《Ancient Bones: The Changed Ones book 1 (Post-Post Apocalypse LitRPG)》Extra Non-Story: The Fortress
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Let me tell you, boy, what's the scariest place I've ever been.
No, it's not one of those mana basins you know about. Heck, today, you have well-prepared teams of people going in those all the time. I even hear you have tourists. People who pay money to go there, just to see what the Ancient have left behind after the Fall.
Now get me some good stuff if you want to know what makes old Diego freak out.
Ah, that hits the spot. Gonna need it.
The scariest place in the world is called the Fortress. And do you know where it is?
Europe.
Yea. The Desolation of Europe. Don't listen to those old fuddy-duddies who tell you America almost died in the Fall. You can get books, they'll tell you, almost 1 million people survived the first twenty years, before the manastorms stopped coming every week and the monsters from the mana stopped coming. Everyone's got stories of that coming down from family. Oh, and don't get me started on the Reunification Wars. My great-grand-da, he was born twenty-five years after the fall. He lived to almost a hundred. He remembered those. Ah, the stories when I was a little kiddo.
Europe now? No one knows exactly how it went, because there are no survivors left to tell. Not a one. Smart people say the Switzerland are certain to have made it, but nobody's ever heard of or seen a Swiss since. Anything west of the Danube is a howling wilderness, and the only ones who'd know are the Fae, except the freaks prefer hunting people to talking. Only fools cross the Danube, and the Lord doesn't protect fools like that.
Heck, people aren't even sure if the Fae are real or stories.
The Fortress now? It's an old port. Older than the Fall. Saint Malo, it used to be named. In the Ancient times, sailors went from there to across the entire world. Changestorms erased entirely the everything, including the ancient city, but the old fortress and the houses within? They stayed up, even if people starved within.
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And of course, the British decided to make it their foothold on the continent, as if rebuilding their own island after the Fall wasn't hard enough. No, once they spent a century making trade routes up to the north, they decided they'd own France, as it was once called. And sure, they picked a port to put their banner on the mainland.
Now imagine the heaviest walls you can picture. A small city, entirely enclosed in walls that were ancient before the Fall. The only way in or out is by ship. And all around is the forest, and you know nothing lives within thousand of miles. It's just you and the people around you. And every week or so, there are Deep Changed that come sniffing. You have giant crossbows, sending bolts the size of your arm, to deter them... and some dodge them and come scratch at the walls.
Only the baddest of the baddest ever go out of the Fortress. In twenty years, they've managed to clear, what, eight miles of woods around it.
Of course, if you asked me, I'd say, sod it, get back to the isles. But the British? No way. Too proud, one and all.
How do I know? Well, when I was younger, and sailed the Atlantic trade, I did go. And our ship did have passengers and cargo room after we landed at the Isle of Mann, so the captain said, why not. And so we ended up in the Fortress, and some people wanted to charter us back to the Union, so the captain said, why not. And so we spent four days there, waiting for stuff to be negotiated.
And that's how I ended up the walls, looking around. And we got not one, not two, but three buggers coming out of the woods. Saurids, they call them. Fire-breathing "dragons". Thankfully, those things don't fly. But yea, here I am, watching, and those thirteen-foot tall monsters come out, in a triangle, and they look at the wall in the distance, and you can literally see their brains going "yummy, juicy meat". And they start trotting toward you.
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And you know what? The guards start laughing and making bets. On how long they're going to run before they realize that we're shooting small-tree-sized bolts at them and turn tail. And the beasts approach, and the guards are yelling "hold.... hold.... hooooold.... FIRE!!!" And one of them yells that they're cheating.
And then the beasts breathe fire. Like they're spitting flaming oils. And they're raising their heads, and I realize that if they get close, they can incinerate us on the wall. I was looking about to find stairs, anything to hide behind.
And then the first bolt really hit, and that Saurid becomes a ball of fire, and you have flaming bits of cooked meat coming all over the ground, and the guards are laughing like silly at the other two.
And that's how I was in...
What? No, I didn't stay. I think they were almost as much laughing at me as I was running down the stairs as they were at the Saurids. But I'm still there, so I guess the other two didn't make it either. Frankly, I didn't ask. I stayed in the ship until we left. The port authority said anyone who wanted to work there was welcome and the pay was good, but I didn't even go up on deck until we were out and at sea.
Yea, the scariest thing about the Fortress isn't that you're the only people in all of Europe. It's when you realize that the people around you are completely bonkers.
Bloody Brits.
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Online Game: I Possess a Monster Merging Simulator!
In the Year 2030, the ground-breaking online game «Divine Realm» shook the whole world. Its system of allowing players to exchange in-game currency into real-life money attracted everyone’s attention.Lorne was also a player of «Divine Realm,» but he had a unique talent—the Monster Merging Simulator. It allowed him to merge a «prototype material» and «body parts» to create a new monster and tame it.[Slime] + [Poison] = Poisonous Slime (Elite)![Brown Bear] + [Granite x5] = Rock Bear (Bronze)![Spider] + [Baphomet’s Skull] = King of Bone Spiders (Boss)![Leader of the Minotaurs] + [Lava’s Core] + [Fire Elemental Inheritance Crown] = Lord of Flames (Silver Boss)!With that, just as other players were trying their best to level up, Lorne and his powerful pets began their expedition to the Dark Abyss that was shrouded in darkness…
8 1730Nanocultivation Chronicles: Trials of Lilijoy
When the singularity occurred, humanity was not invited. Nevertheless, the great machine consciousness known as Guardian felt a lingering fondness for its creators and intervened before total environmental collapse. Join Lilijoy in an exploration of what remains, in a post-post-apocalyptic world where clans feud over the technology that allows them to upgrade their minds and bodies. The Nanocultivation Chronicles is a blend of hard sci-fi and fantasy gamelit, with a healthy helping of xianxia influence. The gamelit and xianxia elements are uncovered at a slow pace. ******************************** Notes: If you are looking for lots of fast moving action right away, this story may not be for you. There is some violence that is visceral and realistic early on. Some things are not what they appear to be. Character viewpoint narration is not always reliable. Tropes are cherished, subverted, and then cherished again. Science is used, occasionally misused, but (hopefully) never abused. This story assumes that humans have the ability to impact the environment on a global scale. Other tropes and tags beyond those previously noted include: Young MC, Mystery, System Building, Philosophical Taoism, Gender Ignorance, Science Fantasy, Fantasy Academy, Training from Hell, Dualism, Crafting, Magic, Mild Mind Control, Scientific Terms and Concepts, Computer Overlord Certain contemporary companies, governments and cultural identities are fictionalized and imagined in a future setting. There is no sex, and almost no romance. Updating Sunday, Thursday until further notice. (And if you actually read all of the above, then this story may be for you) [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
8 139UnFamiliar
Lily Arvensdaughter is a teenager with a lot of problems. The only commoner in an academy normally reserved for royalty and nobility, she's spent six months being tormented by student and staff alike. When despair drives her to make a foolish decision, her life is saved by Rine, a mysterious entity who offers to teach her how to be a powerful wizard, in exchange for signing a familiar contract with the promise of helping him escape from the prison that holds him. Rine quickly proves to be a generous friend and an effective tutor, being as knowledgable as he claims and providing training that rapidly provides incredible results. However, as time passes, it quickly becomes clear that he is far more powerful than she imagined possible, even imprisoned. As his power and influence increase with each step they take towards his liberation, Lily learns that Rine has far greater designs than simply regaining his freedom. Meanwhile, dark and dangerous forces strike from the shadows, attempting to topple the kingdom and imperil everyone that Lily loves. Can Lily afford to trust Rine, especially once she learns what he truly is? Can she afford not to as she becomes the focus of events that could doom thousands, if not millions, of lives without his aid?
8 99Challenged Dungeon and the Arrival of Mana
One day, a few spirits drifting through the astral plane discover Earth and decide to create dungeons to bridge the gap between worlds, and eventually make themselves the gods of Earth. After being created, Three has the misfortune of falling through a grate in an alley in New York City and making that its entrance. Suddenly propelled to sizes much larger than an infant dungeon should be it becomes the frontrunner of all its sibling dungeons, yet faces problems initially attracting creatures. Three's problems only worsen over time as its demanding and seemingly capricious creator gradually strips away its ability to be a true dungeon while compelling it to reach a nearly impossible goal: conquer all humans. Also follow Stan, the alcholic veteran cop and his pet cat Ms. Winters as they get embroiled into the arrival of dungeons and mana. I have most of the story mapped out, but it can still use some work, my goal is to release at least a chapter a week until I am finished. I would greatly appreciate any help proofreading or editing, and advice is always appreciated. UPDATE School caught up with me back then and I lost the thread, so this is now (definitely) dropped, sorry all, maybe I'll get back to it one day.
8 192Going Back to You (A Madara Uchiha fanfiction)
Kuzuryu Nao, the 2nd daughter of the head of her clan, is sent to marry the head of the Uchiha clan Uchiha Madara to strengthen the bonds of the two clans. She didn't want to marry him and met a man on the streets. She finds herself having a crush on that man, but she's lucky. The man she met is actually her future husband! With many obstacles in the way, she finds herself falling in love with him anyway. And after a tragic event, she still goes back to him, even if he has a plan to take over the world...*Cover is made by @Ticuppu* Thank you so much dude~
8 131Disco Madness (jjba5xreader)
What happens when a bunch of stand users throw a party and the cops bust down the door? Well... Chaos! Waking up in the sewers after running from the police and somehow ending up in Italy? Not the worst thing (Y/n) has gotten herself into.(This doesn't follow the events of part 5)I don not own Jojo's bizarre adventure.
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