《Gods and Glory》Volume_01 : The Beginning, Once More
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{Gabrielle Xylmuitte - 2 years of age}
In Mr. George's study, a pile of books were stacked over one another cleanly. In the middle of it all was a one year old child who was seemingly eager to understand the content of the book she had opened. It was Gabrielle, ever since she had learnt to stand she had started reading complicated books about magic. Her parents of course had no clue to what she was up to, leaving her to the maids telling them to allow her access to wherever but going outside and into the basement was forbid. Gab's maid, Alisa, was a young woman who cared deeply for her.
She saw Gabrielle as her younger sibling, and she hardly left her side. Gab was trying to learn basic magic by herself, though the struggle was real. Her tiny body was one thing, she had to be carried by her maid everywhere, though all she had to do was point. Her mana was also a big obstacle, she could hardly practice her [Conjure] due to lack of magical power. It was Sunset and Alisa had baby Gab between her crossed legs, though she had fallen asleep.
‘I need to do something about this small mana pool of mine, so hard to even maintain a simple [Water Conjure]. Even just having it move for a meter consumes more than half of my mana. Father must have some written [Conjure Technique] that could help in increasing my mana pool. Better ask Alisa for the upper books tomorrow. It's already curfew *sigh*, just you wait till I grow a little more. Now then, we better go back before we get scolded again.
She thought and started shaking the sleeping Alisa.
*Alisa awakes*
"uuuuhh...*yawns* What is the matter young miss?"
She says to Gab who then points to the window showing the setting sun.
"Oh my! The curfew, we must head back now. Come young miss *lifts Gab*. Ouch *almost trips*, oh no, my poor legs. I should really stop sleeping like that now."
Night came.
At the family dining table, there the Xylmuitte family ate dinner. As royals would do, the head of the house would dine in the edge of the table overlooking the members of his house.
"Alisa, do tell me where Gabrielle went about today, would you please?"
Requested Mr. Xylmuitte who just came from his office in the kingdom's castle. He was a noble assigned by the king to help maintain the financial state of the kingdom's treasury on balance. Though this form of work required redundant duties of rechecking the expenses and future budget of the kingdom on different areas, George was a man of great patience and he was also deemed to have a stern sense of duty to the country.
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"Oh yes, of course sir. Today the young miss wanted to visit your study, she seemed quite interested and consumed by your books specifically. The miss and I spent the whole day inside your study with her asking for my assistance on reaching for books in places too far for her as of yet. That is all."
She reported. She was used to this task, for every night on dinner Mr. Xylmuitte asked of it.
"My, aren't you the little genius, hm? Oh you cute little thing, if only this mother of yours could spend more time with her child. Who's mommy's little angel, hmm, hmmm, you are? *giggles while tickling Gab*"
Teases Eleanor. She notices George looking stressed out and starts to worry.
"Is something the matter, dear? You look rather tired today particularly."
"*long sigh* It’s about the budget for the army's weaponry. There were missing funds, and now we will have to retrace our steps until we can find the source of loss. Now it's taking forever just skimming through old documents. And if I'm unable to find the roots of this problem, my position demands me to provide and cover for it instead.*long sigh*"
He says.
"My word, that is quite troubling. How much was lost anyways?"
She continues while slowly grasping the situation.
"We're missing two carriages, fifteen horses, forty-three armor sets, twenty short-swords, and fourteen lances. A carriage costs 200 copper volis, a horse takes 32 copper volis, a whole armour set is 38 copper volis, short-swords for 9 copper volis, while lances for 12 copper volis. Summing up, well its about... 3 silver volis. That is about five percent of my monthly income, takes a chunk of my hard work and time spent in the office in vain. Dear, what should I do?"
He said while taking hold of his wife's hand. He always runs to her when things get rough, with the fact that she was one of the brightest students of their time.
"I would be more than happy to help you out but let us do so after dinner, shall we?"
"I would be delighted. And maybe you could delight me on my other needs as well. *winks*"
"Oh stop it, you. There are children, can't you see? *blushing*"
Gab cringed to her father's remark.
"How about you Diana? What did you do today?"
"Yes Father, today was the same with my previous schedules. This morning, I attended to my lessons in the violin. Later on, I took up arithmetic with my tutor. Then forward to my painting lessons where the maestro taught me landscape portraits. Afterwards was nothing but my free time so I decided to head to the town library. That is all."
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"Wonderful as always, my girl. I'm so proud of you."
"Oh, no mother. I merely perform what was to be expected from me. Thank you~"
"Well done, Diana. I can see a shining future ahead of you. Continue what it is that you do."
"Yes, of course. Thank you, Father."
After finishing dinner, the couple had proceeded to do their "business" in in their room. While Gab was carried by Alisa and Diana accompanied by her own personal maid, Felicita, an elderly woman who also took care of Diana since her birth. She was a really kind woman, showing respect to every person she encounters.
Alisa then takes Gab to her room. It was laced in pink while swirling around with sky blue. A miniature chandelier hung from above, over her white crib. There were also two lamps for the lighting and around the room were cabinets filled with Gab's clothes. A tiny drawer with a closet hanger was by the side, Alisa uses this. She then prepares Gab's bath and milk. While doing so she leaves Gab in her crib.
"Just a minute, miss. We will proceed to your bath once I return, all right?"
She asks. Gab nods in response. Alisa giggles and pats her on the head.
As she prepared hot water, Gab had her chance. She was waiting for this moment when Alisa would be distracted. She conjures a spell on her body, [Skill Boost : Strength]. This allowed a person to temporarily increase his strength in folds depending on his mana pool, for Gab this just allowed her to somersault her way out of the crib, grab a book from under the bed, throw it into her crib, jump back up inside, then hide the book beneath her bed's foam. This ate up half of her mana, though when compared to other infants, her mana was that of an irregular, a monster. She achieved such a feat by continuously cultivating and practicing her [Conjure]s.
‘Nice and quick, yes!’
She said to herself after hiding the book and standing proud for achieving such a feat.
"Miss? The bath is ready now!"
Called Alisa. Gab was startled, thinking that she was caught red-handed. She falls flat on her head.
"Miss, what are you doing?"
She asks as she sees Gab with her head on the bed down flat and her but raised. In an effort to make an excuse, Gab does push-ups.
"Wha- Miss?!"
"Umu umu!" she mutters but thought ‘What the hell am I doing?!’
Alisa is stunned. Then, Gab does sit ups.
"Eeeeh~??!!"
"Umu umu!" but was thinking ‘Huh?! What the heck? I'm making it worse!’
As of now Alisa was confused about what Gab was doing. And finally, she does head-stand. But she was clearly struggling.
"Woahh- wait, no. What are you even doing?!"
"Umu umu!" thinking ‘Aahaha, just stop, stop it. Don't look at me~!’
Then the conjure finally runs out of time and she fell flat on her face on the bed.
‘Ah, it finally ran out huh?’
"M-miss? Are you alright?"
She asked and took Gab into her arms.
"U-umu...*blush*"
Alisa then carried Gab to bathe. After that, she combed her hair to dry.
‘If I remember correctly, before getting the blessing from the Gods, my aptitude was a triple talent. [Wind], [Lightning] and [Water]. [Wind] magic allows me to create more offensively based abilities and also that it can be used as a substitute for other forms of transportation. While its the same for [Lightning] magic, it's attack power is on a much larger scale and can hit multiple targets while using minimum of my mana. [Water] magic focuses on purifications and healing abilities it has a quite a let-down on the offensive capabilities.’
She thought while Alisa brushed her hair. After she finished, Gab laid down looking asleep. Alisa kissed her forehead and said.
"Rest well miss, Good night."
She left the room, blew out the chandelier and the lamps. After a while, Gab sits straight up.
‘I'm sorry, Alisa. But I won't be able to rest well for the following years. Rather, I mustn’t. I have a war to prepare for.’
She thought and lights up the lamp. She retrieved the book she hid from below her mattress and up front her pillow while carrying her bottle of milk.
‘And I will get to the bottom of this farce. The war between the Gods and the Devil. I have a long way to go, don't I?’
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Shadow in the Snow
To live in a circus, to run away to one; this is the dream of many. The shining lights and the music and the cheering of the crowds are appealing to some. How little they know! This is the story of two brothers who were raised in a circus. One, a slave to the Master -- his most brilliant performer and a boy of pure white who has never been allowed to see the sun, nor feel the grass beneath his feet, nor the touch of rain upon his skin. The other, a slave to his brother -- a guardsman, trapped there not by chains but by love and loyalty. When fate proves unexpectedly kind to them on an otherwise cruel day, they find themselves free along with the girl they have been raised with and must find their way in a broken world, all the while being hunted without pause and without mercy. The Master has lost his prize. He is determined to reclaim it.
8 213The 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.
8 133Naruto Retsuden: Toru
[SI/OC Third Shinobi War]Well fought and well done. All of us fight as one. It took me three years to be able to properly read the faded out kanji of the flimsy poster that I keep in my back pocket. The illustration is colourful, bright reds and yellows. Colours that would definitely catch the attention of a child. The poster was carefully placed along the walls and fences of my village, level with the height of a four year old. I thought enlisting to become a Shinobi was a heroic deed, something I needed to do to save my family from poverty and to serve my country at the cusp of war. Then I graduated early to be deployed to the front lines.I am sadly and sorely mistaken. Warnings:Slow-burnNO OP-NESSRomance? What romance? It'll take at least 40 chapters or more before anything romantic happens.Realistic depictions of War from a child's perspectiveBlood and goreChild SoldiersPTSDRealistic character developmentTragedy. A lot of tragedy. Critiques much appreciated!
8 108zalex story corner
hello, zalex here, some might know me as one of the authors of 'turn-based engineer'. Well, I finally decided to make the move to here on RR.With the decision to branch out to other sites, I have decided the first step would be some short stories. Manly about dragons, but sometimes I have other things. But usually dragons. Some of you might be wondering what is ZSC, well, simply put, it is a collection of short stories I have written over the years. Some being rather short and some very very long. I will try to keep posting these once a week. So sit down, relax and enjoy some short stories made by myself, zalex.
8 153Life's Exodus
I was a being that transcended even the Gods.I stood at the top, the apex, the pinnacle of power.And yet here I am. Shackled, powerless; a mere husk of my former self.The memento of my loved one binds me to this cursed place.Why, you ask?Why? Because I am. I am the end, the harbinger of demise. It was my quest. To bring end, to be end.The Gods respected that wish and in turn got immortal life. But, oh the irony, the immortal life I gave them made them break their promise.Corrupted by their attachement to their mortal selves they betrayed me.They took her life, one of their own kind and my love, and bound me with her flesh and blood.She, the Goddess of beginning. I would end the cycle and she would repeat it. We were so different and yet we loved each other.My rage burned without stop in sight, however time takes it all. Hate, love, sadness, joy, they are all taken away.But the memory, the memory of hate, to kill the Gods, this stays. Yes, I will end them.They played me a fool and now it will be their time to pay the price. But the price is costly.I can't wait! Their fall is near! My dawn shall be heralded by their deaths. Corpses shall tower to the skies and blood shall form rivers! As I am death incarnate! I am their bane, their RUIN! You fools, you don't play... with DEATH!My new destiny awaits.....
8 143Namasté (Jerrie)
Jade was sure she'd found her soul mate. However when she's found curled up on the floor of her living room with a bloody face and weeping by her best friend, she knew he wasn't the person she thought he was... With the help of her best friends Jesy and Leigh, Jade starts the New Year fresh, having no intentions of finding love until a beautiful blonde waltzed straight into her path of life. (Jerrie A.U.)
8 154