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2024-10-29 19:42:56“That’s…” Teo looked at Edvard in utter shock. “How did you get this?”
“It was a gift, actually.” Edvard answered, already having a story planned. “While I was still struggling through the forest, searching for village, any village. What I found instead was an-“ he paused as he almost called Ilvisar an elf.
“I stumbled upon a Vespes Prince and shocking they didn’t do much other than ask me a few questions. In return for me answering those, he gifted me this sword as thanks.”
Teo had doubt written all over his face, and so too had Nevenka. However, it didn’t matter if the story was true or not.
“Make sure to not have the church see that blade.” Teo said after recovering his composure.
“Why?”
“Because it is a non-human item. It is considered sacrilege to use items from other races.”
“Which is one of the dumbest things ever. In terms of enchantments, we have never been able to come even close to the Vespes. And in terms of forging
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Quantum Rip: Welcome to Ethos Intermission: Ven (Part 1 – A young girl’s theories)
“Vendelin!” A young girl around 14 shouted from outside the house, currently busy tending to their garden. “Yes, Violette?” Ven replied, looking out from one of the windows she observed the girl hard at work. Her name came from her hair color, a strange shocking purple color. No one knew why her hair was this color, it had baffled even the best of the kingdom of Lithomar. Gabriella had even been summoned to meet the king once, due to her daughter’s strange hair color. Many had believed that Violette might have a unique connection to magic or possibly an unheard of affinity. However, no tests seemed to prove these speculations correct. Despite this, the chance was not abandoned and thanks to this the barony of Prin had managed to prosper as many a seeker of knowledge would come to talk with Violette. It was also thanks to this that Violette had never had a true friend, always pushed to train and master her destiny. The other children were afrai
Quantum Rip: Welcome to Ethos Intermission: Aneko (Part 2 – An interesting garden)
Waking to the dim light of the cave, Aneko stretched as she climbed out of bed and into the clothes she had been given. It was rough, slightly itchy, and she missed her old clothes. However, she had to try and show her acceptance and gratefulness. “Good morning, Anne.” Luckily for Aneko the Navoi did not make their building according to their stature. At least not here in the city of Hirngan where resources were normally aplenty. “Aneko, how are you?” Anne greeted back. She was Volgrim’s second wife. For the time being Aneko was living in her manor as a-- well her status wasn’t exactly confirmed. Aneko was both a prisoner and a guest, forbidden to leave the manor but free to do whatever she wanted within. In short, she was under house arrest. “I’m good… I see you are busy as ever.” Aneko smiled while looking at the engravings Anne was adding to the shield. Anne smiled but didn’t let her focus wander, as she worked the shield started to shine.
Quantum Rip: Welcome to Ethos Intermission: Ven (Part 2 – War is brewing)
“Ven, can we talk in private?” Gabriella asked after her daughter had gone to bed. Currently, Ven was reading by moonlight. A strangely unique activity that wasn’t possible on Earth due to light pollution. “Of course. What is it, Gabriella?” Ven closed her book and turned to her troubled friend. “I’m afraid I’ve been summoned.” “Summoned? Summoned for what?” Gabriella took a deep breath, steeling herself for the answer. Her head was still spinning. “War…” “War? War with who, why are you summoned?” “Come now, Vendelin… You must understand that as the head of the house of Sandor I must lead my men to the battlefield.” “Why must I understand this? No, say no!” “I can’t… The head or heir of the house must join the war, or it will be considered an act of cowardice… I can’t send Violette to war… She’s…” Gabriella failed to finish the sentence as she broke down at the thought, as the memories of her husband and son resurfaced.
Quantum Rip: Welcome to Ethos The orc horde (Part 1 – A smooth start)
Dashing through the woods, Edvard jumped over a fallen tree and disappeared from sight into the underbrush. Behind him, several orcs rushed to where they had last seen him. As they moved over the tree it cracked and split in half. Revealing a pit filled with sharpened logs below. One of the orcs managed to react in time, using the cracking tree to jump away. He was welcomed by an arrow while his friends were welcomed by the sharpened logs. “That’s another seven.” Edvard mumbled as he moved to recover his arrow. “How has the other group been doing?” “It seems they had only managed to lure the orcs into one trap, nearly losing their lurer in the process.” Sighing, Edvard understood that this was difficult for these people. But the difference between the group he was leading and the one Jaune was leading was just too large. Of course, he was doing most of the work. Being the lure, and also the one to kill the stragglers. The six people with him m
Quantum Rip: Welcome to Ethos The orc horde (Part 2 – Their goal)
The next few days went relatively smoothly. Slowly the group led by Jaune got the hang of this lure and trap tactic. Edvard also became stronger and faster each day.Abigail’s guild had also joined the volunteer mission. Strangely, her magic was not suited for fighting against strong foes such as orcs. The winds she could summon were certainly powerful, but orcs were inhumanly strong.While it could do some damage to them, it was minor. Instead, Edvard found a much different role for her. Wind magic had this very nice attribute when used as a source of healing, it soothed the soul. Or so the explanation went.Edvard didn’t believe in things like the soul, there was and has never been any evidence. The same could be said for magic, so he didn’t outright deny it. But he wasn’t suddenly going to believe everything is magical.Rather, he tried to rationalize it.From what he understood, water magic and the divine magic of the go
Quantum Rip: Welcome to Ethos The orc horde (Part 3 – The siege starts)
Rushing along the river, Jaune prayed that they would make it in time. As they broke past the treelines and entered the cultivated lands surrounding the town, she breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of farmers still working in the field, at the sight of the town not being put to the torch.Rushing forward, she headed directly for the mansion. Those with her instead rushed to tell everyone to evacuate the fields and enter the city.Bursting into the main room, she interrupted the meeting that was underway and shouted for everyone to leave. This stunned the handful of rich merchants who looked at her in disbelief.Their disbelief grew when Martin asked them to leave. Sighing, Teo just knew this was going to be a hot mess to clean up later.“What is it? Why did you cause such a scene?” Teo asked, believing that there must be a good reason. Looking at her condition, it did not appear that they had been defeated.“The orcs…&r
Quantum Rip: Welcome to Ethos The orc horde (Part 4 – A desperate fight)
‘Well, that worked perfectly.’ Edvard mumbled as he quickly took another arrow from his quiver and let loose. While the orcs were fast, he was proficient. By the time they crossed the two hundred meters (656ft), he had killed another five. Sadly, not all hits had been a kill and there were far too many for him to face directly. Jumping down so he wouldn’t be surrounded while stuck in the three, he used the little time to release one last arrow before abandoning his bow and dashing away. Weaving past all the trees, branches, and plants, Edvard was not slowed in any way. The forest was his home. The orcs roared in anger seeing him run, their determination to get the dishonourable assassin leaking into the air. They did not weave through all the obstacles of the forest, instead they cut through it. It slowed them down a little, but not nearly enough to give Edvard time to breathe. ‘I can keep leading them, but to what end?’ Edvard thought, realizing that this would not work. Looking ar
Quantum Rip: Welcome to Ethos The orc horde (Part 5 – Image of their god)
Edvard could feel that his body lacked the strength to fight on. Lacked the basic energy required for him to move. He had long since started running on fumes fuelled by his will, and even his mind was becoming foggy. As he was slipping on towards sleep, a welcomed sleep. The eternal sleep, Edvard’s mind flashed with his Yawen’s gentle smile. His body recalled her warm embrace. Her tender love. This flash of memories long past filled him with endless warmth and strength. It soared through him as he realized that she could very well be somewhere on this planet. He prayed that her situation was better, but if it was not. ‘I cannot allow that to happen!’ Edvard looked at the charging orc, his determination like fire. His will and bloodlust so strong that the orc paused for just a second, a second was enough. Edvard stood next to the orc, his sword dripping with blood. Taking a deep breath, he recalled this smell, he relished it. He suddenly recalled his last moments in that hell. ‘I s
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- Quantum Rip: Welcome to Ethos
Epilogue (2)
It was like this energy was a part of him, yet it was clearly a foreign substance. Apparently, the first step to learning how to become a knight was channeling it into a blade. Most swords made for knights were made of special magical metals and enchanted. The glow that Edvard had seen so often was the process of the metal being filled with ether. Activating its magical properties, and naturally, the effects of the enchantments. Edvard’s blade was apparently different from the norm. It did not glow when he pushed the strange energy into it. Though, Edvard suspected that was because the amount he could gather and focus was too little to affect the magnificent blade. While Edvard still had a thing or two to nit-pick about regarding the Vespes prince, he had to accept that he was only alive thanks to the prince’s ‘gifts’. While hell, the illusion had truly prepared him for the harshness that this world was filled with. “Can you teach me how you form spells?” Edvard asked. “I can’t be
- Quantum Rip: Welcome to Ethos
Epilogue (1)
Edvard stirred, his entire body afire. Grimacing, the previous events slowly came back to him. ‘So, I survived…’“Careful now.” Abigail instructed, bringing a cup to his mouth and having him take a few small sips.The herbal tea helped soothe the blazing fire in his throat, sadly it did little for the rest of the flames. Trying to force out any words caused his chest to explode in pain, so he remained quiet. Taking sips as Abigail offered them.“I can’t believe how reckless you were.” Abigail said, Edvard noticing that they were in the shade of some tree. The gentle sound of a stream was barely audible. “I really thought you were going to die on me when you didn’t stir for two days.”Unable to form any words, Edvard simply held his peace. Listening as Abigail detailed what had happened after he had lost consciousness. Atop the horse, she had rushed with him along the main road, heading deeper into the kingdom. Stopping long after night had arrived.That night, she had cleaned most of
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The orc horde (Part 11)
“He made it…” Edvard forced out these words as he continued to shoot arrow after arrow. No longer was it possible to keep the rooftop clear of orcs. The best he could do was kill them as they gathered their footing.The continuous pulling of his bow was showing its strain on his untrained body. His shoulder acts, his fingers burned, and his arm trembled. Yet, he pushed on. He had to. He couldn’t die here.He still needed to find Yawen. He still needed to find a way home.The screams from below had long since died. The knights had fought valiantly. But valiance was not enough to turn the tide of a battle.“Are we going to die like this?” Abigail asked, forcing herself to stay calm and take deep, steady breaths. Collecting her focus and doing her best to gather the ether in the surrounding. Thanks to overusing magic and a lack of sleep, her mind was already foggy. Yet, she pushed on.“That… isn’t… part… of… the plan.” Edvard replied between the twang of his bow. Luckily, he had more tha
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The orc horde (Part 10 – Salvation)
Edvard took a deep breath and calmed his heart. Abigail was next to him, responsible for blasting any orcs who made it to the roof, back to the ground. She was still tired. Unlike Edvard, she had no sudden recovery thanks to a strange magical sword.Yet, she was determined. She took deep, steady breaths, focusing on the surrounding and doing her best to remain calm. The destruction of her hometown had certainly sent her heart into shock. She was ready to accept that none of her family had made it out.Even so, she had many friends in the town. She hoped and prayed that some of them might still be alive.“You ready?” Edvard asked, his targets in his sights.“Yes, let’s do this!” Abigail replied, determined to fight to the last. Even if their mission ended up unsuccessful, she wanted to kill as many of these damned orcs as possible before her dying breath.“Right.” Taking another deep breath, Edvard could feel a strange energy filling his lungs. Distributing itself to the rose patterns
- Quantum Rip: Welcome to Ethos
The orc horde (Part 9 – I’m no strategist)
The roses imprinting themselves into Edvard caused him to glow. Abigail gasped in awe at the sight, his entire body lighting up like he was some sort of angel. Until it all vanished, leaving only faint outlines of the roses. Like fading tattoos.“A-are you alright?” Abigail asked.“I feel great!” Edvard replied with a warm smile. Filled to the brim with energy and more confident than ever. “Let’s go see if the town is still holding out.”Edvard took the lead. The two followed the path created by the orcs when they had chased Edvard, having cut down all plants in their way, allowed the two to move swiftly and in an almost straight line. Their return taking them no time at all.Smoke was the first thing they noticed upon exiting the forest.“Ahhh—” Edvard moved quickly, stopping Abigail from making any further sounds.“Look carefully, the smoke isn’t acting normal. I think someone is controlling it to give cover to survivors.” Once he was sure she wasn’t about to shout in concern, Eldri
- Quantum Rip: Welcome to Ethos
The orc horde (Part 8 – Tree of light)
Edvard slowly stirred, fighting the sleepiness that filled his entire body. He fought to simply stay conscious. Sleep was a tempting mistress, but his years in the illusion taught him never to let sleep dull his sense. He needed to confirm the situation. The last thing he recalled was seeing Abigail among the carnage.Abigail was sitting near a fire, her clothes a mess of blood and tears, having used her clothes as bandages for Edvard's wounds. Forcing himself upright, Edvard smiled. She was a beautiful girl, far too young for him, but he could at least enjoy the sight as the fire illuminated her hair. Her hair was no longer a shiny bright green but rather a deep dark green. Yet it was still enchanting as a shine would come through as the flames of the fire played in the wind. Edvard was lying atop some large leaves, close enough for the fire’s heat to reach him. His own clothes were tattered, his toning muscles reflecting the light of the fire. A few more months, and he would be at
- Quantum Rip: Welcome to Ethos
The orc horde (Part 7 – Their struggle)
As the despair grew and the atmosphere became heavier, it was all too clear that no one thought victory was possible. They had sacrificed so much just to stall the orcs on the walls yet here they were. Some had been optimistic, believing they could stop the orcs in their tracks. Sadly, even the wilds gate where the orcs had attacked in rage had managed little against the far lesser number of orcs. The other gates had lost far more and killed far less, this fact added to the heavy air of despair that filled the air. None were still optimistic. Everyone understood just how terrifying their enemy was. In their retreat they had not given up. A number had taken shelter in the abandoned homes. While some of those were praying not to be found like cowards, most were waiting. Waiting for the movement to strike. When they could make the largest difference while sacrificing themselves. For if they were to die, they would have it be in an effort to save their families. Sadly, even this was
- Quantum Rip: Welcome to Ethos
The orc horde (Part 6 – The siege)
The rivers going through Erendale had done nothing to slow the orcs. They had not even needed to deviate to the bridges to cross them. The rivers were after all not that deep nor that strong.As a result, all three gates had been assaulted with little difference in timing. Locking everyone inside the town with no way to escape. The orcs ramming the gates protected underneath their shield of fireproof logs.Jaune looked at the charging orcs with a slight smile, they had been truly bothered by the orcs’ patience thus far. The gates would not last long, they needed to thin the orcs on the walls before falling back to the keep. Sadly, the keep could not hold everyone. Some had to die here first, they could only retreat once it was clear that the walls were lost and after enough had died. It was terrible but it was their best bet. The attack had simply come too fast.Luckily, now it appeared that the orcs would indeed scale the walls, all thanks to Edvard. And to top it off he had taken ha
- Quantum Rip: Welcome to Ethos
The orc horde (Part 5 – Image of their god)
Edvard could feel that his body lacked the strength to fight on. Lacked the basic energy required for him to move. He had long since started running on fumes fuelled by his will, and even his mind was becoming foggy. As he was slipping on towards sleep, a welcomed sleep. The eternal sleep, Edvard’s mind flashed with his Yawen’s gentle smile. His body recalled her warm embrace. Her tender love. This flash of memories long past filled him with endless warmth and strength. It soared through him as he realized that she could very well be somewhere on this planet. He prayed that her situation was better, but if it was not. ‘I cannot allow that to happen!’ Edvard looked at the charging orc, his determination like fire. His will and bloodlust so strong that the orc paused for just a second, a second was enough. Edvard stood next to the orc, his sword dripping with blood. Taking a deep breath, he recalled this smell, he relished it. He suddenly recalled his last moments in that hell. ‘I s
