ThatHumanMage

Oops!…I Did It Again

I could probably bang my head against this metaphorical wall until 10am like last time, but honestly... I think I'm gonna sleep instead. Gonna get it done, pinky promise. But yeah, sleep.

I think going forward my current plan is to start locking myself outside with no internet and my laptop on days off of work. I think I wrote better when I was in school still and went places to write. Even when I'm not distracted by bullshit, I think being in my room just isn't very productive. Seeing ...

129. The Players (III)

******

******

The woman drifted amongst the crowd in the ballroom and pretended she belonged. Or perhaps she truly did. None of the men would argue otherwise. But then, they didn’t see her. No, they saw a black dress that curved gently down to the ground. They saw lips touched with a hint of gloss. They saw darker skin, amethyst eyes, and hair like a deep red wine. How ironic that the features which labeled her cursed in Elysia made her seem “exotic” in Taravast. 2025-05-19 14:59:31 +0000 UTC View Post

128. The Players (II)

[A/N: I am going to get this schedule under control good lord. You'd think I'd have figured it out by now.]

******

******

Luscien Genevisc wasn’t special. Perhaps to some he might have seemed that way, but he didn’t think he was, and he was fine with that.

And perhaps to some, the wind that whipped against his face as his karuda dashed across the ground at blinding speed might have felt exhilarating, but Luscien could only think about how uncomfortable...

127. The Players (I)

Corrin patted his friend on the back as they walked into the adventurer’s guild, but he didn’t have any words to accompany the gesture. He wished he knew what to say—wished he knew how others pulled him up out of the dark—but he didn’t.

But thankfully, they weren’t alone.

Wyn didn’t look his way as Corrin strode past him, but his lips curled up just a bit, and that was enough for now.

They headed straight for the back of the busy building, waiting in a short...

126. Spring Comes, Winter Fades

[A/N: Sorry, I got home last night and straight passed out. Somehow, the sleep was still crappy. Then again, considering how long it took me to get remotely happy with it (including considering deleting half the chapter), it wouldn't have been done when I thought anyways.

But it's done! And wouldn't you know it, today is technically Dual Wielding's birthday! Only realized that one after I'd already announced the break... which like, technically this is long enough to be two chapters, s...

126 announcement

The conclusion to the Titan's Pass arc is taking a bit longer than I thought. It's a lot of content, and as much as I'd like to keep grinding it out, I've been neglecting my sleep a bit too much lately. Between that and the final dregs of my flu, I think it's seriously been affecting my ability to write as of late.

That said, I'm going to sleep and try to get 8 hours for once. With any luck, I'll finish it after I wake up. I do have work tomorrow (today), so if I don't finish it by the ...

125. The Moment You've Captured Your Prey

Corrin darted to the right, kicking up a flurry of snow from the force of his movement as Wyn’s blade passed to his left.

He’d overshot a bit, but he adjusted quickly, changing directions almost instantly, an impossible movement without mana. He thrust towards Wyn’s chest, but his friend knocked the blade aside and stepped inside his guard, responding with a thrust of his own.

Corrin’s arm was wreathed in ash though, and he batted the strike aside with his forearm, creatin...

124. The Spirits, The City, The People

Previous Chapter

[A/N:

Looks like I lost our little bet haha. Congratulations and free month for all! I'll keep grinding for the 10 chapters, I just failed to account for how epically long and important these chapters were.

Guess I'll consider it a Dual Wielding birthday present from me to all of you. Crazy to think this story started last May, so we're coming up on a year. Thank you all for coming with me on this journey, I really couldn't be more grateful.

At the...

123. Life is a Series of Decisions

Previous Chapter

[A/N:

Sorry for the double notification. I accidentally clicked the post button early on the first one and then it wouldn't let me edit it's publication settings so I had to delete and remake

]

******

******

One Year Ago

The halls of the Ameas estate had grown quiet. There was tension in the air, like a taut thread about to snap. Kei could feel it in the walls, in the way her footsteps seemed louder as she made...

123 slight delay (and other announcements)

Not gonna lie. I stared at the page for a good 4 hours and my brain simply wouldn't work.

I eventually got past it, but it has delayed things. Chapter 123 will likely come out either late tn (early tmmrw), or just tomorrow in general.

In other, more important news: I'm imposing a deadline on myself here. If we're not 10 chapters ahead by this Sunday, then I'll be pausing payments for current members for the month of May!
Basically, you'll all...

122. Cooped Up in the Cold

Previous Chapter

******

******

The snow hadn’t let up since dawn, and by the looks of it, it wouldn’t stop anytime soon.

The world beyond the thick-paned windows swirled with white. The hearth in the main room crackled steadily, filling Jolaine’s home with wa...

121. Sit and Watch While Zombies Siege the Castle Wall

Previous Chapter

******

******

“On your left!” Freya shouted as Wyn plunged his flaming blade into the stone golem.

The mana in his legs responded immediately, and he darted to the right. A spear thrust towards where he had just been standing, missing by a few ...

120. Clockwork in Cold Hell

Previous Chapter

******

******

“Introductions first,” Aya said, once they’d settled down. “Uh, yeah so I’m Aya. I’m an ice mage—the best bronze-ranked ice mage you’ll ever meet in fact. This here’s Freya.”

“I already introduced myself…” Freya mut...

119. Party Dynamics

Previous Chapter

******

******

“Alright Corrin, you’ve got this,” Kei said, tapping her fingers against the kitchen table. “The last one, a sphere. How can you calculate its volume?”

Corrin glanced out the window on the side of the house. Frost clung stubb...

118. Tales of Titan's Pass (II)

Previous Chapter

******


[A/N:

Hey! I figured out how to change the text of the hyperlink, I feel dumb, but I was at work when I set it up previously, so I'll forgive myself this time. I'll fix the rest tomorrow cause wow that old format sucks.

Anyways, it's not Monday until I go to sleep so this is still on time.

Okay on a serious note though, I started getting really sick on Friday (again? Seriously?) and yesterday and today were even worse. So uh... th...

118 & 119

Feels a bit weird to do an announcement like this, but it's the best way I can think of to make sure you guys all see it. Oh well.

Truly, we are off to a great start lol.

Anyways, I haven't forgotten, 119 is basically finished, but 118 has me on the ground, in a chokehold, begging for my life. Working it out though don't worry. We're gonna be moving up to 10 chapters ahead come hell or high water. Anyways, gonna get back on it after I wake up tomorrow, and I don't have work so tha...

117. Tales of Titan's Pass (I)

Previous Chapter

******

******

Wyn woke before the sun. He let out a long yawn as he stretched, then he was burning spirit fire, banishing the grogginess from his mind. The increasingly familiar ceiling of their room at Eldress Jolaine’s home greeted him as he opened his e...

116. The Spice of Life

Previous Chapter

******

******

Corrin considered his training genius in its simplicity. With channeling, he could build up an unbelievable appetite, and then satiate himself while conducting his research.

He wasn’t hopeful about his latest mark. In fact, he hadn’t...

115. Eating in The Cold

Previous Chapter

******

******

Corrin threw open the front door of Eldress Jolaine’s home, looking out over the streets of Titan’s Pass. It had snowed the night before, leaving a dusting of snow on every roof, and though the streets had been shoveled by the time he awo...

114. Hearth and Home

Inn after inn after inn. The sun slowly wheeled its way through the sky, eventually basking the city in gold as it dipped behind the western wall.

“Damn it, why do they all have to be so damn complicated?” Kei complained, slumping down onto a bench next to the river.

Wyn rubbed his face, sitting next to her. It seemed the first two inn’s they’d visited had set the precedent for all the others. Contract after contract, chock full of base rates, hidden fees, and offers to re...

113. The City of Contracts

A rabbit formed of stone dashed past Wyn’s feet, the cracks along its body glowing gold. Deftly avoiding the humans on the street, it turned and shot into an alley, dashing out of sight. The crowd continued to walk on by as if nothing had happened. Wyn on the other hand, couldn’t help but gape.

Corrin and Kei were no different, heads turned towards where the spirit beast had vanished. It wasn’t the first stone creature they’d seen, but it was just as shocking as the first time.<...

112. Grass's End

Wyn couldn’t help but think the city was aptly named. Titan’s Pass was, of course, the name of the city built within The Titan’s Passage, a gap in the Madenya mountain range through which trade could flow. It was a gateway city between Veldia and the rest of the continent.

The mountains had come into view before the city, towering above the grass.

“The Windfall’s are taller,” Corrin whispered.

Wyn nodded. It was true. The Madenya’s didn’t compare in ...

111. Snow Spirits

Wyn felt a sensation against the back of his hand—a hint, a whisper of cold that disappeared as soon as it arrived. He held his hand up, examining it by the flickering glow of the suntrap, but there was nothing to see. 

He cast his gaze up towards the darkened night sky. A thick cloud cover obscured the stars, but the light of the full moon still pierced the veil, bathing them in a soft blue hue. Something glimmered silver against the clouds, he only caught it for a moment. He sm...

110. Dull Days on The Grass Sea

“Ughhh. I’m so bored.” Corrin let his head hang off the side of the saddle, mouth open as he groaned into the open air.

His breath fogged up above him, but he himself wasn’t particularly cold. That was of course thanks to Eldress Edith in Straetum, who’d woven and sewn his and Wyn’s winter coats. As he understood it, they were quite durable—crafted from the wool of the demon sheep in Straetum’s dungeon—though that didn’t matter as much at the moment. What mattered wa...

109. His Small Shoulders

Kei’s eyes flickered open slowly. It was dim, but lighter than when she’d gone to sleep. Twilight, yet she’d woken before the sun rose. It was a rarity, as she was a late riser by nature, and typically had to go to sleep early to wake up in time for events in the morning. Still, without the sun’s glare in her eyes, going back to sleep would be no issue. She rolled over in her bedroll, a far cry from the comforting mattress of Mrs. Helena’s inn, and pulled the blanket tighter around ...