Seersucker

Penitent Book 3 Ch 12: Notes

As Michael gave his warning Ollie retrieved his hat and jacket and raised his staff, starting to move magicka through his channels as he did so.

“What kind of ‘something’?” he asked.

“The rift monster kind. I can feel it getting closer every moment.”

“Can you feel every rift monster? That seems like it would’ve been pretty helpful back at the hidden village.”

“Not all of them, just…” He paused. “The giant creatures with the four arms. Like the...

Penitent Book 3 Ch 11: Visions

Michael found himself floating in blackness again as his vision ended and was expecting to be pulled into another, but instead a number of smaller scenes began to play all around him, the darkness surrounding him suddenly illuminated by visions of battle. In one corner the Emperor fought off hundreds of horned men and carapaced horrors, his white ceremonial garb dyed in their blood. In another he saw the nobility being slaughtered, torn to shreds. Their titles were unable to protect them unar...

Penitent Book 3 Ch 10: The Past

Michael expected to wake up as the vision ended, but instead he found himself pulled into yet another one, his mind barely having time to finish processing what he had learned from the previous one before he was sucked into the next.

…

In the dead of night Sylas walked around the spell apparatus they had spent the last several months constructing. It was not just a simple spell circle. Instead they'd built a dome and within that dome they’d dug out the bottom to create a perfe...

Penitent Book 3 Ch 9: Oldest Court

After they spent some time digging through the remainder of the dirt piles to find a surprisingly hefty amount of gold, Michael could feel that he was ready to receive another vision. He washed in a shallow tidepool left by the Lake of Beasts, had a small meal, and went to his tent. Ollie was practicing his spells with his new hat and seemed to be taking a lot of joy in the increase to his concentration and magicka. He’d already begun the process of coilign his channels as well. Michael was...

Penitent Book 3 Ch 8: Wizard

The dawn came a few hours later. The wind coming off the lake was cool. It was something like mid-fall at this point, though the seasons had never been as coherent as Michael was used to on Earth. Then again maybe the natives would’ve found the seasons on Earth just as incoherent. 

Michael began his morning training, devoting it to Bruntus aloud even though he no longer needed to do so. He worked his way through all of the basic movements he knew with a blade. Once he was done he...

Penitent Book 3 Ch 7: Context

Sylas checked again on each of the runes he’d carved into the stone. After he was certain that they were all in order, he moved to the nearby table and grabbed a vial of mercury. He took the vial and began to pour it into each of the carved ruins, being careful to go slowly so that it wouldn’t spill out of them. Once he was done filling the circle of runes, he returned the vial to the table and began to grab the bowls. One was filled with the saved chrysalis’s of butterflies, another wa...

Penitent Book 3 Ch 6: No Road Trip

They kept moving West and the hills and plains they’d been travelling on rapidly became wild forest.  As they made their way deeper into it, and the sunny day gradually became shaded by the thick canopy above them, Michael began to feel a pull from the Southwest. He began to turn in that direction.

“You know what I could go for?”

“What?” asked Michael as he ducked under a branch.

“A long fucking drive.”

“Really? All this walking hasn’t been a joy...

Penitent Book 3 Ch 5: Welcoming Committee

Michael was walking along the main road in a kind of laid back daze when the border between Swandia and Broan came into view. There were small guard stations on either side of the wide road stopping merchants and travelers headed into their specific country. The Swandians were dressed in the orange uniforms that had become very familiar to him. Their guardhouse had much fewer guards than the Cantalian one they’d passed through only a few weeks earlier and those that we’re manning it seeme...

Penitent Book 3 Ch 4: Diligent Rites

Michael watched as the fireball Ollie threw smashed into the center of the lizardfolk. When it exploded, there was a brief flash of light, and they evaporated. Michael healed his eyes to clear the damage the flash of the explosion had done and charged into the midst of the distracted monsters. The lizards and their magic wouldn’t be a problem thanks to Ollie, but most of the horned men were still alive, though disoriented.

“I will cleanse this village in the name of Bruntus!” he r...

Penitent Book 3 Ch 3: The Found Village

After he finished proselytizing to the men that had tried to rob him he made his way to the Human Stable. He stepped inside to find that while it was busier than it had been in the past, it wasn’t so full that he was worried about getting a room. Perhaps he was lucky and the off-putting name of the inn and tavern had saved him the trouble. He didn’t see Ollie, which didn’t surprise him given the other man’s plans at the Rose. He walked up to the aelven proprietor who...

Penitent Book 3 Ch 2: Marcus's Baggage

Feeling refreshed after a night with a bed to sleep in and a warm meal, Ollie and Michael got back on the road south. They didn’t see the mercs they’d encountered the previous night again, which was good. Michael preferred not to have to waste any time fighting them. Unlike the previous day, the sky was clear and blue, but thanks to the weather of the previous few days they still had to deal with wet and occasionally muddy roads. After a few more days they made it back to Southwind.

Penitent Book 3 Ch 1: Southward

The rain was heavier than Michael had expected and he adjusted the water-proof tarp he’d bought to better cover himself. The road had been relatively safe, so he wasn’t wearing his full armor, just the breastplate with the helmet at his side. Ollie had simply summoned a barrier over himself that kept any rain from touching him. He likely could’ve extended it over Michael as well, but of course he hadn’t offered. They were riding in a merchant’s cart that happened to be headed in the...

Penitent Book 2 Ch 61: King Castor

King Castor spun his crown of black iron on his forefinger as he listened to his generals and advisors speak. There had been a time when he’d had to pretend at propriety back when there was still a nobility to deal with, but ever since he’d dismantled the majority of it things had changed. He no longer had to keep himself still, never raise his voice, or make sure his every action radiated strength. Now his strength wasn’t questioned and there were no more threats to the crown he casual...

Penitent Book 2 Ch 60: Goodbyes

Michael decided to find Lys first. He had the sketch of her and Trina by Davi he wanted to give them before he went anywhere. He also felt like he owed her a conversation given how much time they’d spent together. It had been casual, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t affectionate. He found Lys staring at a stump and looking into the swamp. Michael stood next to her for a few moments and looked out at the swamp with her. The sun was breaking through the thick canopy of trees above them and ...

Penitent Book 2 Ch 59: Leaving

Michael jerked awake. He was breathing heavily and dripping with sweat as he looked around. The others were still asleep and their fire had burnt out, but the sun was starting to rise. Michael wasn’t sure of when he’d gotten back to camp, or even if he’d ever left in the first place, but he could tell that everything he’d seen and felt had been real. 

He took a few moments to steady himself and think through what he’d seen. There was something tearing at this world, somet...

Penitent Book 2 Ch 58: Judgement

Michael awoke in the middle of the night. He wasn’t sure of how long he’d been asleep, but at some point when he and the others had been staring into the fire, he must’ve drifted off. He sat up and poked at the coals, stoking the fire a bit before forcing himself to his feet to toss several more sticks and a bit more kindling into it. It wasn’t necessary for the weather, but it did keep the large number of swamp insects from swarming across them. They hadn’t had that issue when they...

Penitent Book 2 Ch 57: Wrath

Sergeant Aldon pulled a man back onto his feet as he started barking orders to the others.

“Get up, we need to press the advantage! The healer wasn’t the only priority target! The daze of the spell should keep them all incapacitated for just a few minutes!”

Gunnar listened, placing his spear down to help the nearest mage up onto his feet. He’d never seen magic like that before. His own magicka channels were too thin to do more than light a fire or cleanse a bit of...

Penitent Book 2 Ch 56: Muita Força

Finn and Tai came to the same conclusion as Michael and yelled out to the rest of the group.

“Find solid ground! Archers watch the trees! Mages get something fucking BIG ready!” yelled Tai.

Gemini was scattered in an ugly long line with smaller groups trying to find footing and clustering to gether to prepare for attack. Luckily the Cantalians didn’t seem to have slowed their harrying of the enemies lines at all. That bought them extra time. 

Michael and the other...

Penitent Book 2 Ch 55: Rush

Once Michael was done with his healing rounds he went back to his tent to collapse for a little while. He fell asleep partially armored and if it hadn’t been for his recovery he would’ve been incredibly sore. He awoke in the dead of the night and drained his canteen before crawling out of his tent. There were still a few Cantalian’s milling about, but everyone in Gemini seemed to be sleeping aside from a few that were posted to keep watch. 

Devahn had already put away the foo...

Penitent Book 2 Ch 54: Cleansing

Michael quickly divined the group of remaining soldiers and knights in front of them. It became very obvious at a glance why they were radia

Michael quickly divined the group of remaining soldiers and knights in front of them. It became very obvious at a glance why they were radiating such power suddenly. Even as he watched, new titles were writing themselves on their souls. They were noble titles, those tied to land. That may have given them a boost, but it caused his Baro...