A little longer on this one. Enjoy!
* * *
Herbalism is level 33!
Meditation is level 55!
Arrow of Perdition is level 35!
Cloudstep is level 35!
Tracking is level 25!
Apprentice Tier!
You Gain:
+3 PER
+3 END
+3 AGL
<Harn, why won't you show me the Spirit trick?> Felix used handsign to ask as he ducked beneath a low branch.
<Why so insistent?> Harn signed the equivalent of a gr...
2021-07-12 17:38:20 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy
* * *
It was one of his better plans, Felix had to admit. The Kaltraps didn't respond to sound, and only acted defensively when approached with magic attacks. They would only properly attack when they sensed something living cross them. So what to do?
Send someone with excellent footwork.
Vess darted across their grey-blonde carapace, each footstep a deception that the monsters fell for hook, line, and sinker. The Kaltraps burst from the earth ...
2021-07-10 04:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy!
* * *
"Surge! On your right flank!" Kelgan shouted. "Wall up and volley!"
"Stonewall!"
"Sparkbolt!"
"Ice Arrow!"
Wave after wave of monsters crashed against their defenses, but the Haarguard turned them aside. Kelgan panted with exertion. His spear was a blur, each thrust dispatching one of the putrid things. He hadn't expected to find undead in the Pass, but it was clear they were raised from a plethora of Tier I beasts. A half-ro...
2021-07-09 04:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy.
* * *
"It's an outpost," Harn muttered under his breath. "Look, you can see the fortifications."
"Made with ice," Nevia said in wonder.
"No," Vess said and pointed. "Covered in it. This place was attacked."
They had descended the peak, making their way silently toward the smoking dwelling. From a distance, all Felix's Eye could identify were pieces of the whole: a wall, a roof. It wasn't until he got closer that they could see what its func...
2021-07-07 04:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy!
* * *
Felix outlined the gist of his Quest. He told them they were looking to reach an ancient ruin before a powerful adversary. And that said adversary was potentially at large in the Foglands.
“So we’re walking into an enemy territory?” Kylar asked. His mustache twitched. “How many? Levels and Temper?”
“Tier II and III from what we've seen, but there are some unknowns,” Felix answered. The swordsman clenched his jaw at his answ...
2021-07-05 17:34:05 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy!
* * *
Felix blinked as the Intent vanished. It had been far easier than he expected. His own Intent had broken the honed edge of it into harmless pieces that dissolved into the ambient Mana. The Aurochs, however, neither stopped or even slackened their pace. They thundered by, still stampeding away from whatever had so frightened them.
The Tier II beasts were being taken down, but there were so many. At least four hundred, all of them rampaging east...
2021-07-03 04:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy!
Time for monsters and exploration, folks!
* * *
Shelled Aurochs, level 28, a Tier II beast, Felix noted as two shattered through Nevia's defensive wall. Too strong for them!
His Mana sank into the earth, ready to shape a series of spikes to stop the Aurochs...but Vess beat him to the punch. She exploded from his side—cracking the ground and the tree behind her with the force of her leap—and met the two Aurochs head on. ...
2021-07-02 04:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy!
* * *
Stepping into the Foglands was like walking into another world. Again. Magic swirled around him and thrummed beneath his feet, as if the Mana composing the world was alive here. Every tree shone brighter than even those in the Verdant Pass, every rock and flower and crawling vine—
Corrosive Strike!
A Vinesnake, level 26, splattered against the trunk of a velbore tree. His acid ate into the remains and the tree itself with a lo...
2021-06-30 14:35:51 +0000 UTC View PostEDIT: for clarity, Beginner and Apprentice get 4 chapters the first two weeks, then return to the 3 chapters a week after that. Journeyman will get 4 chapters per week for all of July.
Just a little update: I'll be continuing extra chapters for Journeyman Tier through July (posted on Saturdays), so look forward to that. That is four (4) total chapters per week for the highest Tier, and still three (3) a week for Beginner and Apprentice Tiers.
But!
As a special thank you for...
2021-06-28 23:58:30 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy.
* * *
"Where! Where is she!" the Hand demanded. He loomed before Zara like a bull ready to gore. The procession of guards and warriors had ground to a halt in a low dell to the south of the official road through the Verdant Pass. Everyone shied away, pulling back from the unsheathed power of the Hand of Pax'Vrell's core. His potency crackled in the shade. "I know you have her, Sorcerer!"
"Calm yourself Darius. I do not have your ward," Zara said, ca...
2021-06-28 04:53:09 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy!
* * *
Up close, the forest of the Verdant Pass spoke well of its name. It was lush and green, filled with ferns and fronds and all manner of plants. The trees themselves were huge, thick and tall and crowded close together. Felix could see green-gold life Mana coursing through their trunks, descending deep into the ground. Into the underbrush, the grasses and moss. Only the stones of the roadway, farther and farther away, only they were quiet. Dull.
Enjoy! A longer one today! 4181 words.
* * *
"What's with all the floof?" Evie asked.
Vess blushed and twisted slightly as she looked down, inadvertently making her skirts swish to the side. "This...My father—"
"His Grace the Duke of Pax'Vrell has decreed that Her Grace, Lady Vessilia Dayne return to his Territory immediately," intoned the Hand, smoothly interrupting Vess. Evie expression soured even further.
"Vess? What's going on?" Felix asked. Ves...
2021-06-25 13:41:32 +0000 UTC View PostMade a minor continuity error last chapter (fixed it now) about his Crescian blade. Almost forgot he gave it to Elle and Rafny to look at.
Enjoy!
* * *
Felix scoured the battlefield for more evidence of Vellus or the Archon. Now that he had the scent, it was easy enough to find traces but no more than that. Whatever had compelled these creatures to rampage had touched them briefly, if at all. The threads of connection were fuzzy and almost completely faded.
Enjoy!
* * *
Felix left Zara behind as he prowled the line of the Rent. The Legion gave him lingering glances as the hustled back and forth, dragging severed wings and piles of salvaged feathers. Felix let his Sovereign of Flesh relax, dismissing the dark armor in favor of being slightly less recognizable, but he wasn't really paying attention to them.
Why now? A monster attack only hours after they decided to head after the Archon. Is it a coinci...
2021-06-21 10:41:46 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy!
* * *
Felix raced out of his chambers, and though Regis and Holt both started running, he soon left them behind. They might have been Adept Tier, but he had more Agility than either of them put together. The bells were ringing louder, but Felix needed to get outside. So he headed to the roof.
The hallway outside his rooms took a hard right turn, and Felix kicked off the stone wall and redirected himself. Stone broke behind him, but he flared his Skill.
... 2021-06-19 04:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy! Some action starting up next chapter which will post 6/19 for Journeyman patrons!
* * *
"I was surprised you asked to speak with us," Elder Regis said as she walked into Felix's sitting room. She was slight, an inch or so over five feet tall, and rounded with age despite her unlined face. Her eyes roved around the room before locking back onto Felix. "I'm sure you don't like the Guild very much."
"Hah! Why should he?" Beside her, the older Elder Holt la...
2021-06-18 04:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy.
* * *
Felix returned to his rooms with mixed feelings. The training session had gone well—he'd earned a number of Skill levels and had even successfully utilized his Intent and Affinity to activate a Skill without the System. But the destruction at the end had put a damper on things. Plus, he'd ruined his clothes again.
He stripped his sliced tunic off and discarded his pants and boots. All had been broken in some way, though his boots had taken the ...
2021-06-16 04:00:29 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy!
* * *
The chamber door shut behind him in relative silence, and Felix was faced with a large square area. Approximately two hundred foot square, by his estimation, it seemed designed for larger battles than just squad versus squad. The floor and walls were tiled with whitestone—imported, he surmised though Voracious Eye didn't say—which was apparently highly resistant to physical and magical damage.
Interesting. Must be expensive, or else th...
2021-06-14 17:08:04 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy!
* * *
After Cal's meeting, Felix and his crew—Vess, Evie, Atar, and Alister—all put their heads together to determine what they would need for the journey ahead. It was quickly decided that they'd each put together a pack, enough for several weeks, as well as whatever weapons and armor they needed. Felix had less experience in this particular venue than the others, so he took their suggests earnestly and made a mental list. Thrilled by a confusion coc...
Enjoy!
* * *
"Grandmaster!"
"The head of the Inquisition is headed here? Now?"
Everyone shouted at once, all of them in different varieties of alarm and anger. Bodie, Yan, and Kelgan all reached for their weapons, the rhythm of fear wafting palpably from their Spirits, while Harn simply grimaced. Evie leaned back on the couch, patting her chest. She'd nearly choked on her sandwich.
"We're gonna have to fight more of them?" Evie said with a coug...
2021-06-11 16:25:15 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy!
* * *
Felix left Elle with a promise to visit her before long, though the woman wouldn't let he walk away without one. She was a relentless as she was strong. He was just glad she liked him; Felix wouldn't want the armorsmith as an enemy.
Frankly speaking, Felix didn't want anyone to be his enemy. He'd had enough of those to last a lifetime.
He reached the steps of the new Haarwatch Manor, home to the new Lady of Haarwatch and its fledgling governm...
2021-06-09 18:44:10 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy!
* * *
Pit's Flight is level 43!
Pit's wings propelled them through the dark skies, spotty lamplight and torches below and a sea of stars above. The moons had set, leaving it all the darker. For once Felix regretted his advanced Perception; without it he would have felt suspended in the inky blackness of outer space. As it was, he could easily pick out the rooftops and streets in the limited light of the stars.
At least I c...
2021-06-07 17:56:56 +0000 UTC View PostEnjoy!
* * *
Theurgist of the Rise is level 65!
Felix had been learning a lot in the past few days. While part of his retreat into the Wall had been to escape the...consequences of notoriety, it was also to sate his curiosity. When initially surveying the Wall for major issues, Felix and his team had encountered more than the giant hole in the center. Sigils had been burned out and entirely new sigaldry had scored itself into the magical me...
2021-06-05 14:35:49 +0000 UTC View PostFor the month of June, I'll be doing 3 chapters a week (MWF) for Beginning and Apprentice Tiers, but Journeyman Tiers will get a 4th chapter each Saturday.
Last month I was doing 5 a week to prove to myself I could, and also to bump up the tier amounts of advanced chapters for everyone. But it was a lot of work in addition to editing and other things I'm doing on the back-end of this story.
But hey, I still want people get extra. So free extra chapters for Journeyman Tier!
Enjoy!
* * *
"Intent and Resonance are both important to any grand working. But it is Affinity which defines the result. Keep careful watch over it."
-Landrus k'Nand, 1458, Second Age
Zara Cyrene was late.
She was not in a habit of being late. The Grand Harmony was built upon exacting intervals of time, and the Cantus Sodalus had long stressed that its Chanters emulate its benign punctuality. ...
2021-06-04 15:10:21 +0000 UTC View PostA bit shorter than normal, but this arc is gonna move fast! Enjoy!
* * *
Within the Foglands summer blossomed.
Golden sunlight shone from a cloudless blue sky, laying a thick blanket of warmth along the strong branches of a massive forest. Beneath those boughs, creeping through the emerald shade, flora and fauna thrived on the abundant life Mana that pulsed beneath everything. Cautiously, creatures of all stripes stepped from their dens and warrens and burrows...
2021-06-02 15:10:08 +0000 UTC View PostOkay, so I'm gonna drop this here, as I unfortunately have no real way to back date it in Patreon. I've written a prologue and new chapter one for Unbound's first arc.
As always there will be a new chapter tomorrow (Wednesday). This is just a little extra.
Enjoy!
* * *
In Ages Lost, we summoned demons to serve us. Yet their might came at a terrible cost, and their ambitions unleashed nearly brought Ruin to us all. Why then would we stil...
Arc 3 complete! New arc begins on Wednesday!
Enjoy!
* * *
Felix stood atop Haarwatch's once mighty Wall as dawn broke. It was sunken and pitted in spots, the red-gold metal having lost its luster. He looked down, at the massive rent that split the wall almost in two, where the Apollyon had forced its way through. Felix had tracked that creature's progress through the city, and the...renewed Frost Giant had indeed run right back into the Foglands.
A little late thanks to weekend shenanigans! Enjoy!
* * *
When the explosions settled, the edge of the Dust Quarter was ruined. Vess surveyed uneven mountains of rubble that filled the space of two city blocks.
Blind gods, Felix. What have you created? Those grenades of his had done such immense damage. And all it had taken was a mage with raw power and Mana Manipulation. Dangerous and difficult to set off, but Thangle had done it.
...
2021-05-30 06:12:32 +0000 UTC View PostSlightly shorter chapter here. Only a few more to wrap up this arc. Another chapter will be up by end of day Saturday (EST)!
Enjoy!
* * *
The Inquisitor howled in pain, and those Mana tendrils atop her aura flailed. She took the hit hard enough that it sent her flying into and through a plaster and wood second story wall nearby.
"Cal!" Evie cried out, but Felix couldn't see her.
DuFont stumbled, reeling from the blades in her face and the arm Feli...
2021-05-29 00:14:26 +0000 UTC View Post