New chapter is mostly on time. Whew. Getting better!
New chapter is mostly on time. Whew. Getting better!
While the other two watched her with confused looks, Muti led the party towards what she smelled. After just a couple minutes, she perked up and said, “There is a pack of gnolls between us and what I want to follow. There are nine of them.”
Astrid pursed her lips as she considered what to do. The party preferred not to engage even with packs...
2025-07-14 21:56:13 +0000 UTC
View Post
***
While they walked up to the Dungeon and as they stepped through the first floor, Astrid continued acclimating herself to the weight of the shield. It was maybe 8 centimeters shorter from top to bottom than her old tower shield, and the bottom came to a point instead of being squared, but even so, it was at least twice as heavy as her old shield. Now, it weighed at least 25 kilos and though Astrid could carry it without much trouble, she was already preparing herself to suff...
2025-07-14 09:44:24 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hello! I'm writing and thinking at the moment, and I'm guessing that we're... maybe 20-30 chapters away from Astrid hitting level 16? Honestly, I have no idea. But anyways. At that point, I'll be giving Astrid the Great One's boon. I have a couple ideas, some of which are listed below. If you like any of them, say as much. If you have your own ideas, let me know. I'm pretty flexible with this, though which possibilities get offered and what she chooses will be a little up in the air haha.
...
2025-07-12 19:22:17 +0000 UTC
View Post
***
“Astrid, bring your party to my office.”
After the burning of Bogdan and Antoni’s corpses, Klara approached Astrid. The Warrior nodded her agreement and quickly gathered her two party members. Skandr’d shed a couple tears during the funeral, but Muti’s face was seemingly angry instead of mournful. Once they were all together in the office, Klara began to explain.
“I’m going to give you all some more information than the rest because it has been made obvious...
2025-07-11 20:54:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
***
It took a fair while for the group of people to understand what it was that the massive monster wanted them to do with the corpse, but after he came back with Styrofoam disposable plates and rusty cutlery, it became rather apparent what it was that he wanted them to do. As TJ’d warned, they would be eating the monster.
TJ cut one of the monster's arms off and tried to use his Wendigo Blade to skin the limb. He had no such luck, and had to ask for Mimi to pass over her Fungr ...
2025-07-11 15:00:13 +0000 UTC
View Post
***
***
“So, this is mana-blessed iron. All that really means is that it’s had mana pushed through it to the point that it’s become a permanent part of the metal. So, a lot of mana. I’m sure you know generally what that means, but specifically, if you push an active Skill through this shield, it will be strengthened, whether it be a defensive or offensive Skill, doesn’t matter. On top of that, the material itself’s a lot harder and stronger than regular iron or steel. ...
2025-07-11 04:49:53 +0000 UTC
View Post
***
“There will be at least four more packs just like these. Apparently, one of them will be under the guidance of their clan leader, and he’s supposed to be the strongest out of them all. At least, his magic will be. Frankly, most Keel don’t seem to have to concern themselves with any of the attacks from their magic. At least, if they are attacking wide swathes. The kid said that if they focus on individuals, the magic will pierce a lot more easily through defences. Finally, he s...
2025-07-10 05:20:59 +0000 UTC
View Post
***
“Raise your fist higher.”
Astrid listened to Muti’s commands without complaint, though she had to grit her teeth. What was most frustrating was that the forms that Astrid had learned for grappling in the guardsman barracks at home were very different from those that her party member was drilling her through. So much of the grappling and fist fighting techniques from before were focused more on incapacitating and keeping herself from being hurt while someone else came to ...
2025-07-09 23:05:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
***
“Get back!”
As TJ made the command, he spread the wind shield that he created in front of his people. As the strangely solid water continued to fly in every direction, TJ transformed into a coatl and felt the surge in his Attributes and Wind Manipulation Skill level. Then, he was able to keep the potentially disastrous attack from spilling over and killing some of his followers.
“Don’t look at me, I didn’t say anything.” Even before anyone said anything to he...
2025-07-09 15:00:13 +0000 UTC
View Post
***
“My father’s name is Savraba. He was born into slavery under the control of the Hordes. When he was a young man, he snuck into his owner’s place where they kept the mana crystal that allowed for people to be bestowed a Class. After getting himself a Class, he returned back to his pen to gain levels for a time, at least until he could make his escape. It took him years of being treated like an object and subhuman until he finally got high enough leveled to escape.
“His ...
2025-07-09 08:04:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
***
The trembling creatures didn’t know what to do when their ability to escape was taken from them. Much like… the arrogant princeling, whatever his name was, they considered themselves to be superior to me and my people in every way. That I had handily rendered them unconscious with only my voice did not matter. That we obviously knew about their magic and had them surrounded in firelight did not matter. That they were adolescents and we were fully grown did not matter. The arroga...
2025-07-08 06:29:16 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hey, look at me being almost on time! The weekdays should be like this, but my brother's wedding is less than three weeks away, so I don't k
Hey, look at me being almost on time! The weekdays should be like this, but my brother's wedding is less than three weeks away, so I don't k
Hey, look at me being almost on time! The weekdays should be like this, but my brother's wedding is less than three weeks away, so I don't know how far my consistency will go on this until Au...
2025-07-07 21:34:30 +0000 UTC
View Post
***
Astrid wordlessly swung her hammer backward. The brawler that was lunging towards her took the blow on its face, and though the kill notification flashed in her eyes, Astrid was too exhausted to feel pride. Instead, she threw Skandr over her shoulder as she activated Quick Recovery. The flash of cool relief that flowed through her muscles made her groan in pleasure, but she and her party were far from having escaped the danger.
Ahead of her, Muti ran without looking back. She ...
2025-07-07 08:17:25 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hey, sorry for the delay. Moved all the furniture into the new house yesterday, and I was, in a word, freaking exhausted. I wrote the entire
Hey, sorry for the delay. Moved all the furniture into the new house yesterday, and I was, in a word, freaking exhausted. I wrote the entire chapter last night, but as I was editing it, I realized I didn't understand the words I was writing. Figured it'd be better to finish the chapter later, which is what I did. Another chapter coming ...
2025-07-06 19:41:18 +0000 UTC
View Post
Moving. It's kinda sucky tbh. Praise all that is holy for the wife, she's my hero. So much better than I am at all this "organization" stuff
Moving. It's kinda sucky tbh. Praise all that is holy for the wife, she's my hero. So much better than I am at all this "organization" stuff. Tomorrow's all the big stuff, so who knows when I'll get the time to write then. But I will, even if I end up being late like tonight.
Fortunately, they made their way into the...
2025-07-05 07:43:38 +0000 UTC
View Post
***
A/N: Just FYI: Don't think I'll get another one of these chapters out until next Monday. Doing all the moving tomorrow and Saturday (yay holidays, I guess), so I'll be limited on writing time.
“Careful on the right!”
“Behind you, there’s a shadow!”
“Non-magical, as far as we can tell. Movement on the far side!”
“It’s one of our own. Keeping an eye on the flank of the wyrm!”
One of the main forms of approach ...
2025-07-04 05:00:41 +0000 UTC
View Post
***
“If I use the spell again, I’ll be totally out of commission.” Skandr panted. “I can use my Skills, but even then, I’m scraping the edges of my capacity.”
They hadn’t killed as many gnolls as on the higher, weaker floors, but still, their progress had been solid. Astrid pulled up her Status to check just how much experience she was at now.
Status
Name: Astrid
Class: Warrior (Bronze)
Total Level: 9 (392/12,000)
...
2025-07-03 20:47:55 +0000 UTC
View Post
***
“I’ve found someone that I’m almost positive is the culprit.” Klara spoke simply. When she’d come back to the inn, she’d been angrier than Muti. “I didn’t think it was possible, but this test, which wasn’t laid for them, was fallen into. I can't explain right now, but now I just need proof. My suspicions were completely misplaced and I was investigating the wrong person. There’s politics here that I wish I could get into, but can’t. Instead, please accept my si...
2025-07-03 04:55:43 +0000 UTC
View Post
***
Sorry for delay. Had to do some pretty major edits after i finished like 7 hours ago haha.
“I won’t go lower than 2 gold and 50 silver.”
“But it’s just a set of gauntlets!”
“And if you want them, you’ll pay the price I’m giving you!”
“They’re not worth that, though!”
“And if I miss out on a sale, then it’s my own stupid fault, isn’t it? None of your concern.”
“But for even 1 gold you’...
2025-07-02 05:17:54 +0000 UTC
View Post
A/N: Not fully back. Will get at least one more chapter this week, though. Enjoy!
A/N: Not fully back. Will get at least one more chapter this week, though. Enjoy!
A/N: Not fully back. Will get at least one more chapter this week, though. Enjoy!
TJ spoke aloud to try to get Acalan’s attention. The Ahuizotl’s head emerged from the water, though the liquid coursed over its head for far longer than it should have, as if it had a waterfall that came...
2025-07-01 15:00:18 +0000 UTC
View Post
***
A/N: whew! We're back (ish). Should have a couple more chapters this week.
I prowled through the forest, and as I did so, I listened for any news from my people as they scouted. My general influence over sound allowed me to parse conversations from a dozen different locations. Even so, as with all things like this, there was no immediate news. In fact, I remained wholly unknowing of any turn of events for over a day. On the second day, as I continued ...
2025-07-01 04:31:48 +0000 UTC
View Post
***
Astrid grinned widely as she felt the Great One settle over her. Level 8 felt glorious. There were still two more gnolls in front of her and she cackled like a madwoman as she rushed toward them. Her steps were faster, her swings lighter, and when the ranger lowered its bow at her, she could almost see the moment when it would loose its arrow before it did. She raised her shield and rammed the remaining brawler, the movement making the arrow hit the massive block instead of her. Tho...
2025-06-30 22:32:52 +0000 UTC
View Post
Before Astrid could knock on Klara’s door, the smaller woman called her in. As always, the room was a testament to Klara’s personality—overwhelming, flighty, and somehow personable. The orc and warg towered in one edge of the room, and Klara’s desk had now been moved to be right in front of it. Taxidermied monsters capable of destroying every village and town that Astrid had ever been in loomed over Klara, who sat with her fingers laced together and a somewhat jovial look on her face....
2025-06-30 09:19:11 +0000 UTC
View Post
Skandr didn’t have time to use Lightning Reflexes on the two melee fighters as the gnolls burst out of hiding. Thoughts of why they were hiding in the first place, complaints about what was doing this, everything, it all bled away. Astrid raised her shield and hammer and waded into battle. However, two packs of gnolls from the first floor were far from dangerous enough to be particularly dangerous to the party now. Five gnolls, levels 6 and 7? Easy to kill. Astrid and Muti strode out, deali...
2025-06-29 09:39:34 +0000 UTC
View Post
First off--don't worry. At the very latest, both will be back to regular schedule a month from now. That's when my son gets back into school and I'll have a lot more time again.
Reason for lack of updates--the big one is just lack of time and focus. In the past week I've had: two doctor's appointments, 5 visits to my wife and I's new house, closed on the house, began moving into the house, left the state to visit family, had family move back into the country an...
2025-06-28 07:14:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
“On the right.” Astrid grunted as she weathered another series of blows from the brawler on her left. Trusting in her Skill and equipment, she swung to the right, hoping to push the brawler there back and away from Skandr. Her shield, already abused, its face splintering after weeks of weathering arrows, fists, and jaws, held strong. She wanted to repair or even replace the thing, but there wasn’t money for it. Instead, she’d continued patching it with pitch and tar, spreading more ma...
2025-06-28 07:06:33 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Focus on clearing the path ahead!”
“There is no clear path! The gnolls have come from everywhere!”
“Then… graah!” Astrid shouted in exertion and rage as she was forced to put the unconscious man on the ground beneath her. Then, without enough time to take out her shield and strap herself into it, she took her hammer in her right hand while keeping her left arm free. Three brawlers closed in on her and Astrid threw herself into battle. She needed to protect her ally,...
2025-06-27 04:57:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Fortunately, or unfortunately as the case may be, Skandr was late. On the bright side, Astrid was able to change, eat, and wipe herself clean with a wet rag and a bucket of water. However, Skandr didn’t appear until well after she should have been asleep, and when he did arrive, his knocks were so soft that it was obvious that he was hoping to easily put off the conversation.
Astrid pulled open the door, and he was already slinking away, though it’d been less than a minute sin...
2025-06-26 06:33:30 +0000 UTC
View Post
***
***
A/N: I tried dictating then editing this chapter. Let me know if it feels weird or off or whatever. It helped me to actually write when I was too distracted, so I’m a little hopeful haha.
Wind Scythe, (Silver (II)): You are a Descendant of Kukulkan, and have displayed a familiarity with his rule over the winds, even going so far as to establish a Divine Authority over the concept of Storm. You have hunted Copper (I) tiered Elites a...
2025-06-25 17:37:05 +0000 UTC
View Post
***
When the words reached my ears of the third attack on my people outside of the walls, I ceased being willing to allow things to continue as they had been. There was too much that was going wrong, and I refused to allow my people to be picked off like so many meaningless pests.
“Rally together and prepare yourselves for extended search. We will find some of their number and carve our names into their flesh.” I commanded, and my people rallied. Our rage had simmered fo...
2025-06-25 08:15:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
