It took everything Otter had not to gather all his friends and tell them what had happened. Instead, he took his time, telling each one the story as he saw them.
Erin was thrilled he’d gotten Blackwood’s permission and was eager to be involved now. Levi’s enthusiasm was a bit more watered down, though he was still excited about the prospect of new discoveries. Jasper seemed the most...
2025-03-30 14:05:44 +0000 UTC View PostSilas Blackwood leaned back in his leather chair, pressing steepled fingers against his lips. He took a breath, as if he were about to say something, but merely hummed.
He’d been like this for minutes. The tension was about to drive Otter crazy. He wanted—no needed—him to say something.
Otter had spent ten minutes telling the Overseer everything he’d learned about Emrys Gale...
2025-03-26 00:44:44 +0000 UTC View PostThe Fountain Courtyard was quiet at dusk. A thin mist curled above the water’s surface, catching the last traces of daylight in a pale shimmer. The air smelled faintly of damp stone and early spring, though the lingering chill of winter still clung to the air. Otter pulled his cloak tighter as he approached the courtyard’s centerpiece—a grand, tiered fountain shaped like an open book, wat...
2025-03-23 20:23:38 +0000 UTC View PostThe Academy's mail room stood in one corner of the Hall of Assignments, tucked beneath a wide marble staircase. It was a narrow room, lined with shelves that strained under the weight of parchment bundles, twine-bound packages, and delicate paper constructs in various stages of flight.
Otter stepped inside, scanning the space. Student clerks in brass-trimmed uniforms manned the counters, ...
2025-03-22 12:08:10 +0000 UTC View PostOtter slumped back in his seat. He was finally finished reading through Emrys Gale’s personal journal. It had been a slog, to say the least. It had taken him over a week. He had missed a meeting of the Guild of Subtle Handiwork over Levi’s protests, but he had hoped it would be worth it.
The journal had taught him a lot. He now knew who Gale was—a brilliant man, deeply thoughtful, a...
2025-03-19 00:08:09 +0000 UTC View PostBzzzz.
New Objective: Discover Emrys Gale’s secret.
Otter barely registered the notifications. The ancient journal captivated him.
The vellum pages were stiff with age, the ink faded but still legible beneath the dim glow of the reading lamp. He traced his gloved fingers along the stitched spine, careful not to damage the fragile artifact as...
2025-03-16 23:11:38 +0000 UTC View PostOtter burst through the rear door of the library, his breath coming fast as he glanced over his shoulder, scanning the dimly lit alley for any sign of pursuit. The moment he turned back around—too late—he collided full-force with Piper.
The impact sent them both sprawling, and they hit the floor in a tangle of elbows and knees. A sharp oof escaped Otter as he landed on t...
2025-03-13 00:57:53 +0000 UTC View PostErin’s “date” idea seemed a bit complicated to Otter. Granted, liberty requests were outright denied unless they came from a student’s parent, which made going out on the town impossible. But Otter thought they might spend the evening at the Rec Hall or something. He was wrong.
She led him through a winding path behind the lecture halls, fingers curled around his wrist as she guid...
2025-03-10 22:33:41 +0000 UTC View PostOtter knew something was up when Levi slid into the chair across from him at breakfast. He wore a grin like he’d just won a trunk full of Summas in a game of Red Knave.
“You free tonight?” Levi asked, eyebrows waggling.
“Um… for what?” Otter said around a mouthful of eggs.
Levi leaned in. “I want to introduce you to some people. It’s a club. Invitation only. I ...
2025-03-09 13:31:57 +0000 UTC View PostLater that evening, Otter was back in the Library. Archivist Dane approached him, her typically shrewd demeanor back in place.
“Mr. Bennett, I have a special job for you. Follow me.”
Wondering what the task could be, Otter did with trepidation. Usually, Dane ignored the student helpers, letting their immediate supervisors give them directions and assignments as needed. He wonder...
2025-03-05 17:40:16 +0000 UTC View PostHe knew that face. He was certain. But the identity of the person it belonged to eluded him. Try as he might, he could not make the connection. This wasn’t like the face of some random person he’d seen a few times wandering around campus or that was in one of his classes, though. This was a person he knew. But something was wrong with his brain. It felt more like trying to grab ont...
2025-03-04 18:45:54 +0000 UTC View PostAside from the increased security, reduced mobility and freedoms, and general air of fear regarding another Koasborn attack, Otter felt like second semester was going pretty well. Five weeks in, and his courses were going well. Since picking up that proficiency, Combat Basics had become much easier. Alchemy was right up his alley. It was difficult and required time to perfect each recipe, but i...
2025-03-02 14:21:57 +0000 UTC View PostBzzz.
New Proficiency Acquired
A proficiency? That was definitely new.
Otter wiped the sweat from his face with a towel he’d placed on a rack in the practice room at Ironside Keep, then checked his wrisplay.
New Proficiency Acquired
Weapon Proficiency- Rapier
No penalty applied to ...
2025-03-01 13:44:49 +0000 UTC View PostThe training hall inside Ironside Keep was warmer than the frigid morning air outside, but only barely. The massive stone structure had been built for durability, not comfort. They were in a large hall, its vaulted ceiling lined with thick wooden beams, and its walls adorned with banners displaying various crests or coats of arms. Otter didn’t know what they meant.
He stood among the fi...
2025-02-28 19:28:29 +0000 UTC View PostOtter sat at a table in the library, staring at the door marked “Restricted.” Piper sat next to him, gloved hands attempting to repair the spine of a rather abused text.
He’d been back at the Academy for two days, but classes hadn’t started yet. He absently scratched at the bracelet on his left wrist. It was a modified marker like the one they’d received during the simulation. ...
2025-02-23 13:45:34 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 19
The man strode forward with the slow, deliberate steps of a predator who knew his prey had nowhere to run. His cloak, dark and weatherworn, parted just enough to reveal the worn leather harness strapped across his chest, where an array of daggers, vials, and strange metal implements were secured in tight loops. He moved like someone accustomed to violence, his ...
2025-02-20 13:19:59 +0000 UTC View PostOtter hated saying goodbye.
His mother, of course, had always been practical about it. People come and go, Otter. The important ones find their way back.
He wasn’t sure what that said about his father, who hadn’t found his way back. Was he unimportant? What about those who died in the simulation? They would never find their way back home. No, Otter decided. His mother w...
2025-02-20 13:04:31 +0000 UTC View PostThe Binding was supposed to be a holy observance of when the gods came together to bind Kaos and prevent him access to the world. There were some who still treated it like that. The priests and Divine Conduits of the world still gathered together in prayer, the one day of the year when members of different faiths intermingled peacefully. But for most, Binding Day was a time for gathering with f...
2025-02-19 14:45:11 +0000 UTC View PostEthel had more than just his mother’s linens. She had a whole stack that needed to be delivered to various folk nearby.
“Otter, be a dear and take these for me,” the old woman said, plopping a bundle of neatly folded cloth into his arms. “There’s two dregs in it for you.”
Otter raised an eyebrow. Two dregs wasn’t much—not with nine alms already in his pocket. But Et...
2025-02-19 01:03:14 +0000 UTC View PostBran was a city watchman. That meant one of two things. Either he had finally matured and become an upstanding citizen dedicated to the protection of the common folk, or he had finally found a position of authority from which to bully people.
He leaned against a wooden post, arms crossed, his expression bored but sharp. Otter almost slunk away before Bran spotted him. But then he remember...
2025-02-16 15:49:04 +0000 UTC View PostThe only thing Otter had ever kept from his mother was the letter from his father he’d found in the house's siding. He didn’t like keeping secrets from her, but now he had so many secrets. Should he tell her?
He sighed. If he couldn’t trust his mother, who could he trust? “Varek Holloway is a bounty hunter. I met him the night of my birthday. My friends and I went to Aurelia prope...
2025-02-15 17:03:12 +0000 UTC View PostThis is the first 33 chapters, the full draft at the time of posting. I will post each subsequent chapter as a separate post as I finish.
2025-02-13 12:17:26 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 16
Otter’s eyes fluttered open. A kind face hovered over him. “You’ll be good as new in a few minutes. Give the magic time to work.”
Otter lay there, unsure of what happened. As his senses returned, he realized combat practice was still going on around him.
The dull ache in Otter's chest gradually faded as the healing magic did its work. His he...
2025-02-13 12:13:28 +0000 UTC View Post