The statue mentioned in Vivienne's letter was a towering, nine-foot-tall marble simulacrum of a man dressed in robes, carrying a staff in one hand and a book in the other. A whirlpool covered the l...
2024-11-14 13:45:29 +0000 UTC View PostAfter several hours of sleep, I threw myself back into the problem set before me. The cube's magic was opaque, more so than I would prefer, but a half-day worth of poking, prodding, testing, and th...
2024-11-12 13:58:07 +0000 UTC View PostI reached the meeting place mentioned in the letter within fifteen minutes. It was a wide deck suspended two stories into the air, with a bar on the opposite side of the stairs and a half-dozen ser...
2024-11-09 14:12:10 +0000 UTC View PostFire blasted across the surface of my shield, up, over, and around it in a blinding crimson river. I could feel its heat even through dual layers of magical protection and sensed the burning, Mist-...
2024-11-07 15:32:29 +0000 UTC View PostThe following day, we stood in a small shaded patch of grass, not unlike the one I had found near the inn. This one was a little larger, with a few trees, a nearby bench, and flowers growing underf...
2024-11-05 14:14:23 +0000 UTC View PostIt took a month for me to finally track down a place to stay within Colkirk proper. I almost wished I could trust Darius and the rest of his group enough to stay at their camp, but the hard facts w...
2024-11-02 12:41:27 +0000 UTC View PostWe left Aresford behind, heading back towards Colkirk. It felt the best option, at least with my existing wealth and capabilities. I wanted to polish my skills a little more before trying my luck w...
2024-10-31 15:01:21 +0000 UTC View PostMy first few days as a Mist felt remarkable. I tested the rest of my spells and found that each had shot forward in potency. Mana Bolt, even hastily cast, drilled a hole through solid stone. I susp...
2024-10-29 12:01:27 +0000 UTC View PostI was as ready as I would ever be to advance to Mist. My core, half-again as large thanks to my expansion technique, was full of brilliant, humming Aether.
During my past advancement, ...
2024-10-26 11:05:18 +0000 UTC View PostMy core expansion "technique," crude and wasteful though it was, worked better than I could have imagined. Each session was unpleasant and earned only marginal improvements, but the side effects pr...
2024-10-24 14:01:58 +0000 UTC View PostWeeks of near-constant failures passed as I tried again and again to work out the trick to my hypothetical technique. I altered my breathing pattern and attempted it near the Aether pool, hoping th...
2024-10-22 13:33:24 +0000 UTC View PostA month passed in the blink of an eye as Cat and I settled into our new home. Rowen had more than delivered, putting me to work as a laborer at the mines. I had thought a year of consistent exercis...
2024-10-19 13:20:00 +0000 UTC View PostIt took us weeks longer to reach our next destination, which gave me ample time to ponder what I learned from the tree. There was something there, a trick that might hold the secrets ...
2024-10-17 11:41:28 +0000 UTC View PostSetting off alone was at once terrifying and liberating. I had never in my life felt anything comparable.
There was a looming deadline and an unbeatable threat. My friends, home, and l...
2024-10-15 11:54:08 +0000 UTC View PostI did not sleep that night. Instead, I tossed and turned, repeating the conversation with my friends—former friends, most likely, over in my head.
Their responses made ...
2024-10-12 09:00:51 +0000 UTC View PostI rolled my shoulders, tightening the fittings of my vambrace and checking the runes for any damage. While I had not used it yet, there was a possibility I had made a mistake in the e...
2024-10-10 11:36:08 +0000 UTC View PostThe Estton holdings comprised miles of sweeping grasslands and plains. Farms, towns, and villages broke up the near-endless stretch of greens, with a few twisting streams cutting through here and t...
2024-10-08 12:07:33 +0000 UTC View PostConversation was non-existent across the next few days. No one seemed eager to bring up our failed hunt or the tragedy that had resulted. Instead, we each withdrew inward, staying busy however we c...
2024-10-05 11:57:53 +0000 UTC View PostThe drake spotted me within seconds. Its coal-black eyes fixed on me, and its mouth opened as it let out a low, sibilant hiss. I adjusted my grip on my dagger, wishing I had brought along a spear, ...
2024-10-03 11:48:38 +0000 UTC View PostLeon and the hunters had dug their pit trap less than a mile from the drake's location, close enough to catch the scent of fresh blood and meat but far enough that it would take time to reach us. T...
2024-10-01 11:08:08 +0000 UTC View Post"Can I help you?" I asked.
"We need to talk," Leon replied, his voice hard as stone.
I stared for a few seconds, then nodded and stepped to one side, "Yes, I suppose we do...
2024-09-28 12:14:06 +0000 UTC View PostLeon's eyebrows shot towards his hairline, and I heard Simon inhale sharply. Amelia leaned forward in her chair, one foot tapping on the floor, and Sophia's eyes focused on the mayor.
...
2024-09-26 12:12:08 +0000 UTC View PostWe were back on the road the following morning, leaving Colkirk behind. If it was my decision, we would have remained in the city for a few more days. Though Elvor was a water mage, I would still p...
2024-09-24 10:53:02 +0000 UTC View PostI did not stop at our table. Instead, I walked past my friends and made for the exit. A weight settled onto my back as I felt gazes, both familiar and unknown, follow me. I ignored them, along with...
2024-09-21 11:38:50 +0000 UTC View PostNight had fallen onto the city proper, settling over the streets like a blanket. Despite that, laughter, music, cheering, and the clinking of glasses filled the air, mixing with scents of alcohol, ...
2024-09-19 13:03:57 +0000 UTC View PostColkirk was once a town and not a particularly unique one at that. It was of middling size, built beside a lake, and the villagers there lived and died through fishing. Its sole claim to fame was i...
2024-09-17 10:48:03 +0000 UTC View PostWe stopped just as the sun began to creep toward the horizon. I would have kept going if it was my choice, but that was my impatience and selfishness overruling common sense. My companions and our ...
2024-09-14 10:49:45 +0000 UTC View PostOur journey started with an argument.
"You have a cat, and you never told me?" Amelia demanded, alternating between trying to approach the feline and glaring at me. She had no...
2024-09-12 11:47:11 +0000 UTC View PostThere was no truly impenetrable place. The Wandering Cites possessed defenses robust enough to weather almost anything but would fail given enough time. Elder dragons often built their homes within...
2024-09-10 10:52:30 +0000 UTC View PostLeon had given us two days to prepare for our journey, giving me ample time for final goodbyes. And a few last-minute magical tasks while I still had access to the Academy.
I could not...
2024-09-07 10:37:57 +0000 UTC View Post