The forest stretched on. David led the way, his mana sight scanning for the faintest glimmers among the roots and underbrush. I hope Sophie is keeping track of the way back.
The ice blossoms had been a victory, but they still needed more—anything they could trade for coin or food. Once the ‘selling’ issue was resolved, that is.
Sophie walked a few steps behind him, quieter now. Maybe she was tired.
David spotted a faint flicker to the left, tucked between the ...
2025-05-27 16:17:01 +0000 UTC
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It was his first night that he could sleep through peacefully, ever since they left Grainwick.
Morning came too quickly, with David’s body rejecting the signals to wake up. The exhaustion of their travel was only really now catching up to him.
He turned to the side, and raised his brow. Aura and Bert were gone. Sophie was already up, washing herself with a wet cloth over a bucket, with her naked back to the bed.
David rolled back to face the wall, giving ...
2025-05-26 16:17:01 +0000 UTC
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David crossed the giant gates with bated breath, his heart pounding. This is really it. An actual city.
But despite what he had hoped for, he couldn’t look into the city proper just yet.
The gates led into a stone tunnel, large enough that two horse-drawn carriages could drive alongside one another. Yellow lanterns shed warm light everywhere. Fire in a closed space? David shook his head. Upon closer inspection, the lanterns included some shining roc...
2025-05-26 10:08:01 +0000 UTC
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Author's note: Sorry for the delay on the chapters, I messed up and didn't notice that one of the chapters wasn't scheduled.
After barely over an hour, David and Bert returned from the forest. It was still early, but they found Aura resting by a small fire. She was keeping watch over the cart.
“You’re back already?” She asked. “So many mossers!” Her eyes widened.
They both put the carcasses down by the fire. It didn’t feel heavy at first, but after ...
2025-05-26 10:06:13 +0000 UTC
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PRE-READ NOTE:
Hi!
Grainwick has been burnt to the ground with Aura's explosive moves and now a new page turns in David's story.
This is a major milestone for me as this is the first writing work I have ever completed.
I am writing the whole book as a single draft, then cut it into chapters, then edit, so there might be slight tonal shifts and different vibes coming with the new volume.
With that in mind, the opening chapters are a very stressful time for me, alm...
2025-05-23 19:30:13 +0000 UTC
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David slept through most of the remaining day, as did everyone. Along with Aura and Bert they huddled together in the large bed while Sofie tried to fit in David’s. Their exhaustion took its toll, knocking them out for several hours. By the time they woke up, it was already dark again, past midnight at least.
David stood in the corner of their home; his back pressed against the wall as he watched Bert move. There was no rush in their movements, not anymore – they had around a ...
2025-05-22 17:15:00 +0000 UTC
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Crimson filled the world as the dawn came.
Across the continent many were long asleep, safe behind their walls. But a certain village on the frontier, was still purging the last monsters from its confines.
As the beasts were banished, the people celebrated. The fighters hugged one another, cheering their hard-fought survival. The glory! They had stood their ground!
But it wasn’t meant to last. Minutes passed. A man found his son’s head, severed on the ground....
2025-05-21 16:26:01 +0000 UTC
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David had watched Aura intently as she knelt, drawing glowing containment sigils into the dirt with a focus so sharp it cut through the chaos around her. What’s she doing?
The flames erupted, roaring to life as Aura hurled her vials into the containment circle. Heat washed over him, and his heart raced as monsters shrieked and charged, drawn to the light and the sheer torrent of mana she was unleashing.
Aura was throwing everything into this. She was exhausted. If anything...
2025-05-20 17:59:12 +0000 UTC
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David’s steps faltered as he approached the crossroads.
He barely had time to react before a deafening explosion swallowed the night. The shockwave forced him to the ground. The sky turned to searing white, banishing the shadows, if only for a second. Something bad has happened at the barricades. The time was running out.
He moved to push himself back up but glanced down at his hands—his claws. Crimson and black stained his fingertips, the sharp edges having already slic...
2025-05-19 16:00:15 +0000 UTC
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The third line of barricades groaned under the relentless assault. There was already a breach, but Brenn filled it himself.
He stood at the forefront, shield raised, sweat dripping down his brow. His arm ached, his lungs burned, but he held firm.
The light of lanterns illuminated the trenches, where the bodies of the beasts lay tangled with broken wood. They still had a few layers to go back to - all was going quite well.
A sharp, keening screech pierced the nigh...
2025-05-16 15:49:55 +0000 UTC
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It's still beyond amazing to me that multiple people enjoy my writing enough to throw their hard earned cash at it. Thought i'd be just me and my mom (jk, she doesn't like it)
I'm mostly focused on writing and improving my story, so patreon comes pretty low on my list of priorities. As such, I am very open to any and all suggestions about improvements/new content forms!
If there's anything you'd like to request or suggest, feel free to message me or comment here :...
2025-05-14 18:17:24 +0000 UTC
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David was staring down the massive predator. Now or never. With his left hand, he threw a rock at it. The predator, amused and driven by habit, sliced the projectile mid-air. Good, keep doing that.
The guards were frozen in shock, staring. The predator’s laughter grew, a high-pitched chittering noise, shaking its massive frame. It spread its scythes wide, clicking its mandibles. ‘Go on, little thing. Struggle.’ Is that what you think of me?
As if he were picking anothe...
2025-05-13 16:17:00 +0000 UTC
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As in the question, do you enjoy reading the patreon-post released story? Do you prefer some other format? Let me know :)
I am completely new to this, so I'll take any and all ideas under consideration!
2025-05-09 16:10:24 +0000 UTC
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It didn’t take long for the first charge of brutes to arrive. They were fiercer tonight, as if smelling their desperation.
Brenn stood in the first line, his shield strapped tight, the weight of it a comforting anchor against the chaos.
The villagers were lined up behind him at the first line of barricades, spears and pitchforks gripped in trembling hands. And they were truly on their own tonight. Even the guards weren’t there. They stood with Darryl, waiting to intercep...
2025-05-09 16:08:43 +0000 UTC
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Bert wiped the sweat from his brow as he crossed the threshold of their home, rolling his shoulders to shake off the stiffness that had settled in. The trek back from Brenn’s had been uneventful, but exhaustion clung to his bones.
Aura was waiting for him. Standing by the window, arms crossed, her fingers tapping against her sleeves. She didn’t greet him, didn’t turn, just stared out at the village beyond.
He raised a brow. Jus...
2025-05-06 21:59:01 +0000 UTC
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The forge was cold. Extinguished. The room lacked its usual clatter. Aura breathed in the air, thick with tension and heat, as her heart raced.
Ever since Brenn’s visit, the forge never stopped. Multiple people had come to help Bert out, so that he could focus solely on his craft.
And yet, the smithy stood empty. It was time for a different process of creation. Her process.
She glanced at Bert, hi...
2025-05-06 16:17:01 +0000 UTC
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The air in Brenn’s office was thick, strung with tension. Brenn sat behind his modest desk, his large hands resting on its worn surface, fingers twitching.
Across from him, the emissary of House Kira lounged with practiced arrogance, his gilded robes and silvered hair a stark contrast to the crude simplicity of the room.
"Commander Brenn," the emissary began, purposefully omitting his title. "I trust you understand the gravity of y...
2025-05-02 16:17:02 +0000 UTC
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The square was strangely lively despite the lingering tension in Grainwick. David walked through the path, catching snippets of hushed conversations.
“They say a beast killed him,” someone muttered under their breath.
“Who cares? He’s dead. That’s all that matters.”
“I heard captain’s coming back. Things are finally looking better for us.”
David’s lip curled. Idiots. They wh...
2025-04-29 16:17:01 +0000 UTC
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David made his way through the undergrowth. His sudden encounter with Darryl had left him rattled. He exhaled sharply, his breath forming small puffs in the crisp air. The village stirred behind him, its sounds a dull murmur at the edges of his perception. It all felt so distant now.
He crouched near the clearing he frequented for so long now. His arms were already burning with anticipation. Nothing to clear your mind like some pain. He launched himself up...
2025-04-25 16:17:01 +0000 UTC
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David stepped through the grass, his small frame so insignificant in the grand forest. The air was thick with the stench of blood and sweat. Calland lay on the ground, his armor dented and painted red with his own blood.
His breathing was ragged, his head snapping toward David at the sound of his footsteps.
“You... boy,” Calland rasped, his voice sharp with pain but still laced with arrogance. “Help me up. Now.”
<...
2025-04-24 16:17:00 +0000 UTC
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The forest pulsed with life, faint and scattered, a far cry from the feast it craved.
The predator crouched in the undergrowth, still as death, its many eyes fixed on the clearing ahead. Prey. Close. Tense.
Its mandibles clicked softly, tasting the sharp tang of fear on the air.
The echoes of the violence it had just witnessed lingered like a faint pulse in its mind. Inelegant. Simple.
2025-04-22 16:17:01 +0000 UTC
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The air in Grainwick felt heavier than ever as David stormed through the narrow paths between homes. The evening sun bore down, but it did little to warm the simmering anger in his chest.
His small hands were clenched into fists, and his mind raced with ideas—half-formed plans of traps, poisons, and alchemical defenses that could stop anyone foolish enough to threaten Aura.
A spray of acid? Or maybe a strong base would be eas...
2025-04-18 14:01:20 +0000 UTC
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The late afternoon sun cast long shadows over Grainwick as David walked along the dirt path, a small bag of coins tucked securely to his belt.
Between all the lessons with Aura and his trainings, time flew by for him – it was hard to believe he had been going at it for almost a year already.
But the results spoke for themselves – the duality of his body reduced greatly, and he was growing stronger day by day. Not to mention...
2025-04-18 13:56:58 +0000 UTC
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The midday sun hung high in the sky, casting a warm glow over the village. Aura sat on a worn wooden stool in front of her house, her hands idly twisting a piece of wire.
The rhythmic sounds of the smithy echoed faintly in the background, mingling with the distant laughter of children. The air was calm, but her thoughts were anything but.
The knights had become a fixture in Grainwick, their hunts for the predator unsuccessful for a whole month.
Their polished armor no longer...
2025-04-18 13:55:12 +0000 UTC
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A week has passed since David had seen the knights’ battle. He had watched them cut down monsters with effortless precision, their armor gleaming, their swords carving through flesh as if it were paper. He had seen the awe on the villagers' faces.
Knights quickly established patrols with the guards, going out and culling the monsters, searching for the predator day after day. Their efforts created a safezone of sorts around Grainwick. For the first time since that cursed night, there ...
2025-04-18 13:53:42 +0000 UTC
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Darryl kept inspecting the knights until Brenn approached him.
“How are they? Any good?” His commander eyed him. The old man had always been an enigma. A former legend - retired - settling down in a rundown village on the frontier?
Darryl scoffed, slouching after having to witness the whole thing. “They one-sidedly slaughtered most monsters... But the predator ran after taking some damage.”
The young nobles reminded Darryl of the shitstain he once killed, but he kept...
2025-04-18 13:51:20 +0000 UTC
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Brenn stood at the edge of the palisade, arms folded, scanning the scene.
He had seen all this before: the hurried repairs, the whispered prayers, the darting glances toward the treeline. A hollow routine.
Grainwick buzzed with the subdued tension of preparation.
The celestial giant loomed, its position in the sky heralding the long night.
Hammers struck wood in rhythm as villagers reinforced the barricades, their faces lined with exhaustion and worry.
T...
2025-04-18 13:49:08 +0000 UTC
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