The world of Demons, unlike many humans believe, has similar structures as their own, and develops in similar ways.
Due to a surge of alchemical and mechanical knowledge, the world of Demons, the Abyss, will enter an era of conflict between advancing technology, innovation, and the old traditions that have served well for hundreds of years.

Do you want to write the next hunger games or lord of the rings? Maybe your old school and you like Charles Dickens. Well, I hate to tell you but you're dreaming. That is you're dreaming without me! Hire me and I can guarantee results within the same day. What are you waiting for? Sign up now!

promote.your.novel.now@gmail.com

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."
- Charles Dickens 'A Tale of Two Cities'

   In the land of Wynn, there were many different creatures in existence: vampires, werewolves, demons, gods, humans, metahumans, dragons, elves, etc. There were humans in this world, but very few. This world was made by fellow creatures from fear of scrutiny for them being different of sorts. It was created in an astral universe. Our ancestors built this haven. While the founders of Wynn were protecting the realm, wars broke out. On such occasions, there were disagreements on what was thought about humans  Thousands of people's lives were lost. The Elven Shields were sent to war.

After the Rise and Fall of Nohz, it was peaceful, but the Elven Shields were on-guard because there was never a time when he was not going to come back. 
I grew up on a quiet sunny patched hill. My mother was out picking herbs while I frolicked in my flower garden. I grew all kinds - roses, poppies, lilacs- you name it. 
"Tarathiel, come inside! It is getting dark. You can tend to the garden tomorrow," said her mother.
"Okay, I'm coming!" said Tarathiel happily.
Her name is Jastira Phixisys. She is my mother. She grew up in the Rise of Nohz. She brought people together more than she spilt them apart. She was a great warrior who lead her army to victory. At a time like chaos and war, she could be the light in the darkness. Her name spread far and wide across the lands of Wynn. Our life was peaceful in the first years of my life. I was educated on school and on how to survive in the world. I learned to hunt, fish, swim and target enemies should I ever be in peril. I learned the ways of an elven warrior. I lived happily by her side…. Until one day.
I was sent in the forest to collect Jujuberries for a new medicine when I came across what appeared to be black smoke in the sky. I ran down to the house and found it in disarray. The medicines, gold, and anything else of value was gone. I crept slowly into the house, cautioning whether or not there may still be someone in the house. I found pools of blood in the house, but no sign of my mother. I called out for her when I heard an oncoming gallop of hoofs and an elevated screech. I look outside the window and see an army headed straight for the house.

While she was taught to survive, expectations were always key. But, how could she expect the unexpected, without her mother? She lived alone and stumbled across the path of four unlikely brothers. Will she find her place in the world? Or will she find something deeper?

After the auction had ended, Dickens and Lu Guan brought some men by to tidy up the two storage units.
The main storage unit to be tidied was the second one. In it were 30 to 40 boxes of books. Godzilla and Big Quinn worked hard tidying up the storage unit.
Charles Chalmers came over and took a look. After having seen nothing unusual, he walked over to the door of the first storage unit and sneered, "Guys, did anyone realize the items inside are not a complete set?"
Dickens gave a surprised look and replied, "Oh? Not that I know of."
Li Du leaned against the door. He did not mind what was in the storage unit. As a matter of fact, everything was arranged by him.
From the beginning, Lu Guan, accompanied by Dickens, was instructed by Li Du to enquire about the furniture in the storage unit. Even the treasure hunters who were rushed over and the auction bids today were all single-handedly arranged by him. 
With the intention of obtaining the magazines inside the storage unit rather than the furniture, he deliberately gave Charles the chance to organize a community storage unit auction.
He seemed rather exultant about the plan's success. As a matter of fact, from his perspective, the plan could have very easily failed. It would only have taken Charles contacting Dog Ears Rick for his plan to fail.
Fortunately, as he predicted, Charles was a petty man. In order to avoid having to loan his cousin money, he would not have informed his cousin of his storage unit's situation.
Otherwise, judging by Dog Ears Rick's experience, he could have easily deduced the visit by Lu Guan and Dickens was a trick. All it would take was for him to look at a few storage units to easily discover the complete set of magazines.
In Li Du's eyes, what he did was rather unethical. He had not planned to do it that way at first. He thought of officially purchasing the magazines for collection. 
In the end, not only had Charles not given him a chance to do so, but Charles and Dog Ears Rick had also humiliated him. Left with no choice, he came up with the plan.
Having heard Charles' sarcastic question, Li Du looked around the storage unit and discovered what was missing.
An antique-looking furniture set was missing a couple of pieces. Originally inside were six chairs, one table and two small cabinets. However, one chair and a small cabinet were missing.
Dickens did not realize what was missing as he was only doing as instructed and had no idea what was inside the storage unit.
Li Du, having discovered the missing chair and cabinet, said, "It's the furniture. The complete set of furniture has a problem, right?"　　
Charles coughed and smiled, "Your eyes are very sharp, Chinaman. Yes, the furniture here is not a complete set. A chair and cabinet are missing."
Dickens responded, "F*ck, you actually removed a part of the complete furniture set?"　　
Charles laughed craftily and said, "Don't be agitated, mate. Indeed, it was I who did that, but I didn't break any rules did I? All of you were not observant enough and did not discover there were missing pieces."
Dickens was infuriated. "You really are evil. Truth be told, I rarely call someone that, but you are evil!"　　
Charles was unfazed by his name calling. He opened his arms and said, "What I did was open and lawful. It's your eyes that were not sharp enough. If you guys discovered the furniture set was missing two pieces, you guys might not have bid on it."　　
The reason for his doing so was clearly due to a casual remark made by Dickens. Dickens remarked that the furniture set needed to be complete for it to be valuable or else the value would be cut in half.　　
Li Du motioned to Dickens to calm down. He asked, "Looks like if we want to keep that furniture, we would have to pay extra, right?"
Charles gloated, "Yes, but taking the fact that we are business partners into account, I can give you guys a discount—"
"That won't be necessary. You can keep them," Li Du interrupted, before turning and leaving.
Initially, he felt a little apologetic for using such means to take away Charles's magazines.　　
Now, after having seen his dishonest dealings, the blemish in his heart was no longer there. He felt what he himself had done was not wrong.
Li Du's departure didn't bother Charles. The storage unit belonged to Dickens and hence, Dickens was his target. He said,"I can give you a discount..."
In the end, Dickens simply replied, "Not necessary. You can keep them."
Charles was stunned and exclaimed, "What's the meaning of this? Don't you want the complete set of furniture to sell at its greatest value?"　　
At this point, there was nothing left to hide. Dickens said, "This was not my idea. Li, who was the Chinese fella earlier, was the actual buyer of the storage unit. He said it was not necessary then, it's not necessary."
Having heard those words, Charles became more aware there was something fishy going on. However, even after racking his brain, he still could not figure out what the problem was.　　
Li Du did not boast about the National Geographic magazines to him. As the truck transported the magazines back, he went to look for an Amish carpenter and ordered a batch of oak bookcases. With that, the whole incident had concluded.
The set of magazines belonged to him alone. He could add it to his own collection as it did not belong to the company he and Hans had set up.　　
He wanted to put all of the magazines on display in a bookcase. However, with the vast amount of magazines, the limited space of the cabin and the room he rented from Rose were not sufficient.　　
With over half a century's worth of magazines and 20 magazines per year, that was a total of 1500 magazines. Moreover, the last half of the century's National Geographic magazines was very thick. A room specifically for keeping the magazines would be required.
As such, Li Du had the idea of buying a house. He needed a house now.
Big Quinn planned to renovate his house once it was completed. If he bought one now, he could catch up to Big Quinn and renovate his house too.
Hans was figuring out how to sell the sports gear with celebrities' signatures on them. He found people to help appraise the items and concluded that the prices were difficult to estimate.
The items were dependent on the type of buyer. If the buyer was interested in the items, he could propose an astronomical price for them. If the buyer was not interested in the items, they would have no value.　　
However, after the separate valuation of the sports equipment items on their own, their value was promising. Especially so for the New York Yankees pitching machines, which had the highest unit price of 200,000 dollars.　　
Next, was the golf club signed by Tiger Woods. During a sports equipment auction in Manhattan last year, a similar golf club was auctioned off at a steep price of over 140,000 dollars. 　　
From the auction, Hans thought of the idea of organizing a sports equipment auction. With the vast amount of items in their possession, and the addition of other types of items, it would be enough to back a small scale auction.　　
Li Du brought out all his magazines and arranged them chronologically before placing them in a new storage box. For the next few days, he continued to search for valuable storage units.　　
However, there weren't many highly valuable storage units. Especially now, when he had more experience and was in high morale. He did not even look at storage units with a profit margin of less than 10,000 dollars.
He surveyed many storage units in similar fashion over the next few days, but found nothing valuable.


They love gold, and they love silver. Even more so, they love gems that dazzle, like stars across the skies. 
Firearms, jewelleries, and precious metals; A collector’s world will not be complete without antiques.  
Storage auctions, old goods trade, re-estate sales and gold-digging. But the truth is, if one wants to make money, then the supreme way is through searching for the legendary treasures. 
Holding the fort, there’s an ocelot, a wolf, and an Andes condor. At the side, there’s a loyal hound, an irascible ape, and an African honey badger. Who said that you can only rely on humans when treasure hunting?! 

Chapter 161

The charge of the Dicken Brigade was…amazing. That was all James could consider it. Truly, it had to have been one of the most inspired, crazy, hilarious, and effective things he had seen in his years of gaming. Not only were the dickens ridiculously buffed by Charles, even if the World Boss was only level 20, but the visual, of watching that many crazed, angry, demonic chickens running through the forest, seeking out BLANKs players, was just awesome.

On top of that, surprise in and of itself, took down more than a few of BLANKs players. Unfortunately, the charge of the Dicken Brigade also didn't last as long as James had wanted. However, while it was short lived, it still served its purpose. Well, actually, it served a few purposes.

First off, it drove a decent chunk of the fog of war away from James's field of view. The charge by the Dicken Brigade, which was roughly 400 dickens, meaning about 120 players strong, made it past the midpoint of the battlefield, and about another 200 yards into BLANKs side of the map, before it was stopped.

During the charge, led by Charles the Dicken, with Trogdor and his infernal dicken quick on the world boss's claws…er…heels, they managed to pick off over a dozen of BLANKs players, mostly rogue and thief classes, who had been working their way slowly towards James's spawn area. It seemed that BLANK's players were sending out scouts, to slowly map out and plan around James's setup. The scary part was a few of the scouts had gotten near two of James's siege weapons. Meaning he was certain those were likely going to be targeted, before they could ever get fully used.

Of course, that information was paid for quite nicely by the essence James's players received from the mad rush of the Dicken Brigade. Because of the effects of Charles the Dicken's ability, the dickens that were part of the Dicken Brigade attacked any enemy they came across. It was like watching a hungry swarm of locust overcome the land. No sooner was an enemy sighted, than the player fell to the ground and was trampled to death by the dickens. James had thought the Great Dickening was going to be a single, isolated incident in his dungeon. However, it seemed his players wanted to share that Dickening with any and everyone… He was certain this was going to become a tactic commonly used by his players in dungeon wars in the future…if they got that far.

As James noted, it was effective early on. However, as they blasted their way past the irradiated remains of the Perfect Cognivore, and into BLANKs portion of the battlefield, it became evident BLANK had definitely planned against James. While BLANKs players might not have been prepared for the crazy antics by James's players, BLANK had been.

It started when Charles the Dicken stepped into a pitfall trap. These traps, as James had noted, were rather inexpensive. As such, it seemed BLANK, who James had no doubt had fully utilized all 2,000 of their BP across their field, and not wasted a lot of points on a Core Shield or Cannon, had spread such traps liberally around their side of the battlefield.

And by liberally, James meant it seemed like they had created a mass of trenches for any invading players to stumble across. What's more, there were walls set up all along their side of the field, creating choke points, funneling players, or in this case, dickens, into easily defendable portions. These portions had BLANKs players stationed alongside cannons, with towers provided for their ranged players to get a better scope of the battlefield.

Behind BLANKs defensive line, which saw dickens getting funneled into kill zones, cut down by cannons and AOE spells alike, James got a good glimpse of rows and rows of siege weapons. James watched as the Dicken Brigade continued onward, seeming oblivious, uncaring of Charles the Dicken, who was soaking up loads of damage, his health pool quickly diminishing. The dickens rushed to their death, taking cannon fire and spells from all sides, arrows raining down upon them from an organized defensive group of BLANKs players. They continued onward, pecking and clucking and cawing, leaping through the air, launching gren-eggs of their own. It was pure chaos. And, in that chaos, even though BLANK had obviously prepared for it, BLANKs players hadn't.

Even as dickens fell left and right, so too did BLANKs players. James couldn't help but grin, cheering Trogdor on as he rode across a bridge, surrounded on all sides by dickens. His body glowed as he hefted his Chainsword wide in the air, blowing his battlemaster cooldown to buff the nearest 10 allies around him. All 10 dickens surrounding him, already buffed by their own dicken buff, and Charles the dicken, grew even larger. Their stats buffed once again, they tore deep into the enemy line, wiping out BLANKs players.

Of course, that chaos still wasn't enough to overcome the players. They may not have been ready for the dicken brigade, but they were definitely used to facing extremely difficult and dangerous opponents. What's more, the ones dying were the lower leveled players. The stronger players, James noticed, stayed back, watching the chaos unfold. They used their lower leveled players as fodder, to ensure they could best take control of the battlefield.

And take control they did. Even as Trogdor and his dicken entourage turned about for another charge, a single lightning bolt crashed into the Dragonkin from above. The blast instantly turned him into an orb of light, while consecutive bolts of lightning channeled off of him, arcing onto the mobs that had surrounded him, killing them as well. James scanned the field, looking for the figure that had cast the bolt of lightning. It had come from a player that had to be at least level 30, though James figured, from the power behind the bolt, they were higher level.

Not only that, but he was fairly certain whoever had launched the attack, had burned a cooldown, in order to boost the power of the attack. After all, Trogdor had been an off-tank class, he had a good amount of hit points, as well as defensive stats. Even if his magic resistance wasn't obnoxiously high, it was still high enough that, combined with his health pool, he shouldn't have been able to be one shot so easily.

"Trogdor." A random player from James's side called out, and a party of four players, atop their dickens, rushed across the bridge towards the orb that was the dragonkin. A quick scan of the players showed that one of them was a healer, meaning it was possible those four were the dragonkin's normal party members. And, amidst the chaos, they intended to get their friend back up.

Of course, BLANK's players weren't having any of that. Spells and ranged attacks rained down upon the players. The enemy forces, at least the higher leveled ones among them, were masterfully singling out players with their abilities, while the weaker players in the defensive area worked on Charles the Dicken, and the dicken mobs. However, while it was a skilled tactic, James could tell the battle, at the very least, was likely going to end in a draw.

He came to this conclusion, as he watched as a level 37 lightning mage, who he was pretty sure had been the one to bring down Trogdor, let out a cry of surprise, which had brough James attention to him. The mage, it seemed, had been making a retreat, though he was running, instead of teleporting, as his mana was likely still recovering from his massive devastating spells. An arrow was protruding from his knee, which was likely what had brought him down.

The source of the arrow, James found was almost poetic. While dickens and players fought one another, there was another set of forces on the battlefield, that were doing quite a bit of damage. James was of course, referring to the forces of FlashFyre and Axel42. The necromancer and summoner had moved forward with the players. However, they hadn't stopped when they reached Trogdor's fallen orb. Instead, FlashFyre seemed to have moved her pets forward, towards a hill atop which the mage seemed to have been standing.

Beside her, Axel42 had canceled out his dicken mobs, and instead summoned two break-i-asarus. The massive, steampunk dinosaurs let out their metallic roars, causing some of BLANK's players to pause in surprise and concern. The purpose of the breaker's James realized, was to provide cover for Axel42, FlashFyre, and the players that had rushed to Trogdor's aid. Because of the massive size of the dinosaurs, all the ranged attacks flying towards the party was actually being intercepted by them. Axel42 had summoned his mobs simply to be meat shields. And it was working.

James watched as more arrows rained down upon the poor mage. His magical power was vast, considering his level, but he was still squishy. And, it seemed he hadn't expected to be attacked by skeletal archers. After all, with all of the dickens flooding the battlefield, it was rather hard to make out the skeletal archers amongst the pack. Furthermore, James had to guess the chaos on the battlefield had been more than a little distracting.

"Get him up, and let's go." Axel42 called out to the players who had rushed to the fallen dragonkin's orb. The healer's hands began glowing, as he started channeling a resurrection spell. It was a powerful, full revival spell, that took 30 seconds to cast. During that time, they would have to keep any and all damage off of the healer, otherwise the spellcaster would be interrupted.

A task, that was going to prove difficult, considering they were sitting right in the middle of the enemy's fortified position. Already, more dickens lay dead, than alive. And while BLANKs forces had suffered a good amount of causalities, there were still enough to man the weapons BLANK had so kindly provided them with. Furthermore, as had been the plan, many of James's players had already pulled back. This had been meant as a shock and awe, lightning fast attack. They were to cause as many casualties as possible, and then pull back, to use the essence they gained to further increase their advantage on the battlefield.

Trogdor's heroics, followed by those of his friends, and brother it seemed, had put them in unnecessary danger. To put it in gamer terms, Trogdor had gone full stupid, and Axel42 and the others had been dragged into harm's way, because of it. James figured that had to be another reason why Axel42 and FlashFyre didn't want to dungeon dive with the Barbarian. Though, to be fair, players that chose barbarians often were a bit more on the reckless, impulsive side. James couldn't help but cast a sidelong glance at Rue as that thought crossed his mind. After all, the pixie had chosen not only barbarian, but barbarian berserker as her avatar class.

"I don't think so, white knight." A voice said from the battlefield, and James winced in anticipation, even as his eyes shot towards Axel42. Even as the voice spoke, James saw the glowing of two red eyes moving rapidly towards the summoner. A candy cane sword drove deep into Axel42's mount, killing the dicken instantly. A second one drove into Axel42's chest, punching completely through.

The form of SoulDemon shimmered for a moment before Axel42, as the Phantom Blade's cold voice growled. "Revenge is sweet."

James hates his real life. He spends his days being bullied in school, and at home he simply reads and plays games. The only thing he has to look forward to is immersion. When he is immersed in the virtual world he can be whatever, whoever, he wants: He can escape the world that has thrown him away.

As such, when a new game, Dungeon Core Online, comes out, James is excited to play. He immerses himself as soon as he can, but when he is set to create his character he is instead offered a different choice. Now, James is the Dungeon Core and he suddenly finds himself wielding more power, with more options, than he's ever had before. The only downside... there are people in the real world who do anything, even kill, to gain the power of a Dungeon Core in the virtual world.

This story originated on and is updated on Royal Road

This story is the sole property of Jonathan Smidt, otherwise known as Glyax

If you like this story, check out Bone Dungeon (my published work), or see about becoming a patron of mine (search Glyax) for advanced access to chapters, etc

This is gonna be a Doctor Who fan fiction with elements of RWBY and SAO in there.

It will have me, the Doctor, obviously, the companion, whoever it might be. It will also have characters from RWBY and SAO in there, all of us interacting with each other.

God knows what will happen in there, I don't even know, but if I know one thing...it's gonna be awesome.


Christmas Day had just passed, and when Nell opened her eyes, she realized she was not at home, but she smiled and felt happy when two strong arms held her close.
Once again she had fallen asleep at Eric's, but that morning she couldn't stay and have breakfast with him, even though he was the best pancake cook.
She got up very reluctantly, got dressed and, when she was about to leave, he stopped her and kissed her making her fall on the bed with him.
They cuddled for a couple of minutes, but then he had to find the strength to break away and go home.
He had prepared everything, missing the last details that he added once he changed his clothes and prepared the ones that Eric would wear once he got there.
He received a message from Nell that he deciphered, as soon as it was done, took the keys and headed to his house and once he arrived he followed all the indications.
He looked around to find something out of place and, since he had been there several times, he immediately noticed that one was missing from the music CD shelf.
He went to the corner and found the first clue.
"[...] it must have been so, and so it was, as the old lady said after the servant was married."
He was moved by that sentence, although he did not understand what Nell had in mind, yet something told him that Charles Dickens was right.
He was too curious, precisely because a bit of that spirit was part of his nature so he went on. He found another white sheet with black writing and opened it.
"Gentleman once, gentleman always, gentleman to the last," she said aloud, and once again Eric walked around hoping for her to appear. But the more he went on, the more he understood the meaning.
No, it wasn't a game it was his way of living Charles Dickens.
He had come to an end, because the last clue was in the hands of Nell dressed as Madame, the same style as him.
Eric walked over, took the note and read it almost in a whisper.
"When I left, I loved you, Agnes. Far away, I loved you ... I returned, and I loved you ... "
"I wanted to do something special. I know, it's not the same as Dickens' fair, but… this is our thing, "Nell agreed, blushing, hoping it was something we liked.
He put a hand on his hip and brushed his cheek with the other, placing a lock of hair behind his ear, then kissed her.
«The wonders of this girl cannot be imagined. [...] It was extraordinary; because the child prodigy, albeit small, seemed to be of a comparatively greater age than her stature, "he praised the work of the adventures of Nicola Nickleby who, a few days ago, had led to a debate.
Finally, a mirage of two figures was seen: a man and a woman with nineteenth-century clothes looking at each other tightly in each other's arms with the same expression, promising each other eternal love.

“The magic of Christmas caresses all those who practice joy. They give voice to that part, deep in their hearts, that needs to shine. " (Michele Acanfora)
A small collection of flashfics where the only factor in common is Christmas and love.
They tell me little, perhaps I answer too little;)
# 1_ That time had come (Densi)
# 2_ Family (Callanna)
# 3_ My woman in tech (Neric)
# 4_ Charles Dickens with nerds (Neric)

The world was falling into chaos. The truth was no longer something the government can conceal.
Ever since the attack on the Kraken and the disappearance of the WGP's support, the world was already going on its downhill descent.
The financial world, the exchange of currency, the trade that the world relied on had all fallen into a chaotic mess. Countries found themselves to be without means to support or sustain themselves.
Some countries even had people killing their leaders. It was very much satisfied with how the government was trying to fight off the collapse of almost every stable source of income, trade, and other necessities.
Corruption began to reveal itself left and right in some countries. Countries in any form of alliance or agreement even fell apart, and war occurred within.
But as the world fell, great reformations and reestablishment were occurring.
New people rose to power, and the former regimes died with the leaders that once held them.
Tech Possibilities had been lifted. Almost every corporation and organization, and even some of them, had revealed a new form of technology that they had secretly hidden all along and began to sell them and offer exchanges with various forms of financial aides and trades.
The WGP offered trade offers to some countries that attracted them with unique techs. But mysteriously, it was countries that had long lived under severe economic and technological hindrances that were the ones that managed to remain afloat when the whole world changed.
Pangea, which had enemies on both sides and limited land trade, were forced to find means as the triune countries united and made techs of their own. With the western sea and land routes blocked by the SPU and Australia hovering over the west, they had to turn to different means to survive the trade storm.
Apart from this, the gambles of Crazy Carlean and Ludicrous Lynd paid off. General Harker wanted the various gambling debts to be paid using minerals, supplies, materials, and tech.  
But this trade greatly benefited Pangea as it now managed to create a stable society in the new era when the WGP fell.
The Americas and Canada, which had long been isolated due to the severe restrictions in trade, remained as stable as ever. And while great turmoil was happening within the Americas, powerful organization and techs that was so intriguing, it even moved the WGP to offer various trades.
Since its establishment, Unlock Industries, which wasn't even a month old, has overtaken several large corporations in the Americas. South America even experienced the rise of Underwater Cities, which created even more chaos in various countries worldwide.
Arthur watched the news and continued to mutter strange things.
His trip had taken him all over the world. He visited Pangea and aided Seeker in the attack of the WGP. After this, he had settled in the Leviathan and was making his way towards Egypt.
The Leviathan had been spending the last three weeks traveling all over the world. It was searching all over the place and managed to wipe out and conquer three underwater cities. Arthur understood more about the underwater cities and how these secret societies functioned. He was able to deduce and calculate the locations of the other cities and found a way to attack and conquer them without alerting the rest.
The cities they attacked were easily conquered. Some had three times larger cities than the Leviathan itself as the city was buried under the sea bed. But against the primary team of Unlocked soldiers, these cities easily were captured.
But Arthur didn't capture and enslave everyone. They simply observed and acquired the unique technologies that developed in the underwater world. Some were turned into Programmed Slaves, and they even gave the conquered cities techs and explained about the Aragarians.
As Arthur kept charting their path towards Egypt, he suddenly felt a strange force.
He immediately turned on a strange device.
The device was something that combined several techs. Richie, the Realm King, and Lennox made means that allowed the three to link in great distances.
"Soundcheck. I'm sorry for the sudden call. But this is the only time that I can make this call. I'm inside the underwater nuclear facility of a certain Underwater City. Is everyone here?" Lioncourt asked.
All the Overcomers and Near Overcomers were present and gave a simple acknowledgment. Notable members joining the call who weren't Overcomers are Arthur and Charles.
"They Tyrant Empress is, of course, without means to respond. Although I'm sure, you've felt it. It's as if her claws are trying to reach out and grab us." Lioncourt wiped the sweat off his face.
"Eagle seems to be busy. Anyway, now that everyone's attendance is confirmed, let's get this call started. As Arthur predicted, strange fluctuations are occurring around the world. Four, to be exact. One appears to be headed towards the Caliphate region. Amir Mann, you owe me your liver. I expect the shipment to be made immediately."
"Fine…" Amir grunted.
"Liver?" Charles asked.
"No time to explain, Doctor Charles. Anyway, with this, we can confirm that Arthur's prediction was right. Crostfree is dead and Pridgeon now controls Crostfree's techs. But now, there are three more strange fluctuations. Looking at the feel, I'm guessing two of them are mass teleportation. One is bending space like the Void's assassins teleportation technique, but the other is displacing space. Any thoughts on that Seeker?"
"No. I don't know who those Presiders are. But they might appear in South America. My team will keep a close eye at the situation."
"Alright. Anyway, it means what you all think. The Aragarians are moving their armies inside Earth. We have accomplished one of our objectives. From our own reprogrammed set of slaves and the Pioneers serving the Tyrant Empress, we know that there are tiers among Presiders. Since these so-called top-tiered Presiders are now moving, we can now assume that it is safe to move into our next plan."
"Amazing. You got even the date right. You can really see the future." Seeker laughed as he checked the calendar.
"Then that means that Arthur is also right in the locations. Russia, Caliphate, Canada, and one in the Underwater region of the world. Is it in the Arctic waters?" Meng asked.
"Correct. The movements are as Arthur expected." Lioncourt answered.
"Let's not get confident, Overcomers. Our concern is to prepare our traps and create as many spies as we can. My predictions moving onwards will now have lower chances of coming true. There are too many factors in play and too many powers. And even now, our chances of victory is quite small."
"We will do what we can. In about a few weeks, I should have the ability to sense through the wind." Hermes explained.
"I'll try to scout them. Or does Arthur have any suggestions?"
"It's best to wait for Richie to visit you up there. I'm sure he will be gathering and pulling you in the war against the Tyrant Empress in Africa. Once together, try to find a way to merge your two paths. We do not know if the Presiders in Canada can detect the strange movements of the wind. So it's better to use your wind and make a Realm Chamber for Richie."  
"Alright. Sounds like a plan."
"Meng… What about your father? How is he?"
"He will be going to South America as planned. Rosa's family has finally caved in. My father will be joining them and will be acting as one of their elders."
"Caved in… Meaning?" Charles asked.
"Typical tortured them, and they believed the reports about the Aragarians."
"The Gladium family fought me on several occasions. You used fear to make them submit?" Rai wondered.
"Consider them Programmed Slaves. But instead of pleasure, I used pain. Three of their younger members reached the Advent stage of Unbecoming during the torture, which proves that they may have more possible Paths to develop. They have agreed to join against the war against Russia and India."
"Are you certain that you can handle that, Dragon?" Amir asked.
"My Fangs crushed you once. They will crush you again, Little Doggie." Meng laughed.
"We shall see." Amir didn't fight back. Although Cliff was the main reason they won, Amir counted it as his defeat.
"Seeker. For your mission in South America, you have to be very careful. Pridgeon shouldn't have made his move obvious. With how he is suddenly moving towards the Caliphate region means that things have changed. Act as if a Principal is there."
"I know. That's why Lynd and Cliff are with me."
"That should also be a reminder to all of you. You have to be more on guard with your battles. Pridgeon is able to move an entire invisible fortress towards that location. It is that moon that we attacked in the South Pacific. If Crostfree becomes the baseline of reference for Top-Tier Presiders, we should assume that the others have the means to do the same thing. Mass teleportation is something inconceivable at this time. And since both have used different means of teleportation, it means that their techs in the dimensions beyond are something we cannot imagine or box."
"So we live assuming that they can detect us?" Charles asked.
"In Seeker's future, I believe that apart from Crostfree, most who took part were either low to mid-tiered Presiders. But now, we have Top-tiers on Earth. They will be actively looking for this Lost Primordial. We gave them a fake target with all our lies. So don't try to get yourself in the target range." Lennox interjected.
"As you can see, my son is wise in forcing all of us to complete our big moves before they get here. The only Presider that showed interest was drawn out and killed. But since we already killed a Top-Tier and made it look like another Presider or the Lost Primordial is involved, we might draw in Principals."  
"So in our current power, we don't have any hopes in defeating Principals. We know Dimension tech is the key to rising to greater power. And we don't even have the basics. My powers could barely be counted as that." Rai sighed.  
"Yes. Principals should have the power to do far greater things. And so our plan relies on stealing whatever we can from Presiders. But even if we've acquired all the techs that the top Presiders here have, we still won't be able to beat them." Arthur agreed.
"Cheer up, gang! We have the Lost Primordial's tech. We have within us the means to become stronger than these guys! The techs we get from them are just nice benefits. Just as it always has been, the key to victory lies in our ability to Overcome." Seeker smiled.
"Our enemies are near. Are enemies bring such a great threat to the balance. But this is the only way for us to grow." Seeker added.
"Arthur, you didn't tell us last time. But what is your prediction? What will these people do?"
"The key lies ins Pridgeon's sudden action. Why suddenly make an obvious move? For those who are Top-Tiered Presiders, this would make his acquisition of Crostfree's tech known. Why would he do that?"
"He knows he's discovered," Richie answered.
"He's not hiding anymore. But even then, he is still moving to complete the obsession we've started with him with the Jews. Did he succumb to the Tyrant Empress's power?"
"Not exactly. He knows he's failed. He's moving to counter it." Arthur answered.
"Tyrant Empress, you have to grow stronger in a way that he will fall into an obsession towards you without knowing it. Make him fall so in love that he will create an alternate personality. Make that obsession a personality. It is possible." Seeker suggested.
"You've read my mind, Seeker. But while that may not happen, the best way for these Presiders to move freely within Earth is to create a new nation for themselves."  
"Then it's perfect." Someone suddenly interrupted.
"Eagle. So nice of you to join." Lennox greeted.
"I'm sorry. I was in the middle of the Bible study. But the events that follow seem to be in line with the Bible's grand tale."
"The Bible's grand tale?" Richie asked with great curiosity.
"The Bible repeatedly talks about two certain things. Israel and a city that opposes it. Jerusalem was first shown in Genesis as the city called 'Salem' ruled by an interesting bible figure that was a High Priest and at the same time a King."
"Melchizedek!" Richie answered like a young kid showing off to his parents how smart he was.
"Correct, Richie. This Melchizedek is seen as an important typology of Jesus Christ. He presents himself as a King-Priest, a role that only Jesus fulfills and is hinted to in the New Testament. The Book of Hebrews details this. Jerusalem quickly becomes the center of all Biblical narratives. It focuses on that city, and the Bible even ends with the City of God, the New Jerusalem falling from Heaven and taking its place."
"That is what you kept mentioning as the Kingdom, correct?"
"Yes and no. Depending on your view on eschatology, you might believe the Kingdom happens before or after. But that's not necessary. For now, we can say that it is the Kingdom for convenience's sake. What is important is that we understand the first important city that is Jerusalem. The second city also appears in Genesis, we see it featured prominently in the last book of the Bible, and we see its mentions running all over the Bible. The second city first appeared in Genesis as Babel."
"The tower of Babel?"
"Indeed! The very same! Babel in the land of Shinar. And do you know what existed in Shinar?"
"Babylon!" Richie exclaimed once more.
"Correct again! Look's like Richie's knowledge of the Bible is getting better! I trust your Bible studies have been going great?"
"Richie's leading bible studies?!" Seeker was amazed.
"Yeah. You should join, Seeker! Your Grandmother frequently attends now."
"...Please continue, Eagle."  
"Anyway… It is, as Richie said. Babylon becomes an important theme throughout the Bible, and in the book of Revelation, we see the two prominent cities fighting. Revelation tells of a great city, full of sin and wickedness, and is very vocal in their defiance against God. And this city is at odds with Jerusalem. You could even say that Babel, the city that sinful man built to reach the heavens and challenge God, is rebuilt!"
"I get it. You mean to say that we are fulfilling the typologies of Scripture?" Lennox asked.
"Indeed. Whether Arthur intended it to be, this is what's happening. So, Arthur, we have to find a way to make Pridgeon build his fortress in the land of Shinar. If we arrange it in that way, my sermons could become a powerful weapon to convince the world when the time comes." Eagle urged Arthur.
"Alright then. I'll send word to Lowengren. I predict that these Presiders on Earth will build a city just like Pridgeon will do. And I guess, to fulfill Scripture, we have to make our cities strong enough to fight them." Arthur added.
"This doesn't overlap with our current arrangements. Richie and the Empress will still fight in Africa. Amir and the Dragon will fight in China. Near Overcomers, I urge you to join those battles. Make your battle wild that it will cause some countries to flee to the Cities of Refuge. Also, try to attack these towers of Babels that will surface. I predict you will lose. But that's the point." Arthur added.
"I see. One city is a place of escape. The weak and helpless will go there. But Babel will be a city of power. Full of vices, sin, and pride. Both will rise, and both will have different things to depict. If that's the case, then our battles will be easier. The other Presiders will probably join one of those cities to make their entry on Earth easier." Lioncourt analyzed.
"So one of the major themes in the Bible is Jerusalem and Babylon… Interesting… It kind of makes me see the Bible differently know. So this is it, huh? A Tale of Two Cities." Richie laughed.
"The Cities of Refuge versus the Towers of Babel… It has a nice ring to it." Seeker also laughed.


An alien race invaded the Earth on June 6, 2128. At the midst of this war, many nations allied with the alien threat and the war nearly wiped out the rebelling humans of the planet. At the edge of mankind's survival, the United Nations Army launched its forces to eliminate the immediate stellar threats that loomed over Earth.

General Seeker Carlean, commander and leader of the mission, risked and gave his life to destroy the immediate stellar threat. The battle was won though Earth lay in ruins. Perhaps mankind will live to see a few years of peace before the alien threat returns to wipe out their existence.

At the immediate aftermath of the stellar battle, the fallen Seeker Carlean awakens and finds himself at aged 17, living the peaceful life he lived 16 years before he died.

So begins a new game in the battle for humanity's survival.

----
Cover art by Jayps. http://www.behance.net/Jayps

Dante


Morning came and Asmodeus chose the outfit I would be wearing for the fanmeet. 

He chose a bandshirt, a pair of ripped jeans and a leather jacket which wasn't mine. 

"Whose jacket is this?" I asked.

"Mine. It's got a lot of compliments in it." He gave me an impish smile. 

I was curious so I checked the inside pockets and found two packets of condom, some mint and chewing gum and a small metal flask filled with whisky.

"What the fuck is this?" I held a packet of condom in my hand.

He merely shrugged. "You never know. Today you might get lucky. Just keep them just to be safe."

Mephisto came over wearing cream colored pajamas, went over to the counter and brewed some coffee. "Seriously, you're dressing him like a rockstar when he has the attitude of a recluse?" 

"I'm pretty sure the encounter in purgatory has brought a few changes to his personality, or am I wrong Dante?" He was looking at me with his eyes, the azure and the amber, and I felt I was losing myself in them. I had to shake my head. 

"Yeah, kind of." The nightmare of last night still felt too real as if it was a premonition and not just a product of stress from the encounter in purgatory. 

"Just remember, today just focus on your task. Death can wait." Asmodeus almost sounded sympathetic.

Mephisto raised his cup of coffee at me. "Try not to fuck up."

I flipped him the finger and got ready for the fanmeet.



Caroline

The exclusive fanmeet was happening in The Canterburry Cafe, a high-end restaurant that served delicious coffee and tasty pastries. The idea of doing a fanmeet in a place such as this almost put me off. I preferred meeting fans in an environment where they aren't overwhelmed by a display of luxury but it was out of my hands so I told myself to just give it my best. 

The members of Night Prowlers weren't too happy with the venue either but we still had to do it, for the fans. 

We decided to wear casual clothes, though we still dolled ourselves up with makeup to look good. When we were ready, we all went to the venue where the fans were already ushered inside the event hall and were seated in circular tables. They were being served a light meal for breakfast. When they saw us enter the room, a lot of them looked undecided what to do. A few were looking at us with beaming eyes and the rest were just losing it, shouting impromptu fanchants which made us smile. 

There were twenty people inside the event hall. Ten fans of Night Prowlers and the rest was mine. We were supposed to meet and talk to them individually. Each fan was seated in a table and we were to chat with them for ten minutes or so. Flora was quick to point out that the whole thing was like going on a blind date which wasn't far off from the truth. 

Then I saw him sitting in one of the tables and I felt my heart skip a beat. Dante, wearing dark leather. He looked rather out of place and it made him stand out. He seemed to be avoiding my gaze and was too busy looking at his phone. 

*We'll see about that.* I smiled to myself and went on ahead.




Dante

I tried to avert my eyes from her but I just couldn't help myself and so when she was seated with the first fan that she had chosen, I occasionally looked at her without her knowing. All the while I tried to think about a good conversation piece to keep her interested for the ten minutes that I would be alone with her. And all I could think of were books.

*For fuck's sake, this is what I get for being a recluse for years.* 

The gifts I was going to give her were in my lap, a box of chocolates, a book by Charles Dickens and a bouquet of flowers. Some of the people I came in with brought plushies, portraits, hats and other stuff. Some even brought extravagant gifts. I saw a guy earlier show off a necklace made of pearls that he was going to give to every member of Night Prowlers. The amount of dedication this people were displaying almost made me feel small. 

Caroline was happily chatting away when I finally noticed that I was up next and I felt my knees go weak. I've never felt so anxious like this, even when I was face to face with Death or the Archangel Michael. My hands were cold and my head seemed to have grown numb as if my brain was shutting down. 

And before I knew it, she was sitting in front of me. If looks could kill, then there'll probably be nothing left of me. She was wearing a simple peach t-shirt and a miniskirt. I couldn't look away and at the same time I wished the ground would've swallowed me whole. She was smiling at me, her pink lip gloss looked so inviting and I couldn't stop myself from thinking about how her lips tasted. 

*Get a hold of yourself, stop staring.* 

She wasn't saying anything. She was just staring at me and though I could've stayed like that forever, I knew that every minute counts. 

"Hi." It came out as a squeak. *There goes what's left of my self-esteem.*

This made her giggle and I took it as a good sign. "Hello Dante." Her reply was short and curt. I was losing my mind. Every table she was on, she seemed to be the one who was taking over the conversation but now it felt like she was content in following my lead and I was leading her nowhere. 

Until now, I've never been really bothered by people. I could talk to them with an air of apathy and indifference without even knowing it but with Caroline I felt like a boy again. 

I didn't really have any clue where to start so I didn't bother thinking about what I was saying and just sort of went all in. "You guys were great last night." 

She smiled. "Thank you. I hope you enjoyed the show." 

"I certainly did." And then nothing, my mind was blank and Caroline looked as if she was waiting for me to say something. *Fuck, think of something, something to keep it going.* "You look really beautiful today." *Nothing like telling her the obvious, why not tell her the sun rises in the east and sets in the west while you're at it?*

"Thanks, I guess?" She sounded unsure as if she expected me to say something else. 

"Oh, I brought you this." I handed her the gifts I bought her.

She thanked me and asked what was inside the yellow paper bag, 

"Well, it's a copy of A Tale of Two Cities. I hope you'd like it." I told her.

"The title's familiar." I could see her eyes lighting up or was that just an illusion I don't know. "What's it about?"

"It's a tale of love lost, love found and sacrifice. It's one of Dickens's best work though I generally prefer Great Expectations but I guess it's really up to the reader." I was pandering but I couldn't help myself. Books are my life. 

"I'll be the judge of that." said Caroline smiling. "You really love books don't you?" 

"I won't deny that. Sometimes, fiction makes more sense than this world, you know?" 

She merely nodded and her piercing green eyes met mine and this time I didn't flinch. "How so?" She asked, her voice almost a whisper. 

"Well, in real life for example, there are a lot of things that I can't really say out loud whereas characters from books have no qualms in expressing how they feel."

"That's true." A strand of her hair came over her eyes and I had the urge to brush it away. "It's like that for me when I write songs."

"Yeah, I always wonder what the mindset of the writer is when he's writing." Caroline talking about her songwriting made me reflect on the first few sets of prose and poems I've written after Neo spurred me on to write.

"When I write songs, I don't really think of how it'll come out. I just write, does that make sense?" She was smiling, it was then that I noticed that we've been staring at each other's eyes and none of us were willing to look away.

"Yeah, it's just my opinion but I think there shouldn't be any preconceived concepts or ideas when you write in order to capture how you feel as raw as possible." 

She smiled at that. "You should be a writer, you sound like one already. Are you writing in your spare time by any chance?" 

"I write some stuff, nothing interesting." I never really talked about my writing before and this was the first time besides Neo and Lucifer. I felt like I couldn't lie to her.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." She pouted at me and it made her look so cute, I laughed. "If you don't mind, I'd like to read something that you've written down if that's okay with you." She was pleading with her eyes and I felt helpless. 

"Sure, I'll let you read some." Now I was certain that I couldn't say no to her. 

The conversation was almost at an end. I knew that there were only a few minutes left and so I took leap of faith. "Um, so Caroline, I know this may sound stupid but I'd like to ask you something." I couldn't look her in the eye now, I felt like walking on thin ice.

She looked curious and a little bit amused. "What is it?"

"W--w-would you, you know like to hang out with me?" Then I bit my lip and looked at her dreading her reply. 

"Hang out? Like a date?" She was staring at me and she looked uncomfortable and I felt like I fucked up. 

"I'm sorry, forget I asked that." I smiled at her awkwardly. "I just wanna get to know you better so I just had to ask otherwise I'd end up regretting not taking the opportunity. Anyway, I apologize for asking you like a creep, I promise you won't ever hear such things from me again."

I put my head down and prayed for the ground to swallow me whole. 

"Don't you wanna hear my answer?" She asked and the amusement and playflulness in her voice was obvious.  

"Sure." I was anxious and curious.

"Yes." I only stared at her like an idiot, unmoving and unbelieving. My heart was hammering in my chest like it was on fire. When I still didn't say anything, she looked worried. "Are you okay?"

"Y-y-yeah, just shock I guess." In truth I was freaking out. "So how does this work?" When she gave me a questioning look, I clarified. "So, how do we h-h-hang out? I-I mean you're a busy person and all, not to mention you've a tour." Even saying the words made me feel stupid. The whole thing felt like dream. 

She seemed to be thinking. "Well, I'm free tonight." 

*Tonight? Oh god, what do I do?* "You are? Okay, um where would you like to hang out?"

Then the ten minutes were up but before she left the table, she tore down the card that went with the bouquet, and wrote down her number. "I don't know, surprise me Dante Caulfield." 

And she left the table.

charles dickens a tale of two cities novel

A Tale of Two

Want to be Famous?

The Vampire's Runaway Bride

Treasure Hunt Tycoon

Dungeon Core Online

Red Like Roses

Christmas operation

New Game+

Author Achievement

Goodbyess

People search charles dickens a tale of two cities also like: