Wizardly Dude

[PLD] 27. It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane!

Before heading out the next morning, Leo took care of two final items on his agenda now that they were in an actual town. Picking up a fairly basic map of the nearby planarverse with the last of their coin, as well as finally aligning his core to Nexus time. Having the ability to know how much time was passing once more was a huge relief, and Leo could barely contain his glee as he and Taylor left the town behind them and headed toward the first rift Gordon had indicated they needed to take i...

[PLD] 26. How It’s Unmade

Leo stood there, the gentle sounds of town bustling around outside of the shop vanishing as he stared at the Listener before him. Part of him wanted to freak out about the news, but he forced that down, focusing on the very specific terminology Gordon had used.

“You said she’s ‘gone’… but that doesn’t mean dead, correct?”

“Indeed. She’s gone in every other sense of the word, however. The Planar Lords’ agents tried their best to capture her, but after wiping out...

[PLD] 25. The Root of all Evil

Taylor’s reaction lasted just long enough that Leo began growing genuinely concerned for her, but she did manage to snap out of it eventually. Rapidly blinking, she shook her head, frowning as she turned to look at him.

“What happened?”

“What do you mean, ‘what happened?’” Leo asked, looking at her incredulously. “You took one look at town and practically went comatose. I still can’t judge time all that accurately, but I’m pretty certain you completely...

[PLD] 24. Pain of the Past

Thankfully, Taylor hadn’t gone anywhere by the time Leo managed to dampen his soul and stagger through the rift.

Though that was probably due to the fact that she was contained within what functionally amounted to a large jail cell.

Exiting the rift, Leo immediately let out a sigh of relief as the mental strain required to keep his soul dampened vanished. The discomfort was still there, but at least he’d be able to function normally. His relief was short-lived however, as he q...

[PLD] 23. On the Road Again!

Charles finished up hunting his snakes even quicker than he’d promised, appearing off in the distance with his sled and presumably now-filled crates behind him. Or at least, Leo thought he finished faster than he’d promised. 

He was very excited to finally align his core to Nexus time again.

“You two ready?” Charles called out as he approached. Leo didn’t miss the fact that while the gem holder was covered in blood, none of it seemed to be his own. To be able to sin...

[PLD] 22. Rats!

Despite Leo’s insistence that they needed to find a town as soon as possible, he and Taylor spent another three days in that new, non-poison-filled plane. There were a number of things he wanted to take care of, and there was no time like the present.

First was ensuring he and Taylor actually understood how to fight alongside one another. Put bluntly, fighting alongside Taylor felt like little more than letting a feral dog off its leash. He quickly discovered that rather than attempti...

[PLD] 21. Monster?

It took some time to grill up enough meat to satisfy Taylor’s seemingly endless hunger, but eventually, Leo got to the point where he was fairly confident he wasn’t at risk of being throttled when he put his frying pan away. She hadn’t gone too far during her wandering, no doubt not wanting to risk the safety of her own personal chef now that she’d gotten a taste of his cooking, so once their stomachs were filled and his pan cleaned, the two of them ventured out into the plane togethe...

[PLD] 20. The Power of a Homecooked Meal

Leo and Taylor reached the intended rift without any further incident, and Leo stared at the crack hovering in the fabric of reality. Ideally, the Planar Lords’ agents would have reported his unfortunate demise at the hands of the acidic waters, but there was still a chance that a sketch of him was floating around. He’d have to be careful once they found a plane that was actually inhabited, but they probably had some time before then.

“Haven’t done this in a long time,” Taylor...

[PLD] 19. That Really Doesn’t Work Like That!

“Of the twelve surviving rifts, seven of them lead to planes that feel more… dense,” Taylor explained as the two of them made their final checks. Taylor had pulled out two old, worn backpacks for the two of them that they’d presumably plucked off of some of the scattered corpses of those foolish enough to try wandering through this plane without knowing what they were getting into. “Since you explained planes and tiers, I think that means they are higher. Stronger planes.�...

[PLD] 18. Evolution

Even after the first couple of days Leo had already spent recuperating within Taylor’s cave, it still took him what felt like another week and a half to fully recover from breaking half the ribs on the left side of his chest, along with all his other various injuries. Leo still didn’t have access to Nexus time, which meant even now he was guessing at best as to how much time was passing. The poisonous plane was one of the ones without an actual day-night cycle, instead maintainin...

[PLD] 17. That Doesn’t Work Like That…

Leo spent the next few days holed up in that tiny cave, resting and letting his myriad of injuries recover. Despite knowing that the deadly, poisonous wasteland was barely a dozen feet away, just outside that cave entrance, it was the first time he’d really gotten the chance to let his guard down and think about everything he had to do moving forward. He’d been so focused on survival and simply getting from one day to the next, that the absurd tasks he’d been given by his father, while ...

[PLD] 16. Is it Getting Hot in Here?

“Before you say anything, I want you to know that I went and asked Theo if charring meat was a legitimate cooking technique, and he said it was! So there! It’s not burned, it’s charred!”

Leo blinked, shaking his head free from the daze he’d been in as he spotted his father grinning at him by the grill. That’s right… something had happened to the steaks he’d been planning to make, and his father had insisted on grilling burgers instead. He was always like that. Preferring...

[PLD] 15. Unfriendly Neighbors

Leo screamed as jagged teeth nearly two inches in length sank deep into the muscle of his shoulder. As the large cat pinned his arms at his side, preventing him from striking out with his sword, Leo turned his head and stared directly into the slitted eye of the magical beast. His breath caught as he noted the intelligence in the beast’s eyes, and he tried not to panic. Grade 10 was around where certain magical beasts began growing smarter than ordinary animals driven by nothing more than i...

[PLD] 14. What a Pleasant Surprise!

Despite suddenly finding himself alone, Leo didn’t move so much as a muscle as he stayed atop his perch, staring at the subtle crack in reality he’d originally come through. Unlike himself, those three agents of the Planar Lords were more than capable of slipping right back through the rift again at any moment. Dampening one’s soul and entering a weaker plane allowed them to get around the one hour time restriction that other gem holders were stuck dealing with, as the plane itself seem...

[PLD] 13. The Slip

Crashing out onto the other side of the rift, Leo scrambled to his feet, nearly dropping his longsword in the process. Escaping through the rift would only buy him a few seconds at most as the far more powerful agents of the Planar Lords would be forced to decide how they wanted to dampen their souls in order to chase after him. It wasn’t a lot of time, but he would take whatever he could get. Turning every which way, Leo took in his new surroundings.

This new plane was dim and gloomy...

[PLD] 12. What’s in the Box?

The moment Jess’ words reached his ears, everything fell into place with an almost deafening certainty. His mind went from plotting out who he would strike first in his attempt to flee, to immediately screeching to a halt. Shaking his head, Leo could only laugh.

“I’m sorry, what? Is that what they said I did?”

“Please, Leo, don’t make this any harder than it needs to be,” Mao begged, holding a dagger in front of her that shook slightly as her hand trembled. “I’m ...

[PLD] 11. Something’s Not Right

The rest of the evening was a stark contrast to the warm, friendly atmosphere Leo had gotten used to during the day. Weirdly, only Jess seemed to still be acting like herself. Chance had gone quiet and didn’t say much, blaming his ankle when Leo asked if he was alright, and Mao seemed to make whatever excuse she could think of in order to keep herself away from him. With Max off getting a new wheel for the wagon, Leo was given his tent to set up for the night, and Mao never ended up returni...

[PLD] 10. A Wheely Bad Time

The next few hours were tiring, but enjoyable. With Mao’s guidance, Leo quickly fell into the swing of things, smashing down the rich clay stalagmites one after another and gathering the chunks into crates. Once a crate was filled up, it was carefully sealed, and then loaded up onto a wagon. Despite having seen plenty of traders come in and out of his own home plane over the years, towing wagons loaded with goods behind them, Leo still thought it was interesting how one could drag an entire...

[PLD] 9. Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho

For a moment, Leo could only stand there, staring in shock at the sign of actual civilization. While he had only been on his own for the last week and change, it felt like far longer after everything that had happened to him. 

Before him stood four people, each one hard at work chipping away at some of the darker stalagmites growing out of the cavern floor. There were a handful of heavy-duty crates in between the crew of four, each one partially filled with what looked like clumps ...

[PLD] 8. What is This? A Plane for Ants?

With Dash nestled safely within his core, his makeshift spear repaired, and a belly filled with regular bird meat he’d managed to catch with the help of a simple snare trap and some insects, Leo spent the next couple of days practicing with his new skill as he explored the plane. 

Or at least, he thought it was only a couple of days. The days in this plane felt longer than what he was used to, but for all he knew, it was just his imagination.

During his exploration...

[PLD] 7. A Little Birdy Told Me

Unlike the diminutive plane he’d just come from, Leo quickly confirmed this one was far larger. Rather than find himself back where he started, after what had to be a few hours of walking in a mostly straight line, he was still encountering brand-new portions of the forest. In the off chance he’d stumbled upon a colossal plane, Leo finally turned around and began trekking back the way he’d come, not willing to risk losing access to the rift leading back to the safe meadow he’...

[PLD] 6. Got any Bananas?

These magical beasts looked like some combination of goblin and monkey. They were covered in green, pockmarked skin, but their arms were lanky enough to drag along the ground. And rather than fight with crudely made weapons, their hands were free, lined with nasty cracked nails that were almost more like claws.

A fact Leo was made well aware of when the first one lunged at him and tried to grab him by the throat.

In no rush to see what those teeth would do to his face, Leo slashed...

[PLD] 5. What’s Behind Door Number One?

The next three days were simultaneously some of the most exciting, boring, and painful in Leo’s entire life. Finally, after all this time, he was taking his first steps toward becoming a true Cartographer like his parents. Surviving in an unknown plane, strengthening his soul, and recording his findings in his journal were a dream come true. That said, the actual act of farming larva and rock rabbits for their gems wasn’t exactly the most thrilling thing in the world. As Grade 1 magical b...

[PLD] 4. What’s Up Doc?

After walking one full loop around the plane, carefully counting his steps as he walked, Leo returned right back to where the rift had spit him out. By his count, the plane was only about three miles long, which put it firmly in diminutive territory. During his walk, he’d also confirmed one other important thing.

This plane had never been cleansed.

The first time he’d spotted a magical beast, Leo had nearly dropped his knife at its sudden appearance. Thankfully, the magical be...

[PLD] 3. Escape

Leo stumbled, nearly falling back to the ground as the entire plane began to shake. Collapsing a plane was far from a simple process, but if the gem holders who had done this to his father were truly working for the Planar Lords, then they’d absolutely have the means in order to pull it off. A planar collapse was even something that could happen naturally in certain situations, and his parents had made sure he was well aware of exactly what he had to do in the event he ever found himself tr...

[PLD] 2. Twisting Worldviews

“Dad!” Leo shouted, racing down the forest path as fast as his legs could carry him. He’d used that very same path to train his cardio at his parent’s insistence just about every day growing up, but never before had he pushed himself to this extent.

After witnessing the state his house was in, he’d quickly asked Francy to grab Jim and make sure the healer was prepared for anything before all but hurling himself out of the bakery. The townsfolk couldn’t actually get near his ...

[PLD] 1. A Destructive Flame

Fires danced in Leo’s eyes as he was forced to stand there and watch everything he’d worked so hard on burn to ash. Today was supposed to be the greatest day of his life. Little did he know instead of celebration and excitement, the Planar Lords had apparently decided it would be a day of suffering instead. Leo had been instructed to remain silent, to keep from uttering so much as a whimper as the devastation unfolded, as the flames crackled across his beloved. But he could stand by and w...

New Book Update! (Planar Lord Destruction)

Hello everyone! I've got a fun, surprising update for you guys which you can probably guess from the title of this post haha. I am officially going to start posting chapters of my newest story on Royal Road today! The story is called Planar Lord Destruction, and just as my second story, The Eternal Assassin, differed a bit in tone from my first, Explorer of Edregon, this new one will be a bit different as well. The story follows a main character who has had pretty much everything taken from h...

[EOE] (332) 5.28. Here There Be Magic

The moment Shia’s master vanished, Lumel turned to stare at Vin, her mouth gaping like a surprised fish.

“Did he just nonchalantly state that he was planning to hop over into another realm of existence, while bringing along a few hundred people along with him?!”

“Yeah, it certainly sounded like it,” Vin chuckled. “Why? Is that harder than it sounds?”

“Is that-” Lumel caught herself right as she began making a rather strange sound that was half-groan, half-l...

[TEA] (200) 4.42. The Fourth Member

After spending a full day hanging out with Brian at the Grand Auction, and then the next meeting with Groln and helping Samantha practice her newly evolved skills in the forest, Asher had to admit he was itching to get back into the thick of things. Spending time with Brian and Samantha was something he treasured and wouldn’t change for the world, but it was good to have a nice balance between relaxing time and stabbing time.

Moxy certainly understood.

“Are we finally fighting...