The Silversmith estate stood near the center of the town. From the outside, it did not look like much, merely a brick building surrounded by high hedges. The waxing days of winter had revealed holes in that protective embrace, beyond which waited a naked, rain-stained wall.
The season did Indianapolis no favor.
A ...
2022-08-30 19:09:57 +0000 UTC View PostMostly correct. Might still have a few typos> I think I corrected the wrong numbers on Viv's profile but I'm not sure.
2022-08-27 09:34:15 +0000 UTC View PostIt started as pressure in Viv’s ears, the same feeling as sitting in a plane taking off. She yawned by reflex but it didn’t do anything. Air was not the issue there, mana was. She didn’t need Solfis’ measurement to tell the black mana concentration was increasing.
It occurred to her that keeping a way out would ...
2022-08-27 09:30:02 +0000 UTC View PostSinead mentioned that fae nobility cultivates bloodlines. I suspect their version is to mine as fine horticulture is to shoveling pig shit on a cabbage field.
When I first recovered Constance from her mother’s clutch, the baby was underfed and addicted to opiates. Her mother’s caretakers gave up on controlling their...
2022-08-23 17:58:47 +0000 UTC View PostViv’s perception of time slowed before her brain even registered the lethally dangerous undeads barrelling towards them.
The two nascent necrarchs on the side bumped into each other, slowing down ever so slightly. Sidjin caught them in a deadly trap of serrated blades of colorless mana. At the same time, Arthur spat f...
2022-08-19 14:56:53 +0000 UTC View PostIt was hot inside of the small cottage, hotter than it should reasonably be. Everard unconsciously patted down his red armored robe for specks of dust, conscious of the lush persian carpet lying near the clean hearth. From outside, the house had all the appearance of a cozy home for a bachelor, but inside the signs of wealth ...
2022-08-15 23:47:50 +0000 UTC View PostViv watched the bewildered Harrakans exit her portal, spreading out on the open meadow and marveling at the wonders of magic she had just unveiled for them. Ten days of harrowing trek across the Deadshield spared. Ten days of terrifying encounters with monsters and beastling tides, with the forest’s disquieting effect bypas...
2022-08-12 13:39:46 +0000 UTC View PostThe strings of fate tease me once more, sneaking upon me one fine summer night. I am more sensitive to them so long as I am in my domain, or the lesser version of a Dvor domain in any case. I can feel her when she crosses the boundary, making her way to IGL’s front door without hiding. It has to be a decoy.
In a way, ...
2022-08-08 15:55:49 +0000 UTC View PostAN: Sorry I reuploaded with the pdf and epub files. Additionally, a small update will be made of the previous chapter as I kind of neglected the Hallurian siblings. Nothing major, they just tagged along.
A group of shadowy figures moved under the aegis of a powerful shadow. A handsome man led...
2022-08-04 18:26:38 +0000 UTC View PostEsme’s bones creaked when she bent over the counter to wipe the far side. The rag left a stream of droplets in its wake, so many globules catching motes of ember light in their tiny prisons. Soon they’d be gone, but now they formed a hypnotic pattern to the old woman’s eyes. They whispered something in her ears she coul...
2022-08-01 03:49:31 +0000 UTC View PostThe convoy followed a torturous route through the forest, expecting trouble. Armored soldiers in loose formation formed a vanguard, their eyes fixing the thick forest with vigilance. They had their weapons sheathed — for now — but their shields were affixed. They formed an intimidating group.
Next came columns of li...
2022-07-29 12:52:42 +0000 UTC View PostOk first the boring part. I’m taking a week off. Sorry for being abrupt about it. My decision stems from the fact that I need to seriously structure the next arc both in Journey and Bob, I know what I want to say, but I have always had issues with pacing and setting expectations and I must pay attention to make sure every c...
2022-07-18 14:44:01 +0000 UTC View Post“Convincing the mortal military of the seriousness of the situation is paramount, Ariane. Please do not take umbrage when I say this but… in this instance, your appearance might do you a disservice. The same harmless countenance that makes warriors lower their guard will prevent them from taking you seriously,” Sephare ...
2022-07-18 14:41:29 +0000 UTC View PostClean collection of chapters.
2022-07-17 16:40:30 +0000 UTC View PostCollection of chapters in a cleaner format.
2022-07-17 16:24:26 +0000 UTC View PostAfternoon sunlight reflected on Viv’s shield and its latest addition, a letter from an unknown alphabet hammered on by a Hallurian smith.
What had started as a light shield was now considerably heavier, its surface lined with symbols, a veritable roadmaps of Viv’s progress and the friends she had made along the way....
2022-07-14 18:53:14 +0000 UTC View PostWe did not, in fact, leave immediately. I stopped to grab the explosives. Now the nightmares cut through the snow-encrusted boughs and frosty glades alongside the tracks, which we spot sometimes when the path takes us closer.
At first, the mortals were terrified, but soon the peculiar gait of those tireless mounts got t...
2022-07-11 15:59:13 +0000 UTC View PostViv sat on the battlement of the Academy’s outer wall, watching Helock burn. Black plumes as thick as hills rose from the cereal gate to the south and the wharves by the sea. A northern wind carried them lazily over the ocean where they would fade in the blue of the late summer sky.
She had been on Nyil for a year and...
2022-07-08 15:53:21 +0000 UTC View PostA dazzled Bingle uses the dragon claw’s edge to cut the bars of his prison. He appears to be in a state of shock, to the extent that I must hold the severed metal rods before they fall on his face. A sense of wonder gives his face a more youthful air, reminding me of the first time we met. He gingerly returns the ‘liberat...
2022-07-05 16:50:50 +0000 UTC View PostSolfis stopped on the second roof, placing Viv down on the flattish roof’s surface with gentle care.
“We’re not joining the others?”
//Your high willpower is keeping you fully functional, Your Grace.
//However, you are bleeding out.
//I need you to take...
2022-07-01 18:22:47 +0000 UTC View PostSomeone has sliced through the ancient earth with unstoppable will. Diggers have carved up old rocks and blasted through antediluvian formations. Centennial trees were felled and processed to produce the train tracks in front of us. The steel of its beams glints under the light, cold as the ancient stone that surrounds it but...
2022-06-28 17:39:31 +0000 UTC View PostIt was a beautiful day to be She-Who-Feasts-On-Many-And-Gets-Much-Gold.
The wind and the gray caressed her scales when she took flight, their presence light and familiar. Far above the city, the overwhelmimg smell of stupid borgling things faded into pure morning crispness. In the air, she felt truly free, truly herself...
2022-06-25 07:44:24 +0000 UTC View PostThe powerful man sat at his desk. To his right, the snow-covered meadow led to a frozen fence from where small icicles hung like diamond ornaments. Guards in blue uniforms and cloaks fought the chilly wind with courage, struggling not to shiver while puffs of smoke rose from distant chimneys in the city proper. Inside, howeve...
2022-06-21 18:55:15 +0000 UTC View PostIt was now five weeks into the semester and Viv was busier than she had ever been in her life. A part of her wanted to drop everything and dedicate herself solely to finding precious things to feed Elunath since it was by far the most important task on her list. What held her back was, once again, cold pragmatism. Solfis had ...
2022-06-17 18:06:57 +0000 UTC View Post“Hello Urchin, I have something for you.”
“Heard you were distributing faerie gifts, boss. I’m glad you didn’t forget your Urchin.”
“Naturally. You have been of great help, and I will always reward loyalty.”
“So, what are the odds that this gift will play tric...
2022-06-15 15:49:23 +0000 UTC View PostLight filtered through the thick windows in that peculiar pale hue dawn possessed. Sterek had slept poorly. He had slept poorly for several nights, and now even endurance could not save him from a pounding headache. In fact, the entire situation was a headache. The assassins had still not slain the traitor prince. His bitch l...
2022-06-10 15:53:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Almost forgot, ART.
This is Ari in the library of Alexandria as she soars above the fleshy mess of blown up Merghol mana hounds.
2022-06-08 11:43:38 +0000 UTC View Post“You know, if you wanted to remodel the place there were better ways,” I idly remark.
Melusine’s face twists with rage.
“You jest? A third of my warehouses went up in flames and you jest? Do you know how much time and money I lost? Do you comprehend that your own bottom line will be impacted?<...
2022-06-07 16:25:41 +0000 UTC View Post“What is he even up to?” Magister Sterek grumbled.
“The Glastian? Sir?”
Sterek turned to his assistant and contemplated slapping her across the room, but that would be stupid and unproductive. He was neither. She was just one of those dumb puppies who thought he could do no wrong because he had hired her, ...
2022-06-03 15:10:31 +0000 UTC View PostJune 1872
Of all the major industries that graced the humble city of Marquette, none were more emblematic than the designing and making of weapons of war. IGL, Illinois Guns of Liberty, had claimed the position of crown jewel of the American military engineering business. It had kept this title through a combination of ...
2022-05-31 14:19:02 +0000 UTC View Post
