EdgeCases

DRR Book 3, Chapter 13 - Warning

Before I can do anything else, a warning blares into my skull, making me wince from the sheer force of it. I have to blink away the spots in my eyes to even begin to parse what just happened, but when I do, my eyes widen.

[Let it kill you.]

It's a Paradox Warning. The skill construct resonates within my core, and I stare up at the volley of golden spears. I don't like the idea of letting it kill me. I don't like the idea of not pushing ...

DRR Book 3, Chapter 12 - Collection

Author's Note (New / 15 Oct 2024): Posting this one early since I'm going to be on a flight when the chapter would normally go up. Enjoy the chapter!

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One thing I hadn't really considered on the way down is that the flower's blooming outside the building—the inside isn't exactly filled with pretty blue petals or anything remotely flower-adjacent. Instead, what we come across is a pulsing root structure that's filled with what looks like electrica...

DRR Book 3, Chapter 11 - Stage 1: The Seed // Ahkelios

Author's Note: We might be doing Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday for a bit while I catch up. Enjoy the chapter!

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You were a painter once.

You saw the world in colors no other mantodean could. Close one eye, and the painting shifts—your sight was your pride. Your first love glowed in your sight, didn't she? Her carapace glowed with streaks of ultragold and silverine; to you, she was a living work of art. 

And now that sight is gone. Struck permanentl...

DRR Book 3, Chapter 10 - Rituals

Author's Note: Sorry this posted a little late! The chapter was ready, but I had to rush for a flight to Oregon (which is where I'm going to be hanging out for the next month or so). I took the chance to rewrite the chapter a bit and improve it since I was traveling anyway. Enjoy the chapter!

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Guard takes point as he leads us down the stairwell of the building, his metal feet clanking against the concrete. It's the only sound in the otherwise eerily silent Empty...

DRR Book 3, Chapter 9 - The Empty City

Rhoran's mind was fragmented, but he was slowly gathering himself.

It was nothing unexpected. The Integrator—former Integrator—was held in place only by the meager mental structures he'd created for himself before this transition, and the trip through the broken Intermediary had maimed those structures even more than he'd been prepared for. If Lhore had given him a little more time, if any of the others had fought for him, he might have been able to build...

Art Dump

Here's a variety of art I've gotten as commissions and gifts as extra content for the day. Most are by cosmiccroissant on Twitter except for the Gheraa concept art (last in list), who is done by an artist that wanted to remain anonymous. Some may have been seen before, but I forgot to put it in a proper image post!

DRR Book 3, Chapter 8 - Review

I take a moment to review my skills before we actually head into the Empty City. I've lost a number of them, and it's... surprising to me, how much that fact aches. They shouldn't even be alive, let alone sentient enough to sacrifice themselves for me the way they did. They're Firmament constructs residing within my core, my soul—whatever you decide to call it.

But I grasped at a Talent. I Anchored a Truth. For a moment, I made them something more than they were, and in that moment th...

Sick

Just a heads up--posting this while I have the energy to sit at the computer. I picked a very bad time to fall sick considering I have to travel next week, haha. I'm going to put all the energy I can toward recovering, so I might miss a chapter post or two. I'll make up for it when I can. Thanks for the patience!

DRR Book 3, Chapter 7 - Time (for) Skills

"You could have at least warned me you were going to try it," Ahkelios complains.

He's been justifiably upset for a while now. We're taking our time and walking back toward Isthanok, although it's a long way away; the Knight covered quite a lot of distance while he was out of control. I'm almost back to the Cliffside Crows. My memories of traveling are somewhat fragmented, probably because I spent some of that time fighting the Knight for control over our sha...

DRR Book 3, Chapter 6 - Knight

The first thing I experience is pain.

Kauku wasn't lying about the strain this Inspiration causes. It's not just the way it peels away at my Firmament and tears me apart from within—it's the physical change, too. I stagger away from the ledge before collapsing to the ground as a series of cracks resound within my body. It's not a sound so much as it is a kick of bass that's accompanied by a wave of pain so intense I taste copper in my mouth.

It takes me a moment before I realize...

DRR Book 3, Chapter 5 - Quantum Model

I hesitate for a moment before I agree. There's no specific reason for that hesitation; Kauku hasn't asked me to do anything I wouldn't be willing to do anyway. More than that, he seems pleased that I'm his Heir, and while I don't know specifically what that means, it does seem to imply that he has a vested interest in my success.

It just feels like there are holes in what he's said. For one thing, he's already told me that whatever secret I need to bring Gheraa back is wi...

DRR Book 3, Chapter 4 - A Peek Behind the Curtain

I stare ahead into the empty space in front of me, my entire body on alert. I can feel the hairs on my body standing on end like a static charge is passing over me—every instinct I have screams at me that something's here, and that that something is dangerous. Fight-or-flight tells me to run, to turn and get away as fast as I can.

But I don't see anything in front of me. It's empty space.

Until it isn't.

Something changes between one moment and the next, and sudde...

DRR Book 3, Chapter 3 - Talents

There's a whole mess of notifications that come right after that notice, but my attention is briefly taken up by the Interface's phrasing. It says I retrieved a Talent—not that I unlocked it. Not even that it's been granted to me. The way it's phrased, I almost feel like it's not something built into the Interface. 

"Interface," I say. "What do you mean by retrieved?"

No response. I let out an aggrieved sigh. I don't know why I expected it to start an...

DRR Book 3, Chapter 2 - Reboot

So much has happened since the last time I allowed myself to properly look over the Interface. So much has happened since I've gained the Interface, for that matter. It doesn't feel like it's been all that long, but it's hard to put the timeline together in my head—I'm aware, in an abstract sort of way, of all the events that have passed. The timeline of everything that's happened, in order? That's a bit more of a jumble.

The notifications are a reminder, in a way. They ...

DRR Book 3, Chapter 1 - A Remnant in Time

Author's Note:
My internet is a bit borked. Trying to get it fixed! It's still (somewhat) working, but only if I sit and wait a really long time for each individual page to load, so hopefully this post goes through.

That said, welcome to book 3!

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"You ever think about how weird this all is, Ethan?"

Ahkelios isn't looking at me. He's staring out over the city of Isthanok—specifically, over the semi-ruined city that everyone's still working to reb...

DRR Book 2, Epilogues 3, 4, & 5

Epilogue 3 - Loneliness

"I not stay with you."

I've dreaded hearing these words from Tarin, although I think on some level, I knew it was coming.

"You find way for me to stop looping," Tarin says. "I... please."

"It's not because you want to forget, is it?" I ask tiredly. I don't think I can make him forget, even if I wanted to.

"No," Tarin says. "I not forget. I not want to forget. But..."

Tarin makes a frustrated sound in his throat, stom...

DRR Book 2, Epilogues 1 & 2

Epilogue 1 - Guard & Whisper

Some time after the raid is cleared, everyone gathers. Almost everyone, anyway. Bimar and Miktik are missing—according to Guard, Miktik needs emergency medical attention, and he's sent one of his proxies with them to make sure they stay safe. Part of me wants to go after them and make sure they're safe, but...

There's still She-Who-Whispers to think about. Now that the raid is over, she's a threat again.

Truth is, I'm not s...

DRR Book 2, Chapter 73 - The Truth of Change

The asteroid looms above the city of Isthanok. I look up at it, and I feel less fear than I should. Shifting to the third layer has... changed things.

Not as much as I'd like, perhaps. That asteroid is still entirely capable of killing me if it hits.

If it hits.

I just have to make sure it misses.

He-Who-Guards and She-Who-Whispers are both holding it off with everything they can. I see waves of Whisper's power pulsing over the asteroid, trying to disinte...

DRR Book 2, Chapter 72 - The Shape of A Soul

Next Chapter

Rhoran snarled, slamming his fist into his desk. "Someone tell me how a human is moving two layers in a single shift!"

"Seems Gheraa was telling the truth about your temper." Lhore didn't seem particularly bothered by the situation. She leaned back in her chair, observing the events on the screen in front of her with a mixture of interest and de...

DRR Book 2, Chapter 71 - Sinking

Author's Note: Next chapter will be the final one for this book. After that I'll post a series of (very short) epilogue chapters to wrap up Book 2. Just a heads up!

Edit: I miscounted! Two more chapters until the end of the book. This is the third last chapter.

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I can't stop it.

The thought intrudes on my mind, foreign and not my own. There's a distant part of me that appreciates that Gheraa makes it clear that these thoughts are his way of ...

DRR Book 2, Chapter 70 - Skyfall

Author's Note: Long chapter!

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Vahrkos had never been tired before. Not to this extent. It was rare these days for anything to tire him out—ever since he'd experienced his Convalescence, it was like his Firmament was three times as efficient. Slipstreams were easy for him to navigate like they had never been before, and Firmament flowed along his joints with just a whisper of a thought.

It was saying something, then, that he was tired. The s...

DRR Book 2, Chapter 69 - Loop 15.4

Author's Note: Posting schedule will be one chapter Monday/Wednesday/Friday, in line with RR. Just trying to get everything to line up! Been real sick all weekend, but Book 2 is done (including 5 short epilogue chapters). Book 3 is in planning stages.

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Bimar and Miktik's bodies are positioned outside the gate to the scrapyard in the exact same positions I found them in last loop.

That's enough to ring alarm bells. Even Ahkelios shivers a bit at the sight. ...

DRR Book 2, Chapter 68 - Loop 15.3, Part 2

"Two rings."

The words make Whisper freeze, just as she'd told me. I admit, I was half expecting this to be a trap. "Check your messages," I tell her. "You sent one to yourself agreeing to work with me."

This is probably the easiest time I've ever had talking to Whisper. She doesn't even say anything—I can feel the flow of Firmament as she instead just immediately opens her Interface and begins to read. She's silent for nearly a full minute, which makes me wonder exactly what sh...

DRR Book 2, Chapter 67 - Loop 15.3, Part 1

I'm back in the lab.

The first thing I do is brush off the strange, distinct sensation of Once More into the Fray falling apart inside my... Firmament core, I suppose. It's a distinctly uncomfortable feeling, like holding broken shards of glass inside my mouth. The skill still feels usable, but only barely; thankfully, the feeling fades soon enough, and I'm able to direct my attention elsewhere.

Like trying to figure out whether or not Bimar's still alive.

I let out a breath...

DRR Book 2, Chapter 66 - Loop 15.2, Part 3

Miktik's workshop is empty, which is more or less what I was expecting, though I was hoping it wouldn't be. I look around, trying to glimpse any signs of activity. It doesn't look like anyone's been here since the last time we convened in the area.

"Think Bimar's back at the lab?" I ask out loud, glancing at Ahkelios.

"That, or she hasn't had enough time to get here," Ahkelios points out. "It's only been about an hour."

"Right," I say, slightly embarrassed. It ...

DRR Book 2, Chapter 65 - Loop 15.2, Part 2

To say that Wander is unhappy about the Integrators' raid is... a bit of an understatement.

"You're telling me I could have died permanently," he says, shuddering. "Being eaten!"

"We don't know that he was eating you," I say, trying to placate him.

In retrospect, I could probably have phrased that better. Wander turns to glare at me. "That does not make it better," he hisses.

"Sorry."

He grumbles under his breath, and I return to m...

DRR Book 2, Chapter 64 - Loop 15.2, Part 1

I'm back in the laboratory. I let out a breath of relief—I wasn't sure how far back the skill would be able to take me. For the first time, I've been able to feel the process of time whirling back around me, and I've had to keep an eye on the stability of a skill while doing so.

This is as far back as I can take myself before it begins to fall apart. If I bring myself back this far, I should be able to use the skill another three times. Push it any further and I can only...

DRR Book 2, Chapter 63 - Loop 15.1, Part 5

"Are you his accomplice?"

Whisper's first question is blunt. It stuns me, too—not because of how direct it is, but because of how utterly wrong that assumption is. She stares at me with her arms folded behind her back, her stance regal; if this had been my first time meeting her, I might have assumed that all was well.

Except this isn't how she acts. Whisper doesn't use pomp and ceremony. She's condescending and sarcastic. Her words belittle everyone she speaks to....

DRR Book 2, Chapter 62 - Loop 15.1, Part 4

Author's Note: We're back with three chapters and everything up to the end of Book 2 drafted! Finally managed to get everything together and planned out, and I'm trying out a new strategy when it comes to chapter drafting, so I have all the scene skeletons written and just need to edit them into something that's paced well.

These particular chapters kept growing while I was editing them, which is what made me decide to try that out. Enjoy!

Edit: Forgot to edi...

Small Break

Hey guys--I think I'm going to have to admit to myself that I need a small break from writing rather than trying to write and rewrite the same bit. It's by no means going to take a long time, but I've paused billing for the time being. In theory all I need is a couple days to recuperate from all the hospital visits I've had and I'll come back with a bunch of chapters, but I've had enough complications lately to not want to commit to that, haha.

Going to try to come back and finish stron...