《Spread of Chaos》Ch 5 - Deal Breaker
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Leon and most of the class find the information provided by the boxes easy enough to understand. Some consider themselves to be gamers and even those that don't live in a society where simple exposure fills in the gaps.
Poking about the box does nothing, but eventually, Rainie Summers informs the class they just have to think about what they want it to do. An avid gamer, Leon isn't surprised he's one of the first to figure something like that out.
This world may not be a game, Bobby Mindal's death should have cleared that up for everyone, but, there is no denying these info boxes are definitely gamelike.
As Bahai and Moorzu prod the children to move faster, Leon notices River Aldrich pick up Bobby's shield. They were close and everyone knew it was only a matter of time before he would have asked her out. The tears in her eyes were haunting to the rest of the students, most of which gave her space. Peace, her sister, and Rielly her best friend walked with her speaking too low for Leon to hear. Harrold, a good friend of Bobby's, walks quietly behind them, head down and lost in his own thoughts.
Thinking of River and Bobby's loss made Leon want to spend his time with Samantha, so he started to walk towards her. She was walking with and holding tightly to Billy. His two goons, Graham Smith and Markus Wheeler, were also close by. Leon felt his previous animosity towards them disappear in light of all they have been through in the last hour. The dirty looks Graham throws him as he walks over brings it all back though.
"Sam, can we talk?" He asks while throwing a look at Billy, to indicate he means in private.
"There's nothing to talk about, leave me alone loser!"
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The shock of her response caught him so off guard, it actually took a few seconds to process what she had said. The big grin on Billy's face seems inappropriate considering the death of one of their classmates, but he was always one to find his amusement wherever he could.
"...Wha, what's going on?" Leon asks her, ignoring the idiot smile on his rival. "Didn't you tell him we were together now, why are you even hanging around with him! what is even going on!?" His finger juts out at Billy, but he still manages to keep his voice low, not quite forgetting their circumstance.
"Hehehe." Billy and his friends laugh at Leon. Grahams 'what a loser' comment, just loud enough to reach his ears.
Billy is about to inform Leon of 'what is even going on', and with great relish, but he is cut off by Samantha. She stops and faces Leon causing the other student to walk around them. Given their predicament, most of the others aren't even interested in their drama.
"Look, Leon, it was a stupid prank. Billy told me to get you to ask me out so he could rub it in your face in front of everyone when he flipped it on you. I didn't really want to do it, but it was harmless, so I didn't care. I'm sorry, but I just don't like you like that, and honestly, you should have figured that out before now."
Leon was speechless. he glanced over her shoulder at Billy, who was miffed at having his big reveal stolen. But that didn't stop the malicious grin from staying on his face. Not knowing what else to say, Samantha turns and grabs Billy's arm, dragging him away. Graham walks up to stupified Leon and pokes him in the chest, hard.
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"Stay away from Sam, if you know what good for you, loser!"
That helps snaps Leon back to reality. "So you can have a better shot at her!?" He throws at Graham. "Just because Billy's an idiot, doesn't mean the rest of us don't have eyes! Fuck off!"
The look on Graham's face eases his heart ever so slightly. His obvious desire for Sam had been obvious to the rest of the class for ages, to all but Billy apparently. He scrambles away with a frightened look on this face.
Leon looks at Marcus, but the athletic boy just shrugs and walks away. For him, bullying Leon was never personal and oddly enough, Leon knows that.
Rather than think of the pain in his chest, Leon drudges after the remaining students. The forest still filled with the yells of the missing 8 students, and the battle cries of Jharak. Even has he follows one of his missing classmates stumble back onto the path, the deadman following him is quickly dispatched by shards of Bahai's ice glowing with Moorzu's holy energy.
Leon barely notices.
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Ohm Icura runs through the Deadwood forest cursing the scatterbrained children. Spikes of rock and mounds of earth kill and incapacitate the Deadmen, while he tries to keep the children in his sights. He wishes he could just kill the brats or at the very least forcibly drag them back to the path. But the contract mark sends a warning the moment he is about to try. 'No deliberate harm, my ass! My inability to harm them is going to get them killed.' A deadman lurches around a deadwood tree and almost manages to latch on to Ohm Icura. An Earth spike pins it to a tree as he continues to follow the brats. 'And me with them' he grumbles.
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Samantha walks with Billy, listening to his complaints about her ruining his big reveal to Leon. It's true she never liked Leon, but before coming to this world she also never felt any animosity towards him either. It was all she could do to speak to him without attacking him, verbally or otherwise.
She had only agreed to billy's plan because she was indifferent to other people's feelings, but ever since meeting Light, the god of order, she has gone from indifferent to indignant. How dare other's believe their feelings are more important than hers? She glances at Graham and Markus. Markus is as stoic as ever, while Graham quickly glances away, still believing none can see the feelings he wears on his sleeve. Well good, she thinks, you never know when you might need another pawn.
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Chaos lingers in the void. Unlike the rest of his pantheon, Chaos was content with the undecorated space. Peering deeply into the nothing revealed bits of the hidden chaos underneath, this god's preferred form of meditation.
A source of recently acquired power suddenly becomes a fraction of what it was. If Chaos had eyes, they would have narrowed. It happened rarely, but every now and then, there was someone who thought they could cheat a god.
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Cloudlark
File under: sky pirates, guild level-ups, and true companions (nakama) The problem isn't her, it's her folks. Seren is tired of living a lonely life on the island, but every time she brings up the lack of community to her parents, they tell her that it's better that way. Better not to have anyone else around. Better to have dad-vetted "friends" in touch only by mail. Better to not go near the transportation area and to report anything "strange." And she tries. She really does. When it becomes crystal clear that nothing will change, the lure of far off horizons is louder than ever. The last straw is when an attempt to abide by the rules fails and even small pleasures are taken from her. Opportunity knocks and she throws open the door, determined to prove that she can take care of herself. Too bad the world is just as determined to prove otherwise. (Story is aiming for PG-13 levels of content. Tagged with Profanity & Gore just to be safe.) (weekly update at Friday midnight PST / Saturday 4pm JST)
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8 134Law of Divine Gates
What is transcendence? There are those on countless planets who believe creation ended with them. The notion that they are God's chosen people, and nothing else existed beyond them became a firmly rooted ideal. An arrogant assertion you say? Well there you have it, ignorance is something mortals never have a lack of. This is not transcendence, to transcend is to explore the limits of existence, to constantly grow, and lay claim to all the universe has to offer. Transcendence is to not be constrained by ideals, or the planet of your birth, to transcend is to leave behind your Mortal shell, to challenge heaven's law, and formulate your own. Heaven would see mortals bowed in servitude until the end of their days, to reincarnate, and begin another lifetime of worship, giving praise to the gods. A young demon accidentally stepped through the gateway of endless possibilities, will he succumb to heaven's authority?
8 142Quest for the Elysian Fields
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8 183Perspectives on Madness
Because of uncultured people, who decided to cast the gods aside and rule over the lands and seas themselves, was carnage released upon them. Gods from heaven and rulers of hell have sent their children into the mortal realm to regain their lost glory. Amongst those children, Duan Jian fights his way towards the top. But, will his pride stand in his way? Or will the clumsy 2nd MC, Qing Lin, hinder him? >>> This story is about the proud Duan Jian who fights against the madness in this cold world. When he thinks it can't get any worse, doom will come at him. In another perspective, Qing Lin, a gentle and innocent girl, tries her best to help Duan Jian. But because of her clumsiness, she unknowingly sends Duan Jian into a deeper darkness filled with madness and insanity. PS: This novel will also be available on webnovel.com https://www.webnovel.com/book/10341858805009905/Perspectives-on-Madness
8 459Dekker's Dozen: The Last Watchmen
When a demon-possessed tree tries to impose its will on the universe, the future turns dark. But what does Dekker want? The leader of the only mercenary squad capable of standing in the enemy's way would be content if his ex-girlfriend and business partner promised not to stab him again. As he and his eleven teammates track down the intergalactic assassin who stalked his family for generations, they encounter Ezekiel, a mysterious man claiming to be a time-traveler and ancient prophet. Ezekiel claims Dekker will responsible for the annihilation of all reality--but worse, he knows all of Dekker's secrets: that he wields an ancient, celestial weapon, was once married to a terrorist, and is the last member of the Watchmen--an ancient secret society with one purpose. At Ezekiel's insistence, and with a super-weapon in the hands of warring armies, Dekker and his team must do the unthinkable to prevent the Sun's annihilation before his archenemy can bring what Ezekiel calls "the divine engines of reality" to a grinding halt--breaking all of existence--destroying all that is, will be, and ever was! Steampunk time-travel, cyborg ninjas, plant-spore-controlled unicorn zombies, a deep-space plague, ghost warships, alien cat-people, living planets, and star destroying Hassidic superweapons converge in one epic, but doomed, timeline. Free ebook prequel available now! Download for Kindle/Nook, etc. Dekker's Dozen: A Waxing Arbolean Moon is available on Kindle- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EKP7IGY Nook- http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dekkers-dozen-christopher-d-schmitz/1123682851 all others- https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/631408 #featured
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