Tales of the Gutters: Fish and the Lady

By Odette Mailly

In the world of Earnth, three great nations rule over the great continent of Lunas. Each nation has its own problems, its own wars, and turmoil that drove people to create the first republic state where people would be free of prejudices of the worldly powers. Ironically named Empire City, this place of refuge eventually became another power grab by world leaders. Instead of land to squabble over, their fighting extended over this new discovery of a dark metal, deep within Earnth, and the mysterious rifts that began to appear when it was mined on a massive level. Over the few hundred years since Empire City's founding, the underbelly has grown in such reknown that it rivals the city's own reputation. For how innovative and progressive Empire City is seen by outsiders, the "Gutters" is just as infamous.

In the seedy docks and lower districts, Georgie "the Fish" Fink is exactly what people assume someone from the Gutters would be like. Rough, ugly, and an average lug of a tough guy, he's seen his fair share of fights and has had to do one too many jobs to stay afloat. He gets a job from a beautiful, mysterious woman to find her sister, a young lady taken to the Gutters, and return her safetly. However, not everything goes according to plan when his heart gets in the way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Odette Mailly
• Release date: Sep 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005319557

Odette Mailly

Part time writer of fantasy smut.

Book preview

~One of many~

Tales of the Gutter:

Fish and the Lady

By Odette Dotty Mailly

Welcome to the first in a series of Tales of the Gutter where we see first hand the worst of Empire City. Each short gives a taste of what the fictional, fantastical world of Earnth as it teeters on the verge of drastic change that will reshape reality as they know it. In Tales of the Gutter, we will be introduced to key events that lead up to the beginning of my upcoming book. Hopefully I’ll come up with a name for it soon.

This and all my work wouldn’t be possible without the many patient, helpful people in my life. Thank you to them and all the work they put in to help.

In the world of Earnth, there are many beautiful and wondrous things.

Georgie Fink, sixth born of his poor mother and given up to the child buyers before he could even balance himself enough to walk, was not one of those things. His memory wasn’t sharp, but they say that the mind blocks out the bad stuff sometimes. Well, so old Georgie believed. If he can’t remember it, there has to be a reason.

He was never cute or well behaved as far as he could recall. The only thing he was ever good for was heavy lifting or the time he spent in the ring where he earned the nickname Fish. Only the fish of the grime-ridden Copious River would ever love a face like his, after all, or so the other unwanted sons and daughters of the Gutter called him. His jaw was too wide, his shoulders too bulky, and, though he grew into a man, he was huge and brutish. His skin was richly tanned, but pocked with unsightly scars that left his already ugly mug mutilated. Dark hair like his just made him receive extra glances for being a Mimigirian and it didn’t help that he felt this-- for the lack of a better word-- urge not to cut it. Of all the damn things a stupid brute like him to be particular about, it was his dumb, long hair that he spent a good hour every morning washing then braiding.

        As with all children sold and expected to survive the Gutter, especially one born of a slave mother from Mimigiri , life was anything but easy. Thick calluses and layers of scars had been amassed from the countless brawls and odd jobs. His knuckles had an unsightly bulge to them and his fingers were hardened. Each digit equaled the diameter of an overstuffed sausage and looked like they’d been left out in the sun for too long. His nose had been broken and bruised so many times, he had to often pop it from one side to the other as an adult.

        Like most stupid lugs of the Gutter, Georgie Fish Fink, had to learn to fight, to get tough, and survive by any means possible unless he wanted to end up floating down the old Copious River. One of the first lessons he taught himself was how to fight dirty outside the ring. Fighting dirty meant it could end quick and ending it quick meant less chances for things to go sideways. It didn’t matter how short