Irwin slowly woke to a muted conversation. His body felt warm and cozy below the thick blankets, and the sensation of his clean skin against the coarse fabric made him want to stay put. Slowly the memories of the previous day came back.
Right, I was in the bath way too long, he thought as he stretched his body and blinked a bit. The dim pale light in the room showed it was probably early morning, and as he took a deep breath, he smelled something familiar in the air. A crisp, c...
2023-01-08 20:57:08 +0000 UTC
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Irwin stood next to the wall, trying to make himself as small as possible as an angry Lordling carried a big pack of belongings into Joustihr's room.
"Sebastian Delaplui, Lord Bron will be very happy that you are willing to share a room with Lordling Rindaw," Hutch said, his eyes narrow as he stared at the
"It's Lordling to you, guard," Sebastian snarled.
The angry young man glared at Daubutim and then at Joustihr, who stood wringing his hands and staring in dismay at the se...
2023-01-07 21:05:05 +0000 UTC
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"I've never seen a card-ability like that," Irwin muttered.
He gazed at the tall, heavily armored man with spiky golden hair who was charging the portals at the head of a group of other warriors. The pale Galubs were focus-firing on him, but each time one of the blue crackling balls hit the warrior, a shell of light appeared, absorbing the ball. Perhaps more importantly, the warrior's massive two-handed sword began glowing brighter each time this happened.
"It's a-" Daubutim began...
2023-01-06 18:51:33 +0000 UTC
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Mason sucked the meat of the last bone and swallowed it whole. It slid down easily, and he burped loudly, the gastric gases coloring his breath yellowish.
"That's what I am talking about," he shouted.
He glanced at the sizable stack of bones before scanning the widespread desert.
Empty and desolate...
He tried to suppress his sadness and forced a grin on his face.
"Let's go, Macy. It's time to continue flying! Wouldn't want to go crazy in this lonely pla...
2023-01-03 10:34:11 +0000 UTC
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First of all, a massive thank you to all the new patrons that came due to this story! I'm amazed at the feedback and support I've gotten.
Now, usually, I try to add a chapter per new patron, but I just don't have the backlog for it. So, for the foreseeable future, I'll be trying to get three chapters out here for all of you lovely people! My normal schedule is Fr/Su release. I need to figure out what will work best for me, but I'm pretty sure it will end up being Fr/Sa/Su releases. Thes...
2023-01-02 09:32:52 +0000 UTC
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"Little one, can you tell the nice sorceress who saved you?"
Tanya stared at the pintsized girl, crying as she clung to the older woman. She'd come running down the hill to the surprise of everyone.
"Auntie Tess can't be dead," she cried, and with a wail, she began sobbing louder. "Now- they are, all-," she cried louder.
The older woman looked up at Tanty apologetically. "I'm sorry, sorceress Tanya. She's been through too much. I'll take her till she calms down and find you ...
2023-01-01 20:46:53 +0000 UTC
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Jake wanted to scream for joy at the sight of the white sand curving up towards the beach.
Finally, the island!
He stuck his head up, water clattering on the surface, and looked around. The ruins of Gobtown sprawled not too far away. That meant that the river wasn't too far away!
He shot along the coast like a torpedo until he reached the mouth of the river. Half a day it had taken the previous time to arrive here from the island. But he had been with the Kobolds. Now he was...
2022-12-31 11:22:47 +0000 UTC
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Irwin grunted as he jogged after Daubutim, the pain in his back dull and annoying. Still, he knew that the fact that he was up, let alone running, was incredible.
Now, if only it weren't this cold, he thought, shivering.
The heat from the fire that had suffused him rapidly faded in the cold, while the wind blowing through the orange and red-leafed forest contained a crisp, dangerously chilly scent.
A scream of fear echoing from up ahead ripped him from his moment of...
2022-12-30 19:06:47 +0000 UTC
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Jake felt his good mood vanish into thin air as Peltmans glared directly at him before stomping his way.
How did he find me?
No, that wasn't the most important thing! They were willing to attack him in the forest even though he had the advantage?
Something's not right here.
A high-pitched scream tore through the silence.
Jake swirled in the direction the sound came from, tense and suddenly afraid of what he would find. He saw nothing, but his pr...
2022-12-25 20:32:30 +0000 UTC
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"So, you finally decided to wake up?"
Irwin looked at Ambraz before nodding dumbly.
"I thought I was going to need to search for another smith a few times. Daubutim wasn't mistaken. If you hadn't slotted the Coperion Skin card, you would have died. What were you thinking, jumping on that Bablibon?"
Irwin shivered as the chaotic moments of movement and chaos replayed themselves. Wait, hadn't he been deafened? He raised a hand to his ears, feeling crusts running from them down...
2022-12-24 21:55:41 +0000 UTC
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It's looking for us, Irwin thought as he kept still. How can it even fit in here? Shouldn't it be too large to enter these corridors?
The steps moved further away, slowly turning soft. Daubutim moved his head close to Irwin's, who looked up in worry. If he made any noise…
"That's a dead-end," Daubutim whispered so softly Irwin could barely hear it. "It will return this way, so stay quiet."
Irwin nodded, and they waited. A few minutes later, the thudding r...
2022-12-23 20:23:52 +0000 UTC
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Damn, how much did I grow? Jake wondered as he looked at Melissa.
He bobbed in the water, staring at the dark Kobold. She was standing on the wooden walkway in front of the partially completed wall. Compared to her, it was tall, but he could stand on his back legs and look across.
He must be the size of a winged truck now, although, to him, it felt like everything else had shrunk. Melissa almost looked like a toddler.
"What took you so long!" Melissa's voice sounded...
2022-12-23 10:38:40 +0000 UTC
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Jake curled up around a thick underwater treetrunk lodged in the bottom of the earthen wall. He needed to think. The battle sounds from behind the wall were driving him insane. His instincts were screaming for him to kill the Goblins, but besides going up and over, there was no way to get there. He focused, and small frost particles formed around him, calming his mind and sharpening his thoughts.
What did he have to work with? He had rested enough to create one large wave that could swi...
2022-12-23 09:21:01 +0000 UTC
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Irwin snuck another look around the edge of the staircase. Columns blocked large portions of the room, but he instantly found what he was searching for. Nearby, close to one of the corridors leading out of the room, a group of figures was trying to hide behind one of the columns.
He pulled back, sneaking up the staircase until he sat next to Daubutim. A dull roar from above showed the fighting was still going on.
"They are hiding near a pillar farther to the right," he whispered.<...
2022-12-22 19:50:37 +0000 UTC
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Heavy, Irwin thought as he rolled on his shoulder, trying to find a better position. Something seemed to be weighing him down. A heavy blanket? His hand shivered, and he held it against his chest.
A shiver ran through him as he remembered the pain. He'd blacked out… so did that mean that the reforging had failed?
Rolling on his back, he felt his jacket and pants move oddly below him. There was a crunching sound that reminded him of caked hardened mud. He debated investi...
2022-12-20 20:27:00 +0000 UTC
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Jake lay silently on a patch of grass, tired and hungry, his mind wandering all over the place. He was looking at the sleeping form of Melissa. Her soft breathing was steady again. According to Beatrice, she should be fine if she just stayed put. His stomach was growling, and it took all his effort to ignore it. He would have to hunt later because he couldn't ask anyone else to do it. It wasn't safe.
His gaze wandered from Melissa to the small curled-up lizard on a makeshift bed of leav...
2022-12-19 18:55:42 +0000 UTC
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Daubutim quietly held onto the shivering and screaming boys' thin arms. His respect for Irwin grew with each passing moment.
He has only tried to pull back a few times, he thought.
Another loud strike hit the curious Anvil, and he forced Irwin's hand to remain on the Antil while he howled in agony. It wasn't the first time Daubutim had heard something like that, and he shivered as he recalled the practice his father had forced upon him and his brothers. The nightmares fro...
2022-12-17 15:13:05 +0000 UTC
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"You will all listen to Tergin and do as he-"
A loud shouting from the edge of the lake interrupted Jake. The two hours weren't over yet, were they?
He turned to Tergin. "Alright, hide on the bottom and wait. If the water becomes quiet again, I'll be out of energy. You need to kill as many as you can before they get to land. We have the advantage in the water."
The blue-green Kobold nodded, and he signaled before turning to the water. The over a hundred Kobolds that could br...
2022-12-16 11:37:00 +0000 UTC
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"There's one!" Ambraz said, and he rushed forward, a hungry look on his face.
Card! Irwin ducked and grabbed the card before the Anvil could… what? Eat it? He didn't know, but whatever it was, he needed to see if they needed it first.
Flipping it around, he saw there was a simple dagger on the front.
Combat card! Years of hoping and wanting one almost made him slot it before he recalled he didn't need it.
With a grin, he shoved it in his pocket befo...
2022-12-15 20:21:16 +0000 UTC
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Irwin stared at Ambraz as the Anvil hovered in the center of the flame. It had been there for a long time now, hours at the least. How much longer, he thought as he took another bite of dried carrot. Staying here was boring, though the benefit was that the banging had stopped a while ago.
"They have left," Daubutim said from the door. "There might be a guard left."
Irwin let out a sigh of relief as he leaned his head against the wall. "Good," he whispered. "The constant s...
2022-12-14 07:37:14 +0000 UTC
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Irwin backed up further into the bushes as the Galubs moved closer. Daubutim was staring at him, then waved him further in. All of his confidence seemed to leave him at once as he saw the taller boy turn and vanish into the alleyway. Before he had the time to contemplate running back, the voices of Galubs reached him.
"Why do you keep asking? Big fat said it. We need to guard the entrances," a dull voice grumbled.
Two heavy slaps were followed by an outcry came.
"Sorry, Ulro...
2022-12-14 07:36:49 +0000 UTC
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"It's clear," Irwin whispered as he looked into the room. He summoned his flame so Daubtim could follow him up as he stepped inside.
His eyes widened. Undamaged tables and chairs stood arranged neatly to the side while a massive bookcase covered the left wall.
So many books, he thought.
Talking another quick look around, he saw a narrow ladder pressed against the wall opposite the bookcase. Above it was a rectangular hole covered by a rotting wooden cover.
"Bo...
2022-12-14 07:36:13 +0000 UTC
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It took them a while to backtrack to the stair, as Irwin had forgotten a few bits of it, but eventually, they reached the square. It was quiet now, but the torches were still burning. The area was deserted, the building quiet and still.
Irwin stared at it, then turned to Daubutim. "You just want to go inside?" he whispered.
Daubutim nodded, and Irwin internally groaned.
They snuck after each along the buildings until they reached the first of the torches. Irwin noticed somet...
2022-12-14 07:35:48 +0000 UTC
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"Are you awake?"
Jake shot up, his head foggy as the horrible nightmare rapidly withdrew into the depths of his mind. Mason would never do that! He shivered as the remains of the dreams evaporated, and he forgot the reason for the lingering fear.
"Jake?"
The careful question caused him to look around. Tergin sat on a branch, staring at him.
"I'm fine. How did it go? Did you get everyone out?"
Tergin nodded but frowned, and Jake almost wanted to tell him ...
2022-12-12 11:49:53 +0000 UTC
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Whipper nervously fiddled with his rolled-up namesake. Spittle splattered across his nervous green face, and he desired nothing more than to put his fingers in his ears.
"This will be your last chance, you piece of garbage! If you weren't my nephew, I would have fed you to those crocodiles!" Peltmans shouted, towering over the smaller Goblin.
"First, you lose a slave in the middle of the night, then one gets killed, and now you have lost three? Three! How do you just lose three Ko...
2022-12-07 10:19:44 +0000 UTC
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"You're sure he is ok now?" Darsi asked Melissa as she jogged to keep up with the taller, purple Kobold.
"He is fine. Listen, it's a good thing! If he is this upset from losing his friend, it means he didn't lose his humanity," Mellisa said. And hopefully, neither will we, she thought.
The small, heavyset blue Kobold fervently nodded a few times. "Yes, yes. I understand, but we were terrified down here, you know? It sounded like the heavens were collapsing down on us!"
2022-12-04 09:34:42 +0000 UTC
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"It's empty," Irwin whispered, opening the door, looking around, then stepping aside for Daubutim to enter.
Their movements were quick and practiced, a testament to the number of rooms they'd looked through. Irwin had long since lost count of how many, as he had the amount of Galubs they had killed.
As he ruffled through the large cabinet on the far wall, he found a hidden sword. They had plenty now, so he left it and continued searching. After a few more moments, he found a dark ...
2022-12-02 20:06:06 +0000 UTC
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Irwin clenched the sword handle hard as Daubutim opened the door and looked outside. When he pulled back quickly, Irwin got ready to attack.
"It's dark, you look," Daubutim whispered.
Right.
Irwin snuck forward to the door opening and looked outside. An empty and unlit corridor led left and right. The walls were made of dark gray stones with thin lines between them. The right ended in a dead end with one more door on the opposite wall of where he sat. Left continued...
2022-12-02 20:05:50 +0000 UTC
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"How many years?" Irwin whispered, staring at Ambraz in dumb disbelief. He recalled the things Ambraz had told them about the world-shattering, which seemed like ages ago now.
"Hard to say. We haven't seen portals all over, so more than two. But with three together? Less than ten," Ambraz said, landing on Irwin's shoulder.
All of Irwin's own troubles suddenly seemed tiny as he imagined the entire world exploding. They needed to do something! Warn the sorcerers? The nobles?
"...
2022-12-02 20:05:30 +0000 UTC
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"Can you stand?" Irwin whispered as he looked at the spot the hound, Coal, was looking at.
Greldo frowned and struggled to move, managing to get upright. "Yes, but I'll need a hand," Greldo whispered.
Irwin blinked as he looked at his friend, noticing the crooked smile. He grimaced back and pulled Greldo up by his elbows. Greldo's legs wobbled slightly, then he took a tentative step and remained standing.
"I can move, but don't ask me to run," Greldo whispered.
<...
2022-12-02 20:05:09 +0000 UTC
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