Yeoldebard
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Unknowable time passed. Arlo was trapped in darkness for a second, for a century. Voices whispered in his mind. He was forced to endure his own thoughts, to witness his past two lives, to feel every agonising failure again. “You have done well.” It took him a moment to remember who he was. Where he was. The laboratory spread around him, clones of various races stuck in vats to remain fresh. “Well enough for your existence to continue,” the lich leered. “There is no rest for you. I seek ano
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Devin bounced beside the two as they walked home. Snow kicked up in heavy clumps, joining the cold flurry around them. Leo trudged through it all, his mind a complete mess. On the one hand, he felt vindicated. If even a therapist thought there was no hope for them, he was free to go whenever he wanted with no obligation to Jeisa. But he knew it was a lie. There was no hope for them because of him. Because he wasn’t trying to keep them together. Why should he? After everything Jeisa had done to
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Arlo’s musket fired one last time. And the lamia harridan collapsed under an immense golden globe. He glanced at his mana — he was down to 120 points. A respectable amount, but something told him Karzoug was still his better in magic combat. Around the room, energy transferred from giant corpses into the golden orb. Lazy flames bathed the focus, and Arlo watched the flickering lights with interest, trying to figure out just how this device worked. No matter how he wracked his brain, no clues a
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“[Hungry Pit]!” A hole opened in the ground under a rune-enscribed giant. The creature bellowed as the walls closed around it, chewing it apart. Within seconds, three of the remaining giants turned, their clubs swinging into their companions. Arlo glanced at his mana — he was down to a hundred points after all the casting he’d done that day. At this rate, he would have absolutely no spells left against Karzoug. They were bleeding him dry. But the turncoat giants were a great distraction. A
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Leo held Devin’s hand as they wove through a crowded hall. Dozens of Faro children wandered with their parents, some crying, clinging to their… Leo wasn’t sure what to call them. Their adult? Jeisa had called them segal or something… or was it mara? “Daddy, I don’t wanna go,” Devin said, pressing against Leo’s leg as a Faro threw himself on the floor. Leo sighed at the display. He nudged Devin along, stopping in front of Siôn’s door. “Devin! I’m so glad you could make it!” Siôn said bright
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The miles glided by over the golden brick road. David whined as they passed thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, worth of gold. Coradiel had to physically restrain the cambion when massive gemstones appeared on either side of the massive road, shining bright even in daylight. “Just one brick! I just need one brick!” David protested, scrabbling against Coradiel’s arms. “You’ll get your brick on the way back down the mountain,” Coradiel said as Arlo focused on driving them down
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They appeared in Jorgenfist after two days of preparations. Free of any obligations, as a party that — reluctantly, in David’s case — accepted the gravity of the situation, well aware that this was likely their last journey together, the four climbed onto the empty wagon set outside the Black Tower of Jorgenfist. Arlo took a deep breath. He hated heights, but for the next seven days, they would be flying between mountain peaks, hundreds if not thousands of miles above the ground. He released
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“Devin.” The tablet’s flat statement was enough to freeze Jeisa. Thoughts of redemption, of cautious joy, were squashed with just one word. Leo wasn’t here for Jeisa. He’d only returned for Devin’s sake. Jeisa hoped he was wrong. Leo felt something for him — what was all that kissing and touching on Aegean Station? He didn’t need the human to fuck him; Jeisa would settle for Leo not hating him. He sucked in a breath as Devin rushed toward him. They collided, and Jeisa took a step back as the
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Stone scrabbled beneath their feet, dropping hundreds of feet off a rolling ledge. Wind whipped around them, strong enough to risk blowing them over the edge. Arlo scrambled back the second he landed, dragging the group with him until their backs were pressed to hard rock. “Desna’s blessed tits!” David stared at the ledge not more than three feet away. “Get us the fuck out of here!” Arlo’s free hand was already tracing sigils through the air. His eyes squeezed shut against the dizzying sight
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They regrouped at the well. Arlo had the components of the weapons set out as the trio emerged. He avoided Coradiel’s sharp glare, focusing instead on [Prestidigitation]ing his musket clean. “How many times do I have to watch you do something reckless?” The paladin glowered at Arlo. “My life is reckless. There is no safety in saving the world. Who’s first?” The amurrun motioned toward the pairs of components. He dropped a pair into the waters of the well, and the prismatic liquid began glowi
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Y'all, even with a tongue, Jeisa can't understand English or German. A tongue won't magically fix their communication issues.
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Devin sniffled into Leo’s shoulder as the needle was withdrawn from his arm. A miniscule vial of blood entered a machine, and a moment later, a holographic symbol appeared above it — 8.57. Leo’s eyes widened. Had they really just measured Devin’s age from his blood? He patted Devin’s back gently as his own arm was pricked. It was just a needle — he had no idea why Devin was crying over it. Another machine whirred, and a metal square dropped out with Devin’s face and age on a holograph. A block
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He woke up with a scream. Dead eyes stared at him. Rattling groans rolled in his ears. Rotting hands grasped for him… and then a blinding green flash. Arms wrapped around him. Warmth wrapped around him, soothing, terrifying. “Shh… it’s okay. You’re safe,” someone said, stroking Arlo’s head. “No one’s going to hurt you. I got you.” He squeezed his eyes shut, but that only gave the memories a blank canvas to run across. His eyes opened, but the nightmares continued. Coradiel, dead. David, de
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Mage's Magnificent Mansion
Yeoldebard commented on Yeoldebard's story chapter in Mage's Magnificent Mansion
The dice do as the dice decree. 'Course, I do have to fudge the roll every now and then. -
“Three halls down.” Arlo ran his finger along various arcane runes, glancing briefly at notes listed in Thassilonian. Efficiency was the name of the game, a spell that would work with eight mana instead of ten or even twenty. Arlo’s current maximum mana sat at 165 — a lot even considering the risk of fatigue beyond 80 points or so — but being more efficient would heavily turn the odds in his favour. “We’re doing Lust next, targeting some toys of questionable use. Where do we stand on the other f
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Jeisa was true to his word. He fiddled with the replicator the next morning, and suddenly Leo was cooking eggs and ham over a range in the kitchen. It took a few minutes of moving through the room, dodging Jeisa, dodging Devin, before the plates settled on the table, filling the air with a heavenly scent. Breakfast was eaten in a stony silence. Devin kept looking between Leo and Jeisa, slinking ever lower in his chair. Leo shot him a baleful stare, and Devin sat up straighter. He slunk again t
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They regrouped in the centre chamber of Runeforge. Four shards of mirror sat on the edge of the prismatic pool, already waiting for the rest of the components. Delvahine’s toys. “We have a choice here,” Arlo spoke up as the group gathered around the Runeforge. “The master of the Shimmering Veil wrote that he was pursuing an alliance with Delvahine — who is suspected to be a succubus of some strength. We have one [Death Ward] scroll. One of us could wear that to deal with the succubus. Or we ca
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The tunnel to the Shimmering Veils ran 150 feet before ending in a stone wall. Worked brick stared them down, cold, unyielding. “Well, we tried,” David said, turning around. “No we didn’t,” Arlo denied. He reached out, setting his hand on the stone in front of them. Solid stone. It remained solid no matter how he swept his hand. The wall beside him, however…. Arlo’s hand sank through the wall. David cursed. “Runelord Xanderghul was supposed to be a master of illusion,” Arlo said, wav
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Burning spices filled the warm air of the small restaurant they found themselves in. Bright windows lit up the room around them, and soft clinks and conversation whispered in their ears. Leo clung to Devin’s hand as they followed a dark Faro to a wide table. Lights flashed across the surface, lighting up with every touch of the table, something Devin took to with aplomb. Little fingers jabbed the table repeatedly, making splashes of riotous colours spread across the screen. Even Leo was enth
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“Keys turn twice in Sihedron...” Arlo turned the key by Karzoug’s feet, spinning it a full circle. He repeated the motion, and the giant statue began humming. The key vanished from Arlo’s grip as Karzoug glowed a soft transmutative hue. “What did you do?” David demanded. “The right thing, I hope,” Arlo muttered, turning next to the Runelord of Sloth. Another key vanished, and another. The hum filled the air, increasing in volume with every statue activated, until the chamber was fairly v
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Arlo jumped up and down in the snow, trying to get feeling back in his feet. He was starting to regret not casting his [Endure Elements] spell today, but he needed to save his spells. Today they would face down a dragon. Probably. Unless Quink was completely wrong. And there was a good chance he was. The man couldn’t know everything, after all. “Are we there yet?” “No- wait….” Arlo peered through the flurry, just making out the head of a statue. “Yeah, we’re there,” he corrected himself. S
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Faro crowded through the auction house, peering into cages. A miasma of despair filled the market, with only the occasional voice crying out in some unknown language. The number of eyes looking at the beings for sale were frankly disturbing to Jeisa — there shouldn’t be this many people looking until tomorrow. He kept an eye out for Ngarin. It was simple enough to find his way to the human pens — Matyáš always sold the most and the strangest beings at auction, and had his own section set aside
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“That is a river.” Icy water rushed past the group, pouring into the lake. It had taken them nearly two days to get to the northernmost point of Lake Stormunder. Now, it looked like their journey was over. Rimeskull Mountain stood beyond the river, its macabre face leering down at them. A mile of rapids barred their passage, and David was NOT about to go dipping his toes in it. “Well, we tried,” he said, turning away. The cambion yelped as an arm hoisted him into the sky. Arlo cast a spe
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Arlo whirled around. A woman stood in the distance, ghostly pale with fiery red hair — the only full colour Arlo could see in this shadowy realm. It was almost blinding with its saturation, drawing the gaze simultaneously toward and away from the hair. She stepped forward, and suddenly, the woman stood mere feet away from them. Arlo’s eyes widened, and he shook his head, trying to clear out the blurred image of her movement. “Arlo Silverpaw.” “How do you know my name?” Arlo demanded. His e
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Leo paced up and down the length of their room. The soft thump of his feet ground in Jeisa’s ears. He’d been going all morning, and Jeisa wasn’t sure how much more he could take. Sunlight streamed through a curtain, washing over the wall opposite of the bed. The holo-screen was silent; Jeisa had never had time for movies, and he didn’t think he’d be starting now. A blinking clock showed 14 in the morning — Jeisa had slept for nearly six hours. It would have to be enough; he wouldn’t be getting
