Read Nail - A Short Story for Free Online

as the Sun was to Bas’Tun.
    “ So… how many meters would
you say it is to the town?” Ralic says.
    Bas looks at Ralic with confusion for a
moment, and then his eyes widen in realization.

Chapter 6
    From above, there is a great
shaking that, in the overlord’s final words, are described as 'the
spirit realm’s last attempt at misleading humanity'. As a giant,
spinning, metallic something smashes out from the wooden rafters, which are
piled up with decades upon decades of dirt, the overlord scoffs,
and leaves to the deep caverns to live out its last minute of life
with some semblance of peace.
    There’s a great crash of the machine as
it falls some twenty meters to the cavern floor—casting the eyes on
the town square, precisely below the original town square from so
long ago. The hatch opens, and out steps Bas’Tun, the new hero, and
Ralic, who just so happens to be human after-all.
    “ Everyone, look!” Bas’Tun
calls out. At once the people from the forges, the ones from the
sick house, and those doing whatever they had been, stop and look
upon the two. “This man has shown me the light. There is a great light—and
everyone, everyone ,
even the sick must come up to see it at once!” Bas’Tun announces,
pointing up to the great, growing hole above as more aged debris
falls to reveal ever more of the sunlight beyond. At once, everyone
believed the two— and at the same time, the townspeople hears a
sharp, pain-stricken scream from down the tunnel that their elder
had traveled into. There’s a blazing, furnace-like light from the
elder’s direction, and then it goes dark. It will lie to them no
more.
    There’s a commotion of moving and
helping the weak up through the ladder in the next thirty minutes.
Finally, the pale and sick feel the warm embrace of the great light
for the first time— as if energy is feeding into them simply
through the act of being touched by the Sun’s radiance.
    In both celebration for their freedom,
and woe for the ones that had been lost in the process, the town is
founded again— this time by human hands. Elula is the chosen name,
selected by Ralic. He would be seen for many years after as the one
who, with the help of Bas’Tun and Zell’Ahn, saved the town from an
everlasting misery and disease.

    And that’s how our town was
founded, dear child. The Ralic boy went back to his town and told
everyone there about it. The people of Qetaine met with the people
of Elula, and both shared what they had learned freely. The digging
machine’s still there down below; it doesn’t work— though you’ll be
seeing that for yourself soon enough. Now that the story’s done, I
suppose you should go off to sleep. Tomorrow’s your first day down
in the forges, after all, and I’m going to teach you all the ropes— so be
ready.
    -Fin-
    (Author Note ahead, please
read!)

 
    Hi,
    It’s Kell here. I wanted to take a
moment to thank you for reading the second story in this series. I
have many more planned as the people of Qetaine and the other towns
discover one another and compile their knowledges, so expect much
more thrills, chills and thoughtfulness in the episodes to come.
That said, aside from the thanks I wanted to offer you, I also have
a favor to ask.
    If it would please you, I’d
absolutely love an
honest review on the site you got this story from. Reviews, be they
positive or negative are import aspects in helping other readers
make decisions for their next story. So if you liked this, let
people know so more can enjoy; if you didn’t, let them know that as
well so you can spare their poor souls from wasting a full thirty
minutes of their life reading something they might not
enjoy- oh no! That
said, if you leave a review, you can consider yourself
extra-thanked.
    Please have a lovely day, I hope you
create and enjoy many fantastic things.
    All the best,
    Kell Inkston

 
    About the Author
    Kell Inkston has been writing with
vigor since 2009 and has a deep love for nature,