Bruce_Sentar

AO 4 Ch 11

Chapter 11

Melida wrapped more furs around herself. Even after going around and plugging all of the holes she could in the fort herself, the damned stone bucket was drafty as hell. And the stupid area was just simply damned cold.

Every time she stepped out of bed, and her toes touched that stone floor, she regretted leaving the comfort of her bed.

Yet, there was always so much to do. So she promptly bundled herself up and added wood to the fireplace to get t...

AO 4 Ch 10

Chapter 10

I stood to the side with my arms crossed as my anchors insisted on doing everything themselves. The servants from the manor were hard at work unloading everything from the manor. Crates were stacked everywhere around the front lawn. There would only be a skeleton crew left behind to keep it running, while the rest would follow my mother and I back to the capital.

We weren’t going to be coming back for a time. Perhaps a very long time.

The city i...

AO 4 Ch 9

Chapter 9

Cleaning up the mess from the creslin took the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon. By the time we dragged ourselves from the now cleared sewers and fixed the roads above, the sun was moving quickly towards the horizon over the ocean.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Sienna said, taking hold of my arm and very happy to be out of that mess.

I turned to look into her eyes. “Yes, very much so.”

She smiled as a pink blush dusted her che...

AO 4 Ch 8

Chapter 8

The sewer grew quiet as the splash of our boots echoed around eerily through the giant stone pipe.

Miles and I both kept spheres of light up that illuminated our surroundings, though the smooth stone walls were anything but interesting. Round stone walls encompassed us and the murky water in the channel was stagnant. It continued to rise even as the channel got deeper.

Aurelia held up a fist for us to stop. “Something ahead.”

I strained m...

AO 4 Ch 7

Chapter 7

With another wave of my hand, I removed the spikes from the bottom of the sewer channel, the stone sliding back under the murky waters.

One of the crocodiles was alive enough to let out a guttural roar in its final moments. The roar reverberated through the sewer tunnel and rattled inside my chest.

A much louder response came from further down the sewer.

“What was that?” Miles took a step back and glanced at all of us as if we had the ans...

AO 4 Ch 6

Chapter 6

“Yep, just waiting here like the rest of you.” I flashed a smile at the latest beggar to come over. I gestured for the man sit down before I started healing him.

“Ard Aldis.” I introduced myself to the next beggar and put a hand on the elderly woman’s arm before infusing her with life magic. First I tackled the woman’s lungs before scouring her joints and restoring what he could.

Old age wasn’t something you could heal, and using too ...

AO 4 Ch 5

Chapter 5

I groaned but didn’t let the sound pass my lips as I looked down at the slip of paper in my hand.

Orders.

My letters had gone out and what had returned were orders from the Enclave.

I stared at them, hoping they’d change.

Aurelia leaned over my shoulder. “What’s the problem?”

“I don’t like these orders.” I told her.

“You mean, you don’t like to follow orders in general.” Maribelle added helpfully as she...

AO 4 Ch 4

Chapter 4

Hecate watched as the guests left the room, Gwen turning to face her immediately.

“My son seems to trust you.” Gwen’s tone was sharper than her words would otherwise imply. “Yet, why aren’t you teaching him magic?”

“I’m a goddess.” Hecate snapped. “Something so mundane would ruin his worship.”

“Which is important, or so I’ve gathered.” Gwen narrowed her eyes.

Hecate was using the mage as a way to stay close t...

AO 4 Ch 3

Chapter 3

My mother’s study was orderly as ever, despite the disaster that had struck the city.

Two couches dominated the middle of the room, and on the far end sat a stately oak desk positioned near a set of bay windows overlooking the ocean.

My mother rolled herself in ahead of us, assuming we would follow. “Reports are already flying to the capital. I’m sure replies will be coming shortly in the next few days.”

Hecate materialized from the c...

AO 4 Ch 2

Chapter 2

Aurelia knelt over the bodies with shaky breath. The two mages had been laid out in a neat row, their bodies made as whole as possible while a pile of mage-forged corpses were set aside.

She brushed the ash and soot off their hair lovingly, revealing their Virel red hair.

“Can you confirm their identities?” A guard pushed her.

She wanted to snap, draw her blade and crush his skull. And her thoughts were not necessarily in that order. Yet she re...

AO 4 Ch 1

Chapter 1

The day was beautiful. The sunlight gleamed off the white peaks of the surrounding mountains and the ocean lapped relaxingly at the docks. It was an enchanting scenery.

At least, that’s what I tried to remind myself as I stood amid the still smoldering wreckage of the city, listening to the most inane bickering around me.

“No, my lot started here. I remember this crack in the road.” A store owner shouted at the other.

“That’s the wrong ...

Patreon Update 6-7-24

Alright, let’s do this update.

I finished DD 202. Which is good, because I have clearly been struggling a little bit. I hate the word ‘burnout’ because when you listen to people who are experts in it, they split the colloquial category into burnout and overwhelm.

So, I’m going to talk a little about what burnout and overwhelm are. Who knows? Maybe it’s helpful for some of you.

When burnout is defined in that context, I laugh and it is the complete polar opposite of...

DD 202 Ch 32

Chapter 32

“Thank you for having us.” The president of the UG was at my campsite when I woke up. He accepted coffee from Fayeth as I sat down.

“You’re welcome here anytime. To what do I owe the pleasure?” I hid my concerns behind a smile.

I could not help but notice the timing. I wondered if they knew we were responsible for the assassination.

“Cozy place you have here right next to the event.” He commented rather than getting to the poin...

DD 202 Ch 31

Chapter 31

I was already shirtless when I walked past the Censors still trying to puzzle out what ‘with a grain of salt’ meant.

Tish’s eyes caught on my chest.

I was a far cry from being embarrassed with people looking at me, but the way her cheeks dusted with a little blush made me look away. All this training had an effect on my body.

Despite Fayeth’s valiant efforts to fill me with delicious food, I barely had an ounce of fat on me. Training...

DD 202 Ch 30

Chapter 30

Des snapped a picture of Prince Albar as he stepped into the bar.

We had gotten there ahead of him, and the Haylon students were already well into their celebration for the night. The class was spread throughout a handful of tables.

“Got ‘em!” Des laughed from the bar and showed me the picture as the Prince stormed over to me.

“What do you want?” I leaned back in my chair and smiled at him, mostly because I knew it would annoy the ...

DD 202 Ch 29

Chapter 29

I blew out a breath as Charlotte shook my shoulder. “You’re up.”

“Thank you.” I flowed out of my meditative pose and walked to the raid.

The rest of the Haylon class cheered for me, while many of the other students seemed to think the betting was over.

The moment all washed over me like a receding tide as I stepped through the raid doors.

“Ah. Welcome.” Barret had a practiced smile. “Crimson won’t stop talking you up,...

DD 201 Ch 28

Chapter 28

The Prince gave Neldra a sneer. “You don’t want to touch me.”

“I would have to spend a year washing my hands to feel clean again.” Neldra agreed. “So please don’t bother the next Elven Empress and her husband. Our people are quite fond of them. They are like a romance story come to life.”

The Prince turned to me. “So, will you take my offer?”

“No.” I smiled. “I will not. Rather, I look forward to crippling whoever w...

DD 202 Ch 27

Chapter 27

The next day my class and the others pushed down to the 32nd floor easily enough. With all four colleges represented and their students clearing the way, the monsters were incredibly scarce.

Still, the floors were interesting. As always, they got larger the further down they were in the dungeon. Each floor we passed had a massive river winding past a mountain, but it was never the same river and mountain. The landscape around the river was lush and slow...

DD 202 Ch 26

Chapter 26

As if mentioning Ami’s name had summoned her, my butler arrived not long after. And soon after that, the ink was drying on a contract with Penny as I leaned back drinking tea.

“Thank you again.” Penny bowed low. “My father will be thrilled.”

“It’s just business. Upholding your end of the bargain will be enough.” I smiled and made sure it reached my eyes.

Silver Fangs had the resources, and this would be a decently solid inves...

DD 202 Ch 25

Chapter 25

“Then you just killed her?” Elysara got to the end of my most recent adventure.

“I was just trying to get information out of her.” My hand wandered under the table to brush aside a bit of her dress so I could feel her warmth.

We’d sat at the corner of the table together and somehow the chairs had shifted from being politely separated, to pushed together in the corner.

It put her well within arm’s reach.

Elysara smiled at me...

DD 202 Ch 24

Chapter 24

By the time Des returned, Crimson looked completely satisfied and snuggled up against me on the couch.

“Ah. You didn’t have to wait up for mw.” She glanced at Crimson who was in bright red sweatpants. “Or was I not the reason you are still awake?”

“Just wanted to make sure you were okay. Crimson got me a little caught up…”

Des pouted. “I wanted to play with her.”

“Can’t.” Crimson said with her eyes closed. “...

DD 202 Ch 23

Chapter 23

I smirked back at the Prince. “No need to get all testy. It’s not a big deal. Charlotte, just give him a heal and he will be on his way.” I held my hand down to help him up.

He slapped it away. “Enough of this. I have something important to attend to.”

“When will you be back?” His classmate asked.

“Not long. I’ll be back in a few hours. I have to go out to a dead branch of the dungeon.” The Prince likely had his own trave...

DD 202 Ch 22

Chapter 22

I pulled Grandpa aside. “How much did you know about this job before you gave it to me?”

“Nothing.” He said with a wide grin. “That’s the fun part. We just pushed our baby bird right out of the nest and you flew all on your own. Though, you are a lucky bastard, so perhaps I shouldn’t have thought there was any other possibility.”

Sighing, I shook my head. “Tell Grandma Sakura I’m okay when you get back. The thing I need to talk...

DD 202 Ch 21

Chapter 21

I had Trish bloodied in my hands and then suddenly, I couldn’t feel her.

My hand was… sliding off to the side with a clean cut in it, leaving it hanging by a thread.

An incredibly thin barrier was three quarters through my wrist as Trish threw herself to the side and a gust of wind swept past my feet, disappearing my prey.

I flashed to the side, faster than the gust of wind, grabbing the old man in a suit.

There was a wet squish in...

DD 202 Ch 20

Chapter 20

“Not talkative?” Brandon twirled one ax lazily. The man was rough, but he was built with square shoulders, only accented by the fur cloak. He didn’t fit with the two behind him, who looked like they belonged in a corporate office.

The second my eyes moved away from Brandon, him he exploded forward, dragging his axes low to the ground and stirring up dust 

Fayeth jumped ahead of me, smashing her shield into him before he could finish his...

DD 202 Ch 19

Chapter 19

I had my hood up as I slipped into the 30th floor safe zone. The light at the center was dimmed to a silvery moon as it mimicked the surface.

Felin pulled at her own outfit. “Why wear anything?” She was with me, along with the rest of my five person party.

“Because he doesn’t want other people to oogle you naked. Pride leaders are protective like that.” Des answered quickly.

“No, it’s because your white hair and pale skin stick...

DD 202 Ch 18

Chapter 18

Fayeth, Felin, Des, and I had just gotten back from our trip to the safe zone and entered our tent when Ami appeared in a flash.

“Hold on a second.” I waved for her to sit down while I plopped down on the couch, Charlotte still tucked into my arm. “I want to review what we all got while we were there.”

Felin came to sit down, but her butt only lasted on the chair for a second before she was up again, pacing like she had too much energy. 2024-05-21 06:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post

DD 202 Ch 17

Chapter 17

Charlotte swung our hands back and forth with a big smile on her face. The moment was only marred by Bun-bun’s snoring. The rabbit was tuckered out from the excitement of the restraunt. “Thanks for taking the time to go on a walk with me.”

I lifted her hand to kiss the back of it. “My pleasure. Too often the others demand my attention. Happy to spend more personal time with my cute healer.”

We were away from the city in the safe zone, wa...

DD 202 Ch 16

Chapter 16

“They have sushi!” Fayeth squealed, opening the menu at the restaurant that we had picked.

It was sort of a jack-of-all trades sort of place. This deep in the dungeon, there weren’t many restaurants and besides the few classic bars. This place just had a smattering of random ethnic dishes in no particular combination.

“The raw fish?” Felin stared blankly at the menu. She seemed a little overwhelmed.

“They have beef wellington. Yo...

DD 202 Ch 15

Chapter 15

“Hmm?” I turned.

The man’s antics behind us at the bank had not really interested me before, but now his accusations had my attention.

He was accusing us of being carried by Crimson. Taking away the credit of our hard earned loot.

“Yeah. I knew that would hit a nerve. The truth always does.” The prince continued. “As for my father, he's been busy with work. The SJS Financial group is one of the largest businesses in the world. It...