The contractor in charge of the project arrived not long after the workers. He showed Nox and Lillin around the building, updating them on changes from the original plan and sections that needed more work.
The top floor had three bedrooms, two baths, an ample storage room, a study, a lounge, and a kitchen with an attached dining space. Despite the sizeable budget, they kept the furnishing...
2023-11-27 10:28:38 +0000 UTC View Post“The gods and their cults are responsible for more wars than the Imperium. They kill people and ruin habitable zones, causing the mass migrant crisis. Whenever a dungeon moves or expands its borders, settlements are destroyed, and communities are displaced. Kingdoms and city-states have gone to war over who will take the unwanted. Many have used refugees to destabilize rival nations befor...
2023-11-27 10:27:40 +0000 UTC View PostA storm welcomed the Wedge when it approached Woodson University. The powerful winds interfered with the wind bubble spell, protecting the vessel and forcing it to lose altitude and fly closer to the ground.
Ygg, daughter of Yggdrasil, the focal point of the continent’s leylines and wellspring of magic, stood over the giant circular city. It protected the buildings from the torrential d...
2023-09-30 10:59:55 +0000 UTC View Post“Whose there?” Joey asked, eyes darting from wall to wall. He backpedaled into a shelf carrying daggers, bucklers, and other enchanted weapons. Despite the unintended push, the wooden case felt like a brick wall and didn’t budge.
“Would you like a hand?” The voice repeated.
Joey hesitantly looked at the immobile guards, hoping to use the frozen time to slip around them. An...
2023-09-25 05:23:54 +0000 UTC View Post[Two-chapter interlude while Nox travels back to university]
"Please," Aria whined, poking Joey's calf with a sharp toenail. "Teach me a cantrip."
"What did I say about talking?" Joey kept his volume low and eyes focused on the Smythe mansion.
"You won't pay me if I talk."
"And?"
"You'll find someone else for future jobs and will find a new apprent...
2023-09-22 14:49:53 +0000 UTC View PostThe Wedge's crew wasn't pleased. Despite Annabelle leaving the vessel to the party for two more weeks, the Oakhearts had apparently implied they wanted it back as soon as possible. The voyage to the City of Ygg alone would take seven days—not accounting for unfavorable weather conditions or hostile forces. As a result, the captain and first mate wished to set sail after breakfast. However, mo...
2023-09-21 05:45:02 +0000 UTC View PostColorful dreams filled Nox’s night. Lights and colors danced. Disembodied voices spoke in languages Nox didn’t recognize. He walked through fields and thickets and waded across rivers. Motes of buzzing lights appeared out of the pink mist and circled Nox. Their flickering reminded Nox of fireflies, but he saw glimpses of human legs and hair through the glow.
When he reached for them, ...
2023-09-20 09:51:11 +0000 UTC View Post“What applications do you foresee?” Easton asked as the pair sipped on Spirit Caller’s Tea. One of his attendants had brought them another bottle of the concoction. It wasn’t as potent as Nox’s creations but tasted significantly better.
“It's too early to tell,” Nox answered, shrugging. His muscles loosened as he sipped on the dark beverage from the barony’s stores. “Onc...
2023-09-19 12:59:12 +0000 UTC View Post“You doing okay?” Michelle asked, placing a hand on Nox’s shoulder.
The party and Kris had returned to the Wedge to change for the evening. They found Nox sitting on the vessel’s bow, snacking on dry rye crackers. The crew used them as rations during long voyages. Milk or tea for dipping made them more palatable and easier to break, but Nox had neither. He didn’t know whether it...
2023-09-16 11:23:12 +0000 UTC View PostThe feast’s revelries were already in full swing. Music and colors fluttered within the castle town. The world wasn’t as noisy outside, but Nox still witnessed several patches of singing and dancing. Women in low-cut dresses had spilled into the camps along the walls. It housed soldiers from villages and towns overwhelmed by the myconid threat. Shelters on the baron’s estate had temporari...
2023-09-14 06:02:06 +0000 UTC View PostNox woke to the beautiful sight of Annabelle straddling him the following morning. Her hips rocked gently as she smiled at him.
“What brought this on?” He asked.
“You appeared too tired to enjoy last night properly,” she replied. “Since we don’t have any immediate commitments, I thought we could indulge before starting our day.”
“Oh? Do we have a few hours befo...
2023-09-13 12:48:41 +0000 UTC View PostNox Ratra
Journeyman
Crystalize Essence | Essence Shaping | Animation
89/97 | 33/31 | 9/9
Lillin's feast had come with significant benefits. Nox struggled to comprehend how his maximum mana had tripled in just less than six months. He was almost at three digits. Most aether practitioners never lived to see the milestone or gave up long before reaching it. Best of...
2023-09-12 20:59:31 +0000 UTC View PostBaron Edelweiss had several Earth Shapers in his employ. None had stars stronger than apprentice rank and mainly used their magic to clear land for fields, dig trenches, or speed up the construction of dams. They had minimal combat experience but still lived relatively comfortable lives. Their pay didn’t make them rich enough to live in the same luxury as minor nobles or affluent merchants, b...
2023-09-12 17:23:11 +0000 UTC View PostNox woke after Annabelle the following morning. If it weren’t for Lillin poking him in the side, he would’ve probably slept for even longer. She had a cup of hot tea for him. The steam rising from the container carried the local citrus’ aroma. Baron Edelweiss supplied their camp and, specifically, the Wedge’s crew with the best supplies from his orchards. Kris advised the man to ration ...
2023-08-22 17:14:20 +0000 UTC View PostThe battle lasted until sunset. The myconids, as Kris named the gorilla-like fungus beasts, retreated as the sun dipped over the horizon. Since the creatures attacked from afar, staying behind hills, Nox struggled to snipe them with Ratra’s Bow. He missed more often than he hit, and his abilities felt wasted on the hordes of smaller creatures attacking the first line. He continued assisting t...
2023-08-20 06:49:54 +0000 UTC View Post“The best physicians need not have healing magic. An intimate knowledge of human anatomy, treating wounds, diseases, and other ailments are necessary. It is necessary for all healers to train as surgeons and apothecaries first. After all, misused alchemical brews and regenerative spells can do more damage than good. Hasty spellcasting with insufficient knowledge can cause tumorous growths...
2023-08-15 06:30:27 +0000 UTC View PostThe Wedge had two cabins, crew quarters, and a large cargo hold spread across two of the three lower decks. The vessel rarely carried anything heavy besides the passengers’ luggage, furniture, and the occasional large package from the Oakheart Estate. It had three guns, one on each side and another at the bow, but they rarely saw use. Altogether, the Wedge carried little weight and rarely had...
2023-08-13 04:59:01 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor's Note: The chapter is still the same until the previous breakpoint. We came to ana agreement and reached a middle ground. Nox still rejects his mother's affection but isn't as brash. Like most neglected and abused children, he still wants a relationship with his mother but it's still too soon and he wants to see more action on her part. Mostly toward the Gedges.
T...
2023-08-12 20:18:17 +0000 UTC View PostWhile most indulged in the end-of-semester revelries, Nox set up Noxian Brews for the next semester, did all the admin work for the next semester, and prepared the party to expedition with Kris.
The contraceptive was ready. Lillin exhibited no side effects. Pudge and Michelle looked her over and foresaw no long-term side effects. Both of them had excellent standings in the research depart...
2023-08-11 05:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe aftermath was anything but swift. All captured cultists begged for forgiveness, mercy, and leniency. Sobs and panic followed once the paralytic’s effects faded. Only the sleeping cultists gave them any peace.
“Please, let me go,” Sara begged. “My mother will kill me!”
“Do you have any idea who I am?” Edward growled.
“My father will hear about this!”
“How did you find us?” Nox asked after Kris deactivated the wards on the cell door.
Kris took Nox’s hand and delicately stroked his palm. A mote of silver light floated out of his skin and disappeared into hers. “I guessed the abductors found some way to deactivate city and university wards or circumvent them. So, I placed a tracker on you. It activated when you first struggled ag...
2023-08-09 05:02:49 +0000 UTC View PostNox’s heart dropped as they walked through campus. The frequency and number of patrols had fallen in the weeks following the attack on Nox and Annabelle. More than a month had passed since the disappearance, and it was on the outer edge of the market ring. However, Kris claimed the wards within the campus were strengthened. They detected combat magic and powerful controlling spells.
Whi...
2023-08-08 08:31:58 +0000 UTC View PostNox brewed another Tincture of Sigil Awakening.
The regular brewing and Shaping caused his Sigil of Artisan to tingle regularly. The sensation had grown in intensity off-late. The tattoo would hum a couple of times a day. At first, Nox thought it was the last of the temporary mana channels fading, but the sensation continued even after the last of the aether ink had disappeared.
Bre...
2023-08-07 08:26:57 +0000 UTC View PostAnnabelle and Nox’s relationship improved significantly after the dinner, and he struggled to figure out the cause. He expected her to hold on to her resentment and end their tryst. Annabelle had decided to move past the issue, and he couldn’t tell why. Much to his annoyance, it became a topic of discussion in the apartment.
“I bet it's because her father disapproves of the relation...
2023-08-04 21:21:13 +0000 UTC View PostBeginner Dungeon Theory finally broached a topic that intrigued Nox.
“Liches and their dungeons are perhaps the most curious existence in our world,” the professor said. “They existed long before the first godfall, and many theorize the fallen gods modeled their domains around the lichs’ demesne. Before we begin, can anyone summarise what a lich is within a couple of sentences?”...
2023-08-04 17:04:41 +0000 UTC View PostIt was a week of good news.
“You four are done for the semester,” Professor Wolfhammer told the party before class began the following morning. “You’re welcome to attend class for the sake of training, but you’ve completed Intermediate Dungeon Combat.”
“Really?” Annabelle perked up. She played happy couple whenever in the presence of people outside of the party. She ...
2023-08-04 10:31:40 +0000 UTC View PostWilson bid Annabelle goodbye and parted ways not long after the vessel reached Woodson University. He accompanied them from the docks until the main street, which ran from the central building to the gate to the market ring. Then the Oakheart soldier hailed a carriage and disappeared.
“He’s off to report to Father.”
No one needed an explanation of Wilson’s intentions. Lord O...
2023-08-03 18:54:03 +0000 UTC View Post“What happened?” Annabelle demanded when the party reassembled outside of the rift. She appeared disheveled and manhandled. “You were supposed to find the Rift Lord and then return to us.”
“It was the explosion.” Nox felt terrible about lying. He almost always disliked the aftermath of following through with one of Annabelle’s insane plans. It always required deceiving the p...
2023-08-03 08:35:17 +0000 UTC View PostUnlike Annabelle’s detection magic, Otis’ abilities had no trouble asura concealing themselves with Shadow Essence. The asura using them were half the size of the normal grunts, making them perfect for hiding in the crumbling city’s nooks and crannies. An ordinary arrow proved sufficient for slaying them.
Whenever Otis detected one, the pair froze and spent several minutes looking f...
2023-08-02 21:26:09 +0000 UTC View PostA soft kiss stirred Nox the following morning. Annabelle lay next to him, stroking his hair. She climbed atop before he could say anything, and before he knew it, they were locked in a tight embrace. Her clumsy hands gave away her inexperience as they peeled off clothes and explored each other’s bodies. Their amorous activities were short.
The pair had to keep silent and avoid jostling ...
2023-08-02 18:25:35 +0000 UTC View Post