E. Patrick Lacerna, aka Random Mudkip, The Woodsman, Velvet Canopy

B2: Chapter 45: Teaching Teacher

Chapter 45: Teaching Teacher

Several weeks had passed since the duel with Lyman, Barkatus, and Walters. The atmosphere around me had shifted. Students who once taunted or glared now ...

B2: Primordial Enmity

Primordial Enmity

I slashed through another red-shelled monstrosity, my enchanted steel blade cutting deep into its chitinous armor. The creature's death scream joined the cacophony ...

B2: Interlude 3

Interlude 3

From my perch in the crowded stands, I watched the farce unfold below. The monster, Widow, had stepped into the arena alone, declining support from her companions. Three ...

B2: Chapter 44: Team Deathmatch

Chapter 44: Team Deathmatch

We gathered in room 401, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows through the windows. My companions had rushed over after hearing about the team duel ...

B2: Chapter 43: Golden Opportunity

Chapter 43: Golden Opportunity

I sat cross-legged on the floor, numerous mechanical parts spread around me as I adjusted the wiring on my combat chassis. Genta and Eyarna kept me com...

B2: Chapter 42: Friend's Message

Chapter 42: Friend's Message

I watched through Scout Spider 13's crystals as Annes parried a Cave Stalker's claws. Her movements had grown sharper, more precise since our first exped...

B2: Chapter 41: Babies Everywhere

Chapter 41: Babies Everywhere

It was around midnight when the basement door creaked open as Annes, Copelan, Genta, and Yulios filed into my workshop. They stopped short at the sight ...

B2: Chapter 40: First Descendant

Chapter 40: First Descendant

I hurried through the Academy's west wing, following the directions from Copelan's messenger. The storage area sprawled across the ground floor, a maze o...

B2: Chapter 39: Group Hunt

Chapter 39: Group Hunt

I descended the Academy's basement stairs at midnight, my footsteps echoing in the empty corridors. The storeroom door gleamed with its new lock of my own desi...

B2: Chapter 38: Truth Telling

Chapter 38: Truth Telling

...and that's how I came to be here, at the Academy, I finished, my Mind Speech falling silent in the room.

The quiet stretched, broken only ...

B2: Primordial Prestidigitation

Primordial Prestidigitation

I marked another entry in my journal, documenting our latest losses to Omadzaburik's deceptions. The ink smeared as my hand trembled with rage. Two thousa...

B2: Chapter 37: True Friendship

Chapter 37: True Friendship

I watched members of House Dragon descend from the stands, their black uniforms stark against the arena's sandy floor. They gathered around Barkatus's bro...

New Membership Tier!

Since I love money, I'm adding another membership tier. This one is called Revolver Girl, and with it you can read 15 chapters ahead of where the story is at on Royal Road and other sites! That's f...

B2: Chapter 36: the Fittest

Chapter 36: the Fittest

The roar of the crowd filled my ears as Barkatus and I clashed again. My sword-lance sparked against his burning blade, the impact sending tremors through my ...

B2: Chapter 35: Survival of

Chapter 35: Survival of

Dawn crept through the arena's high windows as I tested each joint of my defensive frame for the hundredth time. The six legs moved in perfect synchronization...

B2: Chapter 34: Another Challenger

Chapter 34: Another Challenger

I sat cross-legged on the floor of room 401, watching Genta's eyes dart around in wonder. Her yellow irises flickered from person to person as she test...

B2: Chapter 33: Test Run

Chapter 33: Test Run

My defensive frame skittered through the dark tunnels, six legs moving in perfect synchronization across the damp stone. The rotating shield panels on my back sh...

B2: Chapter 32: Second Assessment

Chapter 32: Second Assessment

I stood among my classmates in the southern arena, my mechanical frame concealed beneath a layer of borrowed leather armor. Weeks of nightly Hellzone ex...

B2: Chapter 31: Study Group

Chapter 31: Study Group

I sat cross-legged on the floor of room 401, watching Genta's demonstration with keen interest. My porcelain fingers traced the diagrams in the elementary mag...

B2: Chapter 30: Self Education

Chapter 30: Self Education

I stood back and watched as Annes guided Copelan's hands on the practice sword's hilt. A week had passed since my victory over Lyman, yet the other C-rank ...

B2: Interlude 2

Interlude 2

I shifted in the uncomfortable wooden chair outside Headmaster Reins' office, my royal posture slipping for just a moment. The stone walls of the Academy loomed around me...

B2: Chapter 29: Parting Words

Chapter 29: Parting Words

I watched as Lyman's companions lifted his unconscious form from the sand. Blood still dripped from his nose as they rushed him toward the infirmary wing. T...

B2: Chapter 28: The Duel

Chapter 28: The Duel

The morning sun cast long shadows across the arena floor as preparations for the duel continued. As Lyman's cronies finished putting his armor together, I checke...

B2: Chapter 27: Nighttime Preparations

Chapter 27: Nighttime Preparations

Students parted like waves as Arctur dragged me through the Academy halls, my damaged frame scraping against the polished stone floor. Their faces ...

B2: Chapter 26: Outside Jaunt

Chapter 26: Outside Jaunt

I descended the Academy's grand staircase, my mechanical legs clicking softly against marble steps. Students parted before me, their whispers following in my wake....

B2: Chapter 25: Teaching Experience

Chapter 25: Teaching Experience

The next few days fell into a steady rhythm. During daylight hours, I moved through the Academy's halls flanked by my newfound allies. Genta's small f...

B2: Chapter 24: Gaining Allies

Chapter 24: Gaining Allies

I climbed the worn stone steps of the southwestern tower, my footsteps echoing in the empty stairwell. Dust motes danced in shafts of afternoon light that ...

B2: Chapter 23: Training Arc

Chapter 23: Training Arc

The Spear Beetle's projectile crashed against my shield, the impact reverberating through the chassis but leaving the steel-chitin construction unmarred. I t...

B2: Chapter 22: The Challenge

Chapter 22: The Challenge

I stepped out of the lecture hall, my mechanical legs whirring softly beneath my uniform skirts. Professor Howlett's voice still rang in my ears, droning on...

B2: Chapter 21: Magical Study

Chapter 21: Magical Study

I sat among the non-combat students in Elementary Magic Studies, trying not to draw attention to myself. Professor Kilnei stood at the front of the class, h...