TravelingDreamer

B7—Chapter 42: The Head in the Sand Approach

On our way to the other side of the island, we found a naked body half hidden in the sand. It lay on its front, limbs loose, the muscles defined under a layer of dried salt and sand. Long tangled hair spread around the head like seaweed, and the skin was black. Not African black, which is really dark brown, but a true, ink-deep black. When we crouched closer, I noticed two stubby black horns peeking through the hair.

We turned it over and saw it was male.

I cast Diagnose ...

B7—Chapter 41: Nature’s Fury

On the first two days, we explored the island with the Gate. It was a lovely, untouched place. The trees stood so close together that I had to open the house in its smallest configuration, and even then, it barely fit between the trunks. The canopy above was thick enough to turn the noon sun into a green twilight. It kept the ground level cool, the air heavy with the scent of moss and salt from the sea.

There wasn’t much underbrush thanks to the lack of light. A few stubborn ferns and...

B7—Chapter 40: From Snowstorms to Sandbars

Back at the underground city, I caught up on the hours of sleep I’d missed until I felt human again. When I finally woke, another snowstorm had rolled in. It wasn’t as fierce as the last one, but it was wild enough—wind howling through the tunnels and snow whipping in every direction. I sighed, muttered a few choice words about the weather, and went back inside to open the house again.

The first day, I gave in to laziness. I spent the whole day with a book. Not one about magic—m...

B7—Chapter 39: Traveling Is All About New Experiences

My red light was blinking, and I didn’t even need to check to know what I would see.

Level up
+3 to all stats
Wizard Battle Master level 15

With a sigh, I closed the window. Had I succeeded in raising the class tier again to a “free class,” I would have gained a new ability. But alas…

With those morose thoughts, I went looking for answers. I combed through my library, searching for books about the elements—the ones I ...

B7—Chapter 38: Elemental Command

Hi guys

Still dealing with Watermageddon 💦 but managed to squeeze in a bit of writing between the chaos.

By tomorrow, it should all be behind us, and I’ll just have to deal with the aftermath — a minor flood and a herd of workmen stampeding through the house.

Hopefully, I’ll get the missing chapter written tomorrow, and if not, then Saturday.

Have a great day,
TD ✍️

>>>>>>>>

After my progress with Fir...

Update 2

Hi guys,

Well, the problem is bigger than it looked at first.

They need to lift half the floor and the work will continue tomorrow.

So, the chapter is delayed further. I’ll make it up to you once the problem is resolved.

Update

Hi everyone,

No chapter today, I’m afraid.

A pipe decided to explode this morning, and our house is now doing its best impression of a small lake. The plumbers are still at it, and once they’re done, I’ve got the cleanup quest ahead of me.

Promise to be back with a chapter tomorrow!

TD

B7—Chapter 37: Fusion Point

Hey everybody,

You’re getting a second chapter today since they’re relatively short, each one focusing on an element or two.

Have fun,
TD

>>>>>>>>>>

Bolstered by my success with fire, I jumped back into practice after only a few hours of sleep. The next affinity on my list was Wind. It ranked just below Water and Fire in strength and was usually one of the easier ones to handle.

Flying was second nature by now, but it still re...

B7—Chapter 36: Playing with Fire and Drowning Squirrels

Back at the underground city, I headed off to play some more with stones, but stopped halfway to my destination. All my other affinities needed work too, and snow was ice, right? Turning around, I went back outside. Before entering the tunnel, I put on a ski mask, goggles, a scarf, a hat, two pairs of thick wool socks, and another thick sweater under the cloak. I immediately began sweating, and going out into the cold became a blessing rather than a curse.

Finally protected from the col...

B7—Chapter 35: When Giants Mistake You for a Dwarf

The snow started again, and this time it wasn’t just a light fall but a real storm, winds and all. The temperature kept dropping day after day, and it got so cold that even my amazing cloak couldn’t protect me completely. It kept my body warm enough, but my face was another story. Even with the hood pulled down over half of it, my nose felt like it was about to fall off. Sure, I could cover my face completely, but then I wouldn’t be able to see where I was going. Crashing into a tree, o...

B7—Chapter 34: The Art of Fusing Earth and Mana

I did another pass through the books from Earth, this time managing seven before my mind screamed at me to take a break. The books weren’t hard to read, not like the wizard books, but Spirits, they were boring. The content was interesting, at least some of it, but it was written in such a dry tone and academic language that reading it was an unending slog. A few times, I caught myself half asleep, right before my head fell on the book in oblivion. With a sigh, I continued reading. Need must...

B7—Chapter 33: The Bridge Between Science and Magic

Following my partial success in reconciling my meager scientific knowledge with mana to achieve a hint of flight, I headed to my library to look for books on subjects connected to Earth Magic. Not magic books, but books from Earth. I didn’t know enough about the actual substance to do anything with it. Yes, I succeeded in demolishing a couple of castles, but that had been brute force and stubbornness more than actual knowledge. It was time to fix that gap.

I browsed the shelves, runni...

B7—Chapter 32: Applied Field Dynamics: Reconciling Einstein, Newton, and Mana

Mahya burst into the house, eyes wide. “What the fuck?”

I looked at her over my shoulder, still holding the coffeepot. “What?”

“Where the hell are we?”

“Ashara. Mana 27. Threat level low,” I said, finally pouring myself a cup. The rich aroma rose with a promise of salvation, and I closed my eyes for a second, inhaling in pure euphoria. Starting the morning with a flight and no caffeine was a travesty.

“Huh?” she asked, blinking as if the words hadn�...

B7—Chapter 31: Ashara’s Forgotten Halls

The next Gate was five days away, but thankfully, it required only one train ride and some trekking, or in our case, flying. After we secured the tickets for the following day, Mahya left us, saying, “I need to do something.”

“I will look to secure more herbs,” Al said, then headed off in the opposite direction.

Rue and I decided to explore the city’s culinary side. Unlike most places in this world, the witches didn’t divide restaurants by status—anyone could sit any...

B7—Chapter 30: Strategic Laziness with Tactical Intent

We made our way back to the inn, each of us lost in thought. I had no idea what was running through Mahya’s or Al’s minds, but my focus stayed on one question: how to speed up my progress.

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Name: John Rue
Age: 20

Familiar: Rue Level 19

Display Class: Healer Level 20
Healer Spells:

Heal Muscle - 24
Diagnose - 24
Stop Bleeding - 12
Heal Bone - 22
Control Blood - 20
He...

2025-10-14 20:06:16 +0000 UTC View Post

From the Archive no. 6

Tr. MA

Marketplace Anthropology: How Markets Shape Worlds

During my long years of traveling, I have met many Travelers. One Profession always dominates in all the introductions: Merchant. Some have it as a primary Profession, while many have it as a Subprofession, which is not surprising. Traveling takes money, and we all buy and sell a lot. No wonder the Guidance offers us this Profession frequently.  

With this point in mind, I rese...

B7—Chapter 29: When the Same Message Repeats, It’s Time to Listen

I was doing my weekly check in the Archive, shaking my head at the amount of new crap the Travelers posted.

Tr. PPB
You won’t believe it! Turtles attacked my group. Turtles! Not only did they attack us, they were fast and had sharp teeth. Who heard of attacking turtles? It’s an affront to the natural order, and I don’t care what world they are in. Turtles are not attack animals.

Tr. CG
You’re complaining about turtles? I’m right now in a world where the...

2025-10-12 18:33:30 +0000 UTC View Post

B7—Chapter 28: Haunted Drinks and Eavesdropping Plans

After dinner, we were served the same sangria-like drink. This time, I didn’t drink it; I only pretended to and poured most of it into the remnants of the soup. Mahya and Al did. I watched them and didn’t really see a difference in their demeanor or speech. When I drank it on the first night, I felt out of it, but they seemed completely fine. Since I didn’t have an explanation and didn’t think the witch innkeeper would be forthcoming, I let the subject go with a shrug.

In the mo...

B7—Chapter 27: Circles of Influence

In the morning after breakfast, Al pushed back his chair and rose, brushing an invisible speck from his sleeve. “I am going to explore the herbs the city has to offer,” he announced.

Mahya leaned on the table, eyebrows raised. “You’re not coming with us to the circles?”

“I will study them later,” he said.

I turned toward Rue. “What about you?”

Rue flopped down with a groan, head dropping onto his paws. His eyes narrowed, and he gave me the kind of loo...

B7—Chapter 26: Witch Tourism at Its Finest

After another three days on the train, we finally reached the Demesne of House Alila and its capital, Alilada. The train station was more than ten kilometers outside the city, and instead of steam buses, there were open and closed carriages ferrying people into town. They were pulled by the same carnivorous horses I first saw back in the outpost of House Jook.

They were larger than regular horses, with stronger muscles and longer legs that allowed them to move quickly without appearing ...

B7—Chapter 25: Five Circles of Letdown 

After baking Al five different cookies—chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, shortbread, and double chocolate—that he “didn’t eat” but that would tide him over for a while, I switched to other cooking.

Mahya had given me a lot of meat from their foray into the zone, and I hadn’t had a chance to experiment with it yet. I laid out cuts from each type and checked them one by one, poking at the flesh and giving each a cautious sniff. Some carried a clean, earthy scent, ...

B7—Chapter 24: A Sudden Vanishing Act

The trek to the Gate took us a few hours. We didn’t run full tilt but kept a leisurely jog and chatted along the way. Mahya had fun describing each bone she broke in the pissbucket's body, Al talked about his work in the alchemy lab, and I shared stories about patients I’d treated and a few other anecdotes from working in the Healing Hall.

Although we were invisible with Stealth engaged and chatted telepathically, some monsters and spawnies had senses sharp enough to know we were th...

B7—Chapter 23: Pissbucket Justice

The flood of patients continued for another day, and then it slowed. It didn’t stop completely, but finally, the reception area was empty, and the ER was enough. I was dead tired again, hardly standing, but this time I had no intention of sleeping in the clinic. The last comedy of illogic with the couch was enough for me, thank you very much.

I slogged toward the residence Mahya and Al had rented to get some sleep. Inside, I came face-to-face with the fiery teddy bear, only in his und...

B7—Chapter 22: Teddy Bear of Fire and Fury

When I woke up, the insanity was still affecting the clinic. I pushed open the treatment room door and stepped into the hall, where Rue walked with a floating stack of linen bobbing above his head.

“Good morning, buddy, what are you doing?” I asked, stretching my arms and stifling a yawn.

He gave me a sharp side-eye, ears flicking in irritation. “John is silly. Now is not morning.”

“My mistake. Good whatever. What are you doing?”

“Rue helping...