noct

22. Gorges at This Time of Year

Sitting beside the tent, Cam ground his blade, sharpening the ragged thing. He checked the edge. Still ragged, but sharper, now. Almost sharp enough to cut instead of hack. Putting it back to the block, he ran the whetstone down its length again. Over and over, as if he could rub the blood clean.

“The hell are you doing?”

He looked up. It was Tom, again. The same question as usual. He gestured at his sword. “Sharpening my blade.”

“What’s the point? We ran away fr...

176. The Heart of the Matter

The red light played over a variated ground. Low lines, like roots, climbed over larger, thicker root-like lumps. The roots grew thicker, knitting together as they drew toward the highest point beneath them, a huge, thick lump on the ground. The lump throbbed. Or rather, it beat.

“That’s Lord Nors’ heart, isn’t it,” Ike said.

“I’d bet on it.”

“Hey, Wisp?”

“Yeah?”

“When you reach Rank 4, I beg you, please keep your heart inside your body....

21. To The Door

At the door, Isa yanked a heavy cloak off a hook. She went to throw it over her head, then noticed all the dust on it. Grimacing, she gave it a few smacks. A dust cloud rose in the hallway.

Levi coughed, waving his hand. “Watch it. Some of us have to breathe.”

“More like, one of us,” Isa muttered. She threw on the cloak. A deep hood shaded her face. She drew gloves out of the cloak’s pockets and pulled them on as well.

“Alright, alright. Let’s not...

175. From Above

The shape of the streets formed a human body. A human body, curled up on the ground like a child inside its mother. The walls pressed close around the body’s head and feet, forming the boundary of its world.

“Lord Nors isn’t in control of the town. The town is Lord Nors. All the puppets are him, as much as his flesh body is him, anymore. He spread his power so thin that I was able to destroy the individual pieces with ease, and likewise, we could destroy the Lord him...

20. To the Window

Bracing his arms and the Armalgam against the wall, Levi lifted his legs and kicked Isa away. She staggered back. Her legs hit the lip of the coffin, and she flopped back into it.

“Armalgam, go!” Levi pointed after Isa.

The Armalgam jumped off his back and leaped onto Isa. It grappled her down into the coffin. Isa fought back. It flew out of the coffin, but immediately scurried back in and fought her again before she could get up.

“Sit on her upper chest! It’s almost...

174. The Final Room

They stepped into the final room. Ike’s eyes quickly adjusted, assisted by his Sensory Enhancement skill. A small study stretched all around them. A large, paper-strewn desk sat against the wall, accompanied by a cozy chair. Before it, a large window overlooked the town below. Or rather, it had. Now it overlooked nothing. The vast, empty expanse where Ike had blown the town away, and in the distance, the walls.

Wisp whistled. “What happened?”

“I did,” Ike replied quietly...

19. Meeting the Count

Levi headed up the grand staircase toward the second floor. Like on the first, a long corridor led toward the left and the right. To the left, cobwebs choked the hall. To the right, the rug was worn and stained. The center of the hallway remained free of cobwebs. Altogether, it appeared as if someone had continuously paced the hallway. Back and forth, back and forth, until the dirt dragged in on their shoes became indelibly ensconced in the rug.  

“You getting the vibes that vamp...

173. The Bitter End

They strode ahead, into the next room. This one was dark and quiet. There were no puppets. Not even one.

Ike stepped forward, then slipped. He swung his arms and grabbed the wall. His feet slid outward, but he dragged them backward and pulled himself up against the wall.

Beside him, Wisp quietly placed her feet on the wall.

“Cheater,” he whispered.

She grinned.

A single light beamed on, illuminating a window. The floor shone underfoot, bright, polished silver...

18. Belong to Me

A/N: So, the fun part about reading early drafts, is... sometimes, they're a little in flux! I've been playing with the idea of a new character/plotline. I've decided to add them, but that means adding lines to earlier chapters that you guys obviously won't see, since I've already uploaded them. Once I've nailed down exactly how I want things to go, I'll go back and update them, but while I'm still playing with this idea... I'm not going to continuously update drafts.

...

172. The Room

Gentle music tinkled in the background. A trio of musicians quietly plied their craft in the corner. A candelabra glittered. The scent of flowers and delicious food mixed together, luring him further in. Men and women in ornate ballgowns danced below him, performing a formal waltz. He caught himself against a golden railing and gaped. “Is this where all the mages went?”

He expanded his aura, and instantly received his answer. They were empty. Devoid of all aura. Not mages, not human...

17. The Count's Domain

They wound up the mountain. As they approached the Count’s manor, the sky grew dark and grey. Thick evergreens cloaked the slopes. An eerie mist cloaked the ground, thickening as the peak eclipsed the sun. Ravens picked at a dead deer strewn by the side of the path. They burst into the air at Colin and Levi’s approach, cawing a warning.

“Damn. Atmospheric as fuck. What did I tell you? This Count is absolutely a vampire,” Levi said, nudging Colin.

“I didn’t disagree,”...

171. Monster Returns

The black monster caught him up and tossed him into the air, Ice Armor and all. When he came back down, Wisp caught him. She grinned and patted his shoulder, not able to hold him and pat his head at the same time in human form. “Boo!”

“Gods! I almost attacked you. What would you have done then?” Ike asked, his heart still pounding.

“Beaten you within an inch of your life,” she said simply.

Ike paused. He laughed. “At least the answer wasn’t ‘eat me.’” 2024-09-22 14:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post

16. Undertakers and Overbringers

In the morning, Levi and Colin joined the townsfolk. They mingled among the people as they gazed at their ruined houses. Very little remained. A few stone chimneys. A small stone outhouse. The church, its stones scorched but not broken. The rest of it was flattened. Nothing remained but embers and charcoal.

“Well, that’s unfortunate,” Levi commented to no one in particular.

A hand landed on his shoulder. Levi whipped around. His cloak flew as the Armalgam reached for its wea...

170. Dark Castle

Ike reached the castle. After being stuck in a single street of the city for so long, it was strangely easy to approach. Neither space nor time looped around him, as far as he could tell.

It’s almost as if he’s given up.

Or he wants me to approach.

There was nothing for it. Whether the guy wanted him to come or not, he had to get Wisp back. He couldn’t walk away. Couldn’t head for the walls and leave, hoping to escape on his own. He was coming, even...

15. Liar, Liar

Once they were out of earshot, Colin nudged Levi. “Why’d you lie to her about Jessie?”

Levi gave him a look. “Are you blind? Did you see her? Plus, calling that kobold ‘chump change?’ If you want to turn into paste, be my guest and go tell her. As for me, I like my head right where it is, thanks.”

Colin glanced back, then bit his lip. He shook his head.

“Right? Yeah. Nope.”

“What was that bit about Kai, though? He didn’t come in with us.�...

169. Burnishing Pillar

The bricks trembled. The entire pillar glowed, burning under the heat of his compression. Ike pushed down on it, forcing the pillar down and pressing in on it from all sides. Compressing it like a diamond, forging it into something stronger—or shattering it.

Do or die. This is it. If I fail here, I’ll have to take all the time over again. I don’t want to do that. No, I can’t do that. I need to break through right here, right now, with this pillar. It’s my way forward. My s...