A deluge of sludge blasts my way as the worm disgorges its vast, rotund belly of goop through its mouth. Dodging to the side isn’t really an option, since I don’t want the sludge to enter the safe-zone at all, so I return fire with… fire.
Dragon’s fire!
When mucus and fire meet, it’s never a good time for anyone, the sound alone is horrendous, and I won’t even mention the smell, but thankfully I’m able to produce enough heat to burn away a good portion of the ...
2024-11-03 11:48:28 +0000 UTC
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WARNING: This is only part one of the status ritual! I'm sorry! Please don't hang me! This chap is almost 4k words and has taken me over ten hours of fiddling to get to this point! It's late, I need to sleep!
SECOND WARNING: We are approaching the climax of this arc of the story (duh) and it is going to be NON STOP cliffs from this point forward. If you cannot handle the cliffage, then you need to get out of the cliff... kitchen... area. If you complain about cl...
2024-11-01 11:09:08 +0000 UTC
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A flash of light caught Tyron’s eye, and for a moment he was confused. The array was set into the wall, flashing a bright orange light right in his face. A second later he remembered what it was: his alarm.
Someone had entered the shop.
Since Almsfield Enchantments was closed and he’d stopped taking commissions from re-enlisting Slayers, that could only mean one thing. It was strange, after fearing the moment of discovery for so long, to have it finally arrive felt almo...
2024-10-31 09:43:40 +0000 UTC
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Posting early due to travelling tomorrow. Be out of town for two days, but I'll get Bod posted over that time.
Tungstant wasn’t happy. Well, that wasn’t totally accurate, she was building, up to her antennae in a complex building project that was truly grand in scale, which she liked. What she didn’t like was being rushed, and she was certainly on the clock with this one.
“Has Solant said anything?” she asked Cobalt as the two pored over the build maps i...
2024-10-30 07:25:58 +0000 UTC
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Well, well, well. It’s been a couple of days since I managed to capture that grey looking slug and we locked him up. Other than invading his cell and poking him with my antennae for a few hours every day, I don’t have much to do with him. Solant is handling the questioning and I’m totally happy to leave her to it. Just being in contact with Goszi via a mind bridge feels like I’m being invaded by mental slime. His thoughts, heck his very existence is toxic. Just wh...
2024-10-30 04:43:47 +0000 UTC
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“What do you mean?” Chozth demanded, her voice low and dangerous.
All the Krath could sense the tension in the air, growing still and turning their stalks towards Zluth covertly. He knew what they were thinking, that he was about to become the powerful tribe-leader’s next meal.
Not if he had anything to do with it.
“We managed to capture and escape with an ant captive,” he explained smoothly, “but the ants pursued us using monsters equipped to fight outsid...
2024-10-30 00:40:57 +0000 UTC
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How does one negotiate in good faith with someone you fundamentally cannot trust? Going deeper, how does one negotiate in good faith with someone fundamentally incapable of trust?
With difficulty.
- Excerpt from the ‘Guide to Diplomacy’ by Diplomant
Solant found herself fascinated by the Krath, almost despite herself. This Goszi had a mind almost as slippery as his flesh. The longer they conversed, the more labyrinthine the...
2024-10-29 03:55:26 +0000 UTC
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To say this wasn’t how Goszi had assumed his day was going to end would be something of an understatement. He’d been pushed to the edge by Zluth, and his tactics had worked out remarkably well, but to fall into the soft, fleshy hands of the enemy in the process of escaping had not been part of the plan.
He tried to look as harmless as possible as the massive ant deposited him uncomfortably close to the wall of blue mana that would melt him in a matter of moments. Just an old,...
2024-10-25 10:08:19 +0000 UTC
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Nostas Jorlin strode through the streets of Kenmor like an avenging angel. Around him, the highest level Soldiers of his House were arrayed, and he dove into the depravity of the city every day, hunting. Yet despite his best efforts, the trail of the Necromancer was infuriatingly cold.
Kenmor had been turned upside down twice over with no result, so now it was time to start rattling the cages he hadn’t been allowed to touch up to this point.
At the head of his column, Nos...
2024-10-25 01:04:41 +0000 UTC
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“No, you can’t just hang around,” I roar at Leeroy as she helps pull the trapped and struggling members of the Immortals out of the mucus that still clings to them. “You have to get back to the Colony as soon as possible! All of you are going to be infected with toxic energy.”
“Well… we might be able to… find something that will help the family…” Leeroy says, in an openly shifty way.
“Do you really think dying of curable mana poisoning is a gl...
2024-10-24 04:40:20 +0000 UTC
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First for the week! Second will be... when I finish it.
Losing oneself to magick was such an easy process for Tyron. Perhaps he was addicted to it. There were all kinds of addicts in Kenmor; people unable to function without drink, or women, or gambling, or any number of things. Master Willhem could be thought of as an addict. If he weren’t able to work with cores and create, Tyron genuinely thought the old man would simply fade away.
There was something a...
2024-10-24 04:32:44 +0000 UTC
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“What is happening?!” Zluth raged.
“How would I know?” Gozsi spat back. “I’ve never seen anything like this!”
The ants behind them continued their charge, seemingly inexhaustible and unafraid.
“This was your strategy Goszi!”
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know the ants were hiding an entire army of mana-shielded maniacs. Did you?!”
“Of course not!”
Zluth continued to slide as fast as he could, dragging the comatose, ca...
2024-10-23 07:28:53 +0000 UTC
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It was understood from the beginning that it was simply unacceptable for a single member of the Colony to be captured during the invasion. Considering the Krath were infamous across Pangera for their disgusting methods of converting captured enemies into corrupted versions of their former selves, the reality of battling against a twisted version of the Colony itself was intolerable.
Also, there was a subtle arrogance in the way we thought of this scenario. To us, the...
2024-10-23 03:11:21 +0000 UTC
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I trust my sisters will be able to handle the attempts to capture their siblings and turn my attention to the Krath. If they think they can wreak this much havoc and get away without suffering the pain, then they have another thing coming.
And that thing is me, beating them up.
In an instant I’m back out into the toxic mana hunting down the Krath who’ve been launching their slime ropes from positions of cover. I bunch my legs up beneath me and launch myself forward, jaw...
2024-10-22 10:09:42 +0000 UTC
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The snake-slug is a big beasty, having returned to its full size as a result of the Krath fattening it back up in preparation for this assault.
No problem, I can shave a few tons off of it without any trouble at all! Just need to get my mandibles on it.
Doing so isn’t very hard, since the monster doesn’t seem all too bothered by me as I charge forward, mandibles wide and ready to chomp. I’m still worried about just what the Krath have done to this monster to affect it...
2024-10-22 04:42:49 +0000 UTC
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They’ve really gone all out this time. The tunnel is awash with monsters and a tide of mucus that is several inches thick just outside the blue zone. The slime is sizzling and fizzing where it comes into contact with the safe-zone as it’s immediately cleansed, but burns away at the blue mana in the process.
The ants are doing their best, of course, using various tactics to latch onto monsters and drag them to their doom, or strike them before they can get too close. Ten thous...
2024-10-21 11:05:05 +0000 UTC
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Trying to catch up now that I'm feeling better.
If there is a type of warfare that suits the Colony’s talents better than a defensive siege, I don’t know what it is. Our capacity to build, fortify and repair is exceptional, and we can pack far more numbers into far smaller areas than most species.
I’ve often considered what the best way to attack a stronghold defended by my army would be, and I always come to the same conclusion: fi...
2024-10-21 11:04:33 +0000 UTC
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“I have three more for you today,” Tyron announced as he walked into the room abruptly.
Cerry flinched at the sudden disruption, but Tyron didn’t pause, placing down three stones upon the table in the middle of the room. Flynn eyed them, looking vaguely ill, however he chose not to say anything.
“This makes ten souls over the last few days,” Cerry murmured, half to herself. “Just how many have died recently?”
She didn’t expect to get an answer, in trut...
2024-10-17 11:07:31 +0000 UTC
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Talking about the pain in my throat.
Turns out my optimism regarding my post-PAX illness was misplaced and I developed a pretty severe throat infection. Doc has me on some serious gear and I'm trying to make sure I hit the chapter targets, but, as you can already tell, they're going to be late.
No need to worry,, I'm already over the worst of it. With drugs and rest, I'll be right as rain in a day or two, but I figured the chaps were late enough that you deserved an explanation. ...
2024-10-17 09:19:25 +0000 UTC
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Zluth was frustrated.
At first, everything had been going well. His promotion to Krath’sizz hadn’t gone without controversy, as he’d been promoted ahead of many worthy Krath from the larger tribes, but with the blessing of Chozth herself, who was going to argue? Certainly nobody who wanted to go on living, which turned out to be everyone.
Assembling his war party had gone well, even his assassination of the ignorant guard had been carried out flawlessly, so what was i...
2024-10-15 08:47:13 +0000 UTC
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Worthy Steelarm had never felt so tired. He was stronger than he’d ever been in his life, much more powerful than when he was an active Slayer, but even so, he felt an exhaustion that went down to his bones. It had started ever since Tyron went missing, and had really set in when he’d heard the boy was dead. Ever since, it had grown, like a sickness for which he had no cure, and even this rebellion wasn’t enough to fully shake the malaise.
“Sit down for a minute, Wor,” ...
2024-10-15 04:46:16 +0000 UTC
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Eyyyy. Back from PAX Aus and it was a great experience.
First of all, I got to hang out with fellow litRPG authors like, Haylock (Heretical Fishing), Hannibal (lots of stuff that he needs to finish), Shirtaloon (He Who Fights With Monsters), Tevagah (Prophecy Approved Companion) and ThinkTwice (Mark of the Crijik).
Had a great time with all of them, really good folks and really good fictions, which you should read if you haven't!
The panel we held also went well, with somet...
2024-10-14 05:03:31 +0000 UTC
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Solant stood, as always, in the command centre. She was, as always, calm, centred and focused.
Around her flowed the organised chaos of the HQ, a constant stream of pheromone conversations, scouts coming in and out, generals discussing, theorising and carvers planning, plotting, working through construction issues and tracking logistics. It was a confusing, chaotic and neverending barrage of information that would have completely flattened most ants, or even most individual...
2024-10-14 04:57:33 +0000 UTC
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Morrelia looked out into the tunnel, her highly trained senses taking in every subtle shift, every tiny sound. Something was off, that much was obvious, but determining what and then acting accordingly was her responsibility as a leader.
She already knew what the problem was, the issue was finding the evidence to prove it. Chyron would not move the Legion based on a hunch, even if she shared it, not unless they had to. Finding evidence of a Krath presence was notoriously di...
2024-10-11 01:00:03 +0000 UTC
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It almost felt unnatural to be sitting alone in his study as if nothing had happened. An entire Noble estate, every man, woman and child within, dead by his hands, but here was, sitting in the brick-walled room beneath his shop as if he’d never left.
Yet he had.
He thought he’d feel more than he did. His goal all along had been to take vengeance on the Nobles, the Magisters, everyone who had played a part in the deaths of Magnin and Beory, and a small slice of that had ...
2024-10-10 01:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Bella and Ellie looked at each other then back to their creation, antennae waggling with concern.
“Were we successful?” Bella said.
“I’m… not sure,” Ellie replied.
In front of them, the wuffer continued to wobble, and wiffle, happily, chuffing away as it consumed the toxic mana being pumped directly below it.
“The core has fused correctly?”
“It appears so….”
“Did you check the core yet?”
“I thought you were going to ...
2024-10-10 01:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Really fluffed the posting schedule this week T_T
Zluth made his way through the cracks along with the rest of the scouts. He’d not expected to catch the giant ant, not truly, but even so, the dreadful creature had once again proven its might in evading capture.
The others hadn’t believed him, not really. How it had grated on him, a Krath’lath of his own tribe, to be looked down on by the slugs of the Bulg and Lirz tribes, as if he couldn’t identify...
2024-10-09 01:05:56 +0000 UTC
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It was difficult for the Colony and the Krath to understand each other. In fact, our nature and theirs were truly incompatible. They could not understand our unity, could not imagine living with our unconditional trust. Likewise, their suspicion and competitive instinct were incomprehensible to us. Bickering, infighting, betrayal and backstabbing, it was baffling to us that they managed to get anything done at all.
It’s difficult to know for certain, but I can say ...
2024-10-09 01:00:06 +0000 UTC
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The door to the Duke’s study burst open as a golden-haired young man stormed through in a rage. Duke Raugrave looked up, managing to keep his features smooth only thanks to the forewarning he’d received. He stood and folded his hands together, offering a short bow of the head in respect.
“Lord Jorlin. Welcome.”
However, the young Lord of house Jorlin was not willing to stand on formality, not this day.
“They’re dead, Raugrave! Half of the Jorlin b...
2024-10-08 01:00:04 +0000 UTC
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It was never possible for there to be peace between the Colony and the Church of the Path. How could there be? The Church was almost as virulently anti-monster as the Abyssal Legion, though for very different reasons.
The Legion has always feared the Dungeon, believing that if it were left unchecked, the end result would be a repeat of the Rending, if not worse. For that reason they have sought to combat monsters, find new and better ways to destroy them.
...
2024-10-07 01:00:06 +0000 UTC
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