A Salve for the Bloodless

Two tales of magic and medicine, separated by generations and continents, yet bound by blood. Ever since her father’s passing, Aoife Griffin carries one creed as she navigates the increasingly hostile city of Thameside: that she must protect and guide what’s left of her family. Hers is a life of trials. Whether it be to nurse her bedbound mother or to survive the underground fight club from which she earns her keep, she takes to them head-on, aided by innate powers she herself doesn’t understand. But when a long-lost relative from a distant land comes knocking, and the fight club’s enigmatic commissioner ups the stakes, Aoife is forced to confront her own insecurities and test the limits of her abilities. Thousands of miles away, in Far Eastern Temasek, Dr Rui Tao is about to venture out of his own comfort zone. Inspired by his adventurer sister, the budding Radiologist attaches himself to a deadly quest, determined to learn why more adventurers are dying to the monsters they hunt. What he learns—and the price he pays for the discovery—will forever change the course of his life and of the millennia-old conflict between man and Malady. What to expect: This is a story I wrote years ago, long before I'd even learned of Royal Road. In fact, it's probably the first novel I managed to finish from beginning to end. I just never published or uploaded it anywhere, and it's sat collecting dust in my hard drive all this time. This is just me finally giving it a home. I have uploaded the book in its entirety (roughly 130,000 words). I don't intend to move it anywhere else. It'll live here on Royal Road in perpetuity, as a token of my appreciation for a community that's been such a big part of my writing journey. I won't lie, it's definitely rough. There are many things I'd fix, cut, trim, rewrite, etc if I ever have the time to go back to it. But there are also parts I'm genuinely proud of, and I hope readers who've enjoyed my other stories will find something to like about this one too. The book was originally intended as part of a now abandoned trilogy, but I do feel it's tied up nicely enough to masquerade as a standalone. (With the glaring exception of the epilogue, but I'll warn you guys about it when you get there 😅) No system, no progression. Basically a traditional fantasy with some non-traditional elements. Also tons of medical jargon, but I'm pretty sure you don't need to look them up to enjoy the story. Anyway, do check it out if you're at all interested!