The newly named Lady Chainy shimmied around her spot for a couple of seconds, and Stephen wondered if that was her way of asseverating her displeasure. Allegedly, the thought of a pouting chain made his lips twitch up, but he had to hold back. Their feud had come to a temporary deadlock, so he raised his hands up in the …

Stephen toddled through the jumble of corpses with an ease smile on his face, the allurement of crouching down and feast on them was strong, but he held back. The clique of surviving Orcs stared fixedly at him walking up to them, their reactions a shy breath’s away from spiraling into a last stand against him. Not surprising. What did surprise him, …

The Orc Chief thundered out a riled roar, his clawed hand sweeping up to wallop a counterattack that sliced through the air and aimed for his opponent’s unprotected neck. Stephen huffed and spun around, easily skirting around the assault, before following up with a roundhouse kick that sent a shockwave through the monster’s back, cracking the ground underneath, right before …

Natasha’s back sagged down along the craggy and dank wall with her legs curled up, her head finding temporary respite within the protective and isolating cocoon of her arms. She had literally entombed herself in a futile struggle to escape from her thoughts, but it was that contemplative veil of darkness she had huddled herself in that tugged them closer. …

Jadesin stood in front of the dilapidated veil, a basket with neatly folded clothes within carefully held against her midriff. Dawn had come, its golden streaks trying to daub the gloomy blanket of the sky with a more colorful touch. That was not to be. The sun was almost like a prisoner behind that dreary screen of clouds, and no …

27th day, 7th month. The prophets alleged the forthcoming arrival of a disaster; a curse, they said. An outsider plague that would have scourged our lands every 100.000 years. How much of it is true? Can we trust the maunder from a bunch of make-believe despotic rulers? We rallied in the central plaza to hear their speech. Nobody believed them. …

Stephen rocked back and forth, his forehead creased and his lips pursed in deep thought. Her words were still tinkling across his ears, as if she was whispering sweet nothings next to him. He had to concede it to Jadesin though, her idea did strike an ambitious chord in his heart. Was it the tantalizing thirst for the sweet juice …

Stephen’s smile turned into a rueful sigh, but a quick peek at his side brushed off his immediate concerns. [Congratulations. You have evolved your eyes to the next stage.] [You have successfully awakened the Rings of Hades.] [You have gained the innate ocular ability, Chains of the Fallen.] [Amount of chains you can control: 1] [Your overall strength and expertise …

Stephen was not having a good day; not that he had that many since he was roughly lobbed into Relictus. But to wound up on a guilt trip back to his past, where the bedeviled memories he had so carefully locked away were suddenly cracked open for his grieving mind to experience anew? Now that was messed up. However, even …

Stephen slid one foot backward, ready to scamper away with another round of Encore Steps. His heart wouldn’t stop knocking against his chest; he found the sound annoying but couldn’t really blame its unsettled mood. He dug his fingernails into his palms, his knuckles shifting down along the pressure. What were the odds now? He didn’t have an inexhaustible amount …