Five B-rank mages versus two. It was an overwhelming disadvantage, if viewed without knowledge of who they were.
In reality… there was a reason Argrave had confidence enough to talk to Induen.
With the power of the Blessing of Supersession welling within his being, he lapsed into his strategy as though it were a habit. Four royal knights and Induen stood before him—he loosed [Pa...
2022-10-04 06:56:53 +0000 UTC View PostThere was a thin line between caution and paranoia. It was thin enough that Argrave lost sight of it completely. Maybe it was never tangible to begin with.
He felt half a fool as he wandered around Kin’s End, looking for any single person who might be a threat to him or his companions. He and Galamon scanned the building Induen stayed in from afar, checking for other people within or se...
2022-10-03 06:59:56 +0000 UTC View PostThough Argrave had claimed he would have a heart-to-heart with Galamon… the task proved considerably more difficult once he actually found himself riding his horse next to the elven vampire as they travelled in a relatively safe area.
“Don’t bother,” Galamon said, riding his horse diligently. “No need to make sure I’m fine.”
Argrave pulled his horse up to Galamon. He w...
2022-09-30 06:57:33 +0000 UTC View PostThe time that Argrave spent with his companions in the village without a name was probably the happiest Argrave had ever been in Berendar. Though the food was exceedingly simple, their neighbors were unhappy at their presence, and the days were cold and stiff, he’d never known finer company than those Argrave travelled with. Being in life-or-death situations made their trust unbreakable, thei...
2022-09-29 06:53:53 +0000 UTC View Post“I’m sure that she’ll turn up sooner or later, my prince. That child, Mina, she’s…” Count Elgar of Veden shook his head.
Induen tapped his fingers against the dining table, staring Elgar down with his cold blue eyes. The Count had golden hair and eyes just as Mina did yet shared little with her beyond that. Induen did not like him. “Your daughter is missing, yet you don’t ...
2022-09-28 07:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostArgrave set down his backpack and sat in the guest bed that had been offered to them. Dust jumped up off it, but Argrave could hardly be bothered by dust anymore considering all that he’d endured. Anneliese sneezed—he thought it was a cute sound, and Argrave found himself staring at her.
She wiped away her nose, oblivious to him as she examined the room. “Unused for a time… yet it...
2022-09-27 07:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostPatreon has implemented a long-requested feature. Patrons will be charged every 30 days instead of on the first of the new month (i.e. if you join on the 26th, you'll be charged again on the 26th).
Unfortunately, this applies mainly to new patrons. All currently pledged patrons will still be charged on the first. I apologize if you recently joined. Blame Patreon for the awkward timing (...
“You said we would rest,” noted Durran, though he did not complain as he put the white books written by Garm back into his backpack. He fumbled a little on account of his missing fingers, which made Argrave feel guilt once again.
“We will,” Argrave confirmed, resting off to the side while Galamon packed his things for him, accommodating his weakened state. “We’ll take a ...
2022-09-26 07:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostArgrave walked to the site of the tremendous battle between Orion and the Plague Jester, the prince supporting him as he walked. Seeing the devastation wrought here was like a reminder of his powerlessness before Orion. Decay and destruction surrounded him on all sides. The smell of wilting flowers fortunately masked the scent of gore emanating from Orion.
“He’s here,” Orion finally...
2022-09-24 07:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostArgrave finally dared try his hand at walking once the prospect of lying in his bed began to bore him. With no books to study and only the company of his companions to keep his mind sharp, he eventually did wish to step outside and examine things.
Though he stood firm, Argrave still held onto Anneliese’s arm in case his legs gave way. “Difficult to believe I did this,” he noted, sta...
2022-09-23 07:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post“I did it as best I could, prince Levin,” a man garbed in brown robes spoke. He was short, and his skin green. He was one of the swamp folk.
“No, I can see that,” Levin soothed casually, staring down at the dead body of Magnus. Levin was dressed befitting a prince. He was thin and tall with a sinewy strength to him. He kept his hands politely behind his back.
A few days’ t...
2022-09-22 07:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostThough Anneliese knew that Argrave had not explicitly given her permission to show her hand… she felt it was necessary, and she knew that he would agree. It was not so drastic a measure, of course. Indeed, exposing her druidic magic was quite a simple thing, and she had kept hidden only because Argrave was overcautious. Nonetheless, she was sure it’d be very effective. Though she had consid...
2022-09-21 07:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post“Here he is,” said Durran, his breath heavy. He handed Argrave off to Galamon, his body limp. “Lighter than he looks.” They were in the small house Argrave had been holed up in. His Brumesingers stayed by his side, protecting him by shrouding the environment with their mist.
“Because he has little blood,” Galamon concluded. “You…” he looked down at Durran’s hands. His ...
2022-09-20 07:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostArgrave felt a fog within all of his body. His actions were stiff and vague as though he had just been thawed out after being frozen for years. He could barely focus on the task at hand, and even keeping his head held up was difficult. All he wanted to do was go to sleep. But he’d long ago set aside what he wanted. This was about what needed to be done.
Kill the enemy, kill the enem...
2022-09-19 07:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostAnneliese felt as though she had returned to the invasion of Berendar, where she stood at the helm of a Veiden longship leading men towards a great throng of foes defending their homeland. There was nervousness, anticipation, and a dim hum of fear beneath it all, larger and stronger and ever consistent than any feeling. This was war, she felt. And the stakes went far beyond merely her life. She...
2022-09-17 07:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostAs far as Argrave was concerned, the primary difference between marching during the day and doing so at was merely that they had not slept. At least, that was his opinion before they began it.
Argrave was tired and felt a little clumsy, probably doubly so because of his anemia, and the cold water of the wetlands soaked into his bones. Spell light lit their path ably, and the boundary wher...
2022-09-16 07:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post“We should press on as quickly as possible, even if we need to march through the night,” Argrave spoke to Orion.
The prince’s gray-eyed gaze was stern and serious, freezing lesser men in place. “Do you believe so?”
“Absolutely. The journey this time around was not so exhausting and allowing the enemy an entire night to group up and prepare for our coming attack with be a...
2022-09-15 07:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostThough Argrave knew that something needed to be said to Orion, as the two of them walked away from the rest of the party, those words did not come to his head immediately. They entered into the keep of the fortress that they’d been left in after the battle had concluded, and Argrave glanced around at decrepit wooden furniture covered in equal parts by wood rot and growths from the wetlands. 2022-09-14 07:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post
“Any further steps, and we will be within their grasp,” Silvic cautioned their party as they idled.
Orion nodded. “This was made clear to me earlier. Being within their grasp is unimportant. A weak grip is easily broken.”
His ever-zealous words did not abate Argrave’s fear at all. Silvic continued, cautioning, “This will not be as other ambushes. We enter the distortion,...
2022-09-13 07:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostArgrave disliked looking at the bronze hand mirror. With something—or someone, rather—to find solace in, he didn’t need to use it for motivation much at all anymore. Now, though, the day had passed, and he stared down at its surface in the early morning light…
Traits: [Tall], [Black Blooded], [Intelligent], [Magic Affinity (High)], [Insomniac], [Blessing of Supersession (MAX)]
... 2022-09-12 07:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post“At this point, the main challenge is confining the infected to the camps,” Mina spoke to Induen, staring out over the city of Veden from the castle. “People that catch the disease spread it indefinitely. Some people, when it stops spreading, resume mingling into society. Like this, the outbreaks never really stop.”
“Just use force,” Induen shook his head disapprovingly. “It...
2022-09-09 07:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostThere was a simple principle in many RPGs, action or otherwise—don’t kill what the summoner summons, just kill the summoner, and then all the problems will go away naturally. Their strategy hinged on that simple principle.
There were obstacles, of course. There always were.
The puppeteered lord and his two mages stayed near the vast heart that was Waqwaq. At once, their party of...
2022-09-08 07:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostSwamps were never intended to accommodate grand fortresses. That fact became apparent as they pressed onwards into the mire of misery, the screaming mists and twisting grounds stayed only by Silvic’s protection. The wading water lessened, and they planted their feet upon dry ground—or at least, as dry as mud could get.
Once they saw stone bricks, the harrowing fog around them began to...
2022-09-07 07:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostArgrave slept little that night—enough to function, but not much more. All of his time was spent studying the spell [Bloodfeud Bow]. The ‘how’ of things still eluded him—the C-rank matrix felt fragile, and his attempts to put it into motion simply made it break. It felt like he was trying to pick up a house of cards and move it elsewhere. It didn’t matter how he distributed the force,...
2022-09-06 07:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostOrion pushed Durran forward, but he moved with the push, turning and sitting on a chair ahead of him. The chair tipped to one side from the force, but Durran put his foot down and got his balance quickly. The prince stepped around Durran as he sat there, catching his breath.
Durran stayed quiet as Orion walked around him, turning his head to ensure the prince was always in his sight, even...
2022-09-05 07:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostArgrave awoke strangely early in the morning. He was used to waking early, but never so early that the sunlight was not yet through the windows. He considered it might be because the expedition began tomorrow—some psychological nervousness causing him to sleep worse. As his brain gained clarity, he heard shouts. He lifted his head groggily, paying more attention, and the shouts continued.
... 2022-09-03 07:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostThough Durran had acted as though discovering Magnus’ intentions would be a simple thing, he treated the matter very seriously. That might suggest it was not, in fact, a simple thing. Durran would probably agree with that assessment, by this point.
Durran had good reasons to do this. He hoped to earn trust in the group. Argrave never doubted Anneliese or Galamon, but he did think twice ...
2022-09-02 07:01:02 +0000 UTC View Post“You come from Veiden?” Mina questioned Anneliese, trying to start a conversation.
Anneliese stared out at the doorway which Argrave and Orion had left, nervously braiding and unbraiding portions of her long white hair. She answered Mina idly, “It depends on how you define ‘come from.’”
Mina placed her hands loudly on the dining table the two of them sat at. “You were ...
2022-09-01 07:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostTo see the ever-diligent Orion neglect his perceived duty to the people was already disquieting enough… but the prince led Argrave further and further away from the camp, heading into the swamps. His only comfort was the knowledge that Orion wouldn’t need seclusion to kill him. Argrave stayed quiet—he felt the need to say something, anything, but he was so off-rhythm that he feared to bri...
2022-08-30 07:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post“I can handle it,” Durran suggested, raising one hand up.
“What?” Argrave asked.
The four members of Argrave’s party sat in one of their rooms, two of them with Humorless masks donned. A few empty bottles lay around—though it did look suspiciously like alcohol, they were the potions Argrave had demanded Galamon brew to give his party more disease resistance. Mina had yet...
2022-08-28 07:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post