- and people always say last but not least- in this case I truly mean it. She has worked diligently not only on this book but as a beta-reader/proofer on the Prism Academy books. She had a very short turn around window on this project but she went behind me and Dutch and caught the spelling/grammar, etc… mistakes that we might have missed. She also added a woman’s perspective to the story and let me know if she thought I went off the rails in any place. Her contribution is truly appreciated. So thanks Queenie, all that gaming you do clearly has given you a good eye for this.
The Story Up to Now
Robert Case, a sheriff’s deputy in southern California, encountered a mysterious woman during a traffic stop. Despite her having made what seemed to be incredible, even unbelievable statements, Rob agreed to her proposal that he go to the world of Olimero. There, he could live out a full life, instead of dying in a shoot-out a few hours later. He didn’t know what to make of the strange woman but figured he had nothing to lose—after all, if she snapped her fingers and nothing happened, then he’d just bring her in.
Of course, it turned out that the strange woman was a nature goddess, Sativa, and she was quite capable of transporting Rob to this new world. She was one of several gods who had created Olimero, with her being the chief architect. She brought Rob, as she had done before with numerous other humans, to become the Sheriff of one of Olimero's districts.
The gods who had created Olimero included Sativa, Korkanis the god of shadows, Telmorra the goddess of mana, and Mensor the god of monsters. They were all from the younger generation of gods—known as the new gods. Each of them was chaotic in their own way, which led to a wild and lawless world. While Sativa wanted freedom for the people who worshipped her, even she realized that some order was necessary.
At an unknown point, Sativa had been approached by one of the old gods—an ancient being who preferred to go by ‘Old Scratch’. He was a god of Earth and claimed dominion over humans. Since Olimero had no such race—being primarily peopled by beastkin, Orcs, and Elves—he offered Sativa the chance to take a number of handpicked humans to provide order for her world. As one might expect with a deal with the Devil, there was much more to that bargain than Sativa anticipated; things that are only now being revealed.
Upon arriving in Olimero, Rob learned a number of shocking details—details which Sativa had failed to inform him about. First off, he seemed to be the only human in the district (as far as he knew). Even more vital, though, was the fact that all of the native races of Olimero were stronger, faster, and more durable than humans. This meant he was physically the equivalent of a child. To add insult to injury, he wasn’t able to access this strange new world’s magic.
Rob was initiated into the realities of Olimero by Josephine, a flame wielding foxkin, who was the only deputy to have stayed on the job in the frontier town of Yonderton. She and the bunnykin clerk, Rolina, took their posts seriously as appointments from Sativa and were determined to ensure that Rob didn’t follow the previous five Sativa appointed Sheriffs into an early grave.
Rather than wallowing in his misfortune, Rob made a fundamental discovery. On Olimero, he had a stat sheet just like a video game and he found his abilities could be quantified—but unlike the native races, humans didn’t have a cap on their stats. Thus, the more he trained, the stronger he became. Usually, that type of training was rather painful, and Rob had more than one close call with death.
It turned out that Sheriff Case was quite stubborn and wouldn’t back down. This led to his development of body cultivation, where he learned to take the energy of Olimero—mana—into his core, where he then turned it into something he could use, which he dubbed ki.
With his determination and the assistance of his loyal deputy, Rob was able to break up a ring of kidnappers who were selling young girls to parts unknown. He faced down a number of enemies and continued to grow. As he did, he found himself falling for both Lina and Josie.
With those successes came the opportunity to expand the number of clerks and deputies under him, as well as some magical gear from Sativa. Rob’s family now includes Rava, the elven alchemist. She was a woman with a reputation for keeping to herself, but Rob’s unique abilities piqued her interest. They developed feelings for one another, which led to the expansion of Rob’s family beyond his loyal foxkin deput
He also connected with his hawkkin deputy; an air-mage named Daria. She was looking for an escape from the rule of her father in the Aerie to the north, but Rob ended up becoming more than just a way out for her, as they saved one another’s lives. Embracing Olimero’s strange new ways, Daria escorts Rob in a tour of his wider district, facing monstrous perils side-by side. Ultimately, Rob ensures Daria’s freedom from her power-hungry father’s schemes, discovering where many of the girls who’d been abducted from Yonderton over the years had been sold off.
Rob also ends up marrying Mursha, the daughter of his best friend, the orcish blacksmith, Murtaugh. Their path to that point was complicated—mostly because Mursha was confused about what she wanted. Though she had felt an attraction to Rob from the beginning, she was initially offered to him by her father as a bride. Wanting to please her father, but hesitant to accept a role that would require she stop chasing her dreams of becoming a blacksmith or a warrior, Mursha was honest enough to admit that such a marriage would be for duty and not for love.
For his part, Rob didn’t want an unwilling wife, especially one who couldn’t be honest with themselves about what it was they wanted most out of life. Mursha had always felt she was a disappointment to her father, because she didn’t have the same metal magic which he and her blacksmithing brothers did. Instead, she had something which Murtaugh had dubbed ‘heavy magic’. With some pushing from Rob, Mursha discovered that what she possessed was actually gravity magic, one of the most powerful types of magic on Olimero.
By the end of book four, Rob and his five wives had driven the gangs which used to plague Yonderton out and established a home for themselves. Rob was a father now, as Lina gave birth to the first human/bunnykin hybrid. But just as one threat passed, a new one arose—waves of monsters descended upon his town.
In book five, Rob took the fight to the monsters in the Untamed Lands. His cultivation also expanded, as he began forming a mind core to match his body core—gaining access to the hidden Soul stat. Upon reaching B-grade, his power put him head and shoulders over the lesser challenges he had been facing. Unfortunately, it also brought new enemies to the forefront.
Each of the gods have now tried to recruit him as their champion, seeking to win him over. Sativa has offered to make him her consort and help him transcend mortality if he will pledge himself to her. Telmorra’s promises are more vague, but the goddess of mana desperately wants to learn the secrets of his cultivation path. Korkanis has offered him power, wealth, and a virtually indestructible body. Eventually, the god of shadows gets a hook into Rob by providing a path out of Mensor’s buried temple in exchange for Rob’s promise to take on Nimeera, the catkin rogue and priestess of the shadow god as his clerk—with all that entailed.
Rob initially struggled with some of his new powers—especially what it meant to destroy the souls of monsters—but, in the end, his life and the lives of his family came first. If he had to become a monster to ensure their survival, then so be it. Returning from the Untamed Lands, he has found peace with his wives with the birth of his human/hawkkin hybrid daughter by Daria.
Now a father twice over, and with Mursha pregnant, he has more reason than ever to stay alive.
Thus, Rob and his wives plan to escort a caravan of goods essential for ensuring the financial future of Yonderton—ending up in Westerton for a tournament which is held every five years to discover the greatest fighters. Josie’s father had been a former tournament champion, and it has been her lifelong goal to follow in his footsteps.
Finally, the one enemy Rob hasn’t been able to defeat remains at large. Named simply Her, the demon is a servant of Old Scratch and has killed Rose, the skunkkin servant of Mensor, taking on her form in an effort to work her way into Rob’s inner circle. Her’s sole mission is to corrupt the human prodigy and get him to pledge himself to Old Scratch, who’s true motivations remain hidden.
Prologue
Master Dalcon called out to his assembled students. “I have the right to enter two of my students into the upcoming tournament. Many of you have been speculating about who I will pick. Suffice it to say that I will only pick those who are worthy and will bring honor to this school. I would rather send no one, than send a child who doesn’t comprehend the way of the sword.”
A hush settled over the students. They were all kneeling as their master required. It was an awkward position to maintain for long periods of time. But then again, if one couldn’t manage that, what chance would they have in battle? Discomfort, pain, and hardship were the tools life used to wring weakness from youth.
At least, that is what Master Dalcon taught. It was the same lesson that his master had passed down to him, and likewise back into perpetuity. He watched carefully as the weight of his words sank into his students. Many of them struggled not to shift or adjust their clothing.
He snorted. The seasoned elf simply didn’t have patience for this anymore.
For a time, he’d held out hope that the mysterious message about his disciple’s daughter being a sword master was true. He was too established here to travel to the frontier on rumor, so he had sent a messenger. They even claimed to have seen the foxkin, Josephine, and to have delivered the message. But if the young woman understood the honor that was being offered to her, she didn’t demonstrate it by promptly answering his call.
Now he was forced to choose from these idiots. He breathed out a deep sigh and then stepped down off of the raised platform he typically taught from. Immediately, all the students tensed. The master rarely came down and when he did it was always to spar with someone. That usually resulted in the liberal use of healing potions. They all held their breath hoping for the honor but fearful at the same time.
Master Dalcon slowly walked to the middle of the mats where they trained. The students kneeled all around him now. He said, “The first two to land a blow on me without being knocked out of the ring or incapacitated will get the spots in the tournament. The rules are those used in the preliminary rounds, so no magic is allowed.”
Then he drew both his blades. They were long, slender blades which worked well with his graceful style. Each possessed a slight curve and glistened in the morning sun. Their edges were razor sharp, as he had demonstrated numerous times on his student’s bodies. Already half of his students were backing up, bowing their heads low to show they wanted no part of this challenge.
Dalcon snorted in disgust but eventually eight of his students stood up. Realistically, they were the only ones who had any chance, but he was still disgusted that the rest were so weak willed. They each drew their blades. Six of them only held a single blade. While Dalcon’s style was that of a dual wielder, he wasn’t one of those masters who insisted his students force themselves into his mold. Rather, he tried to bring out what was best about them.
Then it began. A wolfkin stepped forward with a wide sweeping cut. Dalcon smiled. Taez was a clever student, even if his natural aptitude was lacking. He had no intention of that blow ever landing but he wanted to push the master into eliminating some of the others first.
Dalcon moved with a grace which defied even his maxxed Agility. Rather than blocking or dodging, he flipped forward going over the blade. Taez might have had a strategy, but he overcommitted. Just as he finished the arc of his swing the master’s foot struck him in the face and sent him sprawling.
Dalcon landed and then seemed to explode. His blades moved faster than any of the students could respond. He had intended to go easy on them, but that moment was gone, in the heat of battle he could only be himself. Thrusts drew blood, sweeping strikes disarmed opponents, and the flurry of his blows resulted in all but two of his students quickly being disqualified. They bowed, grabbed their blades and backed up, but Dalcon paid them no heed.
