The Witch folded her hands in her lap and leaned back in her rocking chair, setting it to rocking back and forth again. The cool blue flames of the icy fireplace kept the sticky heat of the swamp at bay.
“I imagine, seeing as yon shrub over there is Copper, you understand at least the first major rank of power? Good. You see, after Copper is Bronze, then Iron, followed by S...
2023-12-24 17:00:40 +0000 UTC View PostSmudge looked at the plate of quivering gelatin dessert served up to him from Sose. The resemblance to the slime was uncanny.
He stared at it, then at the oppa. “Am I a joke to you?”
The oppa coughed nervously behind a paw. “Hey, ya like it or not?”
Smudge stared at it, then slurped up a little. After a notable pause, he finally decided with an emphatic, ...
2023-12-24 17:00:31 +0000 UTC View Post“Do you suppose there’s a Guidance Stone in this mirror realm?” Cal asked. “Or if… we could trust such a thing?”
The skeleton looked over at his friend, thinking.
If Shrubley could unlock his Class sooner than later and all the mysterious powers it would invoke, as well as acquiring a Prime essence in the process, then their chances of breaking free would be...
2023-12-24 17:00:22 +0000 UTC View PostDespite the startling words, Shrubley felt no reason to put up his guard. He didn’t feel relaxed, exactly, but he felt like he had misunderstood her somehow.
The Witch was looking around, judging all of their reactions, weighing them to within an inch of their worth.
“W-what?” Slyrox asked tremulously, crestfallen.
“Pyuu!” Smudge said, steam tra...
2023-12-24 17:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostNow the figure rose from the chair.
She was bent like an old lady and used two walking sticks to move around. “If yer going to call on me, might as well offer ye all some refreshments. Go on, git.”
Slyrox scrambled to get between the Countess and this stranger, putting her weighted mitts up in a solid guard.
“I ain’t gonna hurt the wee lass,” she said wi...
2023-12-24 16:59:57 +0000 UTC View Post“Pyuu!” the slime wailed in fear.
“What’s the matter, Smudge?” Shrubley asked, gently patting the slime.
“What’s up with Smudge?” Cal asked.
“Something is frightening him.”
Cal peered up at the slime. “Don’t worry, little guy, we’ll protect you.”
Shrubley took out his sword and shield. They were dramatically improved compare...
2023-12-24 16:59:45 +0000 UTC View Post“How is that possible?” Cal asked. “We’ve been walking all day and you keep checking the road, don’t you?”
“That’s why I think we’re in a trap,” Shrubley said. “I’ve seen that same camp twice now, and I’ve been marking trees as we’ve passed them.” He pointed to one tree, but it was completely unmarked. “I’ve marked that tree four tim...
2023-12-24 16:59:33 +0000 UTC View PostCal looked over at him. “How? Do you have another essence just rattling around in your inventory or something?”
Shrubley looked a little bashful. “Not as such… no.”
“Then what?”
He took out the [Essence Vessel]. Runes and sigils glowed softly on the outside. “Remember that [Recycle] essence ability that made the [Curiosity Gem] remake itse...
2023-12-24 16:59:05 +0000 UTC View PostShrubley was a good student, even if he had progressed slower than all the rest of his group. Despite the recent changes, he was still a few levels behind the next weakest person, Smudge.
His Copper Rank easily made up for the difference, but that would only hold for as long as it took the others to gain the additional essences necessary.
And nobody knew how long that w...
2023-12-24 16:52:24 +0000 UTC View PostWhile Shrubley and his friends rested beneath the partial shelter of a set of reddish boulders, Sose awoke and squeezed out what Fantasy mana he could to form an illusionary barrier around them.
The effect wasn’t entirely complete, but it provided enough cover for their chances of detection drop to near zero. As long as nobody stuck around to inspect it.
With that, th...
2023-12-08 14:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostEver since his transformation into a clearly higher state of being, Darren’s life had taken a “turn” as his mother would say.
“You’re being a bitch right now,” the imp whispered into his ear like a buzzing gnat. “Just thought you should know.”
Darren swiped at the creature, but it always seemed to know just where to go to dodge it. Like a damn fly. 2023-12-08 13:00:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Reunited once more, Shrubley tended to the wounds of his friends. He made good use of his [Recovery] essence ability, fixing Slyrox, Smudge, and himself up.
He was afraid to use it on either the Countess or Cal, considering their undead nature. He had reached out to ready the essence ability, feeling an instinctive urge to help them, but stopped himself in time.
He doub...
2023-12-07 14:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostThe big Hawaiian looked at Sam, then the tray, then back at Sam chewing. “Did you take my food?”
“Defrivery fax,” Sam said around a mouthful of sushi. He thrust it out in front of himself before he took anymore. Perhaps he wasn’t as sated as he thought.
“Sushi?” Kai looked surprised. “How did you know I loved sushi?”
Sam shrugged. “Jus...
2023-12-07 13:00:01 +0000 UTC View Post“They’re late.”
Remal, flushed with drink, leaned over to pat the grumpy archer on the shoulder. “It’s pouring out. They’re probably holed up somewhere.” He sobered up after a moment’s thought. “You don’t think they’re–”
“No!” Henry smacked his palm flat on the table. “And need I remind you, Fio’s my sister. I know she’s a gr...
2023-12-06 14:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post“Whatever my Profession will be,” Raiko began. “It should be magic oriented. It’s good to have specializations in general, but it goes a bit deeper for me. I haven’t inherited everything from Dream, but that Kindred’s powers revolve around magic.”
Sam folded his hands and listened to her, but kept his thoughts to himself. He hadn’t heard her talk much about he...
2023-12-06 13:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostCal sent the snakes carrying the Countess and her oppa one way, while he darted another. Slyrox, in true koblin fashion, bolted straight for the massive snake rearing up.
“Pssh-koh!” Launching into the air, Slyrox raised her fist to the sky and uppercut the snake square in the chin.
The serpentii’s head snapped back under the sheer force of Slyrox’s punch, carry...
2023-12-05 14:00:17 +0000 UTC View PostWith the last of his MP, Sam cut down the rest of the trees and Chompers hauled them into the gap in the wall.
Sam paused just on the other side of the wall and admired the work they had done in just two days. Two days!
Bathed in golden light, Sam marveled at the design.
The palisade wall was tightly bound together so there were no seams. Somebody had placed green...
2023-12-05 13:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostHey everybody, James here.
Voidknight just released (https://mybook.to/Voidknight1) on Saturday and, unfortunately, it's performing significantly worse than I had hoped. Less than 1% readers have given a review/rating, and in general it's not going well.
So, I'm taking a step back. I need some time for my ow...
2023-12-05 00:42:54 +0000 UTC View PostLukas was one of the newest serpentii recruits. He slept soundly in the formation known as the chaos ball. No predators would be stupid enough to attack serpentii in such a state.
They were able to strike in all directions at once, able to inject their venom ten times before anybody was able to extricate themselves, and within a few steps, their would-be assailant was dead. 2023-12-04 14:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post
Crepuscular light poured out from the dullahans’ every seam and crevice, reforging metals, mana, and cores. Where once there were dull and muted plates, were now deep-blue plates trimmed with silver and gold.
Sam felt a bit put out, to be honest, having spent so much time repairing and patching them up. Now they were good as new. Their Metal mana was greatly bolstered, and ...
2023-12-04 13:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey all, James here with a new book release just in time for the holiday season!
The first book has finished it's run on RR (and I'll be removing the chapters from Patreon later today to comply with Kindle Unlimited's rules). It's also been cleaned and polished bright like that silverware you only see once a year when your family really wants to impress the guests!
You c...
2023-12-02 21:27:49 +0000 UTC View PostDespite Shrubley’s dramatic change, his familiar still recognized him and didn’t appear to mind at all. The glowbug landed atop one of his many new leaves, providing an additional soft illumination that felt soothing. It would seem, now that the glowbug was evolved into a familiar, it no longer needed Shrubley’s mana to stay alight.
“We need to come up with a good nam...
2023-12-01 14:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostSam sat by the cookfire. The sun was setting, but the high wall to the west bathed the encampment in shadow. It had been a productive day. Not only because of the wall being halfway done, but because he had gotten a host of skill ups and a couple level ups for his Path.
And he wasn’t the only one.
All around the cookfire people were staring at their notifications, goi...
2023-12-01 13:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostCarrying his new items, Shrubley looked for somewhere to rest. There were no undead left to threaten him and his familiar, and none of those centipede things had shown their ugly mandibles in this chamber once.
He limped away and found a cozy hollow between a couple of unmarked graves.
Then he sat down to rest, opening up his inventory to bathe in the nourishing sunligh...
2023-11-30 14:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostRaiko looked at him. “You have a name, I believe, already picked?”
“Sil’mara,” Sam said. “It’s the name of my Skyshard.” He looked at her. “You suggested it, remember?”
“I like it,” Raiko said suddenly, grinning.
For a wonder, he smiled back at her. “As do I.”
Clearly, she had expected him to put forth a different name, but he lik...
2023-11-30 13:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostQuest Complete: Bone Daddy
Destroy every evil skeleton to awaken the Bone Knight.
Objectives complete:
Slain Skeletons: 21/21
Reward:
Awaken the Bone Knight.
Right on the tail end of that completed quest, another one appeared. This one t...
2023-11-29 14:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostThe beleaguered pair of Kai and Lenal dragged themselves back into camp between the protective sanctuary of the Sourcestone and the Sacred Tree.
The dome was far cozier than that tent had been. The fresh scent of the [Nature Crystals] and [Wind Crystals] mingling together overpowered the lingering stench of Zuu meat.
“You didn’t…” Kai wheezed. “Have to make th...
2023-11-29 13:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostJerric looked suspiciously at the tray of food on his bedside table. He frowned and did his usual sweep of the room. Various wires and detection traps remained, unsurprisingly, inert.
Nothing was triggered despite the whole room looking like some sort of acrobatics course back at the Academy. Wires crisscrossed the room and where there weren’t wires, Jerric had placed littl...
2023-11-28 14:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostOccasionally, Komachi roused and instantly took another bite of the Zuu meat waiting for her, as if she entirely forgot the previous encounter and was cons...
2023-11-28 13:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostFor the glowing shrub and his familiar, lost in a world of prevailing darkness, it was difficult to stay out of sight of all the undead roaming the vast chamber stacked with endless coffins and gravestones.
However, Shrubley did not let go of his Light essence orb. As it turned out, the Light kept him and his familiar safe. Or at least safer than they used to be without it. 2023-11-27 14:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post