“Ever been in prison before?” The man in the adjacent cell asked. Stray hairs threatened to break away from his otherwise trimmed beard, suggesting the goblins had only recently thrown him in prison.
“It’s my first time behind bars,” I said, massaging my shoulder. Dirk had joyfully punted me into the cell, mak...
2021-05-26 21:35:39 +0000 UTC View PostMy first song would set the tone for my time in Grog’s Table. I wanted to start off on the right foot and make a good impression too. My former band and I had learned long ago that we couldn’t just play what we wanted to play. Our song choices needed to match the venue and audience—until we made it big, at least. My aud...
2021-05-25 21:02:17 +0000 UTC View PostWhen platters of food appeared in front of me with pint-sized flagons of sweet, aromatic booze, I thanked the system. It could’ve plopped the final trial on my lap instead of letting me relax, but it didn’t. Instead, I got the opportunity to dig into a plate full of unrecognisable meat, potatoes, mushrooms, and pickled ca...
2021-05-24 08:21:39 +0000 UTC View PostThe lights of Grog’s Table peeked at us as we left the brush. It stood in the distance atop a tall plateau, explaining the name. Several natural and goblin-made bridges connected it to neighbouring cliffs. Several rocky hills dotted the near-flat city, and lights glimmered from the window holes marking them too. The system ...
2021-05-23 18:05:30 +0000 UTC View PostCongratulations!
You’ve unlocked the Mana Control Skill!
Mana Wielding: Novice Rank 1
—Mana Sense: Novice Rank 1
—Mana Control: Novice Rank 1
I swiped the screen away as a wave of exhaustion washed over me. Whatever recovery the goblin spirit caller had provided with his magic, the pen...
2021-05-23 10:23:33 +0000 UTC View PostThanks to Coward’s Brand, I didn’t dare pick up the sling despite my new Dexterity score of three. On the other hand, I couldn’t keep my hands off the sceptre. What’s the point of getting transported to a magical world if you don’t dabble in the arcane? The crystal atop it glowed with a pink-purple hue, and the weap...
2021-05-22 20:40:53 +0000 UTC View PostMy breathing was too ragged to sing, so I focused on the riff. The scrambling, climbing, and falling had ripped skin from my fingertips, and blood painted the strings, but I didn’t stop playing. The intelligent species of Arena Disk supposedly liked halflings and especially hill folk. Why couldn’t the same carry over to t...
2021-05-22 08:07:29 +0000 UTC View PostThe branch manager didn’t warn me of what would happen once I passed through the doorway. I half expected to walk into a new world surrounded by, hopefully, friendly goblins. But, instead, the hole in the wall led me into empty space. At first, I stood upright on absolutely nothing, looking at the emptiness of space. The di...
2021-05-20 22:22:35 +0000 UTC View PostThe next candidate turned out to be wholly unimpressive. He barely stood taller than the goblins but looked more like a miniature human. He had a head of messy curls, pointed ears similar to the wood elf’s. All tied together with disproportionately giant, hairy feet. The specimen looked the most like me but skewed more towa...
2021-05-20 14:27:35 +0000 UTC View PostStats:
Brawn: 0
Control: 1
Wit: 0
The base information made no sense to me at first. Fortunately, the screen responded to my query and expanded.
Brawn: 0
—Strength 0| Vitality 0
Control: 1
—Dexterity 0| Arcana 2
Wit: 0
—Intellect 0| Charisma 0
...
2021-05-20 07:27:23 +0000 UTC View PostWhatever power the branch manager used to keep me silent stopped functioning as things got heated. Fortunately, he managed to keep Lucas muted and out of my hair.
“I can’t express in words how sorry I am,” the branch manager said. “If it were just our agent, this likely wouldn’t have happened. It’s no excuse...
2021-05-19 07:31:05 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor's Notes:
As most of you know, I have quite a few prewritten stories that I'm dying to share with all of you. Initially, I was going to post Spectrum of Aether since it's mostly written but I decided to delay it since I want to tinker the story a lot more. Instead, I'm going to share with you...
Two days passed without Schleb returning without his chieftain. The council couldn’t figure out what to make of their absence. They knew nothing of the Black River Bats. For all they knew, the tribe could be preparing for an attack, arranging a grand entrance for when they did show up, or the violent underwater rivers had s...
2021-05-17 17:41:04 +0000 UTC View PostFor the first time since the Woodson Fort’s inception, Flint called an official meeting of the council. He sent Ed off to fetch Seven and Twylip. On the other hand, Alais wasn’t hard to find. Winona stuck his head in the old puck’s office and summoned him to the [City Planning Table]. Flint hadn’t invited him to the c...
2021-05-16 16:16:49 +0000 UTC View PostEd didn’t give Flint or Winona the time to wash up. So instead, they got dressed, relieved themselves, washed their mouths out with Twylip’s dental peppermint concoction and started their journey uphill. Initially, Flint thought it would be for the best if they maintained a professional image and didn’t make their affai...
2021-05-14 23:47:49 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor's Notes: Apologies for the late chapter. I was reading Salvos(https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/37438/salvos-a-monster-evolution-litrpg) last night and by the time...
2021-05-13 18:21:34 +0000 UTC View Post“You should’ve sent for me earlier!” Twylip complained, rushing to join Flint by the newly built campfire. Two stone spheres stood next to them, one on top of the other. Unfortunately, the green light coming off them didn’t help Maya. Flint sensed her pain through the empathic link, but an odd sense of pride accompani...
2021-05-10 21:37:15 +0000 UTC View Post“I need support here, Mr Flint!” Ed yelled from deeper in the pipe leading uphill. He had his hands pressed to the ceiling, and Flint could see dust raining on him from the surrounding cracks. The young man’s voice shook and rose in pitch as he called. “I can’t hold this much longer.”
“You’re panicking, ...
2021-05-09 17:49:19 +0000 UTC View Post“This is amazing,” Adam said with his eyes wide after he slotted [Rune Engraving] into his [Aura Node]. Flint had rushed to meet his favourite smith as soon as he claimed the Heartstone’s gift. “The first aura softens surfaces when I apply engraving tools to them. Then it improves my speed and steadiness while I deal ...
2021-05-08 00:22:54 +0000 UTC View PostAs Flint climbed the stairs to the [City Planning Table], he found himself missing the dogs. Not the bloodhounds so much since they wanted to be a part of the pack more than befriend him, but he wanted more time with the others. When he was still with the Iron Army, Flint would spend entire days away from Maya but always knew...
2021-05-05 22:48:44 +0000 UTC View Post“I was expecting to see you earlier,” Twylip said over her shoulder.
After finishing with Adam, Flint had taken a quick stroll through the kitchens before entering her workshop. It was the least crowded of all the rooms he had visited so far. Pira sat in a far corner surrounded by textbooks. Flint guessed...
2021-05-04 22:12:09 +0000 UTC View PostGoing forward, I'll post 4 chapters a week every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.
2021-05-03 07:53:19 +0000 UTC View PostThe essence manipulation lessons continued for several hours after sunrise. Flint didn’t try to kiss Winona again, and she didn’t initiate either. The pair lost their trains of thoughts to lingering stares several times but enforced a professional tone once the other builders stirred. She tried to teach Flint restraint so...
2021-04-30 23:41:32 +0000 UTC View PostFor the first time in two weeks, it wasn’t discomfort that woke Flint from his slumber. Instead, Winona stood over him with an eyebrow raised, gently prodding him with her boot. He scanned the shelter. Only he and the dogs were still present.
“How the hell do you sleep under a pile of dogs?” She asked. “I can fe...
2021-04-29 21:23:57 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor's Notes: A couple of patrons have offered to highlight errors in my text/proofread/suggest edits, so I can focus on writing and maintain my pace. Henceforth, I'll link the gdocs at the top of each post to make their lives easier.
Also, when I release these chapters for lower tiers. I'll s...
2021-04-29 21:22:52 +0000 UTC View Post[Defensive Construction V]
—[Builder’s Brawn V]
—[Shape+ III] > [Shape+ IV]-up
—[Reinforce IV]
—[Architecture III]
—[Bind III...
Book 2
“You’ve given up on try to make the walls blend with the cliffs, haven’t you?” Twylip asked, scanning the new walls.
“Well, the fort’s existence was never a secret,” Flint replied, using [Bind] to merge the wall’s blocks with the neighbouring click walls. “According to Win...
2021-04-28 15:42:07 +0000 UTC View PostIt took Flint painfully long to rip himself away from the gate and find Alais. First, he went to the healer’s corner. Twylip told him she had last seen the old puck helping out with the wounded. By the time Flint got there, Alais had already moved on. Flint spotted an unconscious Ed with bandages around his torso, but the d...
2021-04-27 22:15:00 +0000 UTC View PostThe Iron Army’s barracks demanded conformity. The sergeants didn’t allow personal decorations of any type. Everything needed to be tidy and perfect for inspection. Anyone that didn’t follow the rules received reprimands and ended up with the worst duties. Flint survived by sleeping outside and only visiting the barracks...
2021-04-27 22:10:05 +0000 UTC View Post
