Wizardly Dude

(63) 2.16. A Whole New Tier

“So, what is it you want to be able to do, Vin?” Eithan asked him, the two of them having retaken their stools on the outskirts of town once more. 

After lunch, Vin had found Eithan waiting for him here, and the two of them had immediately jumped back into the lesson. Once he’d s...

(62) 2.15. They Don’t Just Eat Rocks?

Despite Eithan’s unique take on magic and having lived on an entirely different world than Shia, it turned out that teaching someone how to cast a new spell was pretty much the same regardless of where you came from. 

Sure, Eithan made him spend a few hours closely examining hundreds...

(61) 2.14. Hey Kid… Wanna Learn Some More Magic?

“Before we begin, let me ask you this… What is magic?”

Vin stared at his new magic instructor, blinking at the familiar question and experiencing a sudden sense of déjà-vu to his very first lesson with Shia back in the Sacred Forest. Did all magic teachers start their lessons this w...

(60) 2.13. Level 20

Vin breathed out slowly, letting the smooth lines flow from his mental map out onto paper. He’d seen a quite good bit of this new world ever since arriving on Edregon, and he’d decided it was finally about time he began a journal to keep track of everything. But before all that writing, he wa...

(59) 2.12. A Slate Wiped Clean

Vin got to experience being beaten by an elderly woman in a foot race for a second time that day as they ran off in the direction the guard told them. Despite the lack of sun, Raulfa was easy to spot thanks to the cluster of warriors on the edge of the village holding glowing gems high above thei...

(58) 2.11. A Small Truth

“I have to say Vin, I’m a little confused. I swore I said, ‘this isn’t what it looks like,’ but clearly you must have heard, ‘lock away the tiny man and throw away the key.’ Might want to get your ears checked.”

Vin rolled his eyes at the petian’s remark as they walked int...

(57) 2.10. Talk About Bad Timing

“Okay, so I’m with you on the part involving the rope and candle wax, but I think we should revisit your idea with the wicker furniture,” Vin said, frowning at their hastily drawn diagram Shia was scratching into the stone floor with his knife. “I just don’t think we’ll be able to mus...

(56) 2.9. An Old Stone

The elder frowned, tapping her cane against the stone floor as she tried to decide what to do. To anyone unfamiliar with their customs and the intricacies of runic carving, it may look like she was fidgeting aimlessly. In reality, she had to be remarkably careful with every tap. Her cane was a po...

(55) 2.8. A Tiny Discussion

“He didn’t do it!” Vin repeated for what felt like the hundredth time, continuing to argue with the guard standing in the doorway. But just like all the previous attempts he’d made at stating Scule’s innocence, the guard remained impassive. Vin may as well have been arguing with a statu...

(54) 2.7. Caught Red Handed

“What do you mean, not an artifact?” Vin asked, staring blankly at his magic mentor. “Look at it, it’s covered in runic formations!”

“Precisely,” Shia nodded. “Think about it Vin, you’ve encountered far more artifacts in your short time on Edregon than most people will in ...

(53) 2.6. The Return Of The Rock

The first time Vin had visited Sakis, he’d been led straight to what he now knew was essentially the elder’s waiting room where she conducted all her business. This time, Samtha made sure they got the full tour.

The eager warrior led them through the small village, introducing Vin to a ...

(52) 2.5. The Village of Sakis

By this point, their motley gang had perfected their system for travelling from one fragment to the next. Due to the fact that a person had to travel anywhere between six to twelve miles to cross the length of a fragment, depending on where they ran through it, the only one in their group capable...

(51) 2.4. What Are Friends For?

After nearly two hours of weighing in on the many disputes that had made their way to the council’s desk, Vin was finally free of his duties as a councilor. Apparently taking a thousand people and throwing them into such an unusual situation was a lot trickier than doing the same ...

(50) 2.3. A Brief Debriefing

“Hey Vin!” Alice said, walking over and giving him a quick hug. “Glad to see you’re okay! I was worried when you disappeared after we brought the second wavers back to camp.” Alice held him at arm's length, looking him over carefully. “You holding up alright?”

“Just dandy,�...

(49) 2.2. Plotting a Course

Vin hadn’t gone too deep into the forest, meaning it wasn’t long before he found himself at the edge of camp once again. Already the additional thousand people they’d gained from the second wave were hard at work. Crafters were laying down paved paths and assembling simple houses for people...

(48) 2.1. A Well Earned Rest

Leaning back against his favorite tree, Vin dug into his grilled sqerret with relish, all but moaning as the savory, meaty juices dripped down his chin. Apparently not one, but three of the crafters from the second wave had chosen cooking as their specialization, and Vin swore right...

47. The Second Wave

Seeing he had everyone’s attention, Spur continued, his voice booming out across the meadow. “I hope you all had a pleasant trip and that you’re ready for a fun time at camp!”

Most people simply looked at Spur in confusion, but at least some must have recognized him as Vin saw a goo...

46. A Hard Fought Victory

Vin stifled a gasp, nearly releasing the snakeskin in his mouth as a burst of golden light erupted from him at the moment of impact. To his amazement, the force of the divine energy not only protected him from certain death, but also managed to push him and the snake into the air once more to ens...

45. Fight Fire With Fire

Flicking its head, the giant snake tossed the limp body it had stuck on its horn to the side, letting it drop to the ground with a sickening thump. Vin stared at the elite monster that had somehow risen from the grave, his eyes darting to the three fresh victims it had already claimed. T...

44. A Moment of Silence

Explorer: A class based around discovering the unknown and uncovering secrets, Vin thought as he ran toward the snake large enough to devour him in a single gulp. This is not part of the job description!

Despite Vin’s speed, the snake managed to strike...

43. War is Hell

The first monster to fully manifest was a thick, scaly creature with eight stubby but powerful looking legs that stood close to the ground, looking around in confusion. Its forked tongue flicked out of its mouth, seeming to inform it of their presence as it slowly turned their way, revealing its ...

42. An Old… Friend?

“Who, me?” Scule asked, looking surprised. “Oh, you know… Just checking out all these old tunnels I found. Making sure they’re secure. Wouldn’t want any tiny monsters scrambling through them up into the middle of camp during the fight, am I right? Kinda defeats the purpose of all thos...

41. Prepare for the Worst

The next few hours reminded Vin of all the group assignments he’d always hated back in high school. The ones with dozens of people running around in a panic after waiting until the last minute before trying to accomplish far more work than they actually had time for. 

After finding a...

40. Resistance is Futile

Patty’s usual beaming smile had been replaced with a victorious grin as she gazed around the room at the stunned and frozen council members, before turning her focus on Spur. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting to shut you up? For a military man, you talk far too much for the r...

39. A Sudden Yet Inevitable Betrayal

“You’ve got bad news,” Spur snorted, sheathing his sword and shaking his head. Before he could say anything more, an angry guardswoman stormed into the room, glaring at Vin before snapping a salute at Spur.

“Apologies Colonel! Despite your orders, these three managed t...

38. Homecoming

As it turned out, the answer to that question was a resounding yes. Over the hour it took for Vin and his group to cross the border between fragments and make it to the location of the new camp, he’d leveled up his new Running skill five times, earning more than enough experience to ti...

37. Hope for the Best

“The plan is simple,” Vin explained as they ran toward the magical border separating the citadel fragment from his camp’s fragment. Luckily, breaking out of the citadel had been far easier than breaking in; especially when all the guards were distracted chatting with one another about what ...

36. Boom

“Keep running, keep running!” Vin repeated, doing his best to put as much distance between them and the shaking colosseum as possible. As he ran, he tried to ignore the ache in his back he’d received from slamming into the wall of the building at what felt like mach three speeds. He was tha...

35. A Desperate Gamble

Lorkal sent another ranged slash lazily toward the annoying petian, watching the tiny man dive out of the way at the very last moment for the umpteenth time. The stone ground was littered with gouges and knicks all over the place now from how long he’d been playing with the Rogue, and countless...

34. Divine Discussion

“What are you?” Vin couldn’t help but ask, all his previous thoughts vanishing in light of the woman’s sudden appearance and hypnotic voice.

“That’s a tricky question,” she said, giving him a sad smile. Her hair seemed to float around her head as though they were underwater, a...