Oscar's eyelids trembled in his deep sleep as visions of the past swirled in his dreams, his thoughts unable to focus on a single one. It felt uncomfortable, very unsettling, like an itch in the throat, unable to be scratched or appeased. Memories flashed rapidly in a hazy fog. His heart raced fa...
2023-06-04 19:05:47 +0000 UTC View Post"A mistake?" Oscar saw the Elder, the picture of health for a middle-aged man, sit down, forlorn and visibly weary and older than before.
"It was my foolish hope that led to all of this," Sevon's voice grew weaker into a mumble, still audible but lacking vigor. "Long ago, when I was a young...
2023-06-03 16:58:22 +0000 UTC View Post"Avril. What are you doing?" Oscar reigned in his shock at the brutal scene of Avril stomping on a man's chest; at least, that's what he could tell. The corpse was torn apart, limb from limb, head to toe, by blood-soaked roots. Blood flowed like streams, and pieces of flesh and flakes of skin swa...
2023-06-02 03:26:06 +0000 UTC View PostAn explosion of light knocked Oscar and everyone else away from the center of the main hall. For a brief moment, he caught sight of Adam fighting against Caen, the Lord of Brightburn, and a mysterious man, wearing the same clothing as the unknown assailant who used Reis. The sudden intrusion of t...
2023-05-31 19:40:19 +0000 UTC View PostOscar's army entered Brightburn City in droves, fighting to breach through the recently-destroyed flimsy defenses. The city would have a sight to behold, a strange marvel he would never find in his home country. A shame that the destructive fires and tremors from the chaotic battles took away fro...
2023-05-31 03:04:12 +0000 UTC View PostThree armies, numbering a few hundred each, struck at their backs. Realizing the outlook of the battle was grim, Oscar rode out on Erden to better understand the situation. Adam's side with the Fourth division was overwhelming their foes, the brutal battle maniac tearing through the enemy ranks. ...
2023-05-29 22:18:26 +0000 UTC View PostBack long ago, in Ashen Grove, Oscar pounded metal on the anvil, creating the pieces needed to assemble a cannon according to Gol-4's instructions. He focused singlemindedly on hammering out each shape, turn, and indent. "Hey, Gol-4. What's the point of this cannon? We have cannons, ballistae, an...
2023-05-29 05:53:29 +0000 UTC View PostOscar led Adam through the fortress with Avril and Erden, red light peering through the windows of the wide hallways. Once they entered the room, Adam exclaimed. Oscar groaned and sat on his chair, staring at the large stacks of papers and scrolls piled on his table. Avril brewed him some tea, pl...
2023-05-29 04:24:07 +0000 UTC View Post"The butcher?" The envoys all turned pale, struck by the fear of the very mention of that name. They all retreated a step away from Adam, his gleeful smile still wide across his face. Oscar never knew how much fear the reputation of the butcher had on the people of the Burning Valley until seeing...
2023-05-29 00:46:28 +0000 UTC View Post"Here are all the records and censuses of our Ashwolf Clan." Fenu placed a pile of papers and scrolls on Oscar's table. The sheer volume nearly made Oscar click his tongue, but he held it down and started to read each record, passing one to Avril when finished. Within thirty minutes, he read thro...
2023-05-27 05:23:34 +0000 UTC View PostWith the loyalty of the Ashwolf Clan secure, Oscar went over to the main battlefield to identify their losses. The bodies of the people he had come to know for the past month were lifeless, covered in ashes. Using his Ein, he cleaned off the ashes and ordered Desmond to wrap them carefully. Desmo...
2023-05-26 23:30:46 +0000 UTC View Post"Ashwolf!" Fenu shouted.
"Azure Sea!" Oscar shouted.
Oscar and Fenu projected their voices with Ein and filled the battlefield with their presence, the full might of powerful Middle Knight Exalts. Oscar breathed a sigh of relief at how fast everyone stopped fighting. His forces were a...
2023-05-26 18:46:19 +0000 UTC View PostAvril coughed out blood, feeling her heart about to burst through her chest. Her nose could only smell the foul volcanic scent, not helping her nausea. The Reis was truly a useful power but gave her constant agony. She forced down the blood in her throat. Oscar, Sevon, and Adam always suffered th...
2023-05-25 03:33:04 +0000 UTC View PostThe Ashwolf Clan outnumbered his forces three-to-one. Large amounts of Ein poured out from the seventy members of the Ashwolf Clan, rumbling above into a chaotic storm. Their ferocious expressions were on display for Oscar and his forces to see. However, none of their blood-curdling expressions a...
2023-05-24 00:00:42 +0000 UTC View Post"Desmond!" It was time. Oscar gathered up his things. Desmond entered the main hut and saluted. He had a cleaner look since the first time they met.
"You called for me, Boss?" Desmond asked, puffing his chest. The past month of training and rewards had done their job of honing Desmond's dem...
2023-05-22 03:41:36 +0000 UTC View PostOscar sat in the main hut of the Firebear gang, now renamed the Azure Sea Company. Various papers were scattered on the rough stone table, now cleared of food. These papers were useless, containing only odd notes about rumors or gossip. To think the gangs of the outer regions were so unorganized....
2023-05-21 23:31:13 +0000 UTC View PostDesmond laughed while sharing cups of lukewarm water with the rest of his crew. They had just received the monthly tributes from the towns and villages in their territory, a good number of ores, and water. The bountiful feast on the table looked ever more pleasing, a collection of whole lizards c...
2023-05-21 20:04:36 +0000 UTC View Post"Interesting. I hope you become a Greater Knight Exalt before I try for the Marshal Exalt realm. I haven't fought against anyone who made me feel the true thrill of battle yet." Adam stretched his body, his tight muscles outlined underneath the white shirt. He smiled at Oscar and extended his han...
2023-05-20 17:43:36 +0000 UTC View Post"Oscar, are you a fabricator? You possess a hammer in your space pocket along with some grade-three ores." Sevon asked, a glow of interest in his eagle eyes. "If you are, then what star fabricator are you?"
"I am a two-star fabricator. I haven't found a suitable place with a furnace, kiln, ...
2023-05-19 02:12:13 +0000 UTC View PostSevan and Adam stepped farther away, their figures growing smaller in the distance. Oscar struggled to get up, his joints creaking and his fingers trembling. The weakness of his body persisted despite the wrappings and bandages covering his injuries. It had been too long since he had been pushed ...
2023-05-18 03:01:08 +0000 UTC View PostThe old man sat on the chair as Adam stood to the side like a bodyguard with a stern face, unlike his previous demeanor. Oscar became short of breath before the old man's presence. Avril was trembling, unable to stand up against this great person.
"Well," The old man wore a fine black suit,...
2023-05-17 04:02:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe smell of fire and ash swarmed his nostrils, and Oscar woke up from the choking of the dirty air. Having no sense of where he was, Oscar tried to regain his sight to no avail. Through the blurriness of his sight, Oscar recognized the familiar redness glow of magma. For some reason, he couldn't...
2023-05-16 03:58:27 +0000 UTC View Post"I have to say I'm impressed. Even though the marauders and people in this part of the Burning Valley are less equipped, less honed in spells, and have a horrible mental fortitude, you still killed five Middle Knight Exalts, even one at his peak." The white-haired Reis user applauded Oscar.
Oscar cared not for who these vile bastards were or why they were so insistent. His only concern was currently suffering in the dead-end of the alleyway; her cries had died down, but her eye had lost all glimmer of life. She appeared more as a lifeless doll rather than a person.
The people ...
2023-05-14 17:29:13 +0000 UTC View Post"Brother Oscar! That hurts!" Quinn rubbed his shoulder while lying on the floor. "Can't you go easier?"
"You're the one who was so insistent on having me train you. No complaining about that." Oscar said, stretching his tired body. He looked up at the stagnant molten orb with a sigh. It had...
2023-05-12 22:12:33 +0000 UTC View Post"I'm surprised you have grade-three spells. Though, the rest of your spells were grade two." Oscar said. Taren lay before his feet, weakened and injured. His gasps and pained grunts didn't evoke a single bout of pity from Oscar. What sort of pity did this person deserve?
The battle interest...
2023-05-12 01:58:33 +0000 UTC View PostThe gorge turned into a ghost town. None of the villagers made a sound, huddled in their stone homes, not even peeking out from their windows. As the clouds of ash approached the gorge's entrance toward Tung Village, Oscar heard the whimpers and squeamish cries coming from younger voices. Those c...
2023-05-11 20:59:09 +0000 UTC View PostOscar sat on his bed, leaning against the wall. A faint blue flame was slowly waning, burning for a while now. Oddly, the sparks and embers floating from it resembled snowflakes and ice crystals. No wood or timber was fueling these unique blue flames, only a few round stones with sapphire veins o...
2023-05-10 02:47:54 +0000 UTC View PostFire, brimstone, ashes, and soot; all manners of desolation enveloped the land and choked the skies with black clouds of thundering flames, not lightning. Oscar quickly covered his nose, stung by the sudden change in the air, filled to the brim with a foul burnt smell, reminding him of burnt matc...
2023-05-09 00:07:20 +0000 UTC View PostThe two suns bathed the grasslands in their warmth from their off-angle positions, and a familiar loud ruckus kicked off with their rising as the beasts awoke from their dwellings and resumed their savage battles. Walking out of the cavern, Oscar sat down on the ground. After a year, the destruct...
2023-05-07 05:04:20 +0000 UTC View Post