“Ooooh, cold.” Another mouthful of wine slid down her throat, freezing her from within without any of the expected discomfort. What sort of snooty process they’d used to give it such an effect, she had no idea, nor did she particularly care. All that mattered for now was that it tasted good, and it was getting her drunk. As an unnecessary but appreciated side-effect, it also made her feel fantastic, courtesy of its buff.
You have drank from Rime’s Descent, T...
2023-09-25 12:23:05 +0000 UTC
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Hartha, like most sentient beings, was aware of the passage of time.
And like most beings aware of the passage of time, she was also aware that things changed during that time. For better or for worse, that was a given. As such, she’d been well aware that the Emer’Thalis she would be returning to likely wouldn’t be the same one she remembered leaving.
Still, to say that she was slightly surprised at those changes would have been an understatement.
Initially, e...
2023-09-21 13:47:58 +0000 UTC
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Haunted. That’s what that damned brat of his looked like -- like a woman possessed. The very moment Tess had learned that the Valis girl was okay, she’d jerked upwards and opened her mouth as if to scream.
Even the motion itself gave Suds flashbacks to the start of the semester, and he could feel his hair visibly graying at the prospect of Tess going back into that state. Not that he’d tell her this, but it had taken an entire day to set up the silencing runes in her room -- an en...
2023-09-18 10:18:16 +0000 UTC
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Hi! Hello! It's been a minute.
In any case, wanted to post that as of today, my month off is done, and we're back to posting. I'm happy to report that I am entirely and completely recovered and not in even a lick of pain anymore.
Honestly, I expected to return to posting a good bit sooner than today, but it's been a shockingly busy couple of weeks! That's mainly due to two things.
One, work is pretty hellish right now. I wasn't penalized or anything for missing two weeks, bu...
2023-09-18 10:14:24 +0000 UTC
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Hi all!
If you haven't already, see my previous post, as this will make no sense otherwise.
Recovery has been considerably slower than expected. The good news is that I'm in the process of getting approval for a two week leave from work. Bad news is that I have a total sum of zero productive energy right now. I've opened up the big doc I write in a few times and tried to type out a few w...
2023-08-17 11:31:01 +0000 UTC
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Hi all, just a few important updates here.
First off, on a pleasant note, the audiobook for book two is now live! If you'd like to grab a copy or leave a review, you can find it here.
Second off and a bit more importantly, I had quite the admin week, and not really in a good way! Suspend some disbelief here, as reading over this, it sounds more like so...
2023-08-14 10:34:42 +0000 UTC
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AN: Long chapter today! This probably should be two chapters, but I promised we'd be ending this arc, and so we're ending it. Post-edits, I'll probably try to move some of the Cal stuff to an earlier chapter to keep the tone and mood more consistent, but even so, this chapter has been a long time in the making, and I hope you all enjoy!
~~~~~~~
Cal, to her credit, did not waste any time.
The dagger sank deep into the flesh of Warram’s neck...
2023-08-14 09:58:25 +0000 UTC
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An entire blimp’s worth of purple fog filled every inch of the mental space containing it until, without warning, it all began rushing in the same direction. As if some massive entity within was greedily sucking it up, the gas found the stygian entrance to the Dungeon of Tragedies and squeezed itself through the many breaks in the door. With each passing second, the cracks widened until the door was more purple than black, until-
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Panic. Like bile rushing up...
2023-08-03 09:40:59 +0000 UTC
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If skills could have been granted to individual body parts, then Emin would have been a Grandmaster swimmer from the neck up by now. Ever since his last meeting with Warram, his head had started swimming and never stopped.
It was a simple plan, really. Warram would wait by the dungeon entrance claiming he’d received a tip-off that Tess was planning on killing a party member. Provided someone actually did die on their dungeon run, he’d have a solid cover to take her in for questionin...
2023-07-31 06:35:54 +0000 UTC
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Hi hello, all! Posting the next chapter directly after this.
Just wanted to post a note because I think this arc has been the one with the most comments out of any of them, some positive, some less so. Pretty understandable, as after about 200 chapters, this is the first time we get into some darker and less pleasant themes + actual character deaths.
If you're enjoying this arc, we love to hear it! That's the goal.
If you're not enjoying this arc as much as others, ...
2023-07-31 06:35:08 +0000 UTC
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CRACK.
A great gust of purple fog vanished through the cracks and crevices of a pitch-black door. Far from accepting the cloud’s entry, the door nearly split apart, a great fracture pulling itself into existence. The purple glow behind it almost seemed to ooze outwards. It was breaking free, escaping, invading, and then-
~~~~~~~
As though punched, what little air I’d managed to pull in through Warram’s skill leapt out of my chest at his revelation. Pr...
2023-07-27 10:53:07 +0000 UTC
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AN: It's done! Thanks for the patience all -- getting started on the next chapter right now so that I can hopefully still get it done for Thursday! Thankfully don't have too many meetings tomorrow, so with some luck, I can pound it all out in a day.
And apologies in advance for this being a cutaway chapter. I'm aware this is slightly evil 😈 after last chapter's cliffhanger, but there are various reasons this chapter has to go here.
2023-07-26 02:42:08 +0000 UTC
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Hi hello! Three quick notes.
1. Was really happy to see the results of the last poll and how much people are liking Verin (and a bit surprised to see the love for the archmage but happy about that too). The way I've set things up, book four is going to have a lot of Verin in it, so I'm glad she's a character you all enjoy.
2. Scheduling an admin week for next week! It's been a bit over a month since the last one, but this is mostly just because I'm going to be on-call at work next...
2023-07-24 16:34:42 +0000 UTC
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CRACK. A wide fissure formed across a stygian black door, purple light shining through, and then-
~~~~~~~
White.
One instant, I was staring at the vicious grin on the boss’s face, the next, a total wall of white. It drowned out every inch of my vision, leaving me temporarily blind. If that weren’t jarring enough, my skin prickled with a momentary heat while my ears were assaulted by a deafening blast.
Boom.
And then, with a blink, it was ove...
2023-07-21 01:52:29 +0000 UTC
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Hi all, this post is serving two purposes!
First off, just letting the Rare Tier know I'm going to be a bit slow to post today. I was supposed to finish up chapter 53 last night and had a bit of a friend emergency last night and only got back home at 5am. Taking a day off from work-work today and about to head to a café to punch out the rest of it, and will post as soon as it's done. Thanks for the patience here!
Second, realized it's been a hot sec since I've done any polls. In ...
2023-07-20 12:05:39 +0000 UTC
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There was no magic or skill behind the boss’s primal shout. No mental manipulation or stunning effect. All the same, we froze in its wake, the collective tension in the room almost a palpable thing. Deprived of secure footing and faced with a far stronger enemy than we’d fought before, all of us were torn between paralysis and dread.
All of us, save for one, of course.
“Ha! A familiar foe! A worthy opponent to close out our first true dungeon run. Now come! I look forward to...
2023-07-17 12:03:35 +0000 UTC
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All booted up, the forge at last made its usage clear, its words relayed directly into my head.
<The Fabrication Forge is a device capable of creating any metallic object when supplied with the proper ore. To create an object, you may control the forge mentally, or you may proceed with the guided creation flow. Would you like to proceed with the guided creation flow? Note, this option will consume additional energy.>
I looked up at the countless too...
2023-07-13 07:50:02 +0000 UTC
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As it turned out, the system might have been a bit preemptive in telling us about the room we’d discovered. That was because, rather than spitting us out directly into the room in question, our secret door opened up to reveal a tunnel, or, given that it was coated with the same steely sheen as everything else, perhaps “hallway” was more apt a description.
Of course, that wouldn’t have been too noteworthy, save for the fact that it was a long hallway. So long, in fact, t...
2023-07-10 03:23:42 +0000 UTC
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“All right, just like we’ve done all the other times.” With half the dungeon behind us, our party now stood at the entrance to the sub-boss chamber. The King Metal Slime wubbed and wobbled about, its chuckle-worthy movements belying its deadliness. Unlike in any of the other rooms, the floor had the same metal sheen to it as the walls and ceilings did, making the chamber feel a bit like a high-security bank vault.
I’d say we were tense to go up against a sub-boss, but it just wa...
2023-07-06 10:25:13 +0000 UTC
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Metal quills pinged off my armor by the dozen as an entire room full of wall-clinging urchin-like monsters honed in on me. As for the others, they lazily sat by the chamber’s entrance, none of them wishing to turn into a pincushion as I wrapped things up.
Crunch. Another urchin’s body caved inwards as I poked at it with my harpoon spear. Parts of it fell to the floor while the main body clung to the metal wall even in death.
Figuring that the small targets would be a ...
2023-07-03 13:38:02 +0000 UTC
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Twin fangs lunged towards me, their owner leaping forth at such a frightening speed that I had no chance to dodge. I hastily jerked an arm upwards to shield myself, but my attacker had no qualms with switching its target to the proffered body part. It barreled into me, mouth wide to surround my entire forearm, and then it clamped down. Frighteningly sharp and reinforced with metal, the fangs pierced…
Well, nothing really.
“PPG! Do you require aid with your iron wolf?” Off to...
2023-06-29 09:01:36 +0000 UTC
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One could be forgiven for thinking that practicing stealth and invisibility skills would be a relaxing affair. After all, as long as they were working, you had nothing to worry about. Even surrounded by the fiercest of enemies, you could treat the entire experience as a nice walk through the park.
Traps could be a bit tougher on that front, but if you were truly stealthy enough, they were also a non-issue. If you had the proper skills to mask your weight and the force of your footsteps,...
2023-06-26 06:13:13 +0000 UTC
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“Wipe that smirk off your face.” The stern figure in her throne of iron was not one to suffer any nonsense, and Warram’s smile vanished from his face as quickly as it had appeared.
“Yes mother,” he answered reflexively.
“Better. Now report.”
Dispassionately, Warram did just that. It was not a short report, either -- though the guardsman had certainly gotten busier since the unexpected arrival of Chamber Head Suds’ granddaughter, one matter could hardly occupy...
2023-06-15 10:38:18 +0000 UTC
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The very first thing Alara did to kick her birthday off was to pull some strange device out of her spatial pouch and throw it onto the grass. I half-expected it to automatically expand or summon something like Verin’s vacation home had done, but no such magic occurred.
Instead, Alara went over to it and started unfolding legs and sliding out collapsible pieces until its nature became more clear.
“To begin my birthday, I will be grilling,” she resolutely informed us. With a w...
2023-06-12 09:37:31 +0000 UTC
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With the completion of the orphanage, a much awaited notification finally greeted me.
Construction has reached level 10!
Congratulations! You have reached the Initiate rank in Construction!
Based on your skill usage, one of your abilities has been upgraded.
Lead From the Ground
Buildings in your own settlement that you contribute to the construction...
2023-06-08 09:13:18 +0000 UTC
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AN: Reminder that I'm on admin week as of now (August 3rd) so I can handle my oncall at work! No chaps for Monday and Thursday, and then we're back right after that.
~~~~~~~
Eight days, in my opinion, was not much to prepare for a friend’s birthday. Unfortunately, I had no leg to stand on in this case seeing as I’d given my friends a zero-day warning for mine. I could at least be thankful that Alara wasn’t following suit.
Actu...
2023-06-05 10:48:05 +0000 UTC
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For the first time since I’d met the guildmaster, her face twitched ever so slightly, a crack forming in her enthusiastic demeanor.
“Chamberlain! I wasn’t expecting you today. What’s this about a client? You wouldn’t happen to be talking about my new friend here, would you?”
In this, I was just as clueless as her. I was fairly certain I’d never met the man before, and I definitely didn’t recall hiring him for anything.
“Ah, a new friend! How apt. As it so h...
2023-06-01 09:02:41 +0000 UTC
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With the Artisan District being the inner-city counterpart to the Common District, it was theoretically one of the easiest and fastest parts of the city for me to visit. Despite that, however, I’d made scant few trips there. The obscene prices I’d spotted last time around, coupled with my general preference towards sticking to the outer city, kept me away.
Still, when I passed through the grand gate leading into the inner city, I had to admit it was a pleasant district to walk throu...
2023-05-29 18:02:13 +0000 UTC
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With Verin’s impromptu visit to Emer’Thalis all taken care of, things settled down for a while. That was not to say, however, that the next few weeks were idle ones for me.
Part of that was just the same old same old, though slightly reprised: My wood class had at last begun its third and final segment, and we were getting started on construction work. That in and of itself was noteworthy -- apparently there was a joint program between the Chamber of Nobility and the Chamber of Comm...
2023-05-25 15:51:14 +0000 UTC
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Hi all! Alive and well-ish. Have been sick for a few days and been feeling very low energy, and my writing and willpower to do so has been a bit bleh as a result. I'm planning on using some vacation days to take the rest of the week off from work-work and spend the resulting 6 day weekend writing up a storm. Will be posting Monday's chapter as soon as it's written!
These next few chapters are going to be a bit annoying for me, but I'm really excited to get through them, as I think I'm r...
2023-05-23 16:54:25 +0000 UTC
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