The words made no sense, and the numbers were weird. What did they mean? Regis backed away from the pedestal and nearly tripped on his feet, holding himself up by placing a hand on the wall. Somehow, the place where the needle stabbed his right hand was clean of any blood; furthermore, the wound was gone. Regis gulped and took in deep breaths, an exercise that Grandpa always made him do to calm down.
Once he was calm, he slowly opened a crack through his eyes and jerked back. The strang...
2023-08-10 18:41:58 +0000 UTC
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When his words reached the enemy below, their reaction was the opposite of what Demon expected of them. Their quivering shoulders stilled and broadened, stoic and wide like statues, and their faces hardened into steely focus, eyes narrowing and locking onto him. The fear he saw in them was completely gone. But those expressions weren't of confidence either; they had no emotion behind their dull gazes like a dead fish's, not a vigor of life in those hazy pupils. Demon had seen this look in man...
2023-08-09 22:51:30 +0000 UTC
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Oscar was trapped. From above, the spiked flail bore down in a spread of fire, and below, the spiraling fingers of flame reached out with its blazing grasp, clutching with a vice grip. He tucked closer to Erden, and his best deer stomped all four hooves in the air, four bursts of concentrated magma erupting with the roaring of a volcano. Oscar bolted upward, bolstered by the frenzied boost from Erden's blazing trail.
As Erden's magma melted down the inferno below, Oscar neared the one a...
2023-08-09 02:26:57 +0000 UTC
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Garantulem's Kraken Mode was the second form of Gol-4's prized creation. The airships would detach from several others while keeping the link to one other, forming a line. The airships acted as joints and gained the capability of moving and extending outward like tentacles. The purpose was to lure in the approaching enemies when they came too close and surround them with the arches of ships. In no time, a hellfire of attacks would come in all directions, reducing the hapless enemy inside the ...
2023-08-08 03:45:44 +0000 UTC
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"Seeing it closer is breathtaking. How marvelous." Willet murmured. His red eyes glinted like rubies and widened as he stared awestruck. Resting his elbows on the armchairs of his seat, Willet followed along the bridges and ships, delving deeper and deeper into the structure until he stopped and gazed at the largest ship directly in the center. Soon, a smile extended from his lips, and he walked down to the window, an inch away from the glass.
No words could describe the sheer majesty o...
2023-08-07 03:32:34 +0000 UTC
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Oscar opened his eyes to the same plain iron ceiling he had lived under for several months. He exhaled a few times deeply and spread his arms, a series of cracks traveling down his back. Turning over, Oscar stared out the window, the moonlight forcing him to squint and groan. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he got out of bed and dressed in his usual garb. His mind turned to the events of a few days prior, the movements of the enemy ships, the lack of resistance, and the unusual retreat at...
2023-08-05 15:59:59 +0000 UTC
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The sound of metal grinding stopped once Garantulem reached its optimal height, flying above the stretch of clouds, nothing above it except for the two suns. The red dots had now revealed their forms, banners of a scarlet griffon and red flames fluttering along the masts of the airships. Their great hulls cast a deep shadow on the white landscape of the clouds, making them appear like storm clouds, and indeed the storm was coming. It arrived with thunder, thunder that resounded and shook the ...
2023-08-04 20:17:33 +0000 UTC
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A large reservoir of water reflected the visage of the fortress, the two suns shining along its spire. The waters were leveled and balanced to each corner, having not a blemish of a fallen leaf nor the echoes of ripples, perfectly clean and quiet. Bubbles disturbed the stagnant and peaceful surface, their numbers multiplying and their noise intensifying. Soon, a figure rose, excess water flowing from his white hair and dripping onto his white training robes.
Willet Claude levitated over...
2023-08-04 00:43:11 +0000 UTC
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A few months after the siege of Hathefin, Oscar sat in a council with the three Marshal Exalts of Drakken Port deep into the night. Large candles and oil lamps were set to brighten the room around them, but the wax had melted down to its base, and the oil was burning through its last drop. He had been in this meeting for several hours now when the two suns were still at their highest peak, yet their discussions had not died down in the slightest, only spurred endlessly by the harshness of a l...
2023-08-02 13:39:50 +0000 UTC
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Morning dawned, and light began to spill through grated windows, their luminescent beams reflecting off the hard metal floor, appearing like a mini sun etched in the ground. Showered in the light, Oscar woke up from his deep dreams, exhausted and irritated down to his stomach, and wriggled around in his bed, finding no comfort in any arrangement of his arms and legs. He dropped to the cold metal floor and exhaled in distress, cursing inwardly at how not even the cool touch on his cheek failed...
2023-08-01 01:51:40 +0000 UTC
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Garantulem, Isaac's and Gol-4's design of the pinnacle aerial fleet, was a strange gathering of airships. Oscar was reminded of the long day and nights he had spent toiling away when he saw the modified airships ascend. These airships, ranging from lower class to higher class, small to big, looked vastly different from when he first saw the fleet. The shape of the keel and hulls did not change on the bottom, but the top was covered up. These modified ships resembled eggs, covered and protecte...
2023-07-28 04:18:22 +0000 UTC
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"To come here with so much wealth is a blessing. The sap you have is incredibly rare." Reni Hessen stood from her throne and headed down the steps to Oscar. Astonishingly, not a single sound came from her armor. She picked up a grade-three ore, tracing her fingers along its craggily surface, and dropped it back into the pile, smiling and baring her teeth across her scarred cheeks. "But this isn't enough to sway me."
"Really?" Oscar smiled back. This woman's greed sure was blatant.
2023-07-27 00:38:41 +0000 UTC
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"The ships?" Lord Atherton replied coldly. "I'm merely entertaining your boisterous claim about helping us. Do you have any intentions toward our fleet stationed here?"
"Stationed or imprisoned?" Oscar retorted sharply. For a while, his irritation and anger had been building from most of these people stopping him from returning home. All the suspicion and disbelief were normal toward him, but it didn't lessen the frustration of being treated like this after a long twenty years. "If they...
2023-07-26 18:16:25 +0000 UTC
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After saying that, Oscar stopped his wide strides, thought better of it, and chuckled at Susan, slightly embarrassed. He readjusted his stolen helmet, which was uncomfortable, and said awkwardly, "I'll need your help. I'm currently an escaped prisoner and no doubt, they'll make it harder for me when I return. I'll need to meet with the Marshal Exalts in charge. Is that something you can help me with?"
Susan broke out in soft laughter, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably. She waved he...
2023-07-26 00:20:15 +0000 UTC
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Aerial battles differed vastly from the ground. Oscar reflected on his current battle in the second Ercanal. He led his hastily-formed battalion, maneuvered them into an arrow formation, standing at the helm to be the first striker, and struck into the enemy from below.
Oscar powerfully crashed into the gathering of enemies flying the banners of a red griffon and a black turtle. From the first blow, he opened the way further with an Eirin Shattering Wave, easing the path for the rest of...
2023-07-24 19:44:54 +0000 UTC
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Facing the three Grade Seven Exalts of the Greater Knight Exalt realms, Oscar crouched and made himself a smaller target in the meantime while he went through his current options. He didn't have his grade-three metal elemental shield to supplement his defense. Using the Guise here would be foolhardy for a long, drawn-out siege when the enemy's power was unknown, though with it, Oscar possessed the power to destroy scores of enemies. He felt Erden wriggling under his ragged brown robe and shoo...
2023-07-23 18:18:05 +0000 UTC
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Inside his cell, Oscar meditated, gathering his thoughts together, not his sealed Ein. Should he break out of prison and fight to clear his name? Or should he stay inside and hope they could weather the attack? Drakken Port was a well-supplied iron fortress, the people's faces and confidence of the Exalts on the way over to the prison telling a picture of belief and safety in its walls. Susan did tell him about the numerous attempts to siege this area, all for naught thanks to the efforts of ...
2023-07-22 02:48:13 +0000 UTC
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Swiftly, the dutiful lieutenant placed heavy restraints on Oscar's wrists and ankles, his men and the others posturing to act at any hint of retaliation. The bindings isolated Oscar from his Ein, seized his core, and constricted his anima, turning him into a subdued prisoner in his captor's eyes. He still maintained his flight since that was a function of his body, not the Ein itself.
"What about the beast?" A soldier asked Lieutenant Greyn, pointing his spear at Erden. He started to sh...
2023-07-21 17:30:51 +0000 UTC
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When he first arrived on the Asteria Continent through the portal and separated from Avril, Oscar rushed into action and planned a course further north to safely and stealthily enter his home. From the information he gathered, the Brilliant Drake Empire was attacked on all sides, losing the outer regions to the sudden all-out assault by the three empires. It didn't bode well for his chances to enter the defensive lines when enemies encircled his home.
The Black Tortoise Empire and Earth...
2023-07-20 23:56:16 +0000 UTC
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The sky was clear. The blue expanse was void of any and all clouds, allowing the long stretch of sand meeting the ocean to bask unfettered in the heat of the two suns. Tremendous waves, the height of city walls, disrupted this peaceful scenery and crashed onto the cliffs behind the beach. Fierce winds turned into tumultuous gales, lashing and carving into the ground. The contradicting chaos chased away all the beasts and animals from their abodes, great flocks of birds rushing away from the w...
2023-07-19 20:58:09 +0000 UTC
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Deep in the fortress airship that slipped past the reinforcements and was currently flying over parts unknown, Aldric, having recovered slightly from the battle, kneeled on a knee before a bowl, strange green flames flickering inside. He laid his sword flat on the ground and let go, placing his hands on his over his knee.
"I greet you, Deius." Aldric lowered his head before the fires representing the second-in-command of the New Dawn, Keeper Deius, above all but the leader.
"Aldri...
2023-07-18 04:34:46 +0000 UTC
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It happened so fast. Lying in Avril's embrace, Oscar witnessed the explosion engulfing everything around the palace, ruining parts of the streets and houses around it. The explosion rose like a pillar of white light, illuminating the night sky away. Light traveled everywhere, casting away all the shadows and showering everyone in its radiance.
All of Convecia City shook under the force of its explosion. From the blinding light, fearsome earthquakes wreaked devastation and fast crept awa...
2023-07-17 23:00:30 +0000 UTC
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"It's going to explode!" Helen tugged on Hector's and stared into his red visor. He threw her a knowing nod and allowed himself to be thrown downward to reach Convecia City faster. He landed with the force of a meteor and buried himself into the ground, his furnaces roaring as they sucked into streams of violent Ein.
Helen spread her owl wings over the spires of the City Lord's palace. She sent out her soft feathers in multiple waves and willed them to spread everywhere over the palace....
2023-07-17 02:11:55 +0000 UTC
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With the Guise still activated, Oscar sped through the complex structure of the underground prison, fending off any New Dawn members in his way. A dark look shadowed his face, seeing the New Dawn members instinctively crunch on the poison in their mouths even when their heads were severed. He no longer tried to capture any and went all out to slaughter them, carving a path of blood.
"Where is she?!" Oscar shouted, creating a huge hole in someone's chest. Erden also rampaged, burning man...
2023-07-16 18:08:03 +0000 UTC
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She caught the attention of every person in the laboratory. Raising her hands, Avril unleashed the powers of the forest, every person running away in futile efforts. They scampered away, shouting and crying, going as fast as their legs and flight could take them. All of it was futile before her forest. The strong roots and trunks held all of them down, filled with slight hints of Eirin. From a clench of her hands, the forests constricted tighter, and their muffled shouts under the thick of th...
2023-07-15 06:26:58 +0000 UTC
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All around Convecia City, the fighting intensified. The combined forces of the Alchemist and Fabricator Guilds clashed against Aldric's forces. Many evacuated from the center of the battle, leaving behind everything.
The other forces visiting Convecia watched from the sidelines, not knowing whether they should interfere. Many wanderers also joined the battle, paid off by Helen and Hector's deep pockets to aid in fighting off Aldric's forces. The battle of Convecia City was still well un...
2023-07-14 21:12:15 +0000 UTC
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The air in the room instantly changed from Oscar's use of Guise, as if everything was drawn to him, nothing escaping his presence.
"That power…." The red-haired man's white eyes nearly popped from their sockets. Oscar's current appearance had a drastic effect on his smiling expressions. He shouted to the others, "Go all out! Release your Reis! But keep him alive! I need answers!"
The three others stomped, veins wriggling along their heads, the typical signs of exertion. They mus...
2023-07-14 18:05:04 +0000 UTC
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Inside her prison, Avril used Shattering Wave after Shattering Wave, the groaning of metal soon turning into loud, abrasive cracks. Pain wracked her hands, the skin had torn off, exposing her flesh to the air, and she felt the stinging pain, but it didn't compare to what she had been through. She had already freed her left wrist and was working on the right.
In a final burst of strength, she dug her fingers into her remaining bondage, cracks ridding its metal surface. The right cuff bro...
2023-07-14 16:05:58 +0000 UTC
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Moments before the explosion, Oscar hid from plain sight, following Lady Alkemar's carriage from the Alchemist Guild until she arrived at the City Lord's palace. He spotted several alchemists wandering around and mingling with the others a short distance from the palace, close enough to react if anything happened. Everything was set up on her end down to the letter, but the issue remained on whether she would commit.
He had to force her hand whether she would agree to it or not. Inside ...
2023-07-14 03:29:02 +0000 UTC
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"Lady Alkemar!" Elder Gray, an old man in blue robes, ran, paused to recover his breathing, and bowed, his flustered head swaying. "Are we truly doing this?"
Helen Alkemar drank several elixirs, each carrying a potent power, and retied her hair to prevent anything from flowing down. Elder Gray's confusion and questions were not unreasonable; anyone who lived in Convecia City would not believe her words. She gestured for him to raise his head and said, "It's only a precaution. I re...
2023-07-13 03:56:16 +0000 UTC
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