A week flew by. Ian spent the majority of his days brainstorming a way to weaponize soul gems, helping Germaine move her studio to Zukal’iss, and training his abilities. While the technology of a glosSword was beyond Ian’s knowledge, he figured that designing a device that could replicate the sword’s defensive aegis mode would prove useful during combat.
The key is the soul gem, Ian mused, hovering the prismatic gem before him. If the problem is with my ascendant ener...
2020-08-11 15:31:00 +0000 UTC
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“Mother.” Zilverna Elvry Sezakuin crossed his arms and wore a stony expression. His hair was messy, as though he’d been recently airborne. The cape he wore on his shoulder appeared a bit dirty as well, the stain of red, dusty sand tinging its edges. He was standing in Maria’s office, a small space tucked behind the throne room, the Sezakuin’s public seat of power.
Mother looked up from her glosscomp, hair falling into her eyes. She tucked it away and gave him a knowing look. ...
2020-08-08 15:30:01 +0000 UTC
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The two clinked their glasses together and spent the rest of the evening talking about anything and everything.
When Ian came to the next morning, he wasn’t in his bed; rather, he was still in the parlor, sitting awkwardly in his favored chair. He squinted his eyes at the soft, cloudy brightness of the window, judging the time to be somewhere around six in the morning.
Ian looked over to the side where he suspected the prince lay in slumber. Sure enough, the man’s white-gold l...
2020-08-06 15:31:00 +0000 UTC
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Euryphel returned with two glasses in one hand and a handle of the Selejan whiskey in the other. He poured a bit into the two ice-filled glasses and passed one to Ian before sitting atop an antique wooden bureau.
"So, to begin: the Fassari Summit, as you can probably guess by its name, is held in Fassar. It's essentially..." the prince paused, considering his words. “You’ve seen it broadcasted before, right?”
“Clips from it, perhaps,” Ian replied. “Specific parts of it...
2020-08-04 15:30:01 +0000 UTC
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Euryphel adjusted his hair ornament and walked toward Ian’s sullen form.
“That’s ridiculous,” the decemancer said quietly, his posture terse, arms folded across his chest. “You think we’ll lose to the Eldemari? She’s an End practitioner; End isn’t an affinity known for combat.”
Euryphel sighed. “You really think End isn’t useful in war? It’s not a question of winning with the Eldemari, Ian, but of what you’re willing to lose for victory.”
“I don...
2020-08-02 15:41:31 +0000 UTC
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I didn’t become Crowned Prime to break my father’s peace, Euryphel thought somberly, curled up on his bed. “Is it too much to want to rule fairly and effectively?” he wondered out loud. “Too much to want to hold on to what good we have?”
He held out his left hand, his eyes tracing over the form of the arrow embedded within. “Stability is already starting to slip,” he murmured. He could feel it all around him, that ominous feeling of something coming
2020-08-01 15:30:03 +0000 UTC
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“So?” Ezenti said.
It took a moment for Ian to collect his expression and remember where he was.
“That was incredibly vivid,” he said, rubbing his jaw. “I have to say I’ve been repeatedly impressed with your skills, Ezenti. You aren’t a ninety-ninth percentile practitioner for nought.”
“Yes, well, my Remorse abilities aren’t exactly as flashy or offensively inclined as yours, decemancer, but I make do.”
Ian’s brow twitched. Not offe...
2020-07-30 15:30:01 +0000 UTC
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A few days passed, each similar to the last. Generally, the day commenced with practice in the morning between Ian, Euryphel, and other princes from the Council of Princes. After, Euryphel would enter into a series of meetings, leaving Ian to his own devices for most of the day. In the evening, the prince found time to unwind and reflect, as well as ramble about the tangled political landscape spanning the Ho’ostar peninsula and Selejo.
Ian spent his time in the afternoons trying to c...
2020-07-28 15:31:00 +0000 UTC
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Maria Elde Sezakuin swiped through several pages of experiment notes on a glosspad. She glanced up at Dr. Prophin, her eyes steely, but she remained quiet. She could tell the man was sweating, rightfully intimidated by being alone with the Eldemari.
She’d already read through all of the Infinity Loop experiment’s notes and write-ups, but they were mostly filled with conjectures and flowery language. She wanted to hear about the loop–and its breakout successful trial–from t...
2020-07-25 15:30:01 +0000 UTC
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Before leaving for his meeting, Euryphel opened the salon door into the outer palace hall with the guest room shared by Ian’s mother and aunt. On his way out, Ian grabbed a few sandwich triangles and waved halfheartedly.
“We can talk about this more later,” Euryphel said. “I know it’s a lot, but we can plan for every possibility.”
Ian nodded, then closed the door behind him with a light kick. He knew Euryphel was trying to comfort him, but the prince’s a...
2020-07-23 15:30:01 +0000 UTC
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“So, hearing all of that...do you think he’s a half-step ascendant?” Euryphel asked, staring at the gently-bubbling fountain.
“If he is, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Urstes replied. “He's deceptively experienced. From what you’ve told me, he’s engaged in more conflicts than people many times his age.”
“Yes, well...” Euryphel sighed. “What do you think is to be done about it, if he is?”
Urstes frowned. “If so, then he’s brought both trouble ...
2020-07-21 15:30:01 +0000 UTC
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Euryphel was the first to rush forward, wind empowering him to lope swiftly over the ground, spanning ten feet in a single stride.
Meanwhile, Ko’la’s sinuous, swarthy form disappeared from sight; even his vital signature grew murky and difficult to perceive, though it was still present. Ezenti barely seemed to move, stepping forward slowly, tentatively, likely waiting for others to come to him. His wispy white hair fluttered around his face in the morning breeze, his azure eyes star...
2020-07-18 15:31:01 +0000 UTC
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Euryphel turned around on the bed to face Ian. The decemancer was sitting at the edge of the bed, his hands clasped and his feet braced against the floor.
“How many more meetings do you have today?” the decemancer asked.
Euryphel sighed. “More than I’d like, but it’s fine. I should probably take some time now to prepare.”
“Skipping lunch?”
Euryphel gave him a tired look. “I’ll have something small.”
“Don’t wear yourself out,” Ian...
2020-07-16 15:31:00 +0000 UTC
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Urstes had many minutes to rethink the strategy that landed the Guard in the depths of the decemancer’s nebula of energy and bone.
For one, they shouldn’t have sent in Mo’qin in the beginning. That was the biggest mistake of all. They should have kept him in the wings, hidden, as far from the decemancer as possible. They had needed his firepower later, when their central strategy kicked into high gear.
The match should have ended the second Nixia trapped the deceman...
2020-07-15 23:29:08 +0000 UTC
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We've finally reached (and exceeded) 500 patrons! Thanks to everyone for supporting me and this book :)
To celebrate, I'm going to release an extra chapter this week. I'm thinking about making it patreon only (so patreon would be 7 chapters ahead, instead of 6), but let me know your thoughts.
-caerulex
2020-07-15 12:50:15 +0000 UTC
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Ian and Euryphel met in the morning to talk strategy over breakfast. An hour before the demonstration, they took a private hovergloss to the chosen site. The hovergloss soared through the sky, giving Ian an excellent view of the territory below.
“You weren’t born here, but this territory now belongs to you just as surely as it does to me, or any other citizen. What do you think of it?”
Ian scratched his head. The SPU’s wilderness was untamed and largely unpopulated, ...
2020-07-14 15:30:59 +0000 UTC
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For anyone who isn't on the discord, here is fanart so far! All fanart is kept on the discord. Also featuring the high-res cover by yours truly.
2020-07-12 21:23:20 +0000 UTC
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Euryphel sighed in relief, closing his eyes. Finally.
The meeting had adjourned.
The other Prime of Fives stood up and stretched, gathering their belongings before leaving the room to find dinner. The Minor Seven in attendance fled the room as though their lives depended on it.
Meanwhile, the assemblymen and other miscellaneous observers in the balcony filed out in groups, self-assembling by faction. Beyond the walls, Euryphel’s eyes tracked the path of a go...
2020-07-11 15:31:00 +0000 UTC
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Like Pardin and Menocht, Zukal’iss sat upon the water, the city looking out onto the bay from an elevated, rocky bluff. Waves smashed onto the slick base, causing it to glisten in the sun.
Ian was now permitted to fly in SPU airspace, so he could theoretically fly straight from the palace to the Bay of Ramsay. Unfortunately, doing so would attract unwanted attention, so Ian instead planned to get closer to the water on foot.
“At least it’s good exercise,” Ian muttered unde...
2020-07-09 15:30:59 +0000 UTC
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Euryphel thought that the day so far had been mostly successful: He’d let Ian find out for himself that standing guard outside of meetings was a cruelly boring job best left for others. He’d also sent him on a quest to manufacture soul gems. While the value of the gems would never number more than in the millions with respect to profit, every bit helped. The ten billion auris had, after all, come out of his inheritance.
Thus, having paid off his debt to the Eldemari without informin...
2020-07-07 15:30:59 +0000 UTC
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Still asleep? He thought to himself, shaking his head; he could see Aunt Julia and Mother’s slumbering figures from beyond the walls. He opened the door to the guest room, taking care to step lightly lest he wake the two tigers.
After dressing himself in the only pair of clothes he owned–a plain, beige shirt and dark trousers purchased in Yivyiv–Ian walked out of the room and ventured out toward the guest dining room, a spacious hall where meals would be served buffet-sty...
2020-07-04 15:30:59 +0000 UTC
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As soon as Jarun’mai left, Euryphel grabbed his secured glossy and sent a message.
> Maria, your ultimatum is absolute trash.
A minute later, a message came back:
> Dearest Eury, what wasn’t to your satisfaction?
Euryphel’s lip curled up. It seemed that she had some time to spare. He pressed the “secured video conference” option on the application; a moment later, he was staring face to face with Maria Sezakuin.
“It’s a pleasure to see y...
2020-07-02 15:31:00 +0000 UTC
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Euryphel used the hour he’d originally reserved for a late lunch to see the decemancer’s mother.
In the intervening hours between the first encounter with the decemancer and now, Euryphel had learned much from his intelligence network. Like he’d originally deduced, Julian hailed from Solar province in Shattradan. His mother, Iolana Dunai, had raised him alone from an early age in a city Euryphel had never heard of; she wasn’t a practitioner, and little about her pro...
2020-06-30 15:31:00 +0000 UTC
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Guardian Druni led them out of Ichormai, using the official exit known to the public rather than the backdoor exit Ian had used with Euryphel. The main exit was located close to the guest wing, so they didn’t need to go far. After leaving the outer palace, they simply followed a stone path through a copse of flowering shrubs and trees before coming upon a massive, open, wooden gateway painted vermillion. On either side of the red gate stretched an iron fence topped with menacin...
2020-06-27 15:31:59 +0000 UTC
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Ian was surprised that Euryphel dropped him off so suddenly after only meeting for a few minutes. At the very least, the prince had deposited him in a room filled with art. Ian walked around the salon, inspecting the various old portraits adorning the walls.
Fifteen minutes later, the guardsman from before came to find him.
“Hello again,” Ian said cheerfully. “What kind of practitioner are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”
The man laughed. “You’re blunt. I’m a Mounta...
2020-06-27 15:30:01 +0000 UTC
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For the sixteenth scenario, Euryphel walked through the sun room and stood just behind its sole entrance. When Urstes knocked, rather than opening up like he normally would, Euryphel exploded the door outward with a wind-empowered kick.
The decemancer flew backward into the courtyard, reeling and bleeding from a head wound, but clearly still conscious. As Urstes hadn’t been given the order to attack, he stood down, watching the scene with interest.
The decemancer cradled a hand ...
2020-06-25 15:30:01 +0000 UTC
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Do people want an extra normal chapter this week or a custom interlude (the perspective and topic TBD by vote)?
Whatever you guys want I'll have ready for a double release on either this Saturday or a week from today (next Tuesday), depending on how soon I get the chapter written/edited. Even if you don't vote for interlude in this poll, if you have an idea for one, please comment it. Even if the interlude option loses, I might do one in the future anyways.
2020-06-24 01:48:48 +0000 UTC
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Euryphel walked Ian to the door, pulling it open to reveal an empty parlor in the outer palace. “Wait here for a few minutes,” he instructed, shutting the door with a gust of air.
Euryphel then opened the door again, frowning at the sight of a gray rat leaking juices onto the unkempt tile. “Urstes,” he called out.
The guardian was leaning on the wall, staring off aimlessly into space. He pushed off its blanched surface and gracefully stepped over to Euryphel’s side, pass...
2020-06-23 15:31:00 +0000 UTC
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Three hours later, the trio had eaten a late dinner and were dressed in simple, dry vestments. As it was already late, they decided to stay at an inn rather than calling a hovergloss. Though Yivyiv was a small, remote town, they found an inn without much difficulty and settled in for the night, Aunt Julia paying for a room to share. Ian resigned himself to sleeping on the room’s couch, while Mother and Aunt Julia each had a small, thin bed to themselves.
They got up in the morning, at...
2020-06-21 01:42:40 +0000 UTC
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As they flew, Aunt Julia peppered him with questions about the loop and his capabilities. Ian figured she was trying to gather as much information as possible so as to improve her Beginning auguries. Where much of what End practitioners saw could only be explained as beyond comprehension, Beginning practitioners were highly dependent on prior observations to make predictions about the future. This allowed them to have greater flexibility in their auguries, though the accuracy of their p...
2020-06-21 01:18:07 +0000 UTC
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