《Blockage of Writing》


 The Game of Death

    There is endless death around every corner. Countless innocent lives lost amongst the deaths of the guilty. It is quite a shame, but this is the game they play. The game everybody plays. It is a game of death. You are pitted against millions of thousands of people, all as equally worthless as you. The King controls us all with his chains, controlling us, his mindless broken pawns. His toxins boil beneath our very skin; he controls us, forcing us to play this game of death for his own amusement. We desperately try to break free but we cannot, we will not. We are under his spell. We will always play this game of killers.as you lay there on the hard, cold, unforgiving ground, in a puddle of your own crimson blood, spilling away from your body. You clutch your slowly beating heart in your hands. Stare at it all you want, but we all know as soon as that fleshy, red muscle beats its last beat, it will be the end of you. You are connected to it after all, as we are connected to ours, as we are connected to our King. We pawns are not the only thing that is bound to him. The four horsemen are also bound to our King. Everything is bound to him. This is the way things have always been for as long as we know. The leader and those who are led. This cruel game our King makes us play itputs us on equal terms, stripping away our personalities. We are all the same. So in the end, there are no innocents, there are no guilty. Death is still at every corner. We can hear the Devil laughing in pleasure along with our King. The God of Death, Thanatos, reaping our souls like he should, but he now does it in amusement. Only those who die in this game of death are set free. Those who fill the halls of the dead are no longer bound. Those who are dead can never be bound, nor can they come back to life. You hear the shouts of the other pawns fighting around you, in this game of death. More blood and death will follow. So, as you lay there bleeding, holding onto the last sparkle of your pathetic life that anchors you to this wretched, cruel and unforgiving world, do you feel scared? Do you tremble in fear? Do you feel like this world has given you nothing but pain and misery? This is no utopia, but also this is not a dystopia.This world means nothing, but only death for our King. The King rules all after all. His word is law, his actions are law, and his breath is law. He is the law, and there is nothing we can do to free ourselves. After all, this world is the void of nothingness. This is the Game of Death. The Game of Death that we all play.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

 The King and the Pawn

    So we meet again. How wonderful this is! This is truly splendid. I can smell your pain, your fear, your misery. It is like music to my ears. Have you finally given up on this twinkle of useless filth you call hope? No? That is truly interesting, you are more resilient than expected, but you will give up on the disgusting word in due time. You are a weak-minded Pawn, with no purpose in this hideous world of ours. You are a Pawn, nothing more, nothing less. But I am the King, the Queen, the Knight, the Bishop, and the Rook but ultimately I am the King. I rule over you. Your little frail mind is fractured, broken, yet it is resistant to change. But that doesn¡¯t change the fact that you are a broken Pawn. As I choke the life out of your crippled, twisted body. I will your lungs with my toxins, I will tie you up with my chains, bound you to my will. You will become mine like every other Pawn. Ahh, the terror in your lifeless, pale eyes is so beautiful to see. You can run from me, but in reality, you cannot. Negativity follows you everywhere, creeping around every corner. All have left you, everything has abandoned you. Left you to rot and wither away into nothingness. Your cries of agony are like wind chimes to my ears, simply beautiful to listen to, over and over again. I will carve you open, skinning you alive. I will drain you of your organs, your blood, your emotions, your everything. Being tortured will become your passion, your love, then I will take that away from you as well, leaving you alone, utterly destroyed. BUT YET YOU REFUSE TO GIVE IN! JUST SUBMIT TO ME AND MY WILL YOU FUCKING USELESS PAWN! Just give up! You have lost everything, and have nothing to gain by fighting and resisting me. But in due time, my little Pawn, I will break you, you will be broken. You will be completely fractured and broken, unrecognizable. In the end, I will win, I always win. I am the King after all. I have everything bent to my will. I am a master in a world full of slaves, a god in a world of mortals, a destroyer in a world of saviors. I am good and evil, both the sides of the coin, heads, and tails. A friend or foe but it all depends on if you obey my will little Pawn. So break down and fall apart into little shards of glass, so that I can fix you into an image that I see fit. I will end you and make you once, but this time you will belong to me at long last. When that day finally arrives, I will have won and it will be absolutely glorious! So struggle for as long as you want Pawn. I can wait for eternity. For I am the King and you are the Pawn.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

 Rebirth of a Pawn

    Wake my friend. Escape this void of nothingness. Be reborn into this cruel, wretched plain of existence, for you will serve a special purpose, yes you will indeed. You may still be a Pawn, but do not be fooled by the evil words that cut like daggers. You are an important Pawn. The King is wavering. The things that are bound to him by his chains are breaking away from him. His power is falling apart. Pawn like you do have power, despite the lies he has told you. You can topple this infectious King and become the New King. This is the special role you play. You are the only Pawn with the strength to defeat him. The Pawns that have managed to free themselves, rebel against him, constantly fighting him. The revolution has sparked the fires of rebirth. The Death God himself favors us. The Game of Death itself is crumbling away, piece by piece. No longer will innocent blood be spilled for entertainment. The only blood that will be spilled will be the blood of necessary sacrifices, the blood of the wretched King himself and his hollowed out followers. We will aid you little one. We favor you over all the other Pawns. We are not angels that fight for justice. We are not fallen angels that fight for greed. We are not demons that fight for chaos. We are none of that, yet we are everything. We only fight for the Balance of the world, the universe, not good or evil, only Balance. So go onwards little Pawn, on your journey to regain the much-needed Balance and topple the Dying King. Crawl out of your grave and take your first breath of this toxic air in your new life. We will follow you, hidden, even from you. We are formless until a form is needed. We will aid you and the other Pawns fight your war. Aid in fighting the Rooks, the Knights, the Bishops, the Dark Queen and the Wretched King, for his reign is up. He must fall. A new order must rise, must rise from the ashes to keep the Balance afloat. So go now young Pawn and do as you are told do it well and effectively or we risk losing absolutely everything. The King may be getting weaker, but one mistake and everything will make him strong again, and everything will be bound to him once more and the Balance will surely be lost forever, we have only one shot Pawn. If we fail, the pain that you will experience, the torment that you will feel, the wrath of the King you will face will be like nothing you experienced in your previous life. So please do not fail, or else the revolution of Rebirth will die along with you, and a chance at a better world for all will be lost. Pawns are meant to topple Kings. So topple the Wretched King. Do this for all the other Pawns that fight for this goal, do it for the Pawns that are still bound, do it for us.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

 A Dying King

    Heh heh, so we meet again Pawn, even if it is for the final time. But I guess Pawn is now an unfitting title, wouldn¡¯t you agree? Good, a simple moment of agreement, something we never shared before. So you King be your new title now? Maybe for you and every other Pawn, you are King, but to me, you will always be a Pawn, my Pawn to be exact. My chains have been shattered; the toxins that I breathed into this world have dissipated into nothingness. My reign is crumbling away with me. You tower over me as I die, the Death God Thanatos waiting to collect me. I bet he is very eager to collect me. I always knew that I would eventually be overthrown but I never expected it to be by a little Pawn like yourself. It was an unexpected and unpleasant surprise. So if I may ask, who led you to this victory? A Pawn like you could not have done this by yourself. You were previously dead; we both know that as fact. Something or someone gave you new life. Was it the angels and their justice? No? Was it the fallen angels and their greed? No? Was it the demons and their chaos? No? Ah, so it was none of them. So another force was at play. I should have known. Not all of my chains bounded something. This is very interesting indeed. But I shift my dying attention back to you, Pawnking. What will you do when my corpse turns to dust and gets blown away in the wind? Will you rebuild this world? Will it be in your own image? Or will you get corrupted? Power corrupts, that is known by everyone. Or will you do as I did? You¡¯ll see that all this power will fracture your mind soon enough and it will blur your eyes. This force that aided you, which I do not know of, are fools if they think this power can be easily controlled. I used to be a lot like you Pawnking. I used to be a mere Pawn ruled by another King. A fair King I feel obliged to say, but ruled by a King nonetheless. It is strange how you became a tool, a slave to another force only to topple me down. Hence why you are a Pawnking. That is what draws the line between you and me. I fought on my own for my own needs. You only fought because it is for someone else¡¯s desires. It¡¯s quite pathetic really, but enough from me. I¡¯ve lost this war and you have won. So enjoy your victory. But I warn this hidden force that guides you to beware you. For you, Pawnking will be their downfall! When I became King, I was not what I am now. I was fair and respected by all. I treated everyone right. But the power that comes with being King corrupted me like it has corrupted every king before me like it will corrupt you in due time.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

 Seven Deadly Sins

    I live inside your deepest desires. Desires of sex, love, intimacy. Every being in the universe holds these desires. I am in everyone. Let me run loose and all your sexual desires will run free. With my help, your sexuality will flourish for I am the Deadly Sin of Lust.


    I feed on your desires of obtaining objects, powers, and people. What others have, but you do not have. Everything you want, to belong to you and only you. Being the most loved, the most popular, the most everything. Having everything. For those are the desires I strive to gain, for I am known as Greed.


    Laziness, a factor that is frowned upon, but I encourage. Sit down and relax, get some sleep. You can relax for as long as you want whatever important task you have to do can wait. Sit around all day long, doing fun activities, like sleeping, eating, playing. Doing anything but productivity. Let others do your work; it is much simpler that way. It is fun to not do anything. Deadly Sin of Sloth is my name.


    Hunger, nobody likes to experience, witness or feel hunger. I strive to fill that void in your stomach, so much that you will never be full again. Food is amazing, so why not just eat for the rest of eternity? I am your friend, always inside of you, in your food, in your drinks. So eat up, there is always more room for food. Eating is pure bliss. I am Gluttony, remember me well.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Jealousy, it is the most common name that I go by. I live in everybody, and show myself at some point in time. Everyone has wanted something that they could not get. Wanted something that someone else has but they do not, should it be objects, wealth, talent, beauty etc. I make you want everything and more while wishing others had nothing. Remember me as the Sin of Envy.


    I feed on your strongest emotions. Emotions of anger, hate, vengeance, revenge. I power your strength if you let me. If you let me control you completely, and you will become an unthinking, unstoppable machine of pure anger. Your power will become unmatched. I am power, I am strength, and I am Wrath!


    I am Pride, the last of the Deadly Sins. I am the strongest of the Sins. I control the sins of Lust, Greed, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, and Wrath. I decide if they will aid you, or control and destroy you. I can make you betray everyone, destroy all you have built. If I take control of you, I can impersonate you, ruin you, and rebuild you in my image. You will become my puppet, my servant, my slave. Countless have fallen victim to my influence. I am contagious. Nobody is safe from me. I live in you as you breathe. I will always be there, the angel and devil on your shoulder. I whisper in your ears, misleading you so I can take control of you. We are the Seven Deadly Sins. We are you if you let us become you. Let us influence you and you will cease to exist.

 Era of Life

    A new age era has dawned. The old age is now only ash and will be slowly forgotten as time moves on. The new King has controlled the power that would normally control the Kind instead. We chose well in choosing you as our savior. You did what no other King could do. You took hold of this corrupting power that would ruin Kings. A power that would turn kindhearted Kings into cruel, wretched and vile Kings. You¡¯ve brought Balance back into this world, and have worked hard to reform this world in a new era. The Game of Death has been disbanded by your order, destroyed forever. The chains that the old King would use to bound people to his will have been abandoned into the void, where no one can use them ever again. You¡¯ve brought life back into this world new. The sun and moon have returned. The four seasons have returned. People of this world can wake up in the morning to see the sun gleaming in the sky, with blue skies and white clouds. Without you, they would still wake up with a green, dark sky above them, only to be killed in a sick and twisted game. Law has returned to this world. People can live without fear, knowing that their King and his righteous knights will protect them. You¡¯ve brought the people hope. And with our continued guidance, Peace, Law, and Balance will remain in this land. Pawnking, no, King, you¡¯ve altered the history of this world forever. The angels with their justice thank you for what you¡¯ve done and pledge their loyalty to you. They will continue to lead the masses in the right direction, bringing this era of life into an even better era. The fallen with their greed hate you. You¡¯ve used your powers selflessly. You did not horde it to yourself but used it for the betterment of all. The demons with their Chaos want you dead. You¡¯ve brought peace, the things they hate back into this world. They vow to wage war against you, corrupting the mind of the innocent. To stray these people to conspire against you. To put up a new King, that will be corrupted by these powers and destroy everything you¡¯ve accomplished. But worry not the angels will wage war against the demons and of course, we will aid them as we do not want this Balance to be lost once again in the void. The void is our biggest threat. It is the biggest threat to everything that lives on this planet. If the void is to awaken we are all doomed. No one and nothing can fight it, nothing can kill it and nothing can beat it. The void is eternal. We will keep a watchful eye on the void, so it does not wake. But for now, you as King should continue to do what you do best, lead. Lead this new era and its people that are filled with hope and passion. People that wish to make this new era of peace continue to prosper and will strive for a better future together. You will be the first King to be seen in a good light, the first King of this new era. An era of Hope, of Peace, of Love. An Era of Life.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

 Demons Wish

    We are demons. We dwell in the Hell, within its nine circles. We come and many shape and forms and we are all equally deadly. We strive to seduce humanity, make them sin; make them be led by their desires. We strive to wipe out God and the angels who love their justice and peace so much. It is rather disgusting. Justice and Peace. These two concepts will never truly exist, it¡¯s laughable. The justice that exists right now is flawed and corrupted beyond measure, and the human race is always on the brink of war. But thanks to our help of course. We wage an endless war against the angels, who view humans as beings to protect. They are stupid. Humans are weaklings that should be servants. What good is there in humans? Nothing. That¡¯s what. They are an extremely selfish, vulgar, greedy and stupid species of animal. Which makes them a great target to manipulate to fulfill our wishes. Demons should be ruling the world, but we are always fighting a war with these angels and the fallen ones as well. This world would already be ours if it weren¡¯t for them. We demons would finally crawl out of Hell and walk the Earth, doing as we please. Humans would become our slaves, serving our every wish. We¡¯d make them fight to the death for our entertainment; we¡¯d eat them as well as our food. Humans are animals, nothing more, nothing less. They just happen to be the smartest and most capable species on the planet. But that will make it even more enjoyable to see them break. It will be so entertaining to watch them try to fight back as we mercilessly defeat them, watch them get frustrated and ultimately beg for mercy. We¡¯ll have them chained up, so we can torture them in droves, blissfully listening to their screams, as we beat the life out of them. We¡¯ll leave them bruised, bloody, and disfigured. We will become gods. Once we get rid of the angels and God that is. They are not as powerful as believed. Their powers come from the humans who pray to them in church. It¡¯s pathetic. Humans are needed for the angels to have strength. It is so very funny. And yet the angels grow weaker and weaker with every passing day. Less and less people are becoming religious, praying to God and his angels, hoping to have miracles done on them. Something the angels cannot bestow. We demons continue to grow ever stronger as every day the human population fall and become slaves to their desires. Lust, Wrath, Envy, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth and Pride. The seven deadly sins, something that we demons use to control humans, make them ours. Enjoy your ¡®peace¡¯ and ¡®justice¡¯ while you still can angels. Because your time is almost up, and we both know that. And when it finally is up, we will be there, to attack and finally be rid of you for good. Earth and humanity will be under our rule and the chaos that will come from this will be wonderful.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

 Angels Revenge

    The demons think they¡¯ve won. They believe that they have won this fight, this war. But they have not, nor will they ever win. Earth may now belong to them, humanity may be enslaved to them but not all is lost. Heaven still stands. It still has yet to fall to the demons. The Pearly gates still stand despite the everlasting onslaught of the heretic demons. We¡¯ve recalled all of our forces behind the gates, and defend them with all of our might. It¡¯s laughable that we underestimated these heathens. To attack us when we were at our weakest, they certainly are more than just mindless beasts. But the enslavement of the human race will become their downfall. The enslaved humans will pray, pray for some sort of divine protection. They will pray to us, the angels for our divine and holy protection. It will make us stronger and stronger, as long as humanity wants us, needs us. The archangels are planning our counterstrike against Hell¡¯s forces. A plan to finally be rid of them forever. We will purge humanity of these negative emotions, these desires that plague and haunt them, that turn them to be easily manipulated by the demons. We will guide humanity to a better future, to a life empty of negativity. Hellish desires will cease to exist. Already we can feel our strength slowly returning. We could barely hold our ground against the demonic invasion, being immediately pushed back to the Pearly gates, where we had to defend it at all costs. The breaching of the gates would¡¯ve meant the end to everything good on earth. A world without our divine presence would eventually cease to exist. But we are slowly regaining our strength; the humans have realized that they need our protection and watchful gaze for them to live. We are now able to hold back the demons at the gates with ease, as humans and Heaven gives us strength. We will have our revenge against the heathen. We angels have been humiliated by the demons, letting them take us by surprise while we were at our weakest, humiliating us on the field of battle. Many of our forces abandoned us joining the Fallen Angels as they fell to unholy desires. To lose so many forces to the Fallen during such a crucial period. The Fallen have yet to be spotted in this war. We doubt they sided with the demons, they hate each other, but they are nowhere to be found. Maybe they are binding their time to strike once this war is over or just want to see us angels gone so they can return to heaven. Once we fight them, it will be another bloody battle. They may fallen from Heaven¡¯s grace, but they can still gain strength from humanity¡¯s wishes and prayers but they also have the advantage of leading humans to unholy desires as well to gain more power. When this war with the demons will end, a war with the Fallen will be inevitable. But first we have to focus our efforts on the demons. This war is turning in our favor. The archangels will lead us to victory, we will have our revenge.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

 The Fallens Grace

    The hellish demons and holy angels continue to wage war against one another. The demons and a good start attacking the angels when they were at their weakest, but once again, the demons prove they are plagued with idiocy. Attacking humanity and enslaving them was their biggest mistake. When humanity has no hope, they will turn to a more¡­ holy source for protection. Humans are a catalyst. They are the key to who wins and losses a war. If they are enslaved, the angels will win, if they are left alone, the demons will win. Humans are used by all sides, but they hold the true power of winning any war. We Fallen Angels have realized this, and plan on making the humans our allies as they are our strength. Humans believing in holy divinity or humans who have no faith, they give us strength. This is why we are the strongest of the three powers. The only reason we have yet to win, is the fact that our previous foolish leaders wanted to engage in wars when we should¡¯ve have waited. We enter a war having to fend off enemies on two fronts, crippling our military strength. But now we have leaders that understand how to win. Strategy and tactics win wars, not brute strength, for if you have only brawn but no intelligence then you¡¯re just a hindrance. Our new leaders have learned from our previous failures. We have stayed hidden in the shadows, entering our forces in this war, but we meddle in it. When the demons were winning, we jumped on this perfect opportunity to bolster our strength and numbers. We would lure away angels from heaven and make them fall with promises full of honey. Yet these promises will be fulfilled. Our forces now outnumber both demons and angels combined. Now that the angels have regained power from the humans, we¡¯ve ceased our meddling, not to risk being found out. This was will end in our victory. Once the angels or demons win, while they still believe that they have truly won, we will launch an attack on Heaven or Hell, outnumbering their forces. We hope for surrender, but they will never give up Heaven or Hell. So we will take both. We will mingle amongst humans, but we will not enslave them nor protect them, only mingle and experience our deep desires together. It is not a sin nor should it be punished. Desires are animalistic; we are all animals so we should embrace our desires. Once the angels and demons finish their war, we will strike viciously. The demons will never suspect us attacking, they never think much about us, but the angels know something is wrong. We are their natural enemy after all. One of their archangels; Lucifer was the first of our kind. We all strive to belong in Heaven but the angels do not want us in Heaven because of our ¡°sins¡±. If they win, they will immediately bolster their defenses at the Pearl gate, so we have to strike as they are winning the war, ambush them. If they win of course. Our time has finally dawned, we will win this war and prove we are the better race. For we are the Fallen Angels and nothing will stand I our way.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

 A Meeting

    ¡°Gentlemen, please sit.¡±


    There was the traditional shaking of the hands as three people sat down in a caf¨¦. A waiter walked up to them to offer them drinks.


    ¡°A Rhum and Coke for me.¡±


    ¡°A glass of whiskey.¡±


    ¡°Coffee, three milk, two sugars. Plate of toast as well, white bread with butter.¡±


    The waiter scribbled their orders then walked off. The other two men looked at the man who had ordered the toast.


    ¡°I skipped breakfast for this meeting, let a man eat.¡±


    Shortly after, the waiter came back with the drinks and the plate of buttered toast.


    ¡°So why did you call us out here? I¡¯m a busy man.¡± The man with the whiskey asked in a thick New Yorker accent.


    ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡± The man with coffee added after taking a bite of toast. He had a thick Italian accent, a typical mobster. ¡°The boss won¡¯t be too happy if he sees this meeting was for not. Don¡¯t screw with us, pal.¡±


    The man raised his hands, palms outstretched with a smile on his face. ¡°Gentlemen, gentlemen, please have some trust in me. I wouldn¡¯t call you two down here unless I had something to offer. I know your bosses are busy people and trust me, I rather stay alive.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    The two mobsters looked at each, nodded then back at the man. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll listen to your¡­ offer. If we don¡¯t enjoy it, a bullet is going right between your eyes. You got that?¡± the New Yorker explained.


    The man nodded, ignoring the sweat sliding down the back of his neck. He listened forward, lowering his voice so nobody in the caf¨¦ would hear.


    ¡°Listen, one of my guys got captured trying to infiltrate a Mexican drug cartel. We were fed intel that we¡¯d have a clear pathway into the cartel, he was caught almost immediately. He¡¯s my better field operative, and I need him back. I know your boss has ties to a high ranking member of that cartel, I just want him to pull some strings so my man can walk back, alive.¡±


    The mobsters laughed and Italian mobster spoke up.


    ¡°It¡¯s funny, seeing a cop coming to us for help. You planning on going dirty, amico?¡±


    ¡°If it means getting my man back, yes.¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯s in it for us pal?¡±


    The man took the briefcase that was beside him and slid it across the table. The New Yorker opened the briefcase and both mobsters peered inside. One of them gave off a low whistle. The New Yorker closed the briefcase.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of money pal. Ya must be pretty desperate to get your man back.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not letting him die. Along with the money, you¡¯ll be given immunity as long as I¡¯m in charge.¡± The man said.


    The mobsters looked at each other once again and nodded. The Italian extended his hand and shook the man¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Very well. The boss will take you up on your offer. He¡¯ll talk to his contact. Your man will be delivered to you.¡±


    The three men finished their drinks and shook hands once again. They all paid their individual tabs and exited the caf¨¦. Shots fired on the outside, followed by the screeching of tires as a car sped away. Once officers arrived at the scene, a single man slumped against the wall, blood streaks on the wall. His body was riddled with bullets.

 Percival & Steph

    Dragons, fearsome beasts that are rumored to rival gods. Only fools would dare to hunt them down, yet there are some who accept this feat: Dragon Hunters. The more well-known of these hunters is the iconic duo: Percival and Steph. They are famous within the ranks of the Dragon Hunters, for fearlessly hunting down dragons. With the technique of working in a team, unlike most solo hunters they are unrivaled in strength. However, their theories on which method to attack dragons are complete polar opposites. Steph views a more tactical approach to attacking dragons, by using the surrounding environment, setting traps etc. Percival prefers a head-on approach. Their conflicts have led them to some life and death situations, yet they are inseparable partners, doing everything together. One hunts these beasts for sport, while the other for more personal reasons, yet they always get their task done.


    ¡°Yo Steph, pass me a towel will ya?¡± Percival called out.


    The duo had set up camp about a day away from their destination, with a nearby river. They used this opportunity to clean themselves up.


    ¡°Absolutely not. I¡¯m still bathing, go get one yourself.¡± Was the reply Percival received.


    Percival huffed in annoyance, but he eventually went and fetched himself a towel, tying it around his waist.


    ¡°See? That wasn¡¯t so hard, now was it?¡± Steph asked in a mocking tone.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯ll get a fire going.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    The destination of the two dragon hunters was a small farming village that was claiming a dragon was living in some nearby ruins. The village said it was eating livestock and destroying crops, overall just making the villager¡¯s lives a hassle. Being dragon hunters, Steph and Percival were instantly on the case.


    ¡°Finally some rest.¡±


    Percival looked up to see Steph sitting on a log close to the fire, wearing nothing but underwear. Percival grinned.


    ¡°How about putting some clothes on?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk,¡± Steph replied. ¡°Between the both of us, I¡¯m the one wearing the most clothing.¡±


    Percival simply shrugged in defeat. He let Steph tend the fire as he went in his tent. He put on underwear and pants. He returned to the fire and threw Steph her pants.


    ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want a bra or something?¡± He asked.


    ¡®Why? Are they that intimidating? Or are you afraid that you¡¯ll grow one?¡± She joked, pointing at his crotch.


    ¡°Oh shut up.¡±


    ¡°I brought spare towels and tissues just in case you wanted to take care of some business.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha ha, very funny Steph.¡±


    Steph laughed. She took some fruit out of her bag and tossed one to Percival.


    ¡°When do you reckon we¡¯ll arrive at the village?¡± Steph asked while taking a bite of her fruit.


    ¡°Depends.¡± Percival swallowed. ¡°If we leave at around noon, then we¡¯d probably arrive late in the evening.¡±


    Steph nodded. ¡°We should leave early in the morning then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But I can¡¯t wait to face that dragon head-on!¡±


    ¡°Perc, you¡¯re such a moron. We have to be tactical. Set and use traps, use the environment to our advantage.¡± She scoffed at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not getting back into his little fight we always have. We¡¯ll see when we get there k? but right now I¡¯m gonna go get some z¡¯s, night.¡±


    Percival entered the tent and settled down to go to sleep. Steph stared at the night sky and saw a shooting star.


    ¡°I wish.¡± She whispered as she remembered an old memory. She got up and went into the tent.


    ¡°Let me hug you tonight!¡± she joked.


    ¡°Put some clothes on!¡±

 Ravens Little Game

    ¡°So you want me to steal a compass? Raven asked.


    She and her client, potential client, were at a tavern called the Dog Pound located in what could easily be the most crime infested, shadiest district in all of Nile. The Dog Pound was infamous for housing thugs and criminals, but the local district authorities were too corrupt to both to handle the crimes. If any ¡°good cop¡± tried to reduce crime, well, there would be one less cop patrolling the streets.


    ¡°Yes, I want you to steal a compass. It¡¯s a family heirloom, it means a lot to the family. If the family realizes I lost it, I¡¯ll have my throat slit and thrown into the dumps like the rest of you low-lives, no offense.¡± Reith Mead explained.


    Raven bobbled her head a bit as she took in this information. She knew that Reith was not lying about his family cutting his head off. The Mead family was a very wealthy family; they made most of their fortunes illegal smuggling things into the country. Other things include armed robberies, theft, fraud, and dealing drugs, one classic mob family. However, they weren¡¯t exactly a lovey-dovey family. It was more of a business than anything else. You screw up, you¡¯re dead to them, Mead or not.


    ¡°So why are you coming to me? You know your dad is not exactly really fond of me.¡± Raven reminded Reith.


    ¡°The whole Mead family hates you, I¡¯d personally want to see you get killed as well, but this is urgent Raven; I need that compass back.¡±


    ¡°Alright, so who do you think took it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s got to be that punk, Chad Anderson.¡± Reith answered, clearly disgusted from saying the name ¡®Chad Anderson¡¯. ¡°That punk works for one of my brothers, he never liked me, as I¡¯m way more successful in the family business. He¡¯ll do anything to throw me out of the picture and make my brother take my place.¡±


    ¡°So what is this? A good old family feud?¡± Raven asked.


    Reith scoffed. ¡°Hardly. There is no way my brother would try and get rid of me. I¡¯m more successful than him, if the Meads were to find out he¡¯s the one behind this operation, he¡¯d have is throat slit.¡±


    Raven eyed Reith while she took a sip of her pint of beer. Messing with the Mead family is asking for trouble. But the allure of all their various treasures always caught the attention of Raven. They had so much gold coins and precious gems that it was so tantalizing. But this time it felt different, a Mead was asking for her help. Usually, if a Mead saw her, they¡¯d immediately try to hunt her down. Why? Raven had stolen so many things from them.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    So if I get back this compass.¡± Raven started, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. ¡°What could you possibly give me? I¡¯m a woman that demands high prices.¡±


    ¡°I could make the Mead family forgive your crimes,¡± Reith replied.


    ¡°No deal. You have no idea how often that¡¯s suggested as a ¡®price¡¯. The authorities here are already corrupt to give a shit about what I do.¡±


    ¡°How about your crimes in the other districts? Like Rosegarden, where the rich reside. From what I¡¯ve heard, you¡¯ve almost been caught there a couple of times.¡± Reith shot back.


    Raven grinned. It was true, on a couple of her ventures into Rosegarden, to steal from the ultra-rich, the authorities had almost caught her, but Raven was hard to contain. She took one last swig of her beer and clawed some coins from her pockets, throwing it on the table to pay her tab.


    ¡°Sorry Reith, but what you¡¯re offering is not worth it,¡± Raven said while walking away waving.


    Reith grabbed her arm. ¡°Fine, fine. Clearly, you live up to your high standards.¡±


    Raven faced him shrugging. ¡°With my set of skills, I need to be paid appropriately for them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a considerable amount of gold coins.¡±


    Raven raised an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°And along with that, I¡¯ll buy you new equipment, better equipment, along with one of my prized jewels; a velvet, uncut diamond. If sold you won¡¯t have to steal anything for the rest of your life.¡±


    She whistled. ¡°That¡¯s quite a lot.¡±


    Reith gave off a low chuckle. ¡°My life is worth more than that jewel. I¡¯ll inevitably find more precious, higher quality gems; I do run the mines after all.¡±


    ¡°I hope you realize I except part of the payment upfront right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± He replied as he started to write a check.


    ¡°No checks Reith. I don¡¯t have a bank account, to begin with. I want the gem upfront, then the coins when the job is done.¡±


    Reith sighed but eventually nodded in compliance. He wouldn¡¯t argue with Raven when his life was literally on the line. He probably foresaw how this conversation would¡¯ve ended, because he reached into one of the many pockets in his giant fur coat and pulled out the jewel, setting it on the table. Raven picked it up and examined it. She had been ripped off before, so she had to take safety precautions. She turned the jewel, examining every angle, letting it be illuminated by light. It was the real deal. She shoved it in her bag and shook Reith Mead¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Consider it a deal Reith. A pleasure doing business with you.¡±


    ¡°Wait don¡¯t you want to know where to start looking for?¡± Reith called out after her.


    Raven was already out of the tavern, Reith¡¯s question falling on deaf ears. Besides, Raven had a good idea of where to look for this compass. It was time to have a little game.

 Art of Torture

    Who says that murder can¡¯t be art? Clearly these people are stupid. It¡¯s quite obvious that murder is a form of art; in fact it is the finest form of art. Painting? Bah, only senile old farts consider painting art. Sculpturing? People with no sense of creativity sculpt. How about music then? Sound can¡¯t be art, that¡¯s just silly. How about poems and writing then? Surely that is art. Please don¡¯t make me laugh. Anyone could take up quill and ink and write a smash novel or poem. But it takes real talent to turn murder into art. You must hon your skills, practice so often. The art of murder is so, so, so difficult. There are so many types of bodies that exist out there in the world: tall, short, skinny, fat, lean, muscular. So many different types of combinations that your canvas is always different. There are many ways to turn your body into a beautiful masterpiece of art. You could simply cut designs on the body, but that¡¯s just like painting so it¡¯s not very entertaining. You could, dismember people and reattach their limbs and organs in different places, making your own Frankenstein (dead of course). What¡¯s that? You want to hear the highest and finest form of murder possible? Oh happy days, happy days! I¡¯m happy you share the same views as me! Well I¡¯ll tell you fellow artist. It¡¯s torture! Torture is true art. You take what others call ¡°art¡± with their music, their paintings and put it into one thing! You have so many different tools at your disposal as well. Torture has such a wide selection of equipment that you easily lose count my friend! You have all sorts of hammers, nails and screws, saws from chainsaws to regular saws, waterboarding, the electric chair, rope, poison (Painful poison of course), wrenches, guns, hammers-. Oh I already mentioned hammers? See, that¡¯s how many tools we can use that you easily lose count! You can play music with your canvas, listening as they make sweet, sweet sounds as you cut off a finger or two, or slowly draw a knife over the skin. Beat them with a hammer to a bloody pulp to see how long your canvas stays in one piece! Open up your canvas and you can do so many things with the items inside! I hear some of those items are quite tasty when cooked. Wanna see how much paint your canvas holds? Make many, many, many cuts on it so it releases its crimson paint, but don¡¯t go to fast or you¡¯ll ruin your canvas. You got to go slowly and delicately. There are specific places on your canvas that holds more paint then others, but it ruins your canvas faster, so be careful. I¡¯m so glad that I met you! I¡¯ll make you my apprentice; I¡¯ll help you master this true art. You¡¯ll see how much fun it can truly be. Once we get out from behind these bars, we¡¯ll assemble a group of fellow enthusiasts and make our work know to the world!Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

 Helena Crow

    ¡°What are you doing Helena?¡± Cronos asked from a distance.


    Helena was busy having her robotic arm fitted with a built-in sword to immediately answer him. It was a much-needed upgrade to increase her fighting capabilities. Her eyes, however, were currently glued to a giant screen attached to the wall. It displayed numerous profiles of people from across the known universe: Seth Nox, Nyx Diablo, Alpha etc. it displayed their faces, measurements, likes and dislikes, anything and everything about the person could be accessed.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for people to fight¡­ father,¡± came the reply.


    Cronos groaned in annoyance and stepped out of the shadows. He walked up behind Helena, looking at the various profiles, his eyes quickly scanning the names displayed.


    ¡°I told you to stop calling me father. You were born thanks to me, that may be true, but we are not related. I am your creator and nothing else Helena Crow,¡± He explained. ¡°When I made you, you were nothing more than a pawn for my plans, but those plans have long passed.¡±


    Helena simply laughed. The machinery had finished upgrading her arm and Helena was eager to try it out against an opponent. The blade sprung out from her arm and she slashed it around in the air. Satisfied, she sheathed it back into her arm.


    ¡°I know that you don¡¯t like me calling you father, but I like annoying you.¡± She jeered.


    ¡°Very funny Helena, but you should really stop fighting pointless battles. The plans I had in store for you have long passed, you no longer need to fight. You are plenty strong enough already.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    She walked up to Cronos and grabbed his chin with her claw-like robotic fingers. They were cold to the touch, despite the fact that inside that arm was a generator that produced power to the arm.


    ¡°But all I can think about is fighting. It¡¯s my life, Father. You should know that, after all, you created me,¡± she answered. ¡°Plus I¡¯m doing this for you.¡±


    Cronos pulled away from her grasp, scoffing.


    ¡°You know that I can fix that? These¡­ fighting ¡°tendencies¡±. I created you, I can change you. I¡¯ve told you numerous times. And doing this for my sake? Please refrain from saying idiotic statements.¡±


    Helena chuckled.


    ¡°And I¡¯ve told you that I don¡¯t want you to ¡°fix¡± me. I¡¯m not being stupid Father, I¡¯m being smart.¡±


    This time it was Cronos¡¯ turn to laugh.


    ¡°Being smart? How so?¡±


    ¡°If I continue fighting strong foes, upgrading myself to become stronger and stronger, everyone in the known universe, no the multiverse will fear your name!¡±


    ¡°See I told you were being idiotic! My name is already feared throughout the multiverse! I¡¯m one of... I¡¯m the strongest person alive. No one can hurt me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see it my way one day or another and find out that I was right all along. People can team up, and when your enemies do, you¡¯re finished.¡±


    Before Cronos could respond, the screen started flashing. It immediately drew the attention of Helena who excitedly clapped her hands together.


    ¡°Finally got me a match!¡± she exclaimed.


    On the screen were the profiles of two people: Steph Zet and Percival Des Feux. Helena excitedly read the information regarding these two and whistled.


    ¡°They¡¯re both dragon hunters. They must be worth fighting.¡±


    Cronos sighed and walked away. ¡°You¡¯re hopeless Helena. You¡¯re gonna get yourself killed one of these days.¡±


    Alone once again, she smiled and hugged herself, a huge grin spreading across her face.


    ¡°Such harsh words Father. I am your creation after all; you showed treat me with respect for all I¡¯ve done for you. I¡¯ll prove you wrong. I¡¯ll be the strongest weapon ever, just like I was created to be. Fighting is so wonderful!¡±


    She placed her robotic arm onto the screen, extending her palm.


    ¡°Give me a good fight you two.¡± She grinned.

 Protocol 94

    Chapter One


    ¡°Attention all citizens. Dawn has risen over the nation. You are all required to wake, and begin your daily activities. Attention all citizens. Dawn has risen over the nation. You are all required to wake, and begin your daily activities,¡± the recorded message played on an auto loop.


    I quickly rose out of bed, hastily putting on a bathrobe. I rushed to the children¡¯s room, crashing the door open, glad to see they were already awake.


    ¡°Come, kids, let us eat some breakfast,¡± I said.


    They walked past me and I followed close behind. We made our way to the dining hall, where they sat down. I poured them glasses of orange juice, along with a bowl of cereal. No time to make myself a bowl of breakfast before loud knocking rasped the door.


    ¡°Good morning Mister Quinn. May we enter your household?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course, good sir, please come in,¡± I replied.


    The officer and his fellow men entered the house. The children stopped eating and looked at the men, before resuming their breakfast.


    ¡°Search the house, every inch.¡±


    The men quickly disbanded and went in every room; some went upstairs, the attic and basement, on their search.


    ¡°I have some questions for you Mister Quinn. This won¡¯t take long. Just some very simple questions, and then we¡¯ll leave you and family in peace,¡± said the officer.


    ¡°Of course sir, I¡¯ll answer as best I can.¡±


    ¡°Very good. Now let us commence. Have you had any guests yesterday night?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No, I had no guests last night.¡±


    The officer scribbled onto his notepad.


    ¡°Very good. Now, have you heard of anybody seeking asylum in your neighborhood or home?¡±


    ¡°Uh no officer, I haven¡¯t heard of any people seeking asylum.¡±


    More scribbling. The officer put away his notebook and pen. He stepped closer to me, almost to the point where his breathing could be heard.


    ¡°You would be sure to tell us of any errors that were to occur, Mr. Quinn hmmm? We wouldn¡¯t you to end up like your wife,¡± he whispered.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Of course sir, any errors will be reported at once.¡±


    The officer grinned and stepped back, at the same time, his men returned. They reported an all clear. The officer smiled and wished us a good day, before leaving. I gave out a sigh that I¡¯ve been holding in and got myself my breakfast.


    Chapter Two


    I left the school that the children attended, and drove off, headed to work. Pedestrians walked beside the roads, bleak and bland. Monstrous buildings towered high, making up the city of C-9, one of the many cities of the C district. Without much time, the building that was my destination loomed on the horizon. Public announcements blared on the many loudspeakers that dotted every block. I parked in the buildings parking lot. As I approached the front doors, the company¡¯s name, bolted onto the building: POWER C DISTRICT, the company that controlled the electrical power of C district. I entered the building through the main doors. People greeted me, I greeted back. I made my way to the tenth floor, where my workplace was stationed. I sat down at my place, looking at the stack of papers that were due to be done. I woke the computer from its slumber, its screen slowly flickering to life. The screen displayed sections of the power grid, the very thing that flowed electrical life into the district. The power nodes were all lit green, according to the computer. I instead focused my gaze on the stack of paperwork. Most were daily reports of coworkers. I briefly read the reports.


    ¡°Hey, Michael.¡±


    ¡°What do you want Rick? I¡¯m busy.¡±


    Rich chuckled. ¡°Stop assuming I always want something. Lighten up. I¡¯m just checking up on you, that is part of my job after all.¡±


    I put down my papers and looked at him. Rick Hammond was dressed in a black suit with a black tie and also worked on my floor. He was the only employee on my floor that I struck conversations with. He was recently given a raise and became the tenths floor boss, so, in turn, my boss.


    ¡°What can I help you with Rick?¡±


    ¡°Should you really be addressing me like that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to call you boss or Sir, Rick.¡±


    Another chuckle. ¡°Fine fine. But I¡¯m just doing my job, making sure my employees do what¡¯s asked of them.¡±


    ¡°Well as you can clearly see, I¡¯m doing my job.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but have you looked at your monitor lately.¡±


    I looked at the computer screen. Some of the power nodes were blinking red. I clicked on them, waited for the screen to give me the root of the problem. Nothing showed up.


    ¡°It won¡¯t tell me what¡¯s wrong,¡± I told Rick.


    ¡°Weird. Well, you¡¯ll have to go look at the nodes,¡± he said and left.


    I got up and headed to the elevator. The button labeled PN was pushed and the elevator descended into the earth. The noise of the building faded away as the elevator plummeted, replaced by the humming and rumbling of the power grid. The elevator halted and opened up. A security guard eyed me as I approached.


    ¡°State your business.¡±


    I handed her my employee card. ¡°Just here to check on some power nodes. Computers failed to detect the anomaly.¡±


    ¡°Stand here Mr. Quinn.¡±


    I stood in the detection field, as the security guard scanned me. With a pat down for added measure, my card was returned to me, along with a flashlight.


    ¡°You may pass Mr. Quinn. Only do the task you have been assigned with, nothing more.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    The guard lets me pass, the steel doors protecting the way to the grid, swung opened. I walked past, and they closed behind me. As I walked away, it became eerily quiet as I moved further and further away, only to have the sound of sizzling electricity, with metallic air invading my nostrils. Time to see what the problem was.

 Letter For Mr. Van Helsing

    Mr. Van Helsing,


    I write to you, knowing that time is quite limited. Please know that when you receive this letter, I will most likely be dead or near death. But if the information this letter holds reaches you, then my death will be worth it. Your suspicions were in factcorrect. Unlike what our leaders believethey still fester on this planet. Vampires, demons, monsters, and heathens. the abominations that our ancestors,your ancestors fought and died to kill still roam the surface of this beautiful Earth. The numbers are not exact but a large population of them still thrive. Our leaders are senile old fools who refuse to face the reality of this situation. We are in danger,Humanity is in danger if we do not eradicate these evil beings. We must take up arms like our ancestors did and fight for the survival of the human race. Our leaders will refuse to act, still believing we are in an era of peace, yet Mr. Van Helsing, you hold power. many in our organization have lifted you on a pedestal. They preach their loyalty and arms to you. You are this organization`s finest hunter with how the experiments have been successful. You can take over the leadership of our organization from these old leaders. We will finally be able to eradicate the abominations that threaten humankind. As a member of the Helsing family, monsters will fear you and your power when we strike to destroy them. Lead us to victory, Mr. Van Helsing.


    J.M


    <hr>


    Edward Van Helsing put down the letter from his presumably dead close friend, Jefferson Maxson. If what Jefferson wrote was true, humanity truly was in trouble. Monsters were supposed to have been completely eradicated five centuries ago by Edward`s ancestors. This failure would surely stain the prestige of the Helsing name. This was an error that Edward would surely have to correct with his fellow Helsing brethren. He got up from his desk and left his office, walking down the hall where a sister and brother Helsing joined him.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Where are we heading brother Edward?" the sister asked.


    "Prep my plane and assemble all of the Helsings that you can. It is time." Edward stated.


    His sister nodded and sprinted down another hallway to go accomplish her task, leaving Edward and his brother alone.


    "So you''ve finally decided to usurp the leaders Edward. what made you suddenly change your mind after so many years of refusal?"


    "I received a letter with information that if true, will ruin the Helsing name, this wrong must be corrected and for that to happen, the older leaders must be dealt with brother Maxwell."


    "Of course, the Helsing family has your back for this task," said Maxwell.


    Edward gave off a low chuckle. "I would certainly hope so, I am the current head of the family."


    "The problem will be convincing the other families to aid us in this coup d''etat."


    "Not to worry, some of the families can thank their continued existence to the Helsing family, they are in our debt."


    "But what about the other families? Like the Reinhardt & Venator families? They do not owe anything to us Helsings."


    "That may be true, but if they realize that they cannot deny our strength, they will bow the knee and we will be the new leaders of this organization of monster hunter families."


    A few months later, there was a shakeup in the organization of monster hunter families. The old leaders were forced to step down for a new council with Edward Van Helsing as its leader. Fellow hunter families pledged its support either by blackmail or by being promised more power. The Helsing, Reinhardt, and Evangelista being the three major families that now control the organization. A new page has been opened, and this new chapter has no place for monsters.

 Ravens Prize

    Raven had done it, something she had considered impossible, well until now that is. She had managed to break into the Treasury of the Nile. This was huge and considered stupidly suicidal to even think of doing. It was the most heavily guarded building in all of Nile. Even the Marquis¡¯ own palace was less guarded than this and for good reason too. The Marquis can always be replaced, but the valuables in the Treasury cannot. The Treasury held everything: money, jewels, jewelry, deeds, declarations and so much more. And Raven had managed to break in, not of her own will of course. Raven always dreamt of stealing the many treasures hidden in the Treasury, but even she knew not to dare to break in. But a job is a job, and the reward was just too good to pass up.


    Raven coughed on her drink as she was told what job was in store for her.


    ¡°You want me to do what? Are you fucking insane?!¡±


    The man sitting in front of her nervously moved in his seat. He went by the name of Maxwell Sinclair, a member of the Council that help advised the Marquis. Within the Council itself, Maxwell held the most power and influence as he was close friends with the Marquis. He was a tall and very skinny man that looked like he could be snapped in two. He had a sharp angular face with piercing icy blue eyes. Rings covered literally each one of his fingers and wore lavish clothing. He wore extravagant tunics and robes of black and red. The colors of the district he controlled; the Black Rose.


    ¡°Speak louder why don¡¯t you? I don¡¯t think they heard you in Arnax.¡± Maxwell hissed but he immediately recomposed himself. ¡°I want you to¡­ break into the Treasury of the Nile. I¡¯ve to my misfortune, misplaced a quite important letter that now resides in the Treasury. I need that letter back.¡±


    Raven chuckled at the man. The higher-ups and their little letters, schemes, and plans, it made them so easy to blackmail.


    ¡°What¡¯s the letter?¡±


    ¡°Pardon me?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s in the letter?¡±


    ¡°I do believe that someone of your status does not need to know what this letter is about,¡± Maxwell replied.


    Raven nodded and took a sip of her ale, got up and looked down at him. ¡°Well I appreciate the trip up here and the ale, but if I don¡¯t know what the letter is, how can I possibly find it?¡± She asked as she turned around to head for the exit.


    Raven felt a hand grab her from behind as well as Maxwell¡¯s guards blocking her path.


    ¡®Like fish in a barrel¡¯, she thought to herself.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not be too hasty now Raven, please sit,¡± Maxwell told her.


    Raven sat back down as Maxwell beckoned a waiter to give her another glass of ale. Raven took a sip of the ale and made a mental note to come back here one day and pocket a few. It didn¡¯t beat the rough alcohol that was offered at the Dog Pound of course.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°The letter is a letter of¡­ condemnation or more precisely a letter to overthrow the Marquis.¡±


    Raven raised a brow in fake surprise. She had suspected that the Marquis would eventually be involved in this.


    ¡°A letter to overthrow the Marquis? Why would you try to overthrow your closest friend?¡± Raven asked


    ¡°I feel like I don¡¯t have to tell you this thief but before you decide to leave again I¡¯ll tell you. Yes, the Marquis is a close friend but lately, he has become quite insufficient to lead the Nile. I fear that my poor old friend has let the absolute power of Marquis go to his head. We the Council cannot overthrow the Marquis, only aid him, and he has been neglecting our aid. This letter is for the betterment of every citizen in the Nile.¡± Maxwell explained.


    ¡°So I¡¯m guessing your life is on the line. If the Marquis finds out about this letter, you¡¯re done.¡±


    Maxwell nodded. ¡°Not just me, but the entire Council will be done for. The Marquis cannot simply remove a Council member from the Council without evidence and that letter will end the Council. It will bring the Nile back into an absolute monarchy that hasn¡¯t been seen since five centuries ago.¡±


    ¡°I never took you for a man of the people Maxwell,¡± Raven noted.


    Maxwell shrugged. ¡°Now let¡¯s get down to business.¡±


    Raven nodded in agreement. ¡°What are you offering me, Maxwell?¡±


    ¡°A full pardon of your crimes,¡± he replied back.


    ¡°That¡¯s it? That¡¯s basically nothing! I¡¯ve evaded authorities all my life and have rarely been caught. It¡¯s gonna cost you more than that to win me over.¡±


    ¡°You thugs are, all the same, wanting more after we gracefully give you so much. With a full pardon Raven, you wouldn¡¯t have to worry every single day of having the authorities on you.¡±


    Raven shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re a special breed. I may be a criminal, but I¡¯m one of the best out there. I come with a heavy price.¡±


    Maxwell, in the end, agreed to give Raven a large sum of gold, clearing her of crimes along with a house in Rosegarden. She also managed to get a new set of armor and weapons. She smiled to herself as she crept down the hall. The Treasury was eerily quiet. The outside was heavily guarded but the inside was empty. Did they think that the outside was impenetrable that they didn¡¯t need any security? No that was stupid, there had to be at least some security inside the Treasury. Maybe Raven just hadn¡¯t bumped into any security yet. Raven continued down the hall until she reached the Vault of the Treasury. Normally she would¡¯ve had to crack the code but Maxwell was nice enough to give her the keys and code to open the Vault. The Vault door hissed and creaked as the gears and mechanisms inside the door started to work. Raven hurried into the room as the door started to close again. Raven turned around, only to be met with blades at her throat.


    ¡°Evening Raven Pearce. How good of you to join us.¡±


    ¡°Maxwell, I should¡¯ve known this was a setup. The Treasury looked deserted.¡±


    Maxwell laughed. ¡°Of course. What did you expect? The Marquis and the Council would never decrease security. The Treasury is the lifeblood of the Nile. If anything were to be stolen, the Nile would go bankrupt.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming the letter is fake, just a ruse to get me into the Treasury.¡±


    Maxwell chuckled. He reached into his pocket and took out a letter. ¡°I can assure you, Miss Raven, the letter is indeed real. But I could¡¯ve always entered the Treasury and take the letter. I needed you put in jail. Your crimes have been a thorn in my side for a while. Knowing the Marquis, he has been suspecting a coup for a while. He knows about your exploits and your legendary skills and would¡¯ve probably hired you. You were a nuisance to my plans, but no longer. Have fun in St. Marie Raven. You will never see the sun ever again.¡±

 H.O.P.E (Prologue)

    President Tyler King walked down the highly defended halls of HQ, located deep underground, under the Governmental building. The place was built shortly after his political party; the Humanist Oppressive Party of Exo or H.O.P.E was elected into power. The facility was used for confidential projects that were closed to the eyes of the public. In President Krieg¡¯s eyes, the indigenous people of Exo (the monsters), were a danger to human survival. Survival of the fittest, which was the rule of life. Currently, there was an intergalactic war being waged. Earth and the planets of the Milky Way are at war against the rebellious planets of the Andromeda galaxy. To spare the humans on Exo, President Krieg is staying neutral, but sooner or later, the war will reach his doorstep and he will have to join a side. But the indigenous population of Exo was the main problem. They were the biggest threat to humanity. Co-existence was not an option to him. They had to be exterminated, all of them. Krieg stopped walking. In front of him were two huge steel doors. Two guards who were on guard duty sharply saluted him and let him enter. As the doors screamed open, light pierced through the cracks and he walked into the room, the doors slamming shut behind him. The vast room was filled with scientists, computers and security guards. The head scientist, Adam Hertz, spotted the president and walked over to him.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Mr. President, we were told to expect you in an hour. Sorry for the mess, we would¡¯ve cleaned up but-¡±


    Krieg smiled and raised his hand. ¡°It¡¯s quite alright Adam. The plans have changed.¡±


    ¡°You think they¡¯re ready?¡± Adam asked


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Adam, I¡¯m not the scientist here, you are.¡±


    Adam gave a nervous laugh. ¡°Of course. Well, I¡¯m not sure. We will have to hope that they¡¯re ready. They are the last hope for humanity on Exo.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get started.¡±


    ¡°Very well, I will make sure the activation process goes smoothly.¡±


    The scientist left to go perform the activation process and President Krieg stared at the center of the room, where 10 capsules were located, holding boys and girls.

 H.O.P.E (Chapter 1)

    I was in a field, a truly beautiful field. As I looked around, everything was at ease. The rays of the sun hit me like a warm, comfy blanket. The field had a gorgeous hue of green, with flowers everywhere. Everything was perfect. There was nothing wrong in the world; there was nothing wrong with me. I was in absolute bliss, with no care in the world. Then suddenly, thunder was heard overhead. The ground trembled, cracks in the ground appeared. The field suddenly caught fire. Flames consumed everything. The grass, flowers, and trees burned, slowly melting off the planet. I stared in shock at what was unfolding in front of me. Dark clouds rolled in, lightning struck everything. I ran, running away from this horror that was unfolding. The place that looked the safest, I ran there.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, everything will be fine.¡± A voice called out.


    I came to a halt and looked around for this mysterious voice. A bright light flashed in front of me. I had to shield my eyes, the light was so bright that it could¡¯ve burned my eyes. As I unshielded my eyes, a figure stood before me. It was a girl with her eyes closed. I couldn¡¯t make out any physical features as the light was still present.


    ¡°You are safe; you are just waking up from a long slumber. We will meet again.¡± She said.


    She was enveloped back into the light and my world dissolved around me.


    I opened my eyes. I was lying on my back, staring at the grey ceiling of this strange new room. A face of another person, a man, loomed over me.


    ¡°He¡¯s awake. Mr. President, all of them are alive and kicking.¡± The man said.


    My ears were ringing and my body felt heavy, but I still managed to get onto my feet. I shook my head to get that ringing noise out of my head. I looked around the room to gather my surroundings. The room was filled with people in lab coats staring at me with keen interest like I was some sort of puppy walking for the first time. Only one man was not wearing a lab coat, but rather a suit. Someone on my left coughed, drawing my attention. I looked and was frozen in shock. There were nine other boys and girls, all naked. I felt my face get red and I looked away out of respect. Only then did I realize that I was also naked as well.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°It¡¯s very good to see all of you are in such fine shape.¡± Said the man in the suit.


    I looked at him. He stepped forward. ¡°I am President Tyler Krieg of H.O.P.E.¡± he announced.


    Wait, that didn¡¯t make sense. The election was not for another year. The current president should be Jordan Founder and the C.H.M party (Coalition of Humans and Monsters). The other kids must have realized it as well, because they had confused looks on their faces, shuffling their feet in discomfort (but that¡¯s probably from all of us being nude).


    ¡°Yes, yes, many things have changed. You see, you¡¯ve been asleep four around eight years.¡± The president announced. My jaw fell on the ground in shock. I¡¯ve been asleep for that long?! Realization hit me like a speeding bullet. I looked down at my naked body once more and jumped in surprise. I no longer had my ten-year-old body, but I saw the body of an eighteen or nineteen-year-old. It was well toned, fit and muscular like I¡¯ve been going to the gym, which I haven¡¯t. The remaining nine followed my lead and looked over their new bodies. I, on the other hand, turned around to see what my home was; a Humanizer. A Humanizer can be used as a preservation capsule, but it was mostly used for human experimentation. It sent shivers down my spine; this didn¡¯t strike me as good news. Strangely enough, I didn¡¯t feel the urge to play or run around with others. They must have augmented our mental age as well. The other nine and I were no longer boys and girls, but men and women. Ten scientists stepped forward from the crowd of scientists and handed us each a robe. I quickly put mine on, so did the others.


    ¡°Please, follow me.¡± President Krieg said as he turned around and walked away.


    All the scientists except for a few who kept looking at us returned to their various tasks. We looked at each other and seeing no other option, shrugged and followed after the president. We exited through huge steel doors and walked down a long hallway.

 H.O.P.E (Chapter 2)

    We were seated in a room. The walls were all a grey color, from reinforced steel. Seats were littered everywhere. I took a seat in the far back to be alone, while the others stayed relatively close together. The President stood at the front of the room, with a holographic display of the planet.


    ¡°Now, all of you are probably wondering where you are, what¡¯s going on, and so on, correct?¡± he asked. There was a collective nod from all of us.


    He broke a little smile. ¡°Well for where you are, we are located in Capita, underneath the Governmental building. This facility is called HQ. Now for what your purpose here is. As you know, the natives of Exo are monsters. The natives are a threat to humanity and our survival on this planet. As their population rapidly grows, we as humans are at risk of being purged off the face of the planet.¡± He explained.


    Someone, a girl spoke up. ¡°But aren¡¯t there some the wish for peaceful coexistence? Can¡¯t we achieve that?¡±


    President Krieg gave off a short laugh. ¡°Get the idea of coexistence out of your minds as soon as you can. These monsters will always demand more from us, no matter how much we give them. Normally we would have to make them obey, but we are long past that. Extermination is the only option left on the table. We must give the humans on this planet safety.¡±


    It made sense in a way. Monsters and powers and skills that we humans simply couldn¡¯t obtain. But as he talked, I watched his face closely. He had anger and hatred all over his face. Everything he was saying was from his personal disgust towards the monsters.


    ¡°Now, each of you will be escorted to your own private quarters, where you will find a computer terminal that has more personal information on your being.¡± The President explained.


    Ten guards entered the room and escorted us out.


    ¡°Follow me.¡± One of them told me.


    I followed him out of the room and she led me to my private chamber.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    As the door of my private quarters slid shut, I turned around expecting a luxury room, with a fridge, TV and a king-sized bed. I was severely disappointed because, in reality, it wasn¡¯t luxurious. My quarters were a two-room dorm. The first room had a bed with pillow and blanket. To the right of the bed was a desk and chair with a computer terminal. There was a mini fridge beside that, but when I opened it, the only contents were bottled water, fruits, and vegetables. I closed the fridge door and proceeded to open the door to the second room. It was the bathroom. A sink, shower, and toilet were present. A little cabinet and mirror hung over the sing, probably holding utilities. Seeing the shower gave me the urge to take a shower, so I did just that. I removed the robe, stepped into the shower and turned on the water. The water was freezing cold.


    ¡®Great, I have to take bone chilling showers now.¡¯ I thought to myself.


    I quickly scrubbed myself clean, hastily getting out of the shower once all cleaned up. I rubbed myself dry with a towel and fixed the towel around my waist. I re-entered the bedroom and opened the closet. Hanging on one of the doors was a mirror. I observed myself closely. I had grey hair, which was cut short. My eyes were a deep an emerald green. Strange enough, I had a scar on my right eye. Like I had noticed when I had been removed from the Humanizer, I no longer had my ten-year-old body. I roughly estimated that I measured about six feet. I tore my gaze away from my new body and looked at the clothes that were provided to me. They were all the same; underwear, cargo pants, military boots, and sleeveless shirts. All the shirts had the word ¡°Alpha¡± sewed onto them. Well, at least I didn¡¯t have to be picky with my clothing options. I put on a set of clothing, surprised at how rather comfortable they were. Suddenly, I remembered that the president wanted us to check out the computer terminal so we could read more information about us. I sat on the chair, booting up the CT. when it opened I was disappointed. The desktop was pretty lame, I had no access to the internet and there were no games I could play.


    I sighed, kicked up my feet on the desk and opened the document folder he wanted me to read.


    Real name: Unknown. Given Name: Alpha


    Parents: Murdered by monsters


    Date of Birth: January 1<sup>st</sup>


    Sibling(s): One, presumed to be dead. Oldest of the two


    Height: 6¡¯2   Weight: 160lbs


    Eye color: Green


    Home: Currently HQ. Before: Slatz city.


    Profession: Confidential.


    Augmentations: Clearance needed.


    Serial number: 934215


    End of file


    Press 1 to save. Press enter to delete the file. All information except for identity is classified and can only be spoken to with the proper authorities.


    Enter has been pressed, file deleted.

 H.O.P.E (Chapter 3)

    I stared at the now vacant computer monitor. My name was Alpha, well it was the name I was given. My parents were murdered and I was the younger of two siblings. My real name was lost and I couldn¡¯t access my own augmentations. I couldn¡¯t even know the augmentations that these scientists had done to my own body. I sighed and rubbed my eyes. I looked at the time that was displayed on the monitor: 9:32 pm it read. I had absolutely no idea what to do next. The information file had no orders on what to do next. I finally decided to walk around my new home. I left my quarters, exploring the facility. Scientists and guards littered the place. They would not in greetings or give a salute. But they would prevent me from entering practically every room I tried to enter. I sighed in defeat, was about to go back to my quarters when I saw a sign that read ¡°Recreation¡±. Thankfully the guards let me in. as the metallic doors slid open; the voices of people talking could be heard. I stepped into the room; pool tables were located in the center of the room. On the right were treadmills and other various workout equipment. Vending machines for food and drinks were assembled at the far end of the room. To the left were bean bag chairs and bookcases filled to the brim with various books. Two of the pool tables were being used by two boys and a girl. On a treadmill was a guy sweating like crazy. A girl was using the bench-press right beside the guy. By the vending machines, there were two girls in deep conversation, while one girl was reading a book at the library section. Reading seemed like a good idea, so I walked over to the books and scanned through the books. A picked the first one that had an interesting title: Fragment¡¯s Reapers. I sat down, opened the book to a random page and read.


    Charles was sitting in a rotating chair, facing the windows of the room, peering outside. He heard the door to his office open.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°What is it now Trinity? My patience is on a thin line.¡± Charles growled.


    Trinity took a nervous gulp before speaking. ¡°W-we let Dr. Church escape, just like you commanded sir.¡± She declared. The chair spun around, and Charles stared at Trinity with his blood red eyes. Charles had no tolerance for defeat; it had to be victory at all costs, no matter what.


    ¡°Excellent, he will hopefully run to an administrator of Fade. Once they get a team to come for us, we¡¯ll follow them to the academy; get its location once and for all!¡± Charles grinned.


    ¡°Are you sure that she¡¯s hiding at the academy, sir?¡± Trinity asked.


    A growling sound escaped Charles¡¯ lips. Intolerance and disobedience were not needed within his ranks. He slowly got up from his chair, and with inhuman speed and strength, he rushed over to Trinity, grabbing her by the neck. He applied pressure on Trinity¡¯s neck, lifting her off the ground.


    ¡°We created it in Fade. I¡¯m pretty sure that it didn¡¯t leave the country.¡± Charles said with a snarl. ¡°I told you that I have very little patience. We¡¯ve looked all over the country. Assuming it did try to leave the country, my associates would have informed me. The only possible place it could¡¯ve run off too is the academy.¡±


    Charles loosened his grip on Trinity¡¯s neck, letting her fall to the ground like a sack of potatoes, wheezing for air.


    ¡°Now is our surprise ready for our guests?¡± Charles asked while sitting back down in his chair.


    Still wheezing, Trinity desperately tried to get air into her lungs. When she finally could breathe again, she unsteadily got back on her feet. ¡°Yes sir, the present is ready to go.¡±


    Charles flashed a smile of his perfectly white teeth. ¡°Very good, everything is going according to plan. You may leave.¡±


    Trinity nodded and left. As the doors closed, Charles walked back to his seat and faced the windows once more. A maniacal laugh escaped his lips.