《Moonlust》Chapter Twelve, The White Sect.
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Two days till fullmoon.
As soon as the red alert sirens thundered through the city's, Carvo jumped in his coat and decided that he would no longer wait. "It must be done." he said, fixing his grey hair in front the mirror. "But I must find her first." He remembered, forging a plan to act upon in this time of chaos. The legions were swarming the streets and residents were forced into a lockdown, but Carvo had his own pass. After all, he was the main key in solving the Mooncallers mystery.
As Carvo went on his way, Andrew was preparing himself for this dangerous situation. In his office, he didn't check the tapes as they had already gotten the identity of the mooncaller on the run. Maria's corpse, or whatever was left of her, was retrieved. Clyde was admitted to the hospital but hadn't regained consciousness yet, only two days were left till fullmoon, and so, the city's forces were split into two. One to find the fugitive, and the other to prepare for battle.
I. A thousand path to defeat.
When speaking of the half century old battles, evolution of techniques must be discussed. On one side, progress was achieved under the pressure of the need for survival, and on the other side, progress was sought to advance forward. The city was eaten battle by battle, and the humans retreated further to the point they were almost stuck to the cracked walls of their perished city. Those who dared to walk into the barren white fields of ice never made it back, and so, battling these monsters was their only hope.
On the other hand, the victorious beasts believed to reach triumph very soon. The mooncallers waited for the day they'd have enough stock food to carry on towards the world they have never seen. Their technology dominated the battlefield, and some of them had intelligence that could create an entire new civilization outside this rotten dome. The leaders had always possessed some sort of sentience that the humans had always failed to comprehend, but Carvo knew that these beings never left their humanity behind.
In the north of the city, the most fortified spot, a woman ran across the legions march, ignoring the lockdown and proceeding to cause chaos among the unified troops. "Help me! My machine has been stolen!" She cried, running around the soldiers that pushed her aside, screaming at her to go back, but she didn't care.
"You must find Nelly, she did this!" The woman pleaded as the legion's commander stopped her angrily.
"What do you think you are doing!" He shouted, "There's a god damn mooncaller on the run, hide somewhere!" He commanded her, and she ignored his wishes. "My machine, the front-line's defense, is stolen! There won't be a battle if the twilight reverie isn't there!" She explained, frantically holding the commander's arm as the marching stopped and her words were all that could be heard among the hundreds of dazzled and disheartened soldiers.
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"Oh my lord, are you Ivanka Volkov?" The commander asked, she nodded. "My apologies!" He gasped in disbelief. "There's no time to waste." She stated, the commander asked his second-in-command to take his position as he encouraged his soldiers to stay calm and composed. The commander and Ivanka ran to the north station, both of them were as pale as the snow underneath them, knowing what the twilight reverie was, they understood the trouble the city faced.
The North station.
"We are in big trouble, sir." The commander spoke in a terrified tone. The man he addressed was no one other than Dunken who was taken by the sight of Ivanka.
Ivanka was in her early fifties. She was a genius that was recently recognized by the military, her weapon named the twilight reverie was the card that flipped the tables in the upcoming battle. She worked in her own hangar, guard-less as she refused the company of military personnel and believed to be at the safest spot in the city, but she was wrong.
Ivanka was of Russian descent. Having lived her childhood in the beginning of the battle, she was raised to be a fierce woman. She was fairly beautiful with long blonde and white hair naturally entwining together in a ponytail with captivating hazel eyes that sparked intelligence and confidence.
"What happened?" Dunken jumped off his chair, knowing that something was definitely wrong.
"Nelly, she stole the twilight reverie! I am sure of it!" Ivanka panted. "Calm down, tell me, when did you last see her? How come she stole something this big?" Dunken asked. "That bitch stole the chip." Ivanka cursed, Dunken instinctively moved to calm Ivanka by touching her shoulder to which she quickly threw his hand off her, "Get your hands off, idiot." Ivanka shunned Dunken down as the commander shied away from the tension between the two of them. Ivanka was Dunken's former wife which he had abandoned for another woman, and Ivanka had never accepted his empty apologies.
"I'll issue a search warrant for Nelly, anyone else you have got in mind?" Dunken asked with his face showing slight embarrassment. Ivanka eyed the commander to leave then looked back at Dunken, ready to speak her mind.
"I cannot believe you still haven't understood what this is about." Ivanka sighed, Dunken seemed to understand where this is going. "They're real, and they're infiltrating us as we speak." Ivanka explained, "Its not just the moonfuckers we are dealing with, its the white sect too, and Nelly is one of them." Ivanka continued with a look of grieve over the betrayal of her own assistant, Nelly.
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"It seems like we can't ignore them anymore." Dunken sighed, walking back to his desk. He asked Ivanka to sit down but she refused, "I will not rest until this chip is found, there's no way we could survive the next attack without it." Ivanka spoke. "Is there is any other backup chip? Can't you create a new one?" Dunken asked, "Are you serious?" Ivanka scoffed. "Do you have any idea how long did it take just to set up the logistics? Let alone creating the chip!" she continued angrily, and Dunken felt all hope being sucked out of him.
Dunken quickly dialed the central city force issuing an extensive search for Nelly, marking her as a terrorist. Ivanka stormed out of the office in hope of finding her herself, but the odds were not in her favor. Dunken was hesitant to declare the white sect as a terrorist organization as they had hardly done anything but hang posters and hide for an eternity after doing so, but now, all he had to do was a council meeting to share this new information and finally catch whoever they suspect. With Brando on the run, Abigail hiding, and humans' main power being stolen by a terrorist, everyone in this situation was at loss.
II. Abigail's resolve.
Snowbound and powerless, hiding in a coat twice her size as she laid in an alley where the sunrise would never hurt her, that was how Abigail spent her last few hours. Reminiscing the past, and agonizing over the shattered pieces of memory she had. The marching of the legions was approaching her, and she played the scenario of surrendering over and over again, but she knew she would die the moment they saw that horrendous face of hers and then, Brando would get away with it leaving her brother at danger.
Was it the time to give up yet? She would wonder. That number would echo in her head, and the scene of her firing at Brando wouldn't seize to amaze and terrify her. The guilt of involving Clyde ached her, and the fear of what would happen to her in two days was nagging her already-anxious mind.
"There's no going back." Abigail talked to herself. "I am never getting my old life back." She sobbed, "But this isn't a life either." She watched the skin grafts fall off her prosthetic arm. Abigail held her head between her palms and cried deeply. She knew who she was, and whatever powers this body had, it didn't belong to Abigail.
Her tears blurred her vision and her weeping muffled the sound of the footsteps approaching her. Suddenly, her sensitive ears twitched at the sound of the boots. She instinctively jumped up, anticipating whoever was there to hurt her.
From the corner of the alley, a man in a white coat and hood appeared. He didn't come closer, but Abigail was terrified. She was entirely exposed this man, and strangely enough, he was untouched by the sight of her.
"Relax!" He gently said, "I am an ally" He took off his hood, revealing a middle aged man with brown hair and white streaks in it. Abigail gulped and kept walking back. "Who are you?" She asked fearfully, "You are Abigail, am I right?' The man dodged her question. "How did you know my name?" Abigail inquired. "I know everything about you, but we are running out of time." He approached her slowly, reaching his hand encased in a white glove with a silver star on it. "Get away from me!" She retreated. "I understand your fear." He said. "I am Miles Kinley from the white sect." He introduced himself, "And I am here to take you to our church where you will be kept safe among those who which to protect you." He assured her, and all Abigail could do was just stare.
The marching was very close, irritating Abigail to an agonizing extent. There was a strange ease in that man's voice that lured Abigail to him. Between the wrath of legions or the attractive offer of whoever were those white sects, Abigail took a step closer to him.
"Have courage, be faithful." He gently told her, "They will rip you apart if you stay here." He persuaded her as she looked back and forth. "Why would you want to protect me? How do I know that you won't hurt me?" She asked. "We have to pay for our sins." He justified, "And we are inferior to you. We could never hurt you." He reasoned with her. Abigail's childish mind was convinced, and at the moment where she felt her death was imminent, she grabbed this man's hand and went ahead with him to a destiny darker than black.
The White Sects lit up the city from the inside, a dangerous conspiracy with Abigail on the front-line, oblivious to the intentions of all those around her. Abigail only wanted to live.
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8 88The White Rabbit: Book 2
In the Urillian Empire, the Empress Xandra rules three-quarters of the planet Xren from her home in the capital of the Earth Continent. Both the fire and water peoples have fallen under her might after a series of wars stretching back three centuries. Earth elves, under Xandra's rule, have spread throughout the planet and established colonies, and are, by all accounts, enjoying what seems to be a prosperous and happy existence. But not everyone in Uril is happy. The holy books speak of elves as the Chosen People of Thesis, tasked with guiding and protecting the lower races. For some people, this scripture has been interpreted to designate their life as one on the lowest rungs of society. Humans have been reduced to a slave class, and serve their elven masters under Xandra's rule, kept at bay by the constant fear of the dreaded Emerald Knight, and their own perceived weakness. Humans do not lead long lives, nor do they possess the wisdom, power, or magical acumen of their elven masters. But there is hope. A group of people have banded together to fight against Xandra, her Knight, and her empire. They call themselves the "Knights of Order" united under the principle idea that Xandra's reign has brought chaos unto Xren, and they wish to restore order. These Knights are led by a man named Xaxac Brigaddon, spoken of as a legend. They say that when the moons are full, some humans transform into powerful beasts. They say that Xaxac is the most powerful warrior on Xren, that in his youth he was enslaved and forced to fight other humans to the death in a bloodsport called "cage fighting", that he could not be touched and held the world championship title for three years running until he faked his own death and escaped his master to join the resistance. They say that he has friends in high places- noblemen, pirates, and the devil himself. They say that if you can find him, he can ferry you to freedom in places where the Earth Elves fear to tread. They say that he is immune to magical attack, and his eyes shine like the silver moon. They say that he is descended from Quizlivian Brigaddon, one of the humans who helped the demon Magnus escape a god. They say that if you want to walk the Path of Order, you should follow the White Rabbit.Come and watch the transformation from human boy to Knight of Order: The life and times of Xaxac OfAgalon OfLangil Brigaddon. Content Warning: This work is based on the real experiences of human trafficing survivors. Xaxac's origins are based on true events, and they are presented realisitcally; this includes but is not limited to: isolation, gaslighting, emotional and sexual abuse, and grooming tactics. This work is meant to hold a mirror up to society; it is based on the real of experiences of people who have experienced slavery and/or abuse. It is an adult work and probably should not be read by anyone under the age of 18. If you are a survivor of human trafficing and/or abuse, your feedback is welcome, but please do not read this if you think it may trigger your trauma. I did not write this with the intention of harming anyone, but rather to provide accurate representation for a group that does not normally get it in the hopes of changing the zeitgeist. I would like to see a world where more people understand what these experiences are like, so that real survivors do not have to deal with microagressions from an ignorant public. Reader discretion is advised. This book does not display these elements as heavily as book 1.
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8 80Hell Hath no Hoagie
Steve, a half-demon on his mother's side, must find the sandwich that will bring upon the end of times! Or at least, that's what he tells his demonic bosses. In truth, he'd much rather just hang out with his friends, a Judge who summons bunnies to maintain the balance of good and evil, a hell-knight who enjoys slaughtering said bunnies, and a tortured soul who is perpetually on fire (who would very much like to snuggle said bunnies but has been told multiple times not to). Steve was supposed to care for the antichrist, and not let the guy get addicted to MMORPGs. But Steve claims that a terrific sandwich will awaken the bloodlust in the antichrist, and so he joins his companions on a road trip to find the most delicious, most evil, most apocalyptic-inducing sandwich of all time... and maybe a taco.
8 117I am not the Hero
Disclaimer: This is a slow burn story that integrates both Fantasy and somewhat sci-fi. The MC will be more of an anti-hero who will kill any and everyone that he pleases while still understanding the plight of a Villain. This is also family-centric with a dash of hidden identity, Yandere Romance, Blackmail, and a lot of character growth. === Why is life precious? Because you only have one. Then what about the person who took over 999 lives? Who died 999 tragic death as a villain? Then, how would someone like that live? The answer is simple... as he damn wishes. “I-it’s not like I did it for you, you spinless Warrior.” “Good, the doors to your left, you may leave now.” He said to the tsundere Knight. PAH! “How dare you hit a woman?” “Who cares if you’re a woman? You slapped me when I just saved your life!” “You touched my chest!” “I said it was an accident, and again, I just saved your life — you know what? Fuck you, die here if you want to.” “Wait, wait, come back! Don’t leave me here! I’m sorry!” the princess screamed for help after being tossed to the side of the road. Theo did all this, yet to his dismay somehow, his reputation remained good in the eyes of many! A Hero, A Righteous Warrior, Benevolent King, Shadow Lord, Beast Keeper — such were the names given to him... To all of this, his reaction was always the same. “WHY!? How did they come to the conclusion that I’m a Hero? Even my other identities who massacred a lot of people, mind you, are not any different!” [I know, right?] “Shut up, Goddess!” This is the story of the most malicious villain turned Hero. The one with the darkest heart shining with the most brilliant name. He does not hide, nor run, he’s — The Villain Savior. === Final Notes: If you want to support the story, encourage the author, or just flat out want to read ahead, head over to the Patreon where you'll be a week ahead. Schedule: Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday Enjoy and leave your thoughts in the comment section as I read those Thanks to the good reviews
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