《Suits》 Cards of the Past Cards of the Past: Barely two years old and I was abandoned by my parents. Due to the harshness of the economy they just couldn''t afford to take care of a child. Now not passing judgment who gave up their kids because they can¡¯t take care of them, but one thing a parent shouldn¡¯t do is sell them to a circus to pay for next month¡¯s rent. Sad as it may seem this is exactly what happened to me. From the very first day they had me working in a way only two year olds can. I was dressed up as a lion and sent into a cage with two fully grown lionesses. I was the famed lion boy, a boy supposedly raised by lions in the wild. Ridiculous and dangerous that is what the public wanted and that is what we supplied. During my time outside the cage I was forced to learn acrobatics, fencing, beast taming, showmanship, and lastly pick pocketing. Yes I was a pickpocket. I was sent into crowds of people to steal from the captivated audiences. Though it was a great rush sadly I wasn¡¯t able to keep any of that money. When I was eight I found my true calling as an illusionist. On our way to perform for a duke in the northern continent we ended up travelling with a group of magi¡¯s. On our way to the north we ended up performing together and during one of their shows I was sent to help lighten the audience¡¯s purses. It was then that I first experienced real magic. At the end of it I begged them to teach me. Magic in this world is unique for us each person. Everyone is born with a kind of spirit object that represents their true selves. Most people never unlock their spirit object less they experience extreme conditions, however through meditation and training to control one''s energy one can unlock their potential. Even if you unlock your spirit object doesn¡¯t mean you can use all magic. You can only use magic that you have an affinity towards. All the magic in the World can be classified into: Destruction Restoration Alteration Conjuration Illusion Enigma After a month of meditation, training, and supervision by the head magi I was able to unlock my spirit item, a mysterious deck of cards with a runes embroidered on them. After another week of testing it was revealed that I have a perfect affinity with Illusion and Conjuration magic. Because of this however all other types of magic were forever forfeited and I couldn¡¯t learn them. As the years went by I perfected my craft, though I had several complications in the early years learning magic. I had a perfect affinity I was no prodigy, with no teacher and little help whenever we came upon other magi¡¯s I had to learn through my own means of trial and error. It was dangerous sometimes, like when I accidentally casted a frenzy spell on a knight, or conjured dagger rain on myself, but I endured. Stolen story; please report. When I first started illusion magic the most I was able to do was cast sentient lights that I was able to freely control. Slowly I learnt how to manipulate them, change the shape, adjust brightness, and make them generate fake heat. As I delved deeper I got stronger as well did the effect. After the first two years I was able create a great magnitude of lights, enough to fill an entire circus tent. After the fourth year I advanced so far as to creating illusionary dimensions where I can manipulate people within a certain radius and depending how mentally strong they were. Definitely not a power you wanted any kid to get their hands on. As well with conjuration it was a slow tedious process. I started off with a mouse familiar that had its uses. I could use it to scare the elephants when I was bored, give the lions something to play with that wasn¡¯t me or even use it to help me pickpocket. As I used it more I found that I could conjure other things such as hawks, dogs, and when I got really good tigers, and bears. I could even conjure items like swords, bow and arrows, shields, as well as pots pans and the other assorted junk. Oddly though no matter how hard I tried I couldn¡¯t make money. :( Don¡¯t you dare forget about my spirit item. After unlocking my Ancient Greed (the deck of cards that represents myself), cool name right, I decided to learn all I could about Cardistry. My first teacher was Jack an old Three Card Monty scammer. He taught me all he knew about card sleights and how to manipulate human vision as well as other species (Did I mention there are 8 intelligent species in this world, who knew? Wait I did.). After learning all of his knowledge I then continued to learn everything I could from all the different card sharks we passed on our performance routes. In five years I would be given my name Spade by the other performers who saw my fascination with cards. Of course all my training and practice was done on the spare time I had while I wasn¡¯t performing in the circus. While progressing with my skills I had to perform as an acrobat, pickpocket, and general performer. Luckily they found a new younger lion boy ;). It wasn¡¯t till the ring master, mistress, Gyps saw me practicing my exceptional magic while we traveled to some duke¡¯s palace that she realize how much money I could make did she allow me to perform my special skills. During the festivities I was known as Spade Master of the card table, but in the tent I wore a mask and was THE MYSTIFIER. I would use my magic to put on shows of wonder and for the finally I would hypnotize the whole audience and a squad of pickpockets were released into the crowd and took some ¡°tips¡± from the crowd. For years this was my life, a humble circus performer that found a break. I hope you enjoy the rest of my life story. The Players Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta Waking up to another beautiful day on the road. I am now 18 years old and still employed, enslaved, as a circus performer for The Walter and Barnes Circus. Currently we are traveling to Sytran a port city in the southern continent Syra, via mana rail, a magical rail car that uses lightning magic to create a magnetic field which allows it to levitate and travel frictionless across great distances. Though fastest machine ever built it still would take us a week to reach Sytran. As of now we have 2 days left on our journey. As I get up from my designated sleeping mat in the middle of a crowded train cart with the others performers I noticed the streams of light protruding from the cracks in the old metal frame. It is finally morning time and for me time to get to work. I make my way two cars up past the animal¡¯s pens and the clown car and into the supply car. Kurrrh¡± Umm well attention everyone sorry for the inconvenience but well we had an accident we will be stopping at a nearby town to restock and hopefully find a new magi, hopefully one that doesn¡¯t blow himself up. Again I am sorry but once we get everything sorted out we will be heading out again.¡± Crap oh well can¡¯t do anything now. I was planning on practicing my magic all day but since we are going be stopping at a town I guess I might as well make some pocket change. I open the train car and swing myself out as I hold onto to the handle protruding from the side of the car. Feeling the gale rush across my body I can¡¯t help but smile. There is nothing like a bright beautiful day to scam some people. Basking in my greed I hear the car door open and an olive toned beauty strolls in. With her long legs she walks up right behind me and suddenly I feel her hands on my back. I hear her take in a breath and then, Whoosh I am pushed out the train and tumbling towards the ground. ¡°Have fun Spade walking all the way to town! Ha ha ha ha ha!¡± With a soft thud I hit the ground and roll twice before finishing on my feet. Sadly this isn¡¯t the first time I was pushed out of a train. I look towards the car that I was abruptly pushed out of and see the familiar sight of Andrea gloating as her long hair flows in the wind. ¡°Curse you, you old hag.¡± As I yell into the wind the mana rail leaves me in its trail. I really hate that woman. Ever since we were kids she was always pulling these stunts on me. She would dug me only to have me wake up in the lion''s cage, she would interrupt during my training and cause me to accidentally cast spells on people, and one time she gave me food poisoning putting me out for two weeks. Andrea was evil incarnate and would do everything she could to keep me down. Finally I dust myself off and start to follow the trail left behind the mana train when the excess lightning magic scorches the earth. After an hour of walking I get bored and summon a bound traib, a ferret like creature made up of pure shadows except its luminescent yellow eyes. As I follow the trail I play a game of astral fetch where I create a ball of light and throw it into the vast field where the traib retrieves it and brings is back. After an hour of this game I lose interest and summon a hawk that will try to hunt the traib as it tries to get the ball and return it safely back. Traveling at a brisk pace for most of the day I was finally able to spot the farming village Herdsmill. Directly outside the village the mana rail remained bustling with activity. In fact there were hundreds of people dressed in peasants close running around the village that normally had a population of just 200 people. Something wasn¡¯t right. In no way should there be this many people surrounding this village. As I spy the village I notice the grass around the village moving vigorously. 200 meters away from the village there were monsters. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Monsters haven¡¯t existed in this world since the ancient ages. Ever since the rise of the four great powers, each one occupying their respective continent, all of the monsters have virtual been eradicated. Occasionally in secluded areas bands or individual monster have popped up but not for the last 100 years. Compared to that this was an invasion. Oddly though the beast seemingly couldn¡¯t or wouldn¡¯t enter the village. As I creep closer to the seen a bright box of energy suddenly appears in front of me. Ding!!! ¡±Hello residence of Luz, we are the game creators or GMs if you prefer. We have taken over this world and made it into our own Virtual reality game called slayer. Millions of people are logging on and joining your world as players. Note this they are weak now but soon they will become the heroes of this world, though because of this of course we had to release monster spawns tee hee. I hope we can all be friends. Thank You!¡± I can¡¯t believe what I am reading. Someone has taken over this world and millions of self proclaimed players are going to become my hero. No way in the world am I going put up with this. Because of them monsters are back and now I had to find my way into the village while going through a horde of monsters. Not only that but I am starving right now, I haven¡¯t eaten a single thing since last night¡¯s dinner. Someone has got to answer for this nonsense; and my empty stomach. The area around me starts distort as my anger causes my illusion magic to run rampant. As I storm off to the village all the small fry monsters run in fear. Of course this all an illusion but who wouldn¡¯t be scared when you look at someone and see your death. The unlucky monsters that were dumb enough to take me on were given a knife through the throat. I was in no mood to deal with them. Strangely I was furious that these people think they can just appear and become heroes. As I entered the village I was stormed with these players. All of them eager with anticipation, gleaming with wonder. Like a chant they asked do you have a quest, one after another never ceasing. Finally I grew tired of it and casted paralysis on the lot. I pushed them aside mostly knocking them over and made my way to the train. MY fellow performers noticing my bad atmosphere all left me alone except one annoying young lady Andrea. As soon as she noticed me she walked up and in the most annoying voice asked ¡°So how was the walk¡±. ¡°Freaking horrible you old hag¡± ¡°Hmpf I am only four years older than. You need to have more respect for your superior¡± Angered even more I could feel the vein on the top of my head pop. I walk to the lion cage open the door storm in slam the gate and go into the deepest corner where Leana lay. She was the oldest and meanest lion we had but strangely I was the only one she ever softened up to, and the only one that couldn¡¯t stand Andrea. She was the one that kept me company as I trained and helped me when I was angered. As Andrea followed me she realized where I was going and Stopped in her tracks. She knew that Leana didn¡¯t like her and wouldn¡¯t stand her presence. Andrea slowly backed away and left the cage. ¡°Thanks Leana I couldn¡¯t stand another moment of that hag¡¯s voice.¡± I grab a chain and leash hanging from a hook in the cage and carefully put it on Leana. Having it secured I tugged on the leash and lead her outside the cage. ¡°Come On let''s find something to eat.¡± ¡°Rawr¡± The Tavern Incident Me and my lion Leana walked down the main street of Herdsmill. Just a regular day in the neighborhood. Just taking a stroll with a deadly two meter tall four meter long beast that can kill the average person. Sure people gave me looks but who cared. After being kicked out of a train, walking around for most of the day, and realizing that my world has been turned around I believe I am entitled to a bad mood. As I walk down the street the crowd parts like the red sea. Most of the players who experienced my little incident earlier, plus all who see the giant beast walking beside me realize that they shouldn¡¯t get in my way. With little resistance I make my way to a tavern in the middle of the town. For those who didn¡¯t get to move out of the way are now cursed with living nightmares :) fun. As I enter the crowded tavern with Leana I am confronted with a stunned waitress and two dozen jaws that dropped so low that they hit the flow and popped back up. An old Werebear behind the counter meets my gaze with a greed filled smile glazed across his face. ¡°Well look who it is. How are you doing Spade, if I would have known you were coming I would have put out the card table.¡± ¡°Ha not today old man. Today I¡®m here just for some grub.¡± The old werebear dressed up in the suit is known as Pup was an old friend I met in my earlier years. I met him three years ago when we were passing through the area. We teamed up together and robbed a casino blind causing them to go bankrupt. Unfortunately my Feline slave driver also known as Ring Mistress Gyps found out and took my earnings. ¡°Uh uh uh huh. W-w-w-wait Pup y-y-you kn-n-n-now this g-guy.¡± ¡°Now don¡¯t be rude Jess he is an old friend, now stop stuttering and lead him to his seat.¡± After getting over her fear, mostly thanks to the calm spell i cast upon her, she finally leads me and Leana to the bar and takes my monstrous order of twenty pounds of steak for the little lady, and one loaf of bread three fried eggs a pork chop and a bowl of salad for the young master. As I wait for my order I strike up conversation with Pup over a hand of Black-Jack. ¡°So Pup how did you end up with this set up. I never would have thought I see the day when old man Pup settles down.¡± ¡°Hah I tell you what, there comes a times when every man has to settle down. After the heist we pulled three years ago I met my wife in this beat up town and decided that I had enough adventures for one lifetime. So I used the money I had and started this establishment. I am now a respectable tavern owner.¡± ¡°You got married aren¡¯t you to old, I mean you got to be at least fifty with all that grey hair.¡± ¡°What are you talking about I am twenty-nine. I don¡¯t look that old.¡± A young women walks out of the kitchen and grabs onto the ¡°old¡± man¡¯s arm. ¡°Aw honey that is just a part of your charm¡±. Turning to me she says ¡°So you are the famed Spade my puppy bear always talks about.¡± ¡°Puppy Bear!¡± I couldn¡¯t help it, a huge smile crosses my face as I try to stay in my seat and hold in the laughter. As the night goes on me and Pup catch on with our lives. We tell stories off our experiences over a couple games of Twenty-One and a few mugs of mead. While telling a story about how a couple cows got loose in the middle of the village a group of drunk players walk in. By their gait I can tell they are looking for trouble. The three man stagger to the bar and demand something called beer. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°I am sorry sirs but I don¡¯t know what this thing you call beer is.¡± Slightly angered they replied ¡°Youu Kn-know whaa we ar talling abou. Gib usl ouur dam al-ca-holl.¡± Angered they start to flip the tables and destroy the bar. Idiots all of them. As Pup Goes to Confront them I stop him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry I will deal with these imbeciles.¡± Getting up from my seat I go confront the men. Around me the temperature drop, black smoke surrounds me, horns grow out of my head, and an eerie red light casts itself upon me. I look like evil incarnate. Frightened by my illusions heightened by the effects of alcohol they run for the exit. Near it the now demonified Leana waits and rawrs as they leave the premises. Selena, Pups wife, ¡°Now Spade isn¡¯t that little much. look at little Jess crying on the floor praying for her savior.¡± ¡°Ha guess I am sorry. It might have been a tiny bit to much but I had a lot of stress still built up.¡± After a couple more hours at the bar I decide that it was time to get going. I pay my bill and head out the tavern door. Of course not after leaving behind a little present for Jess. I walk up to her suddenly and put my hand on her cheek. As they turn red I close the distance to a breaths part and say ¡°Maybe next time¡± and take my leave. Nothing better than playing around with a young maiden. Upon exiting the tavern however I am confronted with twenty Players and in the middle of them the three drunks. Apparently after near pissing there pants they went to get back up. Seriously I am beginning to believe that they are the scum of the world ¡°Is he the one¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. He is the one. The demon. p-please kill him, I will wire you one hundred dollars when we get back. Remember all of his drops are mine.¡± ¡°I am sorry dude but I am going to have to kill you now.¡± The leader as well as his gang produce crude weapons from their sheaths. They start to surround me in a semi-circle. With Faces of blood lust they close the distance. I hold Leana back and silent cast, voiceless incantation, a few spells. First I conjure a rapier. For years as a performer I learned more than just swallowing it. The first man charges and is cut down with a flick of the wrist. same goes for the next four who rush at the same time to over power me. Seventeen men left. In the back I see one of them draw back a wooden bow. I conjure a small guardless knife in my left hand and throw at the man successfully lodging it in his neck. I then proceed to do the same for the man closest to me and one trying to creep to my right. Fourteen men left. Seeing this feat they try to back off but it was too late. Me and Leana charge in and slay all of the man mercilessly. Besides of staying as dead bodies though they disappear with a flash of light. Something tells me that it isn¡¯t over. As I try to leave the scene, a circle ruin appears at my feet, and I disappear. When I come back into consciousness I am floating in the air thousands of miles above the ground. A young red haired girl with pale skin sits on a cloud in front of me. ¡°Well hello there stranger. I am Electri one of the Gm¡¯s¡± Conversation With A GM ¡°Well hello Electri matron of chaos that has resurrected monsters and brought idiot heroes to fix the problem, how may I help you today.¡± Giving a cordial bow to the young GM I looked up and saw a pouting face coming from the young lady. ¡°Hmpf how rude. After all we did for your world. A little monster invasion is nothing compared to the joy we are providing for millions of players around our world.¡± As I take a seat on a cloud in front of the young miss I fall through and start spiralling back down to the planet. Oh why me. Moments before splattering on the ground below a mysterious force wraps around my torso and brings me back up to Electri. ¡°Now that wasn¡¯t that bright was it.¡± Frustrated I feel the vein in my forehead start to pop out again. Why do I have such bad luck with woman these days. Now standing in front of her I cross my arms and wait for a reason why she has brought me here. ¡°As you know we GM¡¯s have taken this world and have made it into a virtual reality game. I¡¯m Electri the GM in charge of Syra, but you can acknowledge me as the Southern God of light. I have been watching you since the mana rail incident when you were kicked out of that train car, and for some reason you have caught my interest. From now on I you are my pet and I am your master. Now thats out of the way bow before me.¡± Dumbstruck I stare at the young miss now standing before me. Who does she think she is that she can be my master. Once again I throw myself out of the clouds towards the ground. There is no way in hell I am going let this arrogant girl become my master. Initially startled she quickly recovers and brings me back up a second time. ¡°Meanie why did you do that. Being a slave is not that bad.All you have to do is follow my exact orders whenever or wherever I call upon you.¡± ¡°Sounds like a pain.¡± I quickly throw myself out again. After two hours of arguing and 40 jumps later I finally find myself restrained by a rope made of light floating and in front of a flustered girl. ¡°Meanie! Meanie! Meanie! Meanie! Hmpf! What''s it going to take for you to become my slave¡± Staring at the girl a mischievous thought pops itself in my head. Seeing the glint in my eye and smile on my face she feels an uneasy feeling in her gut, but she dismisses it and stands firm in front of me. ¡°Why don¡¯t we play a little game to determine my faith. If you win you can do anything you want with me or to me,¡± with that I give a wink which sends blood rushing to her cheeks. ¡°But if I win you have to give me my freedom and one wish no matter what it is¡± ¡°F-f-fine I will win a-and you shall be -my slave. D-don¡¯t you dare trick me¡± ¡°Oh never.¡± ¡°Okay so whats this game we are going to play?¡± ¡°Oh it is easy but first you have to let me go and also please put us back on the ground. I promise not to run away.¡± With a swish of her hand I am released from my binding and we were instantly teleported to the plains below. After getting my bearings for a moment I finally stand up straight and summon my Spirit Item Ancient Greed. Fifty-Two magical cards circle around me before finally settling in my right hand. A conjured table appears before me. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Okay now lets play a game.¡± As I snap my fingers the whole deck condenses into three cards: Two Jokers and the jack of hearts. ¡°So what we have here is three cards two duds and one stud. Now the point of the game is to guess where the jack lies. You have three chances to get it right if you are wrong thrice then I win, but if you get at least one of those times right than I win.¡± ¡°Now see here. I have three cards with the jack on top,¡± I then show the cards to the captivated miss, ¡°If I turn these over and proceed to deal each of these cards on the table one at a time then as you can see the jack is now at the bottom.¡± I show the jack to her than put it back underneath the others cards. ¡°As you saw it is indeed on the bottom, or is it. Now place your first bet where is the jack.¡± ¡°Well of course it is at the bottom do you take me for an idiot.¡± ¡°No just a fool¡± as I turn over the bottom card it reveals a Joker. ¡°Strike one young miss two tries left. I know that was kind of mean so I will go slower next time. In fact the Jack was on the top.¡± I then show her the jack to her surprise ¡°Meanie that was a cheap trick you never said you could use magic¡± ¡°You are mistaken if you pay close attention you can see that no magic is used.¡± I roll up my sleeves and proceed to reshuffle the deck. ¡°Now see here I am going place the Jack back on top and deal them once again.¡± I repeat the motion of dealing the cards down on the table so that the Jack should be on the bottom.¡± ¡°As you can see the Jack is on the bottom, but not on the bottom it is on top,¡± I reveal the Jack now on top of the deck and place it back. ¡°So heres your second chance, where¡¯s the Jack?¡± ¡°Hmpf you say its on top but its not is it. You can¡¯t trick me it is in the middle.¡± As she reveals the middle card, a Joker. ¡°I am sorry miss but you are wrong. You should have went with your gut and picked the top.¡± I flip over the top card. ¡°Okay, okay I see that I have to make it easier on you a little bit. Why don''t I remove one of these card and place it under this cup.¡± I reveal a Joker than place it under a conjured cup. ¡°Now I will take the Jack and place it on the right and the Joker and place it on the left.¡± I show here the cards and put them in their positions. ¡°I will give them a little mix and then you decide.¡± I slide the Jack to where the Joker was and the Joker to where the Jack was. Slowly she goes to flip the card on the left but hesitates as her hand hovers directly above it. ¡°Ah fine I pick this one.¡± As she lifts the card she screams in disbelief. She flipped a Joker. ¡°Whhhhhyyy!!!¡± ¡°Now calm down now I will give you another try now for double or nothing. We will do this one more time but if I win I get two wishes, but if you win then I will gladly be your say slave and even take you on a date.¡± ¡°A-a d-d-d-date¡± ¡°Uh huh so what do you say.¡± She shakes her now flushed face and waits for me to proceed. ¡°Okay so now we will just leave the card you just flipped stay like that and will trade its place for the still flipped down one. So now double or nothing where''s the Jack." Three Card Monte Inspiration Firstly shout out to Rilo who gave me inspiration from one of the comments. See I read them Secondly for those who don''t know or were confused heres some links on Three Card Monte. They were also what gave me inspiration on these last chapters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkFdjhdw5QE Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSjD59uZ1T0 Thank You for Your Support Everyone, Signed a Simple Cardist The Unexpected and a Family Grinning with certain victory I watch Electri contemplate about what card to choose. She goes around the table looking at different angles, one time even going underneath it to look for the trick. Finally she I see a glint in her eye and a smile appears on her face. ¡°It is under the cup isn¡¯t it.¡± My smile quickly turns into a scowl as I stare into her eyes. ¡°If you really thinks so then flip it over.¡± I really wish she didn¡¯t pick this option but of course she has to do it the hard way, I will complete the scam. Gleefully she picks up the cup and turns the card. ¡°What the ¡­. why is there another Joker¡± After realizing her folly she flips up the only card left and it reveals yet again a Joker. ¡°Meanie you cheated.¡± with rage she storms off towards me ready to unleash hell upon me but yet again is surprised when I close the distance between us. I walk up to her slowly and right before she strikes me I place my hand behind her head and bring her to my chest. The raging storm calms as I hold her snuggly in place. After a moment of silence I let her pull her ruby face away and we stare into each others eye. ¡°Meanie where did you put that card.¡± ¡°Do you really want to know.¡± ¡°uh huh¡± I slowly bring my head closer to hers and gently kiss her forehead.I then step away. ¡°I am sorry but it¡¯s a trade secret¡± ¡°Meanmmmmmmmm¡± In the middle of her word something papery in her mouth stops her. She reaches in her mouth pulls out a folded card. Opening the card carefully she reveals the Jack. When she looks up at me I take my bow. ¡°I hate you¡± With that she disappears leaving me alone in the middle of no where. ¡°Love you to¡± I scream back. Dangit two days in a row that I have to walk all the way to town. Picking a random direction I start walking till I finally stumble upon and dirt road with an old wooden sign. Herdsmill 21 kilometers Rostern 73 kilometers Sytran 134 kilometers I keep walking to dusk when I finally meet another intelligent species. As the sun descended I came across a farm family that agreed to let me stay the night in their barn. The head of the house Gregory, and his family, harvest elf wife and five halfling kids lived on the outskirts of Herdsmill about 5 Kilometers out. For Years they have been living here growing wheat for the village. They were an important part of the community that helped kept the village full and happy. I was invited to dinner by Sarah the wife and enjoyed a nice hearty meal of bread, go figure, and potato and ox stew. Afterwards I went to the barn and made myself comfortable. As the moon rose in the sky I sunk into my soft hay bed. ROAR!!!! ¡°What in the world.¡± As I exit the barn I see a fearsome sight. Standing in front of me two figures, the first a big burly minotaur standing four meters high and holding an axe so big it could split a cow in half, in front of it a child six years of age and peeing his pants. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Overcoming my moment of shock I spring in to action. Summoning an aura shield to block the strike from the behemoth that was heading for the bow. Two spears appear in my my hand and I launch them into the beast¡¯s calfs. As it rears its head towards me it finds a dagger that I threw lodged in it forhead (uni-minotaur). Even with the dagger piercing its skull it still charges at me. Raising its axe above its head it takes a steamy breath and swings down with enough force to create a vacuum behind it. As it meets another shield a giant gust of wind erupts from the contact. The force was so strong the field of wheat around us flattened for a good twenty meters out. Stunned by the impact the beast backs away. In front of it is now nothing but air for now i was ten meters up in the air behind it. My arms are now surrounded by energy the form of bear claws. As I fell towards the beast I slashed its back leaving ten long bloodied streaks. The beast falls forward upon its knees as it roars with pain from the now gushing wounds on its back. The beast tries to reach behind it but to no avail. As its tree trunks arms flail around trying to grab me I use the rapier now in my right hand to severe all of their muscles in its legs and arms. After it stops struggling I finally end its life by lifting its own axe with both arms and decapitate the minotaur. I make my way to the porch where the family now cradles it almost lost member in their arms. ¡°God Bless you Spade. Thank you for saving my son, if there is anything we could do for you please just ask. I owe you our lives.¡± ¡°Please just go back inside and relax I will stay out and keep watch over the night.¡± I calm the family and usher them back into the house then proceed to sit on the porch till the sun came up. After everyone was awake we ate breakfast in silence. Everyone was too exhausted from the previous night to speak. Done eating we washed our plates and put them away to dry and all went outside. The carcass of the minotaur still remained in front of the house covered in dry blood and dirt. The adults me included moved the remains to a pit and set it ablaze. ¡°Well Gregory I have to go now it is going take me most of the morning making it to the village.¡± ¡°If you ever find yourself in need please call upon us and we will help.¡± I say by to each member of the family and leave the farm, but not before I set a permanent barrier around the farm that scares off monster and summons a sprite to protect the farm when monsters do enter. I can¡¯t help but feel for this family. Is this what my family could have been like. Did my parents love me that much to worry if I almost died. The World of Slayer (Stories Background Information) This Chapter is dedicated to the geology and species of Oblitus, the world where the story is taking place. The Species: In the beginning there was thousands of species that all completed for territory, food, and other vital resources. Out of these thousands there was only eight of them that created empires, they are considered the 8 Intelligent Species. These eight were man, elves, orcs, gears, burrowman, beastman, shades, and dwarves.. Though they are called the eight intelligent species doesn¡¯t mean that they are the only ones that are smart. The reason for their label is because of the empires they built. In the world of Oblitus there are several intelligent beings; fairies, sprites, goblins, and several more. The monsters are the savage races. Those born for pure destruction, but have mostly been eradicated 2000 years ago. Unfortunately the GM¡¯s have revived them in order for their players to have something to fight and gain fame and fortune There is another group that also inhabit this earth and they are the animals. Like you would guess there is your everyday animals like cows, fish, and lions. Unlike we know them on earth they are extremely more powerful and a lot bigger. There is other magical animals like the traib, as well as griffins, and dragons. Humans: Man was the earliest creation but quickly found their way to the top eight. This was because of their disregard for tradition and strong ambition. Through their continual innovation they brought the old world into a new age of technology and magic. The main base for the humans is the Northern Continent of Collis. They quickly spread out in the world and can be found everywhere but the forbidden West continent Vastitas, and the Dark Continent Mors. Elves: Elves are the oldest and most magically attuned of all of the eight intelligent races. There are many variations of the elf race but the main ones are; harvest, wood, ice, dust, and battle. Most of the elven race is highly prideful except the dust and harvest elves who are looked down upon by the rest. they are deeply tied to tradition and hate change almost as much as they hate monsters. The elves originated from the Middle Continent Nemus but have spread across the world except for the Vastitas and Mors. Orcs: Green skin and fearsome these are the orcs. They are the greatest of warriors on the battle field. They are pure brutes that once angered will rampage till their target is destroyed. Though they are strong they are extremely compassionate and friendly assuming you are able to prove yourself worthy in battle. Orcs live in the Eastern Continent Palus and have been content to stay there. Gears: Gears are a rather unique race. They are four feet tall pale skinned with green eyes that have cross hair shaped retinas. They aren¡¯t able to use magic but rely entirely on machinery. They are a secluded race that keeps to the selves and keeps their technology a secret. Sometimes you can find them strolling around in grand 6 meter tall mechs that patrol their area . The gears live in the Southernmost part of the Southern Continent Syra. They are extremely seclusive and won¡¯t leave their territory. Dwarves: Dwarves are the greediest business man in the whole continent. They are usually three feet tall with compact muscles. Unlike popular belief they aren¡¯t short and pudgy but small compact beings with nerves of steel. They are quickly angered and ill hold a grudge for a life time. They are also masters of the forge assuming you can get them to make you something. One thousand years ago they won a bet against the burrowman and now treat them as slaves to work in the mines. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. The dwarves live up in the mountains on the Northern Continent Collis. They have been known to travel around the world to find hidden ores. Burrowman: Burroman live as slaves under the dwarves and are forced to work in the mines. They lose a bet with the dwarves over who could craft the best city but lost due to the dwarven creation of explosives, you can use your imagination. They were only enslaved for 500 years but the tyranny of the draves wouldn¡¯t let them free. Burrow man stand at six feet tall, have dark brown skin. and have dark brown crystal scales that cover the side of their arms, legs and torso. They live in the mines in the Northern Continent Collis. Beastman: Half man half beast. They have humanoid bodies with animalistic features. There are four different types of beast man; wolves, bears, tigers and monkey. As a race they are highly competitive and hate to lose, however each variation has their own personality quirks. The beastman don¡¯t have a specific Continent but instead live in Syra, Palus, and Nemus. Shades: Shades are a mysterious race made of complete shadows. They can take any for they want so no one really knows what they look. They are even more seclusive than the gears and twice as deadly. The shades occupy the forbidden West Continent Vastitas. No one disturbs them and they don¡¯t leave their continent. The Hybrids: The Continents: There are six known continents on Oblitus, North-Collis, East-Palus, South-Syra, West-Vastitas, Middle-Nemus, Dark-Mors. Collis: The north continent is made of Giant mountain and rolling hills. It is a hardy place that takes a strong will to live in. Food is scarce but the people have learned to live of goats and terrans a type of giant bird that nests in the mountains. The staple crop is the earthy potato and some legumes grown on the hill tops. Palus: The eastern continent is one giant marsh filled with beasts and disease. You always have to be on the look out for predators like giant insect and beast. Fresh water is sacred in these parts because of its scarcity. Only the strongest can survive this inhospitable place. Syra: The southern continent is lush and full of green.It has the best type of soil for planting and its abundant crops feed the world. It is mostly flat with plains miles to see and its vast amount of rivers and lakes provides fresh water. Vastitas: This is a barren place. As far as people know it is completely empty. There is no visual life except for the brief shadows you may have or haven¡¯t saw. Nemus: The middle continent is the biggest continent on this world. It experiences drastic climate changes through out. Its eastern half consists of a giant forest that spans the entire eastern half, while the south is a huge dessert with random oases. Mors: ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Thanks everyone for your support I will try to write as fast as I could. Please leave comments they help me get ideas and write. I want to hear your opinions of the story and what I can improve, clarify, or add. The Return Hey people it s me cards, I want to tell everyone to leave a comment about what they think of my story. They really help me come with ideas and help me know what I nedd to work on. I thank you all for putting up with me till now and I promise to read all your comments and write as fast as I could. Thank you, A Simple Cardest. :) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By mid afternoon I found myself right outside the village gate. I am hot, sweaty, tired, but relieved that i finally made it back. On my way to town I came across a band of twenty goblins all four feet tall and spears in their hands. Right before I came they had killed a small party of players that were stupid enough to attack them head on. Using a flash spell I blinded the band of monsters and was easily able to assassinate them one at a time.Swiftly and efficiently I slit each one of their necs. As I drew closer to the village the mobs got weaker but increased greatly in number. I fought my way through to the gate one shoting each of the creatures. I walked up to the Northern gate of the village and gave it three quick knocks. ¡°thump thump, thump¡± There was no reply. Something is wrong. In a small village like this there should still be at least two guards protecting the gate. There is no one here. Finally I decide to climb the gate. I back up 20 meters and start sprinting towards the gate. Getting three feet from it I launch myself in the air in an attempt to reach a peice of wood protruding from the gate. As I take the monstrous leap the gate flew open and I find myself tumbling on the ground. When the dust clears I spot two dead guards in front of me and twenty armed players around. The same man that attacked at the tavern now stand before me now except somethings different. Besides of the old rags and rusted weapons they are wearing brand new iron armor and weapons. Two of them are wearing hunters attire with yew bows as well as two others are wearing magi robes and staffs. In the back their stands on man with a white robe and a scepter In a small span of two days they have managed to get a lot stronger. Usually it would take many years to gain the power they have obtained. For the average man it may even take a lifetime. ¡°Hey look what the cat dragged in. I think that it is time that we paid you back for all the trouble you have caused us. Get em boys.¡± They may have gotten stronger but they are still idiots. Fifteen men charge straight at me with blades drawn. Five men stay back and prepare to give support, the archers, magi¡¯s, and cleric. I spring up to my feet just in time to dodge two arrows that now lie where I was sitting. I conjure two daggers and charge straight at my opponents. Within five feet of them I disappear. Using illusion magic I am able to turn invisible and circle behind the confused men. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. During this confusion I kill the two back most warriors by slitting their necks. While turning around one of the man swings his claymore down towards me. His swing would have decapitated me if I didn¡¯t pivot on my heel the last minute and dodge. Using the momentum from my step I spin around and stab the man in the chest. As I look into his face I could see an evil smile on his face. He holds my blade in his chest by grabbing my arm and screams ¡°Do it now¡± Fireball x2 Before I could turn around I am hit with a great impact and heat washes over me. When the smoke clears I am gone and left standing there is a smiling corpse burnt to a crisp. Shit this is going be a lot harder than I thought. It seem the only way to kill them is to either slit there throat or fully decapitate them. Taking a minute I apply a salve that we use in the circus for burns then continue my assault. I appear behind the cleric wielding a war axe and cleave his head off before returning to my invisible state ¡°Come on out you bastard so I can kill you¡± ¡°Not a chance.¡± I appear before the leader and slash him with a giant bear claw. As I try to finish him off an arrow flies my way and I am forced to retreat back. ¡°Guy circle up and protect yourselves. He can¡¯t get all of us if we are together.¡± As they rush to form their defensive I am able to kill the archer that interrupted my kill. ¡°Come on you coward.¡± I appear before them. ¡°Ha I am not the one backed against the corner. Even twenty versus one and you can¡¯t kill me.¡± As I speak three fireballs come spiralling towards me. I dodge the first two and slash through the last. ¡°Is they all you got¡± I charge towards the group while dodging the relentless spells and arrows heading for me. As I get closer one of the man swings his sword at me. Getting within and inch from the blade I disappear. I dropped down pivoted off my front foot and backed faced to the men i use my momentum to back flip over him and land in the middle of their circle. Instantly a ghost sword appears in front of each of the aggressors. Its payback time. Each of the swords starts to attack the man.Surprised all but one manages to put up their defense in time to not be killed. As they fight the vicious onslaught that is my ghost swords they are pushed back closing the circle tighter and tighter. Unknown to them they are walking into a trap. In the middle of the circle I finally let my presence be seen. Hand spread out wide and a smile on my face I summon my spirit weapon. ¡°ANCIENT GREED!!!¡± Around me a tornado of fifty two cards appears and rip apart the men. As the last man hit the ground I take a bow and Ancient Greed disperses. The Annoying GMs ¡°Ho ho ho now I know why Tess, oops I mean Electri has her eyes on you. Who wouldn¡¯t want a strong young man like you.¡± Standing in front of me stood a beautiful brown haired women who had an outstanding build. She stood about two inches shorter than me at 5¡¯9, but had a slender athletic body that barely showed her true strength.She wore a tank top and some kind of mesh shorts that were way too short. ¡°I take it you are another GM too then. So whats your purpose here and where are the villages.¡± ¡°Hmm sharp and to the point, you know you aren¡¯t that fun.A beautiful goddess shows herself to you and all you can think about is if everyone is okay.¡± She is about to make me mad. ¡°Where is everyone answer the question.¡± Playfully she walked up to me and started to examine me with eyes of interest like she found a new toy. As she circled me she traced her finger on my body. ¡°You are totally wasted on Tess you know that. Tell you what work for me and I will give you anything you want, what do you say. ¡°argh¡± I take her by the shoulders and pinn her to a near by wall. ¡°Are you even listening to me. Stop dreaming off in you fantasy land and tell me where everyone is. I couldn''t care less about you GM¡¯s.¡± ¡°Oh so forceful. I didn''t know you had this kind of side to you. If you keep being like this then I might just have to take you.¡± She draws her head close to mine and tries to kiss me. ¡°W-w-w-what are y-y-you d-doing Sam get your hands of him.¡± ¡°Oh hi Tess,¡± the woman known as Sam slips under my arm and confronts the young miss. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have came later me and him were having an adult conversation nothing for a kid like you to hear.¡± ¡°Who are you callin a child I am twenty-two you, you old hag.¡± ¡°Old hag how dare you.¡± As the girls start fighting I am left there standing. Who do these people think they are. The vein on forehead starts to pop out again. These idiots are supposed to be gods. While fighting they didn¡¯t notice me angrily walk over to them. ¡°HEY!¡± as they turned around I bonk both of them on the head and leave them both crying on the ground. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. When all was settled I had two GM¡¯s on their knees in front of me rubbing their hurt heads. ¡°Now that everything''s settled down can anyone tell me whats going on.¡± Electri,Tess raises her hand up in the air and waits for me to call on her. ¡°Yes Te-Electri you may answer.¡± ¡°While I was running I mean patrolling the area I noticed a feild feild covering this village so I came to investigate. The magic has cause everyone in this village to stay asleep and all of them are in their beds. After checking a couple of the houses I heard fighting and came here to see you to m-making out.¡± ¡°Relax we weren''t doing anything of the sort. So Sam care to explain yourself.¡± ¡°No¡± she turns her head in the opposite direction and avoids my gaze. BONK ¡°OWW OWW OWW!!¡± ¡°Explain NOW!¡± ¡°Fine. I heard that Tess got a new toy so I wanted to mess with it. I cast a spell putting everyone to sleep and blocked this area from players to come in. I payed a couple idiots to attack you when you came to see what was so special about you.¡± BONK ¡°OWW OWW OWW, what was that for?¡± ¡°That was for being stupid now get rid of the spell this instant and go and think about what you have done.¡± With a flash she was gone and me and Electri was left alone. ¡°Now for you.¡±I grab her ear and start pulling her to the mana rail. ¡°You think you can run away, leave me stranded, and cheat me of my wishes huh.¡± ¡°NO NO NO please someone save me.¡± As I get closer to the mana rail I spot Andrea with a look of shock on her face. ¡°Spade what are you doing with that girl isn¡¯t that a little mean. If you keep that up no one will want to marry her with only one ear.¡± ¡°NOO!! Please don¡¯t rip my ear off. I am sorry I will never run again please just let go of my ear.¡± ¡°No now be quite. As for you Andrea tell Gyps to meet me in the animal car in five minutes.¡± ¡°B-but¡­¡± ¡°Go or else.¡± A frightened Andrea runs into the distance as I drag the young miss to the animal car. Introduce the Greedy Slave Driver Inside the animal car now I drag Tess to the back corner and throw her into it. ¡°So care to explain why you disappeared and left me in the middle of nowhere.¡± ¡°hmpf I hate you¡± Tess turned away from me with pouty cheeks and refused to meet my gaze. ¡°Will you stop acting like a child you are twenty two for goodness sake. You are four years older than me and are still acting like a brat. Just do what I say and I will let you go.¡± I walk over to the other end of the car and grab two of the lion stools. I place them one in front of the other and take a seat in one of them and motion for Tess to sit in the other. ¡°Mmm why couldn¡¯t you have just became my slave. I would have treated you well a good pay, food, housing, and benefits.¡± ¡°Ha you are a little too late to claim me as a slave. I already have one slave driver and I don¡¯t need another¡± BOOM!!! The door to the car flies from its hinges travels 20 feet and hits the opposite wall. A tall feline silhouette walks into the car and stares at us with fluorescent golden eyes. As the figure walks into the light casted from the window Gyps comes to view. ¡°SPAAADE!!! why did Andrea come crying to me saying that you were yelling at her.¡± ¡°Tch¡± ¡°What was that are you talking back to me.¡± In the next moment Gyps disappears from sight. Before I even have time to react a knife finds my throat. ¡°You are still a thousand years too early to be talking back to me. Now tell me whats going on before I pummel you.¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Okay calm down with that thing you could really hurt someone with that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the point. So whats with the girl.¡± ¡°That is no girl she is one of those GM¡¯s that are self proclaiming themselves as gods. You probably figured it out already but they are the reason why monsters are running a muck. She tried making me a slave so we had a deal and played three card monte. When she lost she disappeared and left me stranded.¡± At the mention of GM a glint can be seen in Gyps eye. For years I have come to know this look she is seeing dollars signs. ¡°Hey Spade step out for a moment and let us girls talk. Why don¡¯t you go and take out some of your anger on those monsters, and while you are at maybe capture a few to tame.¡± ¡°But.¡± Thump Before I am able to finish my sentence I find a knife sticking out of my seat and between my legs. ¡°I guess it is time for me to go.¡± I high tail it out of the car fearing the life of my children. As I run out of the car I could hear the screams of Tess behind me. I am truly sorry for her. ¡°Nooooooo!!! Please don¡¯t leave alone. HEEELP MEEE!!!¡± ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sorry for the small Chapter but I was busy and rushed for time :( . I promise to do better next time. Imagine me crying here. Unscheduled Maintenance Far away from the screams now I am a great distance aways from the town. When I was making my way from the town I passed a many of players trying to fight the hordes of monsters. The farther and farther I got though the less players I could spot, however the monsters got more ferocious. Closer to town the surrounding monsters were less dangerous and more like obnoxious beings with high numbers. There were Hybrid Rabbits 3 ft tall, Rock Tortoises, or the occasional Wolf. The around me was less hospitable however. As I traveled farther away from the town I came across Minotaurs, Crazed Bears, and many carnivorous plants. the flat landscape allowed me to spot these beast a mile afar but it also allowed them to see me. Fortunately though many of them were solitary so I wasn¡¯t swarmed and had enough time to dispatch them and rest before fights. Well into the next morning I kept fighting monster after monster.. Repeating the same motion almost like a machine the monsters were dispatched. All the monsters I fought had the same monotonous pattern that was generally easy to figure out. It was boring however. These beast were predictable and easily dispatched. After a while it became just a chore that needed to be done like cleaning the lions cage or bathing. ______________________________________________________________________________ Game Creator J How dare such an insolent brat mess with my game. I have spent years working on creating my ideal world and here he is messing it up. First he tricks on of my GMs and now he is making a fool of the monsters I have worked so hard on for the players. I can¡¯t let this keep going on. Pretty soon others are going to come and mess up my fun. The Game ¡°Creator J sat in his seat with a face of disgust as he watched Spade dispatch his creations effortlessly. With a devious smile he starts typing away on his computer. Three years before: A struggling game company Tecs was at the end of its road. It was about to file for bankruptcy till a giant package appeared in the office one morning. Inside it came a supercomputer unlike the world has ever seen and a note. Hello people of Tecs I present you a godly gift. This computer will allow you to access the world of Oblitus you are given permission to turn this into the world''s first ¡°virtual¡± reality game. Please don¡¯t abuse this privilege and remember have fun. :) ______________________________________________________________________________ After fighting for most of the morning I find a nice quiet spot to rest. The monsters mysteriously stopped appearing and besides of questioning it I took it as a blessing and sat on the ground. Sweaty and tired I took a swig from my water bag and relaxed. It seems that since the players came all I have been doing is fighting and barely had anytime to do relax. Stolen novel; please report. Days of fatigue finally took its toll on me and I felt myself drifting to sleep. Before losing conscious I was took wary of my surroundings and casted a barrier and summoned my traib to keep watch. zzz zzz zzz SQUEEK SQUEEK SQUEEK SQUEEK ¡°Huh what do you want shade I was just asleep.¡± Realizing where I was I jumped to my feet and looked around me but saw nothing. Shade my traib was shaking in his figurative boots afraid of something. He curled into a ball and disappeared into the shadows. THis was the first time he ever disappeared on my like that something must have gotten to him. Looking around once more I hear a familiar DING!!! Hey everyone this is J, I am sorry for the inconvenience but there seems to be a problem in the continent of Syra. I am going to resolve this issue right away. All players are going to be evicted from the game and all NPC¡¯s will be teleported to their respective Cities/Towns/Villages/Home please don¡¯t be alarmed. Thank you, J A countdown timer appeared before me and started ticking. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Nothing happened I was still in a field in the middle of nowhere. What went wrong surely I was supposed to be teleported back to the train cart or at least to the village. A Sudden flash enveloped me and the field and I was blown back 20 ft and hit the ground hard. I couldn¡¯t see anything but I heard a voice in front of me. ¡°You have been a huge pain thinking you could mess with my world. I will not allow anybody from this world to embarrass my GMs or make light of my creations.¡± ¡°Shut up already would you if you are going to do something about it than besides of talking shut the hell up and grow a pair.¡± Searing pain erupted from my chest and I could feel every part of my body screaming in pain. Slowly my body was being ripped apart as the mysterious voice laughed with pleasure. Another voice came from nowhere ¡°J stop this now you have no right to be torturing the people of this world. Don¡¯t abuse your power or who knows what going to happen. Look at his body it is beyond cruel we can¡¯t even fix him just end his life and have some compassion.¡± ¡°M we are gods here. There is nothing you or anybody can do to me here. just run along and go watch your own continent.¡± ¡°Listen to me if you don¡¯t stop then I will take away your access card and force you out of Tecs.¡± ¡°Fine have it your way¡± M head starts hurting like it was being split apart as a rod of energy slowly pierced my skull. Everything is gone now and empty space surrounds me. Reconstruction The pains gone, everything''s gone, nothing is left. I am alone floating in darkness half conscious but uncaring. No emotion at all, no feeling of hate, regret, or sadness. I feel nothing and just drift seamlessly forever in the empty void. My life plays before me in my head. Like a distant observer I watch as if through a looking glass my entire life. I see myself being abandoned, my life in the circus, meeting with Tess, and finally my death. At the end of it all I see a luminous white light rushing towards me. From the distance the small spec of light soon rushes at me and exponentially gets larger and larger. By the time it gets near me it is the size of a boulder. The light engulfs me and sends an oddly pleasant feeling warmth across my whole being. BY the time I regain my senses I find myself sitting in front of a white wooden desk with a office chair facing away from me with visible white wings protruding from the mysterious stranger who is sitting there. On top of the desk there is only a name plate Remiel. ¡°Uhm excuse me uh Remiel um am..¡± ¡°Yes you are dead, but rest assured you have done nothing wrong. You have lived a very hard life. I am sorry that you had to experience what you did but know that it was not for naught. I shall give you a second chance to live as well as bestow you with a gift. Now sleep child and may GOD be with you.¡± Drowsiness surges through me and I feel subtle dullness to encroach my senses. My vision blurs and I start to drift out of consciousness. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am laying on something soft unlike anything I have ever sat on before, it is soft yet firm and springy. It is oddly comforting but what am I on. Suddenly one word appears in my head, mattress. Wait how do I know this and where am I. As I open my eyes I find myself laying down in a barren room with nothing but four white walls a bed, a wooden wardrobe and a single door. On the ceiling there is a dome shaped object, a light, emitting white light that illuminates the room. I rise from the bed and swing my feet onto the floor which is covered in some kind of hairy but spongy substance that feels like no kind of material I have ever felt before, it''s something I think is called carpeting. I make my way across the strange substance to the door and twist the door knob but to my distress is locked. I try several times to turn the knob but couldn¡¯t find any conventional ways to open the door so I decide to destroy it. I take a Step back and summon my spirit. It takes a lot longer than usual but I am able to summon my spirit deck. Unlike Ancient Greed this deck was different. It no longer looked worn or had old scroll work and runes on it. The were a soulless black color, the backs of the cards had a plain silver circle, and the pips and faces of the cards were engraved in red and white foil. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. My spirit felt different it was much more powerful but calmer than before. Unlike a raging river it was now like a calm ocean that held a sort of mysterious feeling to it. I pluck one of the card circling around me and cup it in my hand. I focus some of my energy in it then cock my arm and like a whip launch it at the door. As it leaves my fingertips it gains an abnormal amount of rotation and like a mini hurricane it rushes towards the door. Before it is able to reach the door and destroy it the door suddenly opens and an enraged woman steps in and meets the projectile with her fist. ¡°What the hell are you trying to do. You just got here and you are already trying to destroy my home. Or GOD please help me not kill this insolent bastard.¡± I am now on my but knocked back from the impact of the fist and my card. Standing in front of me was a sharply dressed woman around her late twenties with black hair pulled back into a bun and some kind of glass lenses with some kind of frame, glasses I think. She is wearing black stockings a tight greyish black skirt that goes to her knees, a white blouse and black business jacket on. She looked like a silent beauty the kind that kept to herself but was too intelligent, and the sort that you were afraid to confront for fear of being humiliated. Snapping out of my daze I realize that she is scolding me for almost destroying the door calling barbaric and crude. Feeling slightly ashamed I sit there with my head down staring at the ground. I am eighteen years old and am still being scolded. Well this is life. Wait wasn¡¯t I just died, and I still don¡¯t know where am I. I jump to my feet and grab the woman by her shoulders. She stops her rant stares into my eyes with surprise ¡°what do you think you are doing?¡± ¡°What happened and where am I? I am sure that I just died.¡± She puts her hands on my chest and pushes me away creating about a three foot space between us. She turns away and tries to retain her composure before facing me again. ¡±Ahem¡­ You indeed died but instead of moving on you have been given a second chance at life. You have been revived in a new body and are given a chance to right the wrong. As for where you are that¡¯s simple Earth.¡± ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am really sorry for not posting more I have been Extremely busy trying to get things settled and have been too tired to write. I will try to be more consistent and at least post once a week.