The creature, and I wasn't sure what else to call it, rushed at Devon. Its form nearly blurred, its slick brown fur and greying leathery skin matching the forest floor. It leaped, launching itself like a bullet at the stoic hunter.
Except, Devon moved just as fast, if not faster. 2023-10-16 06:43:24 +0000 UTC View Post
I rolled and pushed myself up. The wolf let out a growl that rumbled in my ears, followed by whimpering as it yelped.
My eyes snapped to the slowly retreating wolf. Its coat stood up with its teeth bared. Across its snout, large red lines stained its fur.
Fat red droplets splashed aga...
2023-10-16 04:57:05 +0000 UTC View Post
The corpse could hardly be called a man. I don't know the guy's standards for a cadaver, but it wasn't what we saw. The torso had dime-sized holes of missing flesh while a large and very black hoof mark as large as my hand painted the skin on his upper ribs. The hand, lacking fingers, had its mea...
2023-10-16 03:21:47 +0000 UTC View PostWe introduced ourselves and then followed the man and his escort outside. From there, we slowly walked towards the center of town, passing through the dimly lit streets to enter the heart of the village. It didn't surprise me when the houses near the center were of a higher quality than the rest ...
2023-10-16 02:44:45 +0000 UTC View Post
Getting over my initial shock, I held out my hand and slapped the wall, except my hand went through it. A moment later, I was through the wall and met with Devon smirking as he leaned on a table. The place we were in had torches with red flames lighting the way. Something about the tunnel felt om...
2023-10-16 02:35:00 +0000 UTC View PostAm I expected not to injure myself? Who gives sharp weaponry to someone who admitted to only using wooden sticks?
I picked up the spear. The thing weighed lighter than I expected, but the wood felt too thick in my hands. My fingers rested uncomfortably around the leather w...
2023-10-15 22:14:32 +0000 UTC View Post
Devon entered the room, looking more refreshed than he had a few hours ago. He had brushed his hair, and his eyes had lost their previous lifelessness. When he stood, his movements flowed smoothly, a contrast to his stiff gait when he brought me to Astra.
He stopped and sniffed the air befo...
2023-10-15 22:10:56 +0000 UTC View Post
"Thank you!" Astra shouted.
I stopped clapping and looked at the chains adorning her dress in a new light.
That's beautiful and terrifying all in one. I wish I could control chains like that.
"How long did it take you to learn that? Your control is amazing," I gushed. 2023-10-15 20:20:31 +0000 UTC View Post
"So, I have more questions now."
"Mmm… ask away."
"The numbers next to my stats no longer have a plus sign, but I have a plus sign next to my name. Does that mean anything?"
She blinked. "Well, that's surprising, but I suppose not entirely, considering what happened. Let's see...
2023-10-15 19:08:25 +0000 UTC View Post
After my burst of excitement, I calmed down enough to think things through. Going from one end of the spectrum of emotions to the other felt wrong, but whatever.
"I received some skills during the initialization; something about summoning a wolf? And another listed under passive. Is that no...
2023-10-15 18:50:10 +0000 UTC View PostRun with the pack; must keep up. Can't fall behind. Must keep up.
Battle erupts, chaos ensues. Brother runs the opposite direction. No choice; must follow my path.
Day and night in a relentless cycle, chasing the sun, the moon, the guiding stars.
H...
2023-10-15 18:46:38 +0000 UTC View PostI don't know how long I rested, but it didn't feel enough. Devon made it clear that I couldn't avoid things.
My brain may have been fuzzy, but I felt my cloak offer me comfort, and I rubbed at its end.
What are you? Are you alive? Can you speak?
It didn't answer back, a...
2023-10-15 18:44:18 +0000 UTC View PostBy the end of the story, Adeline cried. Her tears dripped down her face, but she didn't acknowledge it, and neither did I.
From what I've learned about that man in the very short snippets Adeline added as commentary, he had been well-loved. The kind of guy everyone got along with and looked...
2023-10-15 18:41:14 +0000 UTC View Post
We didn't walk for long, maybe a dozen seconds, till we met the others. No sign of the little girl remained; a strange pile of black sludge took the place of her corpse.
If I looked close enough, I could see drag marks, but they quickly disappeared only a few feet away.
There were ten...
2023-10-15 18:38:25 +0000 UTC View PostI screamed until my throat turned raw, and I could no longer make a sound. Copper coated my tongue, and I barely registered my skull hitting the dirt.
My insides were magma, and my world was a living hell.
I tried to whimper, but nothing came out. When I tried to breathe, fire met my ...
2023-10-15 18:36:33 +0000 UTC View PostBefore I made it more than a dozen feet, a voice cut through the eerie silence, followed by another.
"Oh, naughty wolf! You killed my pet." The annoyed voice of a little girl bounced between the trees. "Granny Maybel, we need to punish him."
"We will, dearie. And when we're done, you ...
2023-10-15 18:34:34 +0000 UTC View Post
Sounds of screaming and fighting filled the air as the hunter led us deeper into the woods. I ran, scared out of my mind, and might have looked back and tried to watch the horror show like a fool. Thankfully, the man made me run at a dead sprint, so I didn't even have the option if I wanted.
<... 2023-10-15 18:31:44 +0000 UTC View Post
My brain pounded in my skull, each pulse wreaking havoc on my mind. Some idiot sang in the background, sounding like a dying cat clawing at a chalkboard.
"Make it stop…please,” I muttered.
My breath hitched as something on the right side of my chest stung. Sliding my hand forward,...
2023-10-15 18:27:41 +0000 UTC View PostI wasn't unconscious for long. My body hit the ground, and a rock impacted the small of my back. Groaning, I rolled over and let the grass take me.
There was the sound of a low hiss, but I snorted and ignored it to continue lying on the ground.
An awkward cough followed, and I sighed ...
2023-10-13 18:19:01 +0000 UTC View PostI sighed and exited my soulspace. The familiar ambient sound of a raging storm greeted my ears, and I stretched till a few bones popped.
After plopping back onto the beanbag, I raised my eyes to the sky, where lightning occasionally flared. A week of nonstop meditation was fantastic for pro...
2023-10-09 17:19:01 +0000 UTC View Post
(WARNING NOTE: PATREON has made changes, bad changes for writers. Italics and a lot of other things no longer show up on the web version of Patreon. They do show up in the app version. I use italics like most authors. If you want to enjoy the chapters, you'll have to make the switch if yo...
2023-10-06 18:19:01 +0000 UTC View Post"That's impossible. I'll disappear once I resume the rift," Ysanna argued.
Cal shook his head. "Normally true, but you're awakened. There are ways to prevent your reset."
I frowned. Arz'odral could only exit the rift by sacrificing countless riftborns and doing some complicated ritual...
2023-10-02 17:19:00 +0000 UTC View Post
A surge of cold water splashed my face, and I bolted to my feet, coughing up the cups worth that had gotten into my mouth.
I heard some laughter from a few feet away, followed by something large moving behind it. I coughed up some more water and got the last of it before I banged my fist on...
2023-09-29 18:19:01 +0000 UTC View Post
The spatial mana around the monster was strong enough to prick at my skin. Mana-sense wise, it was as if someone had stuffed something right up my nose, leaving little room for other scents to filter through.
"Everyone retreat!" Ventus yelled.
He sent six twister orbs into the monster...
2023-09-25 17:19:01 +0000 UTC View PostVentus activated his movement skill and rocketed forward, outrunning a particularly nasty-looking tentacle spike.
As he flew forward, he aimed his trident backwards and used another skill, this one in the form of three balls of grey wind that cut into the monster chasing him. They rotated a...
2023-09-22 18:19:01 +0000 UTC View PostA crack in space was met by Callen opening his mouth and firing off a large beam of water into the sky. Like everything involving dimensional spaces, the beam twisted, curved, and turned before reaching a stop in the distance that caused the air to vibrate. More cracks sounded out, and the world ...
2023-09-18 17:19:00 +0000 UTC View PostI scrambled to my feet and summoned Zharia, Áine, and Magnus. They appeared at once, and I stepped closer to Sereza. Together, we watched as the ceiling above began to twist and turn, the reality distortion growing with every passing second.
The pressure from the ether crystal began to lig...
2023-09-15 18:19:01 +0000 UTC View PostPresko, as it turned out, was an earth skill user, specifically on stone. Sereza joined us while the others stayed. Exiting the barrier from Giyanni was tough on everyone else, but thankfully, Presko quickly tore open a circular hole into the building's wall.
We exited into a clear area not...
2023-09-11 17:19:01 +0000 UTC View PostHe stared at me in the same way Ventus had, and if Ventus wasn't currently struggling to raise his head, I was sure he'd do the same.
I raised my head again, this time noticing how I was struggling less than Sereza despite her being a whole tier above me. "Fine, as long as it doesn't cost m...
2023-09-08 18:04:53 +0000 UTC View PostI thought Ventus would want to make a detour and try to unfreeze one of his mates, but he said no, and we continued onward towards the Grand Hall.
"Are you sure?" I asked as we jogged through the city.
"I am. We have little time to waste, and saving our strength for what we may find i...
2023-09-04 17:19:01 +0000 UTC View Post