Novels by Red Lotus

The sounds of human activity could already be heard that early in the distance. Ash had just passed the last tree, leaving the territory of Mount Atmos behind him.The creak of wooden cart wheels over rocky ground, the snorting of horses carrying loads on the left and right sides of the road. The scent of wet earth and grain husks already drifted through the air.From the direction behind Ash, a heavy footfall sound came that was different from all of that. Ash glanced back briefly and saw a Lambiz walking along the rocky path.Its body was the size of a full-grown bison with thick fur that flared out around its shoulders and a large tail moving slowly to swat flies. Behind it, a thick rope pulled a wooden cart full of goods crates stacked almost to the height of a rooftop.Ash turned back to face forward and continued walking.A large stone gateway stood at the entrance to the city, its name carved at the top in letters that had already faded slightly from the weather. Blackridge.Be

The climbing trail on Mount Atmos was not written on any map.Not because no one had ever climbed it, but because no one felt the need to record it. The mountain was only 700 meters tall, too rocky and steep to attract anyone without a specific reason for passing through.Old volcanic rock filled its trail from bottom to peak, the edges sharp and uneven, and in some places the trail simply disappeared behind large boulders.The small-framed figure moved among those rocks like someone who knew every gap by heart.The grey hoodie was still on, its cap covering the head and part of the face, a cloth mask covering from the nose downward. Their feet made no sound when landing on stone, no gravel shifted, no branch snapped underfoot.Occasionally the figure stopped behind a tree with a thick trunk, their body still for several seconds, only sensing the flow of air around them. There were no sounds or smells that seemed out of place. Their feet

The bag wasn't large, only enough for a few changes of clothes, a pack of hardtack and one water bottle.Ash tied the drawstring twice, an old habit that wasn't necessary but his hands did it on their own. In the corner of the room, the bed was still as neat as Elira had left it that morning. The pillow on the left side still had a small indent at the center.Ash didn't look at it again.His small axe hung at his hip, the rest he left behind. The furniture, the farming tools, all the belongings he had gathered over ten years of living in Pinedale, all of it stayed where it was. He had no use for any of it."You don't have to go, son."Mr. Alton's voice, the village deputy head, came from the bedroom doorway. The old man stood with his hands at his sides, his hunched back looking heavier than usual. "This place is your home, Ash."Ash turned to face the old man. His expression was neither angry nor sad, only flat like the surface

Jacker's men's laughter could still be heard at the front of the village hall when Jacker's eyes locked onto the post.The chains had come loose. The iron links lay on the ground in an uneven circle, their ends still smoking. Ash stood in front of the wooden post that was still burning, his body upright, his head tilted slightly forward.His skin was intact, however, cracks split across its surface from his neck down to his arms and parts of his body, an irregular pattern like dry earth that had fractured.From within those cracks, a red light pulsed with a slow rhythm. Fire still wrapped around his body, but it wasn't burning him. As if Ash himself was the source of that fire.His eyes glowed solid red, no iris visible, only the same blazing red as the cracks across his skin. His teeth were clenched tight, his breath coming out as thick visible heat vapor in the air.Jacker's mouth opened for several moments before his voice came out. "E

No one spoke for several seconds after Ash said those words.Then Jacker's laughter broke out, loud and sudden, followed by all of his men. Several of them bent over gripping their knees.Ash did not move, his eyes fixed on Jacker's face."You killed it." Jacker repeated the words between his laughter, then wiped the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand. "With what, kid? That thing didn't go down from bullets, it even crushed our iron cannon."He paused for a moment, his smile widening. "Did you shove your cock in until it choked to death?"His men's laughter grew louder. One of them squatted on the ground and several others coughed between their laughs."I drove a sword through its jaw," Ash answered flatly. "From below until it pierced through its head. The thing didn't get the chance to fight back."Jacker waved his hand, his laughter dying down. "Haha, damn. Alright, good enough for a joke, but right now I don't have time for your jokes, punk.""I'm not lying."Jacker's f

Ash sensed something was wrong before the last of the trees fell behind him.No children's voices. No sound of hammers or saws that should still have been audible from that distance. Pinedale in the middle of the day should have been loud, but what reached his ears was only silence, broken by sounds he did not recognize coming from the direction of the village hall.He raised one hand and stopped. Wren, Dano, Raldo and the rest stopped behind him."What is it?" Wren whispered.Ash did not answer, only gestured forward with his chin and crouched into the bushes at the edge of the path leading into the village.From there he could see the village hall. The people of Pinedale stood huddled in front of it, shoulders tense and heads lowered. Several soldiers in Vindale uniforms lay on the ground, their bodies unmoving. People in tactical clothing stood surrounding the crowd, each holding a weapon aimed at the villagers."Who are they?" Dano whispered at Ash's elbow.Ash gave a small shake