Vowron Prime

Ashborn 348: Reunion (Part Two)

The sore throat never happened, mainly thanks to the pranites that worked tirelessly to fix Vir’s body—a luxury he’d still not quite grown accustomed to.

Unlike the tall skyscraper where Vir had first told Ashani of the outside world, this time, she’d taken him to another spot—a location on the very outskirts of the city.

The Mahādi Realm’s periphery was… bizarre, to say the least. Its land extended in all directions, yet where the city itself had buildings...

Soulweaver 69: Candy Store

Well, I was right about one thing — my hammer did in fact level up. All the way to F - 9. I was wrong, however, about expecting a corresponding levelup from my Blessing. The worst part was how close I was to E - 5. Sure, the extra Essence was always nice, but it was the ability I’d gain I was most excited about. 

For my F - 5 upgrade, I’d obtained the ability to Initialize armor in addition to weapons, so it felt like the upgrade was related to the o...

Ashborn 347: Reunion (Part One)

A chill ran down Vir’s spine. One so cold it froze his body in place.

That voice. Strangely melodic, containing tones no natural being could ever achieve. That slight inflection of her tone.

No. It couldn’t be. He’d imagined it. 

Vir finally mustered the will to turn his body. Where just moments ago, it’d bristled with energy, now it felt like stone, and moving it was like wading through a thick, soupy ocean.

When he finally beheld the figure that...

Soulweaver 68: Upgrades

My chance came when Aerion asked Philip a question about movement styles, and Philip launched into a lecture about how styles had to suit the person’s body type, their personality, and a slew of other factors, and how too many warriors get the process completely backward.

It sounded interesting. Just that upgrading my newly Initialized cuirass sounded better. The armor glowed dimly, and under the bright sunlight, I barely even saw it. Maybe my caution had been unwarranted—I doubt Ph...

Ashborn 346: Unexpected Company

Though Vir didn’t require sleep as often as others, it had become customary to adopt the sleep patterns of the locals wherever he’d gone. Tara, however, didn’t enjoy that benefit. As potent as Yuma’s Embrace was, it consumed prana to heal. From the surroundings, if the density was high enough, and from her own body if it wasn’t.

Given the severity of Shan’s malady, the healing process had taken quite a lot out of her, and despite Vir’s insistence that she...

Soulweaver 67: Way of the Warrior

I regained consciousness in a fit of coughs and wheezes.

“The hell happened?”

One moment I’d been fighting Philip, the next… I remember something smashing me really hard on something. Had the guy clubbed me with his sword? Despite lacking Boons or Blessings?

I sat up to find Philip scratching his head, talking to Aerion, who was giggling with her hands on her mouth. She glanced at me and pointed, and they both came over.

“Okay, I think I deserve an explanatio...

Ashborn 345: What Lurks In the Shadows

Making a split-second decision, Vir slung Shan’s body over his shoulder and Leaped away—all pretense of discreteness gone without a trace.

Bounding over streets and homes, Vir Blinked where he could, and within just minutes, arrived back at the tavern, leaving Shan just outside the door.

Smearing off his makeup, Vir rushed in, praying to all the gods that Tara was still there. The tavern was far less busy now, with only a few groups of ...

Soulweaver 66: A New Teacher

Baron Sinclair didn’t immediately reply, cupping his chin as he pondered my request. “I take it you aren’t interested in the gear we provide our City Guard?”

“Actually, I’d love the full plate you issue your guards, but that wasn’t exactly what I had in mind,” I said, realizing just how audacious I was being. I bet most people never even got a chance to talk to Baron Sinclair in person, let alone make demands of him. Still, I needed this, and I felt like I was j...

Ashborn 344: Twists of Fate

Vir sat alone, sipping on some mead at a table along the balcony on the second floor of the Champion’s Roost—the go-to hangout for the tournament fighters. Cirayus was off somewhere with Raja Thaman, and Shan had disappeared as he always did, leaving Vir in the awkward position of not knowing what to do.

After the day’s matches, he’d wandered aimlessly around town until his feet had brought him here. The establishment, while cozy with its vaulted timber roof and alive w...

Soulweaver 65: Strings Attached

It took a bit, but Aerion and I eventually found Commander Tarth and his men in the maze that was Tarquin’s compound. Not only would we be clearing the name of a good man—someone I hoped stayed in power for a long time—but if we played our cards right, I didn’t even want to guess what our rewards would be. I was happy enough getting Aerion’s pendant back, but now we had a unique opportunity. One I intended to fully capitalize.

Focusing on our goal helped. I needed a w...

Ashborn 343: Chitran vs Aindri

Tara was immediately carted off via stretcher, but when no one came for Shan, Vir grew enraged. Still on the stage, he picked up his unconscious friend and Leaped off the stage, not bothering to respond to the crowd—who booed and jeered at him—nor did he pay any attention to the commentators, who were talking about Shan’s capabilities.

Did none of them see his friend was hurt?

Vir raced into the waiting area and shouted even before he’d come to a stop.

“He...

Soulweaver 64: Aerion’s Gambit

It turned out I did not, in fact, have a concussion. A City Guard Boonworthy healer had fixed me up while I’d been out. 

That didn’t make my current predicament any less crazy. It actually made it worse—I didn’t have mental illness to blame for the fireballs that streaked through the sky.

“What the fuck is going on, Philip?” I asked, feeling Aerion stir from beside me. “I have so many questions.”

Philip’s expression sank. “I’m sure ...

Ashborn 342: Vir vs Tara

“And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! The first official duel of the dayyyy!” Samik shouted, which in turn prompted the whole arena to go wild. 

As Vir waited alone in the staging area, he couldn’t help but worry. Not that he’d lose, but rather that his deception would be believable enough. It had to be, if he wished to catch his future opponents off-guard.

“We’ll have to give it our best today, Shan,” Vir sa...

Soulweaver 63: Tarkill

Aerion moved with a level of relentlessness she could scarcely dream of, slashing and slashing again in a vicious dance of death. Red tinged her vision. Red tinged her blade. It didn’t matter that her strikes barely got past the man’s absurdly thick skin, or that her energy reserves rapidly dwindled. All that mattered was that her enemies died.

And against anyone else, they’d have fallen long ago.

But she was not fighting just anyone. She was fighting Tarquin’s mo...

Ashborn 341: Tara Fights

Vir returned to his seat, intent on proving the naga wrong. While he of course wanted to witness Tara’s fight, that was secondary to his other, far more serious reason—proving her wrong.

As it turned out, he needn’t have worried. Whether it was her bravado speaking, or simply that her opponent was more canny than she’d anticipated, there was no danger of the fight concluding anytime soon, and Vir felt his worry transform into smug superiority. He’d have to rub this in...

Soulweaver 62: Plan B

NOTE: This is the week of july 4th, and as such there will only be two soulweaver chapters and one Ashborn chapter this week. Since I am out on a trip, I am releasing all of the lower-tier chapters for the week now, for both fics.

Aerion appeared with the suddenness and ferocity of a rabid wolf. Forget reacting—her attack was so sudden that the brute didn’t even notice until she was ripping into him.

Her shortsword connected, slashed, came back around, struck again, then str...