《Schneiders Guide, or How To Kill Your Princess》4: Bombastic Ball
Advertisement
As much as it was an institute of education, Knoxfort was also a cesspool of politics. Not much of a surprise, considering not a single student was unworthy of a kidnapping. But such a rich aura of politics comes with a certain need for frequent, extragavant social events. And so Knoxfort knew how to party.
Every holiday from the Day of the Dead to the New Years Masquerade was an excuse for another ball or dance or parade or, well, masquerade. And they made sure to give the local high society plenty to gossip about every time. Whether it be causing competition by giving awards to the best academic and athletic performances every quarter year, or allowing extragavant romance with costumes and masks to satisfy a nobles standard of courtship, Knoxfort knew how to amuse.
But the fort in the name wasn’t simply for decoration either. The security was constantly immaculate. Even the very architecture of the institute itself had many escape routes and emergency shelters built under the ground floors. Each dorm building had a small squadron of soldiers to keep watch, and they were rotated thrice a day to ensure no one ever slacked on the job. Class rooms were protected by an abundance of extremely expensive enchantments carved into the wood, all of which could be activated by a simple touch from the teachers desk. And of course, all such measures would be ramped up for each and every event.
But that was the thing, wasn’t it, the teacher had to press the button. In the end, there’s cracks in every shield. And not expecting an infiltration specialist with all of The Company’s resources at his leisure...well, it’s not something to be ashamed of.
But he couldn’t just do it. He couldn’t simply call for an ungodly amount of explosives, plant them under the venue of the next big thing Knoxfort was doing to brown nose its patrons and blow them all to bits. It would be rather unwise.
Advertisement
Why? Well,
A: Their entire goal with this operation was to prevent peace. To make sure Azdon and Leviot were in constant competition. To maintain war. Each and every event at Knoxfort was attended by a considerable amount of Azdonian royalty, and murdering that many at once would leave Azdon too weak, too quick.
The Company swam best in muddy waters, but even they couldn’t swim in a flood.
B: Knowing who the Princess simply gave them many more advantages than boorish explosions. Although his main mission was killing her, this was a flexible operation initiated by a reasonable business. Their motive was profit, and the margins were subject to change.
Information was always priceless.
C: This side of the operation was supposed to be graceful. Precise surgical cuts, rather than a wildly swinging sledgehammer. Not to imply the company wasn’t capable of the latter, but if they wanted to go that route, they’d more likely put their focus on the other side of the operation.
Marriage needs two people, after all. And so there’s two you can kill to prevent a marriage.
Kevan Georgely Leviathan, the Second Prince of Leviot, was protected by a third of his countries considerable royal guard at all times.
Comparitively, Knoxforts guards were a joke. Only comparitively, however, because,
D: Security was still a concern. Sure, he could do many unpleasant things using his position. His two years of effort weren’t in vain. But demolitions work was quite...extreme. Sneaking in enough of whatever the fuck he managed to get from the explosives department and planting them in Knoxfort under so many watchful eyes was more than just a gamble. Even with how convenient The Companys resources were, there was still limits to risks he could take.
ideally, he wouldn’t be taking any risks with this one.
Advertisement
E: He couldn’t do it. Personally. He admitted it, best not to ignore weakness. He had killed many many innocents before, people unrelated to the under belly of society he resided in. He wasn’t some wimpy recruit who hadn’t seen any blood except his womans period. He knew how to deal with it. It was his job.
But he had always looked them in the eye.
Maybe, there were countless lives that were essentially lost due to his actions that he would never know about. A simple mission to carry intelligence from one outpost to another could result in countless lives lost when his job was done. But that blood wasn’t on his hand. In those cases, he was simply a cog in the machine that makes the bullet. But for every assassination, every kill, he had made sure to look them in the eye. Understand them, just a little bit. Remember them, for just a little while.
He couldn’t just orchestrate death on such a massive scale when there were other options.
He realized, of course, that he was compartmentalizing his excuses. He was simply creating this mental list to convince his logical side and force it to play along. He had to face reality. He couldn’t afford to ignore the possibility that he wouldn’t find her. He couldn’t not account for failure.
The solution to his dilemma was Prom.
It was the only event on the school schedule that actually forbid the attendance of family. Students only, with the staff to serve them and the teachers to sit around feeling awkward as they watch their intellectual apprentices devolve into alcohol fueled hormone nests. It was also held at the end of the school year, and by some lucky coincidence, the hall it was to be held in was still under construction.
The lack of higher level nobility fixed problem A.
The venue being under construction fixed problem D.
And the timing of the event being at the end of the year made B and C easily insignificant. Because he needed to account for failure. He needed to have an ace up his sleeve in case he didn’t find her after the year was over. He couldn’t afford anything except success. If it came down to it… He’d have to live with problem E.
He really hoped he could find her.
Advertisement
Path of Divinity
The world has been assimilated by the Celestial Archives, a vast system designed to fight the forces that seek to destroy the universe. For most, it's a holy cause that rewards victory with stats, levels, and skills. For Hunter Gold, it's the start of a nightmare. Even in a system dominated by paths, he finds himself taking the road less traveled. This is a work in progress. Major editing will be done after the book is complete, so there will be egregious typos and parts that make no sense whatsoever. Please feel free to point any and all of these things out. Chapters WILL get edited, and that editing might break earlier chapters. I will attempt to keep readers apprised of all changes. As always, feedback is welcome and appreciated. This is kind of something fun I wanted to write after reading stories like The New World, System Apocalypse, and the Legend of Randidly Ghosthound. I don't know how serious I will be about this story, but I just want to try it out. I imagine that it will become a love child between Fable, Diablo, and Devil May Cry. Enjoy! The Scourge Wars Universe Evolve: The Scourge Wars Book 1 (published) Adapt: The Scourge Wars Book 2 (published) Resist: The Scourge Wars Book 3 (published) The Othryrian Archives Advent (Read on RoyalRoad) To stay up to date on all my writing, get exclusive e-books, and be eligible for Audible audiobook codes (no purchase required) please sign up for my mailing list.
8 229My Second Life is an Absurdist Power Fantasy?!
"Hey, great news, kid... you're dead!" With these words, Jack Eames, unrepentant slacker, found himself staring down God, and was offered a choice- An eternal life of never-ending bliss and relaxation, OR the chance to start over as a powerful hero, fighting to defeat monsters, rescue maidens, and save this new world from another player - a villain who has been given the exact same advantages he has. ...And a couple weeks head start. The ultimate prize? The winner of the contest gets to become God of this new fantasy world, and reshape it however they can possibly imagine! The downside? Whichever one of them loses ceases to exist! For Jack, a clueless, fantasy-obsessed shut-in, picking option number two wasn't hard. Learning that being a hero takes much more than pressing buttons on a controller, and that a real fantasy world is far more dangerous than the ones in stories he loves.... well, that's something else entirely!
8 190Sanguine Destinies: Blood Bond
Rel, a prodigal vampire of the Sifr Clan, is attacked by members of the Blood Clan after rejecting their invitations to join them once again. During the fight, they afflict him with a curse that sealed away his powers, leaving him at their mercy. Luckily, thanks to the blood of a young girl he meets while escaping, he regains his powers just in time. As thanks for indirectly saving his life, Rel allows the girl to live and departs. However, what he didn't know was that this girl would play a significant role in his life in a tragedy bound by blood... ------------------------------- I do not own the images on the cover, if the owners would like me to remove them, please tell me and I will do it immediately.
8 176Toxic Love
You thought they were crazy and confused before?
8 70Merigold Lee
[participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge] Merigold Lee lives in Hakarth, where magic determines everything about a person's life. At 24 years of age, she has a plan - to become a Drafter like both of her parents, and spend her life quietly formulating the contracts that run society. In mere days, her magic will be Awakened. In mere days, her story begins.
8 208Waking the old world
Gaia wakes up screaming, pain vibrating through every part of her being and exploding beyond. A mother is forced to become something new to protect her child when a wave of essence explodes out of the earth and changes everything. A litrpg apocalypse essentially, based around a mothers love for her child and just what she would do to protect those she calls her own.
8 142