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(text-style:"italic")[^^(This story was written in Twine 2.3.16)^^]
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{(text-style:"bold","emboss","expand")[(text-colour:yellow)[A City with a thousand faces]]
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(text-style:"italic","subscript","condense")[© Richard Call, 2022]
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I guided the person in rags from the garage at my home, to the kitchen where I heard my wife was preparing dinner.
But as soon as he noticed her, he walked up to her, and kneeled down to sit on his knees with his hands resting on his legs, palms up, looking down at the floor.
//"Greetings, my honored Ubara, it is an honour to be in your presence."
"Greetings to you, bearer of our token. Who are you to be here looking for me."
"I was send by his Highness Malenus with an urgent request for you."
"Please lower your cape, so I can see to whom I have the honour to speak."//
The person lowered the rags that served as a cape to free his head, and a tanned strong face became visible, bearing on his right cheek the same sign as the sign that was on the parchment.
//"Kajirus Thurnock, at your service, your Excellency."//
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[[Next|Chapter 1 pg.20]]
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Once I finished reading the parchment, Magdalena looked at me, and sighed.
//"It stunns me that he even can write our language, although I think he knocked at the door of Torm or one of the equals of Torm..."
"But I know my love, I need to beg you to apologize me but I have a lot of explanation to do at this moment."
"Tell me what is happening here. I see a man kneel for you, I hear words that are unknown for me, I am called Lord. And you they call Excellency and Highness."// I replied
//"Let's take a seat at the table, as I need to tell you the story, well a part of the story, but be prepared it will be longer than you think."//
She looked at the man still sitting there on his knees, and smiled.
//
"But raise, kajirus, I dispense you from your rank for this evening and give your right to be at our table."//
The man stood up, and took a seat there my wife pointed to.
//
"Thank you, your Excellency, for this honour you give me to sit at your table."//
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[[Next|Chapter 1 pg.40]]
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The three of us took place at the table, grabbed a plate of the food Magdalena had prepared. After eating for a moment in all silence, Magdalena coughed a bit nervously to draw our attention
//
"OK, let me start with this. My love, I am who I am, here on this earth, but I am not who I am on the Counter-Earth."
"Counter-Earth?"// I questioned back stunned.
That sounded familiar to me, but I couldn't immediatelly point it out. Counter-Earth. And then it came back in my mind. Wasn't that the name of a plannet in a series of science-fiction books?
//"Counter-Earth, but that was a place in some fiction books."// I let slip from my lips.
//"What is fiction and what is real?"// Magdalena replied, //"But let me bring the story as I know it, and kajirus, feel free to raise your hand if you feel that I am missing something."//
Magdalena took a sip of the wine in front of her, coughed a couple of times, and then started her story.
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I looked stunned hearing the phrase as was sai by that unknown person, but my astonishment even became bigger when I heard the reply of Magdalena.
//"Give to me, kajirus, what you were to bring me.
"Please, your excellency, this scroll is destined for your eyes."//
The person named Thornuck handed over a scroll of what seemed to be a parchment, tied by a red rubbon, which was locked in place with a wax seal.
Magdalena took the parchement, looked attentively at the seal, and then broke it so she could roll it open.
Her eyes flicked quickly over the parchment, and she let a murmur escape from between her lips.
Once the reading was finished, she rolled the parchment up and kept it stiff in her hand.
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[My dear Talena,
I let the pen slide over this paper and bring over to thee an urgent call for thy help.
I remember my promise when thee left that I fully accepted thy decision, and would never bother thee.
But alas, thine hearth, and sword is needed in the City. And the Approval of the Initiates has been giving for thy return.
If thee accepts, thou shalt be given the nectar to allow to return, but use it wisely for thine companions as they will need to be able to be one of us.
The kajirus Thornuck is by this handed over to thine ownership for ever till death does part thee.
Humble regards,
Kazrak
Ubar Ar
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[This world in which this story plays is based on the Gorean world as created by the author John Norman.
His world was used to place the story, but this is done in no way to replace his magnificent portrait of the world of Gor.
This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Any images are used under the fair use principle and without intend to procure any facilities or personal gain from it.
All copyright for the images is dedicated to the original owners of these images.
Richard Call]Colors used in dialogs:
Magdalena
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MC
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Kajirus
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[This is an online novel (even a first experiment), but with some possibilities in it.
On your left you will see a side bar, where some idons will be appearing.
These icons will allow you to flip back and forward between the pages you already read, also go to a full screen more, and restart the story from the first page.
Next to that at moments in the novel, other icons can appear that could give more information.
And at the bottom you have the ability to save and load the page, so you can always come back where you left off.]