I expect this will be done in another chapter or two. It's already longer than I expected. Once it's finished, I intend to use the Monday slot for Unbound Soul for the rest of June.
"How?" asked Damien. "I saw your corpse!"
"Turns out Gaia had a rank nine healer hidden away who could resurrect. Your mother, Grace and Lana are fine too."
"I've never heard of any healer, at any time in history, who could resurrect the dead. How do I know this isn't some sort ...
2023-05-29 04:56:07 +0000 UTC
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Here's the second of the character designs. Kellela somehow manages to continue looking mature and motherly despite being age-regressed back to a teenager.
Does she look how people imagined? Iirc, in the first draft, she ended up with long hair in her magical girl form. I can't remember when I changed that, but if it was after it was posted to patreon, perhaps some people have been imagining her with hair more like Rose's.
2023-05-22 08:18:45 +0000 UTC
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Little had changed by the time Mystery re-emerged.
She popped out of Kellela to find her bandaged but standing, spoon feeding soup to Hayedalf. He was in a chair, arms hanging limply by his side.
"... Dad... okay...?" whispered Mystery.
"Heck no," he grumbled, as Kellela put down the spoon. "Damn demon severed my spine. I'm completely paralysed from the neck down."
Mystery peered in shock. He may have been grumbling, but he was animated, and didn't seem depressed. How ...
2023-05-16 04:46:56 +0000 UTC
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"Thank you," said Damien rather hoarsely, walking out of the store in fresh clothes. The amount of use [Whispers of the Void] had seen while purchasing them—trying to convince everyone that he wasn't dressed in, effectively, a bubble of blood—had left his throat raw. Human vocal cords just weren't designed to make such discordant sounds.
To add insult to injury, everyone involved had been so low level and easily manipulated that he probably hadn't even levelled from all the effort.<...
2023-05-15 04:32:06 +0000 UTC
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Some laws of common sense varied between universes. Kellela, for example, would struggle to imagine a world where magic didn't exist, despite plenty of such worlds existing. On the other hand, some laws were ironclad, utterly inviolable no matter how far through the Void one travelled.
One such rule was the utterly stupid and self-defeating habit of villains to brag. Whether it was a full on monologue or just taking a few seconds out from their busy schedules to sneer, they see...
2023-05-12 04:57:04 +0000 UTC
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Remember that brief period* of time when I hit 200 patrons? Well, here's the first bit of the resulting artwork; a character design for Aster Blue. Given that patron numbers have dropped back heavily since then, there's not going to be a huge amount of art, but there are designs for the other four magical girls on their way.
The artist is Choco Rune, professional drawer of cute stuff.
* Very bri...
2023-05-09 04:48:52 +0000 UTC
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"So... To avoid ageless races cycling through every occupation and learning every skill, they're cursed to grow older with each new skill or sub-skill they learn?" asked Rose, having never heard that little factoid before.
"Indeed," confirmed Rrillandral. "Accumulating too many skills is fatal to an elf. Furthermore, spells which slow or reverse ageing have previously been believed impossible to create, for any race. This [Age Correction] sub-skill is the first success I have heard of, ...
2023-05-09 04:32:56 +0000 UTC
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Damien thrashed around, struggling uselessly against his bonds of shadow, his screams choked by lack of air. His movements weakened, then ceased completely as the hungering monster sucked him dry, leaving his body dessicated, with not a single drop of blood remaining in his veins. His mind blanked as his body perished once more.
And then, with nothing left to drain, the monster paused its greedy suction, and the accurately named [Eternal Flesh] was briefly left uncontested. Damien's bod...
2023-05-08 04:42:28 +0000 UTC
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Rose lay awake despite the time of night. She was desperate for a wee, but the princess clamped onto her arm made the normally simple task of getting out of bed rather difficult.
She poked the aforementioned princess a few times, but the only response she got back was louder snoring.
"Okay, we're at the point where either I employ violence or I wet the bed..." she muttered. "And I'm far too old to be wetting the bed."
The sleeping princess didn't respond.
"Violence it ...
2023-05-05 05:07:13 +0000 UTC
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"So if we dance while transforming, we get a third stronger?" asked Grace, the entire magical girl squad having got back together in the evening for a meeting.
"Ish. It varied," explained Kellela.
"... Why?"
Mystery replied with an extensive explanation about proper behaviour, the situation of someone standing in front of her wanting to know about magical girls being such an emergency that she completely forgot she was speaking the wrong language.
2023-05-02 05:03:53 +0000 UTC
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Damien stalked through the mists, ignoring the whispers in the back of his mind. Nothing more than an inferior imitation of his own abilities. Just like the way it uselessly tried to sap at his strength. Yes, it had been somewhat alarming at first, but he'd grown used to it, and now it hardly impeded him at all. He did have to admit, though, that he was completely lost, with no idea of the direction he was heading. Fog dense enough that he couldn't even see his own feet, combined with a compl...
2023-05-01 04:32:06 +0000 UTC
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Mystery thought very hard about a series of purple lines criss-crossed with streaks of blue, white dots dripping from them like rain.
Her mana responded, a bolt of white lightning leaping from where she was hovering to the target they'd set up in their garden, her mystical vision flashing in the angry yellow of thunder.
ding
By putting in your own effort and learning from a talented teacher, you have unlocked the [Lightning Bolt] skill.
"What?" asked the...
2023-04-28 04:46:14 +0000 UTC
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Mystery perched atop Grace's head as she travelled to school, a stunt that was considerably easier to maintain than her usual seat on top of Kellela's. Grace's soul was more tangible to her than Kellela's, so any momentary lapses of concentration didn't cause her to plunge into brain tissue.
ding
For breaking your personal best distance record, [Astral Projection] advances to level 22. We should really reiterate all the reasons that isn't a great idea, but given there's ...
2023-04-25 04:51:37 +0000 UTC
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Damien ambled away from Thale, turning every now and again in response to a particularly loud crash or bright flash. Multiple plumes of thick, black smoke rose above the city, which was somewhat interesting in itself; none of the demons Damien saw had seemed aspected to fire. How had chunks of the town caught alight? One of life's trivial little mysteries.
Unable to think of any reason to wait, his destination was the island's capital; the city of Hrellisti built near its centre. Thanks...
2023-04-24 04:22:41 +0000 UTC
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"For... friendship and... and... justice..." stammered out a heavily blushing Grace, before giving in. "Dammit. Why did you have to tell me what it meant? Now I can't say it without cringing so badly I fail to get the words out."
"You were the one who insisted we tell you," pointed out Kellela.
"Yes, it is pretty embarrassing, but look on the bright side. No-one other than us knows what you're saying. Not to mention that some of us are in a far worse position than you," said a you...
2023-04-21 04:43:04 +0000 UTC
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You have learnt to detect the presence of spirits, upgrading [Soul's Eye] with [Sense Spirit]. Level cap of [Soul's Eye] increased by 10.
For observing a new aspect of reality, [Soul's Eye] advances to level 34.
For refusing to shut up, [Telepathy] advances to level 2.
For bringing a touch of hope to the despairing, [Telepathy] advances to level 3.
For repeatedly draining and recharging your mana, [Mana Absorption] advances to level 3 and [I...
2023-04-18 05:18:23 +0000 UTC
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Be warned that this what-if gets darker before it gets brighter...
Damien's eyes flickered open, but it took him a moment to remember where he was. Unlike Valerie, he had no experience of personal resurrection, and the process left him heavily disconcerted.
As he looked around the former battlefield, he realised it had also left him tardy. [Eternal Flesh] was, after all, only level one. His recovery had taken a considerable amount more time than that of Valerie's...
2023-04-17 04:44:57 +0000 UTC
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Rose peered up at the black sky, shivering in the cold, violet sunlight. "I need to find shelter..." she muttered to herself.
Alas, there wasn't any. The landscape was lifeless and desolate, an empty expanse of flat stone. The only point of interest was a mountain range in the distance, poking above the horizon like a row of teeth.
"Maybe I can find a cave over there..."
Trusting in luck, Rose sprinted in the direction of the mountains, but however far she ran, they never se...
2023-04-14 04:43:19 +0000 UTC
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Rose sat at a desk in the room she'd been given at the palace, more permanent accommodation for the party not yet having been found. A book was open in front of her, and a small amount of her attention was devoted to turning the page whenever a light blinked.
Kellela and Hayedalf shared the room next door, and had—after Hayedalf spent some time soundproofing the place very thoroughly—kicked Mystery out into Rose's room to read up on [Telepathy].
The rest of Rose's att...
2023-04-11 04:58:08 +0000 UTC
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Pointless deaths. Damien had never shared the secret of his class. There was no greater conspiracy, at least not in Thale. If Murill wanted to know her enemy, it was close to her indeed, among her very own pantheon, and yet she'd acted to obliterate all that Damien had touched instead.
Out of ignorance and fear, she'd turned her believers' malice against the girl he'd saved, and the woman his parents had taken in. Turning otherwise good men into murderers, willing to slaughter the innoc...
2023-04-10 04:59:45 +0000 UTC
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tl; dr - Effective immediately, I'm going to enable annual billing, at the maximum possible (which imho is still too low...) discount. Please be aware that I'm not making set-in-stone commitments further out than the next month. I'm also considering offering draft chapter access to anyone who's been subscribed for 4+ months, and any thoughts or opinions are welcomed. (But please read the full post first...)
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I have, as happens once every few months, been th...
2023-04-09 06:07:19 +0000 UTC
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The [King] and [Queen] sat on a decorated sofa, colourful fabrics draped over it. The four magical girls and single magical person of indeterminate gender sat on seating of their own, eating light finger-food served by a team of maids. Rose in particular was making the most of the opportunity, having been too nervous to eat during the ball.
If she'd stopped to think, she may have realised that she was still in the presence of the [King], but was somehow not nervous. For better ...
2023-04-07 05:17:12 +0000 UTC
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"I think that wipes away the need to invent Grace's engagement..." mumbled the [King], watching as the entire room stared at the nonsensical world notification.
"Don't be so sure," cautioned the [Royal Knight]. "With her appraisal blocker, they have no means of confirming Rose's name. All they have to go on is the glitched age. I suggest you say something, rather than leaving them to their own devices."
Sure enough, a quiet susurration had spread across the hall, rapidly ...
2023-04-04 04:49:08 +0000 UTC
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Damien awoke in the morning light, pondering what to do with his time. He'd never dreamed that he'd one day find himself complaining that the island didn't have enough monsters, but he needed entire nests to stretch his combat skills, and, for some strange reason, everyone else on the island seemed to disapprove of deliberately letting nests develop.
Still, he'd made decent progress. Not quite level ten, but the milestone was in sight, and he'd gained his first perk and feat. Earning a ...
2023-04-03 05:09:12 +0000 UTC
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This side story covers some of the events of the volume 8 afterword, in the description of Peter's adult status, and takes place a couple of years after the previous mating season chapters.
I stared at the portal that separated me from the final boss of the dungeon. A portal not of magic, but of stone; a circular slab five metres across.
Okay, maybe there was a little magic. Through [Mana Sight], I could clearly see that pushing the button didn't trigger...
2023-03-28 05:13:59 +0000 UTC
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This is a what if? side story for unwavering craftsman, which diverges right at the beginning in chapter 2, at the ceremony of paths. It's 6-ish chapters long.
"H̵̰́ë̴̪ ̶̩͝w̵̘̉o̷͓͂u̴̘͝l̵̨̀d̸̘̋ ̸̲͒s̶̰͑t̵̙͋i̷̳͠f̴̼̈́l̷̞͒ȩ̷̛ ̴̧̚y̷͓̆o̶͍͐u̷̟̾.̶̥̇ ̵̫̒C̶̨͑r̴͎̃ḯ̵̧p̵͙͆p̶̭̔l̶̝̓e̷̦̔ ̴͖̇ẏ̴̼o̷̺͛ǘ̶̞.̶͙̆ ̵̬̕D̴̠̈́é̷̘b̶̰̔i̶͇̽l̸̛̯i̵̞͛t̵̻̔ḁ̷͝t̴̖̆e̷̖̿ ̷...
2023-03-24 05:38:59 +0000 UTC
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Is once more on discord. This is the final one of the three.
2023-03-21 05:42:05 +0000 UTC
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Through unwavering effort, you have unlocked the [Cosplay] skill.
For consuming most of your mana in one go, [Increased Attributes] advances to level 8.
Cosplay (Uncommon)
Alteration spell created by μ̵̼͉̐υ̴̡̽̿σ̷̭͓̃̀τ̸͉̤̾̆ή̶͎̱͌ρ̸̤͕̏̿ι̷̬̾͜ό̸͈ the human. Changes the outfit worn and equipment held by the target to match that of a second target. Offers the first target instinctual hints on how the second target ...
2023-03-20 05:43:48 +0000 UTC
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Can't say I saw this coming, given that I barely breached 150 even at the heights of Fetch Quest. Unborn Hero is proving unexpectedly popular. (At least, I hope it's Unborn Hero, and I haven't attracted an influx of people looking for the Peter x Cluma NSFW chapters...)
Anyway, I had a patreon goal of commisioning some artwork when we hit 200. That's not the sort of thing I can arrange at a few hours notice, so here's an AI catgirl that may or may not have some resemblance to C...
2023-03-19 06:07:35 +0000 UTC
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Eighth Brother peered at the invitation in confusion. The contents were straightforward enough; a simple handwritten invite to his mother's birthday party. The problem was that the handwriting wasn't hers. Nor was she having a party. He knew that full well, because he'd apologised that morning for not being able to arrange one.
"Hey, what...?" he started questioning the woman who'd slipped him the card.
"Shhh," she interrupted, turning to walk away.
"Why did...?"
"Shhh...
2023-03-17 06:24:47 +0000 UTC
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