Sophia Harris
Stories
7
Chapters
2,628
Words
1.4 K
Comments
0
Reading
6 m
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Not as painful or exhausting as his days at the estate, but infinitely more frustrating. Kai had to stretch his patience threefold to study under the gnome's tutelage. Edgar made clear he had no desire to teach him. From abstruse explanations to tedious lessons on material composition and rune synchronization, the little gremlin put more effort into trying to make him quit their arrangement than teaching him. His favorite assignment was to have Kai draw a rune combination three hundred times and ignore…-
239 •
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“Do we have a deal, kid?” Edgar gave him a crooked smile. His bulbous eyes scanned him, looking for the hidden enchantment. Kai discarded the possibility. Confidence could be faked, but the gnome had been too precise in its assumptions to be bluffing. He might also possess a lie-detection skill or—more likely—an artifact. From the metal contraptions poking out of the pockets of his yellow robe, to the rings on his fingers and earrings on his pointy ears, everything the gnome wore glowed with…
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239 •
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The stocky building nestled between its soaring neighbors. Plain granite walls, windows covered by dark curtains and a sturdy oak door, an unassuming oddity in the opulence of the upper city. Kai had walked past it twice before he realized this was the place, his eyes slipped over the gray cube. Everything in the upper city was made to impress, to showcase the wealth and status of their owners. Everything except this house. There were no metal ornaments on its facade, no blooming flowers or sculpted…
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239 •
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“Found anything to your liking, young man?” The owner of the shop rubbed his hands with a salesman’s smile. “Here at Salsbury’s, we only acquire the very best goods for our clients. Each blade is a unique piece enchanted by a master runesmith.” “Really?” Kai gave his He picked a dagger with a curved handle inlaid with silver filigree, purple amethysts and polished quartzes. It was a marvel how someone could fit so much useless clutter on a single weapon. A dagger was supposed to be fast…
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239 •
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“You said the beast was injured before it came on shore?” The inspector surveyed the sea serpent’s battered carcass in her dull uniform, her nose wrinkled at the pungent stench of rotten fish that choked the air. Kai couldn’t blame her. He had run out of curses for his improved Perception hours ago. While a day wasn’t enough for the flesh of a yellow beast to decay, it let the internal liquids seep out, forming dark and foul puddles on the sand. The majestic creature had been stripped bare of…
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239 •
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“Sorry for the cup,” Kai smiled apologetically. “What did you do with it?” Lou crouched beside the metal scraps, more confused than upset. “He failed a magic trick.” Flynn teased him, taking advantage of the distraction to whisper in his ear. “Don’t worry about your sword, I’ve hidden it.” He slipped away, muttering he’d check that no more beasts fell from the sky. “What kind of “It was an accident. I tried to use an element I’m not good at.” Kai blushed embarrassed. He…
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239 •
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Kai fumbled in the dark. Slick with ichor, his hands slipped on the creature’s cold insides. He had lost one dagger when his water shield had worn out and left the full weight of the beast on him. The gashes on his shoulder and leg became harder to ignore as the adrenaline of the fight wore off. A pungent smell pervaded his nose, and there was a sour taste in his mouth. Knowing he would just swallow more foul liquids, he had to force his lips shut and suppress the instinct to spit and vomit. His skin…
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239 •
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The circular script on the Fulcrum glowed with a soft light, it had gathered Fate for more than a week. Kai wished he had observed the artifact before activating it the first time, so he would have a reference. The gathering speed depended on his Favor, which was his most impressive attribute. But whatever mad enchanter built the artifact, they probably didn’t plan to lend it to the first guy on the streets. Kai descended the broken tower towards the submerged floors. He had debated where to activate…
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239 •
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Kai stashed his silver disk and clothes inside his ring and jumped to the lower floor. The knee-deep water was hardly of any help in the landing. But if it wasn’t enough to cushion the fall, it was enough to drench him thoroughly. Away from the sun, the icy droplets sent shivers down his arms and back. Scant rays of light penetrated from the opening in the ceiling. The polished ivory stone reflected the light coming from the windows two floors up. A school of tiny yellow fish tickled his legs in their…
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239 •
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Coming out of the dusty town, a line of carts headed west to load their cargo at sea. The crates glowed with chains of rough spatial enchantments. The ivory rock stolen from the Vastaire ruins was easily recognizable across the upper city. It adorned mansions and important public buildings, shaped into statues for the heroes of Meria. The monumental docks welcoming people into the capital were the most blatant example. Yet it remained a limited resource. Importing from the mainland was expensive, and…
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239 •
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