Lucy didn’t stay put. Her casual demeanor disappeared as she moved. The gravity locus moved in the opposite direction of where Olaf had gone, settling in a boulder, and Lucy sped towards it. She seemed to fall more than run or fly. Nil attempted throwing a spike in her path, but the gravity locus moved. She changed direction, and her speed dro...
2024-12-10 07:19:49 +0000 UTC View PostTeam Forge took off into the fourth sector of the Cleansing, feeling and looking refreshed. Nil was sure he sensed some wariness in Shawn and Zora and respected their attempts to make him feel comfortable. He couldn’t tell whether they genuinely cared or if it was strategic. Ensuring the party members were all on the same page and relaxed with...
2024-12-07 07:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostA long list of notifications awaited Nil when he came to his senses. He felt lighter, stronger, and better than ever. But his heart also took off, beating far faster than normal as concerns for his friends flooded him. He had pushed his mind and control over internal energies and the Source to the limit, trying to stop the Glimmer. Nil had no ch...
2024-12-06 07:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostSelia struggled to focus on the fight. Her eyes kept drifting to Nil. He was the perfect partner but not a perfect fighter. His martial skills were excellent, but felt disjointed. Nil had developed several new constructs, weapons, and techniques over the past few months, but they didn’t always combine well with his default fighting style. He o...
2024-12-05 07:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostThe only member of Team Forge that didn’t frustrate Zora was Shawn. He was the only one she could rely on to stick to a plan and not take stupid risks. The fact that the other two’s impulsiveness worked in their favor and won the group’s points only seemed to encourage them to continue taking wild risks.
I hate working with coupl...
2024-12-04 07:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostThe Void Lights concerned Nil. He did not spot their source, but they stayed put. From what he had read, the Glimmer rarely remained still. It meant there was a tear in the area. He had little hope of resolving any without Shawn. The target area sat between the three separate alien glows. It was a pocket of unnatural darkness, and the energy sig...
2024-12-03 07:58:22 +0000 UTC View Post“Shawn, take Zora toward the beacon,” Nil instructed as he sped through the dead city. He resisted climbing to the rooftops where movement would be easier and speedier. It would make it easier for the pursuers to spot and follow. “We’ll try to lead them away.”
“They might just ignore you and follow us,” Shawn replied, speedin...
2024-12-02 04:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe architecture in the long-fallen city continued to resemble ancient Indian stonework. Nil also observed Sumatran influences. He didn't know history well enough to make guesses about time periods, but he had watched Apocalypse Now, Temple of Doom, and old Bollywood films. Udit would often put them on for family movie nights before Nil moved ou...
2024-11-30 04:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostSince they were going to return to the fray as soon as everyone recovered, Nil didn’t prepare anything too heavy or large. The cubes of dried meat and vegetables hydrated well and contained enough starch to thicken the broth. Everyone had a cereal bowl’s worth of it. Nil flavored it with pepper and dark herbs that smelled like chervil—a cr...
2024-11-29 04:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostShawn and Zora became impossible to contact for several minutes. The couple started in their direction concerned. When they caught up, they found a dead Cursed One and one human dead body. Another notification followed.
Team Forge has scored 1 point and needs 1 more to make it through the next checkpoint.
The pursuit...
2024-11-28 04:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostMight: Silver 0
Finesse: Silver 5
Mind: Bronze 1
Spark: Silver 5
Brutal Battery: Bronze 9
Absorb: Bronze 9
Expend: Bronze 9
2024-11-27 04:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post{Apologies. I didn't realize my scheduled chapters had run out. Sleepless nights because of baby and what not.}
There were four of them.
A giant woman with orange, scaled flesh came out first. She carried a giant stone club covered in luminous red and orange veins. Nil's sixth sense detected its explosive heat ...
2024-11-26 18:10:36 +0000 UTC View PostAn energy spring, warming fires, and bedding awaited the party in the caverns beyond the challenge. The gigantic space was sectioned off for multiple parties to share without getting in each other’s way. They all had individual sleeping areas, cooking spaces, toilets, and a bath. The party’s women were ecstatic when they found hot water. The...
2024-11-24 05:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe journey to the beacon was swift and uneventful. Nil arrived first and poured all of his focus into Energy Instinct, hunting for any creatures or other teams that might be lurking in wait. He found nothing and also sought out high ground for a better view. Selia arrived next and also did a lap. Her sensory ability didn’t have much range but...
2024-11-23 05:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post“No!” Selia’s opponent burst into a blood-curdling wail as soon as the magic circle lost its luminosity, pausing its attack. She took advantage of the opening, expanded her soul weapon to its full length, and swung, separating the heads from the fused neck. They fell as one from the platform atop, where they fought and rolled to Nil. She r...
2024-11-22 05:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostTeam Forge has scored 1 point and needs 4 more to make it through the next checkpoint.
Nil was glad to receive notifications via the Schema instead of hearing the announcer's commentary. It was challenging to pay attention to them during combat. He either missed them, or they proved intrusive. Meanwhile, the notification l...
2024-11-21 05:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostAll team members breathed a sigh of relief when they spotted no Wilson Luduses uniforms after arriving in the alien world. In fact, they saw no other groups or fauna. Squat bioluminescent shrubs surrounded them.
It was sunset. Pink, orange, and red streaked the sky, painting a pretty image. Then Nil looked down from the cliff atop wh...
2024-11-20 05:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostAs promised, the arena construct teleported everyone to the backrooms an hour before the Cleansing, regardless of where they were. Nil and his companions were ready. Everyone wore carefully picked outfits.
Zora prioritized defense and mobility. When not busy with Selia's soul weapon, Andrew had dedicated all of his time and efforts t...
2024-11-19 05:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post“Everyone is going nuts about the lightning blades and Taser Hands,” Bunty told Nil during their first call after his return. “A bunch of them have been following you ever since the qualifiers and can’t believe how much you’ve grown and changed. Some are questioning how you’ve not burned out after this many chapters in quick successi...
2024-11-18 16:45:04 +0000 UTC View Post[Author's Note: Sorry for the lack of posts last few days. We've been in the hospital and its been pretty sleepless. Our baby is arriving today, but I found the energy and willpower to post today. The Cleansing is near! Chapter 180 onwards.]
The return to the ship was relatively smooth. Nil got worried during their ...
2024-11-16 08:41:48 +0000 UTC View Post[Author's Note: In the hospital wife. We're going to have our baby tonight or tomorrow. I apologise if there are any posting interruptions.]
According to Layla, the Cursed Ones Nil faced during the Hunt and Chase were mid-Bronze-Realm, and only the fake monk was close to Silver. It was the type of foe he was likely ...
2024-11-13 17:43:37 +0000 UTC View Post“You really enjoy this kind of work, don’t you?” Nil asked, walking arm-in-arm with his girlfriend. She clung to him, playing the role of honeymooning, love-struck bride brilliantly.
“Canvasing?” Selia used an almost mocking tone as she spoke the word. “No. But tailing? Infiltrating? Doing all this spy stuff? I love it. It lets...
2024-11-12 08:13:08 +0000 UTC View PostHistorical records say that Ashe Fall was once a druid sanctuary. The grove tamed the harsh fauna, planted Yggdrasil’s seed, and nurtured her daughter to nourish the rogue planet. Previously, it housed no intelligent life, and monsters haunted it, feeding on the arcane minerals spewed by the world's volcanoes. Once Ashe grew big and strong eno...
2024-11-11 16:11:33 +0000 UTC View PostObjective: The Weave suspects Scourge forces have infiltrated a Seed World, closing in on ascension. They can’t intervene without evidence but have leads of something being afoot.
Assist the Weave inductee on her quest. Find evidence of Scourge presence or activity, Cursed Energy sources, and eliminate any agents...
2024-11-09 08:14:00 +0000 UTC View Post[I apologize for the late chapter. November 5th's fireworks damaged something in my area and we woke up to no internet on the 6th. It just returned now 36 hours later.]
The Cleansing team, Andrew and Susan, gathered in Layla’s office three weeks before the event. A usual horseshoe table awaited them,...
2024-11-08 17:05:30 +0000 UTC View Post
What if Mistborn had vampire overlords?
What if an artificer's magicless assistant became a warlock?
What if his patron wasn't a god, demon, celestial, djinn, or spirit, but a Lovecraftian machine?
2024-11-07 08:36:28 +0000 UTC View PostSwati promised to have a word for Nox. Her family had returned to Ruipur following the Singh incident just less than four years prior. Ancestral connections and service to the city had made her an influential figure. Betrothal to the Trade Empire’s ambassador also gave her some pull. Nox hoped she’d hasten the process and get him a meeting s...
2024-11-07 08:06:39 +0000 UTC View Post“I thought she just wanted to sleep with you.” Selia laughed. “Who could’ve thought that hot alien warrior lady wants to have your babies?”
“It's not funny,” Nil said. “Just weird.”
“What are you talking about? It’s hilarious. Can you imagine me as a concubine? What does that entail? Am I like a servant or soldi...
2024-11-07 08:05:18 +0000 UTC View Post“First, we need to discuss a formation and how you’ll function,” Isabella said when the Cleansing team assembled for the first time. Noah and the Forge’s spell trainer, Maya, were also in attendance. They all had Earth-side quests to help the group train for the final weeks leading up to the year’s biggest Bronze Gauntlet event. “The...
2024-11-06 09:21:56 +0000 UTC View PostEach body ascension seemed to take more time than the last. Because of the vast amounts of Cursed Energy in his system, Nil expected it to take close to a week. Selia and Shawn needed one day for Mortal to Iron and twice that for Iron to Bronze. Getting their bodies to Silver had demanded four and five days, respectively. Meanwhile, Nil achieved...
2024-11-05 17:46:49 +0000 UTC View Post