Luke Everhart
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Chapter 283 - Jokester
🕑 Added 2025-06-27 11:24:21 +0000 UTC>> Apologies for the delay! I wanted to add a big life update after the chapter! <<
Nar exhaled heavily, water droplets bursting from his face. The downpour was incessant, and he felt as though he was standing in a lukewarm shower as he considered the dead beasts around them.
No, this might be even heavier than our shower, he thought idly. Though at least it washed off of all the blood bits.
“I know it’s a pain in the ass in this rain and at this hour, but I think we should harvest them,” Kur was saying, though his reticence was obvious from his mental tone.
“I think so too,” Row said, sounding just as exhausted. “Uncommon materials and all that… Plus, there aren’t that many bodies from what you’re saying.”
She’s not wrong, Nar thought, frowning at the dead cacklers that littered their mud-soaked battlefield. Given the chaos they had just fought through, there should’ve been a whole lot more bodies to show for it, and their lack only served to further highlight their need to grow stronger as soon as possible.
Tsurmirel really upped the stakes this time around, Nar thought. Where in the Pile are they going to send us next, that is even tougher than this?
“Alright, let’s try to get this done as quickly as possible,” Kur said. “I’ll come over with a few more harvesters and...”
“I think you should stay here, Kur,” Row said. “Those aethermancers seem pretty banged up from what I hear, so we should get them cleaned up and out of the rain so their healer can look at them. And we’ll need to have a chat with that party leader. We saved them, but if their guide is dead…”
“Yeah, there is that too,” Kur muttered. “Sej?”
“Crystal’s Mercy won’t allow us to just leave them,” the guide explained. “It’s a death sentence without a guide.”
“Right… Alright, if it's safe, then let’s do some swapping around,” Kur said, his tone worn out. “Raf and Jul are already over there, so let’s send Mul, Jasphaer, Row and Lim over to help out. Gad, please stay there to cover them with Jaz, and… Sej, can you stay there too?”
“Nar killed the top alpha, so this lot will be running all the way back home and tomorrow, they will go back to fighting amongst themselves until a new top alpha starts to pull the herds under his control. So we're safe, but I can stay here if you want,” the guide said.
“Please. It would make me feel a lot more reassured,” Kur said. “Then, Nar and Viy, you bring over those aethermancers once the guys from our side arrive. Unless they are very hurt?”
“I think they can hold on,” Sej said. “But I’ll check.”
“Alright. See you all soon then. Stay safe,” Kur said.
“Right,” Sej spoke out loud, drawing the attention of the aethermancer party. “Our people are sending harvesters over, and once they arrive, we’ll send some people to take you back to our camp. Do you mind waiting a bit? But if you are critically injured, we can depart now though.”
“We’re fine,” their tank, and presumably party leader, said. He had removed his helmet after the combat, in their aura lights, he had revealed himself to be a human, as Nar had suspected, with wavy, golden-brown hair and penetrating brown eyes to match it. “These two are unconscious, but it’s not life threatening. Nothing that a good night’s sleep won’t fix.”
Sej glanced over at the passed-out delvers. “Well, if you say so… Just let us know if you need to get out of this rain.”
The guide had taken a small tarp from her inventory, and Eum and Leon now held it above the two passed out people, one furry one and another that seemed to have feathers, while the woman that Nar had caught looked over them. As for the third wounded party member, she was revealed to also be human, and she looked similar enough to the tank to indicate family relations. She now stared intently at Nar, or, more in specific, his arm.
Awkward, Nar too glanced down at his left arm. He pursed his lips as he found the same, albeit smaller, growth of aura glowing from the back of his bicep. His self-healing was regrowing actual flesh to replace the little chunk that had been torn from his arm, and he was effectively bleeding out aura in order to do so, the shine from his healing wound being bright enough to light up a large section of the massive trunk at his side.
I guess I would stare too, Nar thought. And once in a while, he did catch several stares coming from not just the wounded aethermancer, but from her companions, Sej, and Jaz too.
“Hey! You!” Sej suddenly said, startling just about everyone.
“Who? Me?” Jaz asked, stunned.
“Who else? I told you they were blind! What’s up with visual distractions?” Sej chastised the archer. “That was a waste of aura and you ended up blinding us instead!”
Jaz scratched the back of his head, his expression downcast. “Sorry. I got a little carried away… This was my first time actually going all out.”
The guide sighed.
“Well, it definitely did the job. A good job. It scared the shit out of them!” she said, a rebellious smile sneaking its way onto her face and dismantling her hard stare. “Just think a little bit before you act, next time. This might sound counterintuitive, but for an affinity like that to really shine, you need to be strategic.”
“I know…” Jaz said, grimacing. “People keep telling me that.”
“It will come with time,” Gad told the archer. “And here, we’ll find nothing but experience.”
The archer blinked at her. “Was that… A pun?”
“Who knows,” Gad said, her tone just as neutral as ever.
“I’m going to get started,” Jul said, pointing at the bodies. “Sej, I have an idea, but do you want to show me how it’s done, just in case?”
Sej nodded and guided her towards the alpha. “I will. And I’ll help out too. Raf, you come too! So, first things first. For a cackler, the most…”
Nar shifted his gaze to Jaz, leaving the trio to their grim, but lucrative task.
So that’s what his path looks like… Utter chaos, Nar thought. But one he needs to keep control of.
And curious, Nar decided to check the archer’s skills. After all, they should all be getting to know each other’s capabilities.
-[ Skills
Active
Arrow Aura 2 (Aura/DPS): The focused intent of will and aura manifested through the bow. Adds an extra n * 0.75 aura damage to base weapon damage, where n is the amount of aura points used. Your aura also strengthens your arrow and boosts its speed and piercing capacity by an extra 0.15. Cost n points of aura. - Common
The Real One (Aura/Affinity/DPS/Combo): At some point, it becomes all too real, and the pranks and games must come to an end. Target must be under 30% HP. [The Real One] consumes all the instances of [Prankster] on the target and delivers a finisher arrow that does 100 * n, where n is the number of instances of [Prankster] on the target. The arrow itself does some physical, piercing damage. The skill damage is psychic aura damage. Costs 150 aura and 90 stamina. 30 min cooldown. Warning: Using [The Real One] carries the risk of allowing all other targets currently affected with instances of [Prankster] to resist and remove them. - Uncommon
How Many Fingers Are Up? (Aura/Affinity/Debuff): Infuse your arrows with your aura and intention. Wherever they fly, they will create visual illusions to distract and sow chaos amongst your enemies! Illusions must be conjured by your own mind. The more vivid the illusion intent imbued into the arrow, the more flamboyant the prank will be! Has a chance to trigger instances of [Prankster]. Costs 25 aura and 10 stamina. No cooldown, let the chaos unfold! - Uncommon
Loud, Loud, Loud! (Aura/Affinity/Debuff): Infuse your arrows with your aura and intention. Wherever they fly, they will create auditory illusions to distract and sow chaos amongst your enemies! Illusions must be conjured by your own mind. The more vivid the illusion intent imbued into the arrow, the more splendid the prank will be! Has a chance to trigger instances of [Prankster]. Costs 15 aura and 6 stamina. No cooldown, let the cacophony unfold! - Uncommon
Meditation 2 (Aura/Recovery): Recharge your Aura through deep breathing and the emptying of your mind. Through this, it is possible to access a sense of… (No more information available) - Common
Passive
Don’t Take It So Seriously! (Aura/Affinity/Debuff/Combo): Why take life so seriously when you can just have fun instead? Let go of the stuffiness and the expectations! Be free! Let your spirit soar! And of course, make sure to bring joy to the people… Or otherwise derive it from them! Your affinity debuff skills have a chance of triggering instances of [Prankster] on your enemies. - Uncommon
- Prankster (Aura/Affinity/Debuff/Combo): Each instance makes it just that little bit harder for your target to think straight and take things seriously! Can be resisted. - Uncommon
Aura Pathways 7 (Aura): True form of the [Aura Channels] skill. [Aura Pathways] spread out and reach throughout the body, connecting your aura core to every part of your physical being. The higher the level of the pathways, the higher its quality, allowing the user to better cycle their aura, in higher quantities, and with lesser and lesser loss of aura through leakage. - Common
Mastery 6 (Aura): The amount of aura that you can cycle and control all at once. Each journey is its own. Currently, 200 aura points. Warning: While you can reach for more aura, it will be extremely difficult, and carries with it potentially very serious risks - Common
Dark Vision 2 (Enhancement): As one born in the deepest darkness, you will always be able to see well through the dark. - Common ]-
Nar couldn’t help snorting.
It’s a good path. And affinity, Nar thought, eyeing Jaz as he made easy jokes with Eum, the furry aethermancer that had fought with his bare claws. It suits him.
He shook his head and closed Jaz’s skill list. Like Cor with her [High Tide], Nar was sure that Jaz would likely continue gaining more finishers, or different combos that he could spend his [Prankster] instances on for a variety of effects.
If anything, I’m actually surprised he's managed to unlock [Meditation] level 2 already! Nar thought, shaking his head. He and Tuk both! How in the pile did those two loud mouths ever manage to sit still long enough to get it? And before me! And how do they even have the same levels of pathways and [Mastery]? And which are higher than most of the rest in the party, too!
He sighed. Life was just full of mysteries, and the night had been long enough already for him to bother with that one.
Still, he thought. Their party’s affinities really are a lot more synergetic than ours. Tun’s tanking affinity is great at lying down an unbreakable frontline, while Cor can buff them all and potentially uses her massive damage [High Tide] when she manages to get up faster. Even Jaz’s affinity is perfect at distracting the enemy and helping out both tanking and with giving Cor enough time to use her [High Tide]. In comparison, we have me, who needs to roam around freely. Viy who needs to be well away from the party, and Mul who is the same. And Jul, whose passive [To Cast Out Fear] can make her reckless, needs to be covered by Gad…
He grimaced.
Well, we’ll make it work. Fortunately, Gad’s affinity “arrived” just in time to loosely hold us all together in just the right way, he thought. Though, Row’s party only has three affinities so far. There’s no telling what anyone’s going to unlock, or how their paths are going to change.
He crossed his arms and glanced up at the pitch-black canopy above them, looking for something else to keep his mind occupied from the pain of his arm missing and regrowing a freaking chunk of flesh.
My [Aura Blade] needs fixing, he thought, lifting a hand to shield his eyes from the rain as he glanced up. We’ll be here for at least a month, fighting non-stop against stronger and stronger beasts… I need my [Aura Blade] to work better.
He passed a hand through his hair, and again, was happy for his decision of trimming it short.
Plus, while I thought the skill was pretty fast, these uncommon were pretty good at dodging it, he thought. I need to increase my pathways to make it even faster… Or maybe it’s me who’s too slow at my low level 40.
But he heard the sounds of the others arriving just then, and filed his worries for a later time. Preferably after he’d had a good night’s sleep.
“Hi! I’m Row, second party leader of this domain party!” Row introduced herself.
Second? Nar thought, trying to keep from smiling. Kur would hate to hear that, even if it’s the truth.
“I’m Leon,” the tank and party leader introduced himself. “On behalf of my party, thank you so, so much for coming to our rescue! We are in your debt!”
And having said that, Leon bowed his head to the red-haired party leader, even while he was holding the tarp over his party members. Eum mirrored the gesture, and so did Era, their healer.
“No need for that!” Row said, flushing so deeply she almost turned the color of her hair. “Anyone would have done the same! We’re just glad we could be of help! Plus, there’s all of this uncommon harvesting to be made! And speaking of which, we can give you guys your share later on.”
Leon blinked at her. “You would… Harvest for us?”
Row shrugged. “We’re already doing it, and you guys look like you could use the rest.”
Leon smiled at her, then he openly grinned.
“You are good people, Row,” he said, his tone heavy with gratitude. “But you can have all of it. While we are also gatherers and harvesters of opportunity, tonight I think we just need to get out of this rain.”
“Right,” Row said, nodding. And turning to Nar. “Can you guide them back, then?”
“Gladly,” Nar said, stifling a yawn. “Are you guys ready to go?”
Leon nodded. “Ready when you are.”
“Alright. Let’s go get you guys dry,” Nar said, motioning in the direction of their camp.
>>> An Update on Life and Path of The Last Champion
Hey everyone!
I hope everything's been great for everyone, and if things have been a bit not so good, I hope that it will get better and improve soon for you!
It's been a while since I last did an update on how things were going, but I thought that now was a good time, especially since I know many of you have been waiting for updates on the Discord, art work, and even on the wiki for the story and the stats of the other characters.
Unfortunately, I'm afraid I don't have good news on that front. Truth is, as many of you have guessed, my wife's pregnant, but things haven't been exactly straightforward. It's been a tough journey thus far, and while I'm super duper happy to report that things have settled and that as of the latest scan everything looks great and set for us to welcome a healthy little one to the world, a lot of my writing time has been taken over to fully support my wife throughout this challenging period.
Combine that with the need to re-write/do massive edits on books 1 through 5 to met deadlines for the editors, and its very fair to say that there was burn out after months of dawn to late night writing pretty much non-stop on top of that.
Unfortunately (or fortunately perhaps), there were some issues in the editing that required us to swap dev editors and restart the whole process again for Book 1. This has lead to signifcant delays in the release of the books, but it also gave me some much needed breathing room. So, we decided that a break was in order at long, long last, and we took two weeks off to fly home to be with my wife's family for a while and just shut off our brains and let all that adrenaline simmer down.
So, I'm now at a stage where I'm only now properly starting on Book 6. The break was great honestly, and I got lots of cool and insane ideas for Book 6 and beyond, and I really think this Book 6 and others will turn out even better for it. Honestly, Book 6 is going to go down hard, and I can't wait to have it written and ready for you all!
That said, I don't know yet if I will have it ready for when Book 5 ends. I'm pumped full of ideas and energy to go on, but time is my greatest enemy right now:
There's loads of stuff I need to take care of to get us baby ready (and damn, there is a lot!).
Book editing will re-start in July with a new dev editor, and from August onward I will pretty much be going through different stages of editing for different books until April next year!
And lastly, my health has tanked over the course of last year, so I really need to get in a much better shape in order to be at my best for my little one and wife. Also, two potentially concerning spots on my spine were found last year, so I really need to stop delaying strenghthening my body to keep them from turning into anything bad!
So, with all this stuff going on, I fear that I may need to go into hiatus at some point. I hate it. I really, really do, but especially with our baby arriving in late October (which coincides with a very intense editing phase no less), I think that I will have no other option but to put the Patreon on pause at some point, as I really want to be there for my family.
All this means that I honestly don't think I am in a position to support a Discord and other side projects in the proper way that you all deserve, at least not at the moment. And I'm really, really sorry about this. I was looking forward to set up the Discord to have a place for everyone to properly chat about the story (cause Patreon sucks) and to just chill in general, but I'm pretty much entering survival mode for the foreseable future.
I also wanted to be very open and transparent about the possibility of a hiatus. I'm going to do everything I can to get Book 6 out at the very least before that, to at least finish Arc 3, but I'm not sure yet if I will be able to. And as for Book 7, we'll see how things go. It could be that the editing process actually turns out to be pretty chill going forward and I have the time needed to continue working on new books (fingers crossed!!).
So, this is it. Not the best of news, and I am very, very sorry for all this, but I wanted to be open and honest with you all. And know that whatever happens in regards to hiatus, I will let you all now well in advance.
Thank you all, so, so much for you support, and your really awesome messages, comments, suggestions and feedback, and for being on this journey with me. I can't wait to show you more and more of Nar and Kur's party epic journey!
I hope that you have a great weekend, and if you ever want to chat, just drop me a message! Don't be a stranger!
Cheers,
Everhart
Comments
Lucas Onderwater
Thank you! I appreciate it!! ❤️
Lucas Onderwater
Ah, no sorry. Not for the time being. I'm just a bit struggling with life at the moment and I won't be able to support a Discord for the time being. But I haven't given up on it in the future, when things settle down a bit more! But, apologies for that!
CentaureHeart
No worries, take the time!
Unsheathed
Can I get the link
Unsheathed
There's a discord
Lucas Onderwater
Thank you for reading all this way! I'm really happy to hear that you're enjoying it! And thank you, it's defenitely going to be a wild time ahead!
Lucas Onderwater
Thank you! I really appreciate it! ❤️
Lucas Onderwater
Thank you, I appreciate it! And you're right, it's been on my mind but I have delayed it and postponed again and again it in the name of more writing, more work done, and so on... But with a kid on the way, I think it does really highlight the importance of getting in proper shape! I promise it will be done!
Lucas Onderwater
Thank you so much! 🥹 And yes, I've been told to pratically expect war and to be prepared for everything!
Jamal Cheatham
Thanks for the chapter and amazing story thus far. Best slow burn I've read in years. Congratulations on the new kiddo! You and youre family definitely deserve as much time as it takes get everything straightened out.
prateek choudhary
Dude, take a break and recover. We'll all still be here and happy to pick back up with Nars story whenever you are ready to share it.
Doubledoor
Always sad to see hiatuses, but with a child on the way its understandable. Do take care of the spine though, much as I'm sure everything else seems more important, it would make everything significantly harder with the kid if your range of movement got restricted, nevermind if it turns into something requiring serious medical attention.
Pierre-jean Samaran
And no problem for the delay when its under two hours, we can wait ! Barely but we can, and Zogarth was early so I was fine ^^'
Tessellae
Take the time you need. I've got a 4 month old and it's a full time job. Completely understand (and kind of expect) a hiatus, I'll stick around.
Pierre-jean Samaran
Thanks for the chapter !
