《Wanted: Dead or Alive》Chapter 14 - 'Downhill'
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[Summer – Boythe]
An infuriated Isiah Bahr stood behind his worn, bronze-trimmed oak desk at his residence. Attention to detail had been applied in what he had dressed, as his usual ostentatious outfit fit tight. He constantly checked his pocket watch with speed. His face grew more angry as he barked at a room full of attentive guests and laborers.
Isiah verbally bursted a proclamation at his audience within the upper limits of his lungs.
“He is not getting away from us!”
The room's attention was his, just as he would prefer it.
“He is not getting away with this! Hence why I've gathered all you lowlifes here today. I've heard the same statements over, and over, and over as I've organized this little meeting of mine. Men that ooze confidence and- and had experience taking down other pieces of shit like yourselves for a living. Yet here I am, in my office talking to you. Them?- They lie in a ditch somewhere like the failures they are. I'm really fucking tired of this breed of senseless- producing an unfinished job.”
The assortment of individuals that had gathered in the Bahr residence met subtle glances amongst their dirty, scrunched faces. A hesitant voice rang through the room from the onlookers.
“So if all those y'know, failed before, you plan on sending us to our deathbeds too? What makes ya' think this even possible big man? Maybe this bastard you after is just better than you expected big-wig. Maybe you should be giving up on this obvious personal shit you dealing with and not drag us into your pile of steamin' shit, huh?”
Isiah looked up from the empty desk that he had previously fixed his attention on and stared intently to the man who blurted his thoughts to the room. A few slow seconds passed haltingly as the room became evermore silent. The guests awaited a response from their host.
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Isiah broke a sharp grin and waved his two men, who were previously stationed at the doorway, with two fingers. He gave them an inaudible instruction after a slight readjustment. The two men in suits walked over to the loudest of listeners, while the man became anxious about the circumstances with each encroaching second. One of the guards grabbed the man by the back of the neck and threw him onto the orange and black wool rug covering the floor. The resisting man yelled in discomfort while questioning the motive.
“Hey! Wh-hey! Why?!” he exclaimed.
His fellow peers looked on, knowing they didn’t have the internal strength to intervene. A gun is positioned behind the groveling man's temple, followed by a loud ringing gunshot as the man is killed before those in attendance.
The uneasiness of the visitors grows to an all-time high as some look away to not have the image burnt into their memories for longer than it had to be. The two guards left the disfigured corpse on the rug and returned to their posts at the entrance, now motionless.
Isiah continued, “Like I said...I'm tired of failure. I really am. Take this shit-stain’s last breaths as a lesson. Doubt is the initial feeling that leads to non-fulfillment. Doubt and weakness hold hands like incestuous lovers because they are in the same fucked-up family. I personally think doubt is disgusting.” He looked down upon the recently deceased in the room. ”Don't you all agree?”
The remaining spectators nodded quietly and answered in a collective audible agreement before Isiah hauntingly proceeded. Isaiah waved his watch forward and back, swaying along with an internal instrumentation that only the oversized boss heard.
“So what I'm giving you all today is not only a lesson, but a job opportunity. If money is your motivation, I can provide that. If power is what you wish for, I'm your fucking genie in a bottle. You were all gathered here today because I've heard that you were the fastest-learning Agists in this land. So if you want what you want, then don't be like this asshole on the ground and complete this task, that simple.”
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[Summer – Parso]
Penny and Jennings gripped tight as they rode on the back of Poni through the harsh winds that surrounded them. Even the steady pummels of sandy air weren’t enough to dissuade the look on Jennings’ renegade face. He wore determination like armor.
“I have to get to Leeroy, he's in danger. I can't fail him like I did with Isaac.”
An image of Isaac Bahr from childhood flashed into Jennings' introspection. The eagerness upon Jennings' expression only grew stronger as the sand bounced from his face with each gallop.
As they arrive in the oddly calm market with minimal foot traffic, they reach the blacksmith's front door and pound on it frantically, calling out his name.
“Leeroy! Are you in there?” they both began shouting in unison.
No answer is heard coming from within. The chill lingering over the district let out an unrelenting gale that shot past the duo.
He instructed Penny to stand back. “He'll forgive me later,” sounded Jennings before he gently rested his open palms on the front door and froze it at its hinges. A brisk follow-up punch from Jennings sent the door shattering to the floor in icy shards. Wasting no time, the pair entered the shop and began to look for Leeroy.
When they scurried to the lightless back room which housed Leeroy's workplace, the sight brought both to a halting stop. Leeroy's limp body was discovered on the ground surrounded by a pool of his own blood and his arms bound, lifted. Jennings rushed to his exposed side, wide chunks of Leeroy's body had been removed cleanly off, which was a distinct indication that it was the work of either the swiftest, most precise butcher in the west, or something involving this unknown Agi.
Jennings stepped from his knees and once again began to ponder aloud, “This...this has to be stopped. They ain't going to get away with this anymore. I will end this needless dying.”
Jennings lowered the edge of his hat, once again obscuring his eyes from common view. He proceeded to drag his feet and shamble onto Penny, grabbing her wrist as he passed her, finishing his statement, “I'm not going to rest until this is over.”
As the two exited the blacksmith shop, a man watched from afar within a nearby business. After making sure Jennings and Penny raced off, the unknown onlooker took mental notes, murmuring.
“I’m sorry. Sorry, so...So-”
The hidden entity was weeping to itself as it watched. It was obscured by surrounding, tall shadows and slipped into a black-space that had ripped off. The shadows completed to engulf the spy, dissipating all into a blip of Agi-nothingness.
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Silver Overlord
The most precious things in the world are priceless. Ordinary men tend to turn a blind eye to this fact. Apart from the treasured air, sunlight, and familial love, there is still one more thing that’s extremely valuable. It’s right beside you and can be easily obtained. But… I wonder whether you can see it?
8 130What Is It Like To Be Eternal? (Completed)
Actual Word Count: 683 925 Words and 2487 pages. Under edition. Chapter 36-44 must be edited. Read the red text below to learn more. Synopsis: Have you ever thought about what is it like to be Eternal? What does being Eternal even mean? Maybe I can show you what it is that you are desiring. What lies at the center of the universe, when you reach the peak of strength and power? Can love reach that place too, or do you lose your feelings the stronger you get? How long can you travel and hold onto yourself, before feeling that you are starting to fall apart, losing your mind to your strength? How long is your road? Your feelings? What's going to win over you? The Darkness and the Hate? The Love and the Light? Or maybe none? Follow me as I show you my colorful yet gray path to eternity. My Discord server: https://discord.gg/XMSzDPH Special thanks to my editors. Azorath1234 (70-99th chapter), BlackStarLine and Kaentyr from the 100th chapter. Cornerstones:9th Chapter - Bonding Through the Night38th Chapter - The Way of Cultivation is a Way of Life54th Chapter - The Universe Is Ever Changing and Evolving69th Chapter - Beyond the bond [Inheritance]83rd Chapter - What I call Art!88th Chapter - What Does It Take To Kill?93rd Chapter - Chasing Rainbows [Loop?]108th Chapter - The Fall of a Creator?109th Chapter - A Family [Descendant]119th Chapter - What Is It Like To Be Eternal? Detailed reviews:http://royalroadl.com/fiction/10058/what-is-it-like-to-be-eternal-completed?review=132372#review-132372http://royalroadl.com/fiction/10058/what-is-it-like-to-be-eternal-completed?review=153956#review-153956 Both the Novel and the Cover picture are copyrighted. The Picture is a result of my commission. Cover Art: Novel: P.S.: I'm also hosting my novel here and on Novel Updates Forum. Nowhere else for now! EDIT: The novel is in rework. The original and the new ones are completely different. Where you see [Edited] it means that I'm done with editing the STORY! Whereas where you don't see it, it's in the old style. For now, I'm editing only the style. Once I'm done with every chapter, I'll run through it once again and correct possible grammatical mistakes. The style will be edited until the 45th chapter.
8 103Pawns to the Flame
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8 98The Lost One
At 19, life has given Aislinn Nox many things, most of them she never wanted. Like dead parents at the age of six. Scars.A slaughtered pack.Nightmares. To be forced to live with humans. Thirteen years of hell. A new name.An old legacy. All of them are hers, all of them have broken her, but none of that will matter when she finally gets the one thing she desires: revenge.For five years she has been planning her revenge for the brutal murder of her parents, and the vicious slaughter of her entire pack. And for five years, it has been all that she has lived for.And nowhere, in those neat little plans did she included a pack, friends, a mate she could never deserve, or remembering everything and everyone she lost. But life is cruel. And rarely do we get what we want. ..Kaiden Salvatori is the first born son of Alpha Sergio Salvatori, who thought he had life all figured out. He was easily learning the ropes of the family business, taking over his roles both in the pack as Alpha, as well in the corporate world as a powerful CEO. It was all simple and predictable, boring even.But that all changes in a single night when he happens to stumble across a she-wolf being hunted on his territory, discovering that not only is she a rogue herself but that she also happens to be his mate...In that one fateful encounter everything changes. Lies will be uncovered. Truths revealed. Enemies exposed.When secrets and betrayals come, both Kaiden and Aislinn will be forced to choose; what are they willing to give up, and what they are prepared to fight for. Fate has destined them for each other, but sometimes even that just isn't enough.©The Lost One (2015)
8 131The Time I Became a War Golem
Oh hey! Welcome! It's a pleasure for me that you stumbled here and found this story. What? What exactly is this story? Oh you know, it's like those run-of-the-mill Isekai stories, the main character dies and then gets reborn to another world, fights all kinds of evils and stuff until they finally get a happily ever after. I am the Main Character in this story, your's truly Nigto Zed. In this story, you would follow my life (of course) in the World of Gaia, where I would be involved in fights of both Good and Evil and also the ones inbetweens. You would also read about some of the lives of the people that I meet here from their perspective so it's not all me. Oh well, enough with this. Again, I welcome you to the World of Gaia, wherein, Man and Demi-humans alike experience the two sides of Life, The White and Pure along with the Black and Stained. This is the story of both Suffering and Healing. Of both Successes and Failures. A world where Souls paves the way to Destiny, and where Relationships ensures Victory. This is the World of Gaia and this is also the Story of the Time I Became a War Golem. Enjoy!
8 159An Unbroken Love Story (Sam X Eteled) (Wii Deleted You)
You meet your friend Sam at the concert, and she falls in love! Who exactly with? Well, you probably guessed by the title, but it's Eteled!
8 168