This took longer than usual. Partly due to the events in it, and partly due to anxious distraction out there in the world.
Regardless, hope you all enjoy.
15 Minutes Ago:
"AAHH!" The young woman screamed and jumped away from Pit, who had Skulked up toward her back.
"Yeah, he's pretty sneaky," Felix chuckled to himself, before wincing at the sudden movement.
Status Condition: Strained Shoulder (Minor)<...
2020-03-19 01:21:16 +0000 UTC View PostWorking on the next chapter, but with all the EVERYTHING going on, it's hard to get time and focus. I'll have Chapter 30 out as soon as possible.
Thanks for reading!
Vessilia Dayne was not having the greatest of days.
Battered and bruised, the pain woke her more than anything else. She lacked the Pain Resistance Skill and she regretted it dearly. Agony lanced across her limbs and lower back where the giant had smashed her against the ice. She blinked blearily at the half fallen roof, covered in bits of ice and green vines as if winter and spring were fighting one another. Her mind felt muddled, and she saw two blinking icons in he...
2020-03-15 18:34:19 +0000 UTC View Post
Harn scowled.
Things weren't going how they were supposed to.
The fog rolled, thick as ever, but now it covered a treacherous ground covered in ice. Ever since they entered these city ruins, bigger and bigger chunks of the path had been coated in the stuff, as if something was walking around and freezing all it touched. To Harn's knowledge, there was no record of a creature capable of this, not in the Foglands.
Something's changed. Harn made eye contact...
2020-03-11 14:17:40 +0000 UTC View PostI'm hoping to get chapter 28 out tomorrow sometime. Enjoy this one!
"Down!"
Magda dove forward, left shield extended to deflect an acidic projectile from a hissing Tree Serpent. The kite shield didn't quite reach, but the attack deflected anyway, much to the surprise of Atar cowering behind her.
"How'd--?"
"Get back behind the wall!" Magda shouted, ignoring her own advice and charging forward at the serpent. She didn't look back to see if...
2020-03-10 18:19:40 +0000 UTC View PostThis one took a while. Enjoy!
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The wurm's jaws chomped down on Felix, the four-way mandibles snapping from all directions. Teeth the size of his arm rushed toward his body, but Felix was able to catch two of the jaws with his left and right hands. The lower jaws however, piercing his thighs with impossible speed and force.
"GAHHHHHHH!!!" Felix screamed, veins in his neck bul...
2020-03-08 02:12:55 +0000 UTC View Post
Reign of Vellus!
Felix exploded with azure light, the force of the upgraded Skill discharging into actual bolts of lightning as it sheared into the Arcids beside him. But they were heavy, far heavier than anything he had tried to move before, and instead of throwing them Felix was launched backwards like a rocket. He smashed half into a crumbling ivy covered column, gasping in pain as the resounding impact shuddered through him.
"Impossible!" The archon raged...
2020-03-05 16:33:06 +0000 UTC View Post
The garden was immense.
The door behind him was built into a thick stone wall heavily carved into rigid geometric designs, but after a dozen feet in any direction, the stone was completely consumed by greenery. The uneven flagstones slowly but surely were devoured by the constant creeping of thick moss and small weeds, until it was less a walkway and more a rolling grassy path. Except less of a path and more a meandering suggestion. Plants of all sizes and colors erupted in...
2020-03-03 12:54:07 +0000 UTC View Post
For a minute, Felix just laid on the ground.
He was so damn tired. And thirsty.
Waaghk. So thirsty.
Status: Dehydrated (Major)
Yeah, that makes sense.
In the corner of his vision, a tiny exclamation point icon blinked furiously at him.
Acid Resistance is level 15!
...
Acid Resistance is level 20!
Heat Resistance is level 8! 2020-03-03 12:24:00 +0000 UTC View Post
While the wurms seemed taken aback for a moment, Felix checked his Health. He had lost nearly 10% from his landing and his left ankle twinged painfully, even through his resistance. Still, he smirked at the wurms as if he was fine and raised his fists up in what he assumed was a boxing stance.
New Skill Learned!
Acting (Common), Level 1!
You stand upon the stage, now make it yours. Convey emotions and intent with greater...
2020-02-25 12:24:51 +0000 UTC View Post
"Haah, haah."
His heavy breathing filled the small cave. Felix collapsed on his knees in the center of the chamber, as far from any wall as he could manage. The Wurmlings liked to tunnel out of any wall he leaned against, so restricting them to the floor beneath him was the best he could do.
He was exhausted. He'd been fighting the Wurmlings for what felt like hours. They had gotten stronger too. They started at level 14, but the last batch he had killed were level 19...
2020-02-22 07:18:45 +0000 UTC View PostEDIT: Please forgive my math in this one. If anyone spots errors, let me know.
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Felix stood in the darkness, chewing his lip.
He had found a major flaw in his Keen Mind Trait; if Felix wasn't constantly examining his memories, even he could miss things. And this was a doozy. He had "forgotten" that the cavern was sealed behind Balfur.
"Ok," Felix reasoned. "Not the worst outcome....
2020-02-20 15:37:17 +0000 UTC View Post
It took five hours to find the cave.
Felix's uncanny memory led him true, but the strange fog that pervaded Balfur's recollection confused him. There was no sign of it. The forest was the same as always, full of a variety of trees, dangerous beasts, and a plethora of interesting herbs.
Congratulations!
You Have Gained A Title!
Natural Scholar II (Uncommon)!
You have Analyzed over 1000 differe...
2020-02-20 15:34:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Late afternoon in the Foglands was no better than full dark. The soupy murk of mist occluded everything around them; even their torches, burning bright, were barely enough to penetrate the dense covering. Sounds echoed and stretched strangely in the fog, distances hard to guess, and the smell of winter pervaded all: cold, blank, dead.
Ice on the wind.
Magda held up her torch, casting light upon several twisted trees that bore blackened fruit. They looked like th...
2020-02-20 15:23:46 +0000 UTC View Post
Felix rolled to his feet, small cuts all over his arms and face from another exploding stone pillar.
“GWAAAARRH!”
What could only be described as a gorilla mixed with a rhinoceros charged at him as it screamed. Dusty brown Mana surged around the ape’s arms and legs as the ground rumbled. Felix threw himself to the side as a blocky pillar of stone speared out of the forest floor.
“Would you QUIT IT?” Felix spit, picking himself off the ground. Aga...
2020-02-20 15:16:37 +0000 UTC View PostIn the grey light of dawn, on the sixteenth day of summer, Magda Aren found herself on the Haarwatch wall overlooking the approach to the Foglands. Thick, land-bound clouds drifted and swirled amidst the shadows of winter-bare trees, ominous in what they hid. She leaned against the crenelations, feeling somewhat naked without her shields. But being armed and armored for war at all times wasn't something she could afford, not anymore. She fingered the silver medallion hanging around her neck, ...
2020-02-20 15:05:57 +0000 UTC View PostHalfway up the cliff, Felix nearly smacked himself in frustration.
He had fifteen free stat points to spend. If there ever was a time to stay ahead of the curve, it was when he was expecting an ambush. Wedging himself against the rock face, he quickly allocated points to Perception, Agility, and Vitality. Felix clutched at the cliff face, feeling his heart race and his limbs burn with energy as his physical body changed rapidly. He didn't realize quite how hard he was gripping until he ...
2020-02-20 15:01:51 +0000 UTC View PostAfter the lights faded, the grove seemed pitch black in comparison.
Felix blinked afterimages out of his eyes, only to see the Orit's toothy maw inches from his own. He fell backward with an undignified yawp. Blood and mud splashed up his arms and soaked into his pants. The giant beast huffed and panted at him but wasn't moving. Craning his neck, Felix could see a nasty would on the Orit's underbelly, dark blood and ropes of wet, grey intestines spilling out and pooling around a blade l...
2020-02-20 14:34:13 +0000 UTC View Post
He felt bad as he walked away from the Henaari explorer. After all the help they had inadvertently given him, Felix felt they deserved a proper burial, not to be just left in the woods.
When I come back, he promised himself. For now, let's see what my new spells do and get some experience.
Watching the ground avidly, Felix searched through the multitude of tracks in the soft earth of the embankment. As what was probably the main source of fresh water...
2020-02-20 13:48:58 +0000 UTC View Post
The first room was filled with empty stone shelves. It was narrow, probably ten feet wide between the heavy shelves on either side. It seemed like a pantry or larder, storage in any case. However, the shelves were empty of anything, even dust. Felix backed out of the room and moved to the next.
The second room was almost completely empty as well. The tiled floor extended uninterrupted throughout, spanning approximately thirty feet square. Felix almost turned and left ...
2020-02-20 13:45:47 +0000 UTC View PostFelix hit the ground and tumbled backwards onto the hard stone floor. Head swimming and aching from that full body push, he stumbled to his feet with his new sword in an awkward grip.
"Bring it--" His half-snarl caught in his throat. A wall of blue-white light stretched before him, completely filling the small cavern with a near blinding radiance. Felix's heart hammered and sweat swiftly beaded on his forehead and back as he regarded his certain doom.
But nothing happened.
T...
2020-02-20 13:40:46 +0000 UTC View Post
The sword looked like it was made of bronze, and had a weird curved shape. It was straight near the hilt, then it bowed outward in a distinct curve. Like an axe, or something. The hilt was a simple cross guard, and the handle wrapped in dark wire and capped with an oblong pommel. The whole thing was in surprisingly good condition.
Name: Worn Henaari Blade
Type: Slashing
Damage Attribute: Strength
Inter...
2020-02-20 13:39:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Felix plummeted into a raging river.
He tumbled, ass over teakettle, the water surging around him violently. He briefly saw the surface, but was so disoriented that he couldn't tell which way he had to swim. The water around him was murky, churned into a swirling froth of bubbles. It was absolutely frigid, and his skin quickly turned numb. Felix kicked, straining against the current to orient himself, pushing toward the bright light that flashed across his eyes. Bursting ba...
2020-02-20 13:37:59 +0000 UTC View Post
The night air stilled as everything dimmed, just slightly. Then they world...flexed, somehow.
Everything went dark.
You have gained a Memory from a Copse Grub! Would you like to review it now?
Yes/Yes
Everything was dark. Dark, comforting and damp and safe. Life. Food.
Flexing and pulling...crawling, inching through dissolving food. Delicious.
Light. Sudden. Dangerous.
After bashing the grub's face with a rock over a dozen times, the pincers finally came loose. At first Felix was worried they'd be damaged by such harsh treatment, but after being delicate did nothing except slice his fingers, he resorted to blunt force trauma.
He held up the pincers and examined them in the bright sunlight. They were approximately six inches long, way longer than he'd have expected on a grub that was only two feet long itself. They had a gristly bit at the...
2020-02-20 04:09:59 +0000 UTC View Post
Flesh still sizzling uncomfortably and clothing finally ruined, Felix sat behind some trees and chewed yarrow while attempting to meditate. He was too distracted though. He was furious with himself.
The copse grub had used an area of effect skill to launch acid in a burst all around itself. Felix got a full dose, all over his chest and face. He barely survived, and his shirt didn't. It finally had given up the ghost and dissolved off of him, only a few scraps of once-white ...
2020-02-20 04:08:17 +0000 UTC View PostTurns out, a night spent in a pitch black forest full of hostile creatures was not relaxing.
Felix managed to fall asleep early on, as the day had exhausted him. But something that sounded like a mix between a hacking cough and a basso roar sent him stumbling to his feet. Adrenaline racing, he stood stock still, holding his walking stick and staring into the darkness.
It was almost completely dark. Where were those five moons he saw yesterday? It was almost like he was in a cave, ...
2020-02-20 04:03:54 +0000 UTC View PostFelix spent the next hour lying in the weeds, occasionally eating yarrow and a small patch of red grass called flitweed.
Name: Flitweed
Lore: A small leafy weed grown from the blood of slain beasts.
Properties: Consume to regain 1 Stamina per second for 10 seconds. Other effects unknown.
Alchemical Properties: Unknown
Despite it's gruesome lore, flitweed tasted a bit like coriander and reminded h...
2020-02-20 03:58:46 +0000 UTC View Post
Felix's head rocked back, his smile faltering. A Memory from that tentacle horror? He shuddered. And he also didn't have a choice? Taking a deep breath, he looked around the beach and didn't see anything nearby for at least a mile on the open sands. Before he could think too much about it, he mentally selected "Yes."
Everything went dark.
Slowly, the world lightened until Felix was surrounded by a green murkiness that reminded him uncomfortably of the Bitter Sea. Near...
2020-02-20 03:53:17 +0000 UTC View PostFor the second time in a day, he woke on a beach.
A firetruck blared into his ears, a cacophony of bells that rattled his sore head. He groaned and tried to roll over, covering his head with his arms. The tangy scent of his waterlogged clothes hit him hard, and he retched.
Smells almost as bad as that squid, he thought.
He lurched upright, suddenly remembering the sea monster. He looked around frantically, heart pounding with adrenaline. It was early morning, ...
2020-02-20 03:48:49 +0000 UTC View Post