Fight, Flight, or Freeze: The Healer's Story - Chapter 21: Only One

A conversation with a handsome stranger leaves Ariane chained in a cellar with a strange affliction. She soon discovers that the darkness of the nineteenth century’s Deep South hides many dangers. Mages, wolf shifters and the humans who hunt them play a risky game where to stumble is to die, all under the amused gaze of the apex predators of the supernatural world: vampires.

It is never healthy to attract the gaze of the aristocracy of the night. It takes much to survive in this merciless world, but Ariane will not let that deter her. The southern belle has a bite, and she is willing to learn and to grow in this hostile new world. She will use whatever means necessary to reclaim her freedom, be it guile, charm, or those intriguing new instincts that make blood so delectable.

This is a story of vampires as I believe they should be, with their strengths and weaknesses, with their remnants of humanity and the beast inside. Updates every Friday. Mind the tags.

Cover by Antti Hakosaari: https://www.artstation.com/haco

Special thanks to Svensonsen for getting me started, as well as Omi Nya, Hesketh, Rhaegar, Yaksher, Selkie and Raven for proofreading my stuff. Thanks to my patrons and you dear readers, for the support. I could not do it without you.

Journey is on Amazon, both in ebooks and audio. here is a link to the first one:

https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B08DK6G8Y8

The story probably exists in your local marketplace as well of I can tempt you.

An unsealed condom package shattered her steadfast adherence to and fantasies about love, causing the beliefs she had clung to in her heart to collapse in an instant. Liman discovered that not only had her husband been unfaithful, he had also transferred assets and even tried to frame her to get her to leave with nothing.Facing her husband's betrayal, Liman began to seek vengeance!

Billions of Humans transmigrated to another dimension, each became a Land Ruler at the start and owned a castle. Each Land Ruler would draw a random starting Soldier-type Building, used to arm their castles. Recruit more soldier-types, plunder resources, and dominate the world! Some drew the Sacred Palace of Knights from the start and commanded troops of knights to crush all obstacles in its way, ruling over vast lands. Some drew the Goblin Cave, developed castle trade, and became renowned dirty profiteers. Of course, more people only drew the most unremarkable soldier-types: Goblins, Lizard Man, Skeleton Soldiers…… These people could only kneel before the powerful Land Rulers and serve them as slaves. But Mike was an exception. His starter soldier-type building was, Dragon Nest! Glacial Dragon, Hellfire Dragon, Undead Dragon, Black Dragon…... When one after another dragon egg appeared before Mike, he suddenly felt that…...conquering the World seemed quite manageable?

I, Ichinosuke, failed to get a job for 100 consecutive times. Furthermore, my record is still being updated as unemployed.

On my way to a job interview, I was involved in an accident with a truck and tragically passed away.

And then, a Goddess bestowed upon me the ability to grow at a speed 400 times faster than normal, before sending me to a game-like otherworld.

However, knowing that I would not become stronger even if I continued growing while jobless, I aimed to get a job, but I found out that it was my terrible fate to remain jobless.

As my Growth Cheat and Jobless Cheat existed side-by-side in this otherworld, an adventure record, no doubt certified by the job-placement agency as a harmful book, begins here.