Chapter 15 - Training
Zalan woke the next morning before the sun had even risen above the horizon. He felt alive, lucid, and powerful, especially compared to his state the afternoon before. He breathed in deeply, flexing his arms and reaching for his phone in his pocket, not quite having given up the habit yet. He patted his empty pocket and scoffed to himself before sitting up. The sight before him caused his mouth to drop wide open.
A few hundred feet where they camped for the...
2024-02-03 17:47:53 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 14 - Newcomers
After a few barbs were thrown between Yelsa and Fran, Rep decided to simply ignore them and continue the conversation between Gorb and Zalan.
“What were you doing in Pludon?” Rep asked Gorb. “That is many weeks’ journey.”
“Yelsa is in search of an Elemental. We heard rumors of an Air Elemental living at the top of the mountain. The rumors were true, but…” Gorb shrugged his shoulders. Rep nodded, understanding the implication.
...
2024-02-03 17:44:16 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 13 - Lightning Strikes
Zalan felt the moment that Rep was struck by the lightning. Zalan was using Rep as a crutch and the electricity flowed through Rep like a missile tearing into Zalan’s soul. The energy was overwhelming, a burning, straining sensation, easily enough to kill both Rep and Zalan.
Except that Zalan felt the muscle of Elemental Power now.
It was so clear in that tiny moment. Like putting one’s hand on a hot stovetop and having to draw it away, Z...
2024-02-03 17:43:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 12 - Storm
In the seconds it took Zalan and Rep to get under the cover of a decrepit, crumbling building, the torrent of rain pounded atop them with flashes of lightning and roars of thunder filling the city. Rep peeked his head out and darted back inside when another strike of lightning illuminated the area. Zalan leaned himself upright against a wall, breathing heavily after moving only a few feet. He was utterly exhausted, his energy sapped from today’s journey, his lack ...
2024-02-02 05:23:44 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 11 - Blood and Lightning
Zalan swallowed painfully hard as Rep’s eyes rapidly flit between Zalan and the Elemental watching Zalan closely from above. The three of them constantly looked at the flow of blood from Zalan’s hand. Rep was biting the inside of his lip hard, his concern taking a physical toll on him. Rep was shifting in place madly, feeling like he should be doing something to help.
“Zalan, dress your wounds. Close them, please,” Rep pleaded, holding ou...
2024-02-02 03:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 10 - The Lost City of Xagon
Zalan took a bold step into the lost city, its crumbling exterior evidence of it having been eroded by winds for years before he and Rep took on the journey to lay eyes upon it. They surveyed the entrance and buildings at a safe distance, ensuring there were no miscreants that had made this place a home of their own that intended to ambush them at the first opportunity.
The city was much larger than Oriton, but the stones of its buildings were...
2024-02-02 01:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 09 - Desert Travel
Zalan flailed and managed to strike the Roach’s leg as it came down, throwing it off balance. The creature still managed to make glancing contact, and Zalan felt the appendages drag away skin, burning his face with unbearable pain. His eyes could only see the sickly orange eyes of the Roach as well as the antennae twitching with glee. Zalan punched powerfully into the abdomen of the creature, and it took a step back as it bore the pain, then stepped forwar...
2024-02-01 23:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 08 - Roaches
Zalan looked in wonder at the world beyond the walls, now that he had a time to appreciate it. The immediate area was sparsely populated by trees and bushes, mounds of sand in the distance, and perhaps even an oasis if he peered far enough. He couldn’t see any animals in the immediate area, but there was plenty of evidence of things living just beyond the walls. Tiny prints and trails in all directions on the well-worn path they followed. Zalan suddenly looked b...
2024-02-01 22:01:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 07 - A Tireless Swordsmith
Zalan absorbed the town as they walked by, surprised by the amount of people on the streets at sundown. There were lanterns and torches on every corner, keeping the city alight and bustling as people grabbed last minute items or meals for home. People seemed to be in good spirits, which made Zalan wonder whether that was an intended look of the dream world or if there were autonomous parts to it like the townspeople. They passed many butchers and equ...
2024-02-01 22:00:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 06 - Elementals
Rep and Zalan splayed out the books on the table in the center of Journey House, having been asked to leave Madam Hikma’s place as most people asking for advice went looking for privacy. It took a few trips, but Zalan and Rep were able to gather all the books on the table in the guild and sat across from one another looking down at the books with mild disdain. Neither made the first move to crack one open.
“We could always simply go to the volcano,”...
2024-02-01 21:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 05 - A Woman of Wisdom
The modest room they were led inside of had a long wooden table covered on all sides by varying stacks of books. Bookshelves covered the back wall, books scattered in all directions, presumably because they were often rearranged or grabbed for snippets of information. There was a set of seats on one end of the table to hold about ten guests at a time and on the other side sat an old woman, sitting with her back straight and a bowl of soup in front of her...
2024-02-01 20:00:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 04 - Get in Line
“So, why isn’t there a stat like Health on my abilities list?” Zalan asked, raising his wrist to get a better look at the lost skin scabbing over on the knuckles of his right hand.
“An interesting question. Do you have a health stat in your world?” Rep asked.
“No, we don’t have any stats where I’m from,” Zalan replied.
“So why are you expecting to see it here?” Rep asked, pointing to Zalan’s wrist as the abilities fade...
2024-02-01 19:00:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 03 - Oriton
Zalan ducked down, hoping to get out of the way when the Flamestriker swung its flaming claws at him, but it was clear that Zalan hadn’t moved nearly far enough. Zalan winced as the last thump of the creature's legs struck the earth. It dived at him with full force, snarling as it lunged forward with incredible speed.
There was another thump and Zalan flinched, the guttural growl of the beast fading into a gurgle. Zalan opened an eye a crack and screamed, t...
2024-02-01 18:00:11 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 02 - A Fiery Friend
Zalan shut his eyes in fear, all but certain his life would end right now, without knowing anything about what was transpiring. Suddenly, he heard something thud in front of him. He opened his eyes and saw a young man with short black hair in a fading red tunic with his arms planted down on the swelling earth just as it erupted. Rather than exploding, the flame was directed out to the side, like a pot emitting steam from only one end. It arced sideways, bla...
2024-02-01 17:00:16 +0000 UTC
View Post
Chapter 01 - A Rejection of Reality
Zalan sat empty on the worn-out couch of his dimly lit apartment, his thoughts feeling so far away from him, yet consuming his every faculty. He stared at the ceiling fan lazily rotating above him with a dissociated focus.Tracking a single blade with his eyes, he found his mind stuck in rote loops, repeating questions that permeated through his numb thoughts. Why was he such a pathetic son? Every revolution of the fan made him think th...
2024-02-01 06:23:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
