《Isekai Gundam (Reboot)》Episode 27: War on the Horizon (Part 3)
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The caravan of Duke Richard Grande Headington was stopped along the road. The various people that made up said convoy were marveling at the wonderous beauty of the Arcadian Commonwealth. Although, to be precise, they were marveling at the massive flying city in front of them, rather than the scenic countryside. As they watched the floating island which was just under 4 times the size of Manhattan, a massive, oddly shaped beast was seen coming from one of several large rectangular holes in the side of the island.
The beast flew towards them and then landed gently 300 meters away. It towered overhead, and the knights in the employ of Duke Headington made ready to fight. The beast’s belly opened up, like a massive maw, and the entourage presumed that they would be swallowed whole. In a matter of speaking, they were not wrong. The modified Medea was designed to carry human-sized passengers, and thus the Ducal convoy was surprised when a group of humans walked out from the massive ‘beast’. While still apprehensive about the nature of the ‘monster’ in front of them, the knights inched forward towards the waiting humans at the base of the Medea.
…
It had been a few hours since the knights had been informed of the nature of the ‘monster’ that they were prepared to face and they in turn had informed the Duke and his entourage of the Medea’s capabilities. By now the Medea was loaded up with the whole convoy and all personnel, free and otherwise. With all passengers and cargo secured, the large doors closed shut and the Medea lifted off with a lurch before it took to the sky and made a beeline for the floating island it had come out of. This modified Medea was not designed for transporting high-value people, and thus had only basic amenities. In many ways it was less like a flying cruise ship and more like an oversized and oddly shaped commercial airplane. You could get small cups of ice water, a single small cup of soda and a single small complimentary bag of pretzels, peanuts or cookies.
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Needless to say; with the opinion of the Duke and most of the Human Lands having dropped below zero, almost every expense was spared in transporting the Ducal convoy to the sky island. Arkhan had actually planned for this to happen, or to be precise he had several plans in place depending on how first contact went. The words his MSGs had spoken at the border was specifically designed to test the waters and see if any positive relations would be possible. Unfortunately, his fears of overt religious fanaticism being the norm were proved true, and so the current plan was put in place.
Arkhan knew that for such a nation, his policies were blasphemy and he himself would be seen as a traitor to the human race and a heretic, not that he cared. All this meant was that hostilities were inevitable, something Arkhan had known would be true, one way or another. He had a good idea, based on reconnaissance from the sky, that the nations closer to the easternmost nation would be the most fanatical in their faith. As you would expect, the nations closest to the Theocracy were indeed the most devoted to their dogma, and the ones farther away were less overtly zealous. What Arkhan hadn’t counted on was the fact that the nobles and knights would use being outwardly zealous as a way to rise through the ranks, and that this would ultimately stain their minds from being merely partial believers to fanatical ones.
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The Medea docked in one of the many hangar bays in the artificial sky island and as the passengers disembarked, the flight crews and airport staff had to work hard not to both laugh and gag as the Duke slowly waddled his stinky and stained body past them. As the Duke’s party finally exited the airport, the sight they saw before them both amazed and infuriated them.
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What amazed them was the massive technological might that surrounded them, they had no idea that all of this had not existed less then five years ago and assumed that this had been built ages ago during what was known as ‘The Lost Age of Splendor’. It was said that in the Lost Age that life was so easy that everyone, even the poorest of people could live as kings; that both men and women danced among the stars and all the mysteries of creation were answered. It was even said that magic first came into existence during the Lost age, and that its misuse led not only to the downfall of the first civilization, but the rise of monsters and the other races.
The dogma of the church preached that the downfall was caused by the various non-human races attempting to usurp humanity and rise out of the position of slavery that had been the norm. That was part, but not all of why the free people of the ducal convoy were so angry. In this place, this place that rivaled the imagination of those who dreamed of the Lost Age, Beastmen and other Non-Humans were walking around as free as could be, talking with humans on equal footing and some even flirting with and being flited at by humans! Everything the Holy Gospel said NOT to do regarding Non-Humans was being done here, in front of them.
What sickened them the most, however, was the various Human/Non-Human couples who, based on the golden rings on their fingers were wed to each other. What made matters even more dangerous was a group of several men dressed in black pants, white long-sleeved dress shirts and black ties who approached them and asked them if they had heard the word of the Great God, Arkhan. It was at this point, Arkhan’s plan entered its next stage as the Duke snapped and ordered his knights to slaughter the ‘Heathens, Traitors, Blasphemers, Heretics and Sub-Humans’.
Before the knights could even begin to attack, several MSGs appeared from thin air and knocked the knight unconscious with a mix of Heat Rods, heavy melee strikes and Shield Bash attacks. The Duke and his subordinates were arrested on the charge of multiple accounts of attempted murder and thanks to the knowledge from the Beastmen, Dwarven and Elvish Kingdoms the slaves of the Duke were freed to much celebration and joyful weeping.
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Scorched - The Winter Winds (LitRPG)
Frank Ebner once wanted to save the world. Let the second one be better than the first. On Earth he was a student of... well it hardly matters anymore. It was dying, and he and the rest of his fellows and friends studying how to stave off the end graduated just in time to be told it was too late. That there was not enough time, funds, will, to stop it anymore. That the governments and the worthies of the world had moved from trying to stop it, to surviving the oncoming apocalypse, while blaming each other. That was a world Frank wanted nothing to do with. One riven by wars for places in the Archologies going up, and between them and the dying world they were leaving behind. So when a strange voice offered him a way out, to a world unmarred by the poison killing his? Frank took it. The voyage changed him, made him fit his new world, one of stats and magic. It came with perks, for in passing through their Heavens, they'd been exposed to Divinity, and taken some of the Celestial within them. Heroes now, but there are heroes, and there are Heroes. The nobility of the Empire care only for those who carry blessed bloodlines, and their time to adapt and train up for the new world is limited. Patrons are scarce among those like Frank, with only the base Hero perks, and magic studies expensive and lengthy. Often requiring heavy Oaths to gain the necessary aid to wield mana as a mage. Frank found another way. It nearly cost him his life. Now on the run and burned by the very magic he sought and craved, he is a pilgrim traveling to the The Eternal Tree, font of Perseverance. Frank hopes Ir-karlak will grant him some way to recover from the fires that scorched him. Without snuffing out the embers those fires lit within, for he has learned to harness them and he would not give up magic for the world. *** In the last 21 days, as I update this, I've managed about 18-19 updates. So Scorched should update most days, muse willing. She's fickle, sometimes. Not every day, but most. If there's an update for the day, it will be at 7PM, GMT+2. *[participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge] Actually completed it. :) *
8 393From Beast to Man and Back Again
Chaise is a half-beast child. He got separated from his mother, and she hasn't returned to find him. So now he must survive by himself until he can find her. To do so he needs to be stronger. Humanity finds him first. The old magician who found Chaise runs a top class academy, Chaise agrees to come with him and join the academy in exchange for magic and combat traing. To get stronger he's willing to put up with all the different races and people who go there, and all there silly ways.
8 82Beyond the Veil
Martin's life would never be the same. He somehow survived a massacre by shady men in black, only to discover they were conspiring with the police. What was he going to do now? But where one life ends, another life begins. One that will learn of magic, and the world beyond the veil. This is a complete rewrite of my first story, The World Beyond the Veil. This is not the same story. Not even a single sentence has been copy-pasted from the original fiction. Readers of the original will recognize a lot of elements, but there are more and more differences as the story progresses. The fiction is planned as a trilogy. The first volume is published. Regarding one of the tags:Sexual Content: There are no explicit sex scenes in the story. On the other hand, it is definitely a story meant for an adult audience, with plenty of references to sex and genitalia. If you're not comfortable with that, maybe steer away from this story. I am very interested in feedback. Let me know if you spot a plot hole or something else that seem off to you.
8 124Lord of Goblins
Corruption. Greed. War. Lev is no stranger to the evils of the world, having spent a lifetime fighting the predatory system that ensnared the world's population and turned them into puppets for the leaders of humanity. But after being assassinated, he finds himself in a new world—one with different yet familiar evils. It's a similar road he must traverse, but this time he can do so with a lifetime of experience behind him. Read Volume 1 on Amazon: Click Here Discord: Click Here
8 93Soulblade
Magic is a dangerous tool, wielded by Soulblades. They are necessary for the survival of humanity, but when an uncontrolled Soulblade can potentially destroy entire cities by accident, it only makes sense that heavy regulations are put in place to prevent such accidents. Cassian is a revolutionary who has stumbled onto the truth of magic and is willing to use it for the freedom of his fellow Soulblades. Darian is a king who only wants his people to thrive under his rule. Kara is a Soulblade Guardian, burdened with the responsibility of exterminating any Soulblades who fall out of line.
8 84The Participants
Zack Vernon is an immortal Observer sent to watch the world on behalf of the Creator. When his suicide attempt fails spectacularly and earns him a spot on the national news, the other Observers are drawn to him. They believe Zack to be the reincarnation of a rebellious Observer from a previous world. Several of them plan to punish him for the sins they believe he committed. One of them wants back the man she has loved through hundreds of worlds. But Zack remembers nothing before the present. All he wants is a chance to end his life.
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