Jennifer Jones
Stories
4
Chapters
1,292
Words
687.3 K
Comments
0
Reading
2 d, 9 h
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Tali grinned as Revered Sanguis returned to his position, floating in the air above the pit. The Pillar’s voice filled the air, “And with a final surrender, candidate Tali has demonstrated that Be-thric is the ideal choice for Pillar of the House of Blood.” The Pillar waved one hand, and the hold A moment later, the arena was gone, the pit that had been their arena was lifted to be level with the ground surrounding it. Thorn still knelt, head bowed, and all the bodies remained where they had…-
211 •
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Tala cursed internally as she fought with the bear-man, Ogi. They were almost perfectly evenly matched in prowess, and he didn’t even need to expend power to call upon the plant life around them anymore. Though, that was mostly because Tala had her aura extended and hardened against his magics. He might have been able to do a working through her authority, but it would have taken a great deal more power, and he seemed content to wait. Instead, the candidate was using his power internally, in looping…
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211 •
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Tala slept well and woke early, the night and day passing in a blur. Though she felt some tension from the upcoming battle, she did her best to focus on what she could do, rather than what she couldn’t control. She spent most of the day in meditation, sifting through Tali’s memories and experiences for things that she could learn. Though, she didn’t just sit quietly while she meditated. Tala used the opportunity to familiarize herself with the Way of Flowing Death. - Thus, Tala spent the day…
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211 •
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Tali didn’t have any specific duties during this part of the feast. This was a time for potential Pillars to talk with those whom they might hold sway over. It was a time to be seen, and a time to bury old grudges, so that whomever rose to the position, they would not feel a need to…remove any members below them. It was not a time for Eskau, candidates or otherwise. Throughout the conversations, the candidates either stood silently behind and to the left of their masters or moved at their master’s…
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211 •
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Tali stopped when her Master did, maintaining precise positioning a step behind and to his left. The feast hall was as stunning as always, finding a balance between beautiful intricacy and simplicity. The construction was mainly deep black stone with red running through it. There was no roof, after all, there would be no weather in the hold that wasn’t wanted, and the false sky overhead was visible even with the bright lights of the feast hall around them. Tali always felt like she could reach up and…
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211 •
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Tala had only been looking out at the cityscape for a few minutes, or so it seemed, when Alat grabbed her attention. - Tala took in a deep breath and groaned. - - Tala sighed, pushing herself away from the stone half-wall that edged the overlook. She didn’t look towards the red circle. She’d been able to ignore the scent up until that point, but as she walked back past, the coppery scent of blood filled her nostrils. While it would have been a bit more than a half-hour walk back to the hold,…
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211 •
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Tala had a plan. Well, that wasn’t precisely true. Alat had the beginnings of a plan, and Tala liked what she was hearing. - Tala sighed. Alat projected grateful affirmation. Tala followed Alat’s instructions, and suddenly, she knew what Tali would do. It was obvious. That didn’t make it easy or natural, but she knew. Tala sat up a bit straighter, adjusting herself in little ways, until she matched how Tali would have been sitting. It…was actually more comfortable, and she felt more in…
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211 •
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Tala stood in the market square of an arcane city, surrounded by arcanes. Each and every one that she could see had an orange aura. Tala didn’t understand, but she trusted Alat. She didn’t know why she trusted Alat, or even who Alat was…or even who she was, but- Alat made a noise inside Tala’s head. The very air itself was saturated with power to the point that it would have been orange if it were claimed. She held a massive platter of various roasted meats. On the ground before her, a…
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211 •
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Rane struggled as he pulled himself up to the wide, flat peak, gasping. The gray light of dawn was just barely beginning to color the eastern horizon. He didn’t allow himself to flop to the ground, however. He had found his goal at last. He’d climbed six mountains, and found each peak of the previous ones empty. Now, however, he looked down on a naked man, sprawled in the snow. His skin was whiter than the fluffy powder in which he lay, and his aura was hard to see to Rane’s mage-sight, though…
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211 •
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Tali woke up early, before the false sun had brightened to announce the coming of a new day. With a thought and a flick of her magic, her nightwear retracted into a band around her neck, beneath her saorsa-collar. With a simple aspect-mirror, she pulled the magical effects of her clothing that allowed it to be self-cleaning onto herself. She did a few little hops, and circular movements of her appendages, before bending forwards and shaking out her hair. She pulled her comb from her side table and ran…
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