Novels by Red Lotus

The woman was not in a hurry.She stood among the large rocks on the cave floor, her head turning toward the man dragging his body across that rocky surface, still watching him casually.From above, Ash could see her posture clearly because the blue light from the small creatures in the corner of the cave was enough to illuminate the area below him.Her height was unusual, not tall like an ordinary tall person, but tall with the wrong proportions, her neck too long for the width of her shoulders, and her shoulders too narrow for the length of her legs.The robe she wore followed her body closely, its color dark and difficult to distinguish from the shadows around her. Her hair was black and long, falling straight down her back without moving even as she stepped.Her face was beautiful in a way that made people uncomfortable looking at it for too long."HELP! What do you want?"The man dragging himself below shouted again.The woman stepped toward him with measured steps, stopped right

Rynn didn't move from her position.She stood between the roots of a large tree, one hand still on her bow handle, her head tilted up toward the sky through the gaps in the canopy.The sound of wingbeats that had filled the air earlier began to fade, moving farther east, until all that remained was the night wind moving between the leaves.The soldiers around her waited the same way, no one speaking, no one moving without orders."Kyra." Rynn didn't turn, her eyes still on the sky. "Did it work?"A woman appeared from behind a tree trunk to the left, her hair black and thick, cut short and even below the ears, precise as a line drawn with a ruler. Kyra nodded once, brief and certain.Shiva watched the exchange from where she stood. "What worked?" she asked. "What were you waiting for just now?"Rynn turned toward her now. "We were hunting." She spoke in the same tone she used when giving orders, flat and direct. "Not to catch them. To track them.""Track them? To where?""Banshees don

The talons were halfway to her when the rope around Shiva's body snapped.Not loosened, not untied, but cleanly cut by something that moved fast from the side. Shiva's body lurched forward from the trunk and she caught the branch below with both hands.The swing carried her legs through empty air just as the talons raked across the spot where she had been standing and came away with nothing but splinters of bark.Rynn was on the branch beside her, the short knife in her hand still angled downward from the cutting motion. "You were in the wrong place at the wrong time, elf.""I know that." Shiva pulled herself up onto the branch and stood immediately. "Now give me something to fight with."Rynn looked at her for one second, then threw a spare knife from her belt. Shiva caught it without looking, her eyes already back on the creature that had dove toward her.The Banshee flipped itself in the air with a single hard beat of its wing

Her clothing was a mix of earth tones and deep green, cut in an irregular pattern with woven grass and dried leaves sewn into its surface so that it blended easily inside the forest.Across her face were thick black markings, not wounds, but deliberate strokes forming a pattern that broke the shape of her features so they were hard to read from a distance. Her eyes were dark brown and unblinking.Shiva looked right and left. On the branches of the trees around them, at least four other figures stood in the same posture, each with a bow raised."What is an elf doing in my forest." The woman wasn't asking out of curiosity, more like someone who already knew the answer and wanted to confirm it for herself. "Aren't you playing a little too far from home?""That's none of your business." Shiva didn't move her head, only her eyes, shifting toward the open area below. "Release my friend."The woman looked down, scanning the open area briefly, th

The fog swallowed her the moment she stepped outside the front door.Shiva leapt from the porch to the nearest tree trunk, her palms catching the damp wood, her feet finding gaps between the large protruding roots, and she descended to the ground the way she had done thousands of times in different forests.Below, the fog reached her waist, and inside it there was no Ash. Shiva stood still and closed her eyes.Her ears searched for sound within the silence of Velkarr. There was no wind, the night creatures were silent, no bird calls, no insect rustling.This forest was quiet in a way that was not natural for this hour, as if everything had chosen to go still and wait.Then she heard it. Heavy and steady footsteps, the sound of shoes pressing down on dry twigs, the brush of trouser fabric passing through wet grass. To the north, about thirty meters away, getting farther.Shiva ran.She found Ash among the larger trees, still walking with the same rhythm, still snoring with a sound that

Velkarr went to sleep earlier than any village Shiva had ever visited. There were no sounds of conversation from the tree houses around her, no footsteps on the hanging bridges, no children being called inside for the umpteenth time. The moment night fell completely, the village closed itself off, and the only sign of life that remained was the yellow glow of the light creatures that kept shining from behind the transparent nets in front of every door. Shiva lay on the left side of the Arakvein net bed, her eyes open toward the ceiling of the room. Beside her on the right, Ash slept in a way that showed no consideration for the silence of Velkarr. His snoring was heavy and steady, rising and falling in a rhythm that didn't care that there was someone else in the same room. "Disgusting," Shiva muttered, turning onto her side. The bed vibrated faintly every time Ash exhaled too hard. Shiva shifte

Ethan grew more confused and began to panic because he did not want Rey to do something reckless that could endanger their main mission."Rey, don't be reckless! We have a main task that we have to finish!"But Rey was no longer listening, he opened the emergency door and immediately ran up to the second floor through the dim and narrow emergency stairs.The place was a long corridor with tightly closed doors marked with room numbers on each side.Rey looked carefully along the corridor, searching for signs of a door that had just been closed or the sound of footsteps.But there was nothing at all, the corridor was quiet and silent. He then looked at the elevator number which had stopped at number four.Rey remembered Ethan's explanation that he had not really listened to earlier, the fourth floor was a special hotel room area with various themes.Without thinking too long, Rey hurried to press the elevator button to go

Rey immediately turned around with a quick motion, and sure enough Jessie was standing there with a sweet smile on her lips.The woman immediately sat in the seat beside Rey without waiting for an invitation, then raised her hand to order a drink from the bartender who was serving.Rey greeted her in a flat voice trying to hide the surprise he felt, "Hi Jessie."Jessie laughed lightly while her eyes stared sharply at Rey, "Didn't expect to meet you in a place like this. Are you on duty or something?"Rey looked hesitant answering that question, his eyes blinking a few times before finally answering carefully, "Not really actually, but you could say yes."Jessie laughed again with a clearer voice this time, then asked in a teasing tone, "Did you miss me so much you had to search for me like that?"Rey spontaneously answered while stammering, "Ah of course not, I mean ... not that I don't miss you at all, but ... enough. I just hap

Rey spontaneously looked at the man who had just bumped into him with an annoyed expression clearly visible on his face.He knew he shouldn't draw attention in a place like this, especially while on a surveillance mission."Sorry." Rey nodded his head while raising his right hand in a calming gesture.The man just snorted roughly while looking Rey up and down, then turned away without saying a word.He walked toward a sofa behind Rey's position and sat there with an arrogant attitude, as if feeling himself more important than anyone else in the room.Ethan raised his hand with a smooth motion, calling over a woman in a staff uniform who was standing by near them."Two Scotch on the rocks," he ordered in a low voice but clearly heard by the waitress.The woman nodded professionally then turned toward the bar to prepare the order.Rey kept watching Jessie who was still singing beautifully on stage. The woman's voi

Rey didn't answer, didn't try to give an excuse or lie. He just walked in a panic toward the bathroom with quick steps, leaving Emily standing in the middle of the room with a small smile on her face.After the bathroom door closed, Emily finally laughed lightly while swinging the medicine bag in her hand.She looked incredibly happy, her mind starting to imagine various possibilities."If those two really become a couple ...," she muttered while walking back to the sofa, "then Auntie Nadia would become my sister-in-law. That would actually be nice ...."But then her face turned serious, "But, huh ... just watch it, if you end up hurting Auntie Nadia, I'll personally beat you up until you can't stand anymore."Emily felt the pain in her stomach again, which had actually almost gone away, then quickly lay back down on the sofa while her face flushed again."I can't believe I just saw a scene like that ...," she whispered to hersel

"Don't leave yet, Rey. You haven't even showered. Let's shower together.""No need, it'd actually be weird if I went home without sweat on me," Rey cut in with a short reply while trying to put on his t-shirt which was also still wet.The fabric of the t-shirt stuck tightly to his skin, clearly revealing his athletic body shape.Nadia stood right in front of the bathroom door, blocking Rey's exit. "Fine then," she said in a pouty yet firm voice, "I'll just keep standing here until you kiss me sincerely."Rey didn't care about that request at all. He pushed Nadia's body gently but firmly to clear the way, then immediately left the bathroom without closing the door at all. His steps were quick and purposeful toward the living room.Nadia just stayed still, closing her eyes while a small smile still graced her lips.She didn't try to chase or call Rey back, just stood there with her body still wet and naked.Rey reached the living room, then turned to face the bathroom. "I'm leaving," he

Nadia's moaning voice was clearly heard from the gap of the bathroom door that was slightly open, making Emily, who was peeking, immediately cover her mouth with her hand. The girl's expression was a mixture between great curiosity and deep embarrassment, her face reddened up to her ears.Nadia's voice was heard clearly again, "Ah ..., keep going ..., that's right ..., faster ...." Those words echoed inside the bathroom room filled with water vapor, heard clearly even though the shower sound was still flowing heavily.Rey whispered in a panting voice between moans, "Nad, I ... I'm almost ...."Nadia immediately understood him, realizing that Rey was heading toward the peak of his pleasure. But instead of pulling away, the woman instead hugged Rey's waist with one of her legs wrapped tightly around the man's body. "Release everything, Rey ...," she urged in a hoarse voice and full of need, "I want everything."Rey shoo