Ressara watched closely as the pair of young maybe-mages walked up to the bar, talked briefly, haggled only a little before handing over some coins, and walked up the stairs and out of sight, their two guards marching close behind. She relaxed for a moment when the guards left her line of sight, relieved by the cessation of t...
2023-09-27 02:19:36 +0000 UTC View PostCarlos firmly suppressed his urge to laugh at the sight of the mayor's facepalm, and dismissed his thoughts of Star Trek memes. However amusing the comparison might be, explaining it even to Amber would be difficult, and he wanted to show this man respect. As the old and presumably experienced mayor of the town, or city or wh...
2023-09-19 17:49:04 +0000 UTC View PostCarlos ate quietly as he walked, barely noticing the taste of his sandwich. It was an excellent sandwich, lightly grilled, filled with three unfamiliar but delectable meats and a medley of sliced tomato, strangely long olives, and green leaves that tasted like lettuce but were much too small, with a slightly tangy layer of me...
2023-09-12 19:48:51 +0000 UTC View PostWith his soul's urgent problem dealt with, Carlos emerged from his meditations, opening his eyes and turning his attention outward again, to find Amber playfully experimenting with her new spell. She spoke the incantation, and a fork from their breakfast tray zipped across the room to clatter against the far wall, before fall...
2023-09-05 18:41:26 +0000 UTC View PostEarly the next morning, Carlos woke to vigorous shaking, and grunted irritably as he opened his eyes to see Amber leaning over him with her hands gripping both of his shoulders. He waved her off and sat up, blinking a few times to clear his eyes. "Alright, I'm awake. Did something come up, or are you just eager?"
Amber'...
2023-08-29 16:52:18 +0000 UTC View Post"Well? What are you two waiting for? I opened the door for you, so come in already!" The old robed man waved a hand, beckoning Carlos and Amber forward. Carlos blinked, shook himself, and hastily stepped into the tiny room on the other side of the great tower's doorway. Amber followed him a moment later, her eyes wide open an...
2023-08-22 20:02:19 +0000 UTC View PostCarlos sat on his rented bed and adopted a meditative pose as he focused inward on what his introspector could sense about the state of his soul. He thought back to the inspection Lady Telrar had done. She had followed a consistent procedure for both himself and Amber, and presumably that procedure had reasons for how it was ...
2023-08-15 16:38:18 +0000 UTC View PostToday's news is much better than last week, but still mixed. Last week, I announced, uh, everywhere except Patreon, that I was scheduled to be evicted on August 14.
The good news: With the generous support of my readers, and the initial advance of a hastily negotiated publication deal, I have made arrangements ...
2023-08-08 22:34:52 +0000 UTC View PostWhile Carlos pondered over the mysteries he'd suddenly been presented, Lady Telrar shooed him out of the ritual area, called Amber forward, and began repeating her inspection. Carlos shook his head and mentally put those mysteries aside for later. He could think about them anytime, but he likely wouldn't get another chance fo...
2023-08-01 20:41:31 +0000 UTC View PostCarlos was the one Varlinden gave the teleport scroll to, and he'd kept it in his pack, but when the time came to use it he gave it to Amber. He could experiment with using scrolls himself later, with unimportant scrolls where any mistakes wouldn't matter. This was far too important to risk screwing it up through inexperience...
2023-07-25 22:34:31 +0000 UTC View PostAfter getting feedback from several patrons, I have decided that in the interest of a more reliable schedule and higher quality I will update with a new chapter weekly.
One new chapter will be posted each Tuesday.
When I have an additional chapter ready beyond the upcoming Tuesday, I will post that on Saturday for...
2023-07-18 21:01:43 +0000 UTC View PostAssessor Varlinden looked at Carlos and narrowed his eyes. "Identify? Not confirm?"
"Yes, Assessor. He said he is forbidden to reveal his house unless absolutely necessary."
"I see." Varlinden slowly swept his gaze from Carlos's face down to his feet, visually inspecting every inch of him. "Leave us. All of you." ...
2023-07-18 20:52:30 +0000 UTC View PostEnchanter Tornay cursed under his breath for perhaps the thousandth time, as yet another test told him that the small purple crystal he was looking at was a perfectly ordinary and unremarkable dungeon core. The weakest dungeon core he had ever seen, little better than freshly spawned, but completely normal for a dungeon core ...
2023-07-11 20:38:29 +0000 UTC View PostDarmelkon casually carried his chair back over and sat down in front of Carlos. "Something to show me? Not to discuss terms or negotiate?"
Carlos nodded. "To establish some background information. You called my behavior 'curious', and I think it's time to explain a bit of why I'm so blasé about the situation."...
2023-07-05 21:53:36 +0000 UTC View PostAmber sighed, and stretched, carefully keeping her movements slow and steady to avoid startling anyone. If not for the tension and uncertainty about what would eventually happen to them, this would actually be quite boring. She didn't even have anything to meditate on like Carlos, because those damn suppression cuffs would pr...
2023-07-03 17:46:37 +0000 UTC View PostCarlos lost track of time meditating as he gradually eroded the mana absorber, but he was pretty sure at least a couple hours had passed. His mana redistributor was feeling more and more overfilled, loaded with mana it was struggling to make use of. Finally, the next speck of mana he moved into it sparked a change. A wave of ...
2023-06-30 23:00:35 +0000 UTC View Post"Well, now that the Enchanters Guild has acquired this dungeon core, I believe it's time to fulfill your side of the contract and pay me."
Tornay turned to look at Darmelkon. "What?"
"You heard me. You have acquired the dungeon core, so the Guild now owes me the agreed payment."
Tornay snorted. "Are you seri...
2023-06-29 16:26:52 +0000 UTC View PostEnchanter Tornay and Lord Merchant Darmelkon stared at the dimly lit dungeon entrance in the cliff face in front of them. Darmelkon broke the silence first. "Any chance it's another dungeon they just found here?"
Tornay shook his head. "This is much too far from the nearest settlement for a dungeon to spawn naturally."<...
2023-06-28 16:13:04 +0000 UTC View PostCarlos woke much earlier than usual that morning, full of excitement to continue building soul structures. He quickly choked down a portion of trail rations, then turned toward Purple, but paused and frowned at the spot where Amber had built a fire to cook dinner the day before. He looked up towards the cave ceiling, but ther...
2023-06-27 16:02:06 +0000 UTC View PostCarlos meditated again, focusing once more on the feelings of mana moving into his soul and etching itself into a structure. This time, the concept he focused on for what the structure should do was the second on his list, the introspector: a structure that would examine the state of his soul and keep him informed about it, w...
2023-06-26 16:06:05 +0000 UTC View PostCarlos frowned and put a hand on his chin, thinking. "Hmm. A dungeon core making a soul structure. Amber, do you know any reason why it might not work?"
"Um. Well, dungeon cores don't have mothers to give them soul shells. On the other hand, dungeons have a much stronger natural influence on mana, so I'd think they shou...
2023-06-23 16:04:47 +0000 UTC View PostCarlos cast the light spell many times, paying careful attention to the sensations he could feel from using mana, as he waited for Amber to return. He was pretty sure he'd learned all he could from that when, just over an hour after his first successful casting, she emerged from the surrounding trees and undergrowth. He was a...
2023-06-21 16:09:34 +0000 UTC View PostCarlos yelped as something pointy dug into his side and he jerked awake. He blinked repeatedly as he sat up and rubbed sand from his eyes, his heart slowing back to a resting pace.
"Wow, no wonder it took so many tries to wake you up back at the inn. You sleep like a log."
Carlos yawned, but determinedly shook his...
2023-06-19 15:56:10 +0000 UTC View PostBuilding a computer made of mana in his soul was not an easy or simple thing to do, of course, but at least he could start from concepts higher level than transistors and binary logic, Carlos reflected as he looked over the notes he'd written during their discussion. He was glad he'd thought to buy a notebook and pen before l...
2023-06-16 16:07:00 +0000 UTC View PostIn a remote wilderness area, most definitely not a capital city, Carlos anxiously held a dimly glowing purple crystal in his hands, frowning as the glow fitfully fluttered a few times. "Are you ok, Purple?"
[Yes.] The dungeon core's mental voice gave an impression of profound weakness and fatigue. [Scroll destination wi...
2023-06-15 16:30:15 +0000 UTC View PostAmber turned and began marching briskly along the road, much faster than the casual walking pace they had been using, and Carlos rushed to keep pace.
"Ok, I know one hundred gold is a lot, but help me understand just how much. What are the conversion factors?"
"One hundred copper is one silver. One hundred silver ...
2023-06-14 16:28:40 +0000 UTC View PostThe bear prowled forward menacingly, approaching from the side of the road, and Carlos frantically scrabbled for his sword, heart pounding in his chest. He tried to remember if he'd read any advice about what to do when encountering a bear, even as he wondered whether that advice would still make sense in this other world. He...
2023-06-13 17:42:43 +0000 UTC View Post"So that armor fits? Great, we'll take it!"
"That will be 8 silver."
"Done."
---
"Uh, is bargaining not a thing here?"
"No time, we need to go!"
---
"The edge feels sharp enough. It'll do."
"5 silver for the sword, then."
"Here."
---
"I'm grateful, really, but ...
2023-06-13 17:40:42 +0000 UTC View Post"Wait, what? Magic is programming?"
Amber stared at Carlos, and raised an eyebrow. "There's more to magic than just crafting spells, but of course crafting spells is part of it. How is that surprising?"
Carlos stared back and blinked a few times. "Huh? 'Crafting spells' is..." Wait. He thought a moment, a...
2023-06-13 17:38:42 +0000 UTC View Post
