《The Library's Patron.》Page 11 : Resolving that annoying thing and...
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Myo had left a trail of corpses in the warehouse as the Rabbits had brought the kidnapped child back to the orphanage. She had all the evidence, sending it to Albion who will make the final say. Now waiting for the result. She sat on top of a dead body as she lit a cigarette. Excited for a fight. Myo put on her helmet as she pulled the bolt of her submachine gun.
Waiting for a message as she grit her teeth, grinding it as she was feeling the excitement burst in her vein. It was in her blood. Waiting for the answer. Tapping her foot as she looked at her knives. Checking the sharpness as she heard Nikolai speak over the radio.
"Myo.The director managed to get things sorted. With your evidence, the Dust Pipes and the Wild Cats. Along with a huge protest about the guild war that ended up losing many civilians. The Association put an order to have them stop their bullshit."
"Ah, really? That's no fun."
"Don't get disappointed just yet, the Director said to put on the masks. We're going hunting." Myo was excited with that thought, when she stepped out she found Albion outside.
"Director."
"Go and hunt them down, Myo. I can leave this tasks to the rest of you right?"
"Of course, we always enjoy a good fight." Myo grinned as a truck pulled up in front of her, being driven by one of her Rabbits. She stepped in to go on ahead. Albion needed to make a move as well, putting on his Mask of Distortions. To start of the frenzy of chaos. Within hours, the Dust Pipes and Wild Cats had suffered. In a blink of an eye, their strong forces were dwindled to almost nothing. Families were massacred by the Lynx Office and President Villis had given the announcement.
That by the conduct of the Wild Cats and Dust Pipes actively making guild wars without proper authorization, causing the many citizens to lose their lives. As well as evidence of recordings and details of kidnapping someone from the orphanage where the Lynx Office has made its home. Was a clear violation to the various Articles within the Hunter's Rulebook. Though there was backlash, people called out the President for favoring the Lynx Office, but the public was on her side.
The chaos that had began, left the Dust Pipes and Wild Cats as mere remnants of the past. A bloodbath had occurred, scorching flames that swallowed them like a massive tide at sea. Nothing was tolerated. The citizens of the areas that were once controlled by the two guilds were given more freedom than ever. No taxes to be paid to the Lynx Office. Any request can be given, be it that to help solve a murder or help stopping monsters roaming about. There were fees for that, but it was mere pennies when compared to what Lynx Office's gain.
They gained the treasury of both guilds by sheer force, and plenty of information on the world as a whole. Albion was back at the library, finding a key to the floor of Yesod but that would be for later. His primary focus? Seeing what Malkuth had gathered. The Dust Pipes and Wild Cats pages had given a lot of information that plenty of Hunters didn't like the current Association's rule, prioritizing the weaker Hunters rather than the currently established ones. The whole thing was a dump of information that helped Albion put the pieces together. Also finding out that Lisbon is an S-Rank Hunter. That's good to know, but the other Librarians had returned for their meals.
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Albion had a few things to think about as he picked up the books, reading the backstories of every Hunter that he's taken down, including looking into various other works. They had different weapon ideas that Albion went to Malkuth.
"Do you think some of these are possible to make?"
"With the library, it can be done but we need to get pages for it. The Library even puts a prerequisite for the pages."
"Got it, so when the floor to Yesod opens, do let me know. I'm going out first." Albion said as he went to take the E-Rank Dungeons that were available. There was one, E-Rank dungeon. Albion went over there, where he was greeted by a few of the Liu members that were present.
"Director."
"At ease, so I guess I'll be joining you on this." They nodded as they went in, they were Section 2 members. In reality combat wise they were B-Ranked but the Association decided to give them E-Rank. Must be Xiao and Lowell thinking that Albion needed bodyguards in case of a situation.
"It seems that Xiao and Lowell seem to be a bit too worried about me."
"Not at all, Director. We asked for this because we needed to understand how the monsters work." They headed in with other E-Ranks. The enemies before them were a hundred goblins.
"What are these things, Director?"
"Goblins. Small enemies, weak to fire but their numbers are large. This dungeon requires us to reach the goblin lord. So let's get to it."
"Yes, Director!" An E-Ranked Hunter had fallen, two goblins were ready to strike knives into her. Only for her to be rescued by Albion who used a rifle to blast them away.
"You're a Druid aren't you? Focus on trying to debuff their movement. Goblins are tedious that way! Warriors, fend the mages and healers! Mages keep your attacks to the goblins with the bows and staves! They will try to hurt you when you give them an opening! Liu Section 2! You're our vanguard!"
"Why should we listen to y-" The mage's line was cut off as a Liu Section 2 member slashed 5 goblins with her blade.
"Pay attention, or you'll die. They have numbers. We need to work together unless you want to just be goblin food." The member spoke as she charged ahead with the other Section 2 members. Their blades that were coated with fire, they were aggressive. When Albion asked Roland, he said it's best to let the Liu Association prove their worth in combat. They were specialists of direct combat and warfare, even watching them from where he stood, Albion could understand that nature. They were not giving the goblins any chance to take a rest, then Albion saw something pop up in front of him.
Due to Liu Association's affinity for fire.
They have been given passive by Scorched Girl.
The Flames that never burn away.
Increases burn damage by members of Malkuth's floor.
The flames will last until a dungeon or combat has ceased. They are now 100% resistant to flames with flames being used against them, can be used to coat their blades to strike back at the enemy.
The goblin mages casted flames at the rest. The Section 2 members leaped back, absorbing the flames to their blades.
"I trust the 10 of you can proceed without my aide?"
"Of course, Director." They showed their true nature, instantly destroying the dozens of goblins in mere seconds. They all had smiles on their faces, cutting through the goblins as if they were paper. More were headed their way but that did not stop Section 2 from becoming the flames that swallowed the horde whole. The goblin lord appeared, ready to strike at them. Only to be cut down too fast by the Section 2 members. That was anti-climactic even for Albion.
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"Solid work, Section 2." The blood burnt off from their blades as they sheathed it, following Albion who went over to look at the rewards of the dungeon. The other Hunters went over to get the loot while Albion went to get the mana cores from the goblins.
"Director." Albion turned to one of the Section 2 members showing a book.
"A goblin's book? Anything useful on it?"
"We got these books right after the fight." Albion took a moment to look at the pages of goblins, seeing a screen pop out.
Monster Books.
Monster books can be burned to give out following.
Items ( Monster hides, fangs, scales or anything that is biologically part of the creature)
Weapons components.
Skills
Stat increases.
By maxing out the understanding of the books. You may even be able to earn achievements that you can find in the library.
Albion thought about it, that means that there's plenty of things to gain from burning these books. There's a bit of things to learn but it seems that the enemies that Albion and the Section 2 team killed were going to be converted to books. To which Albion received something else.
The 12 Fixers.
An office led by a person only called Captain.
12 Grade 1 Fixers who were able to handle even the most difficult assignments.
Roland, Olivier and Angelica were part of this group.
The Color Fixers.
Only those who have attained a capability may earn this moniker.
The Red Mist, the Blue Reverberation, the Black Silence.. The Color Fixers are few but they have been noted by the ones who give their assignments. Olivier will know more.
The stories and fables of your world are now being integrated into the library.
Two guests has been given an invitation by the library.
Sword Tyrant, Avalon.
Lady of The Lake, Nervena.
Albion paused at reading that. The Sword Tyrant, that name alone sent shivers down Albion's spine. He felt his heart burning with acid, he needed to find out why.
"I'll need to go back." Albion said as he went ahead with Section 2 following him.
Heading back to the library, Albion found the Librarians along with the Abnormalities on their knees. Only Takibi was left standing. The two he had seen. Sword Tyrant, Avalon was a gray haired man with a face that had scars. He had a saber, katana and an odachi with him. A white coat that had blood stains. Smoking a cigar as if he was bored. Lady of the Lake, Nervena was a woman who was wearing a white suit with a pair of rifles in hand. Strapped to her thigh were machine pistols and a knife to her chest. Blue hair with a cigarette to her lips.
"They're quite resilient. Still alive after all of our attacks."
"Credit is given to where it is due." Albion walked on over, helping the others on their feet.
"Hm.. A new one. Better disable them." Avalon went charging ahead, only for Albion to stop it with his grip. Taking off his mask, then looking at him.
"Wh.."
"Back off, dad!" Albion roared as he kicked Avalon back. Albion finally remembered, the two people before him. His parents who were said to be missing.
"Why?! Where were you!? Why are both of you back now?!"
"It's not that simple.." Nervena said, only to see her cigarette shot up by Albion. The Librarians and Abnormalities were healed, but something was wrong. Albion had lost his cool. Charging at Avalon with the dagger. Their blades clashed repeatedly, as Avalon kicked Albion back.
"Albion, calm down."
"Calm down!? You expect me to calm down!? You left me and Lizzie when we were nothing but kids! You disappeared during a dungeon incident!? Then the Association comes back and tells me your dead! A will that said you were giving all of your fortune to the Hunter's Association!? You're not real! You're not my family! You're just something the library had come up with to mess with my head!" Albion shouted back as they see him be covered in white smoke being exhaled from his body. Engulfing him as it transformed him into a pure white being wearing a black coat.
"I promised Cassie, that I would make things right. That I would never... Ever lose. Then she died, and those damned Hunters just threw her corpse into a grinder like she was garbage! They didn't even let me identify her! They wouldn't even let me get close no matter how much I begged to give her a proper funeral!" Followed by four more figures appearing by Albion's side. One was a familiar face to all of the Librarians. Angela, the previous Library Director who was wearing a feathered coat with a book in her hand, the other was a bloodied Roland with weapons stuck on his back. Wearing the black mask. Then Cassie, Albion's younger sister who was a mish mash of organs put together. Only way to tell was by seeing the eyes of Nervena and Avalon who had tears on their cheeks but faces still being strong. The last figure, was Lisbon who was clad in black armor, wielding a bloodied mace.
"Damn the gods, damn the hunters. I just want everything to disappear." Those words were whispers into their ears.
Greetings.
I am system.
Currently due to the fluctuations in the Library Director.
I must intervene.
Avalon and Nervena are the Library Director's Parents.
Dear guests, Librarians and Abnormalities.
You will have to work together to suppress him.
The Actualization of Keter has begun.
However, due to the fact that the Librarians did not take an active role to understand the Director.
Actualizations will require the Library Director to dive deep into their past and to understand, whether to embrace or reject their feelings.
"Fuck." Roland groaned as he readied his shotgun, firing at Albion. Only for the shot to be intercepted by the Bloodied Roland. Argalia and Angelica leaped first to strike at him. Sent back flying due to an intense blast from Angela. Roelica and Olivier went for Cassie and Lisbon, taking the blow from Lisbon who wielded her long sword. Cassie was still okay, despite being struck repeatedly by Roelica's mace. Roelica dashed backward, drawing out the minigun. Unleashing a storms of bullets, only to be stopped by the pillar.
"Don't you dare hurt my sister!" Albion launched pillars at Roelica, who rolled away to dodge the attacks.
Snow Queen used the gesture 'A Kiss', an attempt to stop Albion from thrashing about in his madness. The screams alone were causing damage. Followed up by the pillars that were being formed around him. Stopping any gunfire that was to reach his way.
"We need a plan!" Avalon shouted as he leaped into the air, where Albion howled at him. Sending dozens of pillars flying his way, Avalon cut through the pillars as he used the pillars as platforms. This battle felt like one of attrition but Nervena was firing her rifles that were forcing Albion's attention on her and Avalon.
Roland faced the bloodied version of him, the mask breaks. Revealing the tired and strained Roland whose blood was trickling everywhere. The bloodied Roland soon started to twist into a seizure. The body grew with thousands of hands over his body, seeing the faces of all the people who suffered his wrath. Falling flat as the skin burst open to reveal a Roland wearing a longcoat. Skin started to melt off, turning into a Roland who was dressed in white but there was madness in his eyes.
"Shit."
"You're no longer the library's lap dog... So why do you still choose to oppose this? Isn't it wonderful for the Director to lose his mind?" Roland charged ahead.
"So you're the me that gave in to the vengeance. Was cutting her head worth it!?" Roland pushed his other self back.
"It was. I became the White Noise. The opposite of what we could have been. But, seeing that madness and anger. I think it's safe to say that he should follow my path instead of yours." White Noise spoke, bringing out a chainsaw as he charged at Roland. Roland countered back with the great sword of Wheels Industry. Gritting his teeth in anger as he put on his mask.
"Roland!" Angelica joined the fight, clashing with White Noise. Leaping back as Argelia joined with the scythe, pushing White Noise even further.
"Angelica? Argalia? I recall you two being dead. So what's with this? Another scheme by the Library?" White Noise spoke as he readied his own scythe, glaring at the trio before him.
Roland put on his black mask, as darkness coated his body. Floating as his weapons fell in front of him, merely wielding the Durandal while Angelica was coated in a white aura that turned her into something else. Their energies combined as they charged ahead while Argalia joined the fight as he became distorted.
Yan was using his Distorted Blade to strike at Albion, only to see Albion use the pillars to keep the giant blade at bay. Using his metal hands into the metal knights with greatswords, a full on assault was underway. Malkuth went over to face Angela, the Librarian of Death.
"Malkuth. I thought that I had gotten rid of you." Malkuth readied her book as Angela did, unleashing the powers of Abnormalities straight away.
"It's still too weak!" Angela yelled as the flames went straight at her. Malkuth closed her eyes. Believing she had lost, only to realize she was still alive. Opening them, seeing Scorched Girl stand in front of her, absorbing the flames to her chest as she leaped at Angela. Burning Angela with the intense flames. Angela screamed, kicking Scorched Girl back. Only to be struck by Bloodbath that threw a few jabs at her. Sending her back as Salvador, Philip and Yuna took the chance to strike. Yuna's fast assault with her cello case of blades, lacerating Angela first. Then followed up by Salvador's heated blades to cut deeper into Angela. Whereby Philip sent Angela flying to White Noise's path with a swing.
White Noise swung the chainsaw downwards, only to saw through the flying Librarian of Death in half. White Noise merely chuckled at the sight.
"Feels good just to cut her up again. Now, what will I do about the three of y-" Angelica got through with her lance. Striking the shoulder, then Roland came from behind. A swing of the mace to White Noise's head, leaving a blow. Followed up by Argalia swinging the scythe, where White Noise countered with the claws of his gauntlet.
Only to be caught in the middle of Angelica and Roland's formation. Both of them activated their Furioso, unleashing fast strikes to overwhelm White Noise. Even if he was strong, he was still able to bleed. Lacerating the limbs, slicing through White Noise's clothes, then ending it with a full on barrage from the shotgun to the face. White Noise's was now headless.
"That takes care of those two, but the other two?"
"Are you sure?" Roland and Angelica dodged the attack by the headless White Noise. Then seeing Angela being restored.
"Damn, these monsters." To which Olivier and Roelica joined in, seeing Avalon and Nervena cut down Lisbon and Cassie with much ease. White Noise and Angela readied their weapons to face the pair. Only to see White Noise's mask shatter from Avalon's sword, then Avalon placed his hand over White Noise's face. Crushing the skull, then pulling out a mace as he began to turn White Noise's remains into mush. Nervena threw grenades at Angela.
Blocking her vision, Angela was trying to search where she was. Only to be facing the gatling gun. Seeing Nervena's glare who obliterated her into nothing but chunks of meat. They were both trying to regenerate but it would take some time as Nervena and Avalon poured out liquids at them both. Slowing down the regeneration process.
"That should buy us at least 10 minutes." Avalon said as he stretched his neck, this time readying his odachi.
"Our son... He's suffered a lot." Nervena's words reached the other Librarians and the Abnormalities. The two of them walked towards Albion who kept on unleashing pillars to their path. Dodging them as if they were nothing. Sheathing their weapons. Albion was still roaring at them, unleashing pillars and shockwaves.
"Just stay put. We'll handle it. It's our son after all." Nervena said as the two of them went straight at him. Grabbing Albion by the head where Nervena put her hand on Avalon's back.
"Warp." The entire library vanished, turning into a barren graveyard of weapons. They threw Albion into the distance, where they see him crash into an invisible wall. Cracking bit by bit, then shattering as memories of the past began to glimmer from the fragments.
"Dad! Have a good day at work."
"Take care, mom!" The two children wished Avalon and Nervena, they clenched their fists.
"Why?! What is all this?! Why are you here now?!" Albion was falling into the madness, slowly becoming distorted. He was becoming less and lesser of a human.
"The reason why we went missing? Because we were betrayed. Mackam had our Dungeon entrance set to explode because we were the vanguard. We were open about calling his bullshit. So we ended up being in a place called the Mad World. Our souls were trapped, body tortured repeatedly. We had to watch you all and Cassie die over and over." Avalon said as Albion went charging at him, only to be pummeled to the ground by Avalon's fists.
"We killed everything in Mad World. Then found an invitation to the Library. It said your name. So we came." Albion was still raging, charging at Nervena who parried him with a dagger. Then shoving the barrel of her shotgun to Albion's face.
"You're our son. You're still alive. But to do this to you. Then so be it." Albion glanced at his mother's face. Tears of blood as she pulled the trigger, breaking the helmet. Where Albion's face was still that of a skeleton. Attempting to strike at Nervena, only to have his arms cut off by Avalon. Screeching in pain, the Librarians couldn't do anything. The screeches were enough to put them down, keeping them weakened for a long period of time.
"We love you, son. We're glad that you're alright. But if you lose yourself. Because of all those repressed emotions. Then you're going to turn into something even worse!" Albion heard Avalon's cry. Tears of blood with sorrow etched into the cheeks of his father. Albion tried to fight back, helplessly being cut open by his father. Over and over again.
Soon the world returned to the library, where Albion was on his knees. His arms were back to where they were. A living corpse, where Nervena and Avalon made their approach. Kneeling to their son, then embracing their son tightly. Their son was frozen, alive but nothing was said. Only the tears.
"It's okay." Those words alone. Broke the stoic Albion to pieces. Finally breaking down like a child, shedding all the tears that were saved up after all these years.
Actualization of Library Director.
Completed.
New objectives have been given to the Library Director.
The Guests, Avalon and Nervena have reestablished the link to the normal world.
The Library Director has been actualized.
Allowing him to use the Ego.
The Screaming Lynx.
Dear guests, do you still wish to continue the reception?
"Is there an option to be members of the Library?"
Of course.
You may take up the position as Advisors to the Director.
"Then we'll do that." Nervena said as the Librarians looked at the screen pop up before them.
The Reception has been resolved.
Adding positions of Advisors of the Library.
Advisor. Avalon Herrington
Sword Tyrant.
A famed S-Rank Hunter in the world. Known for his mastery of a variety of swordsmanship. Earned the nickname Sword Tyrant because of the fact that during a dungeon breakout of demons with numbers reaching by the thousands. He stood with Lady of the Lake. Fighting on the battlefield for days until the last demon was slain. His class is Sword Magician. It is a class that amplifies swordsmanship to its fullest. It is said that his sword technique has been envied by many deities.
Advisor. Nervena Joela Herrington
Lady of the Lake
A famed S-Rank Hunter. Her nickname came from the fact that in a certain dungeon that was said to be unbeatable. She had beaten it. The dungeon was a variety of combat receptions on a lake. Where Nervena had beaten all of the receptions with her dagger and firearms. She also earned the technique, The Lake's Calling. Which is a combat skill that allows her to maintain supremacy over her enemies provided they are within her range. The supremacy entails to the ways of taking down opponents as a whole. If an enemy can be beaten by her combat prowess, she can dominate that enemy.
White Noise and Angela stood on their feet, the Librarians turned to fight. Only to see White Noise take off his mask, Angela who put her book aside. The sudden feeling of hostility faded far too easily.
"What? You want to go for round two?" Roland asked as he readied his Durandal, glaring at them both.
"Forget it. It might be time for me to just rest." White Noise threw his gloves to Roland. The hostility was gone, almost as if it was averted.
"Since he has made his peace, then it's best if both of us take our leave. Malkuth, it is good to see you again. Give the rest my regards, won't you?" Angela's voice sounded much more calm than before.
"Angela." Malkuth called.
"The new Library Director will need your help, along with the rest. He'll need someone like you. This is your fourth life." Angela said as she held Malkuth's cheeks, shedding tears. Angela smiled as she wiped away her tears.
"I will, Angela." Angela smiled one last time before she faded away. Turning into ash, leaving behind her furcoat and the book.
"Since you got this life back. You better make the most of it, dipshit. Don't ever make Angelica cry and don't make your daughter cry. Or I'll come back and slice you in half with my chainsaw, got that?" Roland smiled at White Noise's angry remark.
"I won't."
"Olivier, Argalia. I suppose you two will be the doting uncles for that lil kiddo over there. She's not as green as grass. If she was a fixer. She would have been a fine addition to Charles. But Captain wouldn't like that, or she might be a good addition for that Ensemble of yours." White Noise spoke, chuckling as he took a deep breath. Looking at how organized the library is.
"The weapons on my gloves will respond to only the kid. Same goes for my Durandal. I don't need it anymore." White Noise put his Durandal by the table.
"World isn't always black and white. Sometimes you have to live in the grays of it all. That kid has been living in the black for too long, give him some gray so he can see the white within the pitch black silence. On the other floors, you'll find different versions of Roland and Angela for the actualizations. Every time he actualizes. He becomes a different Lynx. This one's a freebie. The Library Director Actualization."
"How do you know that?" Malkuth asked.
"Because I am part of the system. Same goes for Angela. The Library Director Actualization is for him to prove that he's the Librarian's Director. Actualizations are tougher fights than the Realization's you went through. Each time an Actualization occurs, the Librarians who are in the Library will have to face him. You tame it properly, and he'll be fine. Face it too early, then you'll get fucked. You guys skipped even the Keter Realization which made this fight way more tougher than it should be. Realizations will come from you assholes spending time with the kid. Get to know him, let him get to know you better. You're all strangers to one another, but you serve the Library. Every floor's final path will have an Ensemble member linked. So Roland and Argalia are compulsory. But, if let's say we meet those annoying white coats of Hana, then Olivier has to go there." White Noise's explanation was condescending but it was full of information to how this Library would work.
"That being said. The Floor's path system was made because that little shit beat the Library in what? 2 months? So we had to redo the system entirely. I'll visit from time to time with hints for you clueless jackasses. Anyway. Here's the first tip. It involves Charles Office. So Angelica, Roland and Olivier, you three will be meeting some of your Charles Office members in the Dungeons or in the real world. You find them and they'll join the respective floors. Also, you assholes might end up fighting certain enemies like Love Town, Sweepers, even crazed abnormalities. The world doesn't have an L-Corp or the Wings. But there's a thousand plus fucking Abnos and Aberrations to find. They might be roaming around so things are about to get busy for you lot. So Fixers will have to do what we do best. Fix shit. Also about your world. It's simple. The Wings, Syndicates and Associations of the entire world went into a huge war against themselves. Then they went into the library where I and Angela were fighting. Then we ended up killing them, then Seed of Light happened. So I can safely say with complete and utter fucking distaste in my mouth. That a few Arbiters, Claws are here. Some of the dungeons will bring you to different parts of the city districts. Now, because I am part of the system, trying to unfuck whatever the fuck happened in the Seed of Light. Besides, you already have a Roland. The other Rolands are just part of the system like me. We only pop back in during Actualizations. So don't call me White Noise. You can just call me Director's Assistant, Lorent."
"Why Lorent?"
"I don't fucking know. It was a name of some guy I killed. The last guy I killed back when I was a Fixer. Even got this nice mask and everything." White Noise, now called Lorent said. Then looking at Albion who was brought on over.
"So kid. When you beat the other Rolands and Angelas, you'll gain more power than before but next time. Do a Realization before a fucking Actualization. You're lucky that we manage to bring your parents back. The Library makes no sense to how it works now. One thing's for sure though. There are many variations to our world, and just like Iori the dimensional traveler. It can even mess with time zones of your world. Prior to it being fucked by whatever that brought you here." Lorent said as he lit a cigarette.
"What does that mean?" Yan asked.
"You guys might end up preventing the smoke war, prevent L-Corp from even existing, might even stop the Index and the massive wars. Some dungeons will have an invitation system. Where only a select group of people can go. But the residents of this Library take precedence. Yan, you might be able to stop the other versions of you from going through what you went through as an Index or stop the Index dead in its tracks. Or another version of the Vismok family who lost you instead."
"So.. I.."
"Yes, Yan. You can see them. Now I'm not an asshole to you because in my world. You were the one who destroyed the Index, and turned it into a safe haven. That was until the Wings, Fingers and all those other assholes ruined it. You were the only friend I had after I killed my friends in the Library. When you died, I became the White Noise." Lorent said as he had this nostalgic smile.
"Okay. That's it. Now, don't mind me. I am going to go and fucking sleep." Lorent said as he vanished from thin air.
That had left more questions in the others, more than answers.
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Wildling
Blurb: Silas--a scavenger living off the ruins of humanity--has spent his entire life fighting tooth and nail to provide for himself and his crew. But when a scavenging run goes awry and he's snatched up by an android patrol, he finds himself thrown into a cage and priced to sell as a pet. And when a suitor comes calling, he fears the worst: that he'll be turned into a Domestic, a human lapdog brainwashed into total obedience. Instead, he discovers an equally disturbing truth: that the creatures who stole his world have created a videogame the likes of which Earth has never seen; a sprawling, game-like theme park where humans are the Avatars and androids are the players who control them. And to make matters worse, his android guide is as hopeless as they come, having gotten all of her previous Avatars killed in record time. So if Silas wants to regain his freedom, he'll not only have to fight his way through a world that was specifically designed to murder him in brutal fashion--he'll also have to convince his android guide that he should be the one calling the shots. FAQS: Q: Who are you, handsome stranger? A: I'm Kyle Kirrin, the author of Shadeslinger, book 1 of The Ripple System, published by Portal Books, and I write crunchy LitRPG. Q: What is Wildling? And is it complete? A: Wildling is a crunchy LitRPG mash up of Fantasy and Science Fiction. And yup, Wildling is already complete at 64 chapters, or about 120,000 thousand words. You're looking at something like a third draft here--it's fairly polished, but it hasn't been picked over by a copy editor yet nor has my developmental editor seen it. Q: Upload schedule? A: 5 initial chapters today (2/15/2021) and one chapter a day for the next month. After that I'll probably slow down to 2 or 3 chapters a week until the story is complete. Q: How crunchy is it? A: It's pretty crunchy. I'd put it on the same tier as Ascend/The Land/RSSG, but it might be a bit crunchier than those three? Q: Is this the first book in a series or a web novel or what? And what are your plans for it? A: It's currently a standalone with series potential. Full disclosure: this story may head the way of my publisher eventually, but will be available on RR for quite a while no matter what. Likely several months after it's complete with plenty of warning before/if it's taken down. Q: What kind of build does the MC create? A: Sword and board! Q: Crafting? A: Plenty! Crafting isn't as center stage as it is in The Way of the Shaman, but it's close. Q: Base building? A: Two fully separate, distinct bases, both of which play a major role in the story. Q: VRMMO? Portal? Reincarnation or what? A: This one's a bit tricky. Basically an advanced race has created a game-like world that closely resembles a theme park. Think Westworld but with copious amounts of loot. And the MC has to fight his way through that to earn his freedom. Q: Permadeath? A: Nope! The MC gets 3 lives to play through the entirety of the game world, and death is extremely punishing, but not fatal. Q: Harem? Or romance? A: No and no. Q: Cursing? Blood? A: Quite a bit of cursing, yeah. There's blood, too, but it's not a gory book by any means. Q: How can I support? A: Instead of a Patreon/donations etc, I'd ask that you consider giving my debut LitRPG Shadeslinger a chance. It's free on Kindle Unlimited and the audio is already out narrated by Travis Baldree. It's an epic fantasy VRMMO where the main character gets 3 days of exclusive access to a new game plus a snarky, talking axe to guide him through it in exchange for agreeing to become the target of a serverwide manhunt once the Head Start period ends. Q: How's it similar to Wildling? And how's it different? A. The crunch level is very similar, but Shadeslinger is a much lighter, epic fantasy take on the genre. It's also VRMMO, but without any real world components aside from the first chapter. The MC is very different--he comes off as a bit of a jerk early on and can take a bit to warm up to, especially before his backstory is revealed--but he's also got a talking axe that constantly puts him in his place. Shadeslinger's a much more humorous story in general, and it's a great deal more polished as well. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy Wildling!
8 319Nelvinus
The world is destroyed. For one, it’s a new start. He, who suffer almost entire his life has been chosen to be a new creator and to become the last of it. The two souls whose is reincarnated by him is from the same universe as him but in reality, it's a lie told by him to protect both of them. The two souls embark a journey in a new reality and discovering the truth about themselves upon uncover Glitch inside the world of magic.
8 205The Eye of Cyprus
King Richard Lionheart sets his sights on the kingdom of Cyprus. In a desperate attempt to stand up to the Crusaders, King Isaac calls upon the help of an infamous wizard to help save his kingdom. Lucius, a young boy who's only ambition is to alleviate his own boredom, will shake the tides earth to fend off this new threat. But as the invasion commences, Lucius will meet trials no man has ever faced before. He'll be one wizard fending off an army of Crusaders, witches, and demons, all for the sake of a maddening king. Lucius the demented sorcerer, the sole defender of Cyprus, the killer of Crusaders, the necromancer of demons, the star saint of the peasants. Lucius doesn't realize it yet, but this war will immortalize his name in the history of Europe forever.
8 204The Going-Home Club
At Palomar High, every student is required to join a club. Neil Velazquez is an incoming senior at this school. From the basket weaving club to the humanist society, he coasted through junior year by lurking in such unrelated, nonserious, and low-commitment groups. He's not interested in participating in any activities. He could care less, and is just looking for a place to fulfill the requirement. He's panicked that all of the easy clubs are disappearing. That's when he stumbles across the "Going-Home Club". It's a club where nothing happens. Absolutely nothing. Vector Attribution: Building Vectors by Vecteezy
8 130Future Partner
"Bagiku, Prilly tak hanya sahabat tetapi sudah menjadi adik. Sekarang, semua berubah ketika ia pergi dan cinta itu mulai datang. Aku tak bisa menghentikan rasa itu" - Aliandra Syahreza "Bagiku, Ali tak hanya seorang sahabat yang posesif padaku. Tetapi, semuanya berubah ketika cinta datang disaat jarak memisahkan ku dengannya." Prilly Aurora Shae
8 96Quotes I Hear Everyday Vol. 2
I don't have any more room for more than 200. ;-;
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