As Michael gave his warning Ollie retrieved his hat and jacket and raised his staff, starting to move magicka through his channels as he did so.
“What kind of ‘something’?” he asked.
“The rift monster kind. I can feel it getting closer every moment.”
“Can you feel every rift monster? That seems like it would’ve been pretty helpful back at the hidden village.”
“Not all of them, just…” He paused. ...
2025-10-11 12:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostMichael found himself floating in blackness again as his vision ended and was expecting to be pulled into another, but instead a number of smaller scenes began to play all around him, the darkness surrounding him suddenly illuminated by visions of battle. In one corner the Emperor fought off hundreds of horned men and carapaced horrors, his white ceremonial garb dyed in their blood. In another he saw the nobility being slaughtered, torn to shr...
2025-10-09 12:00:17 +0000 UTC View PostMichael expected to wake up as the vision ended, but instead he found himself pulled into yet another one, his mind barely having time to finish processing what he had learned from the previous one before he was sucked into the next.
…
In the dead of night Sylas walked around the spell apparatus they had spent the last several months constructing. It was not just a simple spell circle. Instead they'd built a dome and within that ...
2025-10-07 12:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostAfter they spent some time digging through the remainder of the dirt piles to find a surprisingly hefty amount of gold, Michael could feel that he was ready to receive another vision. He washed in a shallow tidepool left by the Lake of Beasts, had a small meal, and went to his tent. Ollie was practicing his spells with his new hat and seemed to be taking a lot of joy in the increase to his concentration and magicka. He’d already begun the pr...
2025-10-05 12:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostThe dawn came a few hours later. The wind coming off the lake was cool. It was something like mid-fall at this point, though the seasons had never been as coherent as Michael was used to on Earth. Then again maybe the natives would’ve found the seasons on Earth just as incoherent.
Michael began his morning training, devoting it to Bruntus aloud even though he no longer needed to do so. He worked his way through all of the basic m...
2025-10-04 12:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostSylas checked again on each of the runes he’d carved into the stone. After he was certain that they were all in order, he moved to the nearby table and grabbed a vial of mercury. He took the vial and began to pour it into each of the carved ruins, being careful to go slowly so that it wouldn’t spill out of them. Once he was done filling the circle of runes, he returned the vial to the table and began to grab the bowls. One was filled with ...
2025-10-02 12:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostThey kept moving West and the hills and plains they’d been travelling on rapidly became wild forest. As they made their way deeper into it, and the sunny day gradually became shaded by the thick canopy above them, Michael began to feel a pull from the Southwest. He began to turn in that direction.
“You know what I could go for?”
“What?” asked Michael as he ducked under a branch.
“A long fucking drive.”
... 2025-09-30 12:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostMichael was walking along the main road in a kind of laid back daze when the border between Swandia and Broan came into view. There were small guard stations on either side of the wide road stopping merchants and travelers headed into their specific country. The Swandians were dressed in the orange uniforms that had become very familiar to him. Their guardhouse had much fewer guards than the Cantalian one they’d passed through only a few wee...
2025-09-28 12:00:13 +0000 UTC View PostMichael watched as the fireball Ollie threw smashed into the center of the lizardfolk. When it exploded, there was a brief flash of light, and they evaporated. Michael healed his eyes to clear the damage the flash of the explosion had done and charged into the midst of the distracted monsters. The lizards and their magic wouldn’t be a problem thanks to Ollie, but most of the horned men were still alive, though disoriented.
“I will cl...
2025-09-27 12:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostAfter he finished proselytizing to the men that had tried to rob him he made his way to the Human Stable. He stepped inside to find that while it was busier than it had been in the past, it wasn’t so full that he was worried about getting a room. Perhaps he was lucky and the off-putting name of the inn and tavern had saved him the trouble. He didn’t see Ollie, which didn’t surprise him given the other man’s plans at the Ro...
2025-09-25 12:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostFeeling refreshed after a night with a bed to sleep in and a warm meal, Ollie and Michael got back on the road south. They didn’t see the mercs they’d encountered the previous night again, which was good. Michael preferred not to have to waste any time fighting them. Unlike the previous day, the sky was clear and blue, but thanks to the weather of the previous few days they still had to deal with wet and occasionally muddy roads. After a f...
2025-09-23 12:00:13 +0000 UTC View PostThe rain was heavier than Michael had expected and he adjusted the water-proof tarp he’d bought to better cover himself. The road had been relatively safe, so he wasn’t wearing his full armor, just the breastplate with the helmet at his side. Ollie had simply summoned a barrier over himself that kept any rain from touching him. He likely could’ve extended it over Michael as well, but of course he hadn’t offered. They were riding in a m...
2025-09-21 12:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostKing Castor spun his crown of black iron on his forefinger as he listened to his generals and advisors speak. There had been a time when he’d had to pretend at propriety back when there was still a nobility to deal with, but ever since he’d dismantled the majority of it things had changed. He no longer had to keep himself still, never raise his voice, or make sure his every action radiated strength. Now his strength wasn’t questioned and...
2025-09-20 12:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostMichael decided to find Lys first. He had the sketch of her and Trina by Davi he wanted to give them before he went anywhere. He also felt like he owed her a conversation given how much time they’d spent together. It had been casual, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t affectionate. He found Lys staring at a stump and looking into the swamp. Michael stood next to her for a few moments and looked out at the swamp with her. The sun was breaking...
2025-09-18 12:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostMichael jerked awake. He was breathing heavily and dripping with sweat as he looked around. The others were still asleep and their fire had burnt out, but the sun was starting to rise. Michael wasn’t sure of when he’d gotten back to camp, or even if he’d ever left in the first place, but he could tell that everything he’d seen and felt had been real.
He took a few moments to steady himself and think through what he’d seen...
2025-09-16 12:00:33 +0000 UTC View PostMichael awoke in the middle of the night. He wasn’t sure of how long he’d been asleep, but at some point when he and the others had been staring into the fire, he must’ve drifted off. He sat up and poked at the coals, stoking the fire a bit before forcing himself to his feet to toss several more sticks and a bit more kindling into it. It wasn’t necessary for the weather, but it did keep the large number of swamp insects from swarming a...
2025-09-14 12:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostSergeant Aldon pulled a man back onto his feet as he started barking orders to the others.
“Get up, we need to press the advantage! The healer wasn’t the only priority target! The daze of the spell should keep them all incapacitated for just a few minutes!”
Gunnar listened, placing his spear down to help the nearest mage up onto his feet. He’d never seen magic like that before. His own magicka channels were too thi...
2025-09-13 12:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostFinn and Tai came to the same conclusion as Michael and yelled out to the rest of the group.
“Find solid ground! Archers watch the trees! Mages get something fucking BIG ready!” yelled Tai.
Gemini was scattered in an ugly long line with smaller groups trying to find footing and clustering to gether to prepare for attack. Luckily the Cantalians didn’t seem to have slowed their harrying of the enemies lines at all. That bought ...
2025-09-11 12:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostOnce Michael was done with his healing rounds he went back to his tent to collapse for a little while. He fell asleep partially armored and if it hadn’t been for his recovery he would’ve been incredibly sore. He awoke in the dead of the night and drained his canteen before crawling out of his tent. There were still a few Cantalian’s milling about, but everyone in Gemini seemed to be sleeping aside from a few that were posted to keep watc...
2025-09-09 12:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostMichael quickly divined the group of remaining soldiers and knights in front of them. It became very obvious at a glance why they were radia
Michael quickly divined the group of remaining soldiers and knights in front of them. It became very obvious at a glance why they were radiating such power suddenly. Even as he watched, new titles were writing themselves on their souls. They were noble titles, those tied to land. That may h...
2025-09-07 12:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostMichael stood at the front of the Gemini column with Tai to his right, and Pyotr to his left. He bit the inside of his cheek and began to heal it to make the most of Fort Healer and Wound Man as he looked at the enemy arrayed against him. The Burndan troops were not what he’d expected. He’d been hearing of the Burndan conquests since he was still training in Stent. They were a force that had conquered two neighboring coun...
2025-09-06 12:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostThe examinations were surprisingly simple. Michael had gotten used to invasive check-ups when he’d been dying on Earth, so it was all easy f
The examinations were surprisingly simple. Michael had gotten used to invasive check-ups when he’d been dying on Earth, so it was all easy for him. The agitation potion was odd, making his muscles twitch seemingly at random and causing his motions to feel jerky and imprecise. Luckily, after Tall...
2025-09-04 12:00:16 +0000 UTC View PostDavi stepped up to the mercenary commander Jeb. His size and musculature made him nearly the commander’s size despite being physically younger than him. Still, he had to look up slightly for his gaze to meet Jeb’s.
“Alright pup, I hope you’re hungry. I’m about to make you eat a lot of mud.”
Davi stayed silent, just rolling his shoulders once and lowering himself into a stance.
Finn finished vomiting mud off ...
2025-09-02 12:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostA soldier was directed to take Michael to the infirmary. The soldier was young, around Michael’s physical age, with dark hair and tan skin.
“How’ve things been at this front?” asked Michael.
“Um, bad? I think. I haven’t been a soldier for long. I know I heard the sergeant mention that we were getting slaughtered when we fought in the open, but have the advantage in the swamps. The enemy soldiers are strong thou...
2025-08-31 12:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostThe first leg of their journey back up through Swandia was a simple one. Gemini had several wagons and donkeys for travelling long distances and the roads were all safe for a group of armed mercenaries. They did get a number of concerned looks from regular merchants and travellers as well as the occasional question by groups of Swandian soldiers travelling the same roads, but after a quick conversation they were sent on their way with no issue...
2025-08-30 12:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostMichael spent the next few days training, practicing with his new blessing, and spending time with both his fellow former Stent soldiers, and those he’d grown close to in Gemini. He also took the time to have all of his equipment looked at by Gurndan who received the piles of metal with a scowl that didn’t shift even a hair after Michael handed him a gold. When he came back a few days later to retrieve everything, the dwarf gave him all of...
2025-08-28 12:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostTrina managed a surprisingly cunning feint that nearly got around Michael’s shield, but he sidestepped and batted it aside. She was quick and light, but he was used to fighting in fullplate and outside of it when sparring he was quicker than she was.
“That was well done. Lys teaching you to fight less honestly?”
Trina smiled and threw out a few more testing strikes in his direction. “She’s been a big help. I thank Seras f...
2025-08-26 12:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostMichael smashed away three branches tipped in thorns that swung at him like morningstars as he pushed forward to the pulsing green rift. The second he cut those away, they were replaced by vines that shot forward from the portal's opening and wrapped themselves around his shield. He roared and fire covered the shield and mace, burning away the plant matter in holy fire. He took a few more steps forward and reached the point where he could feel...
2025-08-24 12:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostThey came back to Greytip just in time to see him devouring a fish roughly the size of his own head whole as it wriggled and fought against him. He threw his neck back a few times making the fish sink deeper and deeper until he was able to simply push the fish down the last part of his throat. He turned his attention to them and clacked his beak a few times.
“We need to head back soon. Things in the beneath come up in the dark.”
<... 2025-08-23 12:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostAs they walked along the island toward the small house in the distance, Michael looked at the nearby trees. One of them on the edge of the others that surrounded the shrouded home in front of them had some writing carved into it. He approached and squinted at the oddly fine carving work in the trunk, trying to read what they said.
My dearest love, another day I consider the softness of your lips and the sharpness of your wit. I...
2025-08-21 12:00:16 +0000 UTC View Post