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Chapter 15: A Disagreement of Sorts

Chapter 15: A Disagreement of Sorts

Tiberius unfolded his arms, studying the bard. He had no doubt that his phrasing was quite intentional. Yet even if he did not entirely understand what Marcus meant, he could still learn much from the piece of information.

At first, Tiberius had assumed Marcus was nothing more than a fop. That assumption hadn't been entirely disproven, to be fair. But the more he learned about him, the more he had to admit the man seemed strangely competent. So ...

EV B2 Chapter 22:

Soon, I was stepping out into the streets of Valhalla by myself once more. I looked up and noticed the sky was clear, and no snow was falling. I still felt the brisk air on my cheeks and nose, but as I breathed in deeply, it smelled clean. As I began to walk down the street with a certain aimlessness, I realized a couple of things. Both Loki and George had said they'd contact us when they were ready. Where? Did that put a real wrench into our plans? Perhaps I should have gone and found Astrid...

Chapter 14: Just Wartime Things

Chapter 14: Just Wartime Things

The camp was quiet—or at least, as quiet as any camp could be. Men continued to go about their duties as the sun descended toward the horizon, passing between the tents and calling out occasionally to their comrades. Still, compared to the chaos of an active battlefield or the bustle of a thriving town, it was calm. Calm, organized, and peaceful. For the moment.

Tiberius sat stationed behind his desk, a large piece of wooden furniture one of the L...

Chapter 13: Yo Momma, The Broodmother

Chapter 13: Yo Momma, The Broodmother

The behemoth ambled toward their formation. The shadows of the forest seemed to bend and twist around its form, undulating in a sickening, unnatural way. They seemed to only grow thicker as the spider approached, casting everything into a strange grayscale dimness.

Quintus called over his shoulder urgently. "Brutus! Torches, now!"

He couldn't risk looking back toward the man, but the sound of a pack hitting the ground suggested that he'd...

EV B2 Chapter 21:

The bustle of a new challenge forming was not something I had expected when I was leaving the portal. There was a bit of whiplash as I stepped out. It reminded me of a crowded mall on Black Friday. People were yelling at the Raven manning the desk, and some waited in line while others pushed. For the most part, the warriors policed themselves, but that wasn't to say there weren't several scuffles going on at any given moment.

We got a few odd looks as we pushed and shoved our way out ag...

Chapter 12: Everyone Hates Spiders

Chapter 12: Everyone Hates Spiders

The shiny black carapace of the spider hurtled toward Quintus, its eight spindly legs glimmering ever so faintly in the darkness. He planted his feet and pulled mightily at his shield, maneuvering the rectangular scutum between them. However, the chitinous mass didn't bounce off like he'd expected. Instead, the tips of its legs clung to the surface, skittering noisily as it crawled up his shield and began to crest its top.

At this d...

Chapter 11: Roman the Woods

Chapter 11: Roman the Woods

Quintus ordered his small group of men forward. With practiced motions, they enclosed the last snarling panther in a tight formation, its two compatriots bleeding out where they lay still on the forest floor.

He and four of his men formed a shield wall, their scutums locking together, and banged their gladiuses against them as loudly as they could. The panther bared its teeth, flattening its ears against its head. The edges of its inky bla...

Chapter 10: Art Thou Upset, Brother?

Chapter 10: Art Thou Upset, Brother?

Stepping inside of the mayor's mansion felt like being transported to an entirely different place. The building's construction, for one, boasted far more artistic flourishes and decorative trims than it had any right to. Its opulent lacquered furniture and gilded wall hangings were an even further cry from the comparably austere fixtures and simple workmanship found elsewhere in Habersville. Marcus couldn't help but appreciate the expense, even if it...

Chapter 9: Old Women Spy Network

Chapter 9: Old Women Spy Network

Marcus straightened and peered up at the guards—no, Legionnaires, he corrected himself. They hated being called guards. Sextus seemed to consider him for a second.

"Hmm…" The man stroked his chin. "Depends. I want to hear these accents. I wouldn't suppose you'd be willing to grace us with one of those famed stories of yours first?"

Cassius elbowed his companion. "Fool. Didn't he just say he was busy? What, are your ears stuffed full of he...

Chapter 8: Trading Barbs

Chapter 8: Trading Barbs

The expedition had been a total shitshow from the very start.

Eleonora grimaced, her fingers blurring with the motions for [Lesser Healing]. As the spell completed, she sent the energy toward Jack's injured sword arm where it dangled at his side. Nearby, Rudolf released another arrow at the last comically oversized rat clinging to Jack's shield as he frantically waved it around with his good arm. The creature squealed in pain and fury as t...

Chapter 7: Professional Mouthbreather

Chapter 7: Professional Mouthbreather

Tiberius felt a frown crease his brow as his eyes traveled across the unfamiliar script. He found he could read most of it, despite it clearly not being Latin, just as he was somehow able to understand this land's inhabitants. Strange as that was, it was also convenient, and it didn't take too long to get a grasp of its meaning. In some ways, it was similar to a report he might receive about troop numbers and other logistical details. But this was d...

EV B2 Chapter 20:

Posting this well after midnight. I wanted to get this out more than a week ago, but I got sick. Now I feel better, but so behind. I just needed to get this done.

Luckily I have some legion chapters so I had something to post at least. All the creative juices must have saturated as I did two chapters today. Not in the same story though.

EV B2 Chapter 20:

I paused for a second, my brain not fully processing what I had just heard. After a couple of seconds, I realiz...

Legion - Chapter 6: Wine and Cheese

Chapter 6: Wine and Cheese

King Gerald of the Novaran Kingdom gazed down from his throne, his imperious gaze resting on the duke bowing before him. Or rather, the top of the man's head. From his vantage point, the king was granted a full and uninterrupted view of the duke's rather unflattering bald spot. Light from the enchanted chandelier above reflected off of the shiny patch of skin as though to spotlight it.

"My King, it is an honor to be in your presence this day. I am ever s...

Legion - Chapter 5: The Class System

Chapter 5: The Class System

Tiberius gaped at the blatant example of witchcraft floating before his eyes. Of course, he was no stranger to magic. Their very presence in this new and unfamiliar place had been proof enough that it did exist, its manifestations far more direct than he'd ever before experienced. But seeing it physically manifest like this was a different matter entirely.

The overweight "leader" of the town let out a high-pitched squeal of fright, his jowls quivering. ...

Legion - Chapter 4: The Birth of an Empire

Chapter 4: The Birth of an Empire

As Marcus approached the gathered ranks of soldiers, a few finally reacted to his presence. A group broke off to meet him, one calling out in a loud voice. "Halt! State your purpose." 

Marcus sagged in relief. He'd been fairly sure that they spoke the same language based on the few shouted commands he'd heard, but this confirmed it. The fact that they hadn't attacked him on sight was a huge plus, as well. That would make things so much easier...

Legion - Chapter 3: A Slight Miscalculation

Chapter 3: A Slight Miscalculation

Marcus prided himself on his wit and eloquence. Whenever he spoke, it was not simply to communicate a point. Rather, each word was carefully chosen to imbue the right tone and elevate his message to the level of poetry. It was this dedication that rendered crowds spellbound by his stories and opponents tongue-tied by his insults. Even the most critical curmudgeons and dismissive dastards found themselves unable to deny his abilities. In his best moment...

Legion - Chapter 2: They Came, They Saw, They Wondered Where They Were

Chapter 2: They Came, They Saw, They Wondered Where They Were

Quintus blinked as the light around him changed. Suddenly, it was a different dawn. An earlier one. Not only that, but the sunlight was being filtered through a dense forest canopy around him.

With a start, he realized that he stood in a clearing of tall grass, its blades fluttering slightly in the breeze. It was not the open plains and former battlefield by the Metaurus River. Rather, this was scenery he'd expect to se...

Legion - Chapter 1: Tiberius, We're Not in Rome Anymore

Legion is back, better than ever!

Also should be posting an EV chapter later today as well as an update which I will discuss plans further.

We got 50k+ words of legion drafted this time and after some heavy editing we are coming back to the story. I'm going to make the first few chapters open to everyone, but then it will be for paying members until we launch on RR.

Expect one chapter a day for about a week at least.

Chapter 1: Tiberius, We're Not in Rome Anymor...

EV B2 Chapter 19:

EV B2 Chapter 19:

I was right.

A little less than three hours later, the castle was completely under our control. The fighting was not very difficult; it was mostly just that I or any of my teammates couldn’t be in every spot. The five of us split up and did our best to help with the most difficult pockets of resistance. And whenever we came across them, we crushed them, mostly without using magic or skills. Although, every once in a while, I did something flashy.

The Raid...

EV B2 Chapter 18:

EV B2 Chapter 18:

As we crashed into the sandy shore, I stood perfectly balanced on the dragon-headed prow of the ship. The lurching momentum of our sudden stop jolted the vessel, sending many people stumbling. My footing, however, was steady. I leaped at just the right moment, carrying our forward momentum as I flung myself into the sand.

I could see now why the greater party size had come here with a full five members. Apparently, taking a monastery had been too easy, and the ch...

EV B2 Chapter 17:

EV B2 Chapter 17:

The conversation meandered for twenty minutes or so before I brought it around to something that had been bothering me earlier.

"You mentioned Alana. Normally, you don't pay attention to my friends' names," I said.

"Look." He shrugged. "She's special."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "How so?"

He smiled and winked. I restrained myself from heaving a sigh.

"How is she doing now?" I asked. "I haven't been able to find any way of contacting her or...

EV B2 Chapter 16:

EV B2 Chapter 16:

Nearly an hour later, I brought Astrid down the stairs right at the appointed time. The concierge waved us through, and we were back in the luxurious steakhouse with fine dining. Astrid appeared incredibly nervous and very much out of place, wearing her leathers and carrying her bow. I also felt out of place in my garb, but I was comfortable in such a setting.

Loki stood as we walked toward his table, Astrid a half step behind me, slightly hiding behind my back. ...

EV B2 Chapter 15:

EV B2 Chapter 15:

When I got to the top of the stairs, I found there was no one waiting for us in an ambush, like I had feared. Astrid was still slowly healing and unable to walk, so I began a steady but relaxed pace down the road that led to the castle. Eventually, Astrid opened her eyes and looked up at me, either out of mana or healed enough that she felt she could take a break.

"Either way, no matter how this goes," she said, gesturing to the world around us, "I think you shou...

EV B2 Chapter 14:

EV B2 Chapter 14:

With an iron will, I ignored my surroundings. It was a mess, a fucking bloodbath. The waves were still struggling to remove the blood from the sand.

Despite my best efforts, something tore at my mind and brought back memories that were all too recent. Things that felt like they should have been further away in time but weren't even a week past.

The details of the fight played back in my head. I had moved with grace and skill that I hadn't had before. Even w...

EV B2 Chapter 13:

With that, I put my plan into action. We dumped the barricade from the doors. It hadn't been all that useful, and we had no trouble getting through the piles of junk we'd placed to stop the horses. I had a sack slung across my shoulders with a few things inside as I stepped out first, quickly followed by the raiders in a steady stream.

The second I cracked the door open, arrows rained down from the top of the wall, plunging into the back of the horsemen's formation. Astrid shot noticeab...

EV B2 Chapter 12:

EV B2 Chapter 12:

I couldn't see much from the gate, but I could hear the hoof beats much more clearly. There were definitely a lot of horses coming our way, clattering down the long path toward the center of the gate.

There were two approaches to the castle. The first was the cliffside stairway that led down to the beach that we had come up. It joined the road about 200 yards away from the gate. The other was a long, well-maintained road cutting through gently rolling ...

HS Chapter 59:

Chapter 59:

"Oh, shit," Titus muttered next to her, and Alice couldn't help but agree.

The people were back, and they were everywhere. She had forgotten that this was a dense metropolis. In the days they spent wandering around, it was a ghost town full of monsters. Now, monsters weren't the only things on the streets. People were everywhere.

The crowds were still a decent ways away because anyone who had been teleported back into the area of the ants was running for their li...

HS Chapter 58:

Chapter 58:

When Alice's eyes opened, she was met with Titus's weary gaze. He had his hand rested on her shoulder, keeping her sitting against the wall several feet away from the door.

She looked up at him and asked, "You did it?"

"We did it," Titus said. "The AI seems to have launched. It did something?"

"Yeah, something," Alice said. "Did you understand the logs?" she asked, not sure how much she would have to explain.

HS Chapter 57:

Chapter 57:

As he turned away from the door, Titus felt a well of anxiety bubble up from within him as he left Alice behind. With an effort of will, he buried it down and lowered his head as he sprinted the few dozen yards to the server racks. He wasn't sure about putting her by herself, but he had to hope that she'd recovered enough to at least hold the door until he could get back.

Titus hoped the monsters would not be interested in randomly exploring the place and would actuall...

EV B2 Chapter 11:

After two days, I wasn't having quite as much fun anymore. We'd gone through a storm, and the clouds were only now beginning to part. The rain had eased up a few hours ago, and I'd immediately come out of the shelter. The canvas tarp that covered a decent portion of the deck had kept us out of the worst of the rain, but we were by no means dry. Sea spray and the storm's relentless downpour had washed over the boat countless times. More than once, we'd had to bail buckets of water from the bot...