《Princess》Bonus Chapter !
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[Recording Mode - Self-Analysis. - Prototype: Detective... Active.]
I had one hand up, holding the bridge of my fedora in place as my jogging steps brought me closer to my destination.
Even here in the middle of Vale the sea breeze reached out. There was salt in the air, and the unwary risked losing their hats to a passing gale.
Head tilted forwards, I let the waning sun cast long shadows over eyes that saw more than any mere humans could. This was a nice place. Warmer than back home, though with that same tang of Burn Dust in the air from passing cabs. Smoke from the industrial sector a few streets over choked the air like the tang of cigarette smoke from the listless teens loitering at every street corner.
A nice place, if you didn’t have a sense of smell.
The police officers on the steps of the VPD headquarters moved out of my path, wise enough to sense that I was dangerous, that I was not to be trifled with. I caught one man’s curious gaze, and gave him a firm nod when he was able to hold mine without blinking.
Maybe the coppers in Vale weren’t so bad after all. They certainly didn’t measure up to those back home, not if they needed to bring me in for one case.
A big case, sure, probably, no, definitely the biggest in my career as a detective, but still. Didn’t Vale have any pride in their own boys in blue?
Gloved hands slid out of the pockets of my long canvas trench-coat and pushed the double doors of the old building aside. I stood there, coat pooling around my legs, hat tilting back as I raised my head and scanned the lobby with narrowed eyes
A pretty dame behind a waist-high counter caught my attention, just a gal doing her job, but cute for all that. Still, I wasn’t here on any sort of vacation, this was work. “I’m here for Chief Blue,” I told her as I came close, my raspy voice twisted by the stem of the pipe hanging by the edge of my mouth.
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The gal blinked dumbly, taking in the stranger in the station’s entrance for a few long seconds before turning towards her computer screen. “Did you have an appointment, ma’am?” she asked me.
I snorted. “I’m not paid enough for this,” I muttered just loud enough to be heard. “Yeah, I’ve got an appointment,” I said.
“Um, alright. Chief Blue’s office is on floor three, near the back,” the gal said, gesturing with a nod to the row of lifts to our side. The lobby area was only just big enough to allow a line to form next to the elevators.
“Thank, love,” I said before moving on, coat flapping out behind me like the ruined cape of the worst sort of hero.
Waiting in line wasn’t my forte, but at least it let me observe without standing out. I needed to see how things were done here in Vale, especially if they expected me to do things their way.
When I finally stepped off on the third floor it was to be assaulted by orderly chaos. The main room of the VPD headquarters was a bustling hive of activity, the boys and girls in blue rushing about, answering calls and only occasionally gathering by the water cooler off to one side to jaw with their peers.
I had to admit that I liked it. Chaotic it might have been, but there was something fresh about it, like a clear sky after the snow. Nodding to myself, I moved in, side stepping a couple of bearded men who were arguing over some sheets and waiting for a trolley full of papers to roll by.
The chief of police’s office was easy to find. A plaque hung by the door, bronze words held in a brass frame. The windows looking into the office were masked by blinds but I could see motion within.
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I knocked, and the low hum of chatter from within the office ceased. The door creaked open and I found myself staring at a half dozen men crammed into what might have been a spacious office if there weren’t so many souls in it.
But what was one more?
I stepped in, nodding to the man that had opened the door for me even as he blinked back dumbly. Chief Blue had to be the older man behind the desk. Balding, past his prime, and with a gut that showed a serious need to lay off the pastries. “Who in the hells are you?” he asked.
I doffed my hat, red hair tumbling down to just above the nape of my neck. I knew I probably looked young to all the veterans in the room. If only they know. “I’m the envoy from Atlas,” I said even as my free hand reached into my coat and pulled out a crisp letter.
The police chief took it with a snap, opening the edge of the envelope with a swipe of a thumb. He read while the room warmed up and sweat started to pool on the foreheads of the men around me. I knew he had reached the end with his lips turned up and he scoffed. “Well, I won’t, and can't say no to more help. But this so called Grimm Girl is the last of our problems right now,” he said.
“Oh?” I asked.
He nodded, then eyed the others in the room as if deciding how much to spill. “Couple of gangs have been hit. Most of the sellers on the streets are nervous or missing. I’d usually be more than happy about that, but something’s fishy,” he said.
“Maybe it’s linked to my case,” I ventured. Maybe it was a clue!
“Doubt it,” he said. “Are you ready to start just like that, Detective, uh,” he started to lift the page again, but I stopped him with a dismissive gesture, replacing my hat as I did so. The fedora sat at a jaunty angle, the brim shading my eyes just like all the characters in the movies I studied.
“I’m P. Polendina. And I’m Detective ready!”
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The Long and Exciting Life of Kreet the Kobold (Life 3)
The final act. Kreet has been whisked away by the Resurrection Stone to caverns she's not seen before, inhabited by wild kobolds and something else. Meanwhile Kallid and their children begin a long, perilous trek to find her.
8 206The Jianghu
Authors note: I appreciate feedback! Part of the reason I am releasing my chapters here is to benefit from reader feedback. If you have the time, please leave a review! Brian has lost everything he has ever held dear. Everyone who cared for him has died, in the most tragic manner possible. He no longer knows what to do. He sees no hope for the future in a world where anyone he loves will die. What is the point in trying in this reality if it all leads to sadness?And then along came the Ingenium, the worlds first true Virtual Reality device. And The Jianghu, a Wuxia-themed Virtual Reality MMO, came with it. Brian doesn't understand it yet, but he feels that both are connected with his dead parents and Uncle Jie. With the intent of figuring out what that connection is, or at least forgetting about his tragedy, he enters The Jianghu.
8 132Re: Butler - Otaku Butler meets his Master in Another World?
Sora dreams to become butler when he grows up ever since he's otaku blood got addicted to a specific butler series. Now he's sixty something years old and is serving a super secret academy for butlers president. Is he enjoying his life? No he isn't! Why? Because the master he is serving is not what he had in mind. What will he do? Ah just nothing important really, just get reborn in another world and find an ojou-sama. It isn't that difficult right? Synopsis from God: Well... I made a blunder. I gave infinite possibility of mana to my world. And now a random duchebag chanted some words and puff! No one can be born, I mean they can be born but won't have a soul, so... They are basically dead. So now because of that duchebag I'm now gambling with other gods. What's the prize for them? My universe. What's my prize? Purified souls from their universe. And the results, one word, R-E-I-N-C-A-R-N-A-T-I-O-N. Lets make babies everyone! Oh might as well let some of them retain their memories. I'm the God of entertainment for some reason no? Author Notes: My first series so please support me, ok? Started from 29 July 2016, re-edited 18 December. New chapter at least once a year, I promise! Cover original image from the series "Hayate no Gotoku!" Edited by WinterZaek. There will be many fictional characters from different works entering this Story.
8 161The Strongest Species
Humanity won. In the war against the supreme dragons, humanity wrested victory from the literal jaws of the dragons. The strongest species lost their title and was cast down in history as ancient creatures, devoid of any civilization. Their cities, culture, and civilization were completely wiped out, with only the oldest of mages and greatest of anarchs remembering them. Humanity took the achievements of this immortal race and claimed it as their own. Humanity flourished. Now, a thousand years after the war, humanity has forgotten this primordial race. Unbeknownst to even the greatest of humanity's saints, the dragons did not lose to humanity just because of humanity. They had their own hand in their own defeat. But just like they were a cause in their own destruction, they will cause their rebirth without the help of any creature. The dragons will rise again. It's time to reclaim the title of the strongest species.
8 179Taming the Rogue
Demi Lovato, the new teacher at the local private school. After growing up watching her dad teach, she wanted nothing more than to follow in his footsteps, so here she is, at the same exact school, taking over his exact position. What her father failed to mention was the Dean's daughter, Harlow Luna Rouge, was hell on Earth for many. Maybe, just maybe, all a Rouge needs is to be tamed.
8 140Braden x Oc
8 117