Crack!
The pillar sped toward them at a frightening rate; the sheer amount of mana raging from it was incredible.
But something was off.
That surge of mana…was it-?
“The worm’s mana’s getting closer!” Alex shouted as the group flew higher into the sky. H...
2021-10-08 00:13:32 +0000 UTC View Post“It will sense us soon,” Khalik said, nodding to Najyah and sending her into the sky—above the range of the worm’s sensory abilities—to act as another pair of eyes. “It likely already felt the earth’s vibration when we were teleported in: our collective weight would have suddenly di...
2021-10-06 23:14:46 +0000 UTC View Post“You kind of gave me the idea, Thundar,” Alex said. “Remember when that mana vampire got you?”
The minotaur glared at him. “No, Alex. I completely forgot that a monster nearly sucked all the mana out of me like a giant leech.”
“…yeah, okay, stupid question, I admit it,...
2021-10-05 21:15:23 +0000 UTC View Post“This is paradise,” said The Fool of Thameland as he stretched out on the grass.
A glowing crimson hand floating beside him picked up a dried, candied pineapple ring from a basket and gently placed it in his mouth. The basket was also floating in midair, hanging from a glowing red orb: ...
2021-10-02 22:43:36 +0000 UTC View Post“This isn’t working!” Drestra’s cry swept through the night.
The Sage of Uldar floated high above a circle of standing stones that rose from a misty hilltop. She chanted spells in a voice that crackled like fire; her golden, reptilian eyes seemed to glow above the veil covering her ...
2021-10-01 20:39:04 +0000 UTC View PostAlex’s eyes flicked to the map. “Where did the book say the creature was from?”
“Oh, the author had no idea,” Baelin said. “But there was a sighting, which one of my librarians found.” The book hovered in front of Baelin, flipping its pages to a spot in the middle of it. The c...
2021-09-30 22:51:13 +0000 UTC View Post“A dune worm is a very dangerous opponent for the unprepared or…anyone,” Baelin said. “Partly because of its size. It grows to the size of a whale. Not the greatest of whale-kind, but certainly large enough.”
He waved his hand, and an illusion of a map appeared.
“Their ter...
2021-09-29 21:31:03 +0000 UTC View Post“You know what?” Thundar grunted. “This is getting easier.”
He flipped through his notebooks—filled with notes and reminders in his own handwriting and that of his entire cabal—and grinned.
“A lot of this stuff gets a lot quicker to get into the ol’ skull when I’ve g...
2021-09-28 22:52:34 +0000 UTC View PostIf there was anything that would never cease to surprise Alex about people, it was how quickly many bounced back from just about anything.
In the days following the attack on the patrizia’s estate, Giuseppe had seen to the few wounded who’d stayed on at the manor, put them back on their...
2021-09-25 20:58:40 +0000 UTC View PostThe flight potion released in a cloud, mixing with the dust and spraying over Alex and his captor. The monster continued assaulting him, desperate to get around his shield with its claws.
Alex’s mind raced in confusion
Why wasn’t-
‘Breath!’ he thought. ‘It hadn’t cri...
2021-09-25 00:19:03 +0000 UTC View PostAlex and Claygon chased the monster as it loped ahead, suddenly disappearing into a building with its doors wide open.
The young wizard recast lesser force armour as he guided his way through The Mark’s interference. The spell briefly glowed with a crimson light then reformed as his mana ...
2021-09-23 22:02:44 +0000 UTC View PostThe bonedrinker’s remains blackened and sizzled: a monster that had taken Baelin’s class everything they had to kill,had been destroyed with a single blast from Claygon’s fire-gems. Their power seemed to have grown since Alex implanted them in the golem.
And Claygon wasn’t fin...
2021-09-23 00:01:53 +0000 UTC View PostThe lean hunter moved through the winding paths within the hedges, stopping at the edge of the maze and peering onto the battlefield.
It was almost time.
The first hunter and the scarred one were moving into position as well, slipping up beside their sibling with practiced silence. Th...
2021-09-21 22:23:37 +0000 UTC View Post“Are you all enjoying your evening?” Giuseppe strolled up to Theresa and Alex, smiling behind a mask that looked like the face of a regal hound. “I was very intrigued by your dancing earlier and have to compliment your uhm…vigour.” He laughed. “I was telling Isolde during your…uhm d...
2021-09-19 00:06:47 +0000 UTC View PostThe hunter crouched low in the tree, studying its quarry while keeping its senses sharp.
Mortals moved around wearing face coverings and strange garments that seemed heavy. Good. They would be less mobile; this was to the hunter’s advantage. The quarry spoke with another human, one ...
2021-09-17 23:45:19 +0000 UTC View PostThe sky-yacht cut through the air, soaring above the countryside at speed. It banked as it approached the Patrizia’s grounds, slowing as it did. There were a great number of sky-yachts and gondolas pulling up to the airspace above the manor, and the road below was filled with fine carriages con...
2021-09-16 21:48:34 +0000 UTC View PostAs the days passed, the group of friends kept visiting Thundar as his health steadily got better. Meanwhile, Alex continued to improve his dancing skills. He’d actually gotten to the point where he was pretty good at a number of popular dance moves, and he and Theresa would practice together. 2021-09-15 20:57:19 +0000 UTC View Post
The time for the Patrizia’s ball had completely snuck up on Alex. He couldn’t really blame himself for almost forgetting about the upcoming party: life had been busy.
Very busy.
But in good ways.
“2,950, 2,960,” the city’s accountant counted out the small moun...
2021-09-14 17:28:46 +0000 UTC View PostThe Ravener’s hunter emerged from the sea, shaking the salt water from its iron-hard hide. Two splashes followed right behind; its two siblings quickly surfaced on the isolated beach. In its travels far and wide—pinging for its kin—it had only managed to join with these two. Another was fou...
2021-09-11 21:51:27 +0000 UTC View PostAlex washed his hands then turned to Claygon.
“Professors, would you mind uh…helping me with the activation process?” Alex asked. “I know I’m supposed to do this alone, but I’ve never activated a golem outside of a team of four: a crafter and three assistants. I’m not sure if ...
2021-09-10 12:45:55 +0000 UTC View Post[Author's warning, just as dark as last time]
Horror lay in the mana vampire’s eyes.
It looked semi-conscious and partially delirious, but seemed to comprehend—at least in part—what was happening to it.
The creature tried to divert some of the processed mana to self-heal,...
2021-09-09 21:25:25 +0000 UTC View PostThe wind whipped through their hair as Lucia drove the sky-gondola at its maximum safe speed. Alex hadn’t known that the boats could fly that fast, but was glad that they could since time was a factor tonight.
He looked at the mana vampire in the front end of the sky-gondola. The...
2021-09-08 22:52:08 +0000 UTC View PostTo say that the mana vampire had seen better days would be an understatement. It would likely be dead already if its battered body weren’t using its last dregs of stolen mana to cling to life.
One of its arms had been torn away, leaving nothing more than a stump from partway down its bice...
2021-09-07 21:50:28 +0000 UTC View PostKhalik gasped. “Theresa! Brutus! Get away-”
Boom!
Mana blasted toward the huntress and cerberus in a telekinetic wave.
Brutus yelped as it slammed into him, pushing the massive cerberus back along the cobblestones; his nails scraped the uneven surface. His ent...
2021-09-04 13:29:05 +0000 UTC View PostThe group quickly moved through the streets toward the sky-pier, the atmosphere growing more tense with every step.
The jingle of guards’ armour as they searched the city was punctuated by the sound of doors slamming all throughout the surrounding streets. Folks <...
2021-09-03 21:56:03 +0000 UTC View PostAlex was using every ounce of will to try and get himself to his feet; his breath was laboured and his body felt like it weighed a thousand tons. The mana drain was still hitting him.
His head swam, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of Thundar and the creature draining his precious mana.<...
2021-09-02 19:54:40 +0000 UTC View PostKhalik ran ahead, weaving through the crowd.
“Move aside! Move, I tell you!” he roared, drawing his short sword. As he shouted—in his panic—he switched back and forth between Tekish, his mother tongue, and the common tongue.
Thundar and Alex were right behind him, with t...
2021-09-01 23:10:56 +0000 UTC View PostThis was it, the day Alex and his fellow xyrthak hunters would be meeting up at the restaurant to celebrate. It was cloudy, but the air was its regular Generasi warm and he and Selina were having a brother and sister only picnic beforehand.
He watched his little sister for a long moment whi...
2021-08-31 23:07:52 +0000 UTC View PostAlex was having a pretty damn good day.
He was laying on his back beneath the almost always sunny Generasi sky with a bed of soft grass cushioning him. Above him, an experiment with spellcraft was bearing fruit.
He watched as his crimson glowing force shield turned and pivoted by will...
2021-08-28 21:11:15 +0000 UTC View PostAlex appeared in the stadium just before Baelin and the rest of the group shimmered back into being. An exhausted, but triumphant cry rose from all around.
Theresa raced up and caught him in a tight hug, actually lifting him off his feet and spinning with him. Khalik surged in next, turning...
2021-08-27 18:22:03 +0000 UTC View Post