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Chapter Thirteen: A Puzzling Nightmare
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>Serena’s thoughts were muddled - like pushing through tar - she tried to figure out why the old stairwell was oddly familiar. She had been here before, but when? It felt like… the Vengeance’s stairwell. However, things were different and not quite right. Where were the steel deck plates? Why were there greasy oil lanterns hanging from the walls instead of the usual aetherlights?“I’m dreaming again,” she muttered, the sound of her voice reaching her ears a half-second...
Chapter Twelve: Polina Volkova
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>“Polina Volkova?”A speckled youth with a baby face and circles around his eyes called out as he opened the door to her office and peeked in.Polina resisted the urge to sigh. They didn’t even knock anymore! It was somewhat understandable, as they were swamped with work from sunrise to sunset, and the juniors were running on less sleep than she was.“Yes…” Polina replied, rubbing her eyes. It was too early to deal with others. Couldn't she have a little quiet time a...
Chapter Eleven: Sensei
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>Amelia gripped the wooden sword with both hands and stared down her opponent. Serena was turned slightly to the side, her own wooden sword pointed to the floor as she exuded confidence. The wind gently rustled her black hair, contrasting against the evening sky.“First lesson,” she said as she slowly approached Amelia, who reflexively gripped the wooden sword even tighter. “Don’t grip the sword too tightly; you don’t want to tire your hands.”Amelia relaxed her hands a...
Chapter Ten: The Second and Third Words
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>“One at a time, you bloody demons! You’re like a pack of damn wolfhounds! One at a time!”The rabble slightly calmed down at the head cook’s bellowing, but it took only moments for it to fall back into a frenzy again, encouraged by the exclamations of the demons who managed to get their meal.“Seven Hells! How can something taste so good!?”“I must have died! I definitely died!”“I feel like a right proper lord eating this, ha!”“Me next! Me! I was first!”The ...
Chapter Nine: Arcwhale
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>“Dismissed!”The officers on the bridge returned to their stations. There was a feeling of relief among the soldiers; seeing Serena fully functional and barking orders, as usual, did wonders for their morale. A crew with a captain who was unconscious for an unknown length of time was a tenuous situation, especially post-mutiny.The demons on the bridge chatted amicably amongst themselves, whilst the air and ground tacticians did what they usually did and debated hypothetical s...
Chapter Eight: What’s Chicken?
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>Serena woke to the familiar ceiling of wood and steel. She was somewhere in the Vengeance. The room was dim, the aetherlights having been turned down to their lowest setting. Was it nighttime? There were no windows to check. She was lying on a bed, not her usual hammock.The medical wing.Why was she here? Was she injured in battle? She couldn’t remember. Serena moved an arm and then cried out as the movement caused her skin to crack and bleed. Her cry of pain caused her face to...
Chapter Seven: Confession
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>The Word was Spoken and power, chaos, and violence erupted from Serena. Korvus was blown back, slamming through the wall of a building, collapsing it upon himself. The citadel was destroyed, unable to withstand the force of the Spoken Word. The stone walls crumbled, dooming any demons inside to a horrific death. Those below, humans and demons alike, were thrown back, piling up against the sides of the buildings ringing the far side of the square in a mass of bodies and broken li...
Chapter Six: Korvus the Mad Dog
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>As they approached the large group of humans huddling together in the square, Amelia felt a knot of anxiety grow in her stomach. It was bizarre. She felt comfortable around demons, yet the idea of being around humans felt strange, almost unnatural.She figured she had inherited all of her powers from her game character, and had verified much of it; Amelia had previously found time to play around with her aether, to fold it upon itself in different ways as she prepared the intenti...
Chapter Four: The Battle of Port Highwind
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>“Pitch up! Twenty degrees!”Returning to the bridge, Serena had been greeted by the familiar air of pre-battle tension. There was no changing plans now, no more debating and theory-crafting over maps of defences. They were locked in, their hand having been dealt and the dice thrown.Port Highwind was a critical logistics hub for the Republic, through which demonkind had long suspected aid was funnelled in from the other human nations. It was the archipelago's largest islan...
Chapter Ninety: Optimism
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>“Perimeter ships pulling away!” the Communications Officer shouted, his clear voice filling the bridge. His announcement prompted a few mutters from the other officers and their staff. The childish antics of the Ainese Navy had irritated the Vengeance’s professional crew.Or at least, a small part of Serena’s mind thought that was what they were muttering about. In all honesty, her hazy mind was a little preoccupied at the moment.“Steady as she goes, Captain?” the nav...
Chapter Eighty-Nine: Revelations
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>Amelia’s hazy mind slowly exited its dreamlike state to the sound of music. Someone was playing a violin or something similar, somewhere on the ship. The notes were muffled, even for her enhanced hearing. She wasn’t sure, but someone with a gentle voice might be singing along in a strange language. The more lucid she became, the quieter the music sounded. Eventually, its soothing notes were hidden from her ears, as if it only wanted to be heard in her dreams.Amelia yawned, r...
Chapter Eighty-Eight: A New Path
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>The Holy Capital of the Known World was blessed with calm winds and clear skies on the day Caolan returned. The Vatican was a sprawling expanse of white walls, golden roofs, and carefully curated gardens and forests to hide the fact that it was surrounded by the urban monstrosity that was Christdom’s largest city – Somerwall.It was an illusion that could only be maintained at ground level. As the ship carrying Caolan and his fellow diplomats touched down on one of the air st...
Chapter Eighty-Seven: Departure II
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>You just had to go and do something ridiculous during your last hour here, didn't you?Amelia sighed against the carriage wall, imagining Serena berating her.It hadn’t been her fault! Honest!Well… maybe a little.But, it wasn’t like she could help it! She had exceptional perception! If she focused, she could hear a pin drop from a kilometre away! How could she not hear the prayers and cries of all those who surrounded the basilica? There must have been more than a hundre...
Chapter Three: Battlestations
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>“Captain on deck!” a voice rang out as Serena stepped through the threshold. Everyone in the bridge scrambled to stand at attention. Serena took her position at the top of the bridge, overlooking her loyal officers.The bridge was a cone-shaped room poking out the bottom of the Vengeance’s upper superstructure. It was ringed with thick reinforced windows for observation, through which Serena could see the three twin-barrel turrets along the deck of the ship. These turrets f...
Chapter Two: A Human Speaker!?
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>“Forty-nine… fifty!” Amelia finished her last set of push-ups and sat up. It felt so good to move her body! How many years had it been since she’d done a push-up? Or a squat? Was exercise always this enjoyable? Those foolish demons, they thought these thick chains on her hands and legs would restrict her! Ha! Rather, they’d given her ample opportunity for some resistance training!She was amazed at how her game character’s high base stats and ward translated into such...
Chapter Eighty-Five: Examination
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next>>With the minor juggling incident resolved, the graduation reception ended and Serena soon found herself pacing outside one of the academy’s rooms. Inside, Greatlord Oshiro and his fellow examiners were preparing for her commodore examination while she grew progressively more nervous outside.At least she had some company.“Good luck!” Amelia chirped. “Not that you need it!” An enthusiastic thumbs up and a reassuring grin from her girlfriend lightened the atmosphere. “Th...
Chapter Eighty-Four: Graduation
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next>>The day of graduation arrived, and once again, the stands in the academy grounds were filled with pairs of horns. Only this time, it wasn’t for the spectacle of competition. It was for the joint celebration between the students, instructors, and families as the Eastern Navy gained a new cohort of skilled officers.While the civilians filled the stands, Serena, along with the rest of the academy’s staff, stood with impeccable posture on a raised platform. Above them, positioned...
Chapter Eighty-Three: The Final Member
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>The coffee shop was small and cosy, with an old proprietor who shuffled around slowly cleaning the tables. If it weren’t for their subtle red aura that Serena had to strain her senses to detect, someone might be forgiven for thinking this was an ordinary coffee shop and not one of Intelligence’s many bases. As it turned out, it was also Aiden's temporary home and office.“Are you sure about this one?” Aiden said, frowning as he examined the document Serena had handed ...
Chapter Eighty-Two: Tournament
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>As the final few days passed, Serena felt a growing excitement.It was an excitement of three parts.The largest, most obvious part was the excitement of things to come. The cold winds that swept over the sloped roofs of the plateau city did little to suppress the growing excitement in the streets. It was an excitement that was visible everywhere. It could be seen in the toothy grins of young softhorns amazed at the sparkling decorations. It could be heard in the tired but satisfi...
Chapter One: The Vengeance
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous | Table Of Contents| Next>>The first thing Amelia noticed upon waking was the lack of pain. She had become so used to either the rotting ache of her disease or the sharp pain of needles that she had forgotten what it felt like to not be in some form of agony.Her body felt floaty and warm and her mind, normally racked with exhaustion and headaches, felt clear and rested. Feeling herself smile, Amelia set about trying to memorise these feelings she had long forgotten.After a few moments, she decided to risk...
Chapter Eighty-One: Secret Identity II
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>On the morning of Katalin’s last session, Amelia and Serena entered the training ground together. Any expectations Amelia had for a special final session taught by Katalin were soon dashed.“Given recent events,” Katalin explained. “I don’t think the Grandmaster would be too happy if I carried out the finale I had originally planned, yes?” Katalin smiled and continued, “We will focus on individual training for both sessions this morning. I’ll walk around and adjus...
Chapter Eighty: Secret Identity I
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>As their carriage trundled through the aetherlit streets towards House Halen’s estate, Serena decided to give Amelia some much-deserved praise.“You handled that well,” she said as a conversation starter.It was a blessing that her canonisation had gone so smoothly. Amelia was, after all, a trouble magnet. Any significant event involving her had a fifty-fifty chance to either go to plan or have Amelia’s amelianess cause a storm of horn-clutching chaos.“Ha!” Amelia repl...
Chapter Seventy-Nine: Canonisation
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>Over the next few days, Serena's schedule was relentless. On top of everything she already had to devote her time to, she was under pressure to make the final selections for the Vengeance’s new squad. She coordinated closely with Aiden and each time they saw each other he had yet another stack of papers detailing the students’ and their families’ backgrounds and connections.It wasn’t just a matter of each prospective warrior or mage passing a personality profile; it ...
Chapter Seventy-Eight: Alinyah
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>The moment Katalin Spoke Alinyah, Amelia felt her eyes widen. The room's atmosphere intensified, humming with anticipation as the inevitable fight loomed. The defenders gripped their weapons tightly and dropped their centre of gravity.“What the…” Joey mumbled, his voice low under his Taruna transformation.Amelia peeked around him. The other side of the room glowed in an ethereal, otherworldly colour. It wasn’t a friendly hue. Katalin glowed with violence. It was both...
Chapter Seventy-Seven: Spoken Secrets
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>Serena woke to an unfamiliar ceiling in an unfamiliar bed. What was familiar, however, was the warm body of Amelia pressing against her. She was sleeping soundly, so Serena took a while to enjoy the sensation of her girlfriend’s chest rising and falling against her back. It was a comfortable pressure that brought with it a satisfying feeling of warmth and, strangely enough, a sense of safety.Her mind felt refreshed and free of burden. The layers of stress that had built up rep...
Chapter Seventy-Six: Friendship and Punishment
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>Amelia stepped into the room.“We’ll be outside,” Greatlord Oshiro said, before closing the door behind her.How could he spring this on her so suddenly! After her expert negotiations earned her a truce, the crafty greatlord went and did this! She would have to plan her next act of vengeance very carefully…“Are you… alright?” Polina asked. “You’re clenching your fists…”“No, no!” Amelia hurriedly shook her head. “I didn’t expect to see you like this! I...
Chapter Seventy-Five: An Unexpected Meeting
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>When they stepped into the room, the cardinal greeted the trio almost immediately. Like herself, he was ethnically Samino. His horns, in contrast to hers, were painted white, with each horn bearing golden accessories: three hornbands and a horncap. His church robes mirrored the colour scheme, consisting of thick white cloth embroidered with golden thread. In his hands he carried a copy of the Demon Bible and an upside-down cross – the Petrine cross – hung from around his nec...
Chapter Seventy-Four: Award Ceremony
Google Docs: For Suggestions<< Previous| Table Of Contents| Next >>A few days later, the award ceremony was held at the Asamaywa Ceremonial Grounds. It was a place familiar to Serena. She’d first attended it as a teenager when her brother Gin became an officer. Many years later, it was where her graduation had been held and, most recently, where she had watched her father become a highlord. The piece of land was large and rectangular, slotting itself forcefully amongst the hustle and bustle of the populous city.It was an open space with paved...
