The Herrscher Files

By Daniel Avril

Daniel Avril's first short story collection, The Herrscher Files contains five unique stories from multiple genres ranging from fantasy, sci-fi, and comedy, all telling gripping tales that'll keep you at the edge of your seat. The whole book is about 4000 words in total.

 

The first title in this collection is "The Herrscher's Revenge," which puts you in the shoes of an elite warrior sent to investigate an anomaly that's swallowing his city and threatening its people. While inside the anomaly, he's confronted by a powerful entity called the Herrscher, who manifests to stop him.

The second short story, "The Lantern of Hate," centers around a disgruntled inventor, whose business is all but stripped from him. After stealing the heart of a vengeful spirit from the Special Containment Unit, he plans to amass an army of robots to take revenge on the company that defunded him but gets interrupted when an SCU agent tracks him down.

The third short story, "The Lightning Queen," is set after a great war between two goddesses and a human clan hungry for their power. While waiting for her slain sister to resurrect, the wounded goddess of destruction is ambushed by a human clan and prepares for one final clash.

The fourth short story, "The Blitz Bop Craze," follows a young Cody working from home when he is distracted by an ad featuring a special-edition board game. His obsession with collecting board games, along with an enthusiastic pet fox, compels him to dig into his savings and race to buy the board game before anyone else.

The final short story, "Amaterasu's Haven," is a sci-fi retelling of the popular myth based on the Japanese goddess of the sun. While running a nightclub, Amaterasu prepares for the worst when her meddlesome brother Susanoo visits her, wishing to play a game of chess. She believes he will not cause any trouble.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Daniel Avril
• Release date: Apr 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223088745

Daniel Avril

Daniel Avril writes sci-fi and fantasy short stories and flash fiction with a knack for subverting popular tropes in favor of providing a unique perspective into the stories he creates. He's earning a BFA in Creative Writing at Full Sail University and is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. When not writing stories, he spends his time playing games and catching up on the gaming industry.

Book preview

The Herrscher’s Revenge 

I landed at the bottom of a pitch-black abyss and grinned. Teleportation into the cataclysm was a success. As I steadied my breathing, I held out my hands as my helmet’s light shined on them.

Caleb wasn't kidding when he asked for the jade necklace I had to power this suit; he claimed it could make its wearer become one with water, allowing me to pass into the cataclysm, a black hole.

I flexed my arms, and my new suit’s fiber stretched with me. I struck my left arm, and the force never reached my skin. Within the black hole, I squinted at a shimmering object at a distance. A floating emerald crystal was my first assumption, green light shining through its cracks.

I sprinted toward the crystal, then skidded to a halt and did a double take as I watched a person slip out of it while the crystal morphed and became his garment. My objective was now a hooded figure wrapped in a slender, green robe.

It stretched its arms out. Like a rug being yanked under my feet, it pulled me — pulled the world — toward it. The whole realm stretched like the black hole itself was being vacuumed by the figure.

The elders once warned me of a creature known only as the antithesis