hermitscave

Chapter 294 - Two Instruments

 In the days after he had learned of King Taoco's death, Corco became even busier than usual. While he and Sumaci had decided that they would leave for Rasacopa as soon as possible, they couldn't just go without preparations this time.   

Their last excursion to the bat islands had been secret, and it had been short. In Corco's original plans, it had been even shorter. Originally, the plan had been to stay away for only a few days, check on the bat island's resources ...

Chapter 293 - Inner Strength

 With a suspicious look towards the captain, Inchi left the room. However, Tayali only had eyes for Lady Sisu. As soon as the maid had left, the captain put on a grin. At the same time, the lady's own soft smile disappeared and was replaced by winter frost.

“What do you want, Captain Tayali?” she asked in a tone as cold as her face. There was nothing left of the soft, weak lady in everyone's impression.

“Is this a new piece you have been working on, Sisu?” T...

Chapter 292 - Trouble in Paradise

 From the shore, a harsh wind sliced through the empty streets of Rasacopa. Over the past few years, the people of the city had been full of optimism and energy, the spring in their steps more obvious with each passing season. Their king had improved all of their lives, as well as shown everyone a path to advance. At the same time, the strength of their island, and with it their security,  had grown with every new raiding ship that left the shipyards. The people had been happy, life...

Chapter 291 - Worse Than Expected

 After the ship from Atau's fleet had returned from its scouting mission, the full extent of their trouble was revealed. When Corco arrived near the harbor, the ship itself had already told him half the story before anyone had opened their mouth. The galleon had anchored in the port, with its sails up, but Corco could still see that the cloth had been damaged, and could still see that the hull sat atop the waves at a slight slant. Whatever had happened to them, it hadn't been an easy jou...

Chapter 290 - Cracks

 For once, Corco didn't spend his day in his study, though all by himself, there would be little point anyways. At this time, his wife had gone to the shipyards to help with the inspection of the fishing and trade vessels that were currently in production. This way, they would know what sort of work needed doing to make them combat ready.   

As an experienced captain, she was more suited for that role than almost anyone else in Saniya. In the meantime, Fadelio was sti...

Chapter 289 - Provisional Plans

 After Llasto, the bearer of bad news, had left the king's study, the mood in the room was dire. While Sumaci and Fadelio looked awkward and confused, Corco sat there like a corpse, having lost all motivation to continue his enthusiastic speech from before.

“At least now we know where those Arcavian ships in the west were coming from,” Fadelio tried to right the mood. However, while his words managed to wake Corco up, they didn't make him feel any more optimistic.

Chapter 288 - Bad News

 After Sumaci and Corco had enjoyed their alone time for a while, their fun was interrupted when Fadelio returned from his duties. For the moment, Corco decided to keep Fadelio in the dark on Tama and Atau's affairs. After all, the attendant was always stoic and calm, but turned savage when anyone troubled his family. If he knew that Atau had slept with his sister, there may well be blood in the castle tonight.   

Thus, he simply mentioned that Atau had agreed to lead...

Chapter 287 - Cry For Help

 Atau had stormed into the king's study like a whirlwind suffering from mania, but Corco's unusual reaction had both confused and calmed the storm. In the end, the captain took a seat in the study's guest chair. Although the guest chair was a permanent feature of Corco's study, it was rarely used. Usually, there was at least one chair ready for the guests in front of the king's desk, but most of them preferred to stand, out of respect for their ruler. However, Atau had no such reservatio...

Chapter 286 - The New Normal

 After Corco's return to Saniya, the lineup in Rapra Castle's main study room had changed for the first time in years. As always,  Fadelio sat to the side behind a mountain of paper, while Corco sat behind his fancy desk. However, this time there was a third participant in the discussions, and it wasn't a mere guest.

After their return to Saniya, the servants had added a couch arrangement opposite of Fadelio's position, where the king's new wife took a seat. Ever since, S...

Chapter 285 - Persuasion or Force

 At the time the wedding banquet in Saniya took place, another important meeting was being held over a thousand kilometers away. Stuck between the various main islands of the Verdant Isles sat a small piece of land, called Nakatara. This island was shaped like a bean, the sea being hugged by a long, concave beach. And in the center of that beach sat a solitary building, called Tullpuna Court.

For centuries, Tullpuna Court had been the place the Colored Kings of the Verdant Isl...

Chapter 284 - Consequences

Atau's own pulsing headache woke his tired mind. With a groan, he tried to raise his body, but his eyes were pressed closed from pain and his arms felt weak. After a second of struggle, he sank back down into his bed and stretched out his limbs.

Wait, this isn't my bed.

Although it had been years since he last slept in his Saniya home, the feel of one's own bed wasn't something that anyone would forget so easily.   

This one was much softer t...

Chapter 283 - Enemies and Friends

 After the Mayu incident, the atmosphere in the hall was tensed. However, when Corco and Cauac returned from their private talks, they walked close, while talking and laughing. With their demonstration of familiarity, the problems were eased and the crowd returned to its jubilant attitude. Yet not everyone was glad about the proceedings.

With a sour face, Atau watched the banquet crowd in the distance. He himself sat on the edge of the hall, alone on an unlit table. His eyes s...

Chapter 282 - Unkind Gift

Once again, the lords of the south had come together to celebrate in Rapra Castle. Today however, the halls were even fuller than they had ever been. Over the past few years, most of the southern lords had moved from their home estates all across the kingdom into mansions in upper Saniya. All of them hoped to improve their standing and strike one of the lucrative deals the southern king would offer them from time to time.   

Even so, most of them wouldn't attend every banq...

New Maps (Spoilers for Book 5)

Welp, Inkarnate sucks now.

I've tried to make some neat maps with Inkarnate, but between last time I've used the site and now, it's turned into a ram hog. No idea what sort of rocket trajectories it's calculating, but my PC can't handle it for more than 10 minutes until it crashes. Still got the two maps done eventually, though I finished one by hand. I'm sure you can spot the moment I gave up. :D

Anyways, the two maps: 

First one is the Medala Empire. Old map, new plac...

Chapter 281 - A Sign From the Gods (Epilogue 2, End of Book 5)

 As he breathed out, hot air left Llasto's lungs and turned into icy clouds in front of his face. As always, the trip south was a hard journey. However, the view was worth it every time. Endless white stretched all around, as far as the eye could see. In his back, to his left and to his front were nothing but white, enough to even cover the rolling hills of southern Sachay. So blinding was the splendor that he would have gone blind from its glory had he not worn his expensive amber glass...

Chapter 280 - A Return Full of Surprises (Epilogue 1)

 Not once in his life had Atau felt nostalgic. When he had been sent into exile by his father, he had felt anger, but had shed no tear for his old home. Even when they had returned to Medala after their exile, Atau had remained indifferent. Now however, as he gazed upon the green sea all around him, he began to feel the emotions well up inside him.

“Finally, we are back in known waters,” he said to himself, relieved to see something familiar after years of novelty.  &...

Chapter 279 - Facing the Future

 Beneath the shade of palm trees, near a cliff overlooking the sea around one of the nameless bat islands, two people were living together in harmony. As Corco marched up the cliff, he saw Sumaci's shadow kneeled on the ground and bent over as she was working on something. Although she was in the shadow, the sun's bright rays bounced off the the endless, green sea behind her and illuminated her silhouette. Light surrounded her in a halo, like the sun during a solar eclipse.

Fo...

Slightly late on chapters this week (Enlightened Empire)

As I say in the title, I've been trying to get the three chapters for this week done today, but it's getting kinda late and I still need to do updates on the free chapters for today as well.

I'll probably have the new chapters done tomorrow, maybe on Tuesday if everything goes wrong. Good news is that I'll also get out at least one new map, maybe two. So look forward to that.

Updates, or: What I've been doing last week

Hey, hermit here with an update on things.

Over the easter days, I finally managed to finish the next three chapters of Enlightened Empire. Took a lot longer than I thought it would. I've never really written any romantic scenes, so I wasted a long time going back and forth and reworking those. Hopefully it came out okay, turned out believable and meaningful, rather than cheap. Please tell me what you thought about it (if the chapters are already unlocked for you. If they are...

Chapter 278 - Trading Secrets

His own coughing woke Corco up again. When he opened his eyes, he saw the clear blue sky before him, and the sound of waves was in his ears. His stomach convulsed and he sat up just in time to throw up a combination of gall and sea water. Once he had fought off another nasty cough, he looked around to find himself on a beach, with the green waters of the Verduic Sea before him. Out in the distance floated bits and pieces of wood and cloth. In his back, he saw a dense jungle. He was stranded, ...

Chapter 277 - Important Decision

 Several days passed by since Corco and Sumaci had been stranded on the unnamed island. In that time, they had cleaned out the cave and turned it from a hole into a home. Just like Corco had expected, they managed to find a source of fresh water inside when they properly illuminated the entire space the morning after their conquest.   

Although it was just a puddle that was fed by trickles of water from a rugged cave wall, it would still be enough for their purposes, ...

Chapter 276 - Surprise Attack

 After Corco's cold-hearted rejection, Sumaci stared at him for a while longer. Even so, he was determined to stick to his opinion.   

“If that's how you see it, then there is nothing I can do, is there?” she said in the end.   

Although Sumaci sounded disappointed, Corco couldn't think of anything he could say or do to lift her spirits. At least nothing that wouldn't risk the peace of the southern kingdom. Thus, he remained silent as she stare...

Twisted Skies, Chapter 11 - Welcome to the City

 What difference does one more night under the stars really make? he thought as he lay down with a sigh.

Thus, he put his hands behind his head and stared up into the dark green smog of the city. While his hot blood chilled, he thought back to the girl and put one more person on his revenge list. Although it kept getting longer and longer, he was sure that one day, he would reckon up all the debts the world had accrued with him. All he needed was time enough to gather...

Twisted Skies, Chapter 10 - A Cultivator's Anger

 “Help! Someone save me!”

Although the shout wasn't loud, it still ripped through the low murmur of the crowd like a bolt of lightning. Around him, a few people looked up for a second, before they continued on with their own business. Unlike them, Thurain wasn't heartless, and had both the strength and character to save those in need.

Right away he rushed towards the scream, into one of the mixed-qi apartment complexes along the side of the road. Within one of i...

Twisted Skies, Chapter 9 - Timely Help

 When his master had left their home for the city, he had come here with an express purpose. As a hermit and lone cultivator, master had done his best to care for Thurain. Even so, he could never quite offer him the same training conditions and resources the elite disciples of the great sects would enjoy. Even more, as a loose cultivator, he couldn't give out any diplomas other sects would accept once Thurain's training was done.

Thus, he had come here to get his disciple a de...

Twisted Skies, Chapter 8 - Path Through Heliana

 Right outside the station stood the gate the guards of Heliana would use to handle immigration. The gate itself had no wall to its sides and was only a simple open frame of wooden logs, but no one dared rush past it. Everyone could see the sparkling bronze formations that started on the gate and stretched to the ground and all the way into the distance. According to Thurain's master, these defenses had been set up all around the city and formed a ring no mortal would be able to cross. S...

Twisted Skies, Chapter 7 - Corruption of the City

 Only the elusive masters of past and future – called fate-weavers – had still refused to submit to modern science, stubbornly holding on to their old secrets. Although they were old-fashioned, they were by no means weak. No matter what, each and every fate-weaver would be a master of great power, the total opposite of the man before him. The more he thought about it, the angrier Thurain got. How dared this bastard impersonate the great masters, how dared he cheat the innocent for hi...

Twisted Skies, Chapter 6 - Fake Master

 “Master Vaine, I need to thank you once again for your help. If you need any help, feel free to message me or visit the Aubrey mansion.”

The train had already halted, but Thurain was still inside, shaking hands with Mr. Aubrey.

“You won't be getting off, Mr. Aubrey? It's the last stop.”

“Only for normal people,” he winked. “The train will drive on, into the city's southern industrial district. I'll be able to get to my family's property rig...

Twisted Skies, Chapter 5 - Culprit, and Pest

 As soon as Thurain began the procedure, the man's murky eyes cleared as he screamed in pain. But there was nothing Thurain could do to ease his pain. Untreated, the infused yang would burst his blood vessels and bleed him out from the inside. This was the only way to save him, no matter how traumatic it would be

At least the forced yang infusion has opened his meridians... but my qi is still ripping apart his circular system. Well, he won't ever become a cultivator this w...