"And what if I refuse?" I said slowly, weighing my options.
Could I even kill a mage of his level with a regular pistol, or would I need something stronger?
The Rector smiled pleasantly, but there was ice in his eyes. "Well, why refuse...
2025-08-14 10:40:30 +0000 UTC View Post"Time to get up, Viscount. The opening ceremony of the tournament begins in half an hour," a female voice said.
Only half an hour? They should have woken me earlier.
I pried my eyes open, only to cover them with my hand as someone yank...
2025-08-14 06:38:01 +0000 UTC View Post"Hey, wait. What peasants?"
"Who else is there to hunt? They've even wiped out the goblins in the vicinity of the Academy."
"Stop, stop, stop. This was a bad idea, forget it," I tried to backpedal, cursing the ambassador in my mind. 2025-08-13 17:22:31 +0000 UTC View Post
◆ Village near the Goblin Forest, Captain Kurt's POV. ◆
The goblins appeared earlier than he had expected.
The last rays of the sun vanished beyond the horizon. The pounding of hooves from the horse carrying the messenger with his...
2025-08-13 11:24:31 +0000 UTC View PostThe estate prepared by the mages for the delegation's stay was not only luxurious but also radiated with an excess of enchantments, from harmless ones meant to maintain optimal temperature and humidity, to protective spells promising intruders doz...
2025-08-12 17:03:31 +0000 UTC View PostA dead-end alley where street sweepers rarely came. Between stone buildings hung a torn web, black with soot. The workshop door, crudely built from darkened wood, stood out only because of the new sign nailed directly to its boards. It was wedged ...
2025-08-12 16:55:17 +0000 UTC View PostBut we didn't get to see the spider gladiator fights.
As we passed through the corridor, we ran into Nala, who was leading a team of mages. Strangely, there were no servants on this floor, so the mages themselves had to haul some very suspic...
2025-08-11 16:03:26 +0000 UTC View Post
A girl in an aquamarine robe approached our carriage, so saturated in color it seemed even her hair had a bluish cast… Wait… no, not "seemed." It did. Dye?
"Good-day-father asked me to look after you. Where would you like to go?" she...
2025-08-11 09:08:38 +0000 UTC View Post◆ Ordinary Goblin's POV, outskirts of the Goblin Forest. ◆
Sharp ears rose above the thick grass. The wind masked sounds, the rustle of leaves muffled footsteps, but it carried scents.
He sniffed, drawing in the wind. Hi...
2025-08-10 17:55:18 +0000 UTC View Post"What happened to your Source?"
The sudden question made me pause for a moment. Meanwhile, the old man squinted, his gaze boring into my chest, and I was certain that the doublet wouldn't protect me from the perverted old man.
"It look...
2025-08-10 06:39:06 +0000 UTC View PostWhat is the most dangerous weapon in war? A spear? A sword? An axe? Pfft…
A mage? A weapon in human form is, without a doubt, a formidable force. Depending on talent, one can strangle, tear apart, freeze, or burn anywhere from a few people...
2025-08-09 16:51:34 +0000 UTC View Post◆ The next day, His Majesty's POV. ◆
…the Five-Element Godleaf saplings were also damaged. Absolute vandalism!" the junior earth mage, serving as the royal gardener, concluded his report emotionally.
"I see, I see…" the King m...
2025-08-09 12:44:47 +0000 UTC View PostNight had fallen over the capital, and nearly all the streets were empty... except for one utterly unremarkable intersection in the craftsmen's quarter.
Between a bakery and a tailor's shop, five carriages and over a dozen young aristocrats ...
2025-08-09 06:26:36 +0000 UTC View PostNeedless to say, the very first thing that happened was being summoned before the King.
All I had time to do was send Asha to the capital's healers, change clothes, and order the wheels moved into the palace's guest room. There were only a c...
2025-08-08 15:09:11 +0000 UTC View Post"And this is your plan to avoid bankruptcy?" Tamilla said, twirling a pneumatic carriage wheel in her hands.
"Well... yeah, basically," I replied, surprised to see no trace of enthusiasm. It was a plan as reliable as a Swiss watch, guarantee...
2025-08-08 09:39:20 +0000 UTC View Post◆ Some time later ◆
"Increase the temperature by another fifty," I ordered Asha, and she sighed as she pressed her hands to the boiler.
The turbine blades roared louder, spinning a shaft as thick as a man. Something creaked deep i...
2025-08-08 06:00:21 +0000 UTC View Post◆ Ancestral castle of House Short, Laslo and Kazimir's POV. ◆
"Have some cheese, don't be shy," Marquis Laslo said kindly, extending a silver plate to the trembling Kazimir.
"Thank you, but I'm not hungry," Kazimir tried to re...
2025-08-07 18:41:54 +0000 UTC View Post
The closer Erin's squad came, the clearer it became that something had gone wrong.
One of the knights was carrying his severed arm, another's armor was crushed. Several knights were on foot, and their horses were dragging improvised str...
◆ Command tent of Marquis Short, Countess Erin von Klaus's POV. ◆
"You killed him!" Erin pointed her blade, slipping into crudeness from sheer shock.
"Me? Hardly, it was the men of House Condor. The commoners, you ...
2025-08-07 08:51:53 +0000 UTC View Post◆ Half an hour before the battle, Countess Erin von Klaus's POV. ◆
Some time before the battle.
Creaky floorboards, a large stove in the center of the room. Although the peasant hous...
2025-08-06 15:37:28 +0000 UTC View Post◆ Battlefield, Soldier Kurt's POV. ◆
"Ready! Aim!"
Kurt obediently rested his musket on the edge of the parapet, aiming it at the approaching enemies.
His ears were still ringing from the recent artillery volley that had ...
2025-08-06 13:50:08 +0000 UTC View Post◆ Battlefield, Baron Aluin’s POV. ◆
"Nice day today, isn't it, Baron?"
"Couldn't be better," Aluin grunted, avoiding the speaker's gaze. Just the persistent attention from Count Gaston already made the day unbearable, and that w...
2025-08-06 12:10:31 +0000 UTC View Post"To hell with the concrete; it won't set in time. Cover the embankment with logs!" I ordered the soldier lugging the bag of concrete.
The fortifications, planned as a series of earthen steps, currently appeared as a modest earthwork behind t...
2025-08-06 09:46:31 +0000 UTC View PostThe body lay about a hundred meters from the checkpoint. The pool of blood beneath the torso had already congealed and now resembled dark red jelly. From a distance, the splatters on the stones looked like black flakes.
"He ran far," I noted...
2025-08-06 05:05:44 +0000 UTC View Post
The door closed, leaving Erin and me alone. I sat down at the table and picked up the breech of the future pneumatic rifle. I had to finish it: today the aerostat would rise into the sky again. By then, we needed at least one prototype for tes...
"Your fortifications are a joke," Erin said, angrily crossing her arms.
"Yes, yes," I replied absentmindedly, turning a piece of metal in my hands. At that moment, thanks to our horned ally, an interesting valve design had come to mind. I ne...
2025-08-05 11:23:32 +0000 UTC View Post◆ Not far from the city of Eagle's Cliff, Erin von Klaus's POV. ◆
"My lady, it seems the city is intact. The enemy forces haven't reached it yet. Perhaps we should conserve our strength?" the knight addressed her with all due respect, r...
◆ Some time ago. Prison of Eagle's Cliff. Kazimir Short's POV. ◆
The city prison was never meant for long-term detention, yet it was never empty. Few inmates stayed longer than a week, since feeding them became a concern in that cas...
For now, I’m trying to figure out how everything works here...
2025-07-31 16:28:58 +0000 UTC View Post