aeridinae

Before the Storm: Act 3, Chapter 2

Pandora’s Actor sifted through the cacophony of thoughts that came with the Baroness’ party. The locally-made public transportation carriages were nothing new to the Adventurers, but the individuals who emerged caused quite the stir.

He’s so handsome…

That girl with the glasses is just my type!

Eh? They’re making us escort a pregnant woman through Undead-infested woods?

Once the storm of thoughts and body language that could only be...

Before the Storm: Act 3, Chapter 1

Hmm…

“Is there something else I can help you with, good sir?”

“No, I’m good. Thank you for your assistance.”

“A pleasure, as always!”

Not that it’s impossible, but he seems awfully upbeat for a Skeleton…

In the guise of Momon the Black, Pandora’s Actor stole glances at the diminutive Skeleton Merchant across the bars of the counter. He wasn’t sure whether he could be classified as Undead or not. According to his Master, J...

Before the Storm: Act 2, Chapter 14

With a new set of troubles on her mind, Frianne followed Nemel out of the schoolhouse to continue their tour of her village. She was still wary of the Goblins that scampered about, but the Human residents – at least the ones that she could see – paid no special attention to them. Out of the members of her party, Rangobart looked like he was trying to emulate the aloofness of the men around them while Dimoiya seemed to be caught between trying to avoid the little Demihumans and thinking of...

Before the Storm: Act 2, Chapter 13

“I caught up with those entries that arrived while I was away, Lady Zahradnik.”

“What do you think?” Ludmila asked.

“They were interesting,” Nemel said. “It was disappointing to find out that Elena couldn’t qualify for the 897th annual Axis championship. The biggest shock was finding out that the nice guy who kept visiting her at the Imperial Archive was actually the crown prince! And now they’re getting married…it’s a development you’d usually only find in...

Before the Storm: Act 2, Chapter 12

When Frianne emerged from her lodgings the next morning, there was a fluffy thing outside.

It’s a fluffy thing…

She stared at the fluffy thing that stood before her in all of its fluffiness. The fluffy thing stared back at her. It was so fluffy.

Seeing animals in rural territories was to be expected. Warden’s Vale was on the frontier, so did that mean it was a wild animal? She hadn’t seen any wandering around the villages or the harbour before.

Before the Storm: Act 2, Chapter 11

The foundry in Warden’s Vale was located at the end of a seven-kilometre ride to the southern side of the Citadel District. It was fashioned out of stone in the blocky theme shared by most of the buildings in Ludmila’s demesne. Much like everything else, what it lacked in aesthetic sophistication, it made up for in sheer scale. Like the Faculty of Alchemy, it looked like it was constructed out of a series of conjoined warehouses occupying a block of land the size of a town.

“I can...

Before the Storm: Act 2, Chapter 10

The Blacksmiths seemed more than content to feast on crab as Ludmila continued giving Frianne an overview of their metalworking company and its objectives. Frianne sipped on her fourth Summerberry Smoothie of the day – she couldn’t stop drinking them for some reason – pondering Ludmila’s resistance to the Guilds. While it was true that Nobles competed with them for influence, Frianne had never heard of anyone trying to eliminate them from their fief entirely. If anything, being import...

Before the Storm: Act 2, Chapter 9

“Uh…that girl we just passed was being chased by a Beastman,” Dimoiya said. “Is she going to be eaten? She’s not going to be eaten, right?”

Frianne looked over her shoulder through the carriage’s rear window, spotting a girl jogging along the shoulder of the road. A few dozen metres behind her was a hulking Pig Beastman that must have been five times her size. Besides the two, there were no other travellers or patrols to be seen.

It would have made for a nightmarish ...

Before the Storm: Act 2, Chapter 8

With lunch long over, they returned to a much more lively village. As Rangobart had noted, it more resembled an urban centre than a farming community. Most of the population worked in the settlement’s workshops rather than out in the fields and most of the industries present couldn’t usually be found in a rural village.

“It’s harder to tell what’s missing from a regular town than what’s out of place in a regular village,” Frianne said.

“I don’t see any inns,” D...

Before the Storm: Act 2, Chapter 7

“Woo, what a view!” Dimoiya exclaimed.

A gust of cool wind tossed Frianne’s golden locks as they stood atop the village's lichtower. While the view of the Vale was indeed breathtaking, she wasn’t focused on the lake or the distant peaks to the east.

“How far is it to that strip of forest up the road to the northwest?” Frianne asked.

“Four kilometres,” Ludmila answered. “If you’re wondering how much land each village manages, it’s twenty-five square kilo...

Before the Storm: Act 2, Chapter 6

“Perhaps we should have started from the beginning,” Frianne sighed.

“I know that it is a lot to take in,” Ludmila said. “Is there anything in particular I can help you understand?”

“Master LeNez is a bit…”

“Enthusiastic?”

“Perhaps. She reminds me of the researchers in the Imperial Ministry of Magic.”

“Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?”

“In my experience,” Frianne replied, “more bad than good. It may be that she’s g...

Before the Storm: Act 2, Chapter 5

“This is…an ice house?”

A misty sigh rose from Miss LeNez. What annoyed Frianne even more was the look of pity the Alchemist cast in her direction.

“Is that all you can see?” Miss LeNez asked, “Something to be used? Why not recognise it for what it is?”

“It’s cold!” Dimoiya sneezed.

Dimoiya had cast an Endure Elements enchantment on herself, so she shouldn’t have been affected by the temperature. Frianne couldn’t help but agree with Dim...

Before the Storm: Act 2, Chapter 4

Mmm, so good…

Frianne walked out of her guest villa – calling it a guest shophouse felt too weird – feeling a sense of relief she hadn’t known she needed. Ludmila walked out behind her and lightly shut the door before strolling back with her to the row of outlets on the western side of the too-large village square. They came across Dimoiya sitting in one of the shaded benches facing the shops, taking notes on some sheets of summoned paper.

“You’re not going to...

Before the Storm: Act 2, Chapter 3

After dinner, Frianne took Ludmila’s suggestion to retire early for the night to get some much-needed rest. She spent three hours writing a summary of the trip for the Court Council before passing out, and when she woke up in the morning and re-read it, she was certain that everyone back in Arwintar would think she had gone insane. Their journey up and down the Azerlisia Mountains, while only lasting two days, was one that would have taken months of conventional travel.

Ludmila’...