A/N: I'm not sure if this chapter is too exposition heavy. I'd love some feedback.
Chapter 6 – A Hard Conversation
After reviewing the newest contract – the Alliance really liked their contracts, it seemed – I signed it with a pulse of mana and set the tablet down. While I was excited to get a new piece of manatech, I was leery about being with the Mind Mage for too long.
As soon as I left, I’d focus on learning Sense Motive, the evolution of Detect ...
2023-09-24 20:23:24 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 5 – A Quick Orientation
“Are you crashing at my place tonight?” my brother asked as I followed him to the nursery to pick up Amie.
“If I can’t move in a day early,” I nodded. “I haven’t asked yet, though.”
“Why bother?” he asked curiously. “Just come hang out for the night. I’m sure Amie would like to spend some time with Aunt Emie. There’s a limit on how familiar you can get with a toddler when you only see them through video chat.”
...
2023-09-23 16:23:35 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 4 – The Return of a Friend
While waiting for the rift to reset, Robert and I shared a meal and discussed my latest weapon idea. After describing the weapon I wanted to create, I watched as the small twig in Robert’s hand grew and shifted into a meter-long scepter that almost perfectly mirrored my imagination.
“Like this?” he asked, holding up the finished product.
“Yes! Can you add a groove to slot something this size?” I held up one of the clay beads I...
2023-09-21 16:40:08 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 3 – Delving Nashville
We stepped out of the rift portal and onto a narrow platform on the side of a cliff. Below was nothing but clouds, making me curious about what would happen if one fell. Would they die, or get ejected from the rift? I certainly was not going to test it to find out.
The only route away from the arrival platform headed up the cliffside. The path was only a few feet wide, plenty large enough for a single person to walk comfortably. However, it would ...
2023-09-19 20:42:50 +0000 UTC
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Just to get everything all caught up :) I'll be posting the next chapter here before it goes to RR.
Prologue
The brunette stood separate from those she would have preferred to share the event with. Instead of being part of the crowd, Rhona was forced to stand next to several of her fellow Alliance members who’d played a role in the day’s events. They were not teachers or school administrators like those arrayed on the other side of the stage. Instead, they were th...
2023-09-18 17:56:07 +0000 UTC
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These are the last two chapters of Book One. I'll be doing light revisions to align the first few chapters of Book Two with the changes I've made, and they will be posted here as well (likely sometime later today).
Chapter 42 – Preliminaries
The Brakenburg tournament was held the following weekend. Deni and Blaze had both signed up weeks before; however, Blaze promptly dropped out after the list of competitors, along with their tiers and affinities, was posted...
2023-09-18 15:22:48 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 40 – Tools of the Past and Future
“Hey, Emie! I have another package for you!” Mom called out as she entered the craft room. “Oh, what are you working on?”
“I’m just making a charm necklace. It looks a little weird—” I held up the multi-strand necklace incorporating several small talismans “—but I kinda like it.”
That was a lie. At best, it was ‘meh.’ But it was functional.
At least, I thought it would be.
Had I made all the ...
2023-09-17 17:25:39 +0000 UTC
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A/N: Only one chapter today since this is BRAND NEW CONTENT that I just wrote...today. So, limited revisions were done. I'd love feedback if anything stands out. Enjoy!
Chapter 39 – The Academies
The following week marked the beginning of October and the start of my beta testing as a dual Academy student. If I was considering my high school as an academy, it would probably be more accurate to say tri-academy, but I didn’t see them the same way.
With Rhon...
2023-09-16 01:36:21 +0000 UTC
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Emie's in-game character, Duality. I used this image as the new book cover.
An obviously younger version of Duality - this is closer to what Emie looks like in person.
Getting consistency is rough...
Playing with magic in the woods.
2023-09-15 00:55:52 +0000 UTC
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A/N: I know I said I'd only be posting one chapter at a time until I finished, but have an extra!
Chapter 37 – Delving St. Louis
“Spear or staff?” I asked, wanting my guardian’s opinion since he’d already delved the rift.
“You’re a spear user, right?” he asked, confused by the question.
I shrugged. “I’m actually more proficient with the staff, but I’m trying to get used to using different weapons.”
“Sometimes it’s better to specializ...
2023-09-14 14:53:01 +0000 UTC
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Author's Note: This will be the last set of fi
2023-09-13 14:40:26 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 27 – A New Reality
“What took y
2023-09-12 16:18:48 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 23 – Getting Settled
Unlike storybook returner protagonists, I did not have an eidetic memory about everything I’d ever experienced, nor could I breeze through rifts I may have challenged as part of a game more than a decade before. Needless to say, though the rift seemed vaguely familiar, that familiarity did not give me any kind of edge.
We’d chosen the Nature-based rift with plant mobs, thinking that the Fire wands I had in my bag would be more than enough to ke...
2023-09-11 23:40:01 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 18 – Sharing the Decision
Though his mood had noticeably improved since our arrival, Justin still excused himself and hid in the room he shared with Melony several times during the first day. His eyes were always red when he returned, so there was little question what he was doing. It would likely take a long time for him to get over the betrayal, and I doubted it was something he would be able to make significant progress on while we were still there.
As night approac...
2023-09-08 19:47:04 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 14 – Magic Trains
The elevated
2023-09-07 17:01:52 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 10 - Gains
“Bell just messaged me,” Deni said, interrupting the discussion I’d been having with Mesmer about the differences in our healing spells. “She has another in-game hour before she can log in. She’s in her VPS right now.”
“Should we eat while we wait? It’s been a while since our last meal, and I’d rather not get the hunger debuff,” Ger said as he rubbed his stomach.
After some discussion, we headed to the cafeteria and grabbed some food,...
2023-09-06 15:31:17 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 5 – Beginner Quest
I had a mess
2023-09-05 20:17:26 +0000 UTC
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Prologue
I examined the dirty cell arou
2023-09-05 17:49:33 +0000 UTC
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