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It took several minutes before any of the birds seemed to respond; Serenity wasn’t certain if that was because of how far away they were or because they were thinking. Regardless of the reason, Serenity kept the signal floating in the air. It was a continual drain on his mana, especially since he kept it rotating so all of the birds could see it, but he wanted it to be very obvious who sent the signal.
Compared to his mana pool, it wasn’t that bad, a...
2022-06-24 22:59:53 +0000 UTC
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Serenity did return to the Tutorial in the morning, but nothing he tried told him where the problem was. In his free time, he scoured the Mages’ area and even sat in on some classes, but nothing seemed out of place. None of the instructors he was willing to ask had seen anything either, and Serenity knew he didn’t want to ask most of the mages. Even if they weren’t the cause, they might talk.
Serenity considered it likely that the anomaly was c...
2022-06-23 23:11:18 +0000 UTC
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The following day, the group traveled with Mr. Williams to Aviemore, Scotland, with several stops on the way to explore dungeons. Serenity found it invigorating, but he still couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something he needed to do.
That evening, he ventured into the Tutorial. It’d been a few days since his last visit, and he was starting to feel like he was falling behind. He really needed to be doing several Tutorial visits a day. It would...
2022-06-22 22:48:31 +0000 UTC
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The man ran at Serenity, giggling. Serenity wasn’t entirely certain if he was insane or if there was a deeper meaning behind his words and actions, but that didn’t matter; Serenity wasn’t about to let the man reach him. Any chance he’d had to resolve this semi-peacefully was gone.
So he Evoked the physical shield spell he’d stored that morning; it seemed like he could store a physical shield and a magical shield just as well as the pair of Quic...
2022-06-21 23:02:40 +0000 UTC
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No, no jokes about 'Chapter Not Found'.
Well, okay, maybe one. That one.
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The hole in the ground had a smooth slope leading down into a tunnel that was seven feet in each dimension. Serenity took a good look at it; getting earth to simply stay in place like that with such a large span wasn’t easy.
The walls seemed to be packed earth, coated with a hardened substance Serenity didn’t recognize. Basic Identify didn’t give him any information,...
2022-06-20 22:49:00 +0000 UTC
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“Some of the crustaceans will probably escape the killing field; if they’re smart, they’ll ignore the loaders to get at the gunners. So we need to have a barrier that will stop them long enough to kill, even if there are large numbers coming at once. Or at least slow them down; that will be enough. I don’t know why we have several construction sites’ worth of equipment, but we should use it.”
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Behind the dirt piles lay an obst...
2022-06-19 22:55:22 +0000 UTC
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Mr. Williams seemed to chew on Serenity’s statements. As Serenity was about to return to the problem at hand, he asked one more question. “If you’re not worried about mammals or insects or any sort of monster, what are you worried about? Birds? They don’t burrow.”
Serenity grinned for a moment. The frustration in the liaison’s voice was obvious. “Some do, but this would be more than I’d expect. No, what I’m worried about is reptiles. Th...
2022-06-18 22:38:24 +0000 UTC
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Helios cheered as he found his second target. It was hidden in an illusion on top of a tall building, but Helios’s power included Sight, as the Sun should. It should be a far less annoying fight than the monkeys, since he could simply call down the Light of the Sun on his enemies. He didn’t care about any that were sheltering in the building; all he cared about was the portal, and it was right there. He could destroy it at the same time he killed them!
2022-06-18 22:36:05 +0000 UTC
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After the fight, Serenity finally had his first chance to get a good look at the man they’d rescued. Leroy was at least a decade older than Tom. He was several inches shorter than Serenity, even in his human form, but seemed to be strong as well as sturdy and fit. He was dressed in camo, just like Tom, though it was clear all of his pockets were empty. Although he was blond and pale-skinned, Serenity wouldn’t have been able to place his origin as anything ot...
2022-06-17 23:13:18 +0000 UTC
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It was easy to find the point where the trail split; while Tom had stayed on the road, Leroy had hared off into the forest, running into and through brush. There was a clear path leading away from the road, even if Tom and Rissa didn’t immediately see it.
Serenity wasn’t certain if he should credit himself with any special ability, there; he’d simply been out in the wilderness more than either Rissa or Tom, who seemed to be from a city. He probably ...
2022-06-16 23:01:00 +0000 UTC
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:What’s next? I don’t see or feel any others.: Rissa walked over to Serenity, still talking to him telepathically.
It was remarkably convenient.
:Next? We try to find the soldier. Assuming that’s who was running from these men. He’ll know something; that’s the way Events work. The thing is, we’ll have to convince him to tell us. I’d rather we talk him into it.: Serenity stopped, unsure how to continue.
Rissa laughed out loud. :W...
2022-06-15 23:00:13 +0000 UTC
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A voice called out from the trees. “Run, strangers. They’re scouts for an army, maybe you can get away from them. Get to Aval; they’ll send help.”
Serenity could hear the voice getting farther away as it spoke.
It was obvious what the man wanted; whether they got help or not, they’d have been seen by the forces headed their way. They’d have to split up to chase them, or simply follow the people on horseback. The man on foot might have a ...
2022-06-14 22:51:32 +0000 UTC
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“Reinforcements like us. That sounds good, but how do we do it?” Rissa hadn’t looked away.
Serenity reached into the saddlebags for a map case. He doubted Rissa had even recognized what it was, but waterproof containers for paper were quite common off Earth. “We check the map. I made sure to get an Effran map; that way, we know what they’re working from.”
He’d gotten a lot more than just an Effran map. It was the one thing so far that ...
2022-06-13 22:57:58 +0000 UTC
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As Serenity appeared in the dungeon, he felt a sudden flash of extreme pain. Something was trying to dissolve a part of him.
Serenity immediately jumped to a conclusion: it was an Event dungeon and they were entering with a specific affiliation. Why hadn’t he realized that they would be equipped appropriately for the affiliation?
The dungeon was trying to replace the armor he was wearing with its own, probably to fit the scenario. Unfortunately, ...
2022-06-12 23:07:05 +0000 UTC
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The news was convincing enough that the Librarian agreed to consider releasing some information “depending on how the future goes”. It wasn’t what Serenity hoped for, but it wasn’t a complete loss, either.
The Librarian was not nearly so reticent with information about the man who tried to buy his books. Indeed, he seemed to take a positive joy in sharing it. Unlike Frank, the Librarian had more than a phone number that was no longer connected; he ...
2022-06-11 22:51:09 +0000 UTC
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The old man led the way out of the small, book-filled room and into a room that featured a desk with a computer; it felt almost anachronistic after the previous room. The wall to the left was filled with books, but they were all modern. The wall to the right held a single recliner; the old man waved them towards it before turning the chair in front of the computer to face it and sitting down. “I’m not set up to have company. I don’t talk business here if...
2022-06-11 22:47:26 +0000 UTC
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Serenity floated in darkness. It was simply becoming normal, now; this was how it was when he talked to a dungeon core. Maybe he should talk to Aki; was it possible to decorate this space so it was a little less blank? Or was it not even a real space?
“Who are you?” The dungeon’s question came from the darkness; a point of light appeared that simply served to illuminate its crystal from within.
Time to get started. “I’m Serenity; I’m her...
2022-06-10 22:49:43 +0000 UTC
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[Dungeon: Quiz Maze]
[Learning is best when it’s used, and second-best when it’s fun! Come and see how well you’ve learned your facts in the Quiz Maze!]
[Status: Stable]
[Tier: One]
[Levels: One]
[Type: Maze, Knowledge]
[Group Size: 2 to 6]
[Maximum group slots: 30 per day. Number used to...
2022-06-09 22:56:11 +0000 UTC
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Today is the 1-year anniversary of my first post of this story. Hard to believe it's been that long - and also hard to believe I've somehow managed to put out a chapter every day since then (plus another almost-fifty for Patreon)!
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When they reached the Echoes of Big Ben entrance, they found only a sign that said “All available slots for Echoes of Big Ben have been used for today. Please come visit us later or find us online ...
2022-06-08 22:53:25 +0000 UTC
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Before they removed the spell protecting the portal, Serenity took some pictures of the room and had several other people take pictures as well. He then showed them to the people on his team who couldn’t see that part of the room.
They were easily able to see the diagram on the floor in the pictures he and Rissa had taken, but the pictures everyone else took were missing the portion of the room that held the diagram. Knowing that, Serenity asked if t...
2022-06-07 22:36:38 +0000 UTC
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Helios jumped from a roof to the cliffside to the top of a damaged wall. The monkeys were right behind him, but this time he had a plan. This was the third group he’d led into the same trap. Helios started calling on the Sun to send down its power. Some of the movements hurt; he clearly needed to practice the spelldance more often, but at least he wasn’t tripping over the words.
They might be smarter than the monkeys he’d known before, dressed in a...
2022-06-06 22:58:45 +0000 UTC
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Helios swore. How were monkeys so powerful? Yes, there were a lot of them, but they were just monkeys! They were less than a third his height and far less than that in mass, there was no way they should be holding up against him in physical combat, yet they were. Fine, he was facing them four and five at a time and winning, but still!
Helios was a god! This was ridiculous! He hadn’t even found the portal yet; he was going to have to kill all ...
2022-06-05 23:44:02 +0000 UTC
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Helios grinned as he waved the silly message away. A challenge was exactly what he needed to get his blood pumping again! He hated these modern times; it was going to be so good when he could use his full power again, instead of limiting himself to dribs and drabs, but he could already feel the magic levels rising. They wouldn’t hit the level for his full power for a long time, but he already felt the warmth where he’d been growing cold...
2022-06-04 23:04:14 +0000 UTC
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“Aftereffects? I haven’t noticed any issues with magic.” Magic on Earth seemed pretty much like magic elsewhere. Serenity was sure he’d have noticed if it was different.
Psyche shrugged. “You use internal magic. I felt that when you triggered the token. It’s pretty clear you can use external magic, you are right now, but you’re from Earth; the damage probably seems normal.”
He was using external magic right now? Serenity ...
2022-06-04 22:59:16 +0000 UTC
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Gaia’s suggestion was a good one, but Serenity wanted to do as much preparation as he could. Unfortunately, he wasn’t powerful enough to face a god on his own, even a “local deity”. Maybe one that had been weakened by centuries spent on magic-poor Earth might be someone he could handle, but he didn’t want to count on it.
A glance at his Titles made him shake his head. He’d already consulted Gaia, he had no way to reach Rhea or Tzin...
2022-06-03 23:03:29 +0000 UTC
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Serenity checked the farside portal while Rissa did whatever she was doing. He knew it had to do with her Time and Mind specialties; she’d tell him the results when she was done.
The portal was fine; it seemed nearly unchanged from its previous condition. There was a little less energy stored, but that made sense; the portal was only going to last so long. He didn’t find anything amiss until he decided to recheck the information on Earth’s portals....
2022-06-02 22:46:22 +0000 UTC
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Rissa was indeed still asleep when they landed near the Traa portal. Serenity was met by the limo service Janice had arranged and driven to the Traa portal.
The car couldn’t get close enough for Serenity to get a good read on the location data from the portal. It was fortunate there was no perimeter set up around the site; Serenity had half-expected that he’d have to talk his way in. He knew he probably could, but he was happy to not have to.
He ho...
2022-06-01 23:17:02 +0000 UTC
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Russ turned to his daughter, obviously puzzled. “What’s wrong with it?”
Rissa took a gulp of air and tried to stop laughing. “It’s a translation.” After another gulp, she seemed to have it more or less under control. “I bet it was originally something like “each time a Seer is born, a Child of Time is born.”
Russ frowned. “How is that different?”
Rissa was still grinning broadly, but she was no longer gasping from laughter...
2022-05-31 22:38:01 +0000 UTC
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“One of them lets me borrow a Skill from someone bound to the Dungeon and make it an aura for an entire level. It’s normally used on monsters, to make a Monster Ruler’s Rulership ability extend throughout the whole level. It has to be taken each time it applies and it only applies on that level, but I’m sure you can see the benefit. There are some other issues with it, but it would be a good start for sharing a Skill with a group of monsters....
2022-05-30 22:40:22 +0000 UTC
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“You did what?” Agent Price stared at the other two agents. He knew it shouldn’t come as a surprise, but for some reason he’d thought this was going to end in arrest, not summary execution. Yes, Serenity was an alien and probably an accessory to kidnapping or murder, even if he didn’t perform it himself. That didn’t mean he needed to be treated differently than any other criminal.
“Killed the alien.” Agent Smith shrugged. “Probably, at lea...
2022-05-29 22:52:34 +0000 UTC
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