Zalan witnessed fireballs, wind-fired javelins, and flaming spikes fired from atop the walls, barrage after barrage of endless projectiles against the incoming army. But for every Grimfang that would be brought to its knees, another leapt over it, ready to continue the pursuit into the city. A bright flash went off above the walls, and Zalan knew someone gained a Level, but had no time to celebrate with so many more monsters at the base of the city.
“Zalan, you should take on th...
2025-05-02 16:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Zalan looked down at the walls, then the Elemental Dragon circling above. He knew it was preparing another attack, but couldn’t get a good look at its eyes to know what Elemental it would be attacking with. Zalan was certain that the monster was the same one that attacked Libreville the night before. It was smart. It had deliberately attacked the city of Libreville without getting too close. Now, it was doing the same with Wollstone. The fact it was able to break down walls on its own and i...
2025-04-30 16:00:18 +0000 UTC
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Gorb jumped and thrashed his arms out powerfully, sending a wall of wind to deflect the oncoming spears. Many were thrown aside, but two successfully struck the hot air balloon. One stabbed through the floor of the basket, and another sliced off one of the ropes holding the basket to the balloon. The passengers tumbled sideways, gripping desperately to ensure they didn’t fall off.
They heard screams from the attacking guards.
“Monster! Take it down before it does a...
2025-04-28 16:00:07 +0000 UTC
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“A plane is something from my world that could fly around! We could make something like a makeshift plane to put ourselves on. Then use Gorb’s air so that we could ride up to Aetheria,” Zalan said, sliding his hand in the air.
“I do not understand,” Moss said. “Gorb used his power to try and help us ascend, but could not. The solution to get around that is to… use his power to ascend?”
“Yeah, this is different. He won’t have to use as much air, we’ll be...
2025-04-25 16:00:02 +0000 UTC
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“How did you intend to get yourselves to Aetheria?” Gorb asked, then quickly corrected himself, frowning. “I mean, how did you intend to get us all in the sky?”
“That’s why we came to see you,” Zalan said. “You always said you wanted to fly, right? Is there any way you could get us up to the city the next time it drifts overhead?”
“If I am being honest, I will admit I have made a few attempts, but not anything in earnest. Something about Fran not being here to ...
2025-04-23 16:00:06 +0000 UTC
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The city of Wollstone was approaching them, bringing Zalan a sense of bittersweet dread. On one hand, getting closer to Gorb meant it would be one step closer to resolving the conflicts in the realm. On the other hand, getting to Gorb meant he was one step closer to facing off against Morloch. He didn’t know if he was ready for that rematch. The Oculus of Annihilation, tiny as it was, weighed heavily in his pocket. Would he have to sacrifice himself to beat him? Destroy the two of them so t...
2025-04-21 16:00:02 +0000 UTC
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The rest of the night had gone largely without incident. When Zalan was on watch, he had to burn through Fogfangs that raced toward the camp, but it wasn’t enough of a confrontation that he had to wake any of the others. Rousing the rest of them when the sun touched the land, the group was ready to travel within minutes.
“What do we do with this?” Zalan pointed to their campsite structure.
“Burn it,” Slauson suggested.
“Just leave it,” Moss shrugged...
2025-04-18 16:00:03 +0000 UTC
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The full view of Aetheria’s shadow was cast upon the plume of smoke. Zalan was a mix of baffled, amazed, and excited at the sight. The city was a lot larger than he expected a sky city to look like. By the different heights of the shadows, it looked like there could easily be a few hundred buildings, and that was only what he could see from the silhouette. Zalan searched the cloud itself, ignoring its shadow for a moment. He could see no hint of a city on top of it, looking like just anothe...
2025-04-16 16:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Moss led the way once they had exited the gates of Libreville. Zalan shined a light ahead of them and Rep and Slauson kept flames going to maintain warmth.
“I did not think I would miss the undead creatures, but being out here without them…” Moss trailed, and the others silently agreed with his sentiment.
The travelers had to keep their eyes peeled, constantly checking their surrounding area for warnings that the Fleshless would have sensed in the darkness. Zalan...
2025-04-14 16:00:05 +0000 UTC
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The four travelers made their way to the next town, the sun getting dangerously low on the horizon. Zalan was carried on his stretcher by Rep and a Fleshless. Slauson was carried on his own newly created stretcher by Moss and the other remaining Fleshless.
“I understand Zalan holds the secret to how we survived the whole ordeal, but how did the two of you not at least lose a limb? I did not even get a full second to stand in front of the Beast of Slumber before I was swatted like a fl...
2025-04-11 16:00:04 +0000 UTC
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The Wrathgaze continued its approach toward him, ravaging the earth with every movement. Its one eye oppressed the air above Zalan, consuming his vision with the single, wrathful organ. The monster used its impressive momentum to swing its head down, moving in to eat him.
The stratosphere exploded with a shockwave of sound, as though struck by a hammer and cracking open. To Zalan’s shock, the Beast of Slumber hesitated and looked upward, its one eye opening wide. At the last sec...
2025-04-09 16:00:01 +0000 UTC
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“You want to feed the Storm Caller to that thing?” Rep asked, bewildered.
“Only if we’re sure it’ll activate correctly even when Elementals are running away and migrating all over the place. Would one show up here?” Zalan asked.
“It must,” Slauson said gravely.
“How would we get anything into its mouth? Do you think it has a favorite fruit? I can conjure one up with Elemental Plant,” Moss said, wiggling his fingers with some urgency.
“You,...
2025-04-07 16:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Panic set into Zalan’s body, pumping him full of adrenaline. He could barely make out the shape of the Beast of Slumber, and couldn’t imagine it looming over him. It was a faint image on the horizon, yet seemed to take up the entire sky. And it was crawling towards them.
“We need to get moving before it happens to spot us,” Slauson said to Moss.
Moss nodded and immediately turned away, pointing the direction they would be headed. Zalan was grateful they would be runn...
2025-04-04 16:06:55 +0000 UTC
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The four travelers arrived at the gate of Winkerton, looking up to the guards to be allowed to go outside.
“You!” a guard pointed at Slauson. “These Fleshless are with you? The ones you assigned to fight with us overnight?”
“Indeed,” Slauson said, a little tense.
“Would you consider parting ways with them? We can pay handsomely. They are the most diligent guards I have ever seen. They do not tire and they rush out to fight danger,” the guard said. ...
2025-04-02 16:00:09 +0000 UTC
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Moss opened his arms ahead of him, presenting the woody mansion that was his home. Vines and branches twirled together in intricate shapes to make a series of rooms and stairs that all seemed to blend into one another with plain browns and cool greens complimenting every corner. Windows were shrouded by large leaves and entryways looked as though they were sewn together with wet branches from the bog outside. The structure stood at least three stories tall and it was difficult to tell how man...
2025-03-31 16:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Rexler opened the short, intricate wooden gate to the courtyard, Zalan following him in with a frown on his face. Rep and Slauson remained on the outside, leaning on the gate to get a good view of the impending skirmish. Rexler raised a hand to Zalan, indicating for him to stop, and walked to the other side of the courtyard. Flexing his arms, he stretched his legs and prepared himself.
“As soon as Slauson counts us off, hit me with your lightning. I can withstand it,” Rexler s...
2025-03-28 16:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Zalan felt like his limbs were complaining as he stepped through the increasingly marshy terrain. They were slipping between deep and shallow points of a bog, moving to what looked to be a decent-sized city on the horizon. Rubbing his eyes, Zalan felt like he didn’t get a hint of sleep overnight. What little rest he got was expended on fighting uncanny wolves made out of pure darkness. He’d experienced better sleep when wrought with nightmares than he did the previous night.
...
2025-03-26 16:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Fleshless crossed in front of Zalan’s light, casting faint shadows on the approaching monsters. Wherever they weren’t met with direct light, the Nightwolves shifted into significantly larger creatures, with long humanoid arms pulling them forward instead of paws. In the time it took Zalan to blink, the monsters had shifted between their wolf form and larger form. Zalan took a slight step back, concerned.
“That was what you meant about their grotesque form?” Zalan asked.
2025-03-24 16:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Zalan was startled awake by the sound of a dozen feet racing off into the distance. Slauson had assured them that none of them needed to keep watch overnight while the Fleshless were around them, but Zalan couldn’t get into deep sleep. His bleary eyes could barely make out the Fleshless running to face off with a monster in the distance. Anytime he had taken watch in the past, he never saw more than one or two monsters a night. This was the sixth time the Fleshless had awoken him as they ru...
2025-03-21 16:00:02 +0000 UTC
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“Thank the Lord you are leaving us,” a guard said as she pulled the gates open for Rep, Zalan, Slauson, and all his Fleshless.
“Good to know I will be missed,” Slauson said with deadpan sarcasm.
“Not you, Slauson. Those wretched creatures you brought in with you. I do not care that they are under your control, I simply wish to never see them again. Someone came screaming to me just minutes ago saying they were in battle. I know they make all of us feel unne...
2025-03-19 16:00:05 +0000 UTC
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“How did Fleshless even get in here? I thought they were like mindless dead things?” Zalan asked.
“I do not know. They must have migrated from Castle Docrun during the chaos outside the walls!”
Rep and Zalan both drew their swords. The Fleshless all turned to them, alert. King Docrun looked especially curious, perhaps recalling their last fight. One of his hands was still sliced open, his face burned, and his crown was plain to see on his head. Zalan recalled i...
2025-03-17 16:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Zalan’s mind was ablaze with rage and confusion. He had been so handily overwhelmed, that he didn’t even have time to put up a real fight. Rep was behind him, arms and legs bound by summoned Elemental Earth, but free from a second set of the Shackles of Stasis. Trying desperately to speak, Zalan could do no more than shuffle around about an inch on the rooftop. The Artifact locked every muscle tight.
“What is the meaning of this detainment?” Rep asked, anger and authority in his...
2025-03-14 16:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Approaching the walls of Moonwell, Zalan noticed that the number of guards stationed around it were more than he normally expected. One or two guards were stationed at any gates of other cities he had visited, but it looked like entire guilds were hired to keep the city on watch overnight. Zalan glanced at the bell above, remembering how urgently Sir Kilile rang the alarm for the Swampstomp. He hoped never to hear it again.
Weapons were trained on Rep and Zalan as soon as they ent...
2025-03-12 16:00:02 +0000 UTC
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After some rest they went to replenish their arms. Junill didn’t even make mention of them losing their swords, a somberness in her granting new weapons, but a tenderness in how she made sure Rep was well-balanced with his blade.
Rep and Zalan journeyed outside the walls in the arid lands just outside Oriton. The normally flat terrain was riddled with indentations and scars in the earth from unknown creatures traveling upon them. Some mossy green breaks in the earth ...
2025-03-10 16:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Rep, Zalan, Oshrad, Kilile, and Rolcoth all struggled anxiously against their binds. Zalan resigned himself to the fact he was going to die on the head of a giant monster, but hoped he would at least get some last words. Fran got to say she had a great time in battle. Even Xavier got to flash one last smile. Zalan would die much like he imagined most others did. Without anything remarkable to do or say before passing.
The massive arm descended upon them and Zalan braced himself to...
2025-03-07 17:00:12 +0000 UTC
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Zalan’s eyes went wide, his face colored hot red. All the blood was forced to stop flowing in his body by the tight constrictions of the Swampstomp’s vines. His only consolation would be that he died fighting. Even then, he couldn’t find the satisfaction that he saw in Fran and Xavier’s faces when they passed in battle. He didn’t want to die like this. In what little sunlight was allowed to pass through the bog that was the Swampstomp, Zalan saw Rep fighting for his life, too far to...
2025-03-05 17:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Kilile, Rep, and Zalan briskly made their way to the Swampstomp approaching the city of Oriton. Each of them gripped tightly to their weapons. The beast’s round black eyes made it difficult to tell what it was looking at, but Zalan suspected it could see them approaching.
“What kind of Elemental Power or attack is it weak against?” Zalan asked.
“We do not know,” Sir Kilile stated. “A Swampstomp is one of the Beasts of Slumber. We should never have to encounter it...
2025-03-03 17:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Zalan woke to the sound of the guild door swinging open, Rep making his way inside. As Zalan rubbed his eyes, Rep went to gather funds from under his cot as well as grab his sword. Rolling out of bed, Zalan began to prepare himself for the day.
“Excellent wedding!” Heron told Rep. “I will be full for weeks.”
“It was good to arrive in Oriton at just the right time for such a feast,” Epanor agreed.
“Are we headed out?” Zalan asked groggily.
“Indee...
2025-02-28 17:00:07 +0000 UTC
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“I think I see why she wanted to know your favorite food now,” Zalan said, looking around.
“She had a Poniwhale slain and cooked for me in the span of a night!” Rep said, pure joy radiating in his voice.
The wedding had been set up on the largest ship in the dock, able to hold the entirety of Oriton on board. There were hundreds on the upper deck, with several dozen more in well-lit decks below. A massive pile of plates of Poniwhale meat sat at the head of the ...
2025-02-26 17:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Rep stumbled out of Ma’s mansion, Zalan close behind. They crossed the path on Ma’s property and stopped at the point where land met sea. Breathing in deeply, Rep looked out at the water ahead of them in a daze. Zalan put a hand on his shoulder.
“How are you feeling?”
“That was humiliating,” Rep said, shuddering.
“Really? I thought it was kinda nice how much Ma cared to know. I never expected that side of her.”
“It felt as though she was drawing...
2025-02-24 17:00:05 +0000 UTC
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