The town was as dead and quiet as I remembered it from my previous visit. Or so I thought at first glance from my vantage point on the distant ridge. I had decided not to blunder into the town this time without checking it out from a safe distance...
2022-04-14 12:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostWhen I woke up, I felt extremely lethargic. I tryed to turn my head but the effort is too much. I’m in a room and can feel a rough straw mattress under me but that’s really all I can see as I tiredly move my eyes.
A blur of movement from...
2022-04-13 12:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe farther I got from the valley and the closer I got to home the less my mind conjured images of my imminent demise. Sure I was still afraid that my former mentor would catch up to me but keeping that level of paranoia day after day just wasn’...
2022-04-12 12:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post“Well, well, well… what do we have here?”
Startled by the sound of Teacher’s voice, I scramble to my feet. Weeks of practice honing the instinct into me, only to relax a moment later. “By the Mother, you scared me!” I sputter out...
2022-04-11 11:30:23 +0000 UTC View PostIt was easy enough to return to the secluded valley of the elves. It felt weird thinking of them as elves instead of strange humans but I didn’t want to belittle their customs.
As with the first time, the leader came out to greet me. Appar...
2022-04-08 11:49:40 +0000 UTC View PostThe needle slid through my cheek making me wince, which made the stitches pull, which caused me more pain. Sewing my cheek closed was far harder than when I did my leg, it also hurt more. Without a mirror, it took longer than I would have liked to...
2022-04-07 12:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostOur assignment took us east for a full week by horse. It was the first time I had seen the eastern mountain range. My father had told me about it from his travels but it was one thing to hear about it and another to see it in person.
Unlike ...
2022-04-06 12:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostAfter three dusty days on the road, where Teacher did his best to break my spirit, we arrived at Roddan.
The town itself wasn’t much to look at. It was smaller than the town with the Magistrate, that I just now realized I hadn’t gotten t...
2022-04-05 12:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostA ray of sun hitting me directly in the eyes jerked me from my restless slumber. Groaning from lack of sleep, I slid my half-exposed blade back into its sheath after I realized I wasn’t in danger. Between the nightmares and the screams of ecstas...
2022-04-04 11:36:19 +0000 UTC View PostTeacher tied up his horse in a stable near the city outskirts and I silently trailed behind him. My passing left a wet trail along the ground and a chorus of snickers from people we passed. I swear Teacher walked the most roundabout route to get w...
2022-04-04 11:22:22 +0000 UTC View PostThe next few days were a nightmare for me. “Teacher” as he kept telling me to call him, he refused to tell me his real name. I assumed he wanted to be called that so I couldn’t find him later in life and exact retribution for his training me...
2022-04-02 12:11:00 +0000 UTC View PostAfter escaping the underground I had been pursued by a few more monsters. Each time I successfully evaded them but I could tell something was wrong with me.
First was the non-stop sweating. It got so bad that I had to rip the arm of my shirt...
2022-04-02 12:08:00 +0000 UTC View PostThe blue glow seemed to be coming from a doorway on the far side of this cavernous room. I carefully made my way over, trying not to splash or make any more ripples than I had to. I was also careful to test my footing before placing my weight on m...
2022-04-02 12:05:59 +0000 UTC View PostThe noise was loud and I only made it a dozen steps down the street before a lumbering behemoth of a monster stepped from around the far corner at the next crossroads.
I froze in panic, looking for an escape as the beast reared up on its bac...
2022-04-02 12:02:59 +0000 UTC View PostAfter I recovered from my moment of existential panic, I calmed down a bit. I was still well and truly afraid of the monsters roaming the city but I now had time to think of a way to survive.
I had made it this far without injury. I just nee...
2022-04-02 12:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostAs I raced to catch up to the scavengers, I realized, I left a fortune of items behind. I doubted anyone would be kind enough to take care of them for me until I returned.
I huffed and puffed as I raced past a few people. I was fit for my ag...
2022-03-29 23:10:45 +0000 UTC View PostCresting a small rise, I spotted the telltale signs of smoke from chimneys in the distance. I estimated a few more hours of walking and I would arrive at Shad.
From what I could learn through passing merchants and texts back while I was stil...
2022-03-29 23:09:30 +0000 UTC View Post“You know Gan… you didn’t have to walk all the way here with me.”
“Bah… what sort of friend would I be if I let you walk to the outskirts by yourself? God forbid an animal or bandit jumped out and end your journey before it barel...
2022-03-29 23:08:53 +0000 UTC View PostAfter dinner and the lesson on how to care for the dagger, I went to my room. It was a luxury that most families in the area didn’t have. It wasn’t that my father was wealthy. I had seen the homes of wealthy people in other cities and even rem...
2022-03-29 23:07:43 +0000 UTC View PostClack! Clack! Clack!
A rapid staccato of impacts reverberates around the courtyard as my friend Gan intercepts the strikes of my wooden training sword against his wooden shield. But my mind isn’t on training today instead drifting to memor...
2022-03-29 23:06:58 +0000 UTC View Post
Most of you have seen this already, but this amazing art is by artsantis over on Fiverr
2022-03-29 23:05:18 +0000 UTC View PostLittle change of plans for April. I was going to wait another week to release but I realized that the Writathon starts on the 1st. So to help take advantage of that fact and try and get a larger audience, I'm releasing early. It will be a bit off ...
2022-03-29 23:02:51 +0000 UTC View PostWith Mana System coming to an end and my new story, Kingdom of Rust kicking off in a few weeks, this is the perfect time to change things up. Do you prefer I keep the Saturday release, or would you rather I release a new chapter the same day I do ...
2022-03-19 12:25:59 +0000 UTC View PostHello everyone, and thanks for taking the time to read Mana System. When I first started this story, it was on a whim. I never really expected to be writing this for two years or for it to reach over 600k words.
Back before the Wr...
2022-03-19 12:13:00 +0000 UTC View PostMartin strode down the hall of the capitol building with a worried smile on his face. He was a bit greyer now but he still oozed charm and confidence. Time had been kind to him.
The city had become a booming metropolis in the ten years since...
2022-03-19 12:10:59 +0000 UTC View PostAs soon as the pirates realized the Guild ships were approaching the island, they broke off the fighting and retreated toward the edge of town to dig in. They weren’t stupid enough to attack the Guild but it seemed they wanted to ensure there wa...
2022-03-19 12:05:01 +0000 UTC View PostGroaning, I opened my eyes. All I saw was darkness. I tried turning my head or moving but it seemed like I was pinned in place.
I fought down the urge to panic as I evaluated my condition. My arms were still broken, the sharp stabbing pain w...
2022-03-19 12:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostThose two words seemed to freeze everyone in place, but it wasn’t magic that caused it, it was fear. My body was frozen along with everyone else but my eyes rose into the air, tracking two creatures as they forced the magical fog away from the e...
2022-03-12 20:22:25 +0000 UTC View PostThe meager fleet of ships I was now in charge of, rose from the dock and slowly spiraled into the air to get above the mist. The chaotic coloration of the mana storm was visible in the distance even through the mist. That meant the enemy was almos...
2022-03-12 20:21:54 +0000 UTC View Post
A bitter-sweet announcement for Mana System. After 2 years of writing it will be coming to a close at the end of this month. This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision as I had been thinking about it since October. It gave me time to come up with a...
2022-03-09 21:45:12 +0000 UTC View Post