Andrew Thompson
Stories
8
Chapters
3,542
Words
1.4 M
Comments
0
Reading
4 d, 23 h
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As Dallion’s father back on Earth used to say, “bureaucracy was nothing more than a side effect of size.” Getting to apply for the individual tournament showed him that Nerosal was no exception. In many aspects the power of the awakened and the areas they controlled got around a lot of the obvious signs of needless bureaucracy. However, when more day-to-day things got involved, the silent monster reared its ugly head. Estezol had been a considerable help in writing down the required application…-
2.0 K •
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With the stumbling block removed in Dallion’s awakened realm, things started moving much faster. For starters, Dallion went back to doing exploration missions. With the demand for artifact leveling increasing, and sanitation being out of the question, Dallion went back to his standard routine. Unexpectedly, he felt that he had a lot more time now, while adding a few items to his daily schedule. Euryale had become a big part of his life, though sadly, for the most part, they saw each other in the…
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2.0 K •
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Gorgons weren’t morning creatures… at least that was the conclusion one could come to in Nerosal, since there was only one gorgon and she tended to go to bed roughly at the same time that others woke up. The forging communities frowned at the practice, the artistic circles applauded them, and since Euryale was part of both, she received the benefit of the doubt on all sides. The only thing that she was not allowed to do—and only because she hadn’t bothered to buy a workshop of her own—was to…
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2.0 K •
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Just when a sense of relief started to form, he felt Eury’s gauntlet on his shoulder. This wasn’t particularly good. Slowly turning around his music skills only to confirm what he already suspected. “You know…” the calm tone with which the gorgon began only made Dallion even tenser. “You’re lucky I don’t hit men unprovoked.” “Thanks?” That was the only thing that Dallion could think of. Apparently, it wasn’t the correct response, for he saw the anger in the gorgon grow. “A…
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2.0 K •
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A bolt grazed Dallion as he tried to block its path. That was a good thing: wounds such as these would be healed by Lux in a matter of seconds, and more importantly, the bolt failed to hit its intended target. The fight between Euryale and Gloria had intensified quite a bit, to the point that Dallion was forced to use all his available skills—combat splitting included—to prevent them from killing each other. That also meant taking most of their damage on himself. Even so, the wounds he was getting…
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2.0 K •
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“Gloria,” Dallion said beneath his breath. “So, this is the test… I have to defeat you and everything you throw at me?” There was no indication that there was anyone else in the mansion. However, the awakened realms held more than just people or echoes. Any object or building could suddenly change from here, transforming into a guardian to fight on Gloria’s behalf. Come to think of it, it wasn’t only people that Dallion had left behind, there were guardians as well. Dallion had no idea what…
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2.0 K •
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The day started as usual. At the crack of dawn, Dallion got up, checked the strands of hair he had placed at the window and door to make sure no one had entered, and did half an hour of real-world exercises as Vend had advised he do. For some yet unclear reason, doing while physical exercises didn’t increase any stats, they allowed Dallion to build up stamina. Following the exercises, Dallion went down to use the toilet, then washed up. Normally this would be the time that he’d back breakfast, but…
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2.0 K •
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The shield’s realm was slightly different from before. It wasn’t that the rooms or the furniture in them had changed, rather, it was the state of everything. Here and there, green and purple veins were visible on the walls and floor, like cracks, but different. “I’ll be with you shortly.” The dryad’s shout came from the upper floor. “Give me a moment to change.” “No problem,” Dallion replied. After the battle that had taken place, he was in no mood to give the guardian a hard time.…
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2.0 K •
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The Nox dagger drilled through the brill protecting the eye as if it were made of paper. The crack was less than a fraction of an inch wide, but enough for the blade to sink into the eye, reducing the snake’s remaining health by half. The entire head of the island snake trembled, despite the entangled forest keeping it in place. “Steady, Lux,” Dallion said as the firebird pulled him away from the snake. “There’s nothing to be worried about. Just one more and we’re done.” Dallion pulled the…
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2.0 K •
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Whatever the snake’s poison was, it had an effect on metal as well. There was no hissing sound as the poison dug into the armadil shield, but for Dallion, it was as if he could hear the guardian screaming in agony. His music skills told him exactly how much pain the shield was in, and his forging skills let him see the invisible cracks seep in, spreading like deadly roots. In over a minute, they would eat their way through the entire form of the gear and then… the guardian would die. “Lux, can you…
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