Ike pushed aside the curtain of ivy and stepped into a small, dark grotto. Trees formed walls on all sides, oozing dark sap that ants greedily harvested. Only slender gaps opened in the tightly-gro...
2025-02-13 15:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostFor all that mages grew by pushing their limits, Rhys also wasn’t stupid. A table leg with a portion of table attached to its top sat within reaching distance to his left, table-side pointed at t...
2025-02-12 15:00:18 +0000 UTC View Post“Where are you?”
There was a pause.
“WE ARE EVERYWHERE.”
Ike licked his lips. “That’s nice and all, but where do I look when I talk to you?”
Another pause, thi...
2025-02-12 15:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostThey reached the bottom of the crevasse in no time. All of them except Palio, that is, who couldn’t climb down a wall or descend on a rope. Her arms were strong enough to hold her weight alone, b...
2025-02-11 15:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostWisp led them through the woods, to the next stand of trees, and to the one beyond that. She wound around the outer edge of the city, picking her way carefully. As she walked, she explained, “The...
2025-02-10 15:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostRhys sectioned off a portion of the trash that felt more-or-less equivalent to one of his impure potions, piling the rest to the side to add on later. He wanted to push his limits, but not too much...
2025-02-09 15:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostOne after another, Ike cut into the puppets. After the first failure, he was careful not to repeat his mistake and slash the puppet open at the chest, but instead, cut out windows into their bodies...
2025-02-09 15:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostPorcelain-white figures lunged out of the forest. Ball-jointed dolls leaped and sprinted toward them, bursting out from all directions.
They slammed into a thin, nearly-invisible netting and ...
2025-02-08 15:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostAquari stared at him, taken aback. “The trash?”
Rhys nodded. “It’s my path. I can burn it to get stronger.”
She considered for a moment. Her lips twisted. “I have to admit, ...
2025-02-07 15:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostThe city loomed over them. Already, the furthest, most far-flung houses from the city stood all around them. Ike peeked into one through a broken window as they passed by, but saw only dust and cob...
2025-02-07 15:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostBacked against the cliff wall, Rhys’ power spiked. His hands curled into claws. Rather than attacking recklessly, he slammed all his mana, all the strength from the impurities, every ounce of pow...
2025-02-06 15:00:15 +0000 UTC View PostIke stared at Palio. A centaur? But that was impossible. They were myths. Like mermaids, or fairies. People were either people, or animals, but not… halfsies. Even if beasts and beasts i...
2025-02-06 15:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostA/N: Fair warning. Once this series hits RR, and it's past Rising Stars, I'll probably lower the drop rate to 3-5 times a week. As much as I'd love to run two dailies, I still work full-tim...
2025-02-05 15:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostThey ran through the plains through the sun-dappled day and the moon-silvered night. An entire week passed before the grasses grew lower and gave way to first, slender trees, then full forests.
... 2025-02-05 15:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostOutside, Rhys stretched, relishing the sunlight on his face. After so long in the musty classroom, the scent of fresh air was like ambrosia to him. He yawned and stretched some more, then turned to...
2025-02-04 15:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostWisp led the way. Ike followed close behind, afraid he’d lose her slender form among the shifting grass. The grass closed in behind Wisp, tall enough that she vanished entirely in its sway. Ike, ...
2025-02-04 15:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostRhys slipped into the back of the class. It had been a while since he’d sat in on it, but it remained the same as ever. The man ranted away about mustelids to an empty room, with no visible ackno...
2025-02-03 15:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post“Huh?” Wisp said.
“Yeah. That’s exactly how I feel,” Ike replied.
“So wait, the skill knows something, but it refused to tell you? And you don’t know… whatever it is tha...
2025-02-03 15:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostBANG!
The cauldron exploded. Red-hot metal shards hurtled through the air. Rhys threw himself backward, covering his head with his hands as he hit the floor. The shockwave hit him an...
2025-02-02 15:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostWithin Ike’s head, the two Ikes faced off. One, dressed in regal finery, gems glittering on his fingers, holding a noble, slender staff. The other, in rags, weathered and worn, clutching tight to...
2025-02-02 15:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostHaving eliminated Sorden as a good starting point, Rhys headed toward the library, his second idea. It was a good place to start. It wasn’t like Az would leave the library and tell anyone that he...
2025-02-01 15:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostTheir respite at the inn was short-lived. When dawn came, they set off once more. Scar took to her own direction, setting off directly for the capitol. Ike and his people took a detour in the other...
2025-02-01 15:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostA legend spread among the students of Infinite Constellation School. In a distant part of the mountain, high on the peak, some horrible monster had made its home. It spent all day hammering away at...
2025-01-31 15:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostPain was the first thing Rhys felt. He swayed slightly, a breeze shifting through his hair. Rather than open his eyes, he let himself hang there, his knees wrapped around the wood of a tree and wei...
2025-01-30 15:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostThey descended through the trees, hurtling down toward the earth below. For a hair-raising moment, Sorden slalomed through branches, dropping so fast Rhys’ stomach lurched only to soar back up ag...
2025-01-29 15:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostRhys spent the rest of the day in the mustelid class, but whatever enlightenment awaited him beyond that train of thought, he couldn’t grasp it yet, nor could he grasp it before six A.M. the next...
2025-01-28 15:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostRhys rushed across the peak, Tarais at his heel. When the students saw him coming, they dismissed him, but they cleared out of the way at the sight of Tarais, a rare Tier 2 student. In such a way, ...
2025-01-27 15:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostPausing in the center of the square, Rhys extended his mana. He searched the air, hunting out any sign of Tarais’ signature. For a long moment, there was nothing, and then the color of her materi...
2025-01-26 15:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post“But you’re not.”
Shawn turned.
Mont lounged before him, floating improbably on a large slab of pumice. He leaned on one hand, frowning slightly at Shawn.
“No. I’m not,...
2025-01-25 15:00:13 +0000 UTC View PostRhys jolted awake. For a second, he laid there, aching and staring at the ceiling. The pain was familiar. Nowadays, he was lucky not to wake up with a crick in his back or a pounding headache. He k...
2025-01-25 15:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post