https://docs.google.com/document/d/16hsTjoNGcQYkFqQ92kJAa7-jAcWFXASnErI0ZfcwmDM/edit?usp=sharing
--
Jeremy jumped back in surprise before clutching his chest. "Yeesh, Delphia, give a little warning next time, will ya? Scared me."
Cayden had startled as well, though he told himself that was more because of Jeremy's perspe...
2024-03-03 04:34:30 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/17HMQRtslxmy_nKyHJnby9GQp3NlUOwXDircpwWmBdj0/edit?usp=sharing
--
"It should be doable. Not easy, but doable."
Cayden rubbed the back of his head as he looked down at the map Elise had folded carefully across the table in front of them, centering the area that was essential to their upco...
2024-02-26 06:27:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uwMAgV2GuqWHYprvrLhIBc6aY6Z2l9LmhuSb2W8we8M/edit?usp=sharing
--
Cayden winced as he shifted in his seat on the ground, trying to find a position that was less painful on his sore body. Seven hours of running was enough to leave him sore in places he didn't even know he had muscles – and th...
2024-02-20 19:18:35 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11ompg7-uuysgYdAnh6WxuugEsxnP8CW5jqD2jOCfSPs/edit?usp=sharing
--
"So that's it?" Cayden asked as they huddled around the tiny orb resting on Tiana's palm.
"That's it," Tiana responded, but when Cayden reached forward to grab it she closed her hand into a fist and pulled it back. "Ah, ah...
2024-02-17 09:56:56 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pd56pnVp920ZuuGqk0TFJHw8UssshDCAdNLNw2nH36c/edit?usp=sharing
--
Unfortunately for Cayden and his friends, their delaying tactics had negative consequences. The expedition's wagons were packed almost to capacity, with the two long benches that lined the back of each wagon already crowded with...
2024-02-14 10:02:29 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Jds7PLIbQD5K7NgMbl7gGhLx76wM9d_d7kDy-Po83A0/edit?usp=sharing
--
It didn't take Cayden long to grab his bags and leave his dorm, locking the door behind him. He'd had to pay for the privilege of keeping the rooms reserved while he was gone, but he hadn't minded. It was expensive, much more th...
2024-02-09 09:50:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Bp4tbpt1KevRUF_zplnKimTJIO6Lo0cWN3xDoX7IzXc/edit?usp=sharing
--
Cayden had never gotten around to finishing the conversation with Tiana about her offer of employment from the princess. There'd never seemed an appropriate moment; their time together walking to and from the dungeon had been pl...
2024-02-05 10:17:52 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y1wuGXxdLVwK16AJR0IaNLMfZORJGqbiCPTTOIVTyAc/edit?usp=sharing
--
"That about lines up with what we've heard," Jeremy said with a groan. "Queen Aerilyn bit off more than she could chew, and enough nobles are united against her that she can't just kill or sanction them all. But neither is she w...
2024-02-02 08:38:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GGDQOEKHLMmSkMHbUfy4LHV_grZaqMIXyV88PpNEEVk/edit?usp=sharing
--
The only upside of Cayden's walk across campus was that his blindness saved him the embarrassment of seeing any observers.
Not that he wasn't embarrassed. Just that he avoided the extra embarrassment of seeing the...
2024-01-29 07:29:58 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GZ64LXss59jkBMvHFli-CRVPF3Bxw1BMFQ4sSoIhMpo/edit?usp=sharing
--
The room was a cell. It was larger than the previous room with benches lining three of the walls and a disgusting-smelling grate in the far corner, and from a single glance the purpose of the room was obvious. But they were allo...
2024-01-26 09:43:39 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/173NNsweYJaAtn6-Dhxt3cTGe7A2C8rBgc4G2SUSX3xo/edit?usp=sharing
--
"...and then I clipped its wing as it flew by, dodging the stinger at the same time!" Tiana explained, her perspective bobbing as she mimicked the action she'd used to defeat the queen dire bee. "It could still fly,...
2024-01-22 07:52:17 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mM3fUbtLtkdbt2t_4bxKNXhrCZ4rbXA6gi3nt9CDSXs/edit?usp=sharing
--
They got to the dungeon just before sunset. Despite being further from the capital than most of the more popular dungeons, the adventurer's guild was careful to ensure it was cleared on a semi-regular basis to prevent dungeon br...
2024-01-19 09:34:48 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BtZSLOtGSvcnU2t__k87QabN43pYGNzby1ntUrlvNUY/edit?usp=sharing
--
"Thanks for coming," Cayden said to his friend as they exited the gates of Valtane, ignoring the pair of legionnaire guards silently watching them leave. It was unusual for guards to be legionnaires – the combat-oriented race ...
2024-01-14 08:39:29 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WDlim-eEm1NXHQM0XlDU6Wd19A0DcKPZlFh5ycJ2yY8/edit?usp=sharing
--
"I want to come with you."
Slowly, Cayden lowered the hand holding a half-eaten apple back to the table.
He'd known this was coming. Ever since his apology and Tiana's promise that she wouldn't make any agreements wi...
2024-01-12 07:44:15 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Pj85msJRniE9AzoTWcglvhCqozEtHcM-TwwrDcl69ik/edit?usp=sharing
--
"She...what?"
"The queen made her move against the nobles. One earl and two counts – three noble families, wiped out to the last. It could be more, though."
Cayden stepped back and gestured, waiting until he heard ...
2024-01-09 09:01:25 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zgyORE8pP4yj7ODqETWfi1PeGmhMOB7zu3zuakbxv8s/edit?usp=sharing
--
It was late by the time they left the arena. Elise guided Cayden by the hand as, with the other, he tapped the ground in front of them with his spear.
"What's got you grinning?" Elise asked as they finally made their way t...
2024-01-07 10:18:46 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nRv4SjoSUw1vwcbjbL4dawwlq8g3CfEkLBPgvEzhIxA/edit?usp=sharing
--
Unfortunately for Cayden and Elise, the academy was large enough that – despite the recent emptiness since the official end of the semester – they had no shot of tracking down Tiana unless they were extremely lucky. Fortunat...
2023-12-31 06:59:10 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YB3XSBWIxtia6uf5wdtGYOho7xDCahqHZm13Xr0iXPE/edit?usp=sharing
--
Delver’s Academy prided itself on being separate from politics. On being above the petty squabbles that might embroil the rest of the kingdom. And though that wasn’t an expectation it could always meet – many of the studen...
2023-12-28 08:55:46 +0000 UTC
View Post
As a reference for anyone who might want a refresher, here's a link to a google sheet that has a list of all the skills Cayden has encountered/known about, including those skills that are higher tier and what skills combine into them, as of the end of book one. If you notice any I missed (or incorrect/inconsistent descriptions), let me know.
2023-12-22 17:32:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OIHctP8VFlxymXmtLDQYCGPMb3aB2FfYhiN7Ax-IpAM/edit?usp=sharing
--
“Get rid of it?” Cayden scoffed.
“Not permanently,” Elise hurried to respond. “Just remove it from your active skills with [Save Progress]. To make it temporarily inactive.”
“...why?” Cayden said with...
2023-12-22 17:24:41 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C5KxjoFwRAAjff__xvX7DRtuq1c0AB6JgCH4jJDJvRw/edit?usp=sharing
Cayden slashed out at the training dummy with bared claws, the practiced motions digging slightly into the runed wooden surface before sending it spinning. With reflexes honed from hundreds of hours training with identical dummies, Cayde...
2023-12-19 08:38:51 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1P0Mv4VN2vnM7KGWHz8ziHFDcvuJ2Ua92Pmmn7H9-iQY/edit?usp=sharing
--
Tiana closed the door to her brother’s room, the threads of fate binding them together passing through the solid wood as if it wasn’t there.
They were as strong as they’d ever been, but Tiana took a moment to try and...
2023-10-21 04:53:40 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14V6zX1iYk-3bCMiQ-EVkpxwreZOLmaqUQlmG49HNaDA/edit?usp=sharing
--
Cayden repeated the name to himself several times as they re-entered the square where the princess and her bodyguards waited, deactivating [Dual-Speak] as he did. He was amazed and impressed with the power of the skill; so far, ...
2023-06-11 00:15:33 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W54bjt9Jhxfxqko0jTv7S49sAM89tb34oVsLw1EJwXs/edit?usp=sharing
--
Cayden bounced his leg nervously as he waited next to the fountain for Tiana to arrive with the princess. As the weeks had passed, Valeria had given Cayden and his sister slightly more freedom in their interactions. Instead of b...
2023-05-18 02:06:10 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TeeMKl9VjuWuCwWMbrnlISv4O1pK-e4nycCdxKI66UE/edit?usp=sharing
--
Cayden sat patiently as the rest of the students in Class Progression filed out of the classroom, standing and walking up to the desk at the front when it was empty.
“Cayden, do you have a question for me? You c...
2023-05-16 01:13:06 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I9h-q5EcskwAHclHvGqbkgHSOCXMs5siQd5i06HXQfM/edit?usp=sharing
--
For all that everything now seemed different, classes and life at the academy had no regard for the life-changing revelations that Cayden had experienced. And as much as he might have wanted to do so, he couldn’t simply skip h...
2023-05-10 09:35:21 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HEuakpSi29XV3GRPrYlk7ABUawitO7-cMgYNkcyPXw0/edit?usp=sharing
--
The flame of Cayden’s anger surged up upon hearing Delphia’s words, but he managed to tamp it back down. As much as he wanted to go on a rampage, confronting the princess and then charging toward whatever target she pointed ...
2023-04-21 23:36:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i7KDryQhuq-NdB2B0Eq4EiEl3nxM8sQTO9Rl4MSqt9c/edit?usp=sharing
--
Velic made a strangled gurgling noise as Cayden’s sheathed claws tightened around his throat, and the boy’s eyes were wide without their usual calm superiority.
But then Cayden felt the cold touch of metal against his ...
2023-04-20 22:46:40 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SN2X_2Bx6c2qTKPM6EF4J2JykJtwz7P-oRwmcB5ku-o/edit?usp=sharing
--
“...and so, we begin with perhaps the most humble of races: the halfling. The halfling is most easily identifiable by their small size, larger waistline, and affable demeanour. The halfling gains three racial skills: [Affable]...
2023-04-19 13:50:19 +0000 UTC
View Post
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZzZwVGNbcePLnDoKUBskgh5Oa3KuRWzB2Glyyaejwww/edit?usp=sharing
--
Surprisingly, Cayden seemed to be the one least bothered by their team’s loss – aside from Marvenal, of course, who seemed to care for nothing unless it affected Velic’s safety.
Velic was clearly angry from the way h...
2023-04-17 21:24:58 +0000 UTC
View Post