Dust by Nick Venom (bts books to read .txt) 📖

Episode One "Third Floor"

Dust swung his bronze dagger at the orc standing in front of him. The dagger grazed the orc’s skin, barely missing its target. Dust let out a groan as he took a step back. He regained his composure before going in for another swing, this one meeting more resistance as the orc blocked the swing with his cleaver. The orc then charged in, itching to break more of Dust - as an earlier strike bruised and bloodied Dust’s right arm; the arm still worked, but blood was spurting out at dangerous levels. However, this didn’t deter Dust as he took the charge and blocked the brunt of it with a wooden shield strapped to his left arm, watching as it was destroyed in front of him. The rest of the damage was then dealt to Dust, who managed to shrug it off before taking a few steps back in an attempt to regain his thoughts before pushing out another swing. The third swing collided with the orc’s thick neck and pierced the skin, but he lacked energy and wasn’t able to drive it any further. Instead, he ripped the dagger out of the orc before turning around and sprinting away. 

The orc followed Dust, but it moved slower than the frail and quick Dust. He managed to outrun the orc, ditching the broken shield in the process and reached the entrance to the floor he was on.

He stopped at the entrance before turning around to face the orc. Fortunately, however, the squeals of the orc were heading in the opposite direction as something had grabbed its attention. 

“It’s not… c-coming for me?” He asked, nearly out of breath. “I’m free… I c-could escape and head home n-now…” He thought out loud before shaking his head. “I need that orc.”

One orc was enough money to feed him and his two siblings, Rain and Mason, for a day or two. If he didn’t kill the orc and get the mana crystals from the monster, his family would starve for the day. Dust refused to let that happen again.

He pushed forward, motivated by the price tag on orc mana crystals, and ventured into the floor in a search for the orc he was facing moments ago. However, the monster wasn’t present where he last left it, finding that to be strange.

Fortunately, a collective roar coming from three or more orcs alerted him. He ran in the direction of the roar, cashing in on the fresh clue he was given. 

As he ran deeper into the floor he was on, he passed by three adventurers who appeared to be using the same tactic he had deployed a few minutes ago. They were running towards the entrance with their tails in between their legs and with faces full of regret and despair. Hope was waiting at the entrance for them, teasing them.

Dust glanced at them but didn’t pay them any mind as they did the same to him. Instead, Dust headed farther into the floor, slowing his pace once he found where his missing orc had ventured off to.

Two women sat on the ground some distance from him, being surrounded by three orcs - one of which he was fighting. The orcs were closing in onto the women, which Dust assumed were with the adventurers he passed. 

Dust gripped his dagger tightly, preparing himself to spring into action. The weak spot of an orc was at their napes, but they were always being heavily guarded by the orcs during fights. However, the orcs weren’t as focused on fighting as they were on the women, which Dust wanted to use to his advantage. He approached the closest orc of the trio, one of the orcs that the adventurers were fighting. He waited until he was close enough to get a good sight of the nape before striking, taking the orc down as easily as he could. The orc’s body instantly poofed, leaving a crystal in its place. 

With one orc down and now alerting the others, Dust backed away and prepared himself for a fight. He only had a dagger on him as his wooden shield, which he made himself, was now in pieces towards the entrance. Even so, he charged headfirst into the fight with full confidence. He ran towards them but, at the last moment before the cleavers could hit him, he darted to the right and struck at their nape. However, they turned around before he could hit his target, ruining his best chance to take them down.

Now with one less option, he decided to strike them head-on with multiple jabs at their face as quickly as he could before backing off. The orcs took the brunt of the attack with only a few scars to show for it. Dust’s dagger did very little to the strong orcs’ faces, but that wasn’t what he was planning for. The orc that he had been fighting was slowly crumbling due to blood loss and exhaustion. 

Dust grinned as he backed away, glancing at the women as they stood up. They moved away from the corner that they had been backed into and were taking a long path around Dust and out of danger, which he helped keep safe for them. He sliced at the orcs, pushing the orcs an inch after inch back until he had enough space to turn around and run towards the entrance. He scooped up the crystals on the floor, some left by the adventurers from earlier, and sprinted out towards the women limping away. 

“How can I help?” He asked them as he stuffed the crystals into his pockets.

“Her leg is broken. I need to get her out!” A gray-haired woman exclaimed, pointing at the red-haired woman’s leg. “Help me get her out!”

Dust nodded. “I’ll carry her, I need you to follow me.” He instructed the gray-haired woman.

“If you see fit,” She said. “He’s going to get us out of here, my lady.” She said. The red-haired lady nodded, letting herself be picked up by Dust. She weighed less than Dust, which he found strange as she looked to be the daughter of a noble family - which meant that she had access to food. His priorities weren’t about her weight, however, but getting her out of the dungeon they were in.

With the gray-haired woman following, Dust sprinted out of the third floor of the dungeon carrying the red-haired woman. The orcs followed them but soon lost interest after realizing that they wouldn’t be able to catch them. They instead turned around and went on with their day, with one of them, the one Dust fought, nearly collapsing due to its injuries. It continued to trudge forward, now heavily wounded.

Meanwhile, Dust emerged out of the dungeon, carrying the woman in his arms like a princess. They were now safe in the warm embrace of their town. The town of Shell. 

 

TBC…

Episode Two "New Residents"

Dust took both women to his run-down house to get them fixed up as well as stop the bleeding on his arm. He rushed with intensity to reach his house, on the outskirts of Shell. He approached his house, which lacked any color and had a poor excuse for a roof, and reached the porch. “Hey, it’s me! I need the door open now!” He shouted at the beige door that was the only entrance to the house aside from the dirt-stained windows. 

The door opened with a huff, revealing Dust’s siblings: Rain and Mason. Rain looked up at her older brother, moving to the side as he rushed into the house and carefully laid the red-haired woman on their couch. Dust then turned away from him, taking the crystals and handing them to Rain. 

“Contact Ms. Ellen and ask her to trade this in for some healing potions. I need them now.” He told her.

Rain nodded, glancing at Mason. She beckoned him to follow her, which he complied with. They left the house together, headed for the pharmacy, which Dust watched from one of the windows. 

“Siblings?” The red-haired woman asked. “Yours?”

“Yup, my sister Rain and younger brother Mason.” Dust said. “Give me one second,” He said before going into the kitchen, searching through a kitchen closet. He found what he was looking for in bandages and rubbing alcohol. 

“Will she be okay?” The gray-haired woman asked as she entered the kitchen. “What are you doing with that stuff?”

“My siblings are getting the potions and I’ll apply it on her.” Dust said as he held his arm over the sink before dropping a small handful of the alcohol onto the wound. He gritted his teeth through the pain before applying the bandages, covering the wound and stopping the blood. 

“Oh, yeah, what about you? Do you feel any pain anywhere?” He asked her as he put the bandages and alcohol away.

The woman shook her head. “Only, my lady has been injured.”

“Got it.” Dust said as he turned his body to face her. He walked past her and into the living room where the red-haired woman laid on the couch. She stayed in one position as turning and tossing brought pains throughout her entire body. 

“My siblings will be here soon with the medicine. Just bear with it and you’ll be alright.” He told her before approaching the window facing the front yard, which was a small hill connected to a road leading into town.

“T-Thanks,” The red-haired woman muttered. Dust nodded, turning back to take a look at her. She was dressed in a blue half-cloak with a leather vest, white wrist sleeves, and crimson-colored boots. It resembled noble attire in Dust’s mind, confirming his earlier thoughts. Though, there was a large contrast between the red-haired woman and the gray-haired woman’s attires. While the red-haired woman dressed in vibrant and expensive clothing, the gray-haired woman dressed in simple and plain attire. She wore slim silver trousers, a dark-brown leather vest, and a black half-cloak. 

Dust furrowed his brows at the contrast as he sat down in front of them. “Can you explain who you two are now?” He asked them, wanting answers. 

The red-haired woman glanced at the gray-haired woman who nodded her head in response. “I am Alice, this is my lady, Myra.” She said. “We were adventuring with three other people, but they decided to abandon us and treat us like trash.”

“Alice!” Myra whined. “Don’t say stuff like that.”

Alice nodded, bowing her head as an apology. “I’m sorry, my lady.”

Myra nodded her head softly before looking up at Dust. “My fiance, Alex, was leading us into the dungeon but failed to protect us. We were cornered and they escaped to call for help.”

“Help? He left us as a decoy so they could live!” Alice exclaimed, being immediately shushed by a single glare from Myra. “I’m sorry, my lady.”

“Hush with that crude tongue, Alice.” Myra scolded her. “I’m sorry about her, she gets very emotional and aggressive when it comes to me.”

Dust nodded. “I assume that she’s your maid and that you’re a daughter of a noble family?”

Myra nodded before trying to sit up. However, the pain was too much and she