elizabeth_oswald

Rouge XXVI

The next few days were peaceful. Her cousin seemed remarkably better, both in game and out, and Zoey had a feeling that he and Nana had had a Talk while they were cleaning up the kitchen. Nana taught them Gin Rummy, and she even found a stack of pennies somewhere for them to bet with. Needless to say, at the end of the night, Nana had all the pennies, but Zoey was pretty sure they had all had fun, though it could be hard to tell with Ajax.

In game, things went almost suspiciously smooth...

Rouge XXV

It took more than a little convincing to get Evanora’s people to believe their god had decided he didn’t want human sacrifices any more. They cast suspicious glances at everyone, including the priestess, and a few of them even threw salt on Evanora, which was apparently supposed to break any spells or curses that might have been cast on her.

Not until Gurang repaired the Western Star did they really start to trust what Evanora was saying, and though Rouge wasn’t at all su...

Zoey XXIV

Zoey balanced a parsley sprig on top of the mound of wild rice risotto on Nana’s plate. The grains steamed slightly, looking beautiful beside the neatly stacked asparagus and crispy, oven-baked chicken, and Zoey smiled proudly as she placed it in front of her grandma. Ajax had already gotten his own plate, so Zoey grabbed her own, and sat down across from her cousin.

Nana shook her head. “I’ll sure miss your cooking when I leave, Zoey.”

Zoey grinned and actually dared teas...

Rouge XXIII

It was absolutely the most pathetic thing Rouge had ever seen.

A single burble of lava flowed up over the edge of the pit, flowing in a slow, puddingy mass that split into three parts, each one heading for one of the Priestess’ enemies. The tendrils turned black and hard before they went five feet.

More interesting to Rouge, however, was the boy who appeared in the air over the lava stream. He was maybe ten years old, with inhumanly orange hair that stood up from his head as if ...

Rouge XXII

The Fanatics were not getting ready to throw anyone into the volcano. Instead, they were arguing. Apparently, someone had finally realized that Scar was damaged goods, and, furious, they had beaten him, then turned on each other. Silus recounted all of this to Rouge as she ran up the ridiculously long road, which seemed to be full of switchbacks separated by short, steep cliffs. She desperately missed Wally, who would have jumped up the side of the mountain like he was going up stairs.

...

Vacation on Thursday!

Starting Thursday, I will be on vacation (actual vacation, with probably no working at all, unless I start pitching my books to people in line at a store, which happens with surprising frequency). My goal is to finish the novel(la) before I go, but I don't know if I'm going to make it.

I'll be back August 7!

Rouge XXI

Gurangalong Island wasn’t too far away, but it took nearly three hours to get there. The Star spent the whole time hot on the heels of the fanatics, who didn’t even bother pretending they weren’t going straight home. The catamaran skimmed over the waves even faster than the sloop, so by the time the island came into view, everyone knew the enemy would reach land before them. Still, no one even suggested not going after Scar, and the crew spent their short periods of inactivity ...

Rouge XX

The sounds were distant, but carried clearly over the sound of the waves and the babble of the people in the marketplace. All of their heads twisted toward it, and the two women went pale.

“Mum,” Vesta hissed, gathering up a small chest from behind the counter. “Let’s go. Da and the boys’ll be waiting for us.”

Rouge looked around, noting that all of the other locals were behaving just like the two women. All around them, shops were being closed, sometimes right in the ...

Rouge XIX

Rouge’s fifteen minutes ended before they quite managed to circle the island, but when they were finally forced to land, they just followed the beach until they found themselves back at the little port where the Western Star was moored. There, she found Vexxx waiting impatiently, and she could actually see the effort he had to put into not snapping at her for taking so long. Instead, he just took a long, deep breath, and said, “I found out where the crustacean cake place is. Are ...

Kantcon!

I spent most of Friday and all of Saturday and Sunday at Kantcon, here in Kansas City. It's a gamer con, so everyone was playing games and painting minis at over 100 tables. I had a lot of fun, and let some really nice folks, and I hope to do it again next year!

Today, I get to fill out tax forms, put all my con stuff away, work on spreadsheets, and apply to Meeple-a-thon, which is apparently the Place To Be in November. Exciting stuff. (Don't worry, I'm going to work on a chapter, too!...

Quick reminder

I'm doing my last con for the summer this weekend. It starts today, (now-ish) so I won't be able to write today. That means no chapter on Monday, since I won't have one ready, and I can't do two and watch the kiddo at the same time.  Have a great weekend, everybody!

Rouge XVIII

Rouge gazed out at the green and golden island coming into view on the horizon. The crisp, salty wind tugged at her clothes and curls, the blue sky stretched overhead from horizon to horizon, and the clear, sunny day made the waves glitter like a million living jewels poured over the ocean floor. Honestly, it was pretty idyllic, as long as she didn’t look around at the beaten, battered ship she was standing on.

The Star was no longer the worn but tidy vessel she and her frien...

Zoey XVII

Zoey flipped pancakes, trying to focus on watching the edges for the perfect level of ‘done’ rather than thinking about what must be happening in-game. She and Ajax had logged off as soon as they were sure the boat wasn’t actively leaking, and Scar had assured her that once they repaired the rigging, the crew would patch the sail and be on their way. If everything went as well as expected, they could be arriving at Farewell Island any time now.

Deftly, she flipped a pancake out on...

Rouge XVI

Three things happened at once. One, the ball of lightning the pirate captain had been gathering hurtled toward Scar. Two, Rouge’s goddess-blessed weapon struck at the weakest point of the pirate’s ephemeral skull. Three, though she couldn’t see it, Vexxx sent a bolt of lightning into the cannon below. She knew the third happened because Vexxx poured such a large chunk of his massively overpowered mana pool into the strike that the entire side of the ship lit up like it was high noon on ...

Rouge XV

::Family drama? What’s going on up there?:: Silus piped up, and Rouge winced as she realized she’d forgotten her little friend.

::There’s a great big lightning ghost up here who just called Captain Jean his daughter,:: Rouge told the bat, who gasped in surprise.

::The captain’s half ghost?::

Rouge almost laughed, but managed to say, ::I don’t think that’s how that works, Silus,:: just before Jean finally responded.

“You betrayed me first! You lied to me m...

Rouge XIV

Rouge and Vexxx both had rope in their inventory, and they tied themselves and their mounts to the railings on either side of their little section of deck, leaving just enough play so they could move to avoid any flying debris. The crew hadn’t had time to tie things down properly, and for the first time, Rouge saw them all out working at once.

It was difficult to tell in the torrents of rain that surrounded them, but Rouge was fairly certain that there were only five crewmembers on th...

Rouge XIII

They were back exactly an hour and a half, real-time, later. There really wasn’t anything to do, so she’d spent the time checking her mail, watching vids, and reading the wikis about Port Carnival and Farewell Island.

Apparently, the smell in the port had started about a game-year ago, and pretty much everyone above level fifty got the same quest as Vexxx if they got close enough to smell it. As far as she could tell, no one had bothered to finish the quest, because, much like North...

Rouge XII

Rouge stared out over the side of the ship as Port Carnival came into view. Maybe the name had fit before Akuji’s forces decimated it, along with the surrounding countryside, but now it should be Port Gloom, or maybe Port Depression. She could see where efforts had been made to repair or replace old buildings, but the clear priority had been the docks. They were the only part of the town that looked even vaguely complete and in good shape.

::I think I could make it now, if you want me...

Zoey XI

As soon as Zoey opened her eyes, she became aware of a pressing need to use the bathroom, but when she peeked into the hall, the bathroom door was closed. She could run downstairs to the second bath, or cross to the master bedroom and use the bathroom there, but that would require either changing while she was still slightly sticky, or walking around in her damp, clinging suit, and neither of those was a good option.

Then Ajax’s door opened, and she realized that the person i...

Rouge X

“So,” Rouge said, carefully, “how would you feel if we substituted someone else for one of us? Say, if I stayed here, and a, uh, friend went with you instead?”

The man frowned, his scar tugging at his eyebrow and eye so he almost managed to look slightly sinister. “I’d have to meet them. Obviously, I can’t let just anyone on our ship. I have a pretty good sense for people, and you two seem innocent enough, but your ‘friend’ could be something else entirely.”

Ro...

Rouge IX

There was a ramp leading up to the deck of the Ironclad, and Rouge, vaguely remembering a scene like this from a book, called up, “Permission to come aboard?”

A large man appeared in the gap at the top of the ramp, expression surprised. “Permission granted,” he said. As Vexxx and Rouge walked up, he nodded approval. “Not many land-folk who know they’re supposed to ask before they come aboard. They tend to act like the Ironclad is just another part of their ...

Rouge VIII

It was amazingly easy to track down someone who remembered Matilda’s dad, Matthew. Or ‘Cap’n Matt’, as he was known. First, they found the harbormaster’s office, and he was able to tell them (after some convincing, in the form of a few gold coins) that Driftpoint went out of business shortly after the Monnow went missing. In fact, Cap’n Matt’s vessel wasn’t the only one that vanished that season. Several companies had suffered losses from pirate attacks, but Driftpoin...

Rouge VII

Refuge had only recently gotten a Traveler’s Guild of its own. Apparently, some threshold of visiting players had been achieved, and the Guild had been ‘built’ over the course of a week. Rouge had never been around when a new Guild had appeared before, and it had been interesting to watch freshly imported workers erect the desk, bulletin board, Dead Tent, and stone circle that would serve as the basis for fast travel between guild locations.

She’d really wanted to talk to the wo...

Rouge VI

Opening her quest list, Rouge picked one and used a finger to flick it over toward Vexxx.

Quest: “Well, Hello Dolly, Too” complete.

Matilda’s precious doll has been stolen again. Also, she’s a homeless orphan. Maybe help with that.

Minor Success: You were unable to retrieve the doll, but Matilda now has a safe place to live, though it isn’t a home. +100 XP. +5 Relationship points...

2023-06-26 15:23:05 +0000 UTC View Post