Matizu Writes

Chapter 56 - Monster Pull

“Rohan?” Alisa watched the scene sixty feet below in sheer bafflement. The figure in plate armor ran around the room with a trail of monsters after him. He was about to get surrounded.

A four-armed goblin clung onto Rohan’s armor. He grabbed the goblin from the head and threw it at an approaching ghost-blade. The ghost-blade side-stepped and counterattacked, aiming its daggers at Rohan’s visor.

Rohan threw an uppercut with his gauntlets, killing the ghost blade. Simultaneo...

Chapter 55 - Concealed Aura

Alisa moved swiftly within the crawl spaces. Almost as proficiently as Eem. Vivi crawled after her as fast as she could. She was on the brink of requiring ether to move faster.

There was something awe-inspiring about Alisa’s movements. The woman moved quickly yet gracefully. Every simple action she made was done with practice and intent. Her way of crawling was silent, almost artistic. If Vivi looked away from her for a second, Alisa could have disappeared from her vision entirely. 2025-02-22 17:30:36 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 54 - The Assassin

“This is the runesmithing station,” Rensfig said. Entering the room, his eyes looked dissatisfied, as if unconfident to showcase the workstation to Vivi.

Rensfig’s workstation was crammed into a quiet corner of the home base, in an area even smaller than Einord’s cell-like smithy. Rensfig didn’t work on an anvil, and he didn’t have a forge, let alone hammers. Like most traditional runesmiths, his little corner resembled an artisan’s workstation. He had an L-shaped wooden t...

Chapter 53 - Runesmith of the Underworld

Rensfig looked at Vivi as if she’d claimed herself to be an omnipotent god. He obviously thought she was lying, but her claim was insane enough that he appeared confused regardless.

Traditional runesmiths are known to be prideful, Vivi thought. But Rensfig is good. He will understand my techniques, unlike Einord.

“I’m too tired for this,” Rensfig said. “Aang, who is this girl?”

“She’s our newest troublemaker,” Aang said.

“A new mem...

Chapter 52 - Skill Hunt

The potion vials shattered inside the boss’s mouth. The liquids sunk into its stony membranes.

When the fifth potion cracked, the screams started.

The glow in the boss’s eyes grew into a blinding purple. Its terrified screams shook the cavern. Vivi held her hands over her ears. The boss’s aura seemed to be growing. The layer of stone around its skin burned, as if about to explode from the inside. The boss’s teeth grew longer and serrated, and its hands slowly regrew. More ...

Chapter 51 - Plaything

The Ember Golem’s arena was dangerous even without the boss.

The ground had turned from red to a smoldering black. A subtle red mist coated the air. Breathing was heavy and hot. Disfigured columns, covered in black spiky thorns, were spread across the room. Ether flowed within the columns, as if the columns were alive.

The boss itself sat at the back of the arena with its eyes closed. Thousands of ether oozed out of its body. Immediately, Vivi knew this boss was far stronger tha...

Chapter 50 - Embers Underground

The burning skeleton appeared far more intelligent than any of the monsters Vivi had encountered prior. Its eyes weren’t merely black gaping holes; the ethereal globes had intent behind them. Its shoulders and upper body were protected by a layer of thick smoldering obsidian. The skeleton’s stance was good, resembling real swordsmanship.

“A good practice dummy,” Lucius said. “Let’s see how well you can fight without my claws.”

Vivi held her sword wi...

Chapter 49 - The Art of Brewing Monsters

“Wow,” Lucius said after listening to Aang’s speech. “He steals bosses from the Stewards! That’s so insane!”

Lucius was as excited as Eem was when offered a fish. Aang’s plan made Lucius’s presence spin around inside Vivi’s core. Vivi felt a tickle.

“It’s not impressive as it sounds,” Aang said, “We usually only clear one or two out of the five squadron bosses to minimize risk. The Stewards still need to believe their time is worth it. O...

Chapter 48 - Swindlers

Aang waited for Vivi’s response. He had claimed that his proposal was an order, and that he wouldn’t let Vivi do as she pleased. Yet, despite the forceful offer, Aang’s words weren’t threatening like Carla’s or Andre’s. Aang didn’t plan on killing Vivi even if she chose to step out right now.

His gang had runeswords, and a runesmith. The members were Eem’s friends. This group was entirely different from the other gangs. Did Vivi have any reason to turn them down?

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Chapter 47 - The Hollow Phantoms

A crystal chandelier hung from the lair’s ceiling. The room wasn’t large, but the ceiling was high enough to fit an indoor balcony: built of wood with silver railings. The balcony circled around the room on all sides. Bookshelves and storage—barrels, chests, as well as haphazard items—were stacked on top of each other and visible from between the railings.

The lower floor had tables, couches, weapon racks. The parlor was cramped, but the arrangements made sense. One half of the ...