From 55c661197ebaf07b793643c7c2cb53cd35cf891e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Xe Iaso Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2022 15:23:26 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] spellblade part 2 Signed-off-by: Xe Iaso --- blog/postdrome-2022-02-26.markdown | 2 +- blog/spellblade-chapter-1-2021-10-11.markdown | 4 +- blog/spellblade-part-2-2022-02-26.markdown | 190 ++++++++++++++++++ 3 files changed, 193 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) create mode 100644 blog/spellblade-part-2-2022-02-26.markdown diff --git a/blog/postdrome-2022-02-26.markdown b/blog/postdrome-2022-02-26.markdown index 1549c4e..d6c4b7e 100644 --- a/blog/postdrome-2022-02-26.markdown +++ b/blog/postdrome-2022-02-26.markdown @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ --- title: Postdrome -date: 2022-02-26 +date: 2022-02-25 series: freenode --- diff --git a/blog/spellblade-chapter-1-2021-10-11.markdown b/blog/spellblade-chapter-1-2021-10-11.markdown index fdb4281..69a5228 100644 --- a/blog/spellblade-chapter-1-2021-10-11.markdown +++ b/blog/spellblade-chapter-1-2021-10-11.markdown @@ -1,5 +1,5 @@ --- -title: "Spellblade: Chapter 1" +title: "Spellblade: Part 1" date: 2021-10-11 series: spellblade tags: @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ tags:

This book is dedicated to all of those that need a ray of hope in these trying times.

-Copyright 2021 Christine Dodrill. All rights reserved. +Copyright 2021-2022 Xe Iaso. All rights reserved. This book is a Within Studios publication. Find out more at https://withinstudios.itch.io diff --git a/blog/spellblade-part-2-2022-02-26.markdown b/blog/spellblade-part-2-2022-02-26.markdown new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1b33236 --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/spellblade-part-2-2022-02-26.markdown @@ -0,0 +1,190 @@ +--- +title: "Spellblade: Part 2" +date: 2022-02-26 +series: spellblade +tags: + - webnovel + - fiction +--- + +[Ya know how I said that I'd release more Spellblade monthly? That didn't +happen. I'm actually writing more, but this is what I have in my backlog that I +didn't release sooner. Enjoy!](conversation://Cadey/enby) + +--- + +> Calm the raging whirlwind of your mind like this: breathe in for four counts, +> hold for four counts, breathe out for four counts, hold for four counts. Focus +> on Now, not Then or What Might Be. + +- Alicia's Mother + +--- + +Zekas' team shared a meal in the meal hall. The hall was unusually quiet as it +was the chef's "experimental" day. This day usually drew smaller crowds of +everyone but the sharks, because the smell was not as intense for them on land +as it would be in the water. There was usually enough food to spare that Zekas +could get a double portion, but yesterday's events had left him on edge. + +"I can't believe we lost like that. We were so damn close. How could you let it +get away like that? It was _right there_!" + +Zekas gnashed his teeth at his teammates, but mostly at his right-fin man Blanu. +Blanu sat there slightly shaking in fear, his tail tucked under the bench and +between his legs. _If this is that bad, then what happened with the teacher?_, +he thought to himself. + +"That know-it-all cat keeps getting away with it. First she gets the good team, +then she uses her blood to fake the flag? How stupid are you people? Can't you +smell the difference between cloth and flag?" + +Blanu decided that this was a good time to pipe up, "I don't think that was her +plan, I was the one that stabbed her. Didn't think it would do so much though." + +Zekas looked over at Blanu's direction. Zekas intently stared at the younger +shark, studying his medium build and roughly short stature. "How much damage did +you do?" + +"I kinda sharpened my sword last night to try and buff out a knot in the wood, +and when it struck her the cut was pretty good, about one knuckle-tip across. I +figured she had thicker skin." + +Zekas looked at Blanu incredulously. "A knuckle-tip? I saw the bleed had stopped +by the time we walked back to the teacher. She had a bandage on it by then, but +still she should have had some more bleed in her." + +"Oh yeah, there was one other thing. I could swear this was glare or something +but I think I saw her hands glow at the end of it." + +Zekas looked over inquisitively. "Her hands...glow? Like a witch?" + +"Mighta been the glare, but I could swear that I saw her hands glow." + +Zekas stared down at his food. _Hands glowing? Fast healing? Could she be a +spellcrafter?_ Zekas laughed to himself a bit. "It was probably the glare. You +need to pay more attention next time." + +Blanu laugned to himself with a very nervous laugh. "Yeah, it was probably +nothin', sorry boss!" + +Zekas continued the laugh, making the rest of the team feel obligated to laugh +as well. _It's probably something, but I need proof._ Zekas continued to eat his +meal in an uncomfortable silence. + +--- + +It was a beautiful day in Nord Sewlet. Alicia was up to no good with other kids +building a snow fort. The other group of kids had challenged them to a battle, +and Alicia was more than happy to oblige. Their snow fort was made, complete +with their bunker full of snowball ammunition. One of the other kids taunted +over with "dumb girls, I bet your fort isn't even ready!" + +"You wanna eat those words?" Alicia shouted back. Alicia had a reputation for +being the most accurate with her snow projectiles, using her body as a trebuchet +she could easily thwack her foes across the battlefield...sometimes that is. + +They cast the first snowball. The battle was on. The fight was not bloody, but +it was over as soon as one of the snowballs missed the enemy fort. It struck the +side of the mountain and then the shaking started. It was an avalanche. + +It was crashing towards her like it always did. Then there was a flash and then + +_NO!_ Alicia screamed to herself in her mind, shocking herself awake. She was +safe in the bladecraft school. _There was no avalanche, it was a dream. I'm +safe, it was a dream. I'm awake, it was a dream. That was years ago, it was a +dream._ Alicia ran down the list of affirmations from her town's cleric, using +them to pull herself to her normal state of calm. _Anxiety is a bitch_, she +thought. + +Alicia looked over and saw Tistus unceremoniously on his back and twitching +happily like he was dreaming. _At least someone's having a decent dream_. + +Alicia quietly stole forward over to Tistus' cot. Her presence made his eyes +flutter open and he instinctively purred in his sleep. Alicia grabbed Tistus in +a tender, caring hug; the kind of hug that you can only understand when you wake +up from horrific nightmares of your past. Tistus stirred and yawned. He +whispered to Alicia "Another one?" Alicia nodded. "The avalanche?" Alicia nodded +again. Tistus hugged back tighter, these ones always hit Alicia hard. + +They stayed like that for what felt like an hour or two, but then the blissful +silence was broken by the morning bell. Alicia stretched and yawned, then +gracefully started to stand. It was morning: another day, another battle. + +As Alicia was getting dressed in her class uniform Tistus looked up at Alicia. +"You know you can talk with me about that any time you need, right? It must be +tough to have all that bottled up so much." + +Alicia nodded back and hugged him as her response. "I'll try. It's hard." + +Alicia's thoughts returned to the battle yesterday. The anxiety from the +adrenaline of the event was still there. _No_, she thought. _I need to stop +thinking about this. This will only cause trouble if I keep thinking about it. +I'm not a witch, that was a fluke and it won't happen again._ + +She put on her boots and tied them, hopefully to spec. She was ready for the +day, but first her stomach was ready for a meal at the canteen. The other +members of her team were rousing with the sound of the morning horn and +staggered along as they got up. + +--- + +Alicia scowled across the battlefield as she studied the paper her teacher gave +her. "Yep, they have the high ground. You need to capture their flag and bring +it back." + +Alicia nodded and turned to her team to start formulating strategy as the +teacher went off to watch the situation unfold. + +"Oh, one more thing:", the teacher interrupted. "If you travel in groups of less +than two, the green team is allowed to tag members of your team out. This will +count against you in the scoring. If you wanna do well, don't go it alone." + +"I see, thanks for warning us." Alicia said confidently. The teacher replied +"you're welcome, good luck." + +_That's totally not ominous,_ Alicia thought to herself. + +Alicia looked over her team and sighed. "I knew that this would be hard, but it +looks like this is going to suck. We're against green team. They have the high +ground. We've got to take the flag from somewhere around here. No claws on the +flag, it's supposed to be left intact as much as possible. Otherwise it's your +standard recon mission trying to get a document from the enemy. Tis, you're with +me. You two scouts pair up and you all-arounders are together. Please don't get +caught." + +Everyone nodded. Puri spoke up, "Do we know anything about the terrain? I've +never been in this part of the field before." + +Alicia gestured at the map. "This map is all we've got and it's 10 years out of +date. Hopefully it's accurate. I think the river may be a safer place, but we're +sneps so our heads are going to stand out. Stay low to the ground I guess. The +river isn't the best to drink though." + +"I see, thank you." Puri mused and settled into her place in the circle. + +"Oh, one more thing. If they play dirty, don't play dirty back. It'll push our +score down. Let's head out and kick ass!" + +Alicia smiled and lead her team to victory, projecting an outward image of calm +and collected focus but on the inside she was worried sick. This was one of the +bigger ones. _No, now's not the time to worry_, she thought to herself, taking a +deep breath and heading out towards the battlefield. + +--- + +Over on the side, Zekas was watching. Blanu was laying in the grass next to him. + +"Hey boss?" + +Zekas grunted and looked over at Blanu. "What do you want? I'm trying to keep an +eye on the cat. Something bothering you?" + +"Why do you care about this so much? She ain't done anything to you-" + +Zekas cut Blanu off with a swift punch to the shoulder. "Shut up and focus on +the girl. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it." + +"Okay boss." Blanu nodded and scooched over away from Zekas, hopefully outside +of the range of his fists. He raised his contraband spyglass to his face and +looked out into the distance.