Ad Astra

Savage Awakening 294. The Ten-Man Challenge (II)

“This is history in the making! For merely the seventh time in Azure Flame Faction history, we’re about to witness the legendary Ten-Man Challenge. One Outer Faction disciple versus ten—all a...

Savage Awakening 293. The Ten-Man Challenge (I)

A/N: Bonus chapter since I missed one during Dragoncon! Also, I changed the capacity to be millions rather than hundreds of thousands.

//

Two hours before the duel, and...

Savage Awakening 292. Clearing the List (II)

Zane chomped down another chunk of yak leg and thought about it. He looked down at the lots of wide eyes staring up at him—they had all come to make something of a huddle around him, running arou...

Savage Awakening 291. Clearing the List (I)

Because Zane broke through in such a secret place, few were there to witness it.  One of them happened to be a servant called Wang Lin. 

Wang was a Chosen of an Azure Flame sub-Fact...

Savage Awakening 290. Heavenly (II)

There was a CRACK!—a sensation that shook Zane's soul. And it felt like his head was splitting, and his body was splitting, down the seams of his very being—his ears screamed with white noise. ...

Savage Awakening 289. Heavenly (I)

No one in recorded history had glimpsed a divine Concept so early. Noughtfire would never have even considered suggesting it before…. 

Then there was his new disciple. 

The ...

Savage Awakening 288. The Higher Path

None of the elves bothered Reina after that. The rest of the council went quite smoothly. When it was all done and she dismissed them, they bowed quite a bit deeper than they had at the beginning. ...

Savage Awakening 287. High Priestess

A/N:

“Are you ready to behave,” Zane asked him. He gave Val a moment to collect himself—gasp in a few lungfuls of air, blink most of the tears out of his eyes, and so o...

Savage Awakening 286. The Great Duel

It might have been the longest teleport Zane had been on yet. Reina sent him some coordinates with her letter, which the portal easily ate up. Then the array-circles started streaming a pale light,...

Savage Awakening 285. Second Try (III)

Even the chains had gone totally still. 

Then the rumbling began. A shattered continent made enough rockfall to fill up canyons. It looked like a fuzzy mountain range from a distance, bu...

Savage Awakening 284. Second Try (II)

A/N: 

Minor retcon--the Chaos Fruit is the reward rather than the Plasma Phoenix Core (swapped), and it grants him 30 extra Nascent Levels, not 40!

Also: It...

Savage Awakening 283. Second Try

A/N:

Minor retcon--the Chaos Fruit is the reward rather than the Plasma Phoenix Core (swapped), and it grants him 30 extra Nascent Levels, not 40, which is a bit much!

...

Savage Awakening 282. Test Run (V)

Planet Gurkon

Galaxy of the Path of Core Magma

Gurkon was the meanest of the home planets for disciples on the Path of Core Magma. Three runty sputteri...

Savage Awakening 281. Test Run (IV)

Zane heard his own roar, proud and unrelenting, rolling into the far distance. There was triumph in it. And a challenge, too. The same one he'd posed to this world since he’d come. 

It...

Savage Awakening 280. Test Run (III)

The Hypergolems poured over the cracks, a tsunami of livid steel, clambering over one another, squashing their brethren down in their eagerness to get at him.

Some of them were different, tho...

Savage Awakening 279. Test Run (II)

Zane made his way to the teleporter. A beam later he was off to Ragnos.

Ragnos was an angry star. Its solar flares looked like flesh wounds still bleeding over its surface, falling back into ...

Savage Awakening 278. Test Run (I)

“That power ranking is called the Phoenix Scroll,” said Jawl. “It’s got five hundred-odd ranks in total—though it depends on the death counts during dungeon season, and if it's an Integra...

Savage Awakening 277. Full Fusion (II)

So Zane was off to get Full Fusion.

It turned out you could teleport to Astra right from where he’d come up from—the little stone platform at the bottom of the steps. He went up to the mi...

Savage Awakening 276. Full Fusion

Someone was coming closer. A grizzled middle-aged man with a big fuzzy hat. He was built stocky, laden with muscle and a healthy layer of fat which he wore well. He took off his hat as he got close...

Savage Awakening 275. New World (III)

She gestured to the last two stars in the cluster. “There’s the Tempering Star Volcanis, where you can train your physique—” 

—A star that spat angry licks of red-white—

Savage Awakening 274. New Worlds (II)

It wasn't long before Zane's escort arrived. A crystal beam flared down the Beacon, a dazzling pillar racing from the sky, touching the earth gently, soundlessly. Then it was gone, and it left a gi...

Savage Awakening 273. New World (I)

“Noughtfire’s first,” said Reina, unfurling the red scroll. “His offer’s mostly the same. He'll take you as a Direct Disciple. You’ll keep your list of special incentives. You'll also h...

Savage Awakening 272. The Offers (III)

The scroll unfurled. A list was carved out on the foil in bright blocky letters.

“First,” said the Sage. "Achieve Perfect Fusion of Stormfire—and your reward will be a Plasma Phoenix Co...

Savage Awakening 271. The Offers (II)

The letter shone brighter, streaming silver like moonlight. There was a drawing carved on the surface. A collection of clean lines that shifted the more Zane looked, gaining dimensions… He let hi...

Savage Awakening 270. The Offers (I)

A/N: No chapter on 8/11, sorry about that!

Despite my best efforts last week's injury has spiraled into this week a bit... It’s frustrating for me too >.>

...

Savage Awakening 269. The Offers (I)

That was the bulk of his training done, Zane supposed. It was time to head home. He was looking forward to it. 

When he left the dojo, he saw a spray of stars twinkling high above. It wa...

Savage Awakening 268. Emperor's Might (II)

Zane blinked at the Spirit.

“…How do I do that?”

Trial by fire, said the Spirit. Its face was as stern as always, but Zane got the sense it was enjoying seeing hi...

Savage Awakening 267. Emperor's Might (I)

Zane hadn’t thought much about the Red Moon Pagoda. It was always in the background propping him up. But his soul held up just fine most of the time. It wasn’t much of a concern, he felt. ...

Savage Awakening 266. Grace Period (IV)

The image of a solar flare cut out bright against the void was seared in Zane's mind. A world-shaking power. 

That kind of power lay ahead for him. Tier 6. 

He’d thought abo...

Savage Awakening 265. Grace Period (III)

A/N: 

Slightly edited System announcement—factions can’t claim Earth as a Safe Zone directly; Earth is in a fringe galactic sector, outside of their jurisdiction. Ho...