With Dean and Jerrick stashed with DeanÂ’s family, Jason decided he had time to stop at his lodgings before getting to business. He was weary, heavy with the blood of the men he killed, even after the crystal wash had cleaned it away. He took a long, luxurious shower and, with a fresh change of clothes, went for lunch with Farrah, Gary and Rufus in their suite.
Madam Landry sent lunch up in the dumbwaiter and they went out to the balcony. Since Jason became an adventurer they wer...
2019-10-07 22:01:00 +0000 UTC
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JasonÂ’s path back to the city was a long one. The lumber region was on the far side of the delta and he had Dean alongside him, as well as the suppression-collared and manacled Jerrick shuffling behind. Jason considered commandeering a cart from Clementson but decided he'd rather walk than deal with the heidel he would need to pull it. As for Clementson himself, Jason left him behind. Another person would be unmanageable, and Clementson wasnÂ’t going anywhere. Without his lumber mill,...
2019-10-06 22:01:03 +0000 UTC
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Here are the master lists for Jason's revealed abilities, which will be updated as new abilities are revealed. These links can also be found pinned on the announcement on the discord. Note: This is current for ALL advanced chapters, and includes SPOILERS for those who have not yet read them.
Essence Abilities
2019-10-04 13:25:38 +0000 UTC
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The glass doors at the front of the clinic opened up. Deftly using his aura, Rufus pressured the crowd away without distressing them. He led the way outside, flanked by his adventuring companions, Jory, and Neil Davone. They stood in front of the doors and waited. Jory explained to the crowd that there would be a delay with the clinic opening. People started asking him to make exceptions, and Gary stepped out.
“It’s an unfortunate situation,” he said, daring anyone to disagree...
2019-10-03 23:00:02 +0000 UTC
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The Temple of the Healer in Greenstone was one of the central temples on the Divine Square. Inside, a man named Neil Davone was making a stand.
“I won't be a part of this,” he declared to the Chief Priest. “This isn't about serving the Healer. I spend my days following around the most petty noble in Greenstone, so I know what power and ambition look like.”
The Chief Priest had all the temple clergy arrayed behind him, ready to move out. He looked at Neil with a dismissi...
2019-10-02 23:00:02 +0000 UTC
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The lumber region was on the south side of the river, in the eastern parts of the delta, furthest from the city. Jason had long been refining his long-distance running style, that employed the weight-reducing power of his cloak. It was really more like a series of floating, horizontal hops over whatever surface he was crossing, be it land or water.
HeÂ’d been through enough of the delta that he had most of it mapped out and he could save time by taking direct routes instead of fo...
2019-10-01 23:01:00 +0000 UTC
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The Adventure Society campus was an unusual bustle of activity as Jason made his way to the jobs hall. It was normal to see people wandering about, but there was a preponderance of Society officials moving about in a harried fashion. The marshalling yard was normally an open space where groups would meet up, but it was now covered in tents and surrounded by temporary fencing.
Outside the jobs hall, he found a notice that the marshalling yard was temporarily off-limits. It directe...
2019-09-30 23:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Jason let out a contented sigh.
“This is nice,” he said, then picked up a sandwich and bit into it.
The picnic at the IslandÂ’s park district had plenty of people. Danielle Geller was at a picnic table, which she was sharing with Thalia Mercer, Rufus and Vincent. Jory was sitting at another table with Clive and the brother-sister pair of Rick and Phoebe Geller. Gary was sitting in a folding chair with a sandwich the length of JasonÂ’s arm.
“You know you could cut that int...
2019-09-29 23:00:01 +0000 UTC
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The sphere of shadows was short-lived, but Jason made the most of it as he danced among the blinded Ustei.
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- Special attack [Leech Bite] has inflicted [Bleeding] on [Ustei Warrior].
- Weapon [Ruin] has inflicted [Vulnerable] on [Ustei Warrior].
- Weapon [Ruin] has refreshed [Bleeding] on [Ustei Warrior]. [Bleeding] will absorb more healing before being negated.
...
2019-09-26 22:03:17 +0000 UTC
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There is an audio recording of my book that should go up some time tomorrow. I will also be doing a live-stream Q&A over the weekend, if anyone has any burning questions. The time is as follows:
- 7am Sunday, my time, GMT+10. Look at what I do for you. Seven in the morning on a Sunday.
- 11pm Saturday, Namibia.
- 9pm Saturday, UTC.
- 5pm Saturday, US Eastern.
- 2pm Saturday, US Pacific.
Both the recording and the Q&A will be fou...
2019-09-26 09:46:36 +0000 UTC
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Cassandra Mercer awoke to the sound of crockery and cutlery being laid out in the next room. She swung her legs out of bed and got up, stretching. She didnÂ’t want to put on fresh clothes before she had a shower, so she put on the only article of clothing she could see at a glance; JasonÂ’s shirt she had tossed aside the night before.
She stepped out onto the balcony to look out on the guild district street, busy with early morning traffic. Her normal routine was to start the day...
2019-09-25 23:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Rufus was at the Geller Estate, discussing property development for the Geller family/Remore Academy joint training facility. In a conference room, he sat across a table from three members of the Geller family, while he was alone.
“There is plenty of unclaimed, undeveloped territory adjacent to the Geller Estate,” Rufus said. “Just give us a location that works best for the changes you want to incorporate, and we can go from there.”
“I know you have a good relationship...
2019-09-24 23:00:01 +0000 UTC
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“I think I’ve found something,” Humphrey called out and the others moved over to join him.
“Look at this,” Humphrey said, pointing to the wall. “See how the mould has grown in the crack between bricks, all the way down this line?”
“Secret door?” Jason asked.
“That’s what I’m thinking,” Humphrey said. They glanced at each other with mirrored grins.
“Let me take a look,” Clive said. He started drawing in the air with his finger, a magic circle began...
2019-09-23 23:01:00 +0000 UTC
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“This construction completely predates the founding of Greenstone,” Clive said, examining the side of the passage they were in.
“Maybe if we look around,” Jason said, “we might even find something more interesting than a blank, brick wall.”
“The construction itself is fascinating enough,” Clive said. “Are you familiar with the Sky River Aqueduct? The building techniques are identical. There’s no mortar connecting these bricks, yet they form a watertight seal. Reme...
2019-09-22 23:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Today's chapters bring the double-chapter fortnight to a close. The response you have given they story is amazing and I'm more grateful to all of you than I can express. Or maybe I can; imagine a huge, hyperbolic metaphor that seems so massively overwrought that you kind of lose track of what it was all about in the first place. Plus explosions.
Next week will see the resumption of the normal schedule; the only extra content for next week is for the author-tier and consists of more slee...
2019-09-20 00:56:54 +0000 UTC
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“I couldn’t find anything even resembling an entrance,” Jason said as the trio regrouped. The others shook their heads, having fared no better.
“Probably some kind of extended lair,” Clive said. “A lot of creatures in this environment, monster and animal both, are just as happy in the water as out. Some like to dig burrows and stash prey for later consumption. The entrance could be in any direction, and is probably underwater.”
“Any suggestions?” Humphrey asked.
2019-09-19 23:00:01 +0000 UTC
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For the first time, Jason walked past the one-star contracts in the jobs hall to the two-star notices further down. It was a much smaller section, and looking further he saw the solitary three-star noticeboard had no jobs at all.
Looking over the notices, most were regular monster hunts with some kind of complication. The most common was a requirement to avoid damaging whatever valuable thing the monster had chosen to nest in.
Jason frowned as he read a certain contract. He...
2019-09-19 22:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Jason spotted Phoebe Geller as he was walking through the grounds of the Adventure Society campus. She gave him a wave and approached.
“There’s an expedition being set up to go after that sand barge,” she told him after they exchanged greetings. “We’re going to find out what the Ustei tribe are doing this far south and stop them from raiding any more spirit coin shipments. It’s a big group, with a silver rank in charge. Want me to get you on the list?”
“Absolutely,Â...
2019-09-18 23:00:59 +0000 UTC
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“I like the enthusiasm,” Ernest said to Humphrey, “but we shouldn’t immediately rush to battle. What do you think, Phoebe?”
“Our options are run or fight,” Phoebe said. “Their skimmers may have been faster than ours, but there’s no way a sand barge would catch us.”
“What do you think, Humphrey?” Ernest asked.
“That barge was larger than any vehicle I’ve ever seen,” Humphrey said. “I’ve heard of the nomad tribe barges, and this was everything promised....
2019-09-18 22:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Jason looked around and saw that multiple sand skimmers were converging on the three occupied by his group. Compared to their own skimmers, the ones pursuing them were made for passengers rather than cargo, with extra seats and awnings to shield them from the sun. Jason grinned, knowing they were about to pay for the comfort the shade offered them. The other skimmers were also faster, not weighed down by shipments of coin.
“I can’t feel their auras at this distance,” Jason cal...
2019-09-17 23:00:02 +0000 UTC
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After half a day of trudging through the desert, the group finally spotted the spirit coin farm. From the outside, all that could be seen was a high wall. It was still some distance off, but the group appreciated a landmark in the featureless ocean of sand.
“How exactly does a spirit coin farm work?” Jason asked. “Spirit coins don’t grow on trees, do they?”
“You really don’t know?” Mose asked.
Mose Cavendish was the elf who fired off the vortex bomb of fire an...
2019-09-17 22:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Chaos erupted as the sand came to life all around them, surging like waves. From the empty desert, they were suddenly surrounded, the sand rising up to take a variety of crude forms. None were any larger than a person, but there were dozens of them, from crude torsos like half-melted snowmen to sharks swimming through the sand like it was water. The shapes were all poorly formed, without delicate features.
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New Quest: [Elemental Ambush]
2019-09-16 23:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Note that the biscuits referred to in this chapter are actual biscuits, i.e. the things everyone but the US calls biscuits. Sorry, America, but your biscuits are scones. Don't make me do a whole side chapter where the god of baked goods has to explain what biscuits are. If you have to, just think of them as cookies. But they're biscuits. I talked to everyone on the discord, and they all agreed; they're biscuits, and what Americans call biscuits are scones.
The ...
2019-09-16 22:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Jason walked through the Adventure Society campus with a recording crystal floating over his head.
“…looks a lot like a university campus,” he continued narrating. “It’s more about child soldiers than education, though. Not super-young; more America than Sierra Leone. Late-mid teens.”
The marshalling yard came into sight, where a number of young adventurers were loosely gathered.
“As you can see, late teens. The big one with the bird on his shoulder is my frien...
2019-09-15 23:01:00 +0000 UTC
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"Mr Asano," Gilbert greeted, "always such a pleasure."
“Morning, Bert. Your message said you found something for me?”
“Ah, yes,” Gilbert said, looking reluctant. “Loath as I am to refer you to my brother, he does have something that meets your specifications quite neatly. Of course, I could offer you something adequate myself, but adequate isn’t the Gilbert’s Resilient Attire for the Discerning Gentleman way.”
Gilbert held out an envelope for Jason to take.
2019-09-15 22:01:00 +0000 UTC
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Here are last week's chapters in PDF.
2019-09-15 15:48:47 +0000 UTC
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“So,” Clive asked, “the original sanguine horror came from the full creation process? The sacrifice chamber, the alchemy pit, the whole thing?”
As he talked, he enthusiastically gesticulated with a fork, a piece of fried sausage skewered onto the end.
“The whole thing,” Farrah said.
The large suite shared by Farrah, Gary and Rufus included a space with a large dining table. The three of them, plus Jason and Clive, were eating the breakfast Jason had brought upst...
2019-09-12 23:01:00 +0000 UTC
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The balcony for JasonÂ’s suite was not as expansive as the one Rufus, Farrah and Gary shared, but it was still more than large enough to put out a reclining lounger. Being on the opposite side of the building, JasonÂ’s balcony looked over the street instead of the water. The sounds of the guild districtÂ’s bustling daytime activity came in through the balcony doors as Jason opened them up.
He was ready for a lazy afternoon, with a colourful, short-sleeved shirt, and loose, knee-l...
2019-09-12 22:00:59 +0000 UTC
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Jason was heading down the tunnel from which he had heard the screaming. A bellowing roar came from the same direction, but it definitely wasnÂ’t made by a ratling. Jason moved forward, taking care with the wet stone of the walkway and the slimy fungus underfoot. He was still in complete darkness.
At a junction ahead, a ratling sprinted out. Some kind of tentacle snaked after it, wrapping around its ankle. The ratling tripped and was dragged, squealing, back into the tunnel. Jaso...
2019-09-11 23:00:02 +0000 UTC
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Stone-chewer rats were around the size of house cats, with grey fur, protruding teeth and oversized, talon-like claws. Jason watched as a half dozen of them struggled to scratch away the leeches digging into their flesh. One writhed around until it fell into the water.
“Colin, what did I say about letting them go in the water?”
The rats, it turned out were heavy, and after falling into the water didnÂ’t come back up. The leeches on them had no such problems, crawling out ...
2019-09-11 22:00:02 +0000 UTC
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