Flameruner

Memoirs Interlude - Fates

The streets were quieter than they should have been.

Footsteps echoed softly against the cobbled road as a hooded figure moved through the ruin-laden district, the hem of her cloak brushing against scattered debris. The wind curled through the empty avenues, carrying the scent of smoke and frost-bitten stone — remnants of the chaos that had torn through the city.

Ambercrest used to be a vibrant city. Its red and light-brown bricks, the multicoloured rooftops catching the light, ...

Memoirs 335 - Curious counts

“—the city guards are currently focused on securing the Commons and Guild Row before moving on to the outlying districts. We’ve established contact with the other cities and the imperial forces, and it has been confirmed that the Imperial General is dispatching half of the Fifth Division from Elystead to reinforce Freybrook and the surrounding region. In addition, Baron Aelrich, Baron Varden, and Baron Sorwin will marshal their retinues from the border to assist in the efforts. Reports ...

Memoirs 334 - The situation

Fynn stepped out from among the trees as Scarlett approached the estate walls, his sharp gaze sweeping over her as if checking for injuries.

Scarlett returned the [Essence of Zenthas] to her [Pouch of Holding], grimacing as she conjured a floating orb of water. She heated it with pyrokinesis and used it to cleanse her hand. What that psycho had done to his heart was nothing short of vile. The thought of ever meeting him in person made her stomach turn.

With a silent comma...

Memoirs 333 - Angling around

Scarlett and Fynn moved through the thinning veil of trees. The air was noticeably warmer than the night before, and patches of snow had melted, revealing damp earth beneath. Still, it was no true thaw — just a brief reprieve before winter tightened its grip again.

Soon, they emerged into the familiar glade where their battle had taken place only half a day earlier. Scarlett’s gaze locked onto the remains of the three big creatures at the centre of the clearing.

When she and F...

Memoirs 332 - Scrupulous Samaritans

Guifford watched as Scarlett came to a halt before the sea of monster corpses, her gaze sweeping over the carnage with a slight frown. Then, lifting her head, she looked at him and his knights. A heartbeat later, her form dissolved into mist and reformed directly in front of him.

“Count Knottley,” she greeted, reaching up to remove a pair of glasses. The dagger in her hand vanished, along with the burning circlet that crowned her head. “It seems my arrival was well-timed. Shardsca...

Memoirs 331 - Siege defence

Scarlett stepped out of the interstitial space with Rosa and Fynn, returning to the Loci’s quiet garden. The spirit greeted her with a faint, half-formed mental response. Behind them, the gateway Rosa had created dissipated, and with it, the tension in the bard’s shoulders eased. Her aura settled, the darkness in her eyes fading and giving way to their usual violet.

Malachi might not have appreciated the abrupt end to their discussion, but the woman wasn’t stupid. She would have r...

Memoirs 330 - Blazing creations

Scarlett watched as Rosa prepared to channel her Heartstone’s power, the bard glancing at her.

“So, how exactly do you want me to handle this?” Rosa asked. Her voice echoed with a strange resonance, like a whisper drifting through an empty hall.

Scarlett gestured to a section of the garden where the intricate arrays and runes carved into the ground formed a circle, now glowing faintly beneath the moonlight. “I have prepared an anchor to aid you. Simply stand within the cir...

Memoirs 329 - Official prospects

“My apologies for not receiving you at our originally agreed-upon time,” Scarlett said, lifting a delicate porcelain cup of winter mint tea to her lips, the blend expertly prepared by Garside. “It is unfortunate that you were preoccupied both yesterday and the day before, but I trust we can finally reach an agreement today.”

“That is…quite alright, Baroness,” the man seated across from her replied, his tone carefully measured. He wore a crisp navy-black uniform adorned wit...

Memoirs 328 - Gilded chambers

The carriage trundled its way through Freybrook, the cobbled streets gradually giving way to the wider, more spacious roads of the northern district. Scarlett and Evelyne sat in silence, each gazing out their respective window. Outside, the view shifted between patches of dark, snow-covered forest and the vague silhouettes of affluent estates, their forms softened by the faint glow of scattered lanterns.

After some time, Scarlett shifted her attention to Evelyne, quietly studying the yo...

Memoirs 327 - Pasts forgotten

Evelyne watched her sister, studying Scarlett’s expression as countless thoughts spun through her own mind. She felt as if she’d stepped into some strange, surreal world where common sense no longer applied. What unnerved her most was that she seemed to be the only one rattled by what had just happened.

Here she sat, utterly lost, her world turned upside down, while Scarlett looked as if she’d dealt with no more than a mild inconvenience. Like a carriage wheel stuck in the mud rat...

Memoirs 326 - Awkward sisters

Scarlett stared at her doppelganger, seated across from her in the carriage. Evelyne, sitting beside the other Scarlett, looked between the two of them, her expression frozen in shock.

“What are you doing here?” Scarlett demanded, voice clipped.

The other Scarlett offered a faint smile, a carefully measured expression that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “To meet you, of course.”

Scarlett let her gaze flicker to the carriage door, then back to her unwelcome guest. “...

Chapter out tomorrow

Short notice that tonight's chapter will be delayed by one day. Got back yesterday but did not make it without contracting a bit of an illness, so I was unable to finish the today's chapter. Sorry for that (and for leaving things on a cliffhanger), but hopefully the chapter itself is something you will all enjoy.

Memoirs 325 - Plays

Evelyne was waiting for them when Scarlett and Rosa returned to the carriage. The younger woman glanced at the books in Rosa’s hands, then looked to Scarlett.

“…You didn’t buy anything?” she asked.

“I did,” Scarlett replied, settling into her seat. With a casual thought, her fur cloak vanished, and she motioned at the [Pouch of Holding] she’d placed beside her.

Evelyne eyed the pouch, nodded to herself, then turned to Rosa. “What did you get?”

Rosa ...

Memoirs 324 - First stops

The carriage rocked gently as it rolled down the snow-covered cobble streets of Freybrook, passing rows of homes, frost-covered streetlamps, and the occasional shopfront displaying its wares. Inside the cabin, a cozy warmth lingered—a welcome contrast to the chill outside—courtesy of the enchantments woven into the vehicle’s frame. Meanwhile, bundled pedestrians trudged through the icy streets, their faces red from the cold.

“So, do we have any idea yet where our first stop’ll...

Memoirs 323 - Old chidings

The occasional rustle of paper and the soft clink of metal on porcelain echoed through the otherwise silent dining hall of Freybrook mansion, the faint aroma of ink mingling with the lingering scent of freshly baked bread and tea.

Scarlett sat at the head of the long table, a meticulously arranged plate of half-eaten poached eggs, bread, and soup before her. To her right loomed a tall, chaotic-yet-ordered stack of parchment — letters from nobles and merchants, correspondence from the ...

Memoirs 322 - Mounting alliances

“—And there I was, cornered by a gaggle of disgruntled merchants armed with little more than vehement declarations and what I assure you were the most woeful assortment of misplaced indignations,” Raimond declared, sweeping one hand grandly through the air while the other rested upon his heart. Leaning against a marble pillar, his near-golden hair caught the dappled light streaming through the stained-glass windows above, casting what he was sure was a most magnificent glow. “They wer...

Memoirs 321 - Warded warnings

Scarlett stared at Arnaud, unsure she’d heard him correctly.

“You are asking me to…hire you?” she said finally, squaring her shoulders.

“Yes,” he replied simply.

She scrutinised him, her eyes sweeping up and down his figure. Was he serious?

“I was under the impression that you were a man burdened with responsibilities, Mister Astrey. Serving in my employ is not a role that permits divided attention or many secondary pursuits.”

“I don’t believe...

Memoirs 320 - Helicopter parents

The snow crackled softly as Scarlett’s fire swept across it, steam curling upward in sinuous tendrils where flames met frost. Around her, the estate’s training grounds lay locked in winter’s grasp, yet a wide circle at the centre was stripped bare, the frost seared away to reveal the dark stone beneath. Sparse flakes drifted lazily from the overcast sky, vanishing in bursts of heat as they neared her magic.

Scarlett maintained her focus, weaving strands of flame that flickered and...

Chapter gone poof

I may have done what those in the business call a "goof." The chapter which was supposed to be released today is...gone. I, as the fool I am, wrote the draft on my phone (since I've been on the road) without triple-checking that my phone actually managed to update to the server of the editor I use. Only when I went edit and release it on my computer did I realise the horror of what had occurred.

It honestly is a real pain. First time I make this particular mistake. I unfor...

Memoirs 319 - Divine what?

As evening settled over the estate, Scarlett entered her office alone, the unlit room welcoming her into its quiet embrace. She kindled a candle on the desk with her pyrokinesis, its warm glow casting flitting shadows across the space. For a moment, she lingered by the door, her eyes tracing the room’s familiar contours before settling on the large painting gifted by The Gentleman, hanging on the far wall.

It was nice to be back here.

She had seen versions of the mansion within ...

Memoirs 318 - The S is for Soft and Sappy

Allyssa and Shin’s subdued voices murmured from behind Scarlett as their group walked through the mansion’s expansive hallways.

“What is he even doing here?” Allyssa whispered sharply. “Wasn’t he supposed to be off on some important mission in the Steppes?”

“I would assume it’s because of you,” Shin replied in a much more monotonous tone.

“Yeah, but why did he have to come here?” she huffed. “I swear, if he says anything stupi...

Memoirs 317 - The endless grind

Scarlett’s final days on the Rising Isle were anything but restful. The week following the events in the Hall of Echoes passed in a whirlwind — there was simply too much to follow up on with her game knowledge of the Isle’s secrets. While she had no desire to linger longer than necessary, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to leverage the resources and favours she had accumulated from the Council.

And those favours were plentiful. She’d kept careful count. While there weren�...

Notice - no chapter this weekend

I will be away this weekend, so there will be no chapter this coming Sunday. However, I will make sure to publish an extra chapter (sometime) next week to even things out.

Memoirs 316 - Sleeping belle

Scarlett sat in her quarters, Arlene’s journal resting on her lap, slowly flipping through its pages. A knock at the door pulled her from her quiet reverie. She lifted her gaze, her hand pausing mid-turn.

She had settled most matters for the evening, so she wasn’t sure who it was.

“Enter,” she said.

The door creaked open, and a freckled face framed by waves of brown curls peeked inside. “Why, hello there. I heard a rumour about a paragon of imperious sophistication...

Memoirs 315 - Shiny persuades

Roughly half of the council members stared at Scarlett as though she were either delusional or utterly absurd. A quarter seemed faintly amused, their expressions betraying a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. The rest appeared—justifiably—offended, as if she had spat upon the revered name of Arch Wizard Aubrianne.

It was no surprise that Arch Wizard Newbury belonged to the latter group. Meanwhile, Arch Wizard Elaine fell somewhere in the middle, watching Scarlett intently, her sha...

Memoirs 314 - How many arch wizards does it take to...?

A brief silence settled in the chamber following Scarlett’s words. The assembly of powerful wizards seated before her regarded her with scrutinising gazes, their expressions wavering between confusion, curiosity, and perhaps a hint of suspicion.

“…The ‘Anomalous One’?” Arch Wizard Elaine Home finally broke the silence, her voice subdued but deliberate. She studied Scarlett carefully. “I cannot say I’ve encountered the term before.” She turned to her fellow council memb...

Memoirs 313 - An inquiry

Gaspar adjusted the folds of his black robes as he ascended the alabaster steps leading up to the Aetherium Conclave’s principal spire. His expression remained mostly impassive, though the faint furrow in his brow betrayed the weight of his thoughts — and his exhaustion.

The grand chamber doors loomed ahead, etched with its endless shimmering arrays that pulsed faintly at his approach. Though imposing, they were little more than ceremonial artifice. He paused at the threshold, squar...

Memoirs 312 - Old journals

Scarlett woke to the weight of accumulated exhaustion from the past couple of days pressing down on her like a thick fog. The chamber was shrouded in darkness, save for a faint glimmer of light slipping in from beneath the door. Even so, she doubted she could return to sleep.

She lay still for a while, staring up at the featureless ceiling before letting out a soft, resigned sigh. Pushing the covers off, she sat up, and the magical crystals embedded in the walls responded with a gentle,...

Memoirs 311 - Worn weary wizards

“This is truly, truly fascinating,” Magister Penney murmured. “Can you sense that subtle thaumaturgic response, like so? It’s as though we’re witnessing a cascade of etheric harmonics, yet I cannot detect their origin. Are they tied to a mnemonic lattice of some sort? It resembles what’s been observed in the Chamber of Remembrance, doesn’t it? Astonishing. If only this were my realm of expertise. I do wish Senior Wizard Ward were here to delineate these patterns in greater detai...

Memoirs 310 - What's left behind

Scarlett sat in silence for a while, staring at the spot where Arlene had vanished, even as the edges of the Memory crept closer, devouring more and more of the porch. Only when the encroaching borders neared her did she finally shift her attention to the cluster of quest notifications hovering nearby, their glowing presence stark against the dimming world. With a sharp flick of her hand, she dismissed them, her gaze narrowing as the messages dissolved into the air.

Under normal circums...