E. Patrick Lacerna, aka Random Mudkip, The Woodsman, Velvet Canopy

B2: Chapter 20: Year One

Chapter 20: Year One

I sat in Basic Swordplay, watching Copelan practice the same basic strike against a training dummy for the hundredth time. My mind wandered to the night's upcoming delve.

The past two nights had proven educational. Not just in combat experience, but in understanding the layout of the Hellzone. The catacombs formed a maze-like network of tunnels and chambers, each level holding stronger creatures than the last.

My chassis had undergone significan...

B2: Chapter 19: Academy Hellzone

Chapter 19: Academy Hellzone

I remained motionless, every mechanical joint locked in place. The silence pressed against my consciousness where that thunderous voice had echoed moments before. My own thoughts seemed muffled, as if something vast still lingered at the edges of my mind.

Hello? I projected outward, pushing my Mind Speech ability to its limits. The mental call bounced off empty stone walls and faded into nothing. No response came.

I extended my ...

B2: Chapter 18: Non History

Chapter 18: Non History

My final class of the day was History of Humanity's Kingdoms. It was held in one of the larger lecture rooms that seated over a hundred students.

I entered the lecture hall, scanning the rows of wooden benches that rose in tiers toward the back wall. Most seats were already filled with students in plain brown uniforms worn by the non-combatants who studied logistics, planning, and other aspects of warfare beyond direct combat.

A cluster of th...

B2: Chapter 17: Remedial Courses

Chapter 17: Remedial Courses

I leaned against the stone balustrade, watching students mill about in the courtyard below. The morning sun cast long shadows across the Academy's grounds, making the whole scene look like some grand painting.

The balcony training section protruded from the main tower's third floor, offering a clear view of the surrounding architecture. Wind whipped at my black skirt, and I adjusted my stance to compensate for the height.

Five other stud...

Chapter 16: Chapter Houses

Chapter 16: Chapter Houses

I studied the jagged opening, my mechanical fingers tracing the worn edges of the stone. The breach was perfect, tucked and hidden away in this forgotten corner of the Academy's basement where no one ventured. During my time lost and exploring the schol's layout, I hadn't seen a single person near this area.

The official Hellzone entrance, which was dead center inside the main building, would be carefully monitored. It had strict schedules for s...

B2: Chapter 15: Rank C

Chapter 15: Rank C

Although outwardly calm, inwardly I was seething. I had thought myself prepared for Professor Shawe's unreasonable antics. I knew that he would interfere with my test in some fashion, but to do it so blatantly and without fear of repercussions; it was infuriating. The fact that the other two instructors didn't do a damn thing about it just made the situation worse.

"This concludes this class's combat assessments," Shawe stated. "You may go."

I mar...

More Art?

So I put up art of the mushroom jelly. What art should I make of next?

Bonus Art: Omadzaburik

Just thought I'd add a little bit of art to flesh out the world. Here's an image of the Primordial Prestidigitation, Omadzaburik. I know we haven't met it yet, so, um... spoilers? Nah. It's just an ugly mushroom jellyfish with a planet for a head. No big deal!

B2: Interlude 1

Interlude 1

I crossed my arms, watching my fellow students shift nervously as they stared at the ordered line of stone golems in front of us. Such basic constructs hardly warranted their concern. Back home, our servants maintained dozens of them, though ours were crafted from the finest marble and decorated with intricate brass inlays that caught the morning light. These Academy versions looked dull and lifeless in comparison.

"Are those things going to try to kill us?" A...

B2: Chapter 14: First Test

Chapter 14: First Test

I trailed behind the flow of students exiting the classroom, but soon noticed I was wandering aimlessly through different training areas. The Academy sprawled across the grounds like a small city, with multiple courtyards and practice fields scattered throughout. Shawe had, of course, neglected to tell us which training ground to meet at.

The first training ground I found contained older students practicing archery. The second held what looked like ...

B2: Chapter 13: First Class

Chapter 13: First Class

I stood at the window of my dormitory room, watching the moonlight cast long shadows across the Academy's courtyard. The night air carried the distant sounds of the city beyond the walls.

A familiar blue window materialized before my eyes:

Name change authorized. Because the teachers, staff, and students of the Kaldos Academy of War have taken to calling you "Widow," You are now permitted to alter your name.

2025-04-10 16:39:49 +0000 UTC View Post

B2: Chapter 12: First Day

Chapter 12: First Day

I followed the group of successful candidates as the Headmaster and his two instructors led us into the Academy's main building. The entrance hall stretched before us, a cavernous space that dwarfed even the grandest rooms I'd seen in my fragmented memories.

Dark red paint covered the vaulted ceiling high above, while brass chandeliers cast dancing shadows across the walls. Bronze statues lined the hall, all depicting warriors frozen mid-strike, their weapo...

Primordial Amity

Primordial Amity

I stood at the head of our army with the other leaders, my enchanted armor gleaming in the gentle sunlight as we entered Zantas Maladan's valley. The sight before us defied all expectations: no walls of thorns, no barriers of force, no armies of creatures ready to tear us apart. Just endless fields of swaying grass and golden flowers stretching to the horizon.

"This feels wrong," Mulmin muttered beside me, his war axe gripped tight. "Where are the defense...

B2: Chapter 11: Bloody Entrance

Chapter 11: Bloody Entrance

The crowd shifted uneasily as Headmaster Reins raised his hand. "Those with formal invitations, move to my right. The rest of you, to my left."

I clutched Mallie's invitation beneath my cloak as people began to separate. The sound of boots on cobblestones filled the courtyard, accompanied by the rustle of fine cloth and clink of weapons. I joined the smaller group on the right, noting the prevalence of noble crests and expensive attire among my...

B2: Chapter 10: Entrance Ceremony

Chapter 10: Entrance Ceremony

I sat cross-legged on the floor of my room, surrounded by failed experiments. Mechanical fingers lay scattered around me, their joints and gears exposed. Each represented hours of careful work at attempting to combine Assembly and Mana Manipulation, and each had failed.

My flesh hand traced patterns in the air, drawing mana from the atmosphere into delicate streams of power. The energy flowed smoothly through my remaining organic parts, respo...

B2: Chapter 9: Monster Town

Chapter 9: Monster Town

I spent the first few days in my room at the Dragon's Den, performing maintenance and watching the street below through dusty windows. The mechanical joints in my legs needed cleaning after the long journey, and my fingers required careful calibration. But soon the quiet isolation began to wear on me.

On my fourth morning, I ventured out into Monster Town's winding streets. My first impression had been of decay and poverty, of crumbling buildings, ...

B2: Chapter 8: Kaldos City

Chapter 8: Kaldos City

The wagon wheels ground against gravel as we crested the final hill. I pulled back the canvas flap, my first glimpse of Kaldos City stealing my breath away. The sheer scale dwarfed anything I'd seen in my travels. Remembrance could have fit twice within its sprawling bounds.

The city filled a natural depression in the barren landscape, where little vegetation took root in the hard earth. Rings of thick stone walls sectioned the urban expanse into di...

B2: Chapter 7: Traveling East

Chapter 7: Traveling East

The steady creak of wagon wheels and clop of hooves marked time as we traveled the kingdom's highway. Each day blurred into the next, the caravan's routine as predictable as a well-oiled machine. At dusk, we'd halt. At dawn, we'd move. The Iron Trail Company lived up to their reputation as everything ran like precision gears in a clock.

From my spot among the wine barrels, I watched the other passengers through gaps in the canvas. There seemed to...

B2: Chapter 6: Small Steps

Chapter 6: Small Steps

"Dangerous place for a lady," one of the thieves sneered. "But don't worry, we'll take good care of you."

I kept my head down, my black veil hiding the white porcelain mask that covered the area where my eyes should have been. The sound of their boots on wet stone drew closer. My fingers tightened around Kolin's wrapped sword.

"Hand over that fancy package and whatever coin you got, and maybe we'll let you walk away."

In one fluid motion...

B2: Chapter 5: Warrior Town

Chapter 5: Warrior Town

I stepped onto Orengaad's cobblestone streets, my mechanical legs hidden beneath the black mourning dress. The crowd here moved differently than in Remembrance; less flowing, more purposeful. Steel clinked against steel as numerous warriors passed by me.

I activated my Analyze ability, scanning faces in the crowd.

• Dalen of Maxton

  Level 12 Axeman

  Dwarf (Human)

  Male 2025-04-01 08:44:07 +0000 UTC View Post