May Novel Essential Information

Novel Title: Ascent

Time Setting: 9987, Sixth Age of Kysnim

Genre: Fantasy

Minimum Word Goal: 90,000

Timespan: 9987-9994

Locations: Ikulonsar Cetards and Kodulez Lemyazhmok, Qikatalukiq, Kysnim

Main Character: Ilyé Nikadenaer (Redekmaaz)

Background Information:

Kysnim is a world inhabited by many mythical creatures, each living on their own continent . . . or at least that was the case before Anaty Ném died.

Anaty Ném was a great dragon who lived the longest of any dragon in history, 40,695 years. He could've even lived longer, except that his own daughter brought about his end.

Neya Rillo was her name, and she engaged in battle with her father because he wouldn't tell her all of his magical knowledge — which was particularly great due to his age — and after sixty months of battling, she thrust her father through with a pine tree at a weak point in his scales.

Being as they'd been battling in the air, Anaty Ném plummeted to the ground, then exploded just before landing. Many dragons were killed in the blast and the dragons' continent, Syruolabé, was destroyed, with even the ocean boiling from the heat.

The nearest continent was the centaurs' continent, Anechyzdalam in the dragons' tongue, Qikatalukiq in the centaurs' tongue. After many battles, being as the centaurs, naturally, thought they were being invaded, the continent has come to be divided in two: the dragons' North, and the centaurs' South.

Shortly after peace was finally achieved the dragons introduced their specialty, magic, to the centaurs, and chose one of the most magically skilled centaurs as their liaison, called the Lemyazhmok.

For nearly 60,000 years peace has lasted, although the dragons have heard a prophecy that they will one day return to Syruolabé and are in great anticipation of that day.

Ilyé is the second son and youngest child of three children born to Níléts Ajuné and his wife, Yanéla Récédolba, although many suspect that he is somehow a crossing of a centaur and a dragon because, unlike all other Qikatamenj, or winged centaurs, his wings aren't feathered, but are dragon wings.

Like many centaurs since the introduction of magic, Níléts is a magician, and is also among the ever-present minority who seek to overthrow the Lemyazhmok and somehow achieve his great power.

In fact, Níléts has such great oratorial skills he's convinced the deposing faction that he should become the Lemyazhmok once Zharíka Lyarí, the current one, is deposed.

Unfortunately for Níléts, though, he would be forbidden to take the position of Lemyazhmok because he is married. The Lemyazhmok is forbidden to be married, mainly because marriage is a foreign concept to the dragons, and on top of that centaurs who are married can only create their magic with elixirs.

Ilyé, however, has no interest whatsoever in magic, mainly because his father and brother regularly test new spells on him, or even work spells on him with the intent to deliberately torture him for their own pleasure, and all centaurs — whether or not they like, use, or are able to make magic — seem to shun him for his uncommon appearance.

Pronunciations:

Kysnim: keysnihm

Ikulonsar Cetards: ickyoulawnsahr sehtahrs

Kodulez Lemyazhmok: kohdyouleh lemyahzhmock

Qikatalukiq: keycattahlukeick

Ilyé Nikadenaer: eelyay nickahdehneigher

Redekmaaz: redeckmahz

Anaty Ném: ahnahtee nehm

Neya Rillo: neighah rihlow

Syruolabé: seerooowelahbay

Anechyzdalam: ahnehcheezdahlahm

Níléts Ajuné: kneelets ahzhooneigh

Yanéla Récédolba: yahnehlah rehsehdohlbah

Qikatamenj: keycattahmehnee

Zharíka Lyarí: zhahreekah leeahree

Tormented: Day 20

Word Total: 120,004

Year to Date: 420,030

Summary of Events:
Esperanza was visited — and beaten — by an angry Hercules. Riel went to the rendezvous location and waited for Patricia and Xavier to show up. Esperanza got ready for the party and watched as Zeus arrived. Riel successfully prevented Xavier and his friends from taking Patricia before being chased by a machine-gunner and escaping in a taxi. Esperanza, Catalina, and Ana-Maria successfully snuck into one of the guests' trunks thanks to a lost key fob with an unlock button on it. Riel prepared to return to Buenos Aires, stopping at the police station to give a witness statement to Roberto, as the machine-gunner who'd chased Riel had wrongfully massacred a family. Esperanza, Catalina, and Ana-Maria emerged from the car in the morning and found themselves in blissful freedom.

Excerpt of the Day:
"As Riel walked around the front of his SUV, he spied a piece of paper pinned under his wiper blade.
Reaching over, he pulled it out and then climbed into his SUV. Unfolding it, he found a typed message.
Slicky Suave,
Be warned that we know who you are, what you look like, and that you are an unwelcome meddler who will be eliminated at our first opportunity. Going to the police won't help you; they're a bunch of chumps, after all.
Enjoy your final breaths,
X, C, M, & T
Riel refolded the message and pocketed it. Starting his SUV, he pulled out of the parking lot toward the Buenos Aires route. He wasn't going to be home for long, he had a gang to join, and hopefully take down from the inside.
And maybe, along the way, he'd succeed in getting relief from the nightmares which had tormented him for far too long and would be able to bring Esperanza — if not Estefanía — home. . . .
. . . "You two look for some food and anything else you think might be a good idea to have, I'll get us a map," Esperanza said.
Catalina and Ana-Maria nodded as they walked inside.
Esperanza went over to the maps and looked. All of them had to do with different cities or states, but finally she found a map of America as a whole. That would show them how they should go about getting to Mexico, but now she had to find out what town they were in.
Once Catalina and Ana-Maria returned with food, drinks, and a first-aid kit, Esperanza paid.
"What do you do for fun around here?" Esperanza asked, gazing at the young man behind the counter from under low lids.
He looked at her, surprised. "You don't know what to do for fun in Charleston, South Carolina?"
"I've never been here before," Esperanza replied.
He gave her a list of events and places she never intended to go see. She knew where they were, now all they needed to do was find a place to have a look at the map and figure out their route to Mexico.
Once he'd finally finished listing things she bade him farewell and the three of them left.
"So we know where we are now," Esperanza said. "Let's go find a place to eat, and then we can have a look at the map and decide where we're doing to go from here."
Catalina and Ana-Maria nodded and the three of them set off again. Esperanza still felt rather excited. She couldn't believe she'd succeeded in escaping. She'd succeeded in finally getting free. Free from Zeus, free from Hercules, and Apollo, and all of the other Argonauts, free from that heavenly-veiled prison, and above all free from being tormented."

With the completion of this project, I am once again pleased to announce that I am a:

The next post will be on April 30.

Tormented: Day 19

Word Count: 114,006

Summary of Events: 

Esperanza watched the sunrise because Hercules' snoring kept her awake and worried that his frequent nights in her bedroom might cause the escape to be found out sooner. Riel officially gave up on Esperanza's case and was staying in Mar del Plata only to keep an eye on Patricia, from whom he received an odd call. Zeus came to visit and discovered Esperanza's shins were bruised as a result of Hercules also thrashing in his sleep, which Hercules denied, prompting Zeus to plan a test. Riel was surprised to receive a phone call from the restaurant Patricia, and Xavier, worked at confirming a reservation he'd never made; he guessed either Patricia or Xavier had set it up. Zeus' test confirmed Esperanza had been telling the truth, Hercules looked displeased with her, causing Esperanza to be worried she'd face retribution. Riel got ready and went to the restaurant for his reservation where he was served his apparent usual of lobster — which he didn't actually like — and discovered a piece of paper in the claw . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

"Quickly he looked up to see if anyone was watching him before he opened the note, and he saw Patricia standing in the patio doorway, looking directly at him and shaking her head.

He raised the note and put it toward his pocket. Patricia nodded.

Riel pocketed the note and turned to finish his meal. As soon as he was done he headed back to his apartment, he wanted to see what was in the note.

He was grateful that it'd been Patricia's setup and not Xavier's — or at least he was pretty sure it had been because she'd been the one he'd seen — and that his sidearm had been an unnecessary precaution.

When he got back to his apartment he locked the door and decided to open the note in the bathroom, there were no windows there, so he wouldn't have anyone readying over his shoulder — much less knowing that he was back from where he'd been.

Only after he closed the bathroom door did he turn on the light. He also locked the bathroom door, and stood in front of it.

Slipping the note out of his pocket, he found it was written on a pieces of paper like that which was used by waitresses to take orders.

Tomorrow night, at the beach, there's a large cluster of trees not far from where I kissed you. As soon as it's dark, Xavier wants to meet me there without anyone knowing. He looked at me differently than usual otherwise I wouldn't have thought anything of it. I don't think it's a tryst, I don't know what I think it is, but I'm worried, and I'm starting to think you were right.

Patricia.

Riel shifted his jaw. He wasn't sure if he was pleased at the fact that Patricia was finally coming to the realisation that he was right, or not, as the way things were worded, and the way things had been carried out, made him worry that there was danger about.

Refolding the note, he was going to pocket it, but the had a better idea.

He turned out the bathroom light and slipped out of the room. All he had to remember was where she'd kissed him, and find a cluster of trees not far from there, and then wait until it was dark.

Going into the kitchen, he felt around for the stove and then found the knob he was pretty sure was for the left front burner.

The igniter clicked several times before a ring of flame lit up. Riel pinched the note between his fingernails and held it over the flames until it caught.

He dropped it and watched as it was quickly consumed before he turned off the burner. That way it wouldn't be found, just in case there were other men, friends of Xavier, who might be keeping an eye on him."

Tormented: Day 18

Word Count: 108,011

Summary of Events:

Esperanza planned to tell Ana-Maria and Catalina why she hadn't turned up to carry out the escape, but Catalina had just suffered a forced abortion so she told them separately; she and Ana-Maria were then startled by Hercules, who made Esperanza suspicious that he may've heard escape talk. Riel was feeling frustrated, along with being disappointed by Patricia's seeming to have deserted him, then he got a phone call from his Father that left him sad and furious at the same time. Esperanza and Ana-Maria discussed their hopes for escape the next time around, and even thought a little about the bad things that could happen, but quickly banished those thoughts. Riel was bored and not really hungry for anything he had, so he went out to eat and saw Patricia with another man; he intercepted Patricia after she'd parted ways with the other man and offered her a ride to work and told her he was suspicious of the man, Xavier.

Excerpt of the Day:

""Because you're beautiful, innocent, and young, and if you don't take care, you could be ruined in the blink of an eye," Riel said.

"How would I be ruined?" Patricia asked, mostly looking irritated, but a measure of concern and curiosity coming into her expression.

"He could use you merely as a means to an end, without loving you, casting you aside like a worn out garment," Riel replied. "He could lie to you and take you somewhere you don't want to go and hold you captive there. He could even cause you to conceive a child and then abandon you to raise the child on your own."

Patricia looked at Riel worriedly.

"I'm not saying that this Xavier necessarily will," Riel said. "But I don't want you to think that he can't possibly do it. I have very strong suspicions that he might be able to, and I don't want to see you come to any harm because of it. I would hate to have been able to protect you and not actually have done so."

"It's not your job to protect me," Patricia said.

"I feel it is," Riel replied. "And besides, I already lost someone I should've been able to protect, but didn't succeed in doing so."

Patricia looked at Riel with a somewhat fearful and sad expression, all of her resentment and indignation had faded.

"I don't want to lose you too," Riel said.

"Oh I'm sorry," Patricia said quietly. "I promise I'll tell you everything, at least until you're reassured."

"Thank you," Riel said, unlocking the doors.

"And maybe we can hang out again soon," Patricia said.

"I'd like that," Riel said quietly.

Patricia leaned across the seat and touched her lips to his lightly. Riel took hold of her head and pressed his lips passionately into hers. He couldn't put words to the relief that he felt, so he hoped that his kiss would translate that to her.

She looked a little breathless after he released her, but smiled softly before slipping out of the SUV and sauntering toward the staff entrance.

Riel turned to look out the windshield and drive off when he saw Xavier staring after Patricia, a smouldering cigarette between his fingers.

Xavier turned and looked at Riel with a dark look before throwing the cigarette to the ground and grinding it out pronouncedly.

He held Riel's gaze for several seconds before stalking off toward the staff entrance angrily.

Riel felt like he'd just been warned. He felt his suspicions about Xavier were justified, and that Xavier had just warned him to tread carefully, or he might be ground out as firmly as the cigarette had been.

Looking toward the closed door of the staff entrance again, Riel shifted his jaw. He would've just sent a message to Father, but he didn't know that he liked the idea of sending weapons through the mail.

It looked like he'd have ten hours of driving ahead of him; that way he'd be prepared if his suspicions were founded, and not allayed, by Patricia's reports."

Tormented: Day 17

Word Count: 102,002

Summary of Events:

Riel picked up the waitress, Patricia, from her work after her shift was over again and they went to the beach and talked; unfortunately she didn't know Esperanza. Esperanza got ready and participated in Zeus' September party purely for formality's sake; she then managed to sneak off to her room to begin the escape, but Hercules came after her, wanting to spend time with her quietly, preventing her from getting away. Riel was getting frustrated over the repetitive nature of what he was finding regarding Esperanza's disappearance and welcomed Patricia as a distraction, although she wanted to go swimming, and his swimsuit was five hours away in Buenos Aires . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

""You wouldn't want a ten hour drive just to go swimming, would you?" Riel asked.

"No," Patricia replied. "But can't we buy you some because you forgot to bring them?"

Riel shifted his jaw. They could, but honestly he felt like it was a bit of a waste of money, and what was he going to do with two pairs? He barely did enough swimming to warrant the ownership of one pair!

"Or do you want your dad to wrap them up in a parcel and send them to you?" Patricia asked.

"It'd probably be cheaper that way," Riel said. And it was a good idea too . . . except that they wouldn't get there until next week because mail wasn't running until Monday.

Patricia looked out the window despondently.

"You should've told me you wanted to do this and I would've gotten them sent down here," Riel said.

Patricia sighed.

"Is there anything else you want to do with me other than go swimming?" Riel asked.

"You already told me you don't want to do that," Patricia replied.

"And there's nothing else you want to do?" Riel asked.

"No," Patricia replied.

Riel sighed. He could technically do both of the things she wanted to do with him, but he thought he might as well just save money and get Father to send his swimwear down for the swimming, and the other one he didn't really want to, mainly because of the fact that she was just sixteen. He felt like it wasn't appropriate for him to do that sort of thing, especially being ten years her senior.

Pulling away from the curb, Riel drove. He wasn't exactly sure where he was going to take her, but he didn't want to take her home if she'd wanted to spend the entire day with him. They had to do something together.

Soon he pulled in at the local shopping mall. Patricia hadn't looked at him or said anything to him the whole drive, and she still didn't even as they pulled in.

Riel shut off his SUV and went around to her door. Opening it, he reached over and undid her seatbelt.

"Come on, let's go," he said.

"I don't want to," Patricia replied.

"You wanted to spend the day with me," he said. "And I know we're not going to spend it the way you wanted, but we can still spend it together."

He gently lifted her out of her seat and kissed her lips lightly before settling his hand around her back and guiding her first out of the way of the door so he could close it, and then toward the mall.

Patricia followed him without protest, but said nothing and remained generally despondent as they crossed the parking lot and entered the mall.

Riel felt guilty, but he hoped that some way, somehow, he'd find a way to make her happy without doing what she wanted him to. There were more ways to have fun, and maybe he'd be able to prove it to her."

Tormented: Day 16

Word Count: 96,002

Summary of Events:

Esperanza watched the rain while letting the bruises Zeus had inflicted on her heal and thought about his last visit and plans of escape — hoping he didn't suspect them. Riel inspected the rather worn apartment he'd agreed to rent in Mar del Plata so that he wasn't driving ten hours every day to investigate Esperanza's disappearance and decided it was at least good enough for sleeping in. Esperanza was visited by Ana-Maria and Selene, and they discussed how they should reconnect once they were all back home — and Esperanza and Ana-Maria learned that Selene's real name was Catalina. Riel went to dinner at the restaurant which was part of the resort Esperanza had worked at and a waitress caught his eye that he decided he needed to talk to, not that he was sure why. Esperanza decided to practise sneaking around the house to help with their plans of escape and even tried to sneak into the computer room . . . where she discovered Hercules.

Excerpt of the Day:

""What are you doing here Aphrodite?" he asked.

Esperanza said nothing, she had no reason, she wanted to run away, but she didn't want to arouse his suspicions or make him angry.

"Come in," he said, a softness and gentleness to his expression that made Esperanza feel somewhat dubious.

Being as she didn't want to upset him she stepped forward to enter the room, releasing the knob without worrying about how much noise it made.

"Close the door," Hercules said, gesturing with his chin.

Esperanza did as she was told, again not bothering to be quiet.

Hercules rose from his seat, the sight of him full making Esperanza wish she would've slipped away before he'd noticed her. It was exactly as she'd feared.

"I am sure the original Aphrodite must've looked like you," Hercules whispered. "And it's a shame that she wasn't actually Hercules' love interested. He was too busy being manipulated, I'm pretty sure."

Esperanza didn't really know what he meant, but she stayed where she was and let Hercules approach her. She didn't dare run.

He settled his hands on her shoulders gently and looked into her eyes with a longing and a hunger that Esperanza couldn't call malicious. He wasn't hungry. It almost looked like Sebastian, when he'd gazed at her so tenderly and convinced her to believe that he actually loved her. She wondered if Hercules was trying to do the same thing, or if it was the real thing this time instead.

"From the moment I first saw you I thought you were something special," Hercules said quietly. "The boss did too, but I was the one who asked to see you first. I've never seen a more beautiful woman in my life. I still remember the way you walked toward me; spirited, saucy, virile, the fulfillment of my deepest dreams."

Esperanza thought his words sounded pretty genuine, but she wasn't sure. Sebastian had seemed pretty genuine too.

"I have to admit, I would actually have preferred to have given you a ring that cost as much as I paid for you, and given you a white dress, and made you mine and mine alone, instead of having to let you be shared," Hercules whispered, sliding his hands up her neck softly. "Even though you've beaten me up, I still can't shake it. And it doesn't seem that you can either, if you've come to me like this."

Esperanza wasn't sure she would've wanted to have married him. It would've been a way out of the Compound, but she wasn't entirely sure.

His hands cradled either side of the base of her head gently and slowly he lowered his face, his nose softly sliding alongside hers until his lips made contact.

The passion in his kiss left Esperanza breathless. She felt her heart rate take off. She may well have actually decided to let him marry her if he would've put up the offer. She had a feeling this was the real thing, and it was absolutely incredible beyond belief."

Tormented: Day 15

Word Count: 90,027

Summary of Events:

Esperanza went outside for the first time since her forced abortion and talked with Ana-Maria about trying to speed up their escape plans. Riel returned to court for the first time since his hospitalisation and was greeted by applause from the crowd outside the courthouse and the audience within. Zeus came to visit again and Esperanza asked him to throw another party, but he adamantly refused to do so before September, saying there was noting to celebrate in August. Riel was exhausted by the seemingly repetitive arguments that had come to be the majority of what the trial was made of and finally decided to bring the trial to an end . . . 

Excerpt of the Day:

""As much as I would like to, I cannot force them to do what they will not do, and so with great reluctance, mourning, and difficulty, I must say that I have no further arguments," Riel said, his voice trembling. "I hate to fail the Bello Arechovaletos like this, I hate to fail myself like this, but this is a hill that is futile to be died on. I wish they would try to find Miss Bello Arechovaleto with better effort, but as they will not, I cannot force them to do so."

"If you're so bound and determined to find her why don't you find her yourself?!" the head of the legal team shouted.

Riel startled. Had he not been listening? Why wasn't he rejoicing that he and his team had won victory because he'd just heard the prosecution concede defeat?

"I have been doing what I can to do as much," Riel said, deciding to run with it and not flaunt the fact that he was giving up. "However, if I do not have the case file I do not know what has already been determined by the Mar del Plata police department, and how to best set my course of action."

"Fine then," the head of the legal team said, not quite so loudly. "I move that the trial be adjourned so arrangements can be made for the case file to be transferred and we be rid of this burden."

Riel looked up at the judge. His expression showed puzzlement. He looked at Riel.

"Do you agree with the motion?"

"I see no need for it," Riel replied.

"And why not?!" the head of the legal team demanded.

Riel turned to face him. "If you would've been listening to my closing arguments, you would know why," Riel replied. "However, if it is legally permissible for me to come into possession of the case files, then I would be more than willing to take on the case and see if I can succeed where the defendant has failed, and may not fail the Bello Arechovaletos and myself as badly as I was initially thinking I would."

"So then you will see the trial adjourned?" the judge asked.

"No," Riel replied, looking at the head of the legal team. "I will see the charges dropped, whether or not I receive the case file, and being as the Mar del Plata police department whose unfortunate incompetency has been hereby unequivocally proved has declined to try and regain competency and credibility, will myself, should it even take until the day my last breath is taken, pursue the recovery and restoration of Esperanza Bello Arechovaleto to her family on my own with the same dedication which I've directed toward this trial."

The head of the legal team smiled a smile that Riel couldn't help but feel unsettled by, as it looked rather sinisterly and maliciously pleased. It almost made Riel question whether or not the Mar del Plata police department had chosen corrupt legal counsel that may well itself have been hiding things."