Remicra surveyed the group assembled before her, her dragon tail flicking with slight irritation.
Her eyes scanned Dave, who held an arbalest, clad in sturdy bakelite armor and camouflaged with various foliage. Then she examined Svenn, commanding a small division of ten elkin, all adorned in bakelite plate armor and armed with magisteel-tipped spears. With a mildly disapproving look, she turned her attention to Cedez, who seemed content with basic leather armor.
As her gaze shifte...
2023-07-04 15:52:27 +0000 UTC
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Pricci Destrie stepped out of the gate and looked around, squinting at the bright sunshine and glacier mountains surrounding a picturesque lake valley. Both of her missing arms chafed with phantom pain, the magitek appendages feeling inferior even if they moved almost as quickly as her real arms once had. Alas, the healers could not bring what had been severed so completely.
She was feeling very irate. For days now, Lord Burgundy had shamed her failures, threatening to fire her for inco...
2023-07-02 17:47:29 +0000 UTC
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The body I now inhabited, one that looked exactly like the avatar of Infinity Paradox Proxima animated by the Shogun Gate of Undertown, was an empty shell in every sense of it.
Unlike Alexa Terranova it didn’t have an existing, spiky personality attached to it, and didn't have energy or life or magic coming from it. It was a soulless, empty human and I suspected had I not inhabited it, then this body would simply most likely die from dehydration and rot away on this bench.
Human...
2023-05-26 22:23:17 +0000 UTC
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It took me over two weeks to completely clear the blasted dracolich-inflicted curse out of Grogtilda. My initial strike had only severed the hex, but not eliminated it completely.
I stepped into Probabilitymancy hall with a weary, tired look on my blue-tinted face. Grogtilda’s skin was no longer swollen and the blue streaks had lessened. My persistent, exhausting effort had paid off, I had completely vaporized, burned the dragolich hex and most of the topaz infection out of my human b...
2023-05-26 14:55:09 +0000 UTC
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Cedez, armed with a sly smile and eyes gleaming with satisfaction, effortlessly sold forty Bakelite armor sets to the beleaguered and bruised Shandria constabulary. The watchmen and hunters, too battered and dispirited to entertain the idea of searching more of the estate, reluctantly accepted the deal under the pressure of her charisma-sprinkled words.
As they departed, their steps heavy with exhaustion and their spirits bruised, the iron gates slammed shut behind them.
<...
2023-05-15 16:08:41 +0000 UTC
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Pricci Destrie, Lord Burgundy's property manager, had a very bad feeling about Rimzadria. A gnawing unease plagued her thoughts, a sense of impending doom that she couldn't quite shake.
Things had started to take a sinister turn when she had spotted the dark vixen standing behind the gates of the imposing highborn Estate. The foxgirl appeared to smile serenely, a vision of harmlessness, but all of Pricci's instincts as a professional hunter were screaming that Lady Astra was the most da...
2023-05-11 02:12:05 +0000 UTC
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Remicra, her lithe form encased in Bakelite, emerged through the portal with a dignified grace. The armor, adorned with flowers and trimmed foliage from the lush gardens of Rimzadria Estate, seemed to breathe with the pulse of the verdant park she had left behind.
Dave awaited her arrival, seated in a spacious tent, its canvas walls gently undulating with the whispering breeze. His posture exuded patience and anticipation.
As the dragoness stepped further into her new surroundings...
2023-05-10 20:11:39 +0000 UTC
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"What are we going to do…" Cedez echoed, switching to English and rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
"That's what I asked, yes!" Dave fretted, as he too changed languages.
"It's simple," Cedez said, her voice a soothing balm to Dave's frayed nerves. "We take Remy and we move her somewhere else, safe and far away, while the Watch searches Rimzadria Estate."
With a graceful flourish, she pantomimed the plan, her slender fingers lifting an invisible something and moving it off to...
2023-05-10 00:13:58 +0000 UTC
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A tangible tension hung in the air as Cedez admitted, her voice steady despite the gravity of the situation, "We do have a dragoness blacksmith in our employ. We call her Remy." She paused, her eyes locked with Giron's, before adding, "She was uncollared when she came to work at Rimzadria."
"Oh? So you were unaware of her status as property of Lord Burgundy's Estate?" Giron raised an eyebrow, skepticism dripping from his tone.
With a silent nod, Cedez confirmed her false ignorance...
2023-05-09 01:56:13 +0000 UTC
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An odd pulse tugged on Dave's soul, distracting him from his meditation trance as he worked on converting his fingernail to more crystal. He opened his eyes and looked around, his brow furrowing in confusion. Something pulsed once more, and Dave realized that the sensation originated from something in his pocket.
"What?" He thought, concern creeping into his mind.
"Someone's at the gates," Alaster's voice resounded from Dave's fingernail, sounding like a gust of ...
2023-05-08 17:45:38 +0000 UTC
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An expression of annoyance flickered across Remicra's draconic features as she demanded an explanation for the conspiratorial whisper exchanged between Cedez and Dave. Her eyes, pools of molten gold and violet, narrowed with suspicion as they darted between the two.
As a response Dave launched into a tirade in which he described the unfathomable gall of Steve Chadwick who had pilfered popular films from Earth's culture, turning them into various Shandrian plays.
No sooner had the ...
2023-05-08 14:21:35 +0000 UTC
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Dave clung to the shimmering, silver-blue strands of unlife as long as he could, his mind churning in the turbulent ocean of foreign memories and emotions. The experience was overwhelming, like diving headfirst into a maelstrom of thoughts that were not his own.
[Level 5 Phantomancy reached!] A message flashed over his wrist.
"Be gone, accursed artifact," he hissed, quickly unclasping the bracelet from his arm and shoving it into his pocket. He turned to face Remicra, who was watc...
2023-05-07 19:04:42 +0000 UTC
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The sun began to sink behind the distant black hole, slowly transforming the land into a vibrant tapestry of orange hues.
Cedez dashed gracefully towards the enormous snail, her lithe figure moving with agility and purpose. She pulled something from her apartment with a swift flick of her slender wrist. With a soft, melodic voice, she called out to Dave, her footsteps barely making a sound as she approached him.
"Here, I forgot to give this back to you," she smiled.
As she h...
2023-05-06 20:27:52 +0000 UTC
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Svenn immediately took a liking to Remicra, and the pair rapidly descended into technical blacksmithing jargon that went way over Dave's head. The conversation between the two buzzed with excitement and passion, a testament to their shared love for the art of crafting weapons. Thirteen pairs of well-coordinated, undead hands that didn’t seem to tire were a welcome addition that helped the dragoness organize the mountain of stolen supplies at a much quicker pace.
Dave left the thirteen...
2023-05-05 18:37:02 +0000 UTC
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"How do you know my name, fox-girl?" Svenn inquired, his voice emanating from the lips of the largest elkin teenager. The thirteen dead, now accompanied by Dave and Cedez, had just crossed through a shimmering gate from the enclosed room in the Bondsmen Guild to Rimzadria Estate.
"I know everyone's names, darling," Cedez replied with a mysterious smile, her eyes twinkling like distant silver-blue galaxies. "Name's Cedez Astra. I'm the Sovereign of Shandria."
"You lack the regal ap...
2023-05-05 00:54:02 +0000 UTC
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Dave's eyes widened in incredulity as the words tumbled from Cedez's lips. He could scarcely believe the request, and his mind swirled like a vortex of stars in the inky blackness of space.
"You want me to kill the God-Emperor?" he sputtered, as if the concept alone was enough to induce a mild form of existential vertigo. "A madman who, I might add, can summon heroes with but a mere word right into my body?"
Cedez, for her part, maintained a stoic visage that belied the storm of e...
2023-05-04 20:34:44 +0000 UTC
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Dave watched as Cedez's smile blossomed wide, her toothy grin visible like the first hint of a crescent moon on a cloudless night.
He yearned to take a step closer to her, to feel the warmth of her presence, but the barrier shield made from the swarm of ghost shards was already buzzing at the edge of his consciousness, preventing the full force of the girl's charisma from affecting him. It was as if the phantoms formed an invisible fence, its electrified hum a warning to keep his distan...
2023-05-04 16:33:29 +0000 UTC
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Dave hesitated, sensing the sarcastic bitterness in her tone. He grabbed the black bracelet on his hand and snapped it open, sliding it into a pocket.
"I'm sorry, Cedez," he began, speaking English, his voice filled with sincerity. "I didn't mean to hurt you or belittle your feelings. I was thoughtless and insensitive, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."
Cedez stared at him for a moment, her eyes evaluating his face. As the silence stretched on, Dave felt a kn...
2023-05-03 16:43:22 +0000 UTC
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Hoping that the old wizard knew where Cedez went, Dave walked over to Murdoc. The emerald-robed snailmancer looked down at the adventurer, one eyebrow arched in scrutiny.
"I'm..."
"Looking for Cedez?" Murdoc guessed, pulling out his pipe.
"Yes," Dave nodded, relieved that the mage seemed to understand his predicament. "I've screwed up, and I want to apologize to her."
"Touch the snail," Murdoc instructed, his voice enigmatic.
"Uhhhh," Dave blinked.
Murdoc o...
2023-05-03 16:32:44 +0000 UTC
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Dave slouched into the ornate armchair, an expression of abject defeat sprawled across his woebegone face. He sighed, a long, drawn-out exhalation that seemed to encapsulate the full extent of his self-inflicted woes. "I screwed up pretty bad, didn't I?" he muttered, massaging his temples as if to knead out the tendrils of regret that snaked through his mind.
His Archmage companion regarded him with a mix of sympathy and amusement. "You managed to dishearten a young woman who, if the st...
2023-05-03 14:36:29 +0000 UTC
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"Can you see my memories?" Dave inquired, a hint of trepidation in his voice. “We’ve been talking for a while now, so it should be possible for you to know what I know.”
"Ah, yes. I... can indeed," Alaster confirmed, his gaze piercing into Dave's very soul.
He rose from his luxurious chair and strode across the room, stopping before the grand painting of a young man, his eyes filled with ambition and pride. "When I was young, I was consumed with the pursuit of power and the ...
2023-05-02 22:07:46 +0000 UTC
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As darkness fell upon Shandria, Dave had dinner with Remicra and retreated to the second floor of the caretaker's cottage, seeking the solace of sleep.
For the first time since his arrival in this strange world, his dreams did not transport him to the futuristic city of neon lights that had normally occupied his slumber. Instead, he found himself standing amidst an excessively lavish room within the Rimzadria Estate, now filled with opulent furniture, its walls adorned with exquisite oi...
2023-05-02 21:54:32 +0000 UTC
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Remicra winced slightly as a massive, jagged stone, likely ripped from the vaulted ceiling, slammed against the large metal shield-box she was holding with all her might. The impact reverberated through the contraption, making the entire thing resonate like a massive bell, its deep, sonorous tone echoing through the cavernous chamber. Dust and pebbles danced around the edges of the shield-box, while Remicra's scales shuddered in response to the vibrations.
Dave, the ever-befuddled human...
2023-05-02 15:51:28 +0000 UTC
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Dave dragged himself back to the shed, each step heavier than the last, feeling as if the weight of his newfound knowledge was pressing down upon him. His mind was a whirlwind of emotions, the memory from the absolute charisma spell still burning within him like a dark reminder of the evil that Cedez was holding back with her Shadow.
The door to the shed creaked open, its hinges protesting against the intrusion as Dave stepped inside, seeking solace and refuge from his own thoughts. The...
2023-05-02 00:51:49 +0000 UTC
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The white tower in the center of town ignited, a ray of fire streaking from it across the mountains.
The distant landscape erupted with thermonuclear-like detonations wherever the tower's beam struck. The earth shook, and the sky was filled with a kaleidoscope of horrifying colors of magic setting the world alight.
The tower fired again and again, but the tide of men in skull masks seemed never-ending. Dave saw that many of them held their hands up in the air, forming dome-like ma...
2023-05-02 00:46:34 +0000 UTC
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The instant Dave's soul snapped back together, it did so with the enthusiastic elasticity of a rubber band that had been stretched to its very limits, and then suddenly released. The sensation was not unlike being doused with a bucket of ice water, or perhaps a more accurate metaphor would be having one's soul suddenly stitched back together with the finest cosmic thread, by a celestial seamstress with a penchant for precision.
In that electrifying moment, ...
2023-05-02 00:44:26 +0000 UTC
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In the dimly lit classroom, the massive bone dragon loomed before me, its skeletal form casting eerie shadows on the arcane, gothic walls. Its fearsome visage suddenly shimmered, as if distorted by rippling water, and its bones shattered beneath my hand, detonated into a cloud of sparkling, crystalline dust that rained down upon me.
As the fragments dispersed like a celestial snowfall, I glimpsed a ghostly imprint of the beast, its ethereal wings unfurling in a hauntingly beautiful disp...
2023-04-25 15:18:28 +0000 UTC
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I flew sideways into the dimly lit chamber with a sense of trepidation, not sure if the door took me where I wanted to go.
I landed poorly and my knee collided with the sharp corner of the bed, causing an excruciating pain to shoot up my leg. The single-use door, which was drawn in chalk by a Wizard Revolution on a crumbling wall, didn't function as expected, flinging me to the floor without any sense of direction. I groaned in agony as I slowly rose.
As my eyes adjusted to the di...
2023-03-30 16:01:54 +0000 UTC
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Revolution's glittering, blood-red eyes with triangular pupils squinted at me with a hint of suspicion.
"Pardon me, young wizardling, but have we had the pleasure of meeting before?" she inquired, her voice laced with intrigue and curiosity.
I took a step back, my heart racing as I tried to gather my thoughts.
"We know each other far too well, Revolution," I his...
2023-03-14 19:38:35 +0000 UTC
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I leaned closer towards Thomas scrutinizing him with great attention.
My mind dug through the memories of Archmage Zariya Grimmaldri, which defined Thomas as a conceptoid belonging to the Dead Zone.
Accompanied by his mates, which I could only describe as blob-cucumber-slug-like creatures, Thomas lacked specificity and seemed to have no apparent theme. As I lifted my gaze towards the infinite breach that fractured the sky, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe mixed with trepida...
2023-03-14 01:29:54 +0000 UTC
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