N. G. Blackwood

Chapter 20 - Like we used to

Erik finished telling her what he had gone through, and Freya was no less surprised than he had been when it had happened to him.

"I've never heard of a Horror or an Accursed Nilgrims being inside a First-Rank Whisper..." she mumbled, still in shock.

"Yeah..."

"By the Exalted! How did we find ourselves here?" she mused dejectedly.

Erik gave her a thoughtful look. “I don’t suppose you’re here for the same reason I am?”

“Taron?”

He sighed deeply. ...

Chapter 19 - Who's there?

"Who's there?" Erik said in alarm.

Wait! This voice...

He got up as quickly as he could, his eyes struggling to adjust to the dark cell. There was only a small window with iron bars at the top of the far wall, the daylight coming from it, barely illuminating the space.

The dungeon room was completely made of stones, inscribed with runes that had long lost their properties.

And just as he got up and searched for the source of the voice, he noticed the figure th...

Chapter 18 - Friend or foe?

Erik stood wide-eyed. He wasn't sure what he was looking at.

The snowman, on closer inspection, was actually a person who was covered in spider threads. But it definitely was not a cocoon, like the one he had found himself in—this was man-made.

But the main reason he knew it was a person underneath was because of the few small parts of exposed skin around the joints and hands and the pair of eyes staring at him.

"H-Hey?" he ventured.

However, the figure turned around...

Chapter 17 - Going for a walk in the dark

Erik woke up rested, refreshed... and unable to move.

He also couldn't see, hear, or feel anything.

What's going on?

Beginning to panic, he struggled to move even a finger, but to no avail.

Curses!

With nothing to do, he waited and prayed that no monster would come for him... if he was even alive at all.

Time passed painfully slowly. And after a while, he heard a faint and rhythmic noise that sounded like the echoes of water drops on a sto...

Announcements

Bonus chapters:

There will be a bonus chapter released for every 100 patrons of the Talent Holder tier, until we hit 1000! Some of them may be staggered, but eventually all of them will be released.

Discord:

At some point I will do a poll across the platform to see if there is any desire for a Discord channel, if there is. I am going to launch one.

Posting:

35 Chapters already written

3 Chapte...

Chapter 16 - Spiderwebs

The bug was much larger than regular mosquitos and dark grey in color.

They both stared at each other for a few heartbeats. And just as Erik was beginning to think this was some annoying insect native to the valley, the thing gave off a monstrous bellow—the kind that a warrior would make when diving into their final battle, seeking a glorious death.

For a moment, his mind could not reconcile how such a small bug could produce such an outrages roar, thinking that there was some s...

Chapter 15 - Mosquito

Taron’s hammer struck the wooden practice target with inhuman strength. But it remained unbroken. The simple doll was not so simple at all—it had numerous runes carved into it. However, a crack did appear, which was extraordinary for a First-Rank Talent Holder to achieve.

Still, he grimaced, unsatisfied.

He was racked by guilt lately. He hated lying to Erik, especially about the truth behind Talent Awakenings. But it had to be done.

He knew that if he told his friend, he...

Chapter 14 - Watch your step

All four of them were frozen, staring at the new monstrosity that had landed on the roof.

The Shackled King was struggling to untangle itself from the mass of Draugr and its Mischiefs, but it would be free very soon. Even in the chaos, the group could feel the aura of fear it exuded. Their budding Talents were countering it to an extent, but it was not enough. The fear was seeping into their bones.

And the presence of the new abomination did not help.

The black butterfly exu...

Chapter 13 - Grand hall

"Lord Yaren, please reconsider. We've already searched the whole castle. If we do not find it here, we cannot delay further, if—"

"Murin definitely left it inside the Whisper. And we will find it." The voice was firm and unyielding.

Then, a booming laugh echoed from the hall. "Relax, Orik! You worry too much."

Erik crept closer to the large double doors, careful not to step on any bones. They were left slightly ajar, just enough for him to peer inside the gra...

Chapter 12 - Ruins

After Erik made his way through a collapsed section of the wall, he found himself in a small, dark alleyway. Two-story stone houses lined both sides of it, some of which had collapsed rooftops or walls, while others were in ruins.

Staying still, he strained his ears and eyes, but nothing stood out. There was no movement. Slowly, he made his way forward while peeking through some of the windows. Derelict wooden furniture was inside most of the rooms, and there didn't appear to be anythin...

Chapter 11 - Lay of the land

Vidar was reading a report on the latest activities of the explorers when he heard a knock on his door.

"Enter."

Magnus dragged his feet into the office, looking unusually tired even for him. 

Maybe I should give them some time off after this, the branch leader thought.

"I came here to give a status report on the investigation of the unusual world essence activity."

"Go ahead."

"We examined the wards on the guild, and most are intact, but...

Chapter 10 - Draugr Weaver

Before Erik could even grasp anything else about the situation, the skeletal arm collapsed.

He was having a hard time trying to figure out what was happening. Was this the manifestation of a wild Undead or...

"Draugr weaver," he whispered, and his eyes widened.

He looked down at his shaking hands—rough, bloodied, and dirty.

Was he the cause? Had he stirred the dead? Had he used his own Talent for that?

Based on the vague intuition he was getting about his Abili...

Chapter 9 - First step

A few images from the vision of the road made of bones and the onyx chariot flashed through his mind, but they disappeared almost immediately.

His sight cleared soon after that.

Erik found himself standing in a clearing painted in a macabre sight. Two human corpses were on the ground. One was violently mutilated, and the other's head was completely smashed while the body was covered in black runes that were smoking.

And that wasn't everything. Next to them was the torn corps...

Chapter 8 - Gravesight

Erik woke up before sunrise, his pounding headache gotten worse overnight, and now there was a constant stabbing pain in his chest. Any more, and he’d have trouble focusing on anything.

He felt like he had spent the previous day running himself to exhaustion, only to then drink himself into a stupor—judging by his current intense hangover-like state.

With effort he gathered his things, while the little vulture observed him from its perch on the headboard of the bed. Erik had d...

Chapter 7 - Running out of time

"Look who it is! The cockroach is skirting around the city again!" Said one of the younger gang members and the others snickers.

Erik just kept quiet, he almost remained impassive, aside from his jaw tightening.

Freya sighed. “You guys go ahead with the plan. I’ll catch up.”

"You sure about that, Fee? Leaving ya with this one might be trouble."

“I said I’ll catch up. Now go!” She said with slight annoyance.

The gang members grumbled but made their way...

Chapter 6 - Preparations

Erik sighed as he read through the passage from the book in front of him. 

“Well… that settles it. I guess I don't have a choice.”

Last night, after the events in the mausoleum he dragged himself back to his small cabin and collapsed onto his bed, deciding to start working on his problem first thing in the morning.

When he woke up, he set out to do just that. He spent a quarter of his savings at the city library, searching for any information on Talent Awakenings ...

Chapter 5 - Gift

It was the same one Erik had seen in his nightmares and visions—only smaller. It seemed… younger?

Unsure of what to do, he waited to see what would happen. Despite everything, he didn't feel any ill intent from the creature.

The small vulture landed on the ground, blinked a few times and looked around. Its gaze settled on Erik, and they observed each other for a long moment. 

It gave a soft croak, but didn't do much else. 

Erik took a deep breath, steelin...

Chapter 4 - Mausoleum

While Erik was undergoing his Talent Awakening, Vidar—the branch leader of the explorers’ guild—sensed that something was amiss.

“What is this?” He rose from his desk and walked toward the window, his eyes scanning the city for anomalies. Nothing apparent stood out but...

It’s almost imperceptible, but the world essences are agitated... Is someone performing a ritual? This feels like… His thoughts raced.

“NOREEN! MAGNUS!” he called loudly, and...

Chapter 3 - Mirmirsker

There, in the middle of the chamber, was a well made of dark stone, but suspended just above it was an extraordinary seed of what Erik assumed was some sort of a plant. As large as a human torso, it radiated and glowed softly with an otherworldly presence.

The warrior pointed Erik toward the well and said in a bored tone, “Go there and pour a drop of your blood in the water, then look into the Mirmirsker. It will begin once you do.”

He then gave the young man a small knife and...