Ian stared down at Zilverna’s body, the young man’s chest slowly rising and falling. Judith’s corpse lay next to him, her eyes still open.
With a sigh, Ian closed her eyes and stood up. He gave the two bodies a final contemplative look before shaking his head and kicking off the ground. The bat constructs, bone chain, and Bluebird followed him. As Ian sped over the dunes, he sent the bones into his void storage while keeping Bluebird on alert for other assailants.
“Ian...
2020-12-17 16:31:00 +0000 UTC
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[ another chapter with colored text; PDF attached, but colored text also rendered in bold for reading in the patreon app. ]
Ian gritted his teeth as he dodged a dozen different wind barriers that forced him to continuously pivot. If he lingered anywhere for more than a moment, a gout of flame blasted him, seeming to materialize from thin air.
Ian thought back to what he saw in Woeshiv’s soul...back even to what he saw when developing a counter to Remorse attacks: a vast tapestry...
2020-12-15 16:31:00 +0000 UTC
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Soolemar hoisted Ian up by the arm, gripping onto his forearm and inspecting his face as though looking for something.
“Soolemar?” Ian muttered, pulling away. He noticed that the green orb had fallen from his hands and was rolling on the ground.
The necromancer blinked, then let Ian’s arm go, his own limbs falling to his sides. He walked ponderously to the edge of the room, peering out over the moonlit canyon.
Ian joined him. When he looked out, he tried to imagine wha...
2020-12-12 16:38:22 +0000 UTC
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[ This chapter is a bit trippy and has colored text. Patreon is trash and does not support colored text, so I attached a PDF. It should still be readable here, I just made all the colored text bold instead. ]
“You’re almost getting it,” Soolemar grunted. He and Ian sat across from one another on two stools within the necromancer’s cave, their eyes flaring with opposing green and violet energy.
Ian clenched his jaw as he rained an assault on Soolemar. The old necromancer re...
2020-12-10 16:36:33 +0000 UTC
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Euryphel knew that they had nothing to leverage against the terms of surrender. The SPU couldn’t use Ian as a counter threat: If the decemancer returned to take his own Selejan hostages, he’d only be caught in the Eldemari’s web. He watched on as the others in the room raged and complained about the terms of surrender, noting that nobody was suggesting any way to get around them.
They’ve already given up.
A tide of calm certainty washed over the prince; he knew wh...
2020-12-08 16:31:02 +0000 UTC
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“Euryphel, you must not tell anyone of your scar. Do you understand?”
He nodded earnestly, eyes alight with curiosity. “Why?”
His mother pulled him in close, holding him to her chest. “Words have power, sweetness. I’ve told you so before, haven’t I?”
Euryphel wriggled in her grasp. “You tell me every day!” he exclaimed.
She smiled, eyes creasing tenderly. “And whose words have the most power in this kingdom?...
2020-12-05 18:44:51 +0000 UTC
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“You’ve been studying under me for the past two weeks,” Soolemar stated. “I’m not ignorant that you’re running out of time before your ascension.”
Ian looked up from the mannequin before him, its surface no longer covered in inefficient threads of Death energy. “I’ve learned a lot, but I’m not exactly confident that I’ve learned anything that will help me against the descendant.”
Soolemar smiled. “You really think you’re going to have trouble?”
...
2020-12-03 20:09:31 +0000 UTC
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The necromancer continued to scratch Divian’s ears as he considered Ian’s question. “Why does it matter how I know him?”
“I want to confirm that you’re the necromancer Achemiss knew from his pre-ascendant days. I also want to know more about you.”
Soolemar grunted. “I suppose that’s fair. Of the many necromancers Achemiss knew before he ascended, I am the only one still alive.
“Achemiss and I had very different ideas on the apex of necromancy. A thousand ...
2020-12-01 16:31:00 +0000 UTC
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That night, Ian slept like the dead.
Ian couldn’t remember the last time that he’d gotten more than five hours of sleep. The never-ending stress and constant meetings, not to mention commencing the war on Godora...all of it conspired to leave him sleep-deprived and reliant on decemantic intervention just to keep himself moving.
For the first time in seemingly forever, there was nothing demanding his attention. He’d already found a necromancer, checking off the main objective...
2020-11-28 17:49:27 +0000 UTC
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[ long chapter. ]
“Zilverna.”
Zilverna whipped around and winced, clutching at his tightly-bandaged chest. His eyes widened in concern. “Mother...what are you doing here!?”
The Eldemari sat down onto the cot. Two guards silently flanked the door to the medical room. She trusted that the one on the left, Kaiwen, would take any preemptive actions necessary to ensure her safety. She knew that the others had already spread out over the battleship to watch for threats wit...
2020-11-26 20:58:05 +0000 UTC
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[ Long chappy today. I'm thinking about doing a live reading of Thursday's chapter for fun since I'll have the day off for Thanksgiving, maybe around noon EST (GMT -5)? Lmk what you think in the comments/on discord. ]
Ian wasn’t sure when Soolemar’s assessment turned into a lesson.
At the end of the day he’d sought out Soolemar to learn necromancy, but he’d expected that the ‘learning’ part would come later. All of his forays in the past had been simple, noncommittal d...
2020-11-24 16:31:00 +0000 UTC
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Ian recoiled in instinct as Soolemar stepped in close. He swallowed as the necromancer held up his arm and ran fingers along its length, paying the thick outer layer of the jacket no mind. The necromancer's eyes narrowed in concentration as he lowered the limb and moved onto Ian’s torso, planting both hands upon his chest.
What on earth is he doing? Ian wondered, mildly uncomfortable with the impromptu pat-down. He didn’t feel any energy coming from the man at all.
So...
2020-11-21 20:52:34 +0000 UTC
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Ian’s lips pressed into a line as he contemplated the man’s brazen request. It was one thing to say he was Ian Dunai and another to prove the veracity of his words by using his practice.
“I can see you’re suffering from withdrawal,” Soolemar said, his voice echoing through the gorge. “Watch your fingers.”
Ian looked down and formed his hands into fists, concealing the tiny, trembling traitors. “You can tell even through the gloves?”
“Just come down alread...
2020-11-20 03:09:20 +0000 UTC
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Sorry for another post guys, I'm just excited...bear with me while I fawn over this instead of editing the chapter...heh. (I promise it's coming tonight lol!)
I have this as my wallpaper rn and it looks lit. istg I'm gonna have it made into a poster or canvas print or something and hang it up. If that's something that people other than me would also like, lmk in the comments xD
2020-11-20 00:22:54 +0000 UTC
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Finally the cover is done! Chapter is coming soon as well...thanks for being patient :D
Artist is Jeff Brown 🙌
2020-11-19 20:09:54 +0000 UTC
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Ian froze for a moment at the question. Tell them about myself. Before he left, he’d briefly practiced answering similarly basic questions with two of the SPU’s Beginning intelligence agents.
‘Hello, I’m Ian Baldwin. I’ve been traveling to see more of the world. I have no siblings, my parents are dead, and my favorite color is blue,’ Ian thought sarcastically. More seriously, he was supposed to talk about twin interests in glossy programmatics and professio...
2020-11-18 00:08:40 +0000 UTC
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The more Euryphel ran Ian through scenarios, the more he realized it was probably for the best that he wasn’t there in person. Ian was generally good at hiding when he was in pain–he rarely complained about anything at all–but he couldn’t hide everything, especially when he was up against Soolemar.
Every time Ian faced up against the necromancer, he did so for the first time, having no recollection of previous encounters. Each time he experienced pain enough to render him incohe...
2020-11-14 16:30:01 +0000 UTC
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[ the title on this chapter is trying to be cute :3 lol ]
Euryphel sighed and rubbed his jaw. “We can try it again, but this time I want you to test the city’s southern entrance.”
“It’s almost morning for you,” Ian observed. “I’ve been careful; we should have more time before I’m discovered by anyone. We can resume this later once you’ve taken a break.”
The prince frowned and glanced at his mug of midnight coffee. It was still...
2020-11-12 22:46:01 +0000 UTC
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The door swung open to reveal a frail-looking woman with large, gray eyes and white hair. “Hello; can I help you?”
“The code phrase is, ‘just a traveler passing through.’”
Ian didn’t see how the generic phrase properly functioned as a code, but recited the words exactly. The woman nodded and gave him an appraising smile.
“Alright, come on in and we'll see what we can do. I’m Jo; you are...?”
Ian held out his hand. “Ian Baldwin.”
S...
2020-11-10 16:31:01 +0000 UTC
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Ian woke at the crack of dawn feeling exhausted. After giving himself a small vitality infusion, he prepared to leave the Dunai estate for what would probably be the first and final time.
As he dressed himself, he dissected just why he was feeling so unsatisfied. What were you expecting? For everyone to worship you and repent? He went to Feather to be discreet, not to inflate his ego or demand apologies. Even so, he knew that some part of him longed for his family’s recogniti...
2020-11-07 17:01:05 +0000 UTC
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Ian sat across from Mercy in her private balcony. The courtyard below was empty save for a servant sweeping the stone pathways, his gaze fixed on the floor.
“It’s more beautiful in the summer,” Mercy sighed.
Ian could imagine the courtyard in warmer colors, its birch trees alight with foliage, its magnolias ripe with pastel blooms. He could see the square clearing at the courtyard’s center easily fitting six or more medium sized tables, allowing for a sizable outdoor gathe...
2020-11-05 16:31:04 +0000 UTC
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[ thanks for reading, guys! ]
Everyone stepped forward into the mandala. Aunt Julia looked unfazed, likely having already used the array before. Germaine was nearly bouncing with anticipation, her eyes staring intently at the intricately-winding script of the array.
Adricaius resumed his explanation. “One of the most restrictive limitations of the array is that it must be activated by a Dark practitioner.” From where Adricaius’ finger lay against the array, darkness ebbed fo...
2020-11-03 16:30:00 +0000 UTC
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Ian and Germaine encountered no difficulties as they exited the SPU and soared over the open waters of the Illyrian Ocean. The further North they flew, the colder it became until Ian pulled out two jackets from the void storage.
“Getting close,” he exclaimed. “We’re back to having seasons.”
Germaine tugged at her fingerless gloves. “Don’t you have some kind of power to make us warm?”
Ian snorted. “Do I look like a Sun practitioner?”
Germaine sighed....
2020-10-31 15:33:35 +0000 UTC
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[ Due to my wild schedule, I'll try to post these chaps around 11:30 am (the normal RR release time), but if it's not up by 11:30 am I'll at least make sure that they're uploaded by the end of the day. Thanks for the flexibility! :) ]
The room fell silent. Ian’s gaze sharpened on General Var’dun’a’s projection, his expression inscrutable.
I already said I wasn’t going to flee, Ian recalled, mulling things over. But this is decidedly different: It’s not so ...
2020-10-30 00:25:12 +0000 UTC
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“Ian,” Euryphel called out, closing the distance from a door leading into the outer grounds. The decemancer turned around, his eyes widening.
Germaine hopped out from the wyrm and landed lightly on the dirt, her dark hair strewn about her shoulders. Ian touched down next to her, his eyes flashing subtly violet as he stood and turned toward the prince’s approaching form.
“Eury. Where do you need me?”
Euryphel pointed downward. “We’re deploying the Deathseed, the...
2020-10-27 15:31:00 +0000 UTC
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Why...am I awake?
Ian groaned and rolled over in bed, accidentally falling off the edge and onto the ground with a thud. He lay sprawled among the bedsheets, too exhausted to move. He could give himself another energy boost using decemancy...but he couldn’t rely on boosts forever. He needed the actual rest while he could get it.
As his eyes unsealed, a reddish globe came into view, bobbing softly next to the foot of the bed.
Was it just yesterday that I tether...
2020-10-24 16:22:26 +0000 UTC
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Eury turned around for what felt like the hundredth time, sensing Urstes’ gaze. “Sorry to disappoint, Guardian, but I’m going to be awake a while longer.”
The guardian scratched at his stubble and fingered the sword hilt at his belt. “You’ve been sending around messages for the past hour after the emergency high war council meeting. Not that I’m feeling left in the dark, but...what’s the plan, exactly?”
Euryphel leaned back, pulling himself away from his glosspad...
2020-10-22 15:35:24 +0000 UTC
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Although Corvid wasn’t located on the beach, the ocean was only a short flight away. As Ian approached, he spotted a shipyard sprawling across the shore, devoid of life save a small prowling cat.
To calm his nerves, he began to process the Death energy he’d amassed at the two battlefields, spooling and condensing it down into more soul gems. His wyrm coiled protectively around him, prepared to receive any sneak offensives.
Ian sighed. Seems like they probably changed their...
2020-10-20 15:31:00 +0000 UTC
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[ i spent way too long trying to name this chapter. suggestions requested in the comments thanks guys! ]
The holding room was a civilian bunker built of brick and iron, its floor covered in pale panels of wood. Blair almost thought it could have been a school if not for the lack of windows and low ceilings.
Their guards had left them alone several minutes ago as a great commotion fell over Corvid, the Kyeilans commencing their assault. With their war oath bindings, they wouldn’t...
2020-10-17 15:45:29 +0000 UTC
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[update: met with my cover artist yesterday and got a first draft of the cover for book 1. looks incredible and i'm super excited to see the final version when it's ready in about a month. thanks to everyone's support -- without this patreon i don't think i would've ever thought about commissioning a professional cover!]
Por’sha lightened their steps, allowing them to catch up to the wyrm. Ian stuck the captives inside construct’s ribcage, then climbed atop its spine. The Deathseed ...
2020-10-15 15:30:01 +0000 UTC
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