I stood before the massive guild hall and couldn’t help but be impressed. I’d seen my share of stately buildings back on Earth, but this one had by far the best landscaping. The actual guild hall was neat, but was nothing truly special.
The main building was in the center of four of the trees that the elves seemed to prefer for their construction. The structure was about five stories tall and featured m...
2023-12-08 22:56:12 +0000 UTC View PostIt cost 30 silvers and about ten years of my life to go those 20 minutes. Gloria dropped us off right at the sidewalk in front of the guild hall and it was all I could do to not jump onto the ground and start kissing it. As it was we got well away from the cursed street and its damnable four lane intersections.
“I am sorry, chum,” said Shade, on the verge of tears. “I do not hate you. You are my...
2023-12-06 22:34:51 +0000 UTC View PostI had been lied to, or maybe I lied to myself. Clearly, my beliefs as to what Otherworld was capable of was wrong. I was expecting some sort of medieval village tucked away in a renaissance faire. I stepped off of the elevator at the fully constructed elven mast and into a bustling airport.
A cart apparently powered by a core whisked by me. Shade looked over at me and snorted. Shade said, ...
2023-12-04 14:40:13 +0000 UTC View PostThe shadow was bored, so very bored. It was almost used to the boredom now, but the time spent down here was just unappetizing. There was nothing to kill.
The foe was keeping her waiting, and the behir was glaring daggers at her.
Fortunately, she wasn’t very tasty so the massive creature just sat there watching her. It would probably try to attack the foe when he climbed back out, or maybe the pesky w...
2023-12-03 23:57:20 +0000 UTC View PostI exhaled, my white breath vanishing through the open windows the moment I breathed. The icy chill blasted over me and for a moment I forgot where I was when the entire airship bucked, and I was lifted off my ass and then dropped back down.
"This is terrible,'' I groaned, watching Shade who had not moved from his spot under the bench. I'd figured out why everyone moved to the side, there were tie down straps ther...
2023-12-01 23:56:53 +0000 UTC View Post“This vacation is going to be awesome,” I said.
“It will be better than that, we are going to eat all the food and paint the town gray,” said Shade.
“You paint the town red.”
“Red and gray are the same color to a dog,” said Shade.
“Then let's paint the town gray!”
Spivy shook her head, “I mean, I guess that’s the plan. You really want to go to the elven dominion?”
The ancient castle stood tall, built in the ancient style that predated even the legendary Dominion. It had withstood assaults, from within and without and through it all preserved, like the elven spirit. It would last forever.
King Rogen’tal’Kithold, King Rogen to his supporters, told himself that it must be true.
He turned, surveying his working office. Not the throne room, with the everliving throne ...
2023-11-28 04:44:08 +0000 UTC View PostThe inside of the dungeon looked surprisingly like it did back on Ordinal. The entrance and exit both fed through the same area, but the exit was typically closed unless someone had defeated the dungeon recently.
Which was not the case here, I glanced at the wall where the exit should have been and Shart started waving his hands. A moment later the hidden passage opened up, exposing the chamber just outside the dungeon core.<...
2023-11-26 23:41:49 +0000 UTC View PostEveryone stopped at the entrance to the lizard’s cave. Spivy was working her magic on Shade, who seemed to have a few minor cuts. I pulled out one of our precious healing potions and downed it. It tasted like cough syrup, but my wounds instantly sealed. Painfully in one case where the rings of my armor merged into my flesh uncomfortably.
“Tastes like victory,” I hissed, pulling the armor out of ...
2023-11-24 19:20:04 +0000 UTC View PostWe stood just outside the secret back entrance of the goblin warren and I looked super cool in my chain armor. The chain mail fit perfectly, because everyth...
2023-11-20 18:55:05 +0000 UTC View Post“Puma Check, quadrant two,” cried Shart, blasting the area with magical darts. A limb shattered and one of the drop pumas slammed to the ground where Badgelor pounced.
“That makes 89,” yelled Badgelor.
“Ha, that was totally my kill,” replied Shart. “You just got to dispose of the garbage.”
“Fine,” grumbled the badger good naturedly. “So that makes 88 vs 79 then?”
“Y...
2023-11-19 22:56:37 +0000 UTC View PostYou could tell it was noon from the sunlight streaming in from the small holes in the roof. I'd been asleep for less than 4 hours, probably much less, but somehow that was enough. I yawned mightily and reached over for my temporary bedmate.
Kailee was not the most attractive woman I'd ever bedded, but she certainly was the most vigorous. I wondered if tava might have a bit more than simple caffeine in it, b...
2023-11-17 20:26:35 +0000 UTC View PostA bleary eyed Eggard frowned at his incompetent assistant, “You said it was lightly guarded.”
“Yesterday it was,” Savina replied hotly. “I was just here and there wasn’t a goblin in sight.”
The elf warrior stared down at the dozen goblins guarding the entrance, several of whom had been replaced since dawn when they started surveying the area. There was even a bug bear, obviously a spellcaster,...
2023-11-16 02:41:26 +0000 UTC View PostEven with the essence reinforcing my mental fortitude, I was exhausted. Killing rats, which is what we were doing to the small ones, was tedious work when all you had was a spear and a dog. Shade yawned and continued walking next to me. He sported a minor limp that strangely Spivy couldn’t find to heal.
“Crippling injury,” I asked.
“Yes, I think I may be dying,” said Shade as he limped along...
2023-11-13 18:22:23 +0000 UTC View Post“Wake up, dum dum,” said Shart. I jostled awake. Sleeping on a Shadow Whale was strangely comfortable if I had to be honest. The flesh of the creature was kind of spongy, and the wind whipping by your head was relaxing.
The view was pretty spectacular as well assuming you liked horror movies.
I briefly recalled my wife, who I thought loved horror movies. Would she be happy I was alive here, or...
2023-11-12 22:56:48 +0000 UTC View PostWe went back in through the sewer in a particularly stealthy manner.
“You don’t need to carry me,” said Shade.
“I have boots, you have paws. I don’t want you getting an infection,” I said as we crept closer to the hole in the wall. Initially we thought about going back in through the inn, but that was a terrible idea. We’d have to explain that there was a path from the sewer to his cella...
2023-11-10 22:40:26 +0000 UTC View PostThe street was in the middle of town and there were a number of decently sized buildings all around me. Most looked residential, and a few looked like they might have been apartments or bunk houses. Spivy pointed to two things.
A brighter than usual street lamp and the guy who repaired brighter than usual street lamps who was further down the street.
“You need an elemental aspect, the only ones I’ve see...
2023-11-08 19:36:00 +0000 UTC View PostSpivy, for all of her many, many faults, was the adventuring coach I should have always listened to. She quickly and competently assessed the situation and started putting everything to right.
“First off, let’s heal that paw,” she said and used a nearby rain barrel to wash the wound. After the healing bark, the wound looked less terrible but would still have required a trip to the emergency vet back on Eart...
2023-11-06 23:28:47 +0000 UTC View Post“It’s yours by default, you are going to have to wear it,” said Julia uncomfortably.
Fenris looked at her, “I’m certain I misheard you.”
Julia sighed, looking down at the suit of black armor longingly for a moment and then shook her head. “That is the armor of the Commander of the Army of Windfall, and you are the army’s commander.”
“That is the King’s armor, and even though HarCharles h...
2023-11-05 23:33:20 +0000 UTC View PostThe inn was two stories of solid timber with a country flair that I found entirely comforting. It looked so in place in this tiny rural town, that it just screamed come in here and drink. The smells from the kitchen were great and the short innkeeper greeted him warmly as he entered the room.
Better yet, the innkeeper didn't even bat an eye as Shade followed him in. That was one nice thing so far, no one ca...
2023-11-04 02:06:18 +0000 UTC View PostThe adventuring guild was located between a convenience store and a laundry, and was by far the least impressive of the three. The building ...
2023-10-31 02:18:29 +0000 UTC View Post“Ready,” I yelled and Shart continued waving his hands around.
“Not yet, air currents are going to be a bitch,” he yelled.
“Hurry up, those shadow chickens brought friends,” said Badgelor as he blasted away another bird.
It was Link to the Past all over again.
If you told me my plan to slingshot myself onto the flying, tentacle covered shadow whale was going to fail because angry birds were upset ...
2023-10-29 23:00:44 +0000 UTC View PostAs we approached Darven the land started looking a lot more settled. The open forest gave way to well tended fields. Fields full of crops I did not recognize. For someone from rural Ohio, that was annoying. I won’t pretend to know all of the things that are grown by farmers across the United States, but the fist sized green growths on the almost wood like stalks were not something I recognized at all and ...
2023-10-27 23:50:24 +0000 UTC View PostSo Sarah's condition was untreatable a few years ago, but modern science laughs in the face of things like kidney failure and she's got maybe 10 years to live. There is a treatment path for Sarah that has a very good chance of success, in about 6 months. In the mean time, she will be recovering so editing will be resuming at least in a part time fashion in next few weeks.
Thank everyone for their support, but especiall...
2023-10-26 03:53:57 +0000 UTC View PostWe left the warrens and emerged into a forest that looked like it could be right out of anywhere in America. We ran downhill until I was about to collapse, and Shadow was panting so heavily that I thought my poor doggo was going to throw up.
Everything around us looked normal, until it didn’t.
"Chum, is that a raccoon?" asked Shadow as we continued down the road. I glanced over at the creature, it had the...
2023-10-26 03:51:39 +0000 UTC View Post"What are you? Public enemy number one?" I yelled as we started running through the caves. I had no idea where we were going but the tunnel I was sure led back to earth no longer existed.
"I'm not number one, don't be ridiculous. I'm more like number five," replied Spivy. "Possibly four, they have been getting pretty aggressive lately."
"I think you should be running faster, they seem angry," said Sha...
2023-10-23 18:40:29 +0000 UTC View PostHe let the last one suffer, feeding it too much mana but not quite enough to cause it to explode. The bug wasn’t stupid, just conditioned. The bugs needed mana to survive. This one was getting to the point that any time it sensed mana it would flinch before going towards it, but that wasn’t what Charles wanted.
Charles wanted the bug to be so afraid of its only source of food that it would starve itself to death. 2023-10-22 22:26:59 +0000 UTC View Post
So it turned out talking dogs were way higher on my weirdness scale than goblins.
“Since when can you talk,” I yelled, scrambling back as best as I could with one lame leg.
“I’m just as surprised as you are,” replied Shadow, sitting there patiently wagging his tail.
“How can you talk,” I asked.
“I do not know, I was out looking for something when I saw a ball of light. She led me here ...
2023-10-20 01:32:08 +0000 UTC View PostSometimes in life you had to just stand on top of a hill and look down at all the splendors. You had to ignore all the bad things, the deadl...
2023-10-19 02:22:27 +0000 UTC View Post