Elania stepped up to the edge of the muddy bank and looked down at Kael, who was plastered to the side, his boots submerged and at an angle as the rushing underground stream tried to tug him loose and wash him away.
She bit her lip. “Remind me why we brought him again?”
Kael turned his head, his face coated with a thick layer of mud and shouted, “Help!”
Yolani stepped up to stand beside Elania, shaking her head. “We needed them to help carry the horns back. They’...
2023-10-31 13:22:56 +0000 UTC
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USD: Thirty-Eight hours since hostile fleet incursion.
Location: Meltisar System, MNS Thea’s Hackjob, CIC
Thea watched the station’s standard watch crew march onto the waiting troop transports for disembarking. They didn’t know she was watching, or that she knew about their deception.
If she had been able to trust them, then it would have been much better to have the crew on board for the upcoming action. As it was, she could neither trust the admiral nor the crew ...
2023-10-29 13:36:46 +0000 UTC
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USD: Thirty-Seven hours since hostile fleet incursion.
Location: Meltisar System, MNS Aegis Flag Bridge
The tension on the bridge was palpable. Alex could feel it creeping up her spine, a prickling sensation that set her on edge. Admiral Parks had taken to pacing the length of the command deck, his pipe clenched between two fingers.
She had flipped the environmental fans to maximum to rid the room of the smoke smell, adding a low-pitched whine to the background noise on ...
2023-10-28 14:07:00 +0000 UTC
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Elania’s consciousness stirred slowly, like a beast waking from a deep hibernation. Her body felt heavy and lethargic, the remnants of a profound exhaustion lingering in her bones.
She was lying on something soft that smelled faintly of lavender and clean linen—a bed, she realized. Slowly opening her eyes, she found herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.
A system message appeared...
2023-10-25 06:19:47 +0000 UTC
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Eziel raged at her as they plummeted, sending violent pulses of power through her fingers and down her arm. It was just a miniscule drop against the ocean that was eroding away at her.
“Judge yourself for once!” Elania roared at him, her voice tinged with rage and betrayal. She felt the sword fall silent.
As they plunged into the glowing heart of the Celestial Engine, there was an i...
2023-10-25 04:35:58 +0000 UTC
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Elania’s eyes flashed between the four new Magisters. Green, Blue, Black, and Purple, each man emerged from his own doorway, the ornate workings and statue above their entry points, each having its own style.
[Arch Magus – Human – Level 632]
[Arch Magus – Human – Level 758]
[Arch Magus – Human – Level 677]
2023-10-24 07:37:08 +0000 UTC
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Relain’s voice resonated with authority, the deadly intent in his declaration causing the entire room to shudder. The invocation sent a wave of dread through Elania’s body, terror seizing her heart as she anticipated the consequences of the man’s spell.
Willcaster. Literally willing magic into existence? Is that what Eziel had meant?
Time seemed to slow. Yolani screamed. Flakes of...
2023-10-23 23:40:27 +0000 UTC
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After the revealing conversation with Eziel and the revelation regarding the Celestial Engine, they had little time to spare, but what they needed to do seemed obvious to both of them. Yolani led the way out of the chamber and back into the darkened halls with the location of Relain’s offices in the tower printed on a flimsy sheet of parchment.
The path was slightly disorienting. Elania didn...
2023-10-23 07:17:38 +0000 UTC
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Of course, Yolani smiled and said she liked her as well. Elania bit her lip and nodded, realizing the other girl didn’t really understand what she’d really meant. That was okay, they had enough to deal with already, and facing her possibly impossible unrequited feelings was not something they needed right now.
And she was right, they’d only known each other for a few days, it just felt ...
2023-10-22 12:30:30 +0000 UTC
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The first sensation Elania became aware of was the feeling of something warm and soft pressed against her. Then the soft thing elbowed her in the side and moved. Her eyes fluttered open to find a pair of curious emerald eyes staring at her from a nose-length away. Yolani was awake.
“Hey,” Yolani murmured softly, her voice carrying an underlying strength that hadn’t been there the previo...
2023-10-22 05:57:58 +0000 UTC
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The golden light was warm as it bathed the sewer hideout. It was also blinding, forcing Elania to shield her eyes with her arm. When she opened them again, Yolani was awake and staring at her, wide-eyed.
“Elania?” she sounded hoarse but alert.
Filled with relief, Elania sat down Eziel and wrapped her arms around the other girl in a tight hug. “Thank god,” she muttered into the oth...
2023-10-21 20:11:05 +0000 UTC
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Elania reacted instantly, pushing forward to chase after the mana shard chest. Tessa didn’t let her close, jumping back equally fast.
The razor-sharp looking teeth grinned madly. “Hahaha! My master needs this.”
A curved blue wave of energy flashed towards both of them as Anton turned and charged toward the stolen prize.
There was no dodging the wave; Elania punched it with a...
2023-10-21 06:10:05 +0000 UTC
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The third tavern they tried was a dingy, poorly lit establishment by the name of The Mucky Puddle. The name fit. Outside, a leaky city works pipe drizzled over a nearby hole that had long filled with filth. Elania watched from across the street as Yolani went about inside and out, mingling with the patrons.
They were an eclectic mix of mercenaries, laborers, and downtrodden folk resigned to f...
2023-10-21 01:04:01 +0000 UTC
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Elania’s ears flickered back as soon as Yolani’s calm, regular breathing hitched. The other girl had slid to her side while asleep, resting her head on Elania’s flank. A clumsy set of fingers sank into fur as she propped back up to sitting.
“Elania?” Yolani whispered.
Elania responded with a loud purr and nuzzled her.
“We need to continue searching for the Lightbringer...
2023-10-20 12:01:47 +0000 UTC
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Elania bit down on her bag as she finished absorbing the remaining bodies on the street, shoving the excess power into the mana shard contained inside. Then she bounded after Yolani, who shoved the slightly bent doorframe of Aetherhart’s Artifice open. Henri watched mutely as the two disappeared inside.
The door groaned as Emerald Eyes shoved it back shut, then directed her wand at a drop b...
2023-10-20 05:12:29 +0000 UTC
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As Hester finished his proclamation, Elania felt a wave of dread wash over her.
She counted six city guardsmen. Ranolf and his two artificers had artifice wands she recognized to be like Yolani’s combat wand in one hand, and shackles with arcane looking glyphs glowing on them in the other.
Those were definitely some type of slave tool, probably meant to bind and control her.
Yol...
2023-10-19 12:44:17 +0000 UTC
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A sense of unease filled Elania as they rode in the carriage toward the City Guard’s headquarters. Henri sat opposite of them and had been strangely quiet after his revelation. Yolani seemed equally concerned. The tension in the air was palpable, and she could feel a knot forming in her stomach.
Henri tapped his fingers rhythmically on his thigh—a clear sign of nervous energy.
Tuggi...
2023-10-19 09:32:37 +0000 UTC
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Morning came with the soft glow of the city’s magical light stones illuminating Yolani’s room through the window. The soft scent of lavender filled Elania’s senses while a warm softness pressed against her back as she slowly drifted to wakefulness. She suppressed a sudden surge of panic when she realized what it was.
Yolani had rolled up against her, arm awkwardly positioned hanging str...
2023-10-19 04:41:09 +0000 UTC
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Yolani and Elania spent the rest of the day going over the contract, ensuring that no stone was left unturned. There wasn’t really any lawbook or contract law for them to use, so they had to wing it. Elania was pretty sure that a real lawyer would have hated their contract because of the number of ‘reasonables’ and other vague words.
Lucas was slightly confused when Yolani sent him back...
2023-10-18 16:00:01 +0000 UTC
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As Elania stepped out of the third Artificer shop of her search, she began to question her choice to keep shopping around for a higher price. Ranolf’s offer of two small golds had beaten all the offers by a full coin. That was to say, the others had, at best, offered her one small gold.
Lucas was waiting, and to his credit, had showed no signs of being annoyed by her wasting the late morning ...
2023-10-18 11:55:09 +0000 UTC
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All the dark alleys had been claimed by gangs, orphans, or the homeless. Elania did not want to confront anyone on their own turf, so she kept trudging along through the streets. Whenever someone approached her, she gave them a heated glare that seemed to forestall any further encounters.
Whether it was the change in her posture, the speed at which her hands went to her two [Vorpal Da...
2023-10-18 02:47:41 +0000 UTC
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The light stone was simple enough to activate once Yolani slotted in the mana shard. It had been just high enough quality to work. Unfortunately, it had been low on charge, and after the combat in the dungeon, she had been low on energy. The vault of mana crystals she had stockpiled proved their usefulness as she recharged the shard and her combat items.
The light stone was hauled off in a
2023-10-17 09:21:01 +0000 UTC
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Elania set her destination as the center of the Mercenary District and where she suspected she’d find the active taverns and alehouses that’d give her a chance to look for a room or a place to wait. The main avenue was well lit, but evidence of squalor was everywhere she looked. Trash and litter filled the street, most of it having washed up against the buildings—and people—along the sides....
2023-10-16 23:31:42 +0000 UTC
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Elania headed out of the market, having walked its entire length and still having barely scratched the real depth of the place. Someone wanting to browse the wares would have been easily able to waste an entire day or two exploring everything.
She was not one of those people, at least not at the moment.
It was a rather straight shot out of the Conclave district to reach the central hub ...
2023-10-16 11:31:14 +0000 UTC
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At the bottom of the ramp, there was a booth that charged them a small tax. Two large silvers to get into the city, and it was two small ones to leave. Anyone who couldn’t pay was forced to work for the city to make up the difference, and Elania couldn’t imagine the pay was very good.
Thankfully, her funds were enough to cover the cost. It was the secondary cost that gave her pause.
2023-10-16 08:41:30 +0000 UTC
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Elania ignored breakfast and left the monks to eat among themselves. Instead, she waved goodbye to Allie in the common room and then stepped out into the outpost proper. Inhabitants were going about their business and the small market was already bustling with traders selling food and other goods. There were half a dozen stalls that held her interest, and she passed by each one with a feigned indif...
2023-10-16 03:50:14 +0000 UTC
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Elania’s head pounded as she slowly woke up. The dim memory of closing and locking the door before stripping and falling into the decidedly plush bed was all she could remember on short notice. Dismay filled her as her mana shard glared in her face as she rolled over in the sheets that somehow turned her into a human burrito.
This time she was fairly certain that the headache—the hangover...
2023-10-15 08:18:54 +0000 UTC
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Elania gathered Marcus’ belongings that were scattered around, a grim reminder of his previous existence. Having slain him, she was now the proclaimed heir to his earthly possessions: the deadly purple hue daggers, his set of leather and chain armor, a tattered olivine cape, and a heavy travel pack stuffed with who knew what.
Her insides writhed with the weight of her actions. She’d never...
2023-10-15 03:04:19 +0000 UTC
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Elania stared at Marcus’ lifeless body, a strange mix of horror and… triumph swirling within her. The once arrogant and oily ranger lay sprawled underneath her, his eyes vacant and lifeless. His chest bore a deep puncture wound that was rapidly turning black with rot where she had thrust his own weapon into him. The pool of crimson blood was bubbling as the black ichor spread underneath, soakin...
2023-10-14 13:55:48 +0000 UTC
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Marcus’ return stirred a whirlpool of emotions within Elania. He ushered them into the waystation with an air of feigned graciousness. She hurried past him to her own chamber while the senior monks didn’t waste any time in launching into their grievances against him, blaming him for the deaths they’d encountered along their journey.
The monks, she had found herself able to tolerate, even ...
2023-10-14 08:15:42 +0000 UTC
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