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Chapter 191: Leaving

Saying goodbye to Floe and Gelo a second time was much harder for Jude than the first. He didn’t cry, but his eyes were puffy and red and he spoke with a degree of husk. Gelo as well had a hard time saying goodbye, not making eye contact and speaking in short bursts. But when the Berserker hugged the cub, they both melted.

It was during that moment Floe took Glenny and Leland aside, out of earshot of the others.

“Does your offer for Gelo to join your party when I am...

Chapter 190: War Council

Leland breathed slowly, flanking him, Jude and Glenny meandered around. They stayed close, but they for sure were not going to take the first step. That was for their fearless leader, Leland.

They had sat out in the forest for a few more hours after Leland returned from the Berserker Lord’s domain chitchatting. Leland went over his time away once more, adding things he wouldn’t tell his parents or the others. Like what each Lord he met was like, some of Isobel’s combat tips, and a...

Chapter 189: Bedside

Aunty P sat beside her youngest niece’s bedside, sipping tea and reading reports. Occasionally, whether it was tricks of the light or Aunty P’s own imagination, she would see movement out of the corner of her eye and hope would rekindle. But no, each time she looked at Sybil, the more her insides were crushed.

Sybil was still in a coma and the protective eggshell, as Aunty P has been calling it, still hung over her. The eggshell was a magical barrier of sorts, colored that ...

Chapter 188: Berserk

In the awkwardness brought on by Leland’s outburst, it was Jude and Glenny who were on their feet chasing after the young man first. Having been friends with Leland for their whole lives, each could count on one hand the number of times he stormed off like that. They both understood, however. Parents, worry, fear. Each was cursed in their own way.

Which was fitting for Leland, right?

They found him at the far end of the forest section of the dungeon, a good fifteen minute run fr...

Chapter 187: Crush

Sitting in Floe and Gelo’s cave, everyone ate a still-steaming hot meal from Diana’s inventory ring. Steak, steak, and more steak… a few vegetables. When was the meal actually cooked? Not even Diana knew. It had been years since she restocked her ring, the magical enchantment making it so the food stayed fresh and hot rather than molded and cold.

“This ring is the most important piece of equipment I have ever purchased!” she said with a laugh, her mug brimming with foamy mead....

Chapter 186: One Step

Standing by the dungeon entrance/exit wasn’t very comfortable. In addition to  the blistering cold, the bright sun and reflecting snow forced everyone to squint, other than the bears of course. So the group changed venues. Spencer suggested opening a portal to Floe and Gelo’s den, but Diana had a suggestion. Still a bit hesitant about Leland’s contracts, she wished to truly see what they could do. Combat wise, of course.

After some deliberation from Leland, he agreed to this ...

Chapter 185: Family

Leland stared into the dungeon entrance. It was glowing red, meaning it was in use.

The group stood within a small cave on a small island, water pooling around their ankles with the soft blue glow of luminescent mushrooms nearby. The red and blue clashed, turning the cave a gentle tone of purple, not too different from how Leland’s own magic materialized.

They had only just arrived, stepping through a portal from Shoutwell to here, but their presence set off a rush of activity w...

Chapter 184: Viewing Glass

“And that is why seaweed is sometimes rainbow in color,” The Humble Hearth’s Captain, Gull, explained to Leland.

Leland blinked a few times, calculating internally. “Wait really? I feel like I would have heard about that before? Just seaweed and Essence of Storm?”

Gull snorted. “How many times have you heard of seaweed outside of swimming at a beach and those restaurants serving raw-fish?” He glanced at Isobel lounging a few steps away. “I can answer for you! None!...

Chapter 183: Friends

Glenny Red stood a few steps ahead of Jude and Spencer. They had drifted back so he could be alone with his mother. Or, at least, a statue of her.

Deep in the heart of Shoutwell’s dark district, for-hire assassins, thieves, poison sellers, and the like lived in the shadows. Some were a part of the local Umbra Guild, others were just looking for a “nice” place to lay low. There was crime, sure, but not out in the open. Those with less-than-savory skillsets didn’t make enemies her...

Chapter 182: Progress

Isobel didn’t have much to say about Leland’s interference with the local guard. They talked briefly about how he was now the subject of a search but that they didn’t need to worry. As it turned out, Noir Stone was more interested in investigating the cult and not the random kid who alerted them to that fact.

That didn’t mean they were safe, or rather, that didn’t mean Leland was safe. A few guards were searching for him, along with Elder Gruff, but not enough to make...

Chapter 181: Soul

The lost soul drifted slowly back and forth, staring at Leland like he was salvation. Leland, meanwhile, felt just as lost.

He internally cursed at the Seraph Lord for tricking him. Wings in exchange for always seeing death? For being the only one around to guide the dead to the afterlife? To hear and experience their pain, to... to…

Tears filled the corners of Leland’s eyes. There was no trick, he had agreed to the contract without truly thinking about the o...

Chapter 180: City

Waiting in line at the shipyard of a new city was something Leland hoped he would never have to do again. At least, if he hadn’t explored the city beforehand. Noir Stone was massive! Sprawling and rich with history and culture, no shop was quite the same, no landmark was forgettable.

People walked shoulder to shoulder in some places, sharing the city with any and all from vastly different walks of life. While humans were still the dominant race around, that didn’t stop envoys or cla...

Chapter 179: Authorities

The port city of Noir Stone made Leland stop in his tracks. It was nighttime when they arrived, but he would never have guessed. The city, sat on the rocky coast, shimmered with lamp light and brazier flame. Even from a few hours walk away, the city looked on fire. Orange smokeless heat and flickering light made the city dance. Roofs were the only dark parts, the streets crisscrossing and fully lit.

Multiple layers of stone raised the city up then down like a mountain while cliffs abrup...

Chapter 178: Requirements

Leland spent the whole of the crow contract learning to fly. With Harbinger Halo  rank sixteen, he could fly continuously for twenty-six minutes. So, with an hour cool down period for nearly all of his contracts, he could not fly without landing and stopping.

Luckily, Leland now had three flying contracts.

The first was with the Lord of Crows, who had practically given away the contract. The second was with the Lord of the Seraph for an… interesting requirement. The third, ...

Chapter 177: Fly

Hunched over with his hands on his knees, Leland swallowed down the nausea from building his lungs. He would have Touch of Regeneration-ed it away, but they were on a public road. Invoking a contract would draw eyes. So, he suffered, morning exercise still proving to be the bane of his existence.

“Kid, you really are weak.”

Leland’s head shot up and he glared at Isobel. She had run beside him the whole time and not broken a sweat. “One of these days—” he sucke...

Chapter 176: Contracts

After a quick dinner and a pantomime conversation with an innkeeper, Leland and Isobel had rooms for the night. They were far from the main square where they saw the Inquisitors, taking up residence at the edge of the town. Isobel had disappeared for a few minutes at one point, stating that she was going “check on things.” She returned with confirmation that only two Inquisitors were in the town.

“They are far from home, meaning they do not have any real jurisdiction. But since th...

Chapter 175: Inquisitors

Departing the wagon, Leland and Isobel were stopped by a driver from further up the caravan. The man, darker in complexion like he had sat in the sun all his life, sauntered over, a grand smile on his face. He started speaking to them in an unfamiliar language. When it became apparent there was a disconnect, the man turned and waved over a younger woman.

The woman wore a sleeveless vest and a wide straw hat. She, like the man, had a great smile. They spoke for a moment before the woman ...

Chapter 174: On the Road

“I spy… something yellow.”

“No.”

“Whaa— Come on, this is so boring!”

“That game is for children.”

“It is not!” Leland said, feeling a bit accosted. “Jude, Glenny, and I used to play all the time on the road.”

Isobel cracked open one eye, still leaning across the wagon seat semi-asleep. “Exactly, a child’s game.”

Leland frowned, feeling as though he walked into that one. Isobel smirked, closing her eye and shifting ...

Chapter 173: Book 3 Epilogue

Eldest Princess Ariadne Palemarrow, otherwise known as Aunty P, sat behind a rune covered desk reading a report. The desk, a gift from Ambassador Joygill of Greensight, was thick and firm. Solid hardwood of some sort, one the magical variants that holds mana and magic carvings longer. It was stained  deep mahogany, a color that reflected Aunty P’s own lips.

It was years and years of brutal purple lipstick that dyed her lips such a color, an homage of sorts to her time as Prin...