Showing results by author "Daniel Schinhofen" in All Categories

After a long march across the empire, Gregory finally made it to Krogga. Ambassador Rudit Glowstone, Grandmaster of Aether’s Guard, greeted him upon his arrival in the capital. After a brief meeting, she let him go to his wives and friends, arranging for them to have the few days off that Yukiko had requested. That was why Gregory spent his first two days in Krogheim going through the steps required to marry Ling, Clover, and Roshana.

Gregory’s life changed when his aether sparked to life during the Age Day ritual. He left his old friends and his old life behind, and was taken to the Magi Academy to start training to serve the Vela Empire. Suddenly alone and out of place, he prepared for the worst. When the beautiful novice, Yukiko Warlin, asked if they could be friends, his life changed again. After six months of duplicity from the people who they had thought of as friends, Gregory and Yukiko isolated themselves from all the other novices.

Every year, the empire administers the rite of passage into adulthood. That rite serves to identify those blessed by Aether to become magi. The new magi are shipped to the academy to learn the arts of magic. The academy is a dangerous place; the tournaments held twice each year can cripple or kill the students, and the clans of the empire will go to great lengths to recruit the students they want. Gregory had one dream: to become a magi like the legends of old. Though he was ridiculed by the residents of the village and his unsupportive father, he never wavered from his dream.

Nearly everything in Gregory’s life had changed by the end of his first year at the academy. Alone at the start of his novice year, he’d gotten engaged to Yukiko Warlin and found a friend in Jenn Bean by the time the annual tournament was over. The three of them went on to join Aether’s Guard, bringing the name of the nearly dead clan back to life. Elder Lightshield, the leader of Aether’s Guard, gave them his support and backing and Magus Dia guided them.

Benedict Aaron Rodney had a terrible life for eighteen years. Then, something miraculous happened: the Heavens stepped in, granting him a Sphere. Spontaneous manifestation of a Sphere was very rare, but it happened on occasion. Benedict, while being beaten unconscious and having his bones broken, was suddenly the Holder of a Sphere of Regeneration.

Gregory and his wives fought honorably and hard to advance to the finals, where their last fight was against the Eternal Flame. With their rigorous training and communication, they managed to defeat the arrogant clan, letting them stand alongside their novice friends as champions. The excitement of being the champions wasn’t the happiest part of their year, though. That came after the tournament, when all five of their friends—Nessa, Daciana, Victoria, Clover, and Ling—joined Aether’s Guard.

Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn were thrilled—not only had they won their first apprentice tournament, their friends finally joined them in Aether’s Guard. Daciana, Nessa, and Victoria were only halfway through their novice year, but had made an impact during their novice tournament.

Alvin and his wives had been busy over the last few weeks. They’d gone out of their way to visit settlements they’d helped in the past, all while killing a string of mini-bosses across what had been the American west. Life looked good for Team Asshole…until the devs made a mistake. Without any warning, Sammi stopped showing up. At first, they brushed it off as her being too busy, or maybe in trouble. That changed when a new dev showed up and tried to assert his dominance.

At the end of their apprentice year, Aether’s Guard headed off to Buldoun for an international tournament. They had allies there in the Swift Wind and Iron Hand clans, but they also had to deal with the Eternal Flame; Nick Shun had no interest in letting go of his perceived grudge against Aether’s Guard. However, with the academy overseer on the trip, Nick had no chance to act out against them.

Accidentally getting tagged by a rogue element, he thwarted corporate espionage at Maverick Mecha Manufacturing. Lavella Hemoesta, the owner of Maverick, met with him to work out a deal so her company wouldn't be given bad press. That meeting changed the future for both Lavella and Zander.

Alistern “Stern” Masterson never expected to have the sort of life he found himself living. He was an irregular - a person who looked like the undead and had unusual perks - and his life hadn’t been very pleasant, so he’d written off the idea of ever finding anyone who understood him. Then, an old lady had asked for help, and he’d given it....

Having accepted the love of both Myna Mooncaller and Fiona Mithrilsoul, Sean discovered happiness he hadn’t ever thought he would know, and began to acknowledge how different this society was from his old world. Everywhere they went, they ran into trouble. First had been bandits, which actually proved to be fortuitous, with Ryann Cullin entering Sean’s service after that attack. The sudden harsh blizzard had been the worst trial they had to endure. Cold that even Sean couldn’t withstand had nearly stopped them in their tracks, but they managed to reach Flento.

Gregory’s year-long posting along the northern wilds was done. He’d had to face corrupt magi, assassination attempts, aether-using bane beasts, and even deal with the loss of some of his men. The year had left a mark on his soul. He’d accepted the burden of leadership fully, knowing that his men could and would die under his command. He might’ve avoided all of it if he hadn’t made his moral stand, using the empire’s slave laws to force the corruption to come to light. Because he had, it threw his posting into conflict.

Sean and his Bonded settled in Hearthglen to learn, train, and grow. Taking on an apprentice, setting up his shop, and Bonding both Chastity and Andrea to him, Sean felt like he would finally be able to learn about this world and try his hand at new things. Sean stepped on some toes as he tried to find his place in the city, but by ignoring conventions, he friended smith and Shaper alike, forging friendships across the divide. The newly formed alliance discovered common ground when opposition rose up to hinder them.

After crushing the first obstacle, he was now set to fight a duel as Fredrick’s champion. Sean won the duel handily, once he got past the surprise of facing both Aria and Cuander, Lord Sharpeyes’ prized cuon, and went on to save Aria from death at the hands of Lord Sharpeyes’ son, Knight Evan Sharpeyes. But Sean’s troubles are just beginning. The plans Lord Sharpeyes have set into motion began to unfold, setting the stage for events that will push Sean to his limits.

Alvin woke in a room that was not his, to discover that he had died and his brain had been bargained off cheaply to pay off someone else’s debt. It did not sit well with him. It didn’t surprise him that even in death, people were still using him for their own purposes. He had never exactly been a good guy, but everyone had their breaking point, and he had found his. The bastards in charge had uploaded his mind into a virtual death game. The whole world could now pay to see him play it and probably die. Regardless, he was not about to wait for death to come for him.

After making several profitable deals, it was time to go back through the Twurgh Gate and return to Earth. Alvin and Gothy had been surprised to learn that the newest member of their harem was a princess, but neither was willing to leave Desiree behind. Once they were back on Earth, Alvin proposed a new destination, much to the amusement of his companions. They all agreed and went south out of Colorado, into New Mexico. The road south led them back to old friends in new places; Johnny, the native shaman from Bridgeport, was in Ignacio and in desperate need of help.

Doc left Deep Gulch behind him, setting out to Furden to continue spreading Luck’s name. The trip to the capital of Coalrud gave him yet another opportunity to use his knowledge to start new business ventures. While the hot springs would take time to prepare— Doc had a vision for it becoming a tourist destination—that was far from the last thing he’d get involved in during his stay.

After visiting Nevada, California, and two apocalypse gates, Alvin was tired. With Gothy, and now Kuro, beside him, they faced necromancers, an undead army, and saved a queen from assassination. Alvin could only wonder what was going to be thrown at them next! First, however, a vacation was in order. Returning to Green River, seeing the first settlement he had helped build, and revisiting old friends was cathartic. Alvin knew that he would not be able to stay long, as something was bound to happen to push them back on the road again.

John Doc Henry had been on the shortest, crappiest end of the stick since the first day of his life; no parents, bad foster parents, and abysmal luck at every turn. The day his life changed started out exactly like he had come to expect. His car died on a rarely traveled road, and he broke his toe shortly after dodging the one other car on the road. When it stopped and backed up to him, the license plate read “LADYLUK”, adding insult to injury.