Bacon Macleod posts
B3 Chapter 307: Kolnir, pt. 2
As soon as the kolnir’s fist shattered his brother’s jaw, Kaius was moving. Dropping a Zone of Discombobulation, he watched the creature shudder — barely enough time for Porkchop to rally his defence.With the low level of his Glyph of Vyrthane, the spell was too weak to do much more than that....
slight delay
just adding a few bits and bobs to the chapter to round it out, taking me a little longer than expected.
B3 Chapter 306: Kolnir
A/N 2: I, in fact, did not wake up on time today, lmao. I woulda queued last night, but I was up late dealing with my gpu outputting black screens on boot due to nvidias shitty drivers for the 50 series (at least, I gaddang hope its the drivers)A/N: minor retcon, Kenva’s charged shot is now called...
B3 Interlude 9: Plans and Betrayals
Cronte only remembered he was missing an arm when the ghost of his fingers slid right through the itch just behind his ear. He scowled, letting his stump fall limp as he returned his focus to the light forest around them. Regenerating the damn thing was going to cost him half of his bloody savings ...
B3 Chapter 305: Further Reaches, Finale.
*Ding! Moderate Feat of Strength performed under Observation. You have been awarded a Minor Honour: Persistent Survivor IV*Kaius slammed his heel into the cave floor, stopping himself fast.“Huh.”Kenva, frozen equally as solid, slowly turned to face him with her brows furrowed and her eyes unfocu...
B3 Chapter 304: Further Reaches, pt. 2
Kaius descended into the tower, his blade drawn and ready. Dozens of new inscriptions wound over his skin, black marks of arcane potency ready to burn at the slightest sign of trouble.Other than a still-repairing tear in the shoulder of his scalemail, he was in peak condition — an hour of rest all...
B3 Chapter 303: Further Reaches, pt. 1
Kaius sat on the floor, allowing the frenetic rush of running for his life to leave him. Grumbling uncomfortably as holes his brother had left in his shoulder knitted themselves closed, he took his first good look at the stone bunker that had saved them from the ruinbringers outside.Easily three tim...
B3 Chapter 302: Cold Desert Night, Finale
Every single one of Kaius’s instincts still screamed at him in urgency.He might have made it to the vaulted stone tower, but the ruinbringers were still right behind him. Even injured by the deluge of storm magic he had pumped into them, the stun that Stormlash left in its wake was not potent or l...
B3 Chapter 301: Cold Desert Night, pt. 2
Four ruinbringers, standing fresh and free on the surface of the desert. The closest was twice as far as the pagoda they were aiming for, but that meant little. The creatures were fast, able to flit across the sand at a pace he wouldn’t have been able to match on solid ground.If they were spotted,...
B3 Chapter 300: Cold Desert Night, pt. 1
Two more ruinbringers died as they crossed the desert.They were good fights — tough, and had proven that even with a viable strategy they could not treat the beasts lightly. One had gone as well as the last, their backline removing its tail while he disabled its pincers, resulting in a long beat d...
B3 Interlude 8: Questions
A/N: no idea how this ended up late, I edited it last night but I guess I forgot to actually queue it lmaoWakefulness came slowly, punctuated by the cold splash of a drip hitting the tip of his nose. He was leaning on something hard, a polished wood grain warped by his bleary eyes. Whisper frowned, ...
B3 Chapter 299: Worries
**Ding! Latent Glyph of Eirnith Class Skill Available, would you like to proceed? This choice is pivotal and irrevocable.**Accepting the skill, Kaius felt the cold burn of the System's touch as a new glyph was woven into the flesh and bone of his temples — intrinsically linked to his mana and ...
B3 Chapter 298: Rematch, Finale
*Ding! level 245 Ruinbringer - Waiting Death slain - Experience Gained! Bonus Experience for slaying a foe of Significant Strength!*…*Ding! Runeblade Initiate has reached level 120 > 124!**+3 End, Str, & Int, +2 Dex, Wil, +1 Vit, Free - from Class & Racial Traits!*…*Ding! Class skill available f...
B3 Chapter 297: Rematch, pt. 2
Kaius decided that knowing an indistinguishable patch of sand concealed a beast capable of tearing him limb from limb was an experience he didn’t enjoy.As soon as Kenva had called out the presence of a soul-signature under the sand, he’d gone dead still. Following her outstretched finger, he bor...
B3 Chapter 296: Rematch, pt. 1
Returning to their trek across the sand-buried city, Kaius passed over empty dunes with a new degree of focus — now aware that lethal threats may lay hidden under the sands at any point.The suns slowly moved over the horizon, only further confirming in Kaius’s mind that it was no mere illusion t...
B3 Chapter 295: The Wall
Still lost in the joy of victory, Kaius fell back into the hot sand below. His wounds ached—a dozen half-healed holes slowly weeping his thickened blood into the desert—and his armour was hung off him in limp strips.None of it mattered, not even the soul-deep ache he felt from his utter batterin...
Chapter 294: Hyythenal, Finale
The ruinbringer’s tails spasmed, dragging furrows through the sand in spite of being separated from its body. Feeling the grievous wound they had inflicted—depriving it of its most dangerous weapons—the scorpion screamed, throwing itself at Porkchop in a furious rage.Kaius laughed, a dark soun...
B3 Chapter 293: Hyythenal, Pt. 2
Kaius flew through the air, his heart desperately hammering in his chest as he stared at the ropey organs visible through the hole in Ianmus’s stomach.The mage clutched the open wound with quickly paling hands, a twisted grimace on his face as he desperately tried and failed to hold his blood insi...
B3 Chapter 292: Hyythenal, Pt. 1
Twin suns tore at his skin, drawing every scrap of moisture they could from him with their burning heat.Kaius had long since abandoned wearing his helmet. Without the temperature and weather regulating enchantments of his gambeson and trousers to protect him, the metal of the armour had grown scorch...
B3 Interlude 7: Developments
Desperation had a stench, and it reeked of pisswater, stale sweat, and charleaf smoke.Ro leaned back on the tavern wall, half expecting the poorly maintained wood to splinter under her weight. Arms crossed over her chest, she watched jittery lowlives swing their eyes across the pub — looking for t...
B3 Chapter 291: Wealth of Growth, Finale
Metal chimed as Kaius slid his cuirass over his head, buckling it down with his belt—now missing his clunky potion pouch considering the ease with which he could use them from his new spatial rings.Looking around, he saw his team were suited up for war.They waited by the door, already fully dresse...
B3 Chapter 290: Wealth of Growth, pt. 6
Stretching out his lethargy, Kaius spotted Kenva sprawled out on a thick fur in a corner of the tent. She’d been there since they pitched the thing—quiet and silent as she enjoyed the simple material comforts that had been denied to her for so long.An understandable feeling, considering he and P...
B3 Chapter 289: Wealth of Growth, pt. 5
A/N: *Ding! Cliff Mastery has reached level 100*, but seriously my b, adhd brain got me and I forgot to queue last night (and then slept through my alarm by 3 hours lmao)*Ding! Corporus Aspect Founded - The Struggler’s Madness*Still overwhelmed by the process of igniting a fundamental Truth of his...
B3 Chapter 287: Wealth of Growth, pt. 4
Returning to the barren stone of the Depths entrance room, Kaius was met with an infectious mood.Unburdened by the complexities of his own spells, his companions had not been subject to a full blown skill vision. Each looked happy—the experiences they had been subjected to in the last few weeks fo...
B3 Chapter 286: Wealth of Growth, pt. 3
A/N: judging by the fact I accidentally posted 2 chapters on RR and reposted the same one here, editing b1 is doing more damage to my brain cells than I thought....Under the curious eyes of his companions, Kaius finally delved into the offerings of his latest skill.Sigil of Vesryn’s Pact—a skill...
(accidental duplicate) B3 Chapter 285: Wealth of Growth, pt. 3
A/N: duplicate post, leaving up because the comments are funny. Real chapter for today is now upKaius woke from his skill-vision to the sound of his team chatting. Opening his eyes quietly, he smiled as he watched the conversation continue.“So your people do not wander? Explore the forest?” Kenv...
B3 Chapter 285: Wealth of Growth, pt. 2
Kaius woke from his skill-vision to the sound of his team chatting. Opening his eyes quietly, he smiled as he watched the conversation continue.“So your people do not wander? Explore the forest?” Kenva asked, her head propped up by one hand as she focused on Porkchop curiously.Porkchop shook his...
B3 Chapter 284: Wealth of Growth, pt. 1
Chewing through his last bite of food, Kaius eyed his team’s latest member.As they had eaten, their topic of conversation had shifted to Kenva’s story—and what she could do.Like he had expected, she was a capable combatant—she had to be, having earned her own honours, and blazed a path throu...
B3 Chapter 283: Re:Depths, Finale
Telling someone you had a hand in the end of the world was never easy.Kaius watched Kenva process his involvement in the changing of phases. She moved from stiff and frozen, to her jaw flapping silently, to running her hands through her still-damp auburn hair.Finally, after what felt like millenia, ...
B3 Chapter 282: Re:Depths, pt. 3
A/N: this chapter, and the next, are effectively an in-world ‘the story so far’, similar to what I did with the Threefields elders. I plan on doing one at the start of each book. (until and unless it starts getting super contrived to do so)If there was one good thing about retelling his story, i...