carrarn

Kernstalion 28: Short term goals

When I woke in my bathroom adorned room, alone, I stared up at the ceiling for a long time.

Sandra, or Eliandra, whatever she wanted me to name her now, had brought me here after listening to my story. She hadn't said anything, just looked at me for a while before shaking her head with a look of unbelief.

No matter what I said or asked, she wouldn't tell me why she was still angry or where I had been. She gave me a short, halfhearted hug before turning and telling me she would loo...

Kernstalion 27: Corlon alphabet magic

After my shock at finding an English book abated a bit, I quickly understood that the book probably wasn't really in English. More likely was, that a spell on it made the words turn legible to anybody who read it.

I could think of only a few reasons why anybody would go to that effort, but reading the short message on the first page of the book proved me wrong.

Book one of Halomiumani's books on elemental water magic. If you are reading this, you are of a humanoid race and may use...

Kernstalion: 26: Lost and...

As I felt the soft mattress against my flesh, I almost wept for joy, and it almost made me forget the fact I was not in Sandr- no Eliandra's room. It would take some time to get used to calling her that, but she had been very clear, and I knew her well enough to know it was no joke.

Propping the pillow up behind my back, I scanned the room. It was a whole lot smaller than the one Eliandra had, but compared to my sleeping places the last few weeks, it was much, much better. Fog hung in t...

Kernstalion 25: Sandra or Eliandra?

I looked at the two female knights and smiled, hoping this would go as smooth as the first gate. They didn't respond, but one thick brown eyebrow rose in obvious question.

"I am Est. I am here to see Eliandra," I said, stepping towards them.

This time the guards reacted, and they shared a quick, confused look.

"Stay here. I'll see if she has time," one of them said before turning and striding inside.

The other knight was scrutinizing me, seeming very interested in the ...

Kernstalion 24: Dursic

The cold wind blew through the cracks in my armor and across my bare arms. Standing in front of the wall with the tear, I looked at the sky. It was still afternoon, but I had no idea if I had been in there for hours, days, weeks, or even longer.

The hound was gone, as were any tracks off it. No blood or claw marks on the stone. Had it been an illusion to get me to find the Rathica? Feeling my mind clear and not tired at all, I shrugged. It didn't matter; there was nothing I could do. Wh...

Kernstalion 23: Choices and consequences

I could, in essence, shape what a god or goddess would become?

My hyperactive mind began picturing increasingly odd things, and I quickly pushed the images away before they turned into reality.

"There are no limits?"

"There are. I am what you call a good deity. I lean more towards order than chaos, but only marginally. That means I can not become a deity of law or of war, either of which requires an extreme of either. This is also why I can't become a deity of wild-nature or...

Kernstalion 22: Nameless

The thing about being on your own isn't that you have nobody to talk to or whine if you stub your toe. The thing is that if something threatens to go wrong, you have only yourself to trust to fix it. There is no safety net, and if you fuck up, you get into trouble. Or you die.

"Leave me alone, you ugly fucking mutt," I screamed as I sprinted up the hill.

An angry howl drowned out the low thudding from behind me. What the hell was my bad luck with dogs?

Twenty meters ahead of...

Kernstalion 21: Never split the party

"Alright, that's enough for tonight. Go and carve some more ugly monsters, and rest. Tomorrow will be another long day," Haltir said.

I was so tired I couldn't even groan. Instead, I nodded and trudged to the small campfire Egilla had made. Dropping the ax beside my backpack, I lay down and closed my eyes.

"He is really working you hard," Egilla said.

Opening one eye, I saw she was laughing at me.

"Why don't you join us?" I muttered, closing my eyes again.

"Becau...

Kernstalion 20: The Harrowing Hills

"I wonder what happened to those elves," I said as we trudged forward through the thick mud.

"Who knows. They hate fighting, always have. They must have used some bloody Fey magic to flee," Haltir replied.

"They left us there to die... "I said, confused why the other didn't sound the least bit upset.

Haltir laughed and shook his head. "That's the way of this part of the world, Est. Ever since our ancestors were abandoned on this demon invested continent, it's been every race...

Kernstalion 19: Fleeing

When I woke up, my body hurt all over, and I heard the muted sounds of combat. Blinking, I groaned as needles seemed to jab every part of my flesh.

"Stay still. You need to rest!" Four's voice came from beside me, and someone put a cup to my lips. I swallowed what was in it and felt it flow down my throat like a cold wave.

Had I increased any of the attributes? I couldn't remember. I summoned my status window with a groan and saw my coordination bar fill, and with the empty blinki...

Kernstalion 18: Pink blood

"Get ready!" Haltir screamed. He jolted forward, running to the center of the wagon circle. Thirty enormous warriors joined him, men and women, that dwarfed even the basketball players I knew. Besides Haltir, they had no weapons but wore gauntlets with spikes on the knuckles. Spread-out, they could almost look across the wagons.

I had not seen the demons yet, and when I heard something scramble up the wagon, I looked up. Something ran forward, jumping across me, screaming as it rushed t...

Kernstalion 17: Sometimes shit just happens

"So, this happens every month?" I asked Four as we ran alongside the wagon. Every time I touched the ground, I felt a jolt.

"Sometimes twice," she said.

"Stop talking. You will waste your breath!" Haltir shouted.

Looking beside me, I saw him and Three staring at us intently.

"I get the feeling they are enjoying this…" I muttered.

Four giggled, shaking her head. "They had to do the same thing. It's the only way to gain enough resistance against Demonic damage."<...

Kernstalion 16: Beyond Sart

A kick against my leg woke me, and I wished I could go back to sleep. My body still ached; the double session Haltir forced onto me had taken its toll.

But it wouldn't happen again! Rolling up, groaning at every movement and feeling like an old man, I rose.

Agga already sat at the table, and I blinked as my mouth watered and my stomach rumbled. The whole table was laden with food, bread, fish, and I even saw some fruit and vegetables! Jumping forward, I didn't even bother to ask w...

Kernstalion 15: Haltir

Cold and shivering, I moved through the darkening alley. It had taken ages before the heat had left my body, and now I felt cold and even more tired than before. The dense grey cloud cover blotting out the sun that had been there this morning wasn't helping either.

Pushing open the door, the warmth from inside was just that, warmth. The heat and blistering wafts of steaming air were gone, and the fireplace returned to it's normal knispering self. Agga wasn't anywhere around, but my ax l...

Kernstalion 14: Deities

Staring up at the red tint in the sky, I sighed in relief. Those stupid Goblins had continued attacking throughout the night. From what I could tell, they hadn't made it far into Sart, or at least not very far.

I heard them run back into the forest far to the left and got up. Grabbing the large, stinking Wirg corpse, I put it over my shoulders. My legs cramped and groaning, I moved towards the wall. The dead Goblins still lay where I'd left them, and the archer stood at the same spot. 2021-03-17 15:38:21 +0000 UTC View Post

Kernstalion 13: The reason for a wall

Three days later, the grin had long since faded from my face. Sweat poured down my head as I crouched down with my back towards the tree. A long gash on my arm bled profusely, and bruises covered my now well-muscled upper body. Counting silently in my head, I hoped I would get time to open my status this time.

My ears were perked as I listened for the padding feet of my hunter. A growl sounded from the bushes to my left, and I snapped my attention to it. Shit, it was here already?

Kernstalion 12: Woodcrafting one o one

I made it back to Sart without further incidents. Running through the streets, I was happy when I saw Agga's smelly shop.

Moving inside, I saw Agga still working at the woodcarving table, her face pale and weary. When I came in, she looked up, hope, and hunger on her face.

"And?"

I forced a grin and moved towards her placing the boots and the three gold coins on the table.

She looked at the boots frowning for a moment. Then she nodded. "I can make something out of thos...

Kernstalion 11: Daggers of doom

As I moved away from Sart, I wondered again if I shouldn't have brought the ax. There wasn't any place for anything to hide on the road to the mining outpost, but did that guarantee anything? Not really.

As I trudged forward, my stomach was a clenched mass of growling fury. I'd not eaten a full meal yesterday, and even then, it'd be only my second meal. Ever since arriving here, I'd not had more than the bare minimum of food. At least that's how it felt to me.

The closer I got to ...

Kernstalion 10: An empty belly

The trip back to Sart was slow and painful. To make sure Agga wouldn't be too upset about everything if she found out, I passed the tree and got the branch. Between hauling that, the ax, and the Wirg carcass, it was pitch black when I reached Sart.

Seeing the burning torches atop the wall and the archers patrolling it, I got a new sense of wonder. This was all real? That meant they were patrolling against something, but what? I had so little information, but not the capacity to learn it...

Kernstalion 9: Waking up to a nightmare

I was walking. I didn't know how or why, but I could feel my body move. After a few moments, my vision came back. I saw a dark, unlit alleyway in front of me. Garbage bags on the ground, and some ridiculous graffiti on a wall. It depicted a cock with a knife sticking in the tip and blood spraying everywhere. Lovely. I tried to shake my head, but it didn't respond. Stopping didn't work either.

What the hell was going on? Panic began kicking in, and I tried to struggle, but there was noth...

Kernstalion 8: Wirgs

I kicked the night wight corpse twice for jumping out and scaring the shit out of me. The head rolled away, thudding against a nearby tree. The blood seeping from it tainted the mud.

This was the fourth day that I headed towards the tree on my own and the fourth night wight I had encountered. It almost seemed too much of a coincidence. The only difference was that the ambushes were never in the same place or at the same time. If they had, I would have guessed the stupid things respawned...

Kernstalion 7: Sart

I quickly found that Sart wasn't that big. It consisted of one wide road, leading from the square in front of the east gate all the way to the harbor. Smaller alleys and streets led away from it, and those only ran for a few hundred meters before ending beside the wall. From what I could tell, a five-meter high stone wall encircled the whole town. Men and women with bows moved along it constantly, their eyes constantly vigilant.

When I reached the west gate, I saw that the entire gate w...

Kernstalion 6: A proposition

Hours later, I lay on the hard ground before the fire in Agga's house. It was getting dark, and it had taken three trips to bring all the wood back. It lay in a neat pile in the corner, adding a fresh wood scent to the room's dank and smelly odor. It was quiet, Agga having left to get us more food.

Staring at the ceiling, I felt muscle pain. It was so surreal I almost couldn't believe it. In all the games I'd played over the years, I'd felt plenty of pain. Sword cuts, falling damage, an...

Kernstalion 5: Stop hagging me

The second trip to the tree was a lot faster, and my stamina even increased by a point before we arrived.

Staring at the bloody spot on the ground and the drag marks that led into the woods, I frowned. Did something else drag it away, or did that Grablon with the red dagger on his chest do it?

I heard a familiar tinkling sound and looked back to find Agga holding out the ax to me. When I grabbed it, it felt a lot less cumbersome than only a few hours earlier. I was pretty sure I c...

Kernstalion 4: First encounters of the painfull kind

As soon as Agga's figure disappeared between the trees, I slumped down. "Stupid game… bite me!" I decided to take a look at my gains before heading off into the woods.

All three bars were filled, blinking green, and as I watched, they emptied with a rewarding ping. My weariness faded somewhat. I had to look at them to get them to benefit me? Fucking hell… I knew immediately that I wouldn't be able to summon the status in battle. Sadist developers... The bars filled for a bi...

Kernstalion 3: Meeting Agga

A few steps from the end of the street, it was like I tore through a veil.

A cacophony of sounds washed over me; the wind that howled through the street carried shouting, laughing, and yelling voices, while the sound of crashing waves from farther away sounded like a giant softly tapping a drum.

I shivered as the temperature plummeted, and I took a quick look back. The alley behind me had changed. The rat was gone, as were the broken crates. On the other side...

Kernstalion 2: Pick a profession

Going through the portal isn't as fun as it sounds. It feels like you are burned to a crisp, whooshed along a highway of wind, and then get doused in water before you shoot out the other end.

The first thing I saw was a dark, cloudy sky, and then I crashed on my back. All the air whooshed out of my lungs, and instinctively I raised my hands—all four of them. The following migraine made me want to cry, and I quickly released control of the lower arms.

Soft c...

Kernstalion 1: Select a race

Have you ever read one of those books where people play an awesome VR game, and then they are locked inside without a logout ability? Their bodies in the real world, still and inert while they scramble for a way to get out of this insanely cool virtual world, all the while unsure they even want to go back?

Well, part of that happened to me. Except for the world being awesome... Oh, and I sure as hell want to get out. And did I explain yet that an NPC took control over my body...

Some information and a picture

So just one post this weekend, and no chapter. This week I'll post the Kernstalion chapters that are on RoyalRoad here, so it's nice and chronological. Then, starting next weekend, I will post my backlog to my backers only.

Also, I'd like to thank 256 for backing me! Welcome and I'd love to here what story of mine you've read!

On Nothing but bones: My US editor has disappeared from the face of the planet, leaving me a bit in distress. [EDIT: I just got news t...

The end of Nothing but bones - book two

I've just added the last three chapters of Nothing but bones, book two, and I'm really curious to see what you thought. 

Beyond this, I've begun on book three-which will mark a transition. Solus will still be the main character, but not for the whole book, and his role will vastly change. I'd love to hear what things you would like to read about in book three.

- John