Felix had thrown the eel creature (a level 43 Veelo), and was delighted to see it coil instinctively around the Initiate. Yanked from the cold water below, it had struggle mightily against Felix's Shadow Whip, and now it's gasping fear became a surge of panicked strength. Its scales were broken in a few places, but they were still plenty sharp. It's body was gouging lines of smoking light from the incredible phantom armor the guy was wearing.
It's like he's a mecha pilot. The I...
2020-10-12 04:04:27 +0000 UTC
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Enjoy!
* * *
For the second time in his life, Felix was bulldozed underwater by the force of a waterfall. The golden arrow jutted from his abdomen, a painful point of savage pain that burned like fire; a perfect, awful counterpoint to the icy water.
He was forced down. Into the cold. Into the dark. His head spun, rattled by the dual impact of stone and water, but he instinctively tried to flare his Manasight. But for the first time, it wouldn't come. He flipped ove...
2020-10-10 02:39:39 +0000 UTC
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They ran.
Vess led them, watching the ground like a hawk, but still easily navigating breaks in the path. She was using some sort of tracking Skill, that much was clear to Felix, though he wasn't sure what she was tracking. It wasn't until the second or third intersection that he spotted a suspicious scuff on the ground. He was focused and it lit up in his sight with a strange glow.
Tracking is level 14!
Tracking is level 15!
After that it was a bit easie...
2020-10-07 23:04:49 +0000 UTC
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Monday's chapter!
This is a long one, over 4400. Hope you enjoy it.
* * *
Hours Earlier:
After taking the contract from DuFont, Ilia spent the next few days carefully tailing the brat. It was just as boring as she had feared. The twist did nothing but train her Skills and Body, but not even in interesting ways. She'd push herself in fighting clay golems and even her dour minder, a Bronze Rank Guilder Ilia didn't recognize. E...
2020-10-05 19:52:16 +0000 UTC
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Friday's Chapter!
Enjoy!
* * *
A soft but strident note filled the air. Almost unwillingly, Felix felt his attention pulled away from the Naiad before him. He turned toward the stage, where a beautiful woman wearing grey robes stepped up. Unlike the rather plain set of the chorister of Yyero, her's were embroidered with silver designs along the collar and hem, forming complicated knotwork constructions. Felix recognized her from Caerwin's shop, and in fact beh...
2020-10-02 03:15:47 +0000 UTC
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Enjoy.
Working on chapter 124 as I type this!
* * *
The door opened up into a hallway of plank floors and sagging walls. Cracks spidered from dents and holes in the plaster, while the hardwood flooring was grey and marred by the tread of countless feet. It was utterly dark inside with not a single window to alleviate the gloom, and Felix smelled something musty and abandoned, like a cellar gone to rot.
Pit let out a worried whine in his mind.
...
2020-09-30 03:44:59 +0000 UTC
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Monday's Chapter. Enjoy!
* * *
The sun had only just barely set by the time Felix stepped outside. Three moons hung low in the sky, each a bit larger than the singular moon of Earth. The other two were either not yet up or hidden behind buildings, Felix wasn't sure. Even after weeks, it was still an odd experience, gazing into the night sky and seeing such blatant proof that he was so very far away from home. Their light was bright here in the dregs of the Du...
2020-09-28 02:08:13 +0000 UTC
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Enjoy!
* * *
It was usually an interesting thing, having a relatively high Perception. Felix had long ago passed what he'd considered an Earth human's limit, having pushed farther and farther into a fantastical new realm of the senses. Realistically, of course, that meant his sensitivity had risen to a ridiculous degree and that even the smallest of scents or touches was enough to grate against his sensibilities. So when he went from perfect unconsciousness to a cacopho...
2020-09-25 03:15:24 +0000 UTC
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Enjoy! Another long one.
* * *
"Hahh hahh, ye've gotta...stop, lad," Rory panted, his large shoulders barely holding his arms up. His hands flexed and twitched, while spiraling cords of sigils connected him to the wild working before him. "Ye can't..."
But the Dwarf knew he couldn't hear him.
The small room was awash in blue, but the boy was a study in red. To Rory's Adept Tier senses, he knew Felix was still alive and fighting. How was beyond him...
2020-09-23 13:06:39 +0000 UTC
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Monday's chapter! This one ran a little long.
Enjoy!
* * *
Skills Lost:
Acrobatics
Relentless Charge
Running
Swimming
Free Climbing
Physical Conditioning
Apprentice Tier Benefits Forfeited!
Shit, Felix cursed as his Mind was inundated by the System messages and a profound weakness swept through him. All choices have consequences, huh?
He should hav...
2020-09-21 15:43:35 +0000 UTC
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Sorry for the wait. Fridays are consistently the hardest days to get any writing done. Worked on this literally all night, so if there are any glaring errors I blame exhaustion.
Enjoy.
* * *
The room was inundated with light. Vibrant, electric luminescence shimmered in steaming flows from the sigils on the floor. The Mana vapor shot upward like inverted waterfalls, crashing into the ceiling where it collected and swirled. Felix tore his eyes from it...
2020-09-19 14:07:02 +0000 UTC
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Thursday's chapter! Enjoy.
* * *
The days passed quickly while Felix did nothing but eat, sleep, and train.
Exhausted after that first intense day, Felix had slept for a solid ten hours. His Stamina and Health were fine, but something inside of him was strained by everything he had accomplished. Not to mention the constant assaults from the Maw. When he woke up the next morning, it was at it again, clawing at its cage and shouting obscenities....
2020-09-18 02:24:38 +0000 UTC
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Wednesday's chapter! Enjoy!
* * *
The sun had set hours ago by the time Eliza DuFont's feet hit the Sunrise Quarter. Crowds that in other areas of the city were still thin and frightened of the recent breach were heavy and boisterous there. The danger had never quite spread into the Sunrise Quarter, perhaps because it was the farthest away from the Wall, and the monsters spent their lives well before reaching the district. Or perhaps because the orn...
2020-09-17 00:42:47 +0000 UTC
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Here's the chapter for Tuesday! Enjoy!
* * *
Swimming is level 7!
...
Swimming is level 20!
Running is level 25!
Congratulations! You Have Reached Apprentice Tier in Running!
You Gain:
+3 END
+3 AGL
+3 VIT
Felix felt like garbage by nightfall. The river was cold despite the humid heat in the air, and he was pretty sure there were giant eel-creatures down in that green water. So...
2020-09-15 05:30:17 +0000 UTC
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Monday's chapter! It's the kiddo's first week back at school, but I'll be aiming to update every day this week!
Enjoy!
* * *
"Best thing to do before sundering is to build up any Skills ye might have that are similar." Rory paced in front of Felix, his heavy arms akimbo. "The only problem with your situation is that ye probably don't have enough Skills to fold in. In that case we can load you up with a few nice alternatives, then train em. Sound good...
2020-09-14 04:50:38 +0000 UTC
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Enjoy.
* * *
The clouds thinned late in the day and a warm, buttery sun slathered itself over the citizens of Haarwatch. While the common folk bustled to and fro, attending to their trade or craft, the nobility of the hill attended midweek service.
A cathedral was situated only doors away from the Eyrie, centralized in a way that emphasized its importance to the local nobility and high ranking Guilders both. It rose many stories tall, as big as any Nob...
2020-09-11 02:57:54 +0000 UTC
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Enjoy!
* * *
The posts, chains, and other materials lifted up on streamers of Mana, each one levitating to a preordained spot. The massive five-foot thick by twenty foot long posts stood up and locked into position, eighteen of them forming squared archways along the entire length of the warehouse. Slithering into place, chains attached themselves all along the tops, hundreds of them at varying lengths. Carved lines along the beams lit up with a li...
2020-09-09 12:42:43 +0000 UTC
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Longer chapter today. I'll be doing Monday/Wednesday/Friday updates this week, but hopefully I can get a few more ready for you beautiful folks.
Enjoy.
* * *
Felix hurried through the rain away from the Initiate. A knot clenched his insides.
He had transformed again. Against his will. Again. After the close call just an hour earlier, he thought he'd be up for it, his impressive Willpower able to fight it off. But this time it had come upon hi...
2020-09-07 18:24:31 +0000 UTC
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Not as much training as I figured this week. Plan changed a bit as I wrote. I'm building up to something here and I wanted to expand on a few things.
Enjoy!
* * *
What Dwells Beneath is level 3!
What Dwells Beneath is level 4!
Felix snapped back to himself what felt like moments later, hunched over an empty spot of foul water. He huffed a labored breath, and straightened. Corpses surrounded him, their bodies riddled with slashes ...
2020-09-04 23:30:29 +0000 UTC
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Enjoy!
* * *
"Well well well, look who's come back. An with his doggie, too."
Felix had stepped out into the alley, straight toward the body. He hadn't even realized he'd moved. He blinked his eyes, attempting to banish that staccatto rhythm from his head. Mehren was sizing him up, wielding a new mace that shimmered slightly with an obvious enchantment.
"Been lookin fer you, hero," Mehren drawled. "My boys and me ain't been happy since we met."
2020-09-04 02:35:12 +0000 UTC
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Been outlining a bunch today. Knocked the writing a little outta wack timewise.
More tomorrow!
* * *
The next day found Felix approaching the Elder Crown. The rain persisted, though the sky were merely overcast and grey while a steady drizzle filled the streets. It was early morning, as Felix had found that he no longer needed as much sleep. He barely got more than four hours before his brain woke him up, while his body filled him with the fra...
2020-09-03 03:12:36 +0000 UTC
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Enjoy!
* * *
"The Broken Path..." Cal trailed off with a frown.
"I saw the Title in your list yesterday. I had hoped it meant something else." Felix tilted his head, but didn't interrupt her. "The Broken Path is what the priests call the old ways. The ways that came before the gods left us."
"I keep hearing that they died," Felix said with a questioning lilt to his voice. Cal shrugged.
"Dead, left, either way they're gone. Two Ages ha...
2020-09-02 01:53:32 +0000 UTC
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Enjoy.
* * *
Training, Cal had said moments before, is about pushing your limits.
Felix stood in the sandy arena, breathing heavily and wincing at the two cuts to his left shoulder and right pectoral. He had wisely chosen to strip down to his trousers and boots alone. Harn stood across the way, wearing his simple tunic and pants, but also breathing heavily. The two silver axes he held in his grip shimmered, the faint crimson sheen o...
2020-09-01 01:15:08 +0000 UTC
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Enjoy.
* * *
Tucked away in a blind alley beneath a leaking awning, Felix took a chance and let loose. A flash of light, a little brighter than usual in the dim morning, and Pit re-materialized next to him. The tenku regarded Felix with a tilted head, curious.
"Let's see what this Stone is all about, eh?" Felix held out the diamond cut malachite out in his palm, level with Pit's face. The chimera nudged it with his beak, but it just sat there. Inert. "...
2020-08-29 15:50:49 +0000 UTC
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Slightly shorter one today. Gonna try and make tomorrows longer to make up for it.
Enjoy!
* * *
Before she could answer, there was a sudden knocking at the door. Felix started to back away, but before he could move far, the door was slammed open. It crashed into the rack beside it, scattering a number of items to the ground. Felix was pretty sure they were ceramic bowls.
Lightning flashed outside, framing the bulky silhouettes of two Acolytes. T...
2020-08-28 04:19:47 +0000 UTC
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Ok so it's official.
I'll be switching to part time work at my day job in order to be home with my kids. This means less time working on boring spreadsheets and more time writing!
I'll be working two days a week and home the rest of the time. Hopefully that means I can dedicate MUCH more time to getting these chapters out. I'll always get three a week (Mon/Wed/Friday) but I hope to make 4 or 5 chapters a week a normal thing.
With two kids (2 and 7 years old) it'll be a wil...
2020-08-27 03:49:13 +0000 UTC
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Ahh almost missed getting this in before midnight!
Enjoy!
* * *
Before he'd taken two steps out of the Drum Tank, lights of gold and blue sparked across Felix's vision. They swarmed at the corners before resolving in a blue notification box and the faint sound of trumpets.
New Skill!
Negotiation (Uncommon), Level 1!
You've learned words have many uses, and one of them is to make a profit! Increases how favorably a target treats you...
2020-08-27 03:43:39 +0000 UTC
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Tuesday's chapter! Another tomorrow!
Enjoy!
* * *
Felix found a spot easily enough. The common room was starting to get busier as the sun rose higher, but it was still quieter than he expected. Most everyone around him looked worried, and the usual boisterous talk was cut by a great deal of whispering and low voices. A few folks eyed him as he passed, and Felix read a great deal of wariness in everyone.
He settled in an empty table at the far e...
2020-08-26 00:21:35 +0000 UTC
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Since it was manageable last week, I'm planning on posting a chapter a day through Friday. Definitely still hitting my three days a week, of course.
Enjoy!
* * *
Restless, Felix went outside.
The sun was a faint hint of light above the mountains, but the city was slow to rise. He could hear others shifting and groaning in neighboring rooms, the restless sleep of those soon to wake. He moved as quietly as he could throu...
2020-08-24 19:26:53 +0000 UTC
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100! Wow! Ok enough celebrating.
Back to writing!
Enjoy.
* * *
The darkness burned. It roiled, clouds of black grown heavy with a baleful promise. A wind grew from nothing, a thickness to the air that felt--
--Oily, slick--
Clicking segments brushed against his legs and he shook them off. The darkness resolved into shades of grey and bruised purple, tinted reality tainted by miasma. The thick wind swirled, gained heft, a...
2020-08-23 05:37:31 +0000 UTC
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