《Clara's Journey》6 - Set Up
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The commercial district is usually quiet after dark, yet tonight, something unusual has happened at one of the warehouses. A battle broke out between the hunter and its prey. Well, instead of battle, it's more like a one-sided massacre.
At the entrance, a huge man slashed down three of his enemies with a single swing of his battle-ax.
Behind him, a wizard raised both hands, casting spells that created dozens of electric arrows. His attack killed more than a dozen people.
Another man is running over the wall like a spider, heading for the back row and wreaking havoc there.
"Damn you, government dog! Die!"
Their enemy also doesn't just lay around waiting to die. One of them throws a pair of discs at the huge man and successfully cuts off his arm.
"Guh!"
"Ahaha! Next up is you, Cody!"
He tries to throw his disc at the wizard near the warehouse entrance. However,
"Don't get ahead of yourself, kid."
"Eh...?"
Before he knew it, the blue fireflies had already surrounded his body. Cody snaps his fingers and the fireflies start to zap him to death.
"Aaargh!"
The smell of roasted meat spreads throughout the warehouse and extinguishes the remaining enemy morale.
After that, it wasn't long before the warehouse became quiet again. The battle was over with minimal damage as per orders from their superiors.
“2-star criminal, Arte, has been defeated,” Cody muttered. "Unfortunately there are still ten more of them."
"Trust other members. They might be over soon."
"I hope so."
In summary, the Imperial Special Division that was already at Denia launched a surprise attack on the criminals gathered there. They are divided into ten groups and attack seven different locations.
After some time, the communication device sent reports.
"Sir, group 5 had managed to kill the 3-star criminal, the Cockroach."
“Group 3 had success ….”
"... The Tari-ari Brothers managed to escape."
"The place we're headed for has no signs of the target."
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"Group 2 here. We are asking for support. We can't handle 5-star Kira King ourselves."
They were exhausted after a long journey plus their number and equipment were sober. Still, somehow they managed to do their job well. Among ten groups, most of them managed to subdue the enemy.
After some thought, Cody finally gives an order. "Gentlemen, we're going to help out group 2. Ted, get treatment right away."
"Understood."
****
A tall, gray-cloaked man walked into a four-story building. People might find his sharp eye frightening but also charming. A flat hat and pipe in his mouth complete his perfect image as a detective.
He is none other than Delta Greyhorn, a famous detective and novelist. In his prime, he was the most hated and feared person by criminals. Asking him how many criminals he had caught is like asking him how much bread he had eaten in his life.
This famous detective is now on his way to once again arrest the most wanted criminal.
He ascended to the rooftop where the mayor and his staff welcomed him.
Mayor Darton is a short, muscular man. Rumor said that children who meet him will immediately cry hysterically.
While he had high status as a mayor and had outstanding accomplishments as a military commander, he still chose his words carefully when speaking to Detective Greyhorn. It just shows how great the detective is.
"Mr. Greyhorn. It is an honor to meet you. I have heard of your fame for a long time."
"Let's cut the formality and get to business."
"As you please." The Mayor begins to explain the current situation. "As per your instructions, I have been able to invite a circus troupe called 'The Wicked One' to this city."
From the rooftop, they can see the big red tent in the middle of the city square. That tent belongs to a rising circus troupe named The Wicked One. They gained popularity around this year and have already performed in many places.
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However, the circus was just merely a disguise. Behind the scenes, a gang of dangerous criminals hid and controlled the operation. Fortunately, Detective Greyhorn discovered their disguise and set up a trap for them.
The criminals may think they have successfully snuck into the city through disguise but turn out all of this was just a part of the detective's plan to capture them that had terrorized the empire for years.
"The city guards have evacuated the surrounding area and encircled the circus tent. Of the 14 star criminals pursued in this city, seven have been defeated by the Special Force. But the problem is-"
"Blackjack, isn't it?"
"That's right. Six-star fugitive, Hymne Blackjack. He is a wild card of this operation."
Most wanted criminals are rated from one to five stars depending on how dangerous they are. One star criminal has killed at least dozens of people, while a five-star criminal has terrorized the entire Empire for years.
How about six stars, you say?
That means they pissed off the high-ranking officials so much that there is an entire regiment dedicated to arresting them as soon as possible. Let's just say they are people who know the government's secrets.
Blackjack was a suspect of the Byzantine Incident where a whole city burned to ashes around half a year ago with at least five-digit casualties.
Well, at least that was what the public knew. But a person like Darton knew that if it were just like that, Blackjack would only have five stars instead of six. He believes there is more secret to that incident.
"May you explain to me what actually happened in Byzantine?" Darton asked.
The detective looks contemplating for a second before beginning to explain, "... Do you happen to know about the Byzantine Project? I'll assume you don't know. In summary, it was a dangerous experiment intended to control nightmares."
A shiver ran through Darton's body at the mention of the word nightmare. Dreamworld is one of three calamities that appeared 300 years ago. It is home to nightmares that are notorious for being savage. Those who have met one will know, taming nightmare is impossible.
Darton was so shocked that he forgot his manner.
"So the rumors are true! what kind of madlad would come up with something like that."
"In fact, they succeeded. Though they couldn't control the nightmare completely… People always ask how an ancient civilization that was so advanced can be destroyed. For me the answer is obvious, humans always seeking their own destruction."
"… If that is the case, this city must be abandoned immediately!"
"Rest assured, the device shouldn't be able to summon enough nightmares to destroy an entire city."
Darton feels relieved a moment before he realizes something odd. "Hold on, it can't destroy an entire city, but will it destroy half of it?"
"If it is another city, that would be the case. But You, as the Mayor of this city, should know the most about what this city is renowned for."
"Do you mean those adventurers? They are like wild beasts, we can't rely on them," Darton sighed. "This city is a home for many experienced monster hunters, yet none of them will listen to my order."
"When money is available, they will do almost anything. I already sent them a request letter before coming here and got a positive answer."
"I hope so."
Tonight, a big storm once again ran into the City of Heroes, Denia. The festival night full of joy might turn into a tragic night of sorrow.
Will they be able to stop the evil that is spreading in Denia City? Look forward to the continuation only in Dragon bal-
****
At the same time, our clueless protagonist is sulking because she was forced into her room due to government orders.
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Cultivating Earth [Hiatus]
[This fiction is on indefinite hiatus. I'm currently acting as a 24-hour caregiver for my step-father who had a massive heart attack. I apologize for disappearing so quickly, but sometimes that's just life. I'll return as soon as possible. Sorry everyone!] Zhao Gang, after hundreds of thousands of years cultivating, has finally reached the penultimate threshold. He is ready to ascend to the level of True Immortal. Driven by the need for a place his enemies won't find him, Zhao Gang puts together an audacious plan. He has developed a revolutionary new formation which will allow him to ascend while on even the lowest planes. To avoid drawing attention, he has to choose a plane that is relatively desolate, however. He chooses Earth. Fast forward three thousand years. Zhao Gang discovers what his work has wrought - a cultivation-free culture that has delved the deep mysteries of creation - he can't help but think how this tiny little planet devoid of natural energy could affect the course of all creation. There's only one problem. For that to happen, he has to succeed in cultivating Earth. Notes: Chinese names should be ignored in the social context - they don't mean anything. Sorry for slaughtering such a beautiful tradition. This novel starts off slower than most. If the slow-roll isn't your thing, you might want to give this a pass. If it's not for you, I understand. Also, releases may be broken up into smaller chunks. The goal is 5k words, but definitely more than 4k. If you see a short release, be aware that more is probably coming. I'll be honest and say that I'm struggling with each new scene, if only because I want to balance the scope of vision with good pacing. I hope the work I put into it is worthwhile.
8 77The Core: The First Guest (Book 1 of 3)
Book two starts here: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/46417/the-core-the-hive-daughter-book-2-of-3 --- Kevin was just a normal 10 year old kid until he saw a woman vanish right before his eyes. This made Kevin just a little bit different. He paid more attention to people now. Little did he know that this little difference would kill him the next time he encountered another alien about to return home. It would tear him apart, cell by cell, until he was unmade. His mind being transported away. So distantly far away there is a race that advanced to the point where they built dyson spheres to house their civilizations. In their continual expansion, they seeded galaxies with pods and connection satellites. Over time they upgraded their dyson spheres into matryoshka brain Cores. Imagine a computer powered by a star. Citizens of Cores no longer age once they upload their minds into the virtual living system of the Core. While they didn’t age, most still choose to cycle through life and death though at a different scale of time compared to our lives. Citizens can visit other planets and live there as if they were on a "vacation". Mercury is Earth’s hub connected to the closest Core and Earth is a remote vacation spot for wealthy citizens. When the main character was 10 he witnessed a citizen returning to the Core. The story continues 10 odd years later when he again witnesses a similar situation unfolding and manages to touch the person returning to the Core. This causes him to be swept up in the transfer as well and for his mind to join as a "Guest" user of the Core. As a Guest he has limited powers, a starting balance of zero cr or Citizen credits, and no idea how he can get home. He is the first human to ever become a Guest of a Core. Where money itself is the highest form of their science. --- Progress update: Progress update: COMPLETE Stories:✦The Core: The First Guest (The Core: Book 1 of 3) ✦The Core: The Hive Daughter (The Core: Book 2 of 3) The Core: The Hive Daughter (Book 2 of 3) | Royal Road Stories in PROGRESS:✦The Core: The Dark Enemy (The Core: Book 3 of 3)PROJECTED Stories and Series: ★The Radiative Zone Series: The Girl with Powers (3 book series) ✶The Convective Zone Series: Into the Game (3 book series) This series is a work in progress. Major editing will be done after each book is complete, so there will be typos and parts that need further explanation. Please, please feel free to point out any of these things. I will attempt to keep readers apprised of all changes and big updates.
8 286Incursions
This blurb concerns Incursions book 1: Incarceration. If you could buy superhuman abilities, but they might kill you—or worse—would you do it? Ten years ago, in a world not so different from our own, people with powerful abilities appeared. The new powers were dangerous, dangerous to acquire—dangerous to have—dangerous to wield. World governments raced to find and eradicate the abilities and those who possess them while using the media to rule by fear. Whereas corporations sought to exploit the abilities for profit. Raz Owens was living the dream - a rising star at a job he enjoys, a girlfriend he loves, but it all comes crashing down when Raz disregards his late father's advice. He is pulled into a chaotic underworld of clandestine labs, shadow organizations, and super-powered criminals. Used as a human test subject in a place where few survive the day, he must last long enough to escape. His only advantage? A power that seems nearly useless—a heads-up display. Contains: monsters, violence, death, dismemberment, gamelit, superpowers, superpower consequences, good guys, bad guys, good guys who might be bad guys, bad guys who think they are good guys, good guys that might go bad, bad guys that might turn good, guns for hire, competence, incompetence, continence, incontinence, conspiracies, and some of what I just said wasn't true. This story is written in third person limited POV. That means you can expect to know many of the thoughts and inner dialog of one character, and only see the actions of other characters. This POV does include scenes without the main character, and thus the reader can and will know things the main character does not. Further, this means characters act on what they know, which is almost always less than the reader knows. Something else to know. These books do not hold your hand. If you're reading it and thinking "Gosh, why aren't 'they' doing some 'obvious' thing." Bad news. You probably missed something that explains exactly that. If you're seeking a light read that doesn't ask much of you as the reader, you're invited and very welcome to come on in, but this might not be the story for you.
8 145Unlimited Mana Works!
In this world, a boy named Reign was born. He thinks himself just a tiny bit better than others. With his abilities, he could be considered a genius but doesn't refer to himself as that. Well, he doesn't know it but, his mana pool is unnaturally vast. We follow the life of Reign as he tries his best to live the best of his life.
8 241Ascension: Journey of an Emperor
Aegeus lived a life as a normal farmer, tending to the fields and caring for his little sister. He had knew not his origins, nor did he ever need to know. All that mattered was that he and his sister could lead simple but satisfying lives as farmers. However, everything changed when the Empire attacked. With his life and ambitions now turned on its head, what will he do from here on out?
8 199Persona 6 (Fan-Made) [STOPPED]
Its the year 2018, a couple of years right after the events of the Persona 5. A young teenager, 16 years old, named Ryu Himuro is an accused drug addict and is heading to a school in Yokohama. His childhood has been always neglected since he never had a easy life with his parents divorce and in the end he took comfort in drugs, something to get him out of reality. He is there to live with his aunt, who just apparently moved there a couple of months ago, Tae Takemi. There in Yokohama he meets some people who had been in and are in the same situation as him. He found out about a power called Persona and the beings like Shadows appear for those people who take a special drug at midnight and wonder in this place called 'The Lost Eden'. Will he be able to fend off the 'addiction' or will he be devoured by it....This is a fan-made persona book I'm writing. it may be different from what I am used to writing so bear with me.DISCLAIMER: I do not own persona. Though this is a book about Persona 6, this all from my point of view of the storyline.
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