Fantasy World Vol 4 - Desertion: Fantasy World: The Explorers, #4

By J Clair and Julius St. Clair

"It's like the Lord of the Rings meets Star Trek." - Book Reviewer

Captured by a desert band of marauders, Expedition One finds themselves recruited in a conflict against a rival faction to earn their freedom.

As they prepare for either escape or a brutal fight, Willa Kinsler - a housewife turned soldier - reminisces about the events that took her from her luxurious, happy home to the battlefield.

Fantasy World takes place on the planet of Naropa, containing stories written by multiple authors. This is the flagship series - a group of explorers that seek out the mysteries of its world, naive to the fantastic beauty and the crippling terror they will soon face.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fantasy World Books
• Release date: Jan 29, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224853038

Book preview

RECAP

In an unknown solar system,

On an uncharted, nameless planet the size of Jupiter,

Past the Wind River Mountains,

And behind the Lasting Wall,

Lies a society composed of three distinct communities:

Musgrave

Hearth

And Comida.

For various reasons both personal and existential,

An expedition team is formed by the idealist, Tristan Thames.

To go beyond the Lasting Wall and find hope for their warring communities.

They quickly come across many dangers:

A betrayal in their midst

A sentient forest that seeks to devour them.

A giant that does not know if they are friend or foe,  

And a mysterious and powerful man seeking to experiment on them named Naaman.

Putting their differences aside and joining forces with an old Sorcerer,

They overcome their obstacles, but not without loss.

The old Sorcerer, the decades-old protector of their communities, dies.

Now the protection falls upon the newly formed band of travelers.

They venture further into the strange world and come across a desert.

They encounter a child named Max, along with his raiding group.

Max is determined to make them his slaves,

But they will not fall now.

They will fight.

And do everything they can to win. 

Not to mention,

They have Momo.

Chapter 1 – Another Battle

They were surrounded, but Tristan met the problem head on. He tapped Amy and Desmond on the back of their shoulders, signaling them to step back. They performed the same act on those in front of them, but no one notified Momo.

Her job was not suited for the background.

She unsheathed her blade slowly, letting Max and the riders take in the glint of the steel. Max was not impressed, though he made sure that he stayed off to the side. The circle surrounding Expedition One widened to create distance.

One of the impatient riders charged his horse towards Momo’s back. His brothers-in-arms began howling and shouting to drown out any noise of his approach, but Momo was alert. The horse was on the brink of barreling into her when she spun backwards and out of the way. She extended her sword towards the rider’s back and managed to stab under his shirt. Steel sliced into skin as she kept the blade’s dull back against his heavy shirt, preventing it from being cut through. With one swift motion, she pulled him off the horse and into the sand. He cried out and clutched at his back. It was not a shallow cut, but Momo had put no strength into it either. The circle widened.

Don’t be scared, Max shouted. Fight the others then! They’re not fighting!

Sure, we aren’t, Willa said, stepping next to Momo. She cracked her knuckles and motioned to Momo. Mind if I get a little help? I’m burning up.

Momo looked back at her in confusion. Willa had put one arm in her shirt so that it was no longer in her sleeve, and she had taken the other hand and extended the empty sleeve out as far as she could. After a few seconds, Momo understood. She sliced away the sleeve with her sword. Willa exposed her bare arm and they subsequently cut off Willa’s other sleeve, creating a tank-top out of the cotton long sleeve. Willa’s muscular arms were now exposed for all to see, and what they declared was that she was no novice.

Willa cracked her knuckles again, flexing her biceps for the riders to witness. She knew that intimidation was all a part of the battle.

Cameron handed the cocoon that Balin was captured in to Desmond. I can’t let the girls have all the fun, he said, taking off his coat.

Tristan laughed. I’m surprised that you didn’t do that sooner.

I wasn’t trying to reveal my hand too soon. I like everyone thinking I’m a pushover. When Cameron was done removing his coat and rolling up his sleeves, Tristan could see what Cameron was talking about. He was quite toned in physique, showing off years of hard work. Cameron closed his eyes and let the sun’s rays bake him, his dark brown skin glistening under the heat. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and then walked over to Momo. He nodded at her and smiled. We’ll follow your lead, he said.

Momo rushed forward, heading straight for the riders in front of Max. Max backed his horse up a little, surprised that he was