Nemobrosus

Redemption Arc 17

Lucian stood on the front of the ship as it cleaved through the water. The wind sent his long gray hair flowing through the wind. He wore a set of purple armor which fit well and felt quite light—the color wasn’t his first choice, but it was the color of House Villamar, and the armor set was quite high-quality. The conversation he’d shared with Duke Clemens Metterand kept replaying in his...

Redemption Arc 16

Lucian had long been wrestling with the idea of changing the original details of the War of Four. He’d been afraid to take that step because it would throw off his plans majorly. He’d only resorted to doing so because his plans were already being thrown so far of course that it was almost untenable. Losing access to Charlton’s recipes was almost a death sentence.

He really kicked a ...

Redemption Arc 15

Helen Brumaire hunched over a great many books in the library. She enjoyed reading, but she didn’t think this was the sort of reading that could be enjoyed—rather, it was a dense text listing heritage without great details. She cross-referenced names with another book, which provided brief biographies of some of the figures listed.

“Oh,” someone said, and Helen lifted her head. Ro...

Redemption Arc 14

Even if a great deal of what Lucian knew from the War of Four held true, he needed to be prepared for every eventuality. This wasn’t a turn-based strategy game anymore. It was a living, breathing reality. He wasn’t the tactician for the battles. As a matter of fact, the people that were his allies couldn’t be expected to defend him. They might enjoy his death: as a matter of fact.

L...

Redemption Arc 13

Lucian had left the first Student Ambassador meeting had ended on somewhat frigid terms. He walked alongside Miriam as they left the Concord. Stairs were very troublesome for her. She clung to the railing as she hauled that metal prosthesis of hers up each step. He would have offered to help, but he knew Miriam well enough to know that she’d hate being shown pity. She liked to do everything h...

Redemption Arc 12

Lucian walked down the steps that he’d taken once before to fight against that ogre. Already, he was feeling some trepidation. Perhaps it was the memory of the fight, or perhaps it was knowledge of what was to come. Regardless, he made it down to that large underground hallway and continued toward a very familiar place to anyone who had played War of Four. It was the hub from which every miss...

Redemption Arc 11

Lucian held his arm out, recalling his instructor’s teachings.

Magic is almost a living, breathing thing, she’d said. It feels as a pulse inside your chest that isn’t your own heart. You should feel it quickening as you grow closer to it.

For a decent while Lucian couldn’t discern whether or not that was his own writhing anxiety or the sensation that his in...

Redemption Arc 10

“What is clear to us is the fact that someone inscribed summoning sigils within the Concord itself,” Dean Mortimer declared, standing in the same spot where he’d once spoken of Renewal Day. “Rest assured that we will not stop until we discover the culprit for these incidents.”

Lucian listened to the speech with general disinterest. It was mostly the same as he remembered it. The...

Redemption Arc 9

“What happened here? Are you all right, Rowan?” Christoph fussed over his son unnecessarily.

“I’m fine.” Rowan looked over to Lucian. “He saved me. This is Lucian.”

Christoph turned his eyes to Lucian. A known villain showing up right when demons do—he could predict the thoughts running through the man’s head. He’d rehearsed what he needed to say long in advance....

Redemption Arc 8

As Lucian walked down the stairs into the hall leading toward the Concord, he felt and heard a tremor rock the earth. It came from deeper within, and sounded quite familiar. He knew the words that followed after… and like clockwork, they echoed through the marble hall toward him.

“That sounded like it came from the Vault,” Christoph said, then paused for a while. “I’m not sure w...

Redemption Arc 7

“Before Renewal Day begins, I’d like to remind each of you here today why exactly it is we call the opening of the Collegium Renewal Day,” the school dean said, his voice carrying by virtue of an aide projecting it further with wind magic.

Dean Mortimer was an old man, but had neither a stooped back nor sagging features. He had a certain sharpness to him from his neat white beard an...

Redemption Arc 6

The War of Four assigned each of its characters elemental affinities. They were pretty important things in determining the usability of a build. Certain spells or skills couldn’t be used without sufficient elemental affinity. It also helped determine the resistance to any particular attack. Each affinity had a particular opposite, with some exceptions. Fire’s opposite was water; ai...

Redemption Arc 5

There were two objectives that Lucian needed to attend to in these canalworks. The first was pretty straightforward. He needed to go from this end to the opposite end of the big chamber. There, he’d find the control room. That was where the valves could be turned to change the flow of water in the gargantuan, domed apparatus in the center of the room—the Central Flow Chamber. Lucian needed ...

Redemption Arc 4

“The Collegium is a very uninhibited place,” the instructor explained. He was a bookish type with slicked hair—Gerard, the Head Instructor for engineering. The player couldn’t take his classes in-game, hence why it felt very strange hearing him call this place ‘uninhibited.’ “You get out only as much as you put in. We have the best instructors in the world in this place, and each ...

Redemption Arc 3

Lucian exited his apartment in Verne. After pulling at his ostentatious deep purple outfit bearing the house colors of Villamar, he cast one glance back at Walter.

“I’ll ensure that the room is cleaned by the time you return, Lord Lucian,” Walter promised.  “Just focus on registering for the Collegium. Perhaps you can make some friends?” His words were clearly skeptical. �...

Redemption Arc 2

“Lord Lucian?” A voice called out from behind the elegantly carved mahogany.

When he heard the voice, Lucian couldn’t help but curl inward. He didn’t want to respond to it. He wanted all of this to go away. But after three days, nothing had changed. Not one thing. He wasn’t Lucian. He wasn’t. He couldn’t be. But when he tried to think of his own name… nothing else came to ...

Redemption Arc 1

I've got thirty chapters, but I want to do one final edit passthrough. 3 chapters every weekday midnight PST, for two weeks until we're at thirty.
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Lord Lucian Villamar. A handsome man with long gray hair, sharp yellow eyes, and a half-smile that dripped with languid superiority and condescension. He looked impressive. Looked like a major villain, maybe—the kind that killed the prota...

Redemption Arc Table of Contents

Week off

Taking a week break to get my ducks in a row as I move to a new story. When I'm back next week, I'll carry on from there. Need a solid foundation if you're going to build something solid, after all.

If you want refunds-- as always, no questions asked, just message me.

Guy the Wise 4: Quiet Life

Guyard counted out a select amount of coins. It was hard to count with this bag over his head. Eventually he gave up and tossed a fistful at Aaron as he laid there, broken. 

“Use those to pay for a resupply,” he said. “If it's not enough, well... make do.” He kneeled down. “From now on, I'm going to swing by every week for 10% on what you've made. If you even think about tr...

Guy the Wise 3: Real Fight

Guyard of Fenrest had returned.

Lady Tanya discovered that fact with some relief. He took his seat at one of the many desks in the instruction room, quiet and dignified as ever. The past few days that she had seen him, his face had been harrowed and unhappy, and she worried for his well-being. When he was absent the prior day, she feared the worst. Fortunately, he had returned—and he lo...

Guy the Wise 2: Number Two Dad

Waking up with a noose tied around the neck was usually a novel experience for most people. For the people that tied one, well… they usually don’t wake up. That was the whole point.

For someone like Luca, it was the second time.

The moment that he felt the harsh texture of the rope brushing against his neck and chin, he grasped at it and looked around in a panic, his breathing h...

Guy the Wise 1: Number One Dad

The fluorescent-lit room buzzed faintly as two figures sat on opposite sides of scratched plexiglass. The visitor wore a dark wool coat, eyes locked on the young man across from him. The prisoner slouched low in his chair, one leg bouncing impatiently. On the glass, their reflections shadowed the other’s faces. It was obvious just from looking that they were kin.

“Twenty years in the ...

Guy the Wise Table of Contents

Volume 1
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4

Chapter 99: The Farewell Feast

Jansen sat down just beside the head of the table right beside his partner, Diana, who was giving him the silent treatment. She looked much like her true form of Sarah, though her hair was black and her eyes a normal brown. It wouldn’t do to draw attention to herself, even here. Simply not worth the risk.

Jansen took the time to look between the various assembled family members. All of ...

Chapter 98: How the Victors Write the History

On the Fate of Avaria

by Priestess Rosanne

It was said of the two Grand Crusades launched against Avaria that the first broke their power while the second absorbed it.

The Second Grand Crusade was the last major military campaign launched by King Arnoud, and it cemented his kingdom’s hegemony over the region and his tactical genius. No longer did the Kingdo...

Chapter 97: Deal or No Deal?

Sarah rose from the altar, gently testing her feet on the ground. Then, she stood, clothes manifesting out of thin air to complement her glamour. She looked around, her expression having regained all the vigor it lost after Leonardo’s poison took effect.

“I have one regret.” Sarah said. “Leonardo won’t get to see me alive and well. He died thinking that he won. That’s mildly f...

Chapter 96: Until Last Blood

As Willem and Sarah approached the chamber that housed the Fount of Avaria, Sarah grew visibly restless.

“You’re twitching like a fiend.” Willem looked over to her. “Something wrong?”

Sarah shook her head in fierce denial. “No, it’s just… just the feeling of unease that comes after coming close to a goal you’ve been seeking for so long. Maybe my sisters have other ...

Chapter 95: Self-Defense Situation

“Do you remember when I told you I was doing this as a caveat to my vow? That I was only doing this because I promised that I could only employ violence in a case of defending those I cared for?” Willem looked over to Sarah. “This is rather stretching that boundary a bit. I didn’t anticipate assassinating heads of states.”

Sarah didn’t meet Willem’s gaze. “Unless we do thi...

Chapter 94: The Chimera Intelligence Agency

Willem had been expecting to do some very questionable things to survive in this place, but as it turned out, Sarah had it all sorted. They spent the next few days in the luxury of the oligarch’s palace, quietly discussing their plans. Sarah’s sister, Seventy-Two, was easily able to slip them in alongside the rest of her servants, as she had the owner of this estate under her thumb. He had ...