PenguinKills

Chapter 397 - Frostguard Oathbound

Chris

Gabriel and Jon both tried to convince me of other courses of action, but I shot them all down. The path forward was clear, and I was prepared to march down it. Yes, I understood that this had the potential to end poorly, but my mind was set and there was no changing it.

Elliot and Hal mostly stayed out of it, either because they agreed or saw there was no convincing me otherwise. I wasn't sure which.

The Healer tending to me finally patched m...

Chapter 396 - Make it Even

Chris

Abigail's voice echoed in my ears long after her skill fizzled out. We were still reeling from the battle we had just taken part in, yet there was another on the horizon. One in a place far from here with stakes larger than this.

The one just fought had a field of just under ten thousand men and women. The one ahead of us would be one of hundreds of thousands.

Vanessa had sizable reserves, but she wouldn't be able to withstand the onslaught of...

Chapter 395 - Hammer and Anvil

Chris

Essence was the energy of advancement. It was what we built, augmented, and reconstructed our bodies with to get stronger. Nearly everything in this new world revolved around it, and I had a tsunami of it rushing into me once the fight ended.

Essence Transfer was still something we were studying and researching. The total amount of essence inside a being wasn't transferred at 100% efficiency for many reasons, most of which were still unknown.

...

Chapter 394 - Swords Clash

Second Chapter coming later today!

Marcus

"Hold!" Marcus yelled over the din of battle.

"Hold!" He repeated.

[Tide of Battle] was churning in a way like it never had before. The swings back and forth resulted in waters that were quick, choppy, and violent. Not to mention incredibly hard to predict.

His glaive cut through another warrior trying to climb atop the wall, and he spun to cut down another. His mana was needed elsewhere, ...

Chapter 393 - Plan's Sprung

Elliot

His grip tightened around the grip of his sword as he watched the two lines of cavalry meet. The sounds were... nightmare fuel. It was one thing to hold the concept of a cavalry charge in mind; it was another to see it happen.

Beasts of hundreds of pounds met boulders that weigh tons. Two unstoppable forces that smacked into one another with terrifying cruelty. Riders were launched off their mounts only to be ground underfoot into mincemeat without...

Chapter 392 - The Inevitable Cold

Chris

Immediately after using the skill, I could feel a tether snapping into place. A spiritual chain connecting me to Tasunka in a way that felt indestructible. Even for my famed strength, there would be no breaking the chain.

I could tell Tasunka felt the chain latch on because he was staring down at his chest, where it connected to him. He swung his arm through it tentatively, but his armored forearm traveled right through the chain like it wasn't even...

Chapter 391 - Judgement

Chris

Icebreaker took little urging to begin the charge. It was harder to hold him back than to push him onward, and the rest of the herd was right on my heels. Zion had worked his unit tremendously well over the years, allowing for experience to keep formation while charging.

At the tip of the spear, I held my hammer and tried to get as comfortable with the jostling as I could. I'd ridden horses before, even spent some time with Icebreaker, but a fully a...

Chapter 390 - Determined and Resilient

Chris

Walking out of the tent, I saw everyone else rushing to strap on armor and gather up their weapons. Helmets were latched tight, chest plates were donned, and the thick fur cloaks were removed.

Cloaks were good for warmth, but bad for a battle. My own bear-furred cloak was left behind in the tent as well.

Faces were determined, rather than grim. Determined and resilient. A good combination to have, and much better than the grim and fearful I'd ...

Chapter 389 - Once More

Tasunka

"Sir, another message from Viscountess Stuart," Rain, his usually helpful assistant, interrupted him with yet another message during his morning meditation. He knew it wasn't the man's fault, but it was becoming increasingly difficult not to blame the man.

"What does she want now?" Tasunka sighed in exasperation. It was nearly every other day that a new message from the woman came in telling him one thing or another.

He was going too fast. H...

Chapter 388 - Boogeyman

Chris

Our mission was set, and now it was time to see it through. Marcus marched off south with just under a thousand men behind him, while we set off west.

The place we were to defend was only a couple of days travel, which made for a quick trip. With both factions just now leaving their respective cities, it would be a while before any confrontation was to be had.

The fastest estimation had us fighting within the week, but that estimation was base...

Chapter 387 - Good Luck

Happy Halloween!

Chris

Gemini City

A sharp horn blast echoed through the city to gather everyone. It wasn't the four long blasts for war, just a short one to alert and notify everyone that we were gathering.

With movement from the enemy, it was time for us to also get on the move.

Elliot, Hal, and Gabriel all left to do their own thing, while I did the same. Gathering my things didn't take long, but I had partially unpacked whil...

Chapter 386 - On the Way

Mikayla

Velmara

The Viscountess stood and watched the snow continue to fall while the courtyard filled up with wagons, provisions, people, and warriors. The group was sluggish due to the weather, but they were making good enough time, all things considered.

"This fucking snow..." she cursed.

It's almost like they have nature on their side.

The thought was asinine, for nature was hers. It had been ever since she...

Chapter 385 - Tavern in the Storm

Chris

Gemini City

Surprisingly, war didn't erupt at the moment of my arrival. It sure felt like it would have, but it didn't. It had been a week already, and it looked like it would be a while more until things became... lively.

I reckoned it was for a few reasons: Frostheim's arrival, Marcus's movements along the border, and Mikayla and Tasunka finalizing things before their offensive started.

The week of heavy snows didn't ...

Chapter 384

Hello all, and first I must apologize for my radio silence lately, the late chapters, and the randomly missing days. At the very least, I should have said something and I didn't. For that, I apologize. I also apologize for the fact it happened.

It's been a mixture of a lot of things, really. Burnout, personal reasons, and a few other things. My goal for this week was to take a breather and catch up on Patreon a little, and that surely failed.

The backlog hasn't grown at the rate I...

Chapter 383 - Gather the Men

Chris

As the walls of my city finally came back into view, I knew something was wrong. The snow was piled high, and people walked to and fro outside the walls like normal, but something was different.

There was something off. I wasn't sure what, but I could tell.

I hurried the last few miles back at just under a sprint.

As I jogged, I picked up more information both through sight and my aura settling over the city and using [Aura Dete...

Chapter 382 - Dash and Charge

Chris

The trip back was less chaotic than the trip there by a large margin. While the few levels I managed to pick up, along with the increase in my Law and Bloodline, made me more powerful, that power wasn't tested on my way home.

That didn't mean I was without any scars to show for it, just that none of what I faced matched up to the bear from before.

That feeling of something coming was still in the back of my mind, but it wasn't growing stronger...

Chapter 381 - Just and Necessary

Rachel

The snow fell generously upon Flame Falls despite its name, and winter had well and truly arrived. The cold wasn't as bad now that they were within the city's bounds, but there was still a nip to the air.

Chris would love it if he weren't miles north in what was no doubt more 'pleasant' weather. Anyone who would consider blizzards and ice storms pleasant was off their rocker, but Rachel still loved him. Even if he was a bit weird.

"Are you su...

Chapter 380 - Town Gossip

Austin

Sounds of conversation and daily life surrounded him at levels he hadn't felt in a long, long time. Being alone was part of the job, and the silence that came with it was inevitable, but times like these, when he was back to being surrounded by so much life... It was hard to adjust so rapidly.

Days, weeks, sometimes even months where the only people to speak to were the rarely seen traveler, with even those being scant greetings before parting ways...

Chapter 379 - What's Possible and What Isn't

Abigail

Frostheim

"Annabeth, sweetie, I'm telling you that he'll be back soon. He should already be on his way." Abigail said.

"Why does he have to be gone for so long? I wanna show him how strong I am now." Her daughter punctuated it by showcasing her flexed bicep.

Abigail had to admit that her daughter was in much better shape than she had been at that age. While part of that was because of her newly gained stats and the System, it ...

Chapter 378 - Damned if you do, Damned if you don't

Chris

Thankfully, of the five potential upgrades I could now do, evolving my Bloodline was the easiest and most straightforward.

Like most things related to Bloodlines, it was supposedly instinctual. Similar to how strengthening and purifying a Bloodline was instinctual. I wasn't sure if all of that was true, but seeing how it had been so far, I chose to believe it.

While the theory of what I was about to do sounded simple, I wasn't sure if the prac...

Chapter 377 - Wondering

Chris

Round three wasn't the end of our bout, far from it, really. It was only with mild surprise that we continued to clash again and again, with neither one of us giving any ground.

There were times when I was sent flying back and times when I sent the bear skidding away, but we were right back at each other a second later.

I wasn't surprised that the fight was taking so long. I was surprised at how similarly we fought. Strength and Fortitude were...

Chapter 376 - Great White North

Chris

The days after my Law improvement were rather boring. I played around and grew used to the increase, but other than that, there wasn't much to do.

That was until I found what I was looking for.

My days following the coast were over as I felt the ground become further and further away. The sheet of snow and ice I was walking on became thicker and thicker, making it nearly impossible to feel any earth under my feet.

The only other thing I ...

Chapter 375 - All You Have to do is Look

Maeve

"The Big Man wants to see you," Griff said after tracking her down to the tavern she was in.

Those words were never good, and she suppressed a shudder at hearing them. They weren't always bad, as she had met with him many times before, but it still caused her body to react instinctively.

There was no one who could compare to his sheer... presence. Even if he wasn't trying to be intimidating, which me most of the time was, it was still...

Chapter 374 - Interlude: Anna's Birthday Part 2

Months ago.

Anna

Frostheim

Finally! Finally, she had a Class!

Feeling her selection settle in was probably the best thing  she had felt in a long, long while. Finally, after waiting for what felt like ages, she now had a Class and could level up.

She was at the bottom rung on what would be a long ladder, but that didn't dampen her enthusiasm. She was at least on the ladder, finally.

Not being able to do anyth...

Chapter 373 - Interlude: Young Girl's Birthday

Months ago

Chris

Frostheim

Seeing that I still had a little time before Abigail's scheduled gathering, I took some time to admire the differences Frostheim had gone through. It was so easy to forget what the city had once started as, compared to the monolith it now was.

Hundreds of acres of forest around the City had been cleared to make room for an expanse of farmland. Farmers were out in their fields harvesting the last of ...

Chapter 372 - Departure

Chris

A grin so large it split my face in two appeared on my face as I felt out the new aspect. It would take some getting used to, but I could already see it adding a lot to my strength.

Heaviness was close to the essence of how I fought. If I could somehow imbue that into my hammer while I fought, that would make every blow that much more. Using skills like [Meteor Blow] and [Hammer Reverberation] would only increase it further.

Packing up didn't ...

Chapter 371 - Third Aspect

Chris

As the storm built, my body was continually covered in layers of snow. It started slowly, but quickly built as layer after layer fell. To avoid being buried in it, I had to occasionally sweep out with [Ice Manipulation] to clear it off of me.

The action occurred on a subconscious level, as I kept all my attention focused on understanding what I was seeing.

It was like I was back on that mountaintop in the tutorial, playing around with ice to f...

Chapter 370 - First Flakes

Chris

Further updates continued to come in on what Rachel was doing in the South, but I mainly tuned those out. It wasn't that I didn't care about them; I most certainly did, but it was that I could focus on those things later.

Even though the implications of what was going on down there were high, along with what they would lead to in the future, all of that wasn't my immediate concern.

If I were honest, it felt good to be able to push things off. ...

Chapter 369 - From the Heart

The Admiral

Now, why in the fuck would she go and say that?

The past week of deliberation and meetings hadn't been going swimmingly, but they hadn't been going poorly either. Sure, there had been hiccups here and there, but those were to be expected.

Not the giant wrench that had just been launched at him.

Fitzwallace had finally managed to steer the discussion into the main point of this entire gathering, and just before it could get...

Chapter 368 - Not Not a Threat

Chris

"Hahaha!" I laughed gleefully, "This is what I've been missing! Come at me, you mongrels!"

It had been a while since I had felt this joyful while in a battle. There were no Order members behind me fighting for life or death. There were no screams of the dying that played in my ear.

No. It was just me versus some ugly monsters.

It was the way it should be. I didn't have to look my fellow man in the face and smash their head in, nor use my skills to explode them wi...