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Draganth sighed as he dug his shovel into the murky surface of the swamp once again. Master Ellis needed a thousand blocks of clay for an important order and his apprentice did the dirty work. Why is it that apprentices always do the dirty work? Ah well, this was part of his payment to the master artisan for learning how to sculpt clay and make porcelain. But, his back hurt and his arms were trembling after several hours.

He moved a few steps to the west, his soggy leather boots squelching in the mud. Maybe the meditation again, the one that Brother Anamen taught him? If he focused on just his breathing, he could lose himself in the rythym of the shovel and tmie would past rapidly. His eyes half closed as he sank into an automatic pattern. Breathing out the shovel sinks deep into the clay. As he exhales, his arm and shoulder muscles bunch and back straightens, lifting and tossing the spadeful of clay into the barrow next to him.

Lost in his breathing, his mind drifted and images floated softly before his eyes. Amariel, the baker's daughter. Ohhh, tomorrow he would have time to sculpt and fire the delicate vase he had designed. Master Ellis was amused that he was so interested in her but heartily approved the lines of his proposed vase. He would carefully pack the glistening, porcelain vase in a polished hardwood box that he bought from the carpenter's the other day. Then, he would carry it down the cobblestone street and sit outside on the stone bench where Amariel and he often had lunch.

An undulating slime hissed out of the stagnant water, disturbed by his nearness. Draganth hardly glanced at it as he altered his shovel stroke, slicing the gelatinous creature in two. Slimes were common out here in the swamps and they were ridiculously easy to kill for a stalwart, hard working lad like him.

His breathing slipped back into the rythym and his eyes half closed as he continued to move slowly along the edge of the swamp, digging out the useful clay. Occasionally pockets of noxious marsh gas bubbled to the surface and erupted with a nasty stench but even those instances hardly changed his automatic motions.

He killed slimes like they were nothing. If he had gone into Ranger school he would be fighting much more vicious creatures than that. Yes, he had the physical strength and reflexes necessary for a hunter but his love for art had drawn him to his Master. But, if he had gone the way of his brother and father, he could be in the wilderness facing ettins, trolls, ogres and even more dangerous creatures. He had never seen a titan or ogre lord but he was sure he could master even them.

Yes, his blade whipping out in a glittering arc, slicing deep into a titans hide, his shield parrying the return blows. His eyes slitted against the inevitable magical blasts. Smoke rising from his armor as he staggered back from a flamestrike but his steely eyes only narrowing with ruthless determination, moving forward to engage the enemy again. Finally, the titan bellowing despair as it toppled dying to the unyielding ground. The loot and thrill of victory.

"In Jux Sanct", a deep voice bellowed. Draganth blinked his eyes as he looked up. A huge, deep yellow figure stood on the edge of the swamp, glaring at him with blazing eyes. A short hafted hammer was clenched in its muscled hand and omigod it was a titan and he was just dreaming about fighting a titan and ... FWOOOOOSHBAM!! A column of fire burst around him, searing his leather jerkin and hair. He staggered back and fell into the muddy water, his eyes bugging out in disbelief.

Titans just didn't come around here. They didn't like swamps or any kind of water for that matter. In fact, nothing much except slimes ever came to this swamp because it was so popular for clay mining. Draganth's eyes widened even more as he heard a guttural command in a langauge he certainly didn't understand. He rolled panickly to one side as a vibrating bolt of energy whizzed through the air and hit the water where he had been sitting a moment before, sending up a blast of steam!

Draganth leaped to his feet and headed into the swamp. He was no match for this creature on solid land, his only hope was to escape through the swamp. As that thought reached his brain, another energy bolt struck him square in the back, sending him flying, arms outspread into a viscous pool of discolored water. He sat up, filthy water dripping down his face and the world turned to fire and smoke as an incredible blast of sound filled his brain. His sight blinked out for a moment and then he found himself leaning on a slimy, half submerged log. Three slimes were heading towards the titan, foolishly irate at the enormously powerful creature. A lighting bolt blisted from the titan's hand to one slime and it shrieked in a moist, mindless voice as it sizzled in the water. Its companions shriveled at the edges as the electricity was conducted by the water to them and even Draganth felt a buzz where he was.

Draganth's eyes narrowed as he thought. With a act of foolhardy desperation, he headed off to the side, where the titan wouldn't see him. As it engaged the remaining slimes, he hurriedly dug up mounds of clay and slapped them into a single pile. Upending his cart upon the pile, he tilted the cart and waited, his shovel with a full load of sticky clay. The titan stomped the last annoying slime into jelly and turned about, searching for him.

Draganth hurled the load of clay into its face and then swung his shovel around in an arc, letting go at the right moment. It whirled end over end through the air and slammed into the side of the titan's head with a clang. The titan voiced a bellow of fury and stepped forward into the slimy water as it strode for him. Its immense weight caused it to sink into the deep mud and it paused, raging furiously. Bolts of energy and lightning rained down upon Draganth as he huddled under the cart. It caught fire finally and he kicked it off and up towards the titan.

Slipping around one side, he grabbed his shovel and swung it like a woodsman axe. The dulled edge of the shovel sliced into the monster's hamstring and it tried to jerk around to face him but lost its balance and fell with an enormous splash into the swamp. Taking a deep breath, Draganth leaped forward only to to intercept the swing of the titans hammer squarely. Lights burst about him as he flew backwards to collide with a fir tree on the edge of the swamp. Everything went dark.

When he awoke, everything in his body ached. It was still dark too. Was he dead, or blinded? Blinking his eyes, he could scarcely make out the shapes about him and a dozen feet out in the swamp, the shadowed form of the titan. He shook his head, and regretted it as a headache erupted. Ohhh, that hammer was hard. He shakily stood up and sloshed over to where the dead titan lay. It was half buried in the thick clay, a skim of water floating about it.

Draganth could see acid burns all over the part of its body that were exposed. The slimes had certainly taken their revenge on the once feared creature. If he hadn't lured it out into the swamp where its weight had trapped it, Draganth would have been slime food himself. He searched the titans pack, his eyes wide. He sighed and gazed up at the moon that was just clearing the horizon. Well, he had three fourths of a load, that wouldn't make a thousand blocks of clay but his Master would just have to be satisfied with it, and the tempered sash of tinkering he had found on the corpse. He grinned wearily and started back to town, stinking to high heaven but glad he was alive.

these writings of yours might be very good if i ever had time to read so long stories
*starts reading this one*
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Done. I was quite right when i said these might be good.
Maybe i'll read the other ones too now

Why thank you!

I personally have problems reading long stories online. Maybe it is my monitor. I much prefer a book or hardcopy. I don't have problems writing them on the computer, just reading them. Maybe it is my aging eyes. lol

Actually i read all of those new ones, better than average in total.

I read them during class