elra

Character Design #1 - Elincia

Hey Patrons, Elra here!

I present you Elincia's character design made by natin (@natin_natin_ on instagram, if you want to spread some love). Tell me what do you think about it, and I will be posting the next artwork poll this week.

Have a nice start of the week!

Elra out!

July Bonus Chapter

The winning prompt for this month's bonus chapter was Dance lessons with Mr. Clarke with 44% of the votes. Enjoy!

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Rob

A storm of colossal magnitude settled over Farcrest. The sky was a dark mantle that cast a gloomy shadow over the manor. Raindrops the size of grapes cascaded from the sky, furiously battering the wooden shingles and keeping the inhabitants of the orphanage awake at night. The ...

An Otherworldly Scholar - 39

Elincia covered her mouth as she glanced at the Changeling’s new appearance. A tall man with wide shoulders, blond hair, a strong jaw, and fair eyes. It was a perfect copy of my long deceased father.

The Changeling had managed to capture details about my father I thought I had forgotten. His right shoulder stood higher than the left due to an old accident at the logging station, he also had a missing piece of ear, and his ring finger lacked a nail. I had never considered how battered ...

An Otherworldly Scholar - 38

I crawled back until my back hit the rock wall. Terror slowly threatened to freeze my joints as the fake Elincia glared at me. Our hideout protected by the rocky formation, which had been a blessing to hide us from monsters, now had turned into a cage. A cage where there was only me and the monster in Elincia’s appearance.

I surveyed our camp. My sword was at the opposite side, just behind the monster. My mind raced through my options. [Stun Gaze] and [Intimidate] could bounce if the ...

An Otherworldly Scholar - 37

Elincia sat against a fallen tree and handed me a slice of dried meat and a bit of stiff bread. It has been almost an entire day since the last time I ate something and I was starving. The forest around us had been laid to waste. Not only had the trees been ripped apart and thrashed, but the same dirt under our feet had been completely ravaged. The area looked like someone had fed cocaine to a bulldozer.

We ate in silence and then we remained seated until the weak autumn sun was high in...

An Otherworldly Scholar - 36

I woke up in the morning to the cracking sound of a campfire. I didn’t remember falling asleep, much less starting a campfire. Suddenly, a hundred different aches and pains assaulted my body. Slowly, my brain cells began to work. A white dense fog filled with diminutive mana specks covered the forest.

A concealing spell, maybe?

I turned inside the warm blanket, trying to find a better angle for my bruised body. I didn’t expect Elincia’s emerald eyes staring intently at me, b...

An Otherworldly Scholar - 35

Mana crackled at the tips of my fingers, forming blinding arcs of light. Sparkles fell to the ground, scorching the damp forest bed, and the smell of ozone filled my nostrils. Sensing danger, the Stone Giant bared its glass shard teeth before roaring. The sound echoed inside my chest but it wasn't enough to scare me.

The arch of light violently crackled as it extended and flattened until it adopted the shape of a sword. Despite the intensity of my mana, my hands were ice cold because of...

July Bonus Chapter Poll

Hello everyone, Elra here!

Here's the community poll for July's exclusive chapter! The poll will be closed on Friday 21.

Also, you can leave a suggestion for the next month bonus story in the comments and your idea might be featured in the next poll.

Elra out!

An Otherworldly Scholar - 34

Elincia pushed me to the ground just as the tree flew over our heads. The smell of rot that filled my nose when my face hit the forest bed quickly faded into the background. Behind us, the Stone Giant let out a mighty howl that sounded like earth cracking down.

Something on Elincia’s face told me Stone Giants weren’t supposed to wander so close to Farcrest. She was pale as a corpse and her eyes were wide open. I didn't have time to ask about Stone Giant’s habits because the woman ...

An Otherworldly Scholar - 33

As the week passed, Elincia grew more excited for our little getaway to the Farlands. She smiled when she thought nobody was watching and hummed a lively tone as she worked around the orphanage. When Elincia was in a good mood, everything in the orphanage seemed to improve.

Especially my own mood.

I hid my shotgun on top of the wardrobe, far from the hands of the kids, just as someone frantically knocked at my door. Given the strength and rhythm of the hits, I guessed it was one o...

An Otherworldly Scholar - 32

A sudden knocking on my door woke me up. I jumped to my feet and guided by instinct I reached for the practice sword by the side of my bed. Half awakened and half disoriented, I raised my sword and waited but the attack never came. I felt my mushy brain stumbling against the walls of my skull.

Wine hangovers were the worst. My mouth was dry, my brain felt bruised like a ripe fruit, and my mana pool was asking for a timeout.

“Yes?” I asked tentatively.

Elincia had caught ...

An Otherworldly Scholar - 31

The flames of the stove crackled in the background as we sat in a comfortable silence. The kitchen was warm despite the autumn wind howling outside the manor. The flickering light of the fire cast dancing shadows over our faces and the magical light orbs were almost depleted. I had to lean forward to have a clearer view of Elincia’s face.

I savored the wine. It tasted like berries, grapes, and alcohol blended together. Simple. Just like my life in the orphanage. Going out drinking wit...

An Otherworldly Scholar - 30

Elincia’s voice startled me. Even in complete silence, I didn't hear her arrive around the corner of the manor. Her muffled steps must have been the bane of multiple prank attempts around the orphanage, and now there were mine.

“You shouldn’t make a promise you can’t keep.”

Elincia had been watching longer than I had expected, and wasn’t about to let me off the hook so easily.

“I really meant it. I’m not letting them conscript Ilya.” I replied.

It had...

An Otherworldly Scholar - 29

“Come on, Ilya, you can do it. Maintain the pace just a bit more.” I said as I jogged behind the group of orphans.

The day was gray and cold gusts of wind descended from the northern mountains. The higher peaks were already covered with snow despite the winter being months away and the backyard trees were dyed red and yellow. Small clouds of vapor came out from the orphan’s mouths as they jogged around the backyard. Their noses red and their bodies warm under the training padded j...

An Otherworldly Scholar - 28

I grabbed a couple books and left Elincia alone in her bedroom.

Outside of the safe haven of Elincia’s bedroom, the orphans roamed free making it hard for me to find a quiet spot to read. The orphanage’s future was somewhat secured but I couldn’t get rid of the sense of urgency in the back of my mind.

“You don’t have to do everything right now. This is a process, it takes time.” I repeated with little success. Most of what I should’ve done or known, was due yesterday...

Artwork Poll #1

Hey Sages, Elra here!

I have been itching to commission artwork for a while now, so... I'm pleased to announce the first artwork poll! 

How is this going to work? I want to commission art (character design technically) for most of the main cast and you will decide who will be commissioned next. 

• The first place will be commissioned. 
• The runner up will have a place reserved in the next poll.

That's it. Choose wisely.

Elra out!<...

An Otherworldly Scholar - 27

I left the book I was reading over Elincia’s desk and spied on the backyard through her window. The colors of autumn invaded the backyard. The trees shed their leaves, covering the backyard with a lovely bronze mantle while the grass of the esplanade was showing the first hints of decay.

Despite the year being well into autumn already, the farm plot was a small haven of green. Elincia’s potions had granted the poisoned plants a new life. In the same fashion, the section of farm plot...

June Bonus Chapter

The winning prompt for this month's exclusive chapter was Elincia's POV of her first encounter with Rob with 43% of the votes. These events occur in parallel to Chapter 4. Enjoy! 

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Elincia

Despite my best efforts to keep the gremlins at bay, they had invaded my bedroom. Two of them were jumping on my bed, three sitting at the desk, one on my night table, and two more on top of my dresser. ...

An Otherworldly Scholar - 26

Farcrest’s cobbled paths were covered by rainwater. Puddles had formed in the hollows of the street, reflecting the gray sky above like hundreds of small mirrors. The sound of raindrops echoed around me as the water drained from the rooftops and the scent of wet earth and damp wood filled my nostrils.

The only downside to rain was the dozen leaks on the orphanage’s roof.

As I walked up the main street and got closer to the Great Hall, the town bustled with activity. People cle...

An Otherworldly Scholar - 25

A violent storm raged over Farcrest, rattling the windows and shaking the very foundations of the orphanage. The wind howled through the cracks and nooks of the building like the whimper of sorrowful spirits and the rain hammered against the wooden shingles in an all-out battle to penetrate the building. As far as the storm went, the orphanage was resisting.

The storm wasn’t the only thing that disturbed my sleep. There were around eighty days until the beginning of the winter and the...

An Otherworldly Scholar - 24

“You are not leaving until I finish tending to your hand.” Elincia said as she dragged me into her study. “I swear to the System that Scholars don’t even know how to punch someone properly.”

After the fight, my hand had gotten increasingly swollen to the point I couldn’t completely close my pinkie and ring fingers. As the adrenaline faded, I suddenly felt exhausted despite the actual fighting lasting only a few minutes. Elincia was right about two things, I didn’t know how...

An Otherworldly Scholar - 23

The thunderous sound of the iron gate crashing into the cobbled path sent me a shiver down my spine. The manor’s front wall barely reached my knee, and was originally intended as the foundation for a fence, so it was easily covered by a jump. Whoever had knocked over the gate, had done so intentionally to announce their arrival.

I rushed into the manor, leaving Wolf and Ilya in charge of the younger kids. Before entering the manor, I caught a glimpse of the smaller ones gathering toge...

An Otherworldly Scholar - 22

I was suddenly awoken by the knocking on my bedroom’s door. Despite how little sleep I had, I jumped onto my feet and reached for my shotgun, fully alert. Visions of intruders breaching into the orphanage and taking the kids had swarmed my dreams. This time, no one stormed into my room.

There was knocking again, firmly but not violently.

“I’m awake, enter.” I said as I tried to control the wild beating of my heart.

Elincia opened the door but, instead of inviting me ...

Goal #2: Complete!

Hello everyone, Elra here.

It's my pleasure to announce you destroyed Goal #2!

When I started writing the draft of the story, I didn't think it would be so well received. Anyway, enough of pointless chatter and let's continue to the rewards. As promised, all tiers will now have access to more chapters ahead of the public release! Congratulations!

In addition to the extra chapters, Sage tier will have access to a community poll to decide which artwork will be commissioned fir...

An Otherworldly Scholar - 21

Elincia held one of the orphange's magical light orbs in her hand as she guided me towards my new room.

Sleeping on the lobby’s couch had been quite the experience. Only a special few could brag about sleeping on a piece of furniture harder and more uncomfortable than the forest bed. The couch was so unpleasant to my back that I was about to flee to the floor and sleep inside a cocoon made with the dozen blankets Elincia had given me. I quickly discarded that idea just because I didn�...

June Bonus Chapter Poll

Hello everyone, Elra here!

Here's the community poll for June's exclusive chapter!

If you don't particularly like any of the options, leave your idea in the comments and likes will be counted as votes.

The poll will be closed on Friday 23.

Elra out!

An Otherworldly Scholar - 20

The magical antidote had worked and the orphanage could continue existing for another few months. We only needed to focus our efforts into crafting enough potions to save as many plants as possible so I left the farm plot and followed Elincia back into the manor.

Zaon caught up to me before I could reach the entrance.

“Sir? Can we talk for a moment?” The elven boy asked with a worried expression.

“Sure, Zaon. Anytime you want.” I replied, taking the boy to the side, ...

An Otherworldly Scholar - 19

The orphans swarmed the kitchen like a pack of vultures over an animal carcass and Elincia had to expel them, directing them to go to the pump to wash their hands and faces. After hearing Elincia’s directions, Ilya instantly jumped down from her seat and herded them outside.

Elincia opened the shutters and stuck half of her slender body out of the window. “Don’t forget to wash under your nails!”

A distant ‘yes’ reached the kitchen where the more hygienic orphans were a...

An Otherworldly Scholar - 18

“I was a little worried about you so I came to check on you.” Elincia admitted, arching an eyebrow as she watched the older orphans stretching. In the esplanade, Ilya bossed Wolf around with hands on her hips. The half-orc obeyed the best he could but his flexibility was lacking.

“To transfer strength from the body to the sword you have to be flexible!” I yelled as Ilya pushed Wolf’s back with her diminutive body. The half-orc struggled to reach the tip of his feet.

“Y...

Goal #2

Hello everyone, Elra here!

Goal #2 is already online and it goes as follows!

• Scribe and Scholar tiers will get one extra chapter ahead.
• Sage tier will get two extra chapters ahead.

But wait, there's more!

I intend to (eventually) have artwork of the whole cast, so, as an extra reward for the Sage tier, I will add Voting Power regar...