The next day, as third bell approached, Martel walked towards the fortress of Saint Marcellus. It did not lie far from the Lyceum, but being in the north-western palace district, Martel had never b...
2023-12-17 08:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostFor a few days, Martel lived in the frail hope that Mistress Juliana had been misinformed. After all, he was a battlemage; too rare and valuable to be thrown away because of a personal vendetta. Se...
2023-12-16 08:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostThe routine of previous fivedays returned for Martel. No further sign nor word of Atreus reached him or his friends. When they got together, they did not speak of their sojourn to the catacombs; it...
2023-12-15 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostMartel went to the baths, as did Maximilian; neither of them spoke as they soaked in the hot water. Other students appeared, washing away last night's sleep while chatting merrily. As for the battl...
2023-12-14 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostMartel stared down upon the maleficar's body. He had expected to feel some kind of vindication, but in truth, he just felt tired. Maybe because the woman on the ground looked nothing like Julia; in...
2023-12-13 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostDespite his decision, Martel knew he could not hope to intervene in the battle of spells between Atreus and the maleficar. Their magic was far beyond his, even if he had any of his spellpower left....
2023-12-12 08:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostEither the undead king had determined Martel to be the easiest foe to kill, or else he held particular wrath for those using fire against his servants; regardless, he ran with surprising speed acro...
2023-12-11 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostAtreus made a gesture for the others to remain back before he crossed the threshold to enter the great chamber. It was clearly a major burial place within the catacombs, easily measuring fifty feet...
2023-12-10 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostMoving through the sewers alongside the small stream of fetid water, they had to walk like pearls on a string. Atreus had taken the lead with Martel second, Eleanor third, and Maximilian bringing u...
2023-12-09 08:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostAt length, they fetched food and water for Atreus and left him to sleep atop the astronomy tower, where none would go; while cold and uncomfortable, he was used to far worse. As for Martel's revela...
2023-12-08 08:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostLeaving the western courtyard, the three young wizards and their guest made their way up the astronomy tower, going to the classroom near the top. As they settled down on chairs or tables around At...
2023-12-07 08:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostFor a moment, none of the young wizards spoke nor moved. They all gazed at the older mage with varying emotions written on their face.
"Atreus?" Martel stammered. "The Spellbreaker?"
"I...
2023-12-06 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostEleanor was wrong; the man convulsing before their feet was not a shapeshifter, cursed to transform into some manner of smoke creature. Watching the fell monster fly towards him, Martel dearly wish...
2023-12-05 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostFor the third time today, Martel left the Lyceum. Stepping across the threshold and leaving its protective wards, he felt a lot more apprehensive than on the previous two occasions. He let his left...
2023-12-04 08:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostThe following morning, Martel spent some hours practising his enchantment. No matter where he ended up, even simple things like light and heat might be luxuries; the stronger he could make such enc...
2023-12-03 08:00:01 +0000 UTC View PostFrom long hours doing alchemy, interspersed only with classes at the Lyceum, Martel's routines changed entirely. He had no chores or obligations anymore other than to wait for his graduation day an...
2023-12-02 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe assailant had been standing up against the wall by the doorway, waiting for Martel; as soon as the wizard stepped inside, he attacked. Sensing the movement, Martel dodged to his right. He slamm...
2023-12-01 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostMartel spent the next day attending his last classes before the examination. Nothing about it suggested anything out of the ordinary; they practised improving the range of their magic under Moira's...
2023-11-30 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostAfter a short night's sleep, Martel worked for about three bells, producing three potions, before he sat down at the one table reserved for food rather than work. He always missed the hot meals at ...
2023-11-29 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostThe following day, Martel was back at the Lyceum, attending class. As before, the other students kept their distance to him, but since he had no interest in talking to them, Martel did not care. Be...
2023-11-28 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostReturning to his routines at the warehouse, Martel placed the runestone in an inner pocket and forgot about it; instead, he resumed his duties as alchemist and student. Several fivedays passed in t...
2023-11-27 08:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostAfter a few more days, Martel's isolation was at an end, and he could return to the warehouse. The content of his hours did not change greatly, only his surroundings; he continued the endlessly rep...
2023-11-26 08:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostIf working in the warehouse had felt monotonous to the point of tedium, staying isolated in the small house seemed a double dose. It was basically just a big room with a fireplace, a chair and a wo...
2023-11-25 08:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostAnother ten days passed without any sign that the pestilence would abate. Mistress Rana returned from isolation, confirming that her helpers had done right in her absence to refuse relinquishing an...
2023-11-24 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostMartel's regular routine of doing only alchemy and sleeping resumed, interspersed with his occasional return to the Lyceum for class. He and Nora worked mostly in silence; even the talkative appren...
2023-11-23 08:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostThe days passed, seemingly without change. The quarantine continued with no sign of the disease lessening its grip upon the copper lanes; in the warehouse near the district, the apothecaries and al...
2023-11-22 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostMartel felt confused briefly when he woke up until the familiar surroundings of his room at the Lyceum asserted themselves. Minimal sleep and the change of bed from the warehouse to his school had ...
2023-11-21 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostMartel did not feel particularly rested when he woke up the next morning. While his mattress was fine, the warehouse was cold, and his blanket could not shield him sufficiently. He would have lit a...
2023-11-20 08:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostA fiveday after the quarantine began, Martel made his way through the city with a great bundle on his back. The mood felt subdued on the streets, even if the pestilence had been contained to the co...
2023-11-19 08:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostOnce Martel woke up, he wasted little time. As soon as he could grab food from the kitchens, he took a plate with him to Mistress Rana's laboratory. He found the alchemist asleep and Nora at work; ...
2023-11-18 08:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post