When Diya returned to the ninth floor, the hub was just as lively as before. The first lights of dawn painted the sky red and pink, but the locals showed no signs of slowing down. Traffic appeared ...
2022-11-17 17:13:10 +0000 UTC View PostIn the end, Baba wasn’t as convinced as Diya would’ve liked. He expressed appreciation of his son’s progress and achievements, of course, but refused to make any commitments without evidence....
2022-11-14 08:54:20 +0000 UTC View PostDiya left Kartik’s store with a new card. Initially, they had agreed on a ten-ninety split on all sales. It was the same rate Kartik offered Baba. However, Red Charger’s card should’ve sold f...
2022-11-11 05:59:59 +0000 UTC View PostThe bustle of a busy settlement welcomed Diya, followed by a blast of cold air. The stone buildings immediately around the hub carried the FTF’s logo and snow-covered their roofs. Even though the...
2022-11-11 05:59:19 +0000 UTC View PostDiya was pleased to wake up in his own bed the following morning. The accommodation only had single beds, and the pair were too tired to put two together. It wasn’t that Gwyneth put him off, but ...
2022-11-09 19:03:17 +0000 UTC View PostThe remainder of the journey was uneventful until the trio reached a dense stretch of mangrove forest. Most of the local fauna had stayed outside of Gwyneth’s light until then. She had napped whi...
2022-11-05 17:58:02 +0000 UTC View PostWhen the trio left the ancient structure and returned to the swamps outside, the FTF’s compass went wild. The arrow swiveled back and forth, pointing at what they had just left behind and the way...
2022-11-05 07:40:03 +0000 UTC View PostWhen fighting most beasts, Diya knew what weak points to target. Thanks to his martial prowess, he’d have little trouble using hit-and-run tactics to attack them directly. As a result, the fights...
2022-11-03 18:41:56 +0000 UTC View PostThe eighth floor wasn’t as hot as the seventh, but it managed to feel more uncomfortable due to the humidity. The mangrove forests reminded Diya of the third floor where he met Gwyneth, but there...
2022-11-01 19:21:16 +0000 UTC View PostThe pair hydrated once more before finding their way down to ground level. Gwyneth refused to descend with her body pressed against the sun-baked stone, so they took a roundabout route. Diya used S...
2022-10-28 04:48:38 +0000 UTC View PostGwyneth struggled to keep up with Diya. She wasn’t used to prolonged treks over uneven terrain, and the powerful attack spells had drained her considerably too. Diya didn’t let her slow down, t...
2022-10-28 04:46:55 +0000 UTC View PostDiya’s right hand jumped to the axe at his waist as he spun to his left. It was the mining party from before. Most of them sat not far away with their legs dangling in the water. Only one of them...
2022-10-26 06:00:55 +0000 UTC View PostEven though it made him look suspicious, Diya couldn’t help but repeatedly look over his shoulder. A couple of hours had passed since they started, and the sunrays caressed the titanic oasis behi...
2022-10-25 20:32:42 +0000 UTC View PostDiya’s first instinct was to craft a pair of boots. He imagined using the Harden, Relax, and Exploding runes to construct a launching mechanism ...
2022-10-24 19:28:45 +0000 UTC View PostDespite Marcus’s warning, the pair didn’t leave the settlement straight away. Upgrading Explorer’s Fountain Pen might’ve restored Diya to near-full strength, but the events on the sixth flo...
2022-10-22 17:57:36 +0000 UTC View PostWhen Diya released the pedestal, the vision ended. He found himself standing in front of the upgrade station with Gwyneth clinging to his side. The upgrade station's runes dimmed, losing their brig...
2022-10-20 16:27:44 +0000 UTC View PostGwyneth stopped struggling once the vehicle had passed all the way into the seventh floor. The third rum-carrying wagon didn’t follow them. She remained motionless, watching the gate. Only a hand...
2022-10-18 21:21:33 +0000 UTC View Post“I thought I’d see you again,” Ashish said when the pair found him. He waved at the bartender as they joined him at the table. “Your cards might be great, Diya, but they raise too many ques...
2022-10-17 17:46:14 +0000 UTC View Post“Thank you, Ashish,” Gwyneth said, squeezing Ashish’s arm after they exited the store. “You made that experience a lot less painful than it needed to be.”
“I tried calling out to ...
2022-10-17 05:57:51 +0000 UTC View Post“This is grand!” Jagdish exclaimed, running his hands down the Slimeskin coat’s sides. As Diya had predicted, the man rolled up his sleeves just past the elbows as soon as he put the garment ...
2022-10-14 19:59:54 +0000 UTC View PostEven though Jagdish loved wearing coats, Diya had never seen his forearms covered. Most ended at the elbow or cut off at the shoulder. So, he tweaked the original coat’s design to have extra bagg...
2022-10-13 10:16:41 +0000 UTC View PostThe crew celebrated the first mate, Ashish. If not for his presence in the crow’s nest, the leviathan would have caught the vessel unaware. Since its body was twice as long as the barge and its h...
2022-10-11 21:26:33 +0000 UTC View PostGaruda felt like a much too grand a name for a cargo barge. Though long, the vessel had a boxy appearance to it, and the triangular scales didn’t help. Then when the first storm hit, Diya saw the...
2022-10-10 21:39:42 +0000 UTC View PostFever dreams plagued Diya. His drug-addled mind cooked up scenarios showing what might have happened to Victoria after they left her. He saw her valiantly hold off the wild De Lawney men as they st...
2022-10-06 17:56:29 +0000 UTC View PostEven though rage pulsed through Diya, he grabbed Gwyneth’s hand and pulled her towards the door. The building anger and doubt made him want to find Edgar and dismember him, but they were outnumbe...
2022-10-05 16:27:55 +0000 UTC View PostMuch to Diya’s surprise, the Hyene continued to struggle despite the suffocation. It clawed at the tentacle, trying to scrape it off as the minutes passed. Its grunts and groans were loud enough ...
2022-10-04 16:43:08 +0000 UTC View PostThe fifth floor’s sun was directly above their heads when Gwyneth spotted a Hyene scout. The hills around them had mostly flattened out, and an almost endless expanse of shoulder-high grass surro...
2022-10-03 20:55:01 +0000 UTC View PostDreams starring the Boleyn siblings plagued Diya’s night. He saw Alexander surviving his injuries but spending the rest of his life in bed with dull eyes. Edgar successfully took over as heir and...
2022-10-01 17:48:40 +0000 UTC View PostCackling and manic laughter stirred Diya from his slumber. At first, he thought local pubs had just closed or the inn kicked drinking patrons out of the common room for the night. He crawled out fr...
2022-09-30 17:23:35 +0000 UTC View PostNo matter how hard Diya tried, he couldn’t get his heart rate to slow down. He regretted not studying the party through his looking glass earlier. If he knew it was the Boleyns, he would’ve exi...
2022-09-27 13:50:13 +0000 UTC View Post