Thundar cast spell after spell as the trio stalked toward the battle.
Body enhancement for strength.
Body enhancement for endurance.
Body enhancement for agility.
His magic swept through Theresa; strength flowed into her limbs, her heart thundered, and her muscles tingled. Her entire body felt more responsive. The minotaur also recast Blows of Lead, adding more force to their strikes.
“Okay,” he said. “That burned up a lot of mana; I’ll try and use some m...
2021-12-30 23:33:31 +0000 UTC
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Battlecries echoed through the air.
Weapons were drawn from sheathes.
Thundar chanted his body enhancement spell as the seven dwarves roared as one, lowering their spears and charging the trio. Blunted axes hurtled toward the minotaur.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Theresa struck one from the air with her falchion, while Grimloch’s club smashed the other two to the ground.
Battlecries drew closer as the other teams came ch...
2021-12-30 00:30:56 +0000 UTC
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Theresa stepped out of the forest and into a clearing flanked by Alex and Brutus. Her deathstalker expression was now replaced by one of complete shock. Her boyfriend looked as stunned as she did, like someone had just randomly slapped him. His eyes were darting around, which was exactly what they did when he was trying to puzzle out something on the fly.
Her hands reached out: one fell on Brutus’ head—stroking it to comfort him—while the other slipped into Alex’s. She concentra...
2021-12-28 23:20:54 +0000 UTC
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“Who were you talking to?” Thundar asked as Alex sat back down, fish skewers in hand. “It sounded like someone was yelling down there. Kinda looked like it too.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Alex said.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Alex hadn’t been able to confirm that Amir was pointing the investigation in his direction. While it was true that Ursula had that outburst and said stuff that a demon summoner might say—one who seemed to have a deep hatred of ...
2021-12-25 18:03:45 +0000 UTC
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“I was hoping I’d run into you again,” Alex said, stepping far enough out of his line to avoid shouting, but not far enough to lose his place.
He stood tall, squaring his shoulders and setting his feet. Everything about his body language was meant to display confidence and ease.
‘Did he talk to the officers?’ he wondered. ‘Maybe told them things they could ask me about in that white room?’
His face was relaxed, but he was also scanning Amir and friends, quickly...
2021-12-24 23:48:37 +0000 UTC
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The group went quiet at Isolde’s words; all watched the three centaurs heading for the line of entrants on the field.
“Oh dear,” Mrs. Lu said. “They certainly look…formidable.”
“Indeed,” Khalik said. “Look at their coordination: they move as one.”
“Yeah…yeah,” Alex murmured.
The Mark confirmed what Khalik had said.
As soon as Isolde had pointed out the centaurs, Alex started analyzing their body language with The Mark. The information he...
2021-12-24 00:17:36 +0000 UTC
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“Good job, you prize-winning bastard!” Thundar roared.
Wham!
He clapped Alex on the back so hard that he almost knocked the wind out of him.
“Oof!” Alex grunted. “Are you trying to kill me?”
“Not before The Grand Battle,” the minotaur grinned. “We need your big, beautiful clay friend!” He mimed tossing a chimaera up into the air, then punching it as it fell. “By all the gods, I can already taste that prize money.”
Selina looked up...
2021-12-22 21:55:10 +0000 UTC
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Claygon tightened his grip on Vesuvius’ shell.
Both golem and vulcanchelone shot into the air; flight magic granted the gigantic tortoise speed far greater than normal, and the wind seemed to roar around him.
He swung from side to side, trying to shake the golem off, but Claygon’s grip only grew stronger. Vesuvius glanced at the brass bars of the arena’s cage.
He barreled straight for them at top speed, angling the golem toward the metal railings.
Crash!...
2021-12-21 23:53:37 +0000 UTC
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“Okay, let’s review what we didn’t know and what we know now,” he said quietly to himself.
Before, he had no idea that Vesuvius had a club tail, no idea he could breathe fire, and no idea what spells Tyris favoured.
Now, he had information about all three.
‘Tyris had used four spells in that round. Haste is a third-tier spell and I bet those lava tentacles are third or above since they have so much power behind them. Her ice spell was powerful enough to cool lava r...
2021-12-19 02:15:27 +0000 UTC
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“Well, looks like our companions will be dancing together a little earlier than I expected this evening,” Tyris said as Alex and Claygon approached her. “You think your Claygon can handle my Vesuvius?”
Alex shrugged, wearing a mask of indifference as he examined Vesuvius closely. “I’m a man of magic and science and I’d never want to make a hypothesis without evidence.” He smiled openly. “But, I’m sure I’ll get all the evidence I need soon enough.”
Tyris rea...
2021-12-18 02:19:46 +0000 UTC
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Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Fists slammed into Claygon from shifting directions. Shaleleath wasn’t as fast as Shining Slash, but he was still faster than Claygon.
Alex chewed his bottom lip, and considered the situation.
Had this been a real fight, dropping four fists in a flurry until Claygon punched through the illusions and got to the real Shaleleath, would have been a good tactic. He was capable of cracking a dune worm shell; so cracking Shaleleath with one ...
2021-12-16 23:44:04 +0000 UTC
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The scores came up.
10-6.
10-7.
10-6.
“Alright, there’s one round,” Alex said as the crowd roared; he waved toward his friends and family, making sure it was less ‘awkward little greeting’ and more ‘Khalik addressing the crowd.’
Claygon and Shining Slash went to their respective corners.
He had to admit, his earlier jitters were mostly gone.
‘Right, right, analysis time,’ he thought. Baelin would be hugely disappointed in him if he d...
2021-12-16 00:08:37 +0000 UTC
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Alex and Sim shook hands in the centre of the chamber.
“You should’ve told me you’d be here!” Sim said.
“Well, I don’t think there was really a chance to,” Alex said. “We’ve had, what, maybe ten conversations since I started working at Shale’s?”
“Yeah, good point,” Sim said, looking up at Alex, then eyeballing Claygon with an impressed look. “We do work at different times. Very different times, after all. By the way, did my mother ever get you to ...
2021-12-14 22:38:37 +0000 UTC
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“Next time,” Kybas said. “Next time.”
“Yeah, you gave Khalik a real run for his coin,” Alex agreed. “Damn, I wish you’d gotten third, though. The prize for third was still really good.”
He and Kybas were standing near the entrance to the arena. The others were chatting with Khalik, but Alex had gone over to talk to the little goblin.
“I do too!” Kybas grasped his head in frustration as Harmless watched his master with typical reptilian coldness. “Agh,...
2021-12-11 23:57:44 +0000 UTC
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Harmless and Najyah squared off across the arena cage. The eagle looked regal and deadly, while Harmless looked…well, not very bloody harmless.
Khalik was watching the crocodile closely with his hands clasped behind his back.
Kybas’s large eyes darted from Najyah to Khalik. His goblin ears twitched.
“Who will win?” Mrs. Lu asked. “That crocodile has been pretty nasty.”
“I was thinking about its name earlier: was I hearing right…is it actually name...
2021-12-10 23:17:36 +0000 UTC
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Khalik strode to his side of the arena with Najyah perched on his arm. He moved with confidence, waving to the crowd like he was stepping out for a coronation. Even Najyah looked poised today, like a symbol atop a kingdom’s banner with all traces of her usual mischievousness gone.
The crowd’s reaction was mixed.
Some seemed to take an interest in the new match, but others were already leaving, likely for other events.
But if Khalik minded, he didn’t show it at all.
...
2021-12-09 23:55:30 +0000 UTC
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“No, no, Ozzie!” Mad Stan cried. “To the right! Throw him off balance, girl!”
It was no use.
The gigantic bear-mammoth flailed as Grimloch casually lifted her off her feet and raised her up above his head.
The colour left Mad Stan’s face. “What in all the gods? She weighs…what in all hells do you eat, man?!”
“Everything.” Grimloch snarled victoriously as he shoulder-pressed the gigantic, struggling bear-mammoth’s mass above his head a cou...
2021-12-08 21:27:17 +0000 UTC
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The arena for the Duel by Proxy hadn’t existed a day ago, but here it was: a small arena built of bright red wood. Painted across the outer walls were gigantic, murals of realistic looking monsters fighting other monsters.
Dragons fought giant, white-furred wolves. A kraken grappled with a sea-serpent. A massive wyvern with gaping jaws was trying to bite through a xyrthak’s neck.
“It’s all the big monsters,” Alex said to Claygon as he scanned the paintings. “But no-wai...
2021-12-07 17:04:51 +0000 UTC
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In spite of all the tension the demon summoner’s attacks had caused throughout Generasi, the venue for The Games of Roal was one of the cheeriest looking places Alex had seen in a long time. Well, maybe not as cheery as the Rainbow Tower with literal rainbows shimmering inside, but close enough.
The main tournament grounds were set up on campus to take advantage of the facilities that were already there, like the stadium and sky-track.
Seemingly overnight, an absolute sea of ten...
2021-12-04 23:10:20 +0000 UTC
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“Non-aggression?” Roderich cocked his head. “That goes a bit against the spirit of the tournament.”
“Is it against the rules?” Alex asked, glancing at Isolde who was sitting beside him.
They were meeting with certain members of the Hydra Companions in a remote gazebo on campus. The round table was attended by Alex’s entire team.
“It is not,” Isolde said. “Informal alliances between teams in order to face a larger threat are as much a tradition in the Gran...
2021-12-04 00:39:15 +0000 UTC
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Mr. Lu winced.
Theresa looked at her mother as though she’d just slapped her.
Alex grimaced: he’d kind of expected this might be coming, with how worried she’d been.
“I don’t want to go!” Selina cried. “I don’t want to run away again because of some dumb monsters and demons! I like it here! My friends are here!”
Her brother looked at her in surprise: she’d been pretty ready to leave Alric with him and Theresa, and hadn’t said a word about leaving ...
2021-12-03 00:54:39 +0000 UTC
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Alex took a deep breath. “What does how fast I got here have to do with you investigating a demon summoner?” he asked the officer. “Are you accusing me of something?”
“Oh, no, no, of course we’re not making accusations, it just seems curious that you got here so quickly, and according to the landing records at the port, well before you were to start school.”
“Oh, there’s nothing curious about it. I uh, I just left right away,” Alex said, looking calm even thoug...
2021-12-01 22:08:40 +0000 UTC
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Wizard jail—as it turned out—was an ominous, oppressive looking place.
Alex stared at the structure looming ahead of them.
It resembled The Cells on campus: a big, grey, somber building with few windows, all sealed by metal shutters. Actually—now that he thought about it—he wondered if the campus building was called The Cells because it looked like wizard jail with all of its cells. He shook his head.
The cells revelation might’ve made him knock h...
2021-12-01 00:15:07 +0000 UTC
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“I am not fond of treachery,” Baelin’s wrathful voice filled the room.
Everyone, even Professor Jules, shrank in their seats. Isolde’s eyes looked down at the table, while Alex grit his teeth. He heard Amir’s loud shaky breaths nearby.
A line of senior Watchers of Roal—along with a handful of stern looking investigators from the Generasi Bureau of Investigations—stood behind the ancient wizard.
“I had thought it strange that the second attack only occurred on...
2021-11-28 00:43:31 +0000 UTC
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“Mother, it’s going to be fine,” Theresa insisted. “Just fine. Just like going out for a summer hunt. Actually, it’s even safer than that.”
Her mother paused at the window.
Theresa was alone with her mother for the first time since her parents had come to Generasi. Her father had gone to the market for some fresh bread and fruit for breakfast. She’d told her parents about the top shelf of the pantry being able to keep things cool—so they wouldn’t have to go shopp...
2021-11-27 00:06:08 +0000 UTC
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To say that Amir Abu Saleh looked bad was an understatement. It wasn’t like he was a guy that always looked good since he always looked stressed, rushed and desperate to get himself organized. So if he looked especially bad, he looked bad.
He’d been a helpful—but usually late—supervisor for Alex’s independent alchemical studies last year, but he always seemed to be playing catch up with his own stuff, the students he was tutoring, and his work with Professor Jules.
2021-11-25 23:47:31 +0000 UTC
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Inside the circle, the shimmering intensified.
Hairs on the back of Alex’s neck rose.
The incantation tumbled from his mouth, seeming to complete itself as the final words echoed throughout the summoning room. Suddenly, the temperature dropped, washing the room with a cool wave of air; his breath felt moister, like inhaling and exhaling on a damp and misty day.
His mind whirled, considering possibilities.
Summon Elemental Beetle was a first-tier spel...
2021-11-25 00:26:03 +0000 UTC
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“Earn some what now?” Alex blinked. “Let me get this straight, you want to pay us to join your team?”
“Is that so strange?” Roderich asked. “There’s a long tradition of hiring mercenaries to participate in The Games. In your case, the benefit is doubled: your team would join ours, and you would also cease to be a threat to our chances. It’s only rational. You would gain more numbers—join a team used to fighting the Brotherhood—and we might even be able to field a s...
2021-11-23 22:34:39 +0000 UTC
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“The first fourth-tier spell we will have to worry about is, ‘Planar Doorway’.” Isolde pulled out her notes. “I was not able to get the spell-guide, but I do know that it is a teleportation spell which activates quickly, and can transport the caster up to a thousand feet at a time. It allows them to also transport an equivalent weight of matter, meaning the weight of their equipment—combined with that of any person they touch—which together must not exceed their own weight.”
2021-11-21 00:52:52 +0000 UTC
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Mr. Lu and Alex leaned against a nearby tree, both men watching their loved ones, friends, and friends of friends enjoying each other’s company as they watched Selina running around, playing with the messenger construct.
Alex could have sworn that Najyah—perched in a nearby tree—was glaring at the falcon with a look of…something.
“Do you mind?” Mr. Lu asked.
The younger man looked over as Theresa’s father held up a familiar box of dried herbs and his walnut pip...
2021-11-20 00:47:05 +0000 UTC
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