《The Veil of Liquid Stars》Progress.loading
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It wouldn't be enough to just sing to herself of course. The talent tree specified that enemies could be affected as well. Time to serenade some bonefish, she supposed. Fortunately, their rock had orbited around to the higher-level side of the zone, so the fish were scaled up to give her some XP. Speaking of the boneheads, there was a school of them. Prepared to swim off in case she angered the horde, she hesitantly began singing the chorus of first that came to her mind. You complete me. You deplete me. You repeat me. You tear my soul out, I can't even shout out, After the first few notes, a ghostly shell appeared around her, pulsing in time with her changes in volume. The skill's effect radius? The swarm crested the edge just as she reached the loudest part of the chorus. Instantly a flood of debuff icons filled her view. Action Log: You have inflicted 12 Prime Albonecore Tuna with Siren's Call -5% max hp -10% swim speed +5% damage taken Erin's song sputtered to a halt when she ran out of lyrics. The debuff icons rapidly faded, and the fish swam by unbothered. This is quite the debuff - especially with DoTs on top. She immediately went into the talent tree and tapped three points into Vicious Solo, and one into Earworm. She was going to do some AoE Karaoke. She brought up her on-screen browser and loaded up a music addon, toggling the on-screen lyrics. The next school swarmed around her like a thrash concert. Screamy songs had never been her favorite, but it seemed oddly appropriate as she belted out Vanderlost's "Monsterland". It took two rounds of the song to finish them all off, but the flood of half-xp made it worth it. The combination of a snare and a move speed buff made it pretty easy to kite the fish, who were made for short-range ramming. She sighted on another group, and loaded up "No Man's Grace". She kicked it off with a harpoon this time. She practiced singing with shooting this time, hammering off a few shots before kicking away to safer distances. The one point she had in Earworm made the process much easier, as she didn't have to continually sing to apply the effect. She was like a backup singer, punctuating each line with the muted clack of her weapon. And no man saves me! And no one braves me! The meaty thud of her last bolt punctured the chorus. The swarm was dead, and she needed bolts back. The flood of experienced washed through her, and she leveled up. She was definitely going to catch up to Jonah at this rate. I have freed myself! But you are still a slave And there is no price to pay No one left to save It didn't seem to matter how much she abused her voice, the notes came crystal clear. The rumble of the deep was a constant bassline, the thump of her harpoon gun a drum. It was awkward at first, singing and operating the weapon, but practice paid off. And we are given what we need, What we need is eyes to see Eyes to see Eyes to see She sank the point from level 8 into Earworm, less so for its effect, and more to unlock the advanced talents at the next tier. She was really digging the underwater bard vibe, surprisingly. She had grinded her way up to 9 in no time, and finished out the lower tier of Siren. She didn't have time to look at it now though, because it was time to meet Valens. Back in the real world, she wrangled her hair into a rough ponytail. That would have to do for Valens- he'd seen her looking worse. She stomped into her boots and grabbed her keys, and then she was off. She lived downtown, but was in a fairly nice neighborhood, so she didn't worry too much about being alone and on foot. The bar was a short walk from her place - one of the reasons it had become their favored haunt. She hadn't been to the place in months. She and Valens had had chemistry, oh yes. Things had been going hot for the better part of a year when she invited him to move in. Big mistake. Turns out you learn a lot about someone by living with them - outside the bedroom, the two of them weren't on the same page on anything. They'd tried to end it like adults, but hanging out with him was awkward as hell. She'd taken to burying herself in work until the Jonah situation had come in and put everything into a new perspective. Valens worked with full immersion tanks for long-term occupants. It was a growing market in the retirement sector, and it paired well with the booming VR industry. Of all the people she knew, Valens was the closest thing she had to an expert on what had happened to Jonah. She crossed the street with a tide of other pedestrians. She was nearly there now, and she still had no idea what to say. The whole thing made her sound like a crackpot, and she was afraid he was going to laugh in her face, shared history or not. The hostess at the front welcomed her. "It's been a while since I've seen you here! Want your normal table?" "Yes, please - and if you could let my friend know I'm waiting for him, that'd be great." She didn't have to wait long. Valens showed up a few minutes later, concern on his face. The waitress was right behind them. "Hey, long time no see," she said lamely. Turning to the waitress she said, "I'll have a beer- something craft and hoppy." "So, we're drinking," Valens said. "All right, give me a stout." As the waitress departed, Valen's looked at her expectantly, "Well? Safe enough to talk now?" Erin blew out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Well, I'm not sure where to start." "At the beginning, naturally." "Well, it all started when I got this weird message at work..." She told him everything, in detail. They finished their beers and went through several more before she was done. Valens prompted her throughout but didn't interrupt her. "That's quite the story," he said once it was done. "Do you believe me?" "I do - you wouldn't lie about something like this, and you aren't delusional. I can see why you brought this to me now though." "I don't know what to do! I'm trying to help, but it feels like I'm putting a bandaid on a severed artery." "I bet he doesn't feel that way. Seems like you've helped him out a lot. You've moved him from hell to purgatory, at least." "It could be heaven though. The freedom of it - it's really something." Valens put his hand on his chin, considering. "Have you tried IP tracing his location? Could give you more info." "I've been afraid to run any commands on him in there - figure he's being monitored." "Think he could run them?" "Maybe. What would it tell us?" Valens nodded and said, "Could tell us if he's located on-site, or overseas or something." He paused and added, "If he's on-site, I might have a solution for him." "A solution?" "Yeah, my spare time lately has been free, so I've been tinkering with some tech. I think I can hook up a full-immersion unit if I had to." "So you're saying if I can find him, you can keep him alive?" "Right - he'd be a new tenant at the shop. It's amazing how far the technology has come these days - he's just a little ahead of the curve." "That just leaves the hard part- extracting him," she said morosely. "I hate to say it, but I think the only thing to do is go to the police. This is human trafficking, after all." Erin sighed, "I was afraid you'd say that. Do you think they'll be subtle enough?" She was picturing armed officers bashing in the front door. "Do you think they'd even believe me?" "I guess you'll need some proof then," Valens said. He scratched his head. "You realize, this doesn't go well for you right?" "I realize," Erin said. "I just don't see any good options anymore. I can't just let this stand, you know?" "Well, in case you need a job soon - I could use a good coder with your credentials at the shop. I'm expanding into new markets, gonna need new software." Erin wasn't sure how she felt about working for a former flame, but her work connections were about to be scorched earth. The choice appeared to be work for the ex or work for the ones who kidnapped and tourtured people for profit. Was there no other options? "Thanks, Valens" she said instead. "It's good to know you have my back on this." "Don't thank me too much," he said with a wry smile. "I'm already drooling over the thought of having a pre-optimized human server in my debt and locked-in to my platform." Her eyes widened, "You'd use him the same way they would?" "No, nothing like that," Valens said patting his hands in a calming gesture. "Nothing he didn't agree to, and no torture. But he could really make a difference in this field, and he's gotta do something with his time. He's got... basically forever now." They both went quiet at that. After a time, Erin spoke up, "I've been recording our time in-game. If I post it anywhere though, they'll be on me like white on rice. All they have to do is track down my character's account, and it's over." She'd be out of the game and out of the company, no way to help Jonah, and no choice but to take Valens up on his offer. "I'll think on that. There has to be a way to use it as evidence without leading back to you. Can you send me what you have?" Valens asked. Erin said, "I'll do you one better - I'll grant you access to my private stream. Then you'll get the new ones as I make them." They didn't have much left to say. They paid their separate tabs and bid each other farewell.
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A Wish Beyond Chaos
Knights cultivate Laws to transcend mortality. They live for centuries, leading all of humanity while ceaselessly searching for the ultimate path. Mages study Runes to control creation itself. Their lives are short, but burn with unmatched radiance, leaving marks that may never fade. Roland Crescent consumes food to continue existing. He has lived for almost fifteen years without accidentally choking to death, a feat not yet committed to chronicles and song. Five years ago, at the tender age of nine, Roland suddenly stopped dreaming and instead started seeing the imminent deaths of those around him in nightly visions. Believing himself destined for greatness, he set out to become a righteous hero of justice. But as the years passed this young wannabe savior found that his duties brought him almost no discernible benefits, whereas new burdens kept piling onto his small shoulders without end. When a longtime plan’s failure ends up opening the path to several twisted opportunities, Roland might have to finally admit to himself that nobody of importance, much less fate itself, had any regards for his heroic inclinations. Slow paced, character focused story. Gets very dark at times. Basically like Lord of the Mysteries with more comedic aspects at the start. Chapters are released Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday. Average chapter length is about 4000 words, with only the first vision being noticeably shorter. Have fun reading.
8 344Hell-Bound
December 1st 2018. It started off simply enough, but then the clock struck twelve, and the sky bled into red. Tick Tock, Tick Tock little humans... try to survive. The sky turns red, a voice whispers into the minds of all who hears it, and strange demons invade the world for one hour before retreating. The humans are then given an ultimatum by Chronos, the being who had somehow conquered Hell and kicked Lucifer off of his throne. Become strong, enter the Dungeon and its one thousand floors, reach the bottom, and kill Chronos before he kills them. Arthur Clive is one such human, who wishes to enter the Dungeon and kill Chronos for the death of his parents and younger brother... luckily for him, he's not alone, his friends willing to help him become strong and kill Chronos... Though he has to wonder... why is it that he possesses two Animae compared to most adventurers and their singular Anima? Note: The rewrite of this is named Einherjar, and is being uploaded on this site. Also note: trying out using Adobe Sparks to make quick book covers, the current one was the efforts of a few minutes so meh... plus it does slightly fit... kind of.
8 58Room 1997 | J. Jungkook ✔
"Would you dare to go inside?"JEON JEONGGUK+ contains gore, profanities, and violence+ suggested to read during daylightREVIEWED BY @TheBTSWriters AND @regan4life THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!cover created by @suwubins
8 237The Direwolf Sorcerer
Wilhem Blackburn is actively involved in wildlife preservation. While investigating the most recent rumor, he dies in an accident. Getting a one-way ticket to a fantasy-laden world, Prima. Prima, a world inhabited by a plethora of species, each with a unique way to survive. A world enriched with boundless mana, resources, and power-hungry entities. And to make it worse, 'SYSTEM' happened, promising power and glory. After millennia, the dust has settled, more and more settled for a peaceful living. Wilhem Blackburn, now goes by Garm, wanted nothing of it. He was content with his life back on Earth. He wasn't ready to live a second on. Peaceful settling was it then! Peace was hard for Garm, especially when the top brass was set to wipe him out of existence. Little did they know he was nigh unkillable! Author's note: Things to expect: - Adventure, magic, and myth? Sure - Action and a bit of dry humor? Why not~ - OP MC & VILLAINS. - Mind the tags. It's a litrpg and slow-paced. - Oh! MC is a bit suicidal! Things not to expect: - Romance. I've no intention of adding romance in the foreseeable future. - Good grammar (Fair warning: I'm not native and might have some issues with the language. I hope you guys will be helpful and kind to point out the wrongs.) Greetings! 'The Direwolf Sorcerer' is my first work, so be supportive and kind by pointing out my flaws. Thanks! ( This went by the name 'I died & reincarnated as wolf in fantasy world' almost a year ago in RR. Due to personal reasons, I dropped it only after 4 chapters. Now I'm writing it again, just with a new title.) *UPDATES EVERY SATURDAY I've plans for the cover art, but that's for later.
8 181Fragments of Time ( A Disney Twisted Wonderland x OC story) Book I
All stories begin with "Once upon a time..."Charlotte Luchessi's a girl unlike any have seen. With a fast-thinking mind and a few skills and talents up her sleeve, nothing can take her down! But something does. A memory that had left her scarred, left her to lock away her sadness through her selflessness. As if that wasn't enough, she's mysteriously dragged into a world beyond imagination! One where she'll encounter magic and mayhem more than ever.Enter Night Raven College, a prestigious magic training school where mages alike can hone their skills to become the next generation of wizards. Under the guardianship of the Schoolmaster, Charlotte is given protection, with an unlikely ally by the name of Grim, and tasks to work around and within the school all while seeking for a way back home.But what's with the students and their abnormal behaviors? What secrets roam within these halls? And is the Headmaster, as well as a certain fae dorm leader hiding something from the student body and herself included? The answers have yet to be revealed. Before she knows it, Charlotte is caught in a web of secrets and magic, both good and bad. With something monstrous lurking in the shadows, more questions than answers popping up, and getting meddling students into shape all on her mind, Charlie is determined to get everything found out. And along her journey, she'll discover that she's a fate more entwined with this world than meets the eye. But will this unusual and surprising discovery be what gets her back home or bring unspeakable horrors to this mysteriously dangerous and haunting world? Look beyond the Mirror. Go down the Rabbit Hole. Fall under the Spell of The Twisted Wonderland.-------Based off of Aniplex/Disney Japan's "Twisted Wonderland" video game. All rights go to original creators. Artwork belongs to Yana Tobaso. Began: March 22, 2020Finished: ???Find me on tumblr at @akemiozawa. More info on my OC Charlotte there!
8 224The Wolf Priestess and the Lion Knight
Kagome died most unexpectedly, but that was not the end of her adventure; being the Shikon, Miko had its perks, one of which was being favored by the Kamis. The Kamis decided that Kagome's soul was too valuable to let slip into oblivion in the underworld, so they sent Midoriko to her and informed Kagome that she would be reborn into another world where her help was desperately needed.Midoriko informed Kagome that she was to be born in the world of Planatos, specifically the country of Westeros. There, she would become a daughter of House Stark, and with her birth, the chain of events that led to the extinction of that House could be stopped. Kagome would have a difficult journey, but in the end, it would be worth it, and in the future, she may be the key to uniting to grand houses and finally finding the love she so desperately wanted.Will Kagome be able to complete this monumental task the Kamis have given her, or will she fall with the rest of her new family? And who is this great love of hers? Read and find out.I DO NOT OWN GAME OF THRONES OR INUYASHA; THEY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.Start Date: July 21, 2022. Slow Updates.
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