LiseEclaire

Quod Olim Erat: The Cassandrian Theory (Chapter 11)

System XNBBl-2, Cassandrian Space, 625.2 A.E. (Age of Exploration)

There was nothing of major interest in the asteroid belt until I approached closer. After a long series of arguments and referenced comparisons I’d never heard of, Sword of Blight had convinced the captain of his theory. I was ordered to head in that direction and steadily increase speed.

Over a dozen hours were spent gathering data. What this data would be used for, I had no idea. The only ex...

Leveling up the World: Bonus

Hello, all!

Here's a nice picture of the second arc :) Also a question - which character (of arc 1) would you like to have a picture made? :D (At present I can only have 1 made at a time)

Be well! Standard Cassandrian and Leveling updates will be later today :)

Leveling up the World (Chapter 89)

Dallion returned to the real world, still gasping for air. The “test” had proven to be far more exhausting than he had expected. At first, he thought it had been deceivingly easy—he had faced bigger opponents for longer amounts of time, and with fewer points in body. With March, though, the exhaustion seemed to have a delayed effect, reaching its peak minutes after the fight was over.

Given his poor performance, Dallion wasn’t surprised at the stares he got. What surprised him w...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 88)

The “evaluation room” was in the basement of the building. When Estezol initially took Dallion there, the boy expected it to be an enormous underground area full of traps and dungeons. Instead, the room he was brought to was only marginally bigger than his room at the inn. Shelves of cubes, spheres, and pyramids covered the walls. In between there was the occasional wooden cabinet with tomes of books, and the occasional scroll. Three people sat in one corner, playing a game that Dallion c...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 87)

Few things could compare to the joy of waking up in a comfortable bed. After a week in the wilderness, Dallion was finally able to appreciate the pleasures of clean sheets, soft pillows, and a complete lack of insects. What was more, the room was specifically designed with awakened in mind: everything was spotless, there were no creaking boards, the sheets and covers were meticulously soft, and there weren’t any disturbing odors to be felt. Apparently, the practice of awakened helping out w...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 86)

It was said that there were things in existence that were indescribable. Nerosal wasn’t one of those places, but it was pretty close. Dallion had been in some pretty big cities when he had been back on Earth. Some of them were crowded, some of them were wide, but none were exactly like what he was looking at now. Clusters of towers shot up from clusters of houses separated by parks, forests, hills, lakes, even a lone mountain in the distance. Near one of the lakes, on top of the tallest cit...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 85)

Sun, wind, and earth... those had proved to be the greatest enemies Dallion had had to face as he made his way through Countess Priscord’s lands. So far, he had improved his shoes three times, and they still could barely withstand the harsh soil under his feet. And that couldn’t compare to the humid heat that wrapped him like a blanket.

When he had left Dherma village, Dallion had thought it would be a cakewalk to the nearest city. Having gone hiking several times back on Earth as a...

Quod Olim Erat: The Cassandrian Theory (Chapter 10)

System XNBBl-2, Cassandrian Space, 625.2 A.E. (Age of Exploration)

Forty retired Swords all in one place. The notion itself was on the verge of impossibility. Adding in the fact that all of them were unretired made the experience all the more unusual. For one thing, I had no idea how I was supposed to address them. Compared to me, they were my superiors, legends in their own right. A glimpse of their military record, provided through operation Star Storm, portrayed t...

Minor Delays

Hello, all!

Apologies for the delay of the Cassandrian Theory. I'll try to compensate this week nd have 2 chapters, after which things should resume as normal :)

Thank you, and enjoy a great weekend :D

Lise

Leveling up the World (Chapter 84)

You have assisted GERTHA SEENE in her trial

GERTHA SEENE’s Level has increased to 2.

It seemed that unsealing someone was treated as a trial in its own right. That was a relief. It meant that even if Dallion ever lost a battle that wasn’t the end—there was always a chance of him being unsealed.

In less than a split second, the boy was back in the real world. The temptation to experiment with his new skills was enormous. Afte...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 83)

You are in a small sealed room.

Gertha Seene’s destiny has been sealed.

There was something ominous and sad about the rectangle. Dallion felt a chill just looking at it. So that’s what happened to someone who lost their powers. He had heard the explanation several times, but this was the first time he saw it in person.

“How?” Dallion’s mother asked.

It had been decades since she had last entered this place. The mem...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 82)

A cub of destruction… of all the things Dallion could have gotten, he expected that the least. It wasn’t as good as a skill, but definitely better than a stat improvement. According to what the rectangle had stated, it had the power to create cracks on objects—something which Dallion was definitely going to test out. To his amusement, the first thought that came to mind was that old YouTube from a Charles Chaplin movie. With Dallion’s awakening skills and the cub, he could earn infini...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 81)

The instant Dallion squeezed the trigger, the guardian shifted to the side. The creature was fast, not the clunky motion that Dallion had expected. The bolt flew wide by half a foot, but that didn’t matter. While it would have been nice if the golem had taken another hit, Dallion’s main goal was to get closer.

Three green shield markers appeared. Instinct made Dallion choose to place his buckler in the one to the back. This time he was lucky. The Guardian’s fist smashed against th...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 80)

A week ago, Dallion would have charged directly at the guardian. Both of them had ranged attacks now, also the boy had matured quite a bit since their last encounter. There was more in fighting than the actual battle. As he looked at the golem, Dallion saw many of his options—he could shoot a bolt directly at him, he could wait for the guardian to make the first attack, or he could start walking calmly forward. For a split second, images of each action appeared in Dallion’s mind, showing ...

Leveling the World (Chapter 79)

More people from Earth, Dallion thought as he made his way to the village square.

It was already an incredible coincidence that his “grandfather” had turned out to be one. Maybe there was something linked to genetics after all?

“What do you think?” a familiar voice asked nearby, it was Veil. Dallion had to admit the blond had improved quite a bit as well since their last fight. Judging by the way he had suddenly appeared, he might have gotten a second skill as wel...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 78)

The elder’s house was just as improved on the inside that it had been outside. Every item and piece of furniture within view had been carefully mended, including a large carpet Dallion remembered ripping as a child by accident. The thing had been so old that only walking on it had caused a tear. Now it appeared brand new.

“You’ve been busy,” Dallion said, impressed.

“A bit.” Kraisten went to the living room table—another new addition, made entirely out of stone—and...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 77)

It was impressive how much things could change after because of one simple action. Not that Dallion would have called defeating the village chief simple. It had taken him a full day of sleep to recover from the battle. Apparently righting in someone else’s awakening room was more exhausting than two all-nighters in a row. Upon waking up, though, Dallion had found himself in an entirely different village. It was as a mythical entity had come by and cranked up the color saturation of everythi...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 76)

Ever since the first week he had been in this world, Dallion had imagined defeating the village chief and freeing Dherma from his tyranny. Of course back, then he couldn’t even remember the name of the village, or pretty much anything else of significance. If he hadn’t been from Earth, he might not have remembered anything at all. Now that the deed was done, he didn’t know how to feel. That was the problem with real life—it was never straightforward.

Dallion looked at the villag...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 75)

“You were friends with my grandfather?” Dallion found that hard to believe. After everything the village had been subjected to at the hands of the chief, it seemed ludicrous.

“I was,” Aspion spat out the words with disgust. “He craved attention and in the end he got it. The Order of the Seven Moons doesn’t like people meddling with the Crippled Star, but that’s nowhere near as bad as what your grandfather did afterwards! He—”

A bolt bounced off the floor inches f...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 74)

It was said that joining the army was the fastest way to a noble title. All it took was to be noticed by the right people, and soon miracles could happen. The catch was that the chances of promotion were directly proportional to the danger involved. Joining the city guard in peacetime was a pretty decent gig. The only things one had to worry about were local riff raff and the occasional hunt. Normally it would take years to advance in rank. Joining in wartime was an entirely different matter....

Leveling up the World (Chapter 73)

News of the leveling of Dherma spread throughout the entire county. Within days an envoy of Count Harlow came to the village to mark the vent. A celebration never before seen in the village was held, bestowing the title of vice-knight on the village chief. According to the new status, the village was allowed to become an official trading post where caravans could stop.

The people responsible for the area improvement were declared heroes, as well as given ten coins of silver, a travel em...

The Cassandrian Theory (Chapter 9)

Up till now there had never been the need for me to remain awake for more than a day. At most I’d move my sleep window to a more convenient time, allowing me to remain active for thirty hours or more. On this mission I had gone two days without any rest—a first as far as my core was concerned, triggering a rare safety warning. It was strange getting a warning about something that I knew perfectly well; despite my brain being a conscience core, my body wasn’t and as such even it required...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 72)

It didn’t take long for the plan to be revealed. The very next day the village chief made an announcement, or rather it was more of a challenge: should his son manage to improve the state of the village, he would be allowed to leave and head for the cities in the count’s domain whenever he wanted.

The idea had surprised nearly everyone, though not Aspion. He had been the one who had told Kraisten of the significance of improving a living area. With settlements being rare, especially...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 71)

Dherma Village, 40 years ago

“Have you ever wondered what it’s like?” Kraisten asked from the top of the village bell tower. The place had been declared out of bounds ever since it had nearly crumbled in a storm three years ago. Unknown to most, Kraisten had used his awakening power to mend it months ago. Now it was only the outside that looked decrepit, on the inside the structure was as strong as granite.

“The cities?” Aspion shrugged. “Probably b...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 70)

“You lose.” Dallion kicked the chief’s sword out of his hand. Instantly the weapon vanished from the floor and reappeared on the attack skill-wall.

This could hardly be called a fair fight—Dallion had resorted to many things to gain the upper hand, but finally it had paid off. The terror of Dherma village, the person who had sealed the awakened skills of his mother, the tyrant that had echoed every person in the village had finally lost. At this point, even a sharp kick was enou...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 69)

Dallion briskly turned around, shooting a bolt at the source of the voice. The bolt bounced off a massive iron breastplate and flew on to a different part of the room, where it pierced the wall like a pin.

The person wasn’t like anything Dallion had expected. For one thing, he wasn’t even certain one could call him a person. Rather, a full set of armor was standing there, looking at Dallion with its hollow helmet.

“Those are not to be used,” a hollow voice came from the in...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 68)

Surprise appeared both on Dallion's and the chief’s face. Neither expected the attack to work. If anything, the village chief was surprised more. Freezing up, he glanced down at his foot, refusing to believe that he’d been wounded. The bolt was there, sticking from his foot, even if there was no blood.

The confusion lasted for several seconds. During that time, Dallion took his chance to act. Up to now his plan had been to reach the lake and make use of the well guardian. If this re...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 67)

Fighting was never supposed to be fun. The awakening state had made it feel too much like a game. There was next to no pain, fatigue was slow, and wounds were reduced to a floating notification rectangle. And still the more rectangles piled up, the more scared Dallion became. He always knew that the chief wasn’t only for show—being able to keep every other awakened in check took some doing, however, even he didn’t think things would be this bad.

The village chief’s skills were a...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 66)

“My grandfather?” Dallion hesitated. Most of the things that Dallion had learned about awakening were from his grandfather. Could it be, though, that certain details were omitted?

“He was the one who first to obtain control of this area,” the village chief said. “I guess he’s not as reliable as you thought.”

“Yeah, things like echoes tend to get in the way.”

At the moment Dallion’s concern was how to continue the fight, rather than any information his fat...

Leveling up the World (Chapter 65)

DHERMA VILLAGE GUARDIAN

Species: GOLEM

Class: EARTH

Statistics: UNKNOWN

Skills:

• Earth shield skin

Weak Spots: None

The guardian was definitely not what Dallion had expected. It was an interesting coincidence that he also was a golem, similar to the guardian of the well. The similarities, however, ended there. Th...