Once everybody was back at the Rook, they said goodbye to Elian and his carriage and barred the door. The newshogs had been camping out front when they arrived. You could always tell when another group of Magi arrived by the sudden swell of noise outside.
“I need a drink,” Hal said, covered head-to-toe in welts. He raised two fingers. “Two contracts down though. Just one more...
2025-03-29 11:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post“That sounds complex,” Heath said, leaning forward with rapt attention while Thomas and Charlie went over the finer points of mana conversion. “Does that mean you can just brute force your way with enough Deeds?”
“Not quite,” Elian said. “You must meet certain criteria, but eventually nearly everybody does. Either that or they die.”
“Bleak.”
“It’...
2025-03-28 11:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostThey spent the rest of the day browsing four different shops, always looking for the most interesting imprints on the lowest rarity item. It was illuminating how diverse the imprints could be. Sometimes they were fairly bad, like increased blunt damage on a frypan.
Sure, it could probably be used as a weapon, but why not just use an actual weapon for that?
Mel was more than a...
2025-03-27 10:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post“…Heath?” Gwen asked beneath the din of applause. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Heath’s boneless body flopped around in Gwen’s arms.
After feeling left out for the entire Gauntlet, he used his most defensive aspect skills and then Gwen wielded him like a battering ram.
The obstacle course never stood a chance.
Unfortunately, Heath wasn’t doin...
2025-03-26 10:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostContract Complete: Tooling Around
A clutch of sageworms have taken residence in the basement of Virgil’s shop where he keeps his most precious restoration tools. Oust the creatures preventing him from continuing his work.
Objective: Remove the sageworms from the basement (7/7).
Reward: Mercenary Order...
2025-03-25 10:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post“There is the small matter of price,” Virgil said, straightening his glasses.
“Right, well, how much?” Mel asked. She was willing to drop a lot of rune coins on this, but it was important not to make that too obvious. She wanted a good deal.
Increasing her [Armament Scrap Ritual] would go a very, very long way. It was part of why she had been able to fight plateau bea...
2025-03-24 10:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostMel’s team visited several shops throughout the Seabrim Crater. With some of the permit’s price lightened by their new healer, they had more rune coins to spend on supplies.
Instant scrolls for survival items were on the cheaper side compared to ritual scrolls, training manuals, and equipment. Nobody was keen on buying advancement materials, since that could just be bought with...
2025-03-23 10:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostA lanky elf with gaunt cheeks and whitish blonde hair in yellow mage robes accosted Gwen. “Hello there, First Champion. I would love for you to be my Noble House’s Defender. I can offer you–”
She looks like a starving supermodel, Mel thought. The kind that eats one basil leaf for lunch and for a treat walks by a cupcake shop to smell them.
Mel n...
2025-03-22 10:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe permit office was less an office and more a sprawling complex. It reminded Mel vaguely of Capitol Hill in DC with its large Grecian-inspired dome and pillars standing tall and proud as its centerpiece.
Arms swept around a stone courtyard dotted with trees, benches, and, of course, street vendors selling everything you could imagine. And quite a few things even Mel couldn’t un...
2025-03-21 10:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostIn short order, Mel had Elian chartering another carriage and whisking them out of the Starling Tower. The Magi had gotten used to the publicity by then.
The walk from the Rook to the tower had been filled with shouted questions and flashes of whatever camera-like things they had here. It was annoying, but easily tuned out.
Besides, traveling in such a large group made it dif...
2025-03-20 10:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostElian’s shirt clung to his back as he stood before the magistrate. The High Clerk didn’t dare to sit unless offered, and the magistrate had been very clear not to.
“Do you have any idea the amount of disruption that group has caused?” the magistrate demanded. He swayed his long blonde hair, tucking a few golden locks behind a pointed ear. “The headaches? You...
2025-03-19 10:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostSome of you may have noticed the recent change over on RR with Witchblade. This will be nothing new for anybody who has already seen the post.
For those that haven't, however, this is for you.
Sohmer and I have gone back and forth over this for a while as we've progressed through both books of Witchblade, and we've come to the ultimate conclusion that we'll need to do a rewrite on t...
2025-03-18 15:02:50 +0000 UTC View PostAlmace stood up, staying at his table. He looked ready to break down, but managed to keep it together. “I can only rest if our leader gets onto a good team.”
“A Second Champion healer like me? I’ll be fine.” Charlie said, rising to go over to the Pyreplace. “Any team made out of Magi, Archivists, and exchange students will be incredible.”
Most of the Magi were k...
2025-03-18 10:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostPrimordial runic power has cascaded down through the Shardrune multiverse, forging new pathways to Convocation Trials.
Convocation Trials are now available for selection.
You are eligible for Vagrant (G-League) [1st Echelon] Authority Trials and below.
You have 1 standard day (24 hours) remaining to make your selection...
2025-03-17 10:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostMel knew it was time to finally pick a room when Shrubley and Komachi started playing out a soap opera drama at the bar.
It was cute and hilarious, but also incredibly distracting.
“Gasp!” Komachi cried melodramatically. “Shrubley, your evil twin is here!”
Shrubley spun around with a black top hat, a poorly taped mustache, and a monocle over one yellow lamplight...
2025-03-16 10:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostMel eagerly went over her loot earned from the battles. She pushed a few tables together and started dumping out her inventory. No Magi would openly steal from another, and the front doors were locked, so she felt as safe as could be without going to a private room.
She meant to take full advantage of an empty tavern for the time being. If they ended up opening the tavern to the pu...
2025-03-15 10:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostOnly once all Magi–and their honored guests–had gifted the Pyre their aspects did they place the [Son of Cluckley Egg] into the flames.
Mel wanted to wince, half-expecting disaster. This was entirely new to her. She knew next to nothing about the Pyre, but she understood the ways of the Magi.
They wouldn’t have done this without good reason.
Just as Mel was wonder...
2025-03-14 10:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostOnce inside the Rook, the sound of the crowd outside dimmed considerably. Mel felt a faint tingle run across her skin like a static charge. It reminded her of a privacy spell going off.
“He’s responsible?” Gwen asked, anger and aggression bleeding into her voice, threatening to be unleashed.
“Don’t,” Miranda warned her. The vampyr stared down Gwen, and some unspok...
2025-03-13 10:00:01 +0000 UTC View Post“You think you’re better than us because you’re Iron?!” Gwen roared, crashing into an armored orc.
A bolt of lightning struck the orc’s side, scorching and buckling his heavy plate. Right on the bolt’s heels, an arrow surrounded by swirling water punched a hole into the thick plating.
Aspect Skill: [Thunderbolt]
Aspect Skill: [Drills...
2025-03-12 10:00:01 +0000 UTC View Post“At least you’ve got honor,” Mel said to the punch-drunk Battlerager. He swayed on his feet. If Mel didn’t kill him, his wounds would. The end wouldn’t be pretty.
For all that she hated him, he deserved a warrior’s death.
Mel looked him over, shaking her head. “So much potential, wasted.”
A Magi in his shoes would have been nigh impossible to fight. He t...
2025-03-11 10:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostDernerd flailed his thick arms, digging himself out of a yet another collapsed tunnel. He spat out a mouthful of dirt, rocks, and some stringy roots.
His once fine suit was ruined by his wandering through the earthen tunnels that [Gravestone Upheaval: Reversal] created. His eyes darted around wildly, reminding Mel of a cornered animal.
Something shifted in the earth. Likely o...
2025-03-10 10:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostTeddy was riding high as he closed up the shop for the night. Those two fabulous little kittens had been practically throwing themselves at him. He had to remind them that he was the man and that he alone chose what would happen.
Didn’t they know he was a high value alpha male? He needed to make sure they were suitably high value themselves. Making them wait would o...
2025-03-09 10:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostMel looked at Charlie’s branch. “Or, and hear me out, you’re out for the count. You could give me your branch and I’ll use mine. Two powers for Mel!”
Charlie gave her a Look.
“Okay, I can see you’re not thrilled with the prospect.”
“I have to ask. Do you think I’m just a glorified, walking health potion? And that my aspect skills do not...
2025-03-08 11:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostThe Iron rank orc in a black and white suit stepped out of the wreckage. He straightened his tie and brushed off his sleeves that bulged with muscle.
It didn’t matter that little of the debris touched him.
You’ve really stepped in it now, Mel, she thought to herself. Oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound.
His yellow eyes widened in recogniti...
2025-03-07 11:00:34 +0000 UTC View PostBefore Wrug left, he showed them where the alley entrance to their shop was. As much as Mel wanted to go inside and see everything for herself, she couldn’t sit idly by while Teddy profited from the suffering of the mondoceroses.
They even thought he was a good person for helping them! He was creating the very problems they were praising him for solving.
D...
2025-03-06 11:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostThe shopkeeper didn’t bother to look up from his dog-eared novel. He licked his fingers–which Mel noticed were immaculately clean, not a speck of dirt under his nails–and turned a page.
Mel didn’t miss the shift in Charlie’s demeanor.
She could see the same things Mel did.
This guy was too clean. Too nicely dressed. He didn’t belong. Worse, he didn...
2025-03-05 11:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostMel kept watch on the terrace after dragging the bodies into the alley and out of sight. The locals had returned after the danger had passed. Not a single guard was poking around.
Yeah, I’m going to like it here, Mel thought to herself. She glanced back deeper into the gloom of the alley.
Class Skill: [Necromancy]
Charlie brushed off her...
2025-03-04 11:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post
Been so busy lately that I've completely forgotten to post this!
Here's the preorder link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DYK7MS5S
Now since Amazon is very strict about content in Kindle Unlimited (where >70% of our readers come from) being elsewhere on the internet, I'm going to have to pull down Voidknig...
2025-03-04 00:54:35 +0000 UTC View Post“Can breathe right again?” Zuvak asked, his eyes very wide, a thick hand pressed to his chest.
“Yes, you’ll be able to go more than two steps without being winded now,” Charlie told him gently. “Your lungs were…blackened with [Squall Rot].”
While healing one of these people came across as altruistic, Mel understood it wasn’t that simple. Gwen had offered hea...
2025-03-03 11:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostA map of the Seabrim Crater was put down.
Charlie leaned on the table, a curtain of purple-cast black hair falling down her shoulder, circling points of interest. She wrote details along the side in an elegant script, ranking the spots in terms of convenience, profitability, and advantage.
Various Magi put forth their opinions and further information. A few went out to scout ...
2025-03-02 11:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post