azazele

Miniarc-Sleepover-1

Alana stared at the clothes spread over her bed with a pensive frown. At the start of the qualifiers, she made a bet with Lourianne Tome, her best friend and possibly much more. In hindsight, it was a ridiculous bet. She didn’t need the money Lou had put up for the wager and the noblewoman had proved many times that she was not to be underestimated. If asked, she could only say that her judgment was compromised when it came to the shameless woman. She always found herself doing things she c...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day-22 (Anna)

The two approached the hutch, crouching to peer at the visible inhabitant. The small golden fluff paused in her meal, turning to watch them in turn with big green eyes.

“Does she have a name?” Cloud asked over Anna’s shoulder.

“Mm. Quill.”

“I see. You know, our brethren do not have names as we know them. They recognize each other through more reliable means. But, as you both live amongst men, you will have to adopt some of their ways, like the more sociable membe...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day-21 (Anna)

“Funny name,” Anna said carefully. She’d been told the name of her temporary teacher was Cloud, but it wasn’t enough to make her drop her guard.

“Strange ways don’t preclude understanding.” Cloud slowly took a seat, grabbing her crossed ankles. “I think this kingdom’s tradition of naming their children anything that strikes their fancy in a moment is much stranger than my own name. Children of the Temple are named after significant events in their lives, events that sh...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day-20 (Anna)

Anna used to think a good night’s sleep was a rare gift.

She had few memories, faint impressions mainly, of the time her family was whole. What she did remember was waking in the middle of a cold night after a body had left their single bed, exposing her to the cold. Along with the biting sensation of the cold breeze penetrating their ramshackle house, she could also recall a large warm palm stroking her head and coaxing her back to sleep. Too large to be her brother.

After she ...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day-19 (Umphrieltalia)

“May I make a request?” Talia asked once Dunwayne and the irate knight left.

“You may always ask, lily.”

“Please do not disturb the peace of the Hall.”

“Oh? Would it upset you?”

“I support its mission. The orphanage that raised me was a net to secure talented disciples to be raised for the benefit of the kingdom. The Hall seeks to improve all. As long as one is willing to work for it, they can become powerful and take control of their fate.”

�...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day-18 (Umphrieltalia)

“Talk about a surprising appearance. I thought I would take all the attention with my flower on my arm but who could steal the room from the grandmaster himself when he decides to grace us.”

Talia had bowed her head the moment she recognized the voice of Dunwayne and straightened up as Kierra finished her greeting. “Good evening, grandmaster.”

“Umphrieltalia,” the Harvest Hero said warmly. Despite his age, the elderly man didn’t give off a hint of weakness in his ton...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day-17 (Umphrieltalia)

“May I?” Talia asked, hearing they had arrived.

“Hmm. Alright,” Kierra said, a trace of warning in her tone. “Be careful. I would hate to damage one of your petals for being naughty.”

The dorm mother nodded in acquiescence. Beneath her closed lids, her eyes glowed as she worked a spell and activated it. Her mana escaped from her palm as she placed a hand on the elf’s cheek. It shortened the distance her mana needed to travel, which was a great boon when trying to aff...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day-16 (Umphrieltalia))

“My duties ran late and I have no plans to change,” Talia said, following the voice to her visitor, Kierra helping her the last few steps with an outstretched hand. She was pulled into a warm hug that still felt overly familiar despite the elf’s attempts to make her more comfortable with contact.

The mannerisms in the capital were stiff, especially amongst those in power who were overly sensitive to watching eyes. Something that suited her fine but would not work if she wanted to ...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day-15 (Umphrieltalia))

The mind, the sacred dominion of the individual. The key to their rise or fall. Within, they sheltered their vulnerable hopes and the secrets that could bring them to their knees. Naturally, they trusted their minds, and expected safety within them. Which made any attacks against it all the more devastating.

An intruder in someone’s home was a violation, an inconvenience. Objects could be replaced. A new home bought if needed. If the intruder intended on violence, all but a life could...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day-14 (Arthur)

Arthur's final chapter! After this, we drop in with Miss Talia and Anna. I was going to give Anna and Earl their own miniarc but it won't be long enough for that

“Oi. Oi, dog. Stop drooling on my floor and wake up.”

Arthur blinked open his eyes, feeling a thick layer of crust resisting his efforts. He wiped his face with his palm, his limbs clumsy and heavy. He blinked rapidly as he sat up, feeling as if a stonehead whale was strapped to his chest. 2022-10-01 01:26:27 +0000 UTC View Post

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day-13 (Arthur)

Content Warning! Nothing graphic but Geneva isn't nice, and allusions to sexual violence are made. I don't know if it's enough to need a trigger warning, but the warning is here. For anyone who doesn't want to read, you can skip to the last couple chapters and understand enough to not be lost in the next chapter.

The air was thick with sweet smelling incense which almost managed to cover the bitterness of the saltweed. The inside looked far better than the outs...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day-12 (Arthur)

Arthur pushed back his chair as the thrall walked in front of him, tail swinging and smiling softly. Her white dress and cute features gave her the appearance of an innocent girl but her usual demure demeanor had been replaced by an otherworldly temptress. A change that suited him fine.

His hands reached for her thin waist but were slapped aside her tail. “Too hasty. We have allll the time in the world. For now, hm. I rather not sully the home of my summoner. She can be rather petty. ...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day-11 (Arthur)

“Hey, Lou. Lou~”

Arthur looked up from forcing William to chug another glass of watered down Herbanacle to an interesting sight. After a delicious dinner, the liquor was brought out, as per usual.

His friends didn’t make the most interesting drinkers. Marthe became somber and quiet once she got drunk, slouching in her chair as she sipped from her glass. He wasn’t brave enough to try and push her past her limit, fearing she’d really try to kill him. He liked his chances a...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day-10 (Arthur)

Arthur had an afternoon to fill before dinner and he did so with errands that he’d put off during the week.

The first thing he did after returning to his room was clean. Not an activity he enjoyed in the least and a skill he didn’t advertise, as it wouldn’t do much for his reputation. Anybody who advertised their skill with a rag and mop usually ended up using them all over the ship by order of the captain.

He had spent most of his life on a ship, where space was limited. Co...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day-9 (Arthur)

Thankfully, Arthur’s overnight guest had vacated his room by the time he returned from washing up. He quickly dressed before heading to the dining room.

Unlike earlier in the year, the expansive room was packed. The end of the initiate year meant no more structured lessons. The lack of scheduling left the younger members of the initiates at a loss for what to do. Some had taken it upon themselves to explore the Hall and Quest, mostly those who needed to find work if they hoped to cont...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day-8 (Arthur)

Arthur opened his eyes only to shut them immediately after. Faint light entered his room through the wooden shutters covering the single window beside his bed but it was still painful, worsening the beast of a headache pounding between his temples.

He twisted in his covers with a groan. A sigh answered him. Arthur furrowed his brow as he looked over his shoulder, taking in the stranger sharing his bed.

A third party would call his lack of recognition cruel as he had obviously spen...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day-7 (Maxine)

It took all of one second for Maxine to realize the meeting was going to be particularly unpleasant. Her visitor did not wait near the door, ready to greet her with a hug like loving family. Nor did they have a smile and firm handshake prepared, as they would for a respected business partner.

Instead, an older woman sat behind the desk, her desk, with the store’s ledger in hand and her legs crossed. Nonchalant but dominant. Declaring she was in control with an ease that said ...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day-6 (Maxine)

A merchant’s day greatly depended on their level of success. If they were successful, they could spend their days leisurely while their minions did their bidding, tamed by gold and ambition.

Marquis Guiness, the richest man in the kingdom, did little managing of his empire anymore. That, he left to his children desperate for his favor while he gallivanted about the kingdom and beyond in search of profit and beauty. He could afford to wake when he wanted, travel where he pleased, and s...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day-5 (Nomad)

Nomad finished his patrol of the garden. And, as always, once he stepped through the front door, Geneva waited for him, standing in the middle of the welcoming room with her arms crossed behind her back and her tail swinging. She smiled at him, flashing dainty but sharp canines.

“The time has come for your lessons.”

Nomad inclined his head. Truthfully, he would rather not give the creature free reign to his mind and his senses. He didn’t think the people of this kingdom coul...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day-4 (Nomad)

Nomad roamed the manor, a silent witness as its residents retired. Bedtime meant something different for everyone. For Gajin, it meant willfully falling into the embrace of nature under the effect of dubious “medicine”.

For Earl, it meant a final sweep of the house before returning to his room. For Anna, the young girl would originally curl up under her covers but, for all the progress she’d made, she had yet to conquer the fear of being without her brother, and always traversed t...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day (Nomad)-3

Nomad woke as his room began to darken with the fading light of sunset. As always, he didn’t rise immediately. His dreams, dizzying marathons of distorted images and garbled sounds, left him unsettled and often confused. It took several minutes of quiet contemplation to remember where, and sometimes even who, he was.

He was no longer a bandit stalking the King’s Road alongside the kingdom’s undesirables. He was Nomad, servant of Lourianne Tome. She had spirited him and th...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day (Gajin)-2

Once Kierra departed, Gajin attended to the rest of his chores, finishing early in the afternoon. He stopped for a late lunch, snatching berries and edible leaves from the plants in the garden. When he was full, he took a seat beneath a sun fan, the flowers that grew so tall they could more accurately be described as little trees, and closed his eyes, simply enjoying being surrounded by nature.

Until the sound of anxious voices disturbed his peace.

Wearing an annoyed frown, the ga...

RFC-Miniarc-An Average Day (Gajin)-1

Days started early for Gajin.

The mistress of the house was an enthusiastic gardener. He had no idea where the woman got the strange plants populating her garden or what she used them for. Such wasn’t his concerns as a simple servant. As her student, it was still beyond his concerns. He was in the first stage of his instruction, which consisted of learning of the plants and how to care for them.

It went beyond the normal needs of good soil, nutrition, sunlight, and water. There ...

RFC-Miniarc-Capital in Crisis 18 (Miniarc End)

“…grow up?” the youngest prince asked hesitantly.

“Yes, Bastian. You are a Harvest prince. Certainly, you didn’t think I’d allow you to thoughtlessly flaunt our wealth amongst the dregs of society forever. It is time you found an occupation worthy of your station. If you do not wish to learn martial arts or study magic like your brothers, so be it, but I will have you do something. And there is also the question of marriage.”

“Marriage?” the teen squeake...

RFC-Miniarc-Capital in Crisis 17

Sebastian surveyed the room like a lord overlooking the fields where the peasants under his governance worked. A comparison that was not too dissimilar, to Angelleen’s chagrin. Theirs was not a happy home but a family built on the foundations of necessity and duty.

As was usual of late, her husband showed signs of exhaustion. Nothing overt, as he was prickly about his image, but to the queen who had watched him for years, the tells were plain as day.

Biggest of which being that ...