nemorosus

Chapter 214: A Prince's Arbiter

Five B-rank mages versus two. It was an overwhelming disadvantage, if viewed without knowledge of who they were.

In reality… there was a reason Argrave had confidence enough to talk to Induen.

With the power of the Blessing of Supersession welling within his being, he lapsed into his strategy as though it were a habit. Four royal knights and Induen stood before him—he loosed [Pavise Gale] time and time again from his hands and Garm’s eyes both, preparing [Electric Eels]. The...

Chapter 213: A Princely Prize

There was a thin line between caution and paranoia. It was thin enough that Argrave lost sight of it completely. Maybe it was never tangible to begin with.

He felt half a fool as he wandered around Kin’s End, looking for any single person who might be a threat to him or his companions. He and Galamon scanned the building Induen stayed in from afar, checking for other people within or secret compartments where enemies might hide. They checked everywhere inside, and miles outside the to...

Chapter 212: Advantage Play

Though Argrave had claimed he would have a heart-to-heart with Galamon… the task proved considerably more difficult once he actually found himself riding his horse next to the elven vampire as they travelled in a relatively safe area.

“Don’t bother,” Galamon said, riding his horse diligently. “No need to make sure I’m fine.”

Argrave pulled his horse up to Galamon. He was starting to learn to ride horses better, yet he still found himself lacking when compared to the ...

Chapter 211: Rigging the Odds

The time that Argrave spent with his companions in the village without a name was probably the happiest Argrave had ever been in Berendar. Though the food was exceedingly simple, their neighbors were unhappy at their presence, and the days were cold and stiff, he’d never known finer company than those Argrave travelled with. Being in life-or-death situations made their trust unbreakable, their honesty comforting, and their presence easing.

Durran practiced with Galamon, trying to adap...

Chapter 210: Privilege of the Younger

“I’m sure that she’ll turn up sooner or later, my prince. That child, Mina, she’s…” Count Elgar of Veden shook his head.

Induen tapped his fingers against the dining table, staring Elgar down with his cold blue eyes. The Count had golden hair and eyes just as Mina did yet shared little with her beyond that. Induen did not like him. “Your daughter is missing, yet you don’t seem to care.”

Elgar placed his elbows on the table and clenched his hands together. “She�...

Chapter 209: Softly

Argrave set down his backpack and sat in the guest bed that had been offered to them. Dust jumped up off it, but Argrave could hardly be bothered by dust anymore considering all that he’d endured. Anneliese sneezed—he thought it was a cute sound, and Argrave found himself staring at her.

She wiped away her nose, oblivious to him as she examined the room. “Unused for a time… yet it seems sturdy enough that I have no worries. The people here hate me. Me and Galamon, I suppose. The...

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Chapter 208: Rising Tension in Rest

“You said we would rest,” noted Durran, though he did not complain as he put the white books written by Garm back into his backpack. He fumbled a little on account of his missing fingers, which made Argrave feel guilt once again. 

“We will,” Argrave confirmed, resting off to the side while Galamon packed his things for him, accommodating his weakened state. “We’ll take a nice, long rest—believe me, my legs ache much worse than yours, and I want to rest. But half the d...

Chapter 207: Departing Changed

Argrave walked to the site of the tremendous battle between Orion and the Plague Jester, the prince supporting him as he walked. Seeing the devastation wrought here was like a reminder of his powerlessness before Orion. Decay and destruction surrounded him on all sides. The smell of wilting flowers fortunately masked the scent of gore emanating from Orion.

“He’s here,” Orion finally said, just before the wilting jungle opened up to reveal a staircase up to a throne room. They step...

Chapter 206: Fate of the Wetlands

Argrave finally dared try his hand at walking once the prospect of lying in his bed began to bore him. With no books to study and only the company of his companions to keep his mind sharp, he eventually did wish to step outside and examine things.

Though he stood firm, Argrave still held onto Anneliese’s arm in case his legs gave way. “Difficult to believe I did this,” he noted, staring at the site of carnage. “Almost as difficult to believe you pulled off that plan of yours wit...

Chapter 205: Family

“I did it as best I could, prince Levin,” a man garbed in brown robes spoke. He was short, and his skin green. He was one of the swamp folk.

“No, I can see that,” Levin soothed casually, staring down at the dead body of Magnus. Levin was dressed befitting a prince. He was thin and tall with a sinewy strength to him. He kept his hands politely behind his back.

A few days’ travel had made Magnus’ body somewhat worse for wear, but he deemed it would be good enough for the...

Chapter 204: Omniscient Commander

Though Anneliese knew that Argrave had not explicitly given her permission to show her hand… she felt it was necessary, and she knew that he would agree. It was not so drastic a measure, of course. Indeed, exposing her druidic magic was quite a simple thing, and she had kept hidden only because Argrave was overcautious. Nonetheless, she was sure it’d be very effective. Though she had considered simply commanding everyone to hide in the buildings… that relied too much on chance. Instead,...

Chapter 203: Fight of the Fools

“Here he is,” said Durran, his breath heavy. He handed Argrave off to Galamon, his body limp. “Lighter than he looks.” They were in the small house Argrave had been holed up in. His Brumesingers stayed by his side, protecting him by shrouding the environment with their mist.

“Because he has little blood,” Galamon concluded. “You…” he looked down at Durran’s hands. His left hand was covered in blood and seemed misshapen.

“Just a few fingers gone,” Durran lau...

Chapter 202: Done Enough

Argrave felt a fog within all of his body. His actions were stiff and vague as though he had just been thawed out after being frozen for years. He could barely focus on the task at hand, and even keeping his head held up was difficult. All he wanted to do was go to sleep. But he’d long ago set aside what he wanted. This was about what needed to be done.

Kill the enemy, kill the enemy, kill the enemy, he repeated again and again, half of the time saying it aloud, and the other...

Chapter 201: Conflict in Paradise

Anneliese felt as though she had returned to the invasion of Berendar, where she stood at the helm of a Veiden longship leading men towards a great throng of foes defending their homeland. There was nervousness, anticipation, and a dim hum of fear beneath it all, larger and stronger and ever consistent than any feeling. This was war, she felt. And the stakes went far beyond merely her life. She stayed calm despite these sensations, aided by her own nature and the enchanted items Argrave had g...

Chapter 200: Siege of the Palace

As far as Argrave was concerned, the primary difference between marching during the day and doing so at was merely that they had not slept. At least, that was his opinion before they began it.

Argrave was tired and felt a little clumsy, probably doubly so because of his anemia, and the cold water of the wetlands soaked into his bones. Spell light lit their path ably, and the boundary where Silvic’s protection ended was still as dark and unknowable as ever. They were unharried on their...

Chapter 199: Lives Askew

“We should press on as quickly as possible, even if we need to march through the night,” Argrave spoke to Orion.

The prince’s gray-eyed gaze was stern and serious, freezing lesser men in place. “Do you believe so?”

“Absolutely. The journey this time around was not so exhausting and allowing the enemy an entire night to group up and prepare for our coming attack with be a disaster,” Argrave nodded insistently.

“My feet can tread for thousands of miles without ...

Chapter 198: Mass Adoption

Though Argrave knew that something needed to be said to Orion, as the two of them walked away from the rest of the party, those words did not come to his head immediately. They entered into the keep of the fortress that they’d been left in after the battle had concluded, and Argrave glanced around at decrepit wooden furniture covered in equal parts by wood rot and growths from the wetlands.

Argrave came to stand over a table. Orion stood opposite it, staring at Argrave with curiosity ...

Chapter 197: Endless Isles

“Any further steps, and we will be within their grasp,” Silvic cautioned their party as they idled.

Orion nodded. “This was made clear to me earlier. Being within their grasp is unimportant. A weak grip is easily broken.”

His ever-zealous words did not abate Argrave’s fear at all. Silvic continued, cautioning, “This will not be as other ambushes. We enter the distortion, the realm, of a being similar to myself—we will be in the heart of things, ostensibly surrounded ...

Chapter 196: Stoked by Righteous Winds

Argrave disliked looking at the bronze hand mirror. With something—or someone, rather—to find solace in, he didn’t need to use it for motivation much at all anymore. Now, though, the day had passed, and he stared down at its surface in the early morning light…

Traits: [Tall], [Black Blooded], [Intelligent], [Magic Affinity (High)], [Insomniac], [Blessing of Supersession (MAX)]

Skills: [Elemental Magic (C)], [Blood Magic (B)], [Healing Magic (C)], [Illusion Magic (C)], [War...

Chapter 195: Grappling the Powerful

“At this point, the main challenge is confining the infected to the camps,” Mina spoke to Induen, staring out over the city of Veden from the castle. “People that catch the disease spread it indefinitely. Some people, when it stops spreading, resume mingling into society. Like this, the outbreaks never really stop.”

“Just use force,” Induen shook his head disapprovingly. “It isn’t so difficult.”

Mina looked to him. “Do you think this tiny county has the manpowe...

Chapter 194: Flawless Show

There was a simple principle in many RPGs, action or otherwise—don’t kill what the summoner summons, just kill the summoner, and then all the problems will go away naturally. Their strategy hinged on that simple principle.

There were obstacles, of course. There always were.

The puppeteered lord and his two mages stayed near the vast heart that was Waqwaq. At once, their party of three conjured wards each and all—B-rank, judging from the golden color alone, and working in tan...

Chapter 193: Puppet Show

Swamps were never intended to accommodate grand fortresses. That fact became apparent as they pressed onwards into the mire of misery, the screaming mists and twisting grounds stayed only by Silvic’s protection. The wading water lessened, and they planted their feet upon dry ground—or at least, as dry as mud could get.

Once they saw stone bricks, the harrowing fog around them began to dissipate—that did not diminish the lightlessness, though, and when Argrave looked up, he spotted...

Chapter 192: Foolhunt's Beginnings

Argrave slept little that night—enough to function, but not much more. All of his time was spent studying the spell [Bloodfeud Bow]. The ‘how’ of things still eluded him—the C-rank matrix felt fragile, and his attempts to put it into motion simply made it break. It felt like he was trying to pick up a house of cards and move it elsewhere. It didn’t matter how he distributed the force, or if he applied it evenly across the whole thing—to set the spell matrix into motion was to brea...

Chapter 191: Coerced Confessions

Orion pushed Durran forward, but he moved with the push, turning and sitting on a chair ahead of him. The chair tipped to one side from the force, but Durran put his foot down and got his balance quickly. The prince stepped around Durran as he sat there, catching his breath.

Durran stayed quiet as Orion walked around him, turning his head to ensure the prince was always in his sight, even if only just. There was one thing that life had taught him—you could always say more later, but w...

Chapter 190: The Lone Mourner

Argrave awoke strangely early in the morning. He was used to waking early, but never so early that the sunlight was not yet through the windows. He considered it might be because the expedition began tomorrow—some psychological nervousness causing him to sleep worse. As his brain gained clarity, he heard shouts. He lifted his head groggily, paying more attention, and the shouts continued.

With that, he roused fully, turning his body and standing. Anneliese stirred due to his actions, ...

Chapter 189: Prospecting

Though Durran had acted as though discovering Magnus’ intentions would be a simple thing, he treated the matter very seriously. That might suggest it was not, in fact, a simple thing. Durran would probably agree with that assessment, by this point.

Durran had good reasons to do this. He hoped to earn trust in the group. Argrave never doubted Anneliese or Galamon, but he did think twice about anything Durran did or said. Beyond that, Durran wanted to follow any traces of Gerechtigkeit ...

Chapter 188: Intrepid Preparations

“You come from Veiden?” Mina questioned Anneliese, trying to start a conversation.

Anneliese stared out at the doorway which Argrave and Orion had left, nervously braiding and unbraiding portions of her long white hair. She answered Mina idly, “It depends on how you define ‘come from.’”

Mina placed her hands loudly on the dining table the two of them sat at. “You were born there.”

“I was born on a coastal village in Berendar,” Anneliese shook her head. 2022-09-01 07:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 187: Bonds of Blood

To see the ever-diligent Orion neglect his perceived duty to the people was already disquieting enough… but the prince led Argrave further and further away from the camp, heading into the swamps. His only comfort was the knowledge that Orion wouldn’t need seclusion to kill him. Argrave stayed quiet—he felt the need to say something, anything, but he was so off-rhythm that he feared to bring up a topic that might cause an issue.

They came to a great depression in the wetlands. At t...

Chapter 186: Taming of the Prince

“I can handle it,” Durran suggested, raising one hand up.

“What?” Argrave asked.

The four members of Argrave’s party sat in one of their rooms, two of them with Humorless masks donned. A few empty bottles lay around—though it did look suspiciously like alcohol, they were the potions Argrave had demanded Galamon brew to give his party more disease resistance. Mina had yet to wake up, but Argrave intended to speak with her about something, too.

“You want your big...