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


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

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

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

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

This story originated on and is updated on Royal Road

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

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

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

Theodore was picked up early in the morning as he would finally start his journey to KMU.
Even with all the abilities of the present, the examinations were held on KMU grounds.
They could not afford to have anyone tamper with the results and the test was held in highly optimized grounds. 

Not just anyone could attend these entrance exams. You either had to have a great background or stellar results. The KMU was a second-tier university and attracted talents from far and wide. The competition was bound to be fierce; so many applicants were refused before they could even take the entrance tests.

Theodore was escorted to a family carrier which brought him to one of the large space-stations that orbited Regus 2.  Here,  a large space-vessel from the KMU was present to pick up all the applicants that were allowed to undergo the entrance exams. Therefore the space station was currently a beehive of activity. Many ships came and went, many bearing family crests of important families from the surrounding planets.

Regus 2 was one of the main planets in the star system and had been chosen as a pick-up point for a large piece of the surrounding. With the KMU's influence, no one dared to interfere with vessels that declared they had business with the KMU. 

Theodore's transport vessel was halted and went to cursory inspection. With his prestigious background and nationality, none of the security officers could be bothered to go through a lengthy check-up. Other space ships escorting less prominent nobles or from more distant planets were screened thoroughly. They did not wish for any disturbances to happen on this day!

He was then escorted by one of the security officers to the check-in near the KMU's spaceship. From inside the space-station Theodore had already spotted the humongous spaceship that belonged to the KMU. Its grandeur was unmatched by any vessel that currently ported at the space station.
Its sharp contour and sleek look coupled with its enormous size and esteemed identity had everyone take a second look at it.

The check-in went smoothly as his identity was checked and his invitation to the examination was valid. A kid before him had tried to sneak in with someone who passed the identification and was then detained and carried of by the dutiful security guards that were scrutinizing the line. 

Being accepted to KMU was a huge deal. Even if most people would fail to complete their four-year studies, they would still be considered as one of the brightest students in their region. Therefore, more than a few uninvited guests would try and sneak in every year, hoping to get a chance at entering the prestigious schools and becoming dragons overnight.

Theodore had immediately stamped the kid as a fool. Trying to pass by the discerning eyes of the security detail would be impossible. Forging an invite, impossible. Impersonating someone else? That would have you sent to jail for a long time. 

The examinations were of great importance to the KMU, they would make sure the arrangements were impeccable. Not to mention that states supported the stringent control, as they did not want to step on the tails of the KMU. The best and brightest of many states graduated or attended KMU so it naturally held a special place in their minds.

Theodore then had to wait for a bit until a group of ten examinees had gone through the identification process. In batches of ten would they be escorted inside the massive spaceship as they would be instructed on their way in. This made sure that the attendants of the KMU had the time to pick up and deliver the examinees and give them the proper instructions without having to haste themselves too much.

Theodore did not mind the arrangement as he understood the logistical purpose of it.
Another examinee, however, could not help but lament that he had to wait in order to enter.  He even complained to the stewards and tried to kick up a fuss in order to try and hasten the process.
The staff, however, was not impressed with his attempt and cordially explained to him that there was no alternative to waiting unless he wanted to be kicked off the examinee list.

Theodore had spectated the incident and could only shake his head. Being impatient would not help, and having a background would solve nothing here. Who would be ordinary if they could attend the examination?  Naturally, the staff did not give a crap.

"What are you looking at?" The impatient kid had seen the disapproval in Theodore's eyes and decided to come to look for some retribution.

"Are you referring to me?"  Theodore casually entered, not at all worried about the angry look of the kid.

"Who else dumbass. Do you find something funny? Cause I don't mind playing with you for a bit." The kid rudely remarked.

"I was looking at a dog that was barking up the wrong tree. I don't want to waist mu breath on you so I'll make myself clear. You're a disgrace to all examinees. Just stand by and shut your mouth as we wait for the party to be complete." Theodore laid it into him like a savage. 

He did not resort to violence or cursing but did not care about offending the other party. He did not want to be friendly with such a boor anyways.

"You dare call me a disgrace? We'll settle this later you -"
"By the time I enter KMU, you will be on your way back. They won't accept such uncouth people at the university. Don't mistake yourself for something that you're not. Your background stopped mattering the second you accepted the invitation for the examination, and I doubt you could be a threat to me. Now step aside as we will be moving to the ship since we're now complete." Theodore made short notice of the kid and moved along when he saw their group was complete.

As he made his way over to follow the attendant he left the kid fuming and trailing behind them. He was so furious at being slighted he didn't listen to all the explanation that happened along the way to the 'Common Room' inside the ship.

"This is what we call the Common Room. Aboard this ship, this is the largest consecutive space. Its thirty-one stories high and spaces across several kilometres long. As the 'Charles Dickens' is mostly engineered as a pleasure travel ship it comes with its own entertainment and commercial district. You will find all of that here; from casinos and shops to swimming pools and even ski slopes."

"Don't mistake the 'Charles Dickens' for a cruise-ship however, even though it has such a large section of commercial and leisure, the ship is also armed to its teeth. During our trip, we will be protected by a full company of space-mechs and the ship also has its own teeth in the high-grade lasers and ballistic rifles mounted along the hull. This ship truly is a miracle of engineering and you can only imagine the cost of this flagship."

"The ship is the flagship that the KMU uses for all official occasions. During tournaments and other lengthy trips, the Charles Dickens is the prefered vessel. Naturally, this is because it is unique in its nature because of the mixed utility and massive size. During tournaments, about sixty to seventy procent of all students travel along and are still able to keep up with their studies. The headmaster once called the Charles Dickens a "One of a kind monstrosity that fulfils only a very specific purpose, but it's unmatched in this very purpose".

"It is named after the famous late headmaster Charles Dickens who also ordered the creation of this ship. He had all sorts of quirks, but he is definitely the most loved headmaster of all time."

Theodore was fascinated by the story and even more impressed by the sheer size and interior of the common room. He felt the Charles Dickens was a very odd space ship. It was nothing like he had anticipated and he could not help but think that the ships arrangement  - a combat ready cruise ship was just a stupid arrangement. The price of this thing must be incredible. He would have rather bought designated dreadnought class destroyers to accompany a luxury cruise ship. He could not help but think back on his lessons with Redford.

After being delivered to the common room and introduced to the ship's facilities, they were given instructions on where to finds their cabins and they were given digital maps of the ships to help them navigate as the ship would move to the academy in the next seven days.

One of the girls in the group of ten that had accompanied him approached him as they all said their goodbyes as they made their own arrangements,

"I saw you had a run-in with Louis at the gate, do you happen to know him as well?"

"The impatient kid throwing a tantrum? No, I do not know him."

"Hmm, I thought you conversed with him rather familiarly. In that case, I have to give you a fair warning. Louis is a very vengeful person. He's the second-in-line to Duke Carson. He's as arrogant and spoiled as they get. However, with his genetic aptitude at 87, his ego has truly blown up since his aptitude test. He won't take your reprimand easy, be aware of him - he might try something during the examination." She kindly explained and warned him of the potential danger.

"Thank you. I don't see a true threat in someone who does not know how to use his brains - aptitude or not, idiots are idiots" Theo smiled

"Anyways, - Miss... I think I missed your name, what is it you are called?"

"My name is Evanna Lynch, it''s a pleasure." She sweetly smiled back

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Lynch."

Official Discord : https://discord.gg/reFWz58 

Bryan finds himself transmigrated into 16-year old Theodore.

Theodore lost his father eight years ago. His father went MIA during the last war. After shutting himself in his rooms for eight years he buys a "Neural Aptitude Enhancer" from a murky dark underground trader. Naturally, the 'Enhancer' is a fake - a poison that kills the original Theodore.

Now Bryan, well, 'new' Theodore needs to fight for his place in the universe. Will he become a rising star or will his star burn out pre-mature. Theodore promises himself he'll explore the galaxy, become an overlord and never regret a thing! This is Theodores Road of Advancement!

Follow his adventure and find out if he's just a delusional lunatic or the greatest man the universe has ever seen!

14/01/2020 : Road of Advancement will continue as Mech Domination. This name is less vague about the setting and premise of the book. I hope this helps new readers find and ease into the content of the book.

J felt all her blood crept up to her face. She looked at the dishes that Madam Kelly prepared. It consists mainly of leafy vegetables, legumes, fish, meat and eggs. These foods boost fertility, Madam Kelly sure knows her thing. J thought.

After they had their lunch, Madam Kelly and Chairman John went up to their bedroom to take an afternoon nap. J was left in the family room.

 After a couple of minutes, Jacob walked in the family room with a couple of books in his hands. 

"I noticed that you liked reading classic novels. I got a couple here from the library, but I am not sure if you have read any of this. You should take a look. If you have already read them, I'll find another one for you." Jacob said with a smile standing in front of her.

J was sitting on the sofa so she has to tilt her head upwards to look at Jacob. Her face becomes gentle realizing how Jacob take his time to notice her habit of reading and what kind of books she prefers to read. She reached for the books before saying 'Thank you' to Jacob.

Jacob sits beside her and grab for the remote control of the flat-screen TV and turned it on. Madam Kelly already insisted on them to stay overnight and they complied.  Without anything to do this afternoon, Jacob decided to watch a movie while he searched for books for J to read.

J looked at the books that Jacob brought her. Jacob was right, they were all classic novels from Jane Austen, Emily Bronte, Alexander Dumas, Leo Tolstoy, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, and Bram Stoker. She has already read all these books that Jacob brought her. But to avoid disturbing Jacob from watching, she didn't tell him. Instead, she chose Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, which she has read a couple of times.  Jane Austen is her favorite author and she has a collection of all of her six books. Among them, Pride and Prejudice is her favorite. It is a romantic novel about two lovers whom before had their happy ending have to conquer their pride and prejudices against each other.

J had even memorized the authors opening line, 'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.' Thou she finds it ironic, as these days those man with a good fortune would rather stay single to enjoy their liberty. Just like how Jacob and J were before they met.

After half an hour reading with her back leaning on the backrest of the sofa and her feet on her front closed to each other, J felt a little bit stiff so she stretched her back and neck. 

"If you're feeling a little stiff you can change your position. How about you raise your feet on the sofa?" Jacob said with a worried look.

When he receives no response, Jacob got off his seat and kneel in front of J.

"What are you doing?" J asked with a surprised look.

Jacob didn't answer her instead, he took off her slippers and raised her feet on the sofa with her knees pointing on one side. Then he returned to sit beside her.

Due to her position, her body is now leaning to Jacob's body and her knees were now touching Jacob's hips. J gazed at him. "Feels better, right?" Jacob said smiling when he caught her gazing at him.

At the age of 10, J's parents died in an ambush leaving her in the care of her grandfather who years later sent her away along with her best friend to hide her and her identity from those who would try to kill her after her parents.

20 years past, a lot of things had already happened. Her dearest grandfather died, she came back to Lotus City, and was secretly married!

She was married off by her grandfather to his best friend's grandson before he died and she was oblivious about it.

Do this secret marriage has to do with her secret identity?

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

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

We arrived at my Aunt's manor. It was huge, the biggest building I have ever seen.  I walked closer to see it was built with amazing design in the stone it was made of. The doors big as like a waterfall could fall from it. I walked into the house, a grand staircase stood before me. People working around the house cleaning, moving things, and redecorating the place. When they all walked by they said hello to me. They were so nice and gentle as they walked by. 
"Elizabeth, come let me take you to your new room."
"But what about Thunder?"
"I'll have my trainer come get him."
"He's not used to being handled by other people."
"Ok, I have the trainer come get you and him but now lets come to your new room."
We walked up the grand staircase to the floor where I'll stay at. We took a left into a hallway where there were these double doors. My Aunt opens the doors and sees a giant room with many other rooms within it. I walked in, the biggest room had couches and chairs and a table. There were 3 other rooms completely empty. I got to the last room which was my bedroom the bed was so big, enormous dresser and wardrobe, and the bathroom was huge as well. Everything was huge, definitely not like home. My Aunt seemed happy by my excitement of my new room.
"I had the room cleared out in case you wanted to decorate the way you want. I'll have the servants bring the boxes up and you can tell them where to put them."
I hugged her tightly, "Thank you."
"You're welcome, my sweet child. Now let's show you the stable."
I walked back down to Thunder and see him. Fighting with the trainer. I ran to him to calm him down.
"Excuse me girl but do not interrupt my work with this wild beast." 
He smacks and Thunder had it with this man. He rears up and puts his front hooves in front of me, snorting at the trainer.
"Mr. Charles!"
"Yes? Madam Prescott.?"
"Do not ever hit my sweet girl again! She is the little girl from Whitetail Creek, I said I was bringing home. And this her horse Thunder."
"I'm sorry Madam Prescott."
"You should be, help Elizabeth where her horse will stay."
"Yes. Please come with me."
I jumped on Thunder and followed Mr. Charles to the stables. We came up to the stables, many horses of different colors, sizes, and breeds. I've never seen any horses like them before, as we walked in we saw no horses like Thunder. They were grey, brown, red, mixed colors, spotted horses. Thunder was tall, lean, long black mane and tail and his coat black as the darkest black you can get. He was the only black horse that was in the stable.
"You have a very unusual horse, Elizabeth."
"My name is Artemis."
"Not by Madam Prescott request your name will be Artemis. That is such a ridiculous name who named you it anyway?"
"Mary Prescott, my mother."
"Oh dear, she was a disgrace like Jeff Brookes to this family."
I jumped off of Thunder and pushed him against the stall behind him. He was in shock about how strong I was for a girl.
"Don't ever talk bad about my mother and father. I'm here because they are dead. If you don't want me to hate you then never disgrace my parents! Ever!"
"Elizabeth! What is going on? Let him go, this instant."
"She attacked me out of nowhere, Madam."
"Likely story, Mr. Charles."
"He disgraced my parents' name. He said my name is a ridiculous name. And said they disgrace of the Prescott family's name!"
"Come Elizabeth. I'll put your horse in a proper stall, not the small stalls. Thunder needs the room since he deserves it."
"Madam I was."
"In the back of the stable is not a proper stall for him. Here this stall was my horse's stall before he pasted."
"You had a horse?" Yes, Emerald. He was the best Jumper until he got old and unable to rid then it came to where he had to be put down. Thunder deserves this stall."
"Come Elizabeth."
"Be a good boy. I know this is new, we're going through this together. I'll be back soon."
"Neigh!!! Neigh!!!"
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm here." Kisses him. "Please be good."
I walked out of the stable without him screaming. We walked back to the house and helped the workers with my new room. They were confused about what I had brought with me. As we worked they kept saying for me to relax as they did it. I didn't let them do all the work without. I had to earn my stay with Aunt Edna. We got everything how I wanted and walked downstairs to go out to the stable. But got stopped.
"Oh Elizabeth, I want you to meet someone."
"Hi Elizabeth I'm Drew"
"Hi."
"I'm sorry she just came today, she doesn't know lady etiquette just yet."
"That is all right Lady Prescott. People are talking about her like how she is a savage."
I know Sir Stapleton. Let's talk while the children talk and get know to each other."
I started to the door but I got stopped again.
"Hey! Where are you going?"
"The Stables. I need to check on Thunder."
"Can I come?"
"I see why not, let's go."
I walked out the doors only to hear Thunder screaming. I ran as fast as I could to see what was going on. I knew I shouldn't have left him. I got to the stables only to see Mr. Charles is beating him while he's putting a saddle on him. 
"STOP! STOP!" 
I pushed him back with all my strength. I turned to Thunder, he was bleeding. I ran to find clothes. I found some and put on the cuts. Drew walked in and saw he was bleeding.
"I'll go get your Aunt, Elizabeth."
I turned back to Mr. Charles. "You can not touch him. Who said you could? He is my horse, not yours, MINE! He has never worn a saddle before. You can't force things like that!"
"This is my stable, he is mine now. Once he stepped into the barn. You don't mean anything to him now!"
I ripped off the tack and got on him. "He's mine!" I rode out of the stables and saw my Aunt Edna.
"What happen!?"
"That man said Thunder is his horse now. He was beating him because Thunder wouldn't let him put a saddle on him."
"Mr. Charles, come here."
"Yes, Madam?"
"You're fired."
"What!?"
"You heard me. You're fired."
"You win this time, but I'll have that horse for yours one day." He walked away.
"Stable hands heal up Thunder, for us please."
"He wants my horse. What's so special about him?"
"I don't know, but we'll figure it out."
Later that night Mr. Charles went back to his home. 
"Darling? You home?"
"Yes, Charles." She is the same woman that called Artemis an animal.
"I met the girl, she has a rare horse."
"The savage who got my dress dirty this morning!"
"So why are you home early?"
"I got fired from her Aunt."
"That b****, She'll pay for this."
"Yes, they will." 
He walks to his wife, kisses her neck. Unties her dress and lets it drops on the floor. He lays her on the couch and keeps kissing her. Sliding his hand up her side. She takes off his clothes, he takes off her corset. Pleasure her body all night. 
The next morning, Artemis wakes up in her new bed. Man yesterday was a crazy day. I move in with an Aunt I never knew about. I leave Dakota forever, Thunder got hurt. Thunder! I better go check on him. I run out of my bed and gets dress. Runs downstairs, I run into my Aunt's assistant Mr. Dickens. 
"Whoo there Artemis. Where are you off to?"
I got caught off guard when he said Artemis. "You said my real name?"
"Yes, that is your real name. I like your real name than your new name. Now, where are you going?"
"I need to check on Thunder."
"Well, may I come with you?"
"Sure."
"How is your stay so far?"
"Besides yesterday, not ok."
"Well let me change that. First with a friend."
"But Thunder is my friend." 
"Yes, I know but you're first friend in your new home."
"Like who?"
"Me, Of course."
"Sure."
We walked to Thunder stall and see he's better today. "Hey boy, came to check on you."
He nudges me for an apple. I went int my pocket and hand him an apple. He eats it all, he wanted more. But I had no more to give.
"Sorry I have no more."
"How about you show me what you two can do."
"Sure. Come on boy." 
We walked over to the area. It was huge, jumps setup with flowers in them, stripe poles. I jump on Thunder's back. Began on a walk, picked up to a trot. Once he was warm enough, we jump over a low jump. We moved up to higher jumps clearing them, not even knocking them over. Mr. Dickens was surprised at how well I could ride. We got to the highest jump, we continue to it. We jumped over the jump, not knocking it over. Mr. Dickens was amazed at how well I could ride, other workers and riders watch us. They were speechless, my Aunt Edna saw the whole thing.

Artemis meets a cowboy name, Dakota. She falls in love with him and so does he. But one night a relative comes and takes in a new life where it is very hard, lonely, and scary for Artemis. Will see ever see Dakota again?

Ashton lay in his bed, twisting and turning. He really needed to sleep, but no matter how much he tried, it was no use. 
Hour after hour went by and at three am, someone was knocking on the door. He sighed for himself, already knowing what was awaiting him on the other side. 
Slowly rising from his home made bed, built from a caravan couch. It had been peaceful, until now. Why did everything always have to turn into a mess when he needed space. Room to breath.
He cursed at himself, when he walked up to the door. Thinking it would be better if he didn't. If he just let it be. Not giving a fuck about the man outside.
He really wished he could, but a part of him was just too weak to let that happen.
With a deep breath he opened the small door, being met by the all to familiar scenery;
His father, drunk and cuffed. A police officer, -today it was officer Johnson- holding his father by the arm. Preventing the cuffed man from running away.
"Sorry to bother you so late Ash, we just found him passed out on the sidewalk." Officer Johnson looked at him, giving him a slight apologetic smile. 
"It's okay, you know what day it is today." Ashton's voice trembled, slowly breaking from the reminder, "It will be worse in the evening."
His father, named Adam after his great great grandfather, was a crackhead. A deadbeat dad. Abusing his only son. A father, who was forced to taking care of his kids when the mother left. 
Both of the parents, stupid and unreliable. They had their first born son when both of them were 14. Thinking that it was a great idea. And even though they couldn't take care of one kid, the year after they had a baby girl.
The mom left when Ashton was five years old and haven't been around since. The thought of how his whole family had turned out, it pains him. He feels guilty, for stuff that he couldn't do anything about.
Now standing in the doorframe, at three am, looking at his father. The one who was supposed to be his hero. On the morning of his little sisters birthday, it was like a knife in the heart. An endless beating of his inner self.
Hurting. Hurting so much that even pain can't describe it.
"Thanks, for taking him home." Ashton mumbled, taking his father by the arm, so the officer could remove the handcuffs.
"No problem. I don't work tomorrow, so it will pr…."
"Officer Li." Ashton interrupted him, before he nodded and dragged his dad inside. Slowly closing the door after him.
He loosened the grip around his father quickly, letting him fall to the floor. Before walking over to his bed. 
Puffing up his pillow, taking the time he needed to lay down comfortably and snuggle in under his worn out blanket. Breathing slowly, as he drifted off to sleep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"You know what Cole? I'm just not gonna sleep." 
Silence
"You know, there's no reason to. Right?  I haven't slept for more then two hours, for how long now. A year or two? Mom and dad has been breathing down my neck more than usual lately. I have been denied dinner, every time I have gotten a grade less than A plus"
Corey angled his head, looking to his left, where his brother lay in his bed. Cole was sleeping like a rock, as usual..
"Always." Corey mutters, before rolling out of bed and waddling like a penguin over to the desk. He turned on the little attachable flashlight he had hidden in a pile of books.
Corey, changed the direction which the light was shining in. Brining it to his little notebook, which he had in front of him.
Fumbling with his left hand, he searched for his pencil, without looking. He knew how it felt in his palm, when he finally found it. It was a normal pencil, made from oak tree. 
The special thing with it, was the tiny engraving at the top. 'Charles Dickens'. It was an old pencil, that was owned by the author, Charles Dickens. He had saved so much money to buy the pen and only used it in his secret little notebook. 
It was a journal, with poems and life lessons.
Reasons to keep on fighting and get through with his life plans.
But none of it, made it easier for him to get by.
Corey was lost, in the amount of expectations, that he couldn't reach. The plans his parents have made, that never would come true.
Study Law
Be the best student
Get a job
Get a wife
Get three kids
Live happily ever after
He is studying law. 
He is the best student and he will get a job.
But no wife, would ever come near him. It was a dream his parents had, that he could never fulfill. 
The kids, would probably not work out either.
And the happy ever after, wouldn't be a happy ever after, for his parents.
Corey stared down at his notebook, before realising that he didn't know what to write. 
So after closing the notebook and putting the pencil away, he looked through his pile of books. Picking out a magazine.
The magazine, was a gay porn magazine. The only reason why he had it, was because he found it in the males restroom at school one time. Corey took it home with him and when he looked through it.
When he looked through it, he was so turned on. Realizing that he had never felt that way, whilst looking at a woman.

"If I keep on pushing people away I won't get hurt."
"If I stay calm and collected, no one can reach me."

We give our all to everyone around us, believing that if we make them happy, we too will become happy.
It is not that easy and Ashton has been stuck in that realization for awhile now, not wanting to believe that life could be so cruel.

We fight to be seen and acknowledged by the ones we care about. But is it really worth it, when you give your all and it's still not enough. Corey is conflicted, fighting with his own brain, not knowing if he should take a step back or keep going.

Both of them need a break, someone that will listen and comfort them, without making a fuss.

"They say great minds think alike."
"Only that we don't think, we feel.”

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