MaeveMcCarthy

Chapter 92 – Abyssal Jaws

The second Talia dove into the swamp, she understood why the Abyssal Jaws wanted to bring the battle there. The water was extremely muddy, and she could barely see an inch from her nose. She knew that Charisma was an ability that, among other things, also enhanced one's senses. Therefore, she suspected the monsters would have a great time hunting anyone who tried to reach them deep in the sandy layer of the swamp's waters. However, this wasn't something she worried about in the least.

S...

Chapter 91 – Dimensional Dungeon

Keanu’s magic illuminated the humid cave around them as Talia cracked her knuckles, ready to get to the action. 

“Professor Iakopo said that Abyssal Jaws are crocodile-like monsters around Level 25. Their Boss should be around Level 30. I can probably take the monsters down without using Dark Water—I need to, really, if I want to absorb their Attributes.”

Keanu nodded thoughtfully.

“We agree on the plan, right?” Talia said. 

“You c...

Prologue

Twenty years prior

Yalena had not been in the mood for talking while she waited aby the edge of the dark well. 

She only peered down into the swirling water after Maui had told her that it was starting to rise. 

She focused on Maui, a man intent on following her to the edge of the world, but then took a step back, facing away from the well and looking toward the door that led back to the surface.

She knew that each drop of water sl...

Announcement!

I'm so happy that we got to the end of book 1 in what I consider record time!

Tides might have not been as popular as Death Healer, but it truly tested my skills as a writer in a way Death Healer didn't and I'm super proud of having gotten here while being satisfied with the story.

Anyway, a few announcements in order of importance:

• The schedule of Tides doesn't change. One chapter a day until we're done with the story. Some might have gotten worried by seeing the ...

  2024-10-25 15:24:52 +0000 UTC View Post

Book 1, Epilogue

Lilo was facing her father, Rongo Moana, the head of the Moana household. Her mother, Kani, paced back and forth behind the table at which father and daughter were sitting. 

Neither Nami, her Shield, nor her Retinue had been allowed to partake in this conversation.

The Moana family had not received well the news of Lilo’s defeat at the hands of the Sword Demon’s daughter, Lilinoe.

“I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it,” Kani repeated herself twice. Lilo’...

Chapter 90 – New Beginnings

Talia floated in the endless expanse of the Deep, suspended in darkness so profound it seemed to press against her skin. The water was unnaturally still, devoid of the usual currents that gave the ocean its rhythm. She tried to move, but her limbs felt leaden, as if the very water had thickened around her.

Then she felt it—a presence below, vast and ancient. The water grew colder, and an otherworldly blue glow began to emanate from the depths. As she looked down, her heart nearly stop...

Chapter 89 – Schools

Takai sat nervously in the principal’s office. 

He was fidgeting and couldn’t really find a place where to put his hands. 

Being in the Spire, even with the levels he had gained while in Placid City and on the other missions he had undertaken before the end of the school year, was still unnerving. 

The pressure of the raw Mana in the air made him physically ill.

The principal sat behind his heavy, imposing desk, recording something with a quill in a ...

Chapter 88 – Awake

Talia's eyes fluttered open, her vision blurry and unfocused. 

She felt her body ache, a distant thing that she could barely move. 

As her sight cleared, she found herself staring at a plain white ceiling, the soft glow of sunlight filtering through nearby windows.

She blinked slowly, trying to piece together her fragmented memories. 

The last thing she recalled was the massive Abyssal Torpedo Drake, its jaws wide and ready to devour her. 

The...

Chapter 87 – Boss Fight

Talia stood facing the massive Abyssal Torpedo Drake, her body thrumming with power. 

She stood at the edge of the rocky platform, the air around her crackled with energy and dark tendrils of water swirling at her feet. 

Soon, the scalding hot inferno of blue flames was upon her. 

Instinctively, Talia thrust her hands forward, channeling her Dark Water into a shield. 

The Dark Water came to her naturally in this form, much more smoothly than the clu...

Chapter 86 – Escape from the Deep

Nami's led the group of students back through the winding tunnels of the Placid Cave. The air was thick with fear. She glanced behind her, making sure no one had fallen too far behind.

"Keep moving!" she shouted, trying to keep her voice steady. "We're almost at the entrance!"

But the students were struggling. Many of them, still shaken from the encounter with the Sword Demon and the mutated Torpedo Snappers, were having trouble maintaining their Mana Boards. Nami watched in disma...

Chapter 85 – Dark Waters

Describing what Iakopo had just revealed to her as shattering felt like an understatement.

Talia had always held her mother as the model of how to behave, to be, of what to become. Yalena had been the center of everything in Talia's life, down to her very own life's goal of one day following her mother's footsteps and becoming the Kraken Slayer. But now the man whispering in her ear was telling her that Yalena had been the one responsible for the catastrophe in Placid City. She couldn't...

Chapter 84 – Mana Board

Patreon is behaving weirdly. I hope the chapter shows correctly.

A massive shockwave managed to throw most of the Mutated Torpedo Snappers back into the water. That had been Iakopo's doing. 

He had earned some time to explain to Talia what she needed to do.

He couldn't have used Space Water, nor could he have launched a more powerful attack because Awa might have been capable of intercepting it. 

However, this was more than enough to explain to Talia w...

Chapter 83 – Running

The entire cavern was shaken by the horde of semi-evolved Torpedo Snappers. 

The monsters surged forward, a collective nightmare for the students. 

It was clear that they had no chance of surviving this.

The monsters’ stampede immediately threatened to overwhelm them. 

However, something happened.

The platform atop which both students and monster stood was cleaved in two. 

A tremendously powerful line of Space Water had departed from t...

Chapter 82 – Placid City Catastrophe, Part 2

Iakopo stood atop a crumbling building, his eyes scanning the chaos below. 

Placid City was slowly being turned into a giant ruin. 

The air was thick with smoke and the screams of the dying.

A giant horde of Drakes was charging from the beach of Placid City—hundreds, perhaps thousands of monsters. 

This is the end, Iakopo thought.

He gritted his teeth, knowing what he had to do. 

He flew as far as he could from the citizens an...

Chapter 81 – Placid City Catastrophe, Part 1

Yalena and Maui descended deeper into the cavern, their footsteps echoing off the stone walls while the distant sound of water played in the background. 

Yalena’s Star Water was summoned in five large orbs that illuminated the path behind and in front of them. 

The air stunk and there was less oxygen the more they descended.

“There’s someone ahead,” Maui said. 

Yalena, who had felt a faint aura as well, nodded back.

The air gr...

Chapter 80 – The Sword Demon

Nami was pretty sure many would die today.

The end of the cavern was extremely well-lit, much better than the rest of the Placid Cave. 

It had opened into a large platform that stood a few hundred feet on top of the water below. 

They had reached this sort of plateau after almost all students had boarded their Mana Boards—and those who hadn’t been able to conjure one had gone back, escorted by a senior.

They had successfully cleared all the Torpedo Snappe...

Chapter 79 – Poison Water

“Why do you talk like that?” Fiora said with a disgusted expression. 

Apikalia had a weird affectation that grated on Fiora’s nerves. 

“You’ve never been in the West Deep, have you, blondie?” Apikalia smiled. 

Fiora shook her head, eyeing the poisonous gas and trying to decide how to take down Apikalia.

“Well, the Great Families in the West Deep all teach their children to speak with proper diction, darling. This is what it so...

Chapter 78 – Star Water

Riala's eyes narrowed as she saw Mira turn maliciously towards Talia and Fiora at the far end of the cave. 

The two younger girls looked exhausted and battered, clearly no match for Mira's power.

A surge of protective instinct rushed through Riala as she realized Mira's intent.

Her hands shot out and instantly an even thicker barrier of Star Water materialized between Mira and the girls. 

The translucent wall sparkled like a starry night.

But that didn�...

Chapter 77 – Heavenly Heart Rending Technique

Pain exploded through Takai's body, unlike anything he had ever experienced before. 

It felt as if a thousand invisible blades were slicing into his skin all at once. 

He gasped, struggling to breathe as his vision blurred with agony. 

Warm liquid trickled down his face, and with horror, he realized he was sweating blood.

Tiny cuts appeared all over his skin.

Blood seeped from these wounds, staining his clothes a deep crimson. 

Takai's l...

Chapter 76 – Tempest Soul

Takai and Keanu stood frozen while Lilo slashed at the hair, White Rose releasing a white sickle from its blade and flying at full-speed against Lilinoe. 

Lilinoe, on the other side, simply side-stepped, with the blow coming so close to her as to cut a few tips of her long hair. 

Then, both charged forward, moving with inhuman speed and grace, almost blurring in front of Takai’s eyes as they exchanged blows. 

"Is this the best the great Lilo Moana&n...

Chapter 75 – Admiration

She placed her hands gently on Fiora's wounded side, activating [Blood Siphon]. The familiar warmth of her magic flowed through her fingers, carrying with it an echo of the raw power she had just absorbed from the Boss.

"Come on, Fiora," Talia murmured, her voice barely above a whisper as she channeled the residual energy into healing magic. "Stay with me. Please."

Gradually, the angry red gash in Fiora's side began to close, the torn flesh knitting itself back together under Tali...

Chapter 74 – Slashing Boss

Talia knew that this was close to the end of their lives.

When she saw the Slashing Cruster Boss bearing down on Fiora. She could already visualize how the monster would tear her friend apart.

Fiora had avoided the first attack, but there was only so much she could do since she was a caster.

Talia tried sprinting towards them, but even with [Bloodbath], [Bloody Tracks], and [Blood Fortress] fully charged, thanks to the slashing Cruster she had killed moments before, She coul...

Chapter 73 – Bait

The new Skills Talia had acquired - Bloodbath, Bloody Tracks, and Blood Fortress - weren't particularly impressive on their own. 

However, a plan had begun to form in her mind the moment she had seen them. 

Fiora, too, was trying to decide what to do with her two Free Talent Points. 

Fiora took a deep breath, closing her eyes to focus on her Akashic Record. 

As the information flowed into her mind, she examined her available Talent Trees.

Chapter 72 – Battle on Two Fronts

When Iakopo looked into Saikai’s eyes, he felt something stir in his chest. 

His old friend was right.

He had shut himself off everything for too long, too hurt to even think about what he had been doing, how it had affected him, how it had radically altered who he was. 

Iakopo looked down at the cuffs on his wrists and the chains on his chest, all under Saikai's eyes.

“I always thought that she cared so much about others,” Iakopo simply said. “But re...

Chapter 71 – Saikai

“Milord,” Saikai said, “I assure you that the young Yalena doesn’t bite. I inquired with her Professors. She seems to be the brightest talent beside yours, too. Despite her humble origins, she might be a good match for your rebellious streak, especially if you wanted to give your father a heart attack since he already took upon himself to propose suitable girls for your future union.”

“Shaker,” a teenage, second-year student Iakopo said, using the affectionate name from hi...

Chapter 70 – Shaker

The heavy iron door creaked open as the two Water Riders roughly shoved Shaker into the cell where his master was being held. 

The gruff man stumbled, his hands bound behind his back with mana-draining cuffs. 

His eyes darted around the space before settling on the restrained figure in the corner.

"Professor?" 

Shaker's voice was hoarse, disbelief evident in his tone.

Iakopo looked up slowly, his intimidating presence diminished by the chains that ...

Chapters 67-68-69

Since I made a mistake by posting chapter 68 yesterday instead of chapter 67, I'm reposting them both and adding a bonus chapter to express my apologies!

Chapter 67 – Damning Evidence

Keanu stepped out of the makeshift interrogation room, his face pale and drawn. 

The wooden door closed behind him with a soft click that echoed in the tense silence of the hallway. 

He leaned against the wall for a moment, taking a deep breath t...

Chapter 66 – Guilt

Talia sat cross-legged on her bed in the small, sparsely furnished room she had been assigned in Placid City.

Her father’s journal lay open before her.

Its pages were yellow and, well, consumed, as one might have expected from a twenty-something year old journal. 

The general dampness of the Great Archipelago also didn’t help. 

Weak sunlight filtered through the grimy window of her room, making her mood sourer than it already was. 

She looked a...

Chapter 65 – Messages

The door to Mayor Boro's office burst open, startling the man from his thoughts. 

Talia stumbled in, her face flushed and her eyes wild with apparent distress. 

Keanu followed close behind.

"Mayor Boro!" Talia exclaimed, her voice trembling. "I need your help. Please, it's urgent!"

Boro, still reeling from his earlier conversation, blinked in surprise. 

"What's wrong, child? Are you alright?"

Talia shook her head frantically. 

"I n...

Chapter 64 – Reports

Mayor Boro paced the length of his cramped office, his footsteps muffled by the shoddy rug. 

He had been in the old Mayor’s office before the Catastrophe, twenty years ago.

His father, the old Mayor, had had a wonderfully furnished study where he hosted as many concerned citizens as he could throughout the day. 

Now, he was instead enclosed by suffocating, moldy walls of one of the few buildings that hadn’t been destroyed during the Catastrophe.

The citiz...