nemorosus

Chapter 666: Smoked

“…long story short, he’s cutting a very persuasive figure on the stage.” A man quietly pinched small flakes of green leaves into a pipe, compressing it down with his thumb.

“You can’t worm any doubt in?” asked a female’s voice from nowhere in particular.

“I could try,” responded the man, brushing off a few flakes of green with his hand. He conjured flame from his hand, then set his pipe aflame. After inhaling deeply and blowing outward, he continued, “But he�...

Chapter 665: Lying in the Confessional

Argrave had learned throughout his life that words could be twisted in very exceptional ways to make the horrible seem almost noble. Robin Hood, for example—objectively, this supposedly skilled archer was a dirty criminal, likely guilty of enough theft to cost him his head. Yet he was the hero of the tale, stealing from the tyrannical rich to give to the poor. Stealing was wrong, yet people thought him good. It was all clever applications of words, and a creation of a narrative to steal the...

Chapter 664: Uncontrollable Tempest of Change

“Argrave, some reports,” Elenore’s voice cut into Argrave’s ear the moment he was free of Raven’s lab.

“More?” He asked with surprise—she’d already delivered some on his journey back, something about riots.

“A claimant to the throne has risen in Dirracha. In the Archduchy of the North, edicts are spreading around with a declaration that King Argrave intends to systematically murder every person bearing red hair, as they share descendance from Gerechtigkeit.” ...

Schedule Change, Latest Chapters Restructured, Refunds if Desired

For book-related stuff only, read bold.

To start, I'll say I'm really glad I took that break.

I've been able to keep writing through multiple surgeries, but when it came to this, I absolutely needed the time to stop blocking out my thoughts with work and games and just let my brain think itself to exhaustion. Per the advice of some relatives, I did no writing. That was immensely helpful not only for confronting tragedy squarely, but putting my own life into per...

I need some time

People that have been on here for a while probably know I try to keep things pretty seamless. Five chapters a weak, not much babble. Nonetheless, I've been having some problems these past weeks-- making edits, changes, lagging behind, et cetera.

Truth is, some people close to me are dealing with a pretty major death in the family-- their kid, specifically. I've been trying to do my best to help them manage things, as they're understandably devastated. I tried to just chin up and push t...

Chapter 663: Mirror in the Sky

Though Argrave had said not long ago that he trusted his brother, now that his intentions were clear and they’d all agreed to help Orion on his search, he did consult two encyclopedias for answers. The first was his own head—not to toot his own horn, of course. He’d be tooting Erlebnis’, anyhow, considering the god had gathered the knowledge only to use it as a cudgel to unsuccessfully break his mind. The second encyclopedia was almost directly responsible for the first.

Its nam...

Chapter 662: Lunacy

Following Orion’s presentation of his findings, Argrave gathered together all of his closest counsel to consult about the path that they needed to pursue. It came alongside reports of growing unrest—for the first time, there was what could be called a riot in one of the cities. Dirracha, underneath the yoke of Hegazar and Vera, had a brief rebellion that was quickly put down by the effective, if at times excessive, pair.

“Just from initial reports, I can tell you that seventeen pe...

Chapter 661: Bad Blood

“I suspect the man’s head burst into gore due to the pressure of containing Gerechtigkeit, not out of any deliberate act,” Raven said as he studied the corpse.

Anneliese looked at him as he turned the body over in his hands. “I might concur—that force, that pressure… it strained against the vessel until it could deform no more before bursting free. But how do you explain the image on the wall?”

All three of them gazed at what could only be called a painting ...

Chapter 660: End is Nigh

As mentioned in the 'changes and news' post, I'm rearranging things. This is where volume 12 will start. Consider the previous chapter a false start, to be repurposed later in the story with different context.
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“The end is nigh, ladies and gentlemen!”

Stain tried his best to push through the crowd to get a better look at things as the man on the platform spoke passionately and feverishly. There could be no doubting that he believed every word he said. And from the look of...

DFAC 10

Willem had almost been expecting the worst when Anne Claire practically marched into the meeting with Petronella, a scowl on her face. A couple hours later, she returned markedly more cheerful than she’d left.

“Petronella will do as our liaison with the church,” the countless said. “I was ready to tear her apart starting with those pretty lips once I set my eyes on her. But when she told me exactly what you said to her…” she reached up and pinched Willem’s cheek. “You kn...

Changes and news

I'm going to be relocating what is currently chapter 660 to further in the story (and recontextualizing it accordingly). I don't think it's fitting to jump right into the action. A bunch of people dying because of 'mental attack' is just a number on a page unless you have wider context. For example, a thousand people probably died while I wrote this message and none of us care. I want this conflict with Gerechtigkeit to feel quite personal and intense, and armies clashing beneath the earth is...

Chapter 660: Crushed From Within

“Just from initial reports, I can tell you as many as one thousand people killed themselves yesterday.”

King Argrave of Vasquer hung his head upon hearing that news, and his black hair briefly concealed his gray eyes. He lifted his head up again with determination, then looked to another person of many in the room for guidance. His wife’s amber eyes displayed as much alarm as he felt, and Anneliese braided her long white hair in a nervous tick Argrave hadn’t seen as often anymor...

Chapter 659: Reforging Reality

Traugott gave them one last hex from beyond the grave—specifically, a headache. That was truly the only thing they gained from this interrogation. Anneliese had already cracked the code, so to speak, on his bid to use Sophia’s power contained within the shell of Good King Norman. Any information about the Heralds was precisely as they possessed—uncertain, imprecise, and further confirming that they were opposed to any finality to the cycle of judgment.

It did confirm, at least, th...

Chapter 658: Beating One's Nature

Drinking alcohol was really just drinking scummy water for Argrave—his black blood, coupled with all the other myriad ways that his body had changed since using the Fruit of Being, made both water and rubbing alcohol equally intoxicating. Which is to say… not at all. As time went on, it became clear both Anneliese and Durran were much the same way. Nevertheless, it was largely for the sake of Garm.

Argrave and Anneliese spent the first while regaling the infirm necromancer on the me...

Chapter 657: Harmony After Absence

When Argrave went to find Sophia, preparing himself for what he thought could be a serious and heart-wrenching conversation, he saw something that made him pause and watch. Orion was giving her a piggyback ride, and running around the courtyard very quickly as she screamed and laughed with pure joy. It was the closest thing to a rollercoaster that could be found in this world, he supposed. His brother seemed to be having just as much fun as she was, too.

When Argrave was finally spotted...

Chapter 656: Guess Who's Back

After sleeping on it, I'm retconning the choice to have the Shadowlanders suck out the brains of the ancient heroes. A), 27 people would definitely not all agree to such a thing, B), it's something of an unflattering end, and C), I don't want every Shadowlander to have such precise control over the hounds of hunger as to absorb memories flawlessly. That expertise should be reserved for the lieutenants and the Hopeful.

Instead, the 27 heroes agree to stay as advisors and sentinels to ...

Chapter 655: Revolution Funding

“Are all of you really sure that you want to do this?” Argrave asked, looking between the dead heroes of old.

“I can speak for myself alone, but I know that my time is running out,” Felipe I confirmed with a stoic nod of his head. “Garm could allot us only so much time. It’s bound to run out eventually. At least in this manner, we live on, in a way. Better to give yourself up in service of something greater than to die ingloriously protecting temporary interests. Of course, ...

Chapter 654: Alliance of Incompatibility

Argrave stood proudly beside Anneliese as they walked toward the white-haired woman, taking their sweet time. There was a tacit understanding between berserker and non-berserker that they were to meet, amply far from Traugott, to negotiate on the fate of their burgeoning alliance. That ‘alliance’ bit wasn’t tacit—indeed, this might be misconstrued as ‘hostage negotiation.’ Argrave had talked his way out of worse.

Only Argrave and Anneliese went, as the others weren’t so re...

Chapter 653: Do Unto Others

After Anneliese declared her intent, she began the rigorous process of transforming Traugott. Ghislain concealed her utterly with his illusions, and the other casters all guarded her diligently as she worked. Nothing escaped—least of all Traugott, or the screams he made as she endeavored to erase him.

Though he pleaded, begged, and cried out in pain that was atypical of the Shadowlands, Anneliese showed him precisely the same level of mercy he had to those he’d experimented on: none...

Chapter 652: Animal and Hunter

Traugott assessed the situation objectively, plugging in a new variable to the equation to adjust its answer. From the outset, he’d thought a few dozen S-rank spellcasters to eliminate him was a dire miscalculation on Argrave’s side. It made more sense upon the reveal that there was a relatively high-ranking Shadowlander here—moreover, a Shadowlander still linked to the hierarchy imposed by the Hopeful. Its presence meant the Hopeful was aware of this fight.

With that alone, he sa...

Chapter 651: Dimensions of a Battlefield

Anneliese had always felt a particularly strong loathing toward Traugott.

It was difficult for her to pinpoint why, exactly, which troubled her—she liked to consider herself as someone calm, objective, and rational. She found hate largely unproductive. Though Traugott had been behind the death of Castro, a man who she had deep respect for, she could tell that wasn’t the root of her feelings. Traugott had displayed wanton cruelty at every turn, and reckless disregard for the lives of...

Disregard Fantasy, Acquire Currency: 9

For this chapter to make sense, read the changelog if you haven't.
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“You are Willem van Brugh, are you not?” Petronella asked him, smiling as sweetly as a priestess in white garb ought to.

She had taken a great deal of care in selecting this form. Young men were all too often entranced by those of the cloth, and she had made this woman’s form entrancing. Modest clothing concealing ...

Disregard Fantasy Changelog

I'm dealing with some obnoxious issues around the house, so I've decided to take this day off from writing and just relax. I have, however, been doing a great deal of editing and mulling and pulling. Rather than repost every change I made, have some update notes.

Chapter for DFAC tomorrow will assume you've read these changes. Till then.

Hans and Godfried, the other brothers, are mentioned but not yet seen. In line with what someone commented, I think the family, and most chara...

Chapter 650: Hedonistic Scholarship

From birth, Traugott had always felt like his life was tied to the abyss. It consumed all he felt endlessly. There was little that inspired anything inside of him. Though he felt emotions like rage, sorrow, happiness, and all others, it was as though they existed outside of him, pouring into a hole that never ended. Nothing that affected others had ever affected him. Even the things that others called needs—the need to sate hunger or quench thirst, for instance—had little bearing on his l...

Chapter 649: Worth of a Sacrifice

“I won’t let you.”

Orion blinked open his eyes. The pain that he’d been feeling moments before had all gone, replaced only with the pleasant and familiar sensation of wind gracing his cheek across windy plains. Remembering what he was doing, he sat up and looked around. Rather than a battlefield ravaged by his powerful foe, he saw a dreary landscape unfold before him.

As far as the eye could see, there was gray, dead grass. It somehow looked worse than when winter came—b...

Chapter 648: Do or Die

The casualties from the assault of the silver knight were staggering. Elenore reviewed the figures as she sat.

A great deal of the most prominent spellcasters in the world had been in Blackgard, and many went in its defense. As it turned out, their being clustered together so tightly was a hindrance rather than a boon. Great Chu and visiting Veiden scholars did not participate as much in the defense, so the bulk of the deaths were concentrated in Vasquer natives. Figures were of yet unc...

Chapter 647: Battle of Gold and Silver

Orion’s blade plunged between the gap in the silver armor’s knee. Unlike the indomitability he’d felt colliding with his foe’s shield, what he stabbed… he was certain it was flesh and bone, not metal and power. He was certain it was not skin—rather, it felt ominously like scales beneath that carapace of metal. Orion had no time to verify this, as his opponent raised his blade and thrust it down.

Rather than his head, Orion managed to swerve out of the way enough the...

Chapter 646: True Bravery

Elenore entered into Hause’s temple, escorting Sophia urgently yet gently. After Argrave’s fight with the Castellan of the Empty, this place had been rebuilt to be one of the strongest fortifications within Blackgard, acting as something of a bunker within the city. She felt a little terrified, but she held strong with Sophia to steel her resolve.

“The first wave of combatants sent after him have fallen,” she heard, Durran’s voice piercing her head. “It’s… it’s looking...

Disregard Fantasy, Acquire Currency: 8

A pale, red-haired woman stared at a wooden house just outside the noble quarter in the dead of night, peering out like she could see through the night as easily as a cat. Then, she slunk away into an alley. Her steps were quiet enough she could listen to all else that came anywhere nearby. At a certain point, she paused, looking all around. Then, she kicked a nearby brick. It made the top of a barrel pop upward. She removed the lid, then climbed down the ladder within it adroitly, covering t...

Disregard Fantasy, Acquire Currency: 7

A week had passed since Willem’s introduction to the aloof and impartial Countess Anne Claire van der Duyt. She had suggested that he base himself out of the count’s estate—undoubtedly to save him some starting costs for his business, and for no other reason—but Willem knew that he had to have a home in the city to see from the eyes of a consumer, and not to give society members the impression he was too closely linked with local governments. Plus, independence fostered that entrepren...