Coin took a seat on one of the couches as he unfolded the letter. His eyes briefly examined the rows of neat, tightly packed letters that lined the page from top to bottom.
His literacy had grown much better since he first started travelling with Elijah, though it was going to take him some time to pick through the whole letter. His own reluctance would hardly help him in that regard either.
He took a breath and started reading.
Silence filled the solar of Elijah's home, fire crackling in the hearth while a dull fog drifted past the windows. Sentinel was facing another day of grim weather, it seemed.
Coin sat hunched by the fireplace, staring into the blaze. Essine was sobbing in her chair across from him, while Pearl paced uncomfortably from point to point.
"Damn it all," the bard huffed. She had not known Elijah for long, but she had thought of him as a good and kind man. For him t...
2024-11-14 11:07:13 +0000 UTC View PostElijah reached up with a shaky hand, pressing his blood-smeared palm to Coin's cheek. The mimic grimaced. A wound that deep, and this much blood lost... it did not take a genius to understand that a human could not survive such an injury for too long.
"Damnit," Coin hissed, hoisting his arms under Elijah's knees and shoulders. A third limb, an ill-defined coil of flesh, sprouted from his right arm and pressed firm against Elijah's midriff. It would not too much to staunch the...
2024-11-10 09:56:15 +0000 UTC View PostLeona moved with a quickness that put most men to shame, her blade whistling through the air in a beeline toward Coin's neck. The mimic shoved Elijah in one direction and jumped in the opposite way, only barely avoiding the tip grazing his throat.
Yet the assassin pressed the assault, one movement flowing into the other again and again. A missed slash with one blade was followed up by a narrowly-dodged stab with the other. Her cloak fanned and whirled behind her, the swaying ...
2024-11-06 19:50:34 +0000 UTC View PostCoin stared at the two doors, shut tightly before them. "Are you sure it's going to be open? I would have thought most people would lock up at night." He paused, thinking on this. "Oh, do you want me to just pull them off the hinges?"
Elijah laughed nervously. "Let's... save that as a last resort, lad." He approached the doors and gave them a few teasing pulls and pushes. They remained rigidly in place. "It's as you said. But, fortunately, I think you have the mean...
2024-11-04 18:41:31 +0000 UTC View PostElijah was indeed home in time for dinner, and looked rather haggard in the aftermath of meeting with Lady Greatglow. She was glad the paintings had been delivered safe and sound to Gilly Froth, but she was still a woman who did not appreciate being kept in suspense. The long wait for their return had irritated her significantly.
But, Elijah had said, that did not means he would never ask for their services again. They were, to use business terminology, on 'thin ice.' Whatever that ...
2024-10-30 23:13:21 +0000 UTC View PostIt was late in the afternoon when Illyana was brought to meet with Archchancellor Velasco in the upper reaches of the Obelisk. She was flanked by a pair of pikemen, adorned in finely tailored black surcoats. They had made no move to bind her wrists, or arrest her in any formal capacity.
But their stern, steely eyes left her under no illusions. Should she resist, or make things difficult for her overseers, then she would suffer a rather grim accident.
Tripping and falling w...
2024-10-27 23:42:57 +0000 UTC View Post"It has been some time since Ser graced us with a visit. It was quite a shock when his missive arrived via courier bird," Domajor said, leading them along the main hallway. The plush red rug muffled their footsteps. The paintings on the wall watched them in silence, as if judging them.
Pearl gawked open-mouthed at their lush surroundings. "Elijah owns a mansion like this, and he spends that much time on the road instead?"
"Ser is an... adventurer," Domajor replied, enuncia...
2024-10-22 19:45:42 +0000 UTC View PostThe rest of the ride back toward Sentinel over the next few days was shockingly peaceful. They encountered no criminals, highwaymen, killers, robbers, deranged maniacs, or assorted ne'er-do-wells on the roads. And once they were close enough that the outline of the city became visible on the horizon, they seemed to believe they were fully safe. After all, by that point, they could see roaming patrols of armed guards flying Arcadian pennants that fluttered in the breeze.
They reached...
2024-10-18 22:28:28 +0000 UTC View Post"The cosmos is vast and unknowable in its immensity. Countless, innumerable planes stretching off unto infinity. Even the most seasoned witches and wizards would not risk venturing too deep into foreign planes," Scylla explained, watching the group with her strange and inscrutable gaze.
"Our plane, Adja, sits bordered by two planes. There is Promethia, an infinite and chaotic plane brimming with power and strange entities. It is regarded as the source of magic, and could be seen ...
2024-10-17 08:56:41 +0000 UTC View PostScylla seemed to almost glide across the floor in silent, measured steps that ruffled her dark skirts. A few eyes were on her in passing, only to quickly glance away from the witch. As attractive as she was, the strange power radiating from her body would make anyone think twice about getting too close to her.
And she, in turn, paid them no mind. Indeed, she was making a beeline squarely toward their table.
"I take it that you know her?" Pearl warily asked, shifting uncomf...
2024-10-13 12:50:05 +0000 UTC View PostWhen it came to animals, the Arcadian pronghorn was an odd sort of beast. A pure herbivore but built with the speed and aggression of a hellcat. Fiercely territorial, and always keen to gore perceived interlopers with their twisting ivory horns.
And many, as Leona had learned in her childhood, the majority would fight to the death instead of fleeing.
She regarded the pronghorn warily, watching the blood that matted his raven coat from an assortment of cuts. She had cut int...
2024-10-08 21:38:56 +0000 UTC View PostDespite everything that had transpired, the group still decided to leave Charnyll behind when the next morning came. Talk of the battle with the phantasm, if anything, had motivated them to be even quicker in their retreat. They had lingered in the town long enough, with no trace of anyone else on their trail to give them pause.
Plus, having nearly been killed by an immensely strong beast from the Bleak had made the town feel even more inhospitable. Impressive, considering how da...
2024-10-06 19:04:41 +0000 UTC View PostThe group stood in place, unblinking and fearful eyes locked to the cackling visage of the phantasm. He barely seemed to even notice the great blade stuck in his neck, even as his foul blood seeped from the wound. Essine was frozen, trembling, and Coin only barely noticed that she was trying and failing to take her hand off the leather handle.
"Oh no," Igrei whispered.
Suddenly, in a blinding green flash, the phantasm vanished from sight. Coin blinked a few times, tryin...
2024-10-01 09:09:55 +0000 UTC View PostThe interior to the barracks was no more pleasant than the exterior, the walls and floor sporting thick coating of ash. Coin quickly spied a few human silhouettes scorched into the brickwork, and discarded bones littered among the bricks.
A thick stench hung in the air as they passed through the foyer, passing the broken weapon racks and melted suits of armour.
Essine lingered behind in the doorway, resting her claws against the decaying wood. She regularly sniffed the ...
2024-09-27 22:20:36 +0000 UTC View PostCome the next morning, Coin had the strength to make his way downstairs. He still ached in places, but he was doing far better than any human would if they'd had that much emerald venom pumping through their systems. He was greeted by the sound of Pearl strumming her lute, and the scent of Essine's fried food.
"Ah, Coin!" the kobold said, scurrying to greet him. She smiled excitedly, gently pressing her palms to his chest. "Are you feeling better?"
"Much. My thanks, for ev...
2024-09-24 06:22:14 +0000 UTC View PostCoin awoke feeling as if he had been crushed into a fine pulp by a boulder, after which said pulp was set ablaze and left to sizzle. A pained wheeze of breath escaped him as he slowly tried to force himself upright. Darkness lurked around the corners of his eyes, his mouth bone dry. His dream, or nightmare, or premonition... whatever it was, it was fading into a distant memory that he could only barely grasp.
Save for one word that engraved itself upon his brain: Colony.
2024-09-21 06:55:44 +0000 UTC View Post
Cold icy water surrounded Coin from all sides, rife with a blackness that his eyes couldn’t pierce through. His body was moving purely on reflex, kicking at the wetness that surrounded him. While he felt his limbs dragging through the water, he felt no need to breathe.
Is this… a dream? He asked himself.
You weren’t supposed to be able to feel things in dreams, he knew, but it was the only possibility that made sense to him in that moment.
It was suicidal madness, Essine knew, to go creeping about in the dark in this Bleak-forsaken town. But she couldn't simply ignore what her keen senses were telling her. Someone, or something, was skulking about here. Wild animals avoided Charnyll like the plague, so it had to be something humanoid.
Maybe it was that woman, Leona? She had tracked them once already, and the kobold doubted the fear of this place would keep her away. Certainly, if it was Fatty Broadfellow's men, they w...
2024-09-13 19:22:20 +0000 UTC View Post"I was born into the merchant life, you see. Followed in the path of my father, and his old man before him. But when I was younger, I was filled with ambition. I wanted more. Wasn't enough for me to have a big fancy wagon, or a healthy bank account." Elijah chuckled and shook his head. "Guess I wanted to be the biggest, richest merchant in all the land."
Essine moved around to the edge of the well and took a seat on the sculpted stones. Her ears twitched, listening intently.
<... 2024-09-09 20:35:56 +0000 UTC View PostThe group ran until the break of dawn, but a blanket of dull greyness had settled across the horizon. Coin, fortunately, had killed the last of his pursuers before the poison in his system took him down.
They had bundled him in the rear of the wagon, the mimic's face flushed red and slick with sweat. His breathing was shallow and laboured, and he regularly grimaced with pain in the depths of his slumber. His soiled coat and shirt had been removed, and Essine had personally seen t...
2024-09-06 21:13:47 +0000 UTC View PostCoin stood in place, dumbstruck, as Leona darted from point to point in a series of silver flashes. Her magic was something she had a clear mastery over, her reflexes and speed making Broadfellow's thugs seem slow and sluggish in comparison. Crossbow bolts whistled and snapped through the air, yet never got even remotely close to hitting her.
Her cohorts, dark and sleek, shifted into cover among the trees and returned fire, downing two gnomes with well-aimed shots to the brow. The t...
2024-09-02 19:29:29 +0000 UTC View PostWell we have a paying member now! So, here you go, the next chapter a few days early:
The fog had started to lift by the time the group left Grafia behind, the distant horizon dull and grey. After what had just happened, they were naturally slow and cautious in how they went. Coin grew tense whenever another traveller past them, his body like a coiled spring, but ultimately they were just strangers going about their business.
"The Brotherhood? Surely not!" Pearl balked....
2024-08-30 19:34:05 +0000 UTC View PostHad a bit of a fracas IRL involving my WiFi connection, and I've finally managed to get something of a workaround for my connection. So, for the time being, I can post chapters again.
Released a chapter on Friday, a chapter on Saturday, and will do another today. And, from there, we can get back on track!
2024-08-05 17:55:11 +0000 UTC View PostThis is the first public post on this patreon. As the page description suggests, this is a Patreon to help support my webnovel writing.
For anyone not familiar with my work, you can read The Mimic Becomes a Merchant King here: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/82596/the-mimic-becomes-a-merchant-king
2024-05-29 13:12:33 +0000 UTC View Post