Ellake

Chapter 61 - The Gift of Memory

Authors Note: An edit was applied to Chapter 57. Basics of the edit is that as part of the deal struck with Luc, Luc supplied the materials needed for the Mana Gathering Array.

Nate sat in the dirt in the small underground cave. Jorge lounged nearby and though Kiri’s Father gave the appearance of relaxation, he was anything but. Not that Nate could blame him. It had been just over a week since he had first brought Jorge here. That first Restday had been spent sitting aro...

Chapter 60 - Ups and Downs

Nate groaned in pain as he collapsed to the forest floor. The metal ball that had struck him in the head rolled through the grass before vanishing to appear in Luc’s hand. The bastard just smiled at him. It had been four days. Four gruelling days. The fact that the training had paid dividends was all that had kept him going. After that first day, Nate had brought a few of his own mana gems. 

He needed all the mana he could get and at first it had made a difference, as he was a li...

Chapter 59 - No Pain, No Gain

Nate walked back to the Northern Gate in the quiet morning gloom of Firth forest. In the sky above him floated Frick. The tug on his Mana Reserve from his Barrier rune and Familiar was enough to be noticeable as Frick utilised his Eyes of the Runic Artist to scan for threats. The Dungeon had remained locked and Nate was taking that as a good sign. That meant Kiri had been in the Dungeon for almost three days, which suggested that she had most likely already gained a Class. He...

Chapter 58 - Honest Conversation

Nate strolled across the market square back towards the Oaken Ring. Frick seemed to sense his irritation and chose to pretend to walk instead of ride on his shoulder. There would be no letting it fester this time. They were going to have a long chat about the Spirit’s past and potentially, his future. 

It was true that he’d become an assistant, just as the System had denoted with the name of the reward. Frick saved time by doing the rote work while Nate got to design and plan h...

Bonus Chapter 4 - Where there is a Will

Kiri moved across the dirt like a ghost, or more aptly, a shade. The Orc she faced off against continued to wade forward like an indomitable tide, taking everything she had in stride as cuts appeared and vanished in a dance of black blood, flashing daggers and red energy. Every swing of its club created new dents in the dirt of the arena floor. So far all she was doing was matching the creature. The Orc was burning its mana to heal the wounds she left while she was forced to burn through her ...

Chapter 57 - A Deal Struck

Nate’s eyebrows climbed up his forehead as Aisling asked him if he was ready to meet his teacher. Teacher? What teacher? Had she found someone who could help him discover more Sigils? Or explain Enchanting to him so he could figure out how to apply some of the same principles to his Runecrafting?

Frick had leaned forward slightly at the news but wilted when Nate shot a small frown at him. He hadn’t forgotten about Frick’s little admission. The Familiar had always come across as in...

Bonus Chapter 3 - Tired of Berserkers

Edit Announcement: I've gone back and updated the Tournament frequency to be once every four years. That's all. Complaints and comments below thanks. Back to your regularly schedule program.

Kiri ran across the grasslands as fast as she could. It had all been going so well. She’d managed to slowly work her way through the entire fort, killing every last one of the little green bastards. Or at least, so she had thought. The grisly work had taken her all the way to level n...

Chapter 56 - All Hope is Lost

Nate woke before the sun was up. Sleep had been difficult. He was already sleeping less, down to about six hours a night from his normal eight to ten. He chalked that development up to his heightened Endurance or Constitution. Maybe both. He really wasn’t sure but they both seemed like they could impact his sleeping needs. That wasn’t the problem though. It was anxiety. He was worrying about Kiri and his mind just wouldn’t settle long enough to let him fall asleep easily. What sleep he ...

Chapter 55 - Hiding in Plain Sight

Nate smiled to himself. He’d stumbled onto something interesting. He’d always found it curious that he’d seen a different Sigil for Fire than the one he’d used in the Dungeon. Now, a second time, he’d found two different Sigils that from what he could tell, meant the same thing. Or did they? The first Projectile Sigil had worked, but it had worked in the same way that you could wear a shoe one size too big. You could still walk in them, but it just wasn’t quite right. An ill fit. ...

Bonus Chapter 2 - Just a Little Drink

Kiri eyed the small fort, because that was the only way to describe it. Bloody System shenanigans is what it was. She hadn’t seen a single tree so far in this Dungeon, but somehow there was a small wooden fort that housed the goblin’s and their Hyelashes. The moon was out and much to her chagrin, it was a full one. The Shadowskin rune would be the only way to conceal herself going in, and going in was her intention.

There was no way she could fight them in a direct battle. But sneak...

Chapter 54 - Concept Drift

Nate watched Kiri walk forward and vanish into the spatial fold that was the entrance to the Dungeon. He’d known what she would want to do ever since she’d thrown out the idea of getting the Achievement for entering a Dungeon before level one. She wasn’t the type of person to settle for doing ‘less’. She’d challenge herself at every opportunity. He’d seen it on her face when she had first learned about his Class, then again as they’d trained in the forest and the last time was...

Bonus Chapter 1 - Going it Alone

Kiri and Nate stood before the Dungeon. She couldn’t believe he’d found one. She’d hoped, but she hadn’t dared believe it could be done. Especially not in such a short timeframe. She supposed that she’d likely underestimated how powerful his mythic-eye Skill was when coupled with the spatial detection Skill. Whatever it had been, whether the combination of those Skills or blind luck, she now had her chance. A chance that had involved some convincing, though considering what Nate had...

Poll: Title for Book 1

So, I intend to publish The Runic Artist at some point. I am tossing up on some book titles and thought "You should ask the Patrons."

The series will be called The Runic Artist but each book will have its own title. Here are my current thoughts. If you've got any great ideas throw them in the comments.

Chapter 53 - Worth a Thousand Words

Nate sat down at the dinner table with a smile. Rania was an excellent cook and the food smelled positively divine. Ever since his Perception stat had started increasing he’d found his sense of smell improving. In Helmfirth, that was rarely a good thing. While hygiene was nowhere near as bad as one might expect, due to the benefits of spells, mana and a functioning sewer system, it certainly left a lot to be desired. In the forest it was both a blessing and a curse. Many things in the fores...

Announcement - Bonus Chapters

As some of you from the Discord already know, for the next 2 weeks starting on Monday there will be 5 chapters a week for 2 weeks on Patreon to celebrate getting into the Top 10 on Rising Stars on RoyalRoad.

The bonus chapters will go out on Tuesday & Thursday. The bonus chapters are not from Nate's perspective so if you're really not a fan of mpov feel free to skip them. The Mon-Wed-Fri releases are all Nate.

Hope everyone enjoys them!

PS: I promised to write an AMA Sty...

Chapter 52 - Back to Work

Kiri panted, hands on her knees as sweat dripped down her face. She glared at the tree in front of her. It hadn’t done anything to her. Not really. But then, it hadn’t helped her at all either. Instead it just stood there, unmarred, despite her efforts. Her wooden daggers lay on the ground by her feet where she’d thrown them in frustration. Looking at them she rubbed her gloved hands, trying to ignore the pain of the blisters beneath. She was spared the constant itch of mana by the Mana...

Chapter 51 - Paint and Planning

Nate stood back amazed. Not at the painting. He was happy with it, but it was far from his favourite or even best work. No, what left him amazed was the speed at which he was able to create the painting. Art was not something that could be rushed. The time a project or piece took differed greatly, depending on the medium, the scope and sometimes even just supplies or access. A simple drawing might only take an hour but a good painting, unless you were some sort of genius or savant, could take...

Chapter 50 - Secrets Laid Bare

Nate had to admit, he was enjoying this. After keeping these secrets for so long, it felt good to get them out. Of course, the reaction of Aisling and Deverell was definitely the icing on the cake. Deverell seemed to have stuttered to a stop after whispering the word ‘Mythic’. Aisling on the other hand had stood up immediately, hands placed on her desk as she towered over him with a smile from ear to ear as she stared at him like he was a prized pig she was taking to market.

Aisling...

Kiri's New Class

So we know that Kiri is getting a new Class. However the rarity is not set in stone. Let me know what you think she should get.

Chapter 49 - Spaced Out

The Notification of his new Class flowed in front of Nate’s eyes as he projected the results to the group, the usual five Skill options following the additional Stats.

Congratulations on gaining the Secondary Class: Wandering Realmwalker (Legendary)

Accrued Mana applied to Secondary Class.

Level up…

Stats adjusted: +1 Magic Power, +4 Magic Control, +2 Channelling Speed, +2 Mana Reserve, +1 Mana Absorption, +5 Free Stats

2024-03-07 19:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 48 - Classless

Nate woke slowly to a wooden ceiling and a decently comfortable bed. Looking around he recognised his surroundings. They were familiar to him. He was in Kiri’s room. Glancing over he saw Kiri sitting beside him, resting her chin on her knees. He was so glad she was okay and when she noticed he was awake a moment later she flashed him a sad smile. That was when he saw what was lying in front of her on the bed. An Orb. Her Orb.

“My Classes are gone,” she whispered, looking on the ve...