“I have a letter for you. I apologize, I was unsure of which of the two of you it could be.”
“Sure.” Astrid shrugged, forcing a smile that she hoped would tamp down the frustration. A courier in charge of mail delivery couldn’t tell who was which person? She accepted the letter and the nondescript man turned and strode from the inn. She recognized the precise handwriting as her father’s, and smiled as she held it in her hand and walked towards Anders’s office. Muti w...
2025-06-25 05:10:42 +0000 UTC
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***
The presence of more of the Saharliard helped immediately with my own morale, though the vast majority of my people felt that this was an addition that was far from necessary. After all, we’d been successful enough before, right?
“We can’t say how much land specifically they hold,” I said, “but we know that they have an entire nation. Military might won’t be the only thing that dictates that, but going off how they’ve acted thus far, they’ll need to have more t...
2025-06-24 07:37:05 +0000 UTC
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“They’re awake already!” Astrid called out. “Ready on the front!”
Muti and Skandr followed her command, Lightning Reflexes pushing into both Astrid and Muti. She blitzed forward, her hammer light in her hands as the two brawlers threw themselves forward. Muti’s swords flashed towards the brawler on the right, and Astrid shoved off the one on the left. With enough space, the two of them crippled one brawler, allowing Muti to slide past to the ranger. The arrow sunk deep into ...
2025-06-23 22:12:43 +0000 UTC
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Supposing that was a cheap price to pay, Astrid easily agreed to stay in the water, and through Muti looked at her with obvious questions in her eyes, the Barbarian stayed as well. Klara’s smile widened as she settled into the corner of the bath with an obvious comfortable look. Then, as Astrid and Muti looked on, Klara rolled her shoulders.
“So. The Golden Fist. At that time, they were… the Spear’s Blade? Something like that for Aleksandr’s spear fixation. It isn’t na...
2025-06-23 08:25:23 +0000 UTC
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Hey there. Sorry for delays on AR and SoK. Been super busy with family in town, and have had less than half the time that I intend to (and usually do) to write. As such, I decided to prioritize PW for now. I'll still get AR and SoK chapters out, and by the end of next week, I should get back to mostly normal.
“I’m not going to complain about you giving us more food than Cupun promised us,” I said as I settled into a crouch. Sybil stayed inside the ...
2025-06-22 07:18:59 +0000 UTC
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A/N: Hey guys. This crazy week is about to get better, come Monday. Then I'll get back into a regular schedule. This applies for AR and SoK as well, I promise. I've just gone from being able to write for like 8 hours daily to a mere 3-5.
The weight of the irregular on her back pushed her back to bow, but she refused as she walked past the gate’s guards. Skandr, as always, flicked a copper coin to them, but they didn’t catch it, instead gawking at the scaled...
2025-06-22 06:39:26 +0000 UTC
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The hunched creature resembled a gnoll, at least, in form. Same hunched, muscled neck, long arms with stubby fingers, canine face and jaw, everything. Instead of being furry, though, it was scaled, thick green segments of natural armor covering its body. Along its back, where gnolls had a ruff of fur, the ruff had been replaced by a webbed frill from the base of its skull to the center of its back. Finally, instead of the short, almost forgettable tail of regular gnolls, this had a long, thic...
2025-06-20 21:01:43 +0000 UTC
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***
You have discovered and set foot on the Path of Worship! You have gained the following boon: Nascent Deity (Copper (I)). Your first-ever worshippers have gained the following boon: Nascent Storm Serpent’s Blessing.
“What the—”
“Is this why you’re always making storms?” Sarah asked, her tone amazed. “You get a 5% boost to your Attributes and a 50% boost to your recovery? That shit’s crazy!”
“What do you mean?” one of the few ...
2025-06-20 15:00:18 +0000 UTC
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Just an FYI. These next two weeks be cray for me. Moving, doctors appointments, vacations, family in town, lots of stuff. If I'm MIA here, I'll say something in the discord.
“Is that the fourteenth pack?” Skandr asked, gasping only slightly exaggeratedly. “Or the fifteenth?”
“This is fifteen.” Muti grinned back. “37 gnolls dead. It is still morning!”
Skandr groaned.
“We’ll get some more, though if we need to take a moment t...
2025-06-20 05:00:23 +0000 UTC
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***
a/n I can’t find any description for Sarah, nor do I have her Bloodline listed on any of my things. I looked for a while, no dice. I’m putting them here. If you have something that contradicts this… then fine, I’ll accept it and edit accordingly. If you can find a place where I described her differently from here, then I’ll update here. But this is what my mental picture has been of her for months now haha.
With TJ’s ideas, the group was n...
2025-06-19 15:00:13 +0000 UTC
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***
There is no shortage of ways that the Union has spread through the oceans. Leviathan hunts? Since forever ago! Leviathan egg snatching? Just as long! Merchantilism? How do you think they sustain themselves? Pleasure voyages? Certainly! Transit, fishing trips, cargo shipping, mercenary efforts, naval training and more. The only thing is that you can only trust an Otariid to say anything of importance. They’re the only ones with the power to have their words ...
2025-06-19 05:27:27 +0000 UTC
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Astrid pushed the door. Locked. She shook it. “Muti! If you don’t answer, then I’m going to break my way in!”
She pounded the door. And again. As she turned to go get her hammer to smash her way through the thick wooden door, the door opened the slightest amount. She turned back to speak with Muti, hoping to make sure that the Barbarian Rogue wasn’t poisoned or something like that.
In retrospect, Astrid should have expected the reaction she got. She stretched her a...
2025-06-18 22:20:55 +0000 UTC
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***
A/N: I did some pretty substantial edits to the Sven section of 171. If you wanna read them... Do so.
TJ and Farid blazed through the streets, quickly leaving the New Republic’s “Safe Zone”. They didn’t speak as they rushed forward, and even though they were closing the distance between them and their allies, the ritual’s influence faded before they could arrive.
“I’m going up.” TJ said, not waiting for Farid to respond as he tra...
2025-06-18 15:00:14 +0000 UTC
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***
The powder gathered and swelled until a veritable avalanche began. The sound of cracking ice was overwhelming as it echoed over us. As if it were tumbling stones, the avalanche approached. We hadn’t had any trouble with things like that so far, but none of the Saharliard were so stupid as to think that thousands of tons of snow would be an easily surviveable disaster.
“Behind the walls!” I commanded. “They’ve been reinforced, and they’ve survived this long, s...
2025-06-18 04:23:02 +0000 UTC
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“No attempted maiming. Broken bones should be avoided. Death is unacceptable. Strikes with the open or closed hand, foot, knee, or other parts of the body are all acceptable. Loss is determined by surrender or unconsciousness. If there is a perceived tie, the fight can be repeated.”
Muti’s explanation was straightforward, but Astrid hadn’t expected to be allowed to keep her armor on, including her helmet. Interestingly, her attributes were high enough that she was faster w...
2025-06-17 20:23:21 +0000 UTC
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***
a/n: I took Saturday and Sunday off SoK. It was glorious, mostly because this chapter flowed like butter. Like, less than an hour of writing. Having that break was really good for me. Even so, this chapter is a little short, but I feel like it was just the right length.
“TJ.” Raya greeted him without looking up from her clipboard.
“Raya.” He returned. “We’re leaving.”
“I’m well aware. You do not need to say goodbye as we ...
2025-06-17 15:00:13 +0000 UTC
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***
“Khatif and Kha, under the direction of the Alpha, along with others from a different angle!”
Then we would be getting reinforcements. Most of Tala was coming, then, as well as the supplies Tar had promised us, perhaps? I grinned widely. “I’ll go greet them myself!”
Pushing the worries from my mind, I jogged back towards the city, my mind shifting from anger and vengeance to diplomacy and interspecies relations. With me ran Brutus, and we quickly found ourselve...
2025-06-17 04:26:02 +0000 UTC
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As they walked through the gates, Skandr turned to Astrid, his eyes flitting back and forth.
“Could you give me my pay for the delve right now?”
“Um. No?” Astrid replied. “I don’t have the money, and I don’t know the exchange rate. Sorry.”
“Oh, yeah, well, it’s no problem.” Skandr shrugged with forced nonchalance. “I’ll just get it with you.”
“Great.” Astrid dragged the word out, confused but not willing to engage any further with the pr...
2025-06-16 21:36:26 +0000 UTC
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my bad. Father's Day was full, and I napped so much of it away. No regrets. Enjoy the chapter!
The next three packs of gnolls went much the same way. Muti scouted them out, brought back their numbers, and then ambushed the ranger if they existed. If not, she tore into one of the brawlers. They didn’t go down as easily as the rangers, something to do with their bones, Astrid was told, but a sleeping gnoll remained an easy target for the Barbarian Rogue. <...
2025-06-16 07:05:13 +0000 UTC
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***
The urgency in his voice brought me sprinting forward. Inside, Ragzak had pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, and his eyes, though still somewhat confused, were focused on his mother. Sybil squatted down, her hands outstretched to our son, and she cooed at him quietly.
“Over here! Ragzak, right here! My heart, right here! Come on!”
Following her scent and voice, he sniffed deeply and took faltering crawling steps towards her. I grinned widely, thrilled to hav...
2025-06-15 04:00:05 +0000 UTC
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A bit late. Maybe enjoy the slightly longer chapter in recompense? :D
As they strode through the streets, Astrid turned to Muti. “Would you take the lead? I’m not sure where we’re going.”
“Weak leader.” Came Muti’s response. Astrid bristled at the faint disdain in the Barbarian’s voice, but Muti then corrected, “You are our leader. Give commands. Not suggestions.”
“Lead us, Muti.” Astrid said, still grinding her teeth despite...
2025-06-14 22:28:12 +0000 UTC
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***
Instead of Molly and Tessie and their families plus Mimi and Sam and a couple other people, TJ stood looking down at at least 30 assembled people. Many of them were those that’d followed Sarah and Farid there, but there were others that TJ had only seen in passing. One who took TJ py special surprise when he saw her there was Maddie, the scout that he’d run into outside of the encampment before he’d made first contact here.
“I’m not going to be so childish to a...
2025-06-14 15:00:11 +0000 UTC
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***
Deep under flagstones can be found
Times, things, and places which abound.
Where comes our savior and friend
And let no other of you pretend
To know and understand and see and feel
Yes, you are all relegated to kneel.
There she comes, her beauty overwhelms
And can bring war to the fairest of realms.
Yes, that is…
–from the rav...
2025-06-14 04:03:15 +0000 UTC
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Astrid walked towards a corner that a single man sat at. She’d gotten Tomas, the barkeep who insisted he was just an employee and not a Guild representative of any type, to give her a room key, where she’d dropped most of her stuff off, keeping her shield and hammer on hand. The man, his face was already ruddy from alcohol as he swayed where he sat, half watched her approach. Dark, sunken eyes framed by lank hair looked almost sightlessly up at her. His head rolled back and forth before g...
2025-06-13 20:09:20 +0000 UTC
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***
TJ didn’t sleep particularly well that night, especially after Sven dropped by for a last minute goodbye.
“I’m sorry you don’t want to stay here. I hoped we would have a long relationship.”
“We can, just as allies, or friends, or neighbors.” TJ countered. “Just not as subordinate and superior.”
“That isn’t exactly what I suggested—” Sven insisted.
“Then what does me being a different god in your pantheon entail, Sven? What...
2025-06-13 15:00:12 +0000 UTC
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***
Shemira cocked her head for a minute before speaking. Then, she asked, her tone and body language communicating nervousness, “Why name him Ragzak? Why not give the same expectations to your daughters? From my conversations with Sybil… I’m surprised she agreed to Ragzak.”
I flicked my tail. It’d been only a single night since the decision was made, and my elites were learning my children’s names. “It’s not as simple as I wish it was. The name… Sybil had a stro...
2025-06-13 04:00:41 +0000 UTC
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Astrid’s days, weeks, and months of grappling training kicked in the same second that she locked eyes with her ambusher. She grabbed the woman’s wrist firmly and twisted it with both of her hands. She pummeled Astrid’s face, but the knife was the only thing that mattered right now, and Astrid was able to take control of the knife quickly enough that she didn’t feel any notable pain or cuts.
With a grunt, Astrid caught her would-be assassin’s wrist in a grip and twisted u...
2025-06-12 21:00:06 +0000 UTC
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***
With two sturdy packs stuffed with everything that his Skills and Occupation told him were the most valuable, TJ made his way back towards campus. He had a couple hours still to decide which options that were available to him were the best, and he figured that the longer he had outside of Divine Transformation, the more rational his thinking would be. More and more, he was feeling the influence of the coatl, or his Bloodline, whichever it was, while he used the Skill.
To...
2025-06-12 15:00:11 +0000 UTC
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***
Different from everything that’d made me nervous in this life in recent memory, this wasn’t something I could fight, kill, overpower, or generally easily overcome through generous application of brute force. Instead, I walked into our new room, where coals glimmered in the corner, a chimney allowing the smoke to freely flow out without choking us. In the center of the room was a veritable mound of furs and other soft things where Sybil laid, her arms and tail wrapped around the ...
2025-06-12 03:47:06 +0000 UTC
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A/N: I hope you enjoy this one! It was a lot of fun to write!
She grunted, rolling over to find the source of the sound. It was only after she started to really wake up that she realized that this might be a bad situation. Someone looking like a Barbarian all alone in the woods, wearing full armor and hiding? Astrid sighed quietly, hoping whoever was nearby wasn’t going to find her at all, and if she was unlucky enough to be found, they weren’t particularly...
2025-06-11 19:38:52 +0000 UTC
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