QuiteTheSlacker

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 54: A Parade to Remember

The next morning, Lucius and his fellow players were taken back out onto the courtyard, where Sir Roland stood begrudgingly near a carefree Ganelon. The dandy fellow was all smiles and waved toward the players with a hearty laugh and the occasional wink. If it weren’t for what Lucius saw the night before, one might’ve thought his actions to be genuine.

“Welcome back, heroes! I trust your rest has been well?” Ganelon said, leaving them not a chance to reply before blatantly conti...

Another quick update: From now on, I will be releasing chapters a little bit later (at least for me) as my schedule will be changing a bit in the coming few weeks. Chapters will now be uploaded at 8:00PM CST (or 20:00), just so I have enough time to write in the day. Thank you!

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 53: A Schemer's Plight

As the players returned to their rooms, they noticed something odd. The atmosphere in the castle was different from before - more heavy. The servants looked at them with blatant distaste whereas before their prejudices were more carefully concealed; and they hurried by, as if to avoid being amongst them any more than they needed to.

“Wow, they’re not even trying to hide it anymore,” Mili said, leering at them. “I don’t get it. We were all getting along fine and dandy before, s...

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 52: Can't Lose If I Play Both Sides

“What is the meaning of this, Ganelon?” an elder said, their face red with anger. Out of all currently present, they were the ones perhaps the most confused by the situation. Ganelon was by their side leading them but a short moment ago; yet here he was now, sticking close to Ruggiero and treating him as if the two were jolly good compatriots.

Ruggiero, to say the least, was very conflicted by this. Roland and Bradamante were similarly cautious. 

“Oh, come now. What’s...

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 51: Ganelon the High Tribunal

The mood onboard the train was rather down, unsurprisingly. But the players were thankful that they could finally leave the withering land that was Roncevaux Fortress. Goodbye, vomit green skies, and hello beautiful countryside! The farther they traveled, the more life returned to the soil. The bustling townspeople and the swaying fields were a sight for sore eyes—oh how innocent the Frankishmen were, unknowing they would soon need to abandon it all.

It was Ruggiero who had the unfort...

Quick Update: There will be no chapter tomorrow, as I am celebrating Mother’s Day with my family. I apologize for the delay, and I wish you all the best!

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 50: The Stars' Descent

The funeral rites for the fallen paladins were taken care of quickly. They did not wait until nightfall to conduct it, for the people had gone through much, and they didn’t wish to linger over woeful memories any more than they already had.

Ruggiero led the ceremony in Ogier’s place. He wasn’t as experienced as his prior fellow, but it didn’t matter as long as the fallen were given peace. The paladins were too tired, too battered with tragedy after tragedy, to fully concentrate ...

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 49: Rest Now, and Go Onto Paradise

Lucius waited for Ogier to reply, but he appeared to be preoccupied at the moment. The man twitched and shuddered, his eyes rolled back into his head, and he let out an odd, almost bestial, growl.

“Are you alright, my good fellow?” Lucius asked, his hands neatly laid in his lap. “You seem to be a bit under the weather.”

But the Peer didn’t reply. His breathing became more ragged by the second, and soon, a carnal savagery began to emit from his shredded, gaping flesh. His...

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 48: I Cannot Remember Them, Not a Single One

———

Ogier

I cannot remember much of my homeland, for it was at the tender age of ten years that the paladins of Francia came upon my village; and it was also then that they wrenched us away. Away from our homes. Away from what we knew.

The Danes were an isolated people. There were no empires, or emperors. We lived near the brooks and hills, wanting naught but what nature granted us and to prosper while surrounded by our kindred. My time as a Dane was short, but I treas...

[Aegis] Chapter 106: Entering the Complex

“The fashion scene in Caelum has never been particularly developed: not as much as the other nations, at least. For a land as frigid and barren as this, the people valued utility over appearance. This proved especially evident as the wealth gap between the rich and poor gradually deepened over the last few centuries. When one cannot even afford their daily bread, what use is there in flashy silk and fluffy petticoats?

“Grand General Xeros, however, thought differently. While he kept...

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 47: In the Wake of Tragedy

The moment after the Demon of Eye’s death, the souls caught in its bewitchment snapped back to reality and dropped to the ground, dazed and confused. Mangled bodies surrounded them all across the land. Some had disfigured faces, clawed apart until there was naught but exposed flesh, and others still whole were stuck in a frozen expression of fear. It was a terrible sight, but perhaps the greatest tragedy of all was the demon’s final gift.

Memories. They looked at their own quivering...

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 46: The First of the Great Evils: Eyes of Prejudice

Marco’s feet came to a sudden halt. His skin paled; his body shook; and his eyes grew wide as this thing, a demon whose kind had never once shown a hint of consciousness, now confronted him with a voice eerily clear.

“Am I a dirty Saracen? Am I a savage from the Moors?”

A feeling washed over Lucius’s party. It seized them all without relent, wormed its way into their heads and plagued them with a slow, building, creeping sensation that something was off.

“Mister Be...

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 45: Uh Oh

Come morning, the fortress’s defenders gathered at the foot of the wall, as they had always done the past few invasions. Their confidence was high, drunk off the prior victories. One would have never assumed them to be the solemn fellows of but a month before. Now, they grabbed their weapons with vigor, and stood side by side with the newly empowered players who no longer cowered at the rear. They did not need to; for the demons no longer yielded them any threat.

Frankishmen and other...

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 44: Finding Hope

The rites were completed quickly. The paladins and players who had fallen to the demons flew away into the sky, fluttering as beautiful petals of gold and white. The audience bowed their heads like before, but there was no longer a darkness in their eyes; no, rather than grieve over but another weekly sacrifice, the lives here today bespoke of another, brighter, future.

The players would only grow from here - gain more experience both literal and metaphorical. The demons were no longer ...

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 43: Life We Sow

The paladins gathered in front of the fortress by the masses, and so too did the players. Sir Ogier had brought them the occasional demon to practice on; however, this was far different. They could hear the rumbling, pounding, stampede of their foes far out in the mountains. Their bodies felt tight—every little breath was smothered by a heavy dread. The players were covered in light platemail, courtesy of the armory, but such protection did little to ease their minds.

Lucius’s party...

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 42: Dawn of the First Day

Later that morning, the players gradually began to wake up and made their way out of the barracks. The somber memorial of before still hung fresh in their mind, but there was very little a good night’s sleep couldn’t fix. It was the dawn of a new day; their life in the fortress had begun.

One problem, though—they weren’t entirely sure what to do. 

The mission notice required them to help the paladins, yet just the previous day the players were ignored as if they didn�...

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 41: Whispers of the Deceiver

Ogier twisted his face and stepped back, his weapon drawn. The dusk hung high above them. Here, in the dead of night, not a soul was around to interfere.

“I do not take kindly to those who prowl in the dark,” he said, sweat dripping down his brow. Ogier was uneasy. 

Lucius didn’t understand why, though. The gentleman was as friendly as could be. Surely there was nothing frightening about someone like himself, no?

The Peer seemed to think otherwise. He regarded Luc...

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 40: A Quiet Eulogy

Paladins, priests, and players alike flocked to an open courtyard at the heart of the fortress. They stood in silence as a cold breeze brushed past them, swirling in the midst of a faint mist. Not a stone was seen untouched by their boots. Everyone bowed their heads and waited as the grim Ogier stepped forth, acknowledged them with a wave, and prepared the opening rites.

He looked much different compared to his prior attire in battle, or lack thereof to be more precise. Now, he donned l...

[Aegis] Chapter 105: Into the Great Machine

“You know, I was kinda overwhelmed at first, but it aint really all that bad here. You get eight hours of sleep, twelve to work, and then another four to do whatever you want. At least before curfew starts. I make enough to buy myself a nice drink every now and then. What more could you want?”

• A passing conversation between two newly instated Freedmen.

———

The Engineer

After the interview, the Engineer’s proceedings go by quickly. Extra do...

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 39: The Four Great Evils

Lucius’s companions stared awestruck at the dramatic scene. The mild-mannered Ruggiero they had come to know was much more powerful, more bold, than initially thought. He raced across the skies on his steed of metal, and brought deliverance to the gargantuan demon with a single strike of his greatsword of crystal rainbow.

It was no wonder why the Franks had confined him to the castle: a beast tamed was still a beast all the same, especially one forcefully brought under heel. They defa...

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 38: Ogier the Berserker

Lucius had seen all sorts of souls before, from the cowardly to the bold, the big and small alike, but none of them exuded a presence quite like this man: Ogier. The giant. A bearded raider of short sword and fury.

He wore not the bulky armors of metal like the other paladins, but instead bared his round belly for all to see, jutting above a sloppily-buckled leather trouser that just barely fit within his stocky frame. His muscles were large: his gut even larger. He was built like a str...

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 37: Those We Call Demons

The fortress descended into a methodical storm of crunching boots and clanging steel. Lucius’s party had no room to interfere; this was no place for stragglers.

The group had no choice but to retreat back to the barracks lest they be trampled underneath all the chaos. The inside, however, had become just as frantic. Players ran about in a daze, terrified by the sound of bellowing horns, and it was only thanks to Sir Ruggiero that they managed to compose themselves long enough to evacu...

Some ads I drew with my limited art skills

[Aegis] Chapter 104: The Birth of a New Name

“Caelum and Polus are unmatched in terms of their military and territorial size, but that does not mean they are the only ones to exist in the western lands. There are also smaller groups: nomadic tribes, minor provinces, and various hubs where those who identify not with the two nations choose to settle. They are vestiges of the old world, passing on cultures long forgotten, and spend their days without want or need for greater longing. They are content here, living whilst out of sight. 2025-04-26 13:18:59 +0000 UTC View Post

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 36: Roncevaux Fortress

“Jesus… take a gander outside, everyone. It looks like we’re gettin’ close.”

Marco frowned, standing near the window. It was mid-afternoon the day after Lucius’s tea party with Sir Ruggiero. The Hippogriff Express had sailed smoothly through the empire’s lands, but at a certain point, the scenery began to change. There were no luscious meadows, no fields of golden wheat or crop. Instead, the air around them filled with a musky fog, dense, as the soil below devolved into a ...

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 35: The Man From the Moors

A couple of hours after their departure into the sky, Lucius and his fellows were having a very intriguing conversation with the good Miss Brooks. Apparently, not all groups underwent the same Tutorial.

“You folks had to go through some kinda flesh dungeon?” The firefighter said, her face curled in horror. “Urgh, I probably would’ve passed out.”

Mili tilted her head and scrunched her eyes. “Huh, that’s weird. Was it different for you, Harper?”

“Thankfully, ...

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 34: The Hippogriff Express

Finally, the fateful morning had arrived. Lucius made sure to pack the essentials: extra suits (in case he felt like changing his style), a toothbrush, bath towels, combs, handkerchiefs, shampoo, snacks, and of course a pleasant-smelling cologne. The holy empire surprisingly had a large variety of them - Lucius’s favorite was ‘Seductive Wiles of a Devout Daddy’. He swiped it from one of the knights.

By the time he finished, his bag was practically bursting at the seams. No matter....

[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 33: Hope You Enjoyed the Happy Moments Because It’s All Downhill From Here

Before Lucius knew it, a month had already come and gone. It was during the evening of their thirtieth day that Lady Bradamante gathered the players back to the stadium and addressed them with a voice filled with dry indifference.

“You’ve toiled well these past few weeks,” she began. “I was skeptical at first, but most of you managed to meet my expectations. Fast learners, surprisingly. With that, everyone here has officially passed!”

>[Chain Sub Quest has bee...