《The Fall of Almadel》The slanted city (4)
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Trix tried to sleep. The bed was huge and soft, she had sunk deep into the feather-stuffed mattress and was now surrounded on all sides by high drifts of fluffy white bedding.
She closed her eyes and the memory played again, as it did every time: The man with the knife, looking down at her, about to kill her, followed by the scene inverted: his face looking up at her in terror. She tried to push it away, to crowd it out with other thoughts. She imagined her mother's face, imagined what she'd say when she saw her tomorrow, imagined them hugging and crying. The vision floated in the blackness of her imagination, abstract and unconvincing, the ever-present light shining through her closed eyelids, lending a red hue to the scene.
Wilbur stood on the balcony, leaning out over the railing to watch the street below. He would pick someone in the crowd and watch them for a while, following them with his eyes as they pushed their way through the mass of people on some unknown adventure of their own. Once he lost them, his eyes would glaze over, and he would find himself staring blankly at the next balcony over, yet again. Trix's balcony. Was it still Trix? Was the girl they were bringing back to earth tomorrow still the same girl he had fallen for back at Almadel?
Emma was sleeping deeply, her face relaxed, her head nestled comfortably against Dean's chest. She twitched her nose and shifted slightly, pressing herself closer to him. He closed his eyes and joined her in sleep. He was not worried about tomorrow: whatever happened, whatever they had to face, they would be facing it together, nothing else mattered, really.
Jeremiah pored over the book, checking it against his notes. Behind him, the bed was untouched. He knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight, he needed to prepare, to meditate. He couldn't afford any mistakes tomorrow, four young lives were depending on him. He went over the ritual one more time in his head.
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Salome had not taken a room, preferring to spend the night on the roof, looking out over the city. Without a sunset to put an end to the trading, there was no break in activity. The food stalls rotated, each leaving to be replaced by another, shops closing and opening with no clear pattern. The beating, living heart of the city unable to rest.
She couldn't bear to sit still, so paced back and forth on the roof, wishing for the first time that her body were mere flesh, that she could look forward to exhaustion, the release of sleep. She did not understand what was bothering her so much, she knew what must be done, she had known for days, Demons did not feel guilt.
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The Last Science [SE]
[SE has the same content as the original story, split into smaller chunks for easier reading. This story is on a temporary hiatus due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. I work in healthcare and unfortunately no longer have the freetime to continue posting on a regular basis. As soon as our workload decreases, I will return. Thanks for reading! 💙] No one ever knows the whole story. Deep in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, the fading town of Rallsburg stumbles upon an amazing discovery—magic itself. Faced with potentially world-shattering power, the people of Rallsburg keep the secret for themselves. Led by Rachel DuValle, a perpetually underestimated college student with grand ambitions, they seek to found a new society. The world beyond suspects nothing, but magic cannot stay hidden forever. A train arrives in Rallsburg carrying Alden Bensen, a directionless high school graduate. To him, magic could represent meaning for his life, an explanation for his empty existence. This potent force offers anyone the power to change humanity forever—or send it cascading into swift and total annihilation. The Last Science is an ongoing science-fiction / low-fantasy web novel series, focused on the modern world with a twist. New societies bud and grow, but the people who make them up are imperfect and flawed. The story includes elements of mystery, action, crime, interpersonal drama, relationships, philosophy, sociology, politics, and much more, all centered on the perspective characters driving the tale. This is the "Scraps Edition" of the story, where the chapters have been split up into bite-size chunks (roughly 1500-3000 words), for your convenience. The prose has been edited from its original form, with some improvements, but there are no content differences from the original. New chapters will be posted throughout each week starting on Friday and appearing on multiple days thereafter, depending on the length of the chapter. Content Warning (by request): This series delves into some topics and situations which may be upsetting for some readers. In American rating parlance, the narrative would be rated PG-13 (except for language), but some have noted the story can get pretty dark on occasion. Please use your best judgment, and don't be afraid to take breaks and come back later. I'll still be here! [Discord] - come hang out and chat! [Patreon] - writing blog, epub copies, advance chapters and other goodies Need more to read? Check out my finished novel, Epilogue — a post-fantasy psychodrama.
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Before I reached Lvl. 100, they called me Death God Hei. But when I broke the limit, the System punished me. It cursed me to become this monster. I woke up as a Lvl. 0 again. Dying only brings me back to a save point now. But I don't go back until I die twice. First I suffer as a human, then I hunger as a zombie. The worst part is...I still have to watch when that thing takes over my corpse. I call it the Gray. I can't do anything even when it's hunting down those I'm trying to save. Sometimes, I wonder. When I level, I swear I can hear a voice speaking to me. This thing...can it think? It's like Re:zero crossed with SAO, Solo Leveling, and Tokyo Ghoul Re:The Worst System is a dark, 1st person timeloop story where the main character is slowly driven insane by his ability to respawn at a save point. However, each time he levels, there's a possibility that the next time he dies, the zombie inside him will become too powerful for anyone to stop. So he has to level up a harem...ahem, others, to fight for him against the System. Oftentimes, Hei will get trapped in repeating death loops which are truly terrifying. You've been warned...please don't read if you're not willing to see the darkness all the way through. The light on the other side may be a long ways away...I'll be trying to post on Thurs/Sundays, but honestly, depending on how I'm feeling, chapters could come out at some wonky times. If you want to support the story, read ahead, or bribe me to write more, I'd appreciate you checking out my Patreon, but this story will be updated frequently for free anyways. Come chat about the story with other Hunters: https://discord.gg/BUhQ23qw Cover licensed under Creative Commons 2.0 from https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/35083407110/in/album-72157682306838123/
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Tenacity Online is set to be the biggest Full Immmersion Virtual Reality (FIVR) game of the next decade. And they're going all out for the release, a yearlong streamed event. Two thousand of the world's most dedicated, competitive, and popular gamers will be going into full immersion. Catering to the word hardcore, T.O. is a game looking to shake up a player base jaded by over three decades of FIVR games. With no pain dampeners and zero tool assisted gaming, the year long event is set to be a grueling test of endurance for everyone involved. Luke Castille is in a rut, in and out of the virtual world. Grinding out endless hours at a dead end job and trying to find time to play with a slowly failing guild of friends. Tenacity Online is his one chance to turn it all around, setting out to make something not only for himself but the people he counts as friends. Failure isn't an option and the clock is ticking.
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