Hesketh Tolson

RS ?? - The Immortal Raging Dragon Conquers the Heavens!

AUTHOR NOTE: Things have been a little crazy here in South Africa the last week or so. I am safe, but I didn't manage to write a Fred chapter due to the situation, so instead here is a guest short from my dear friend Mecanimus, author of Journey of Black and Red and The Calamitous Bob, posted with his permission.

As well as being an amazingly talented author he also has strong feelings about xianxian. 

Even if you are unfamiliar with the gen...

Dawn Watch 18 - Dragon Breath or Drowning

18

(Ansel)

Dragon Breath or Drowning

They stepped back into the clearing, taking care not to be seen. The sun was sinking to the west, and the sounds from the strange native city had softened, reaching their ears as if through a heavy blanket. The wind must have changed. Ansel cast one longing glance at the place, at architecture he had never seen before and longed to explore. If only he could go d...

RS 42: The Meaning of Life

Chapter 42

The Meaning of Life

The Heart of the Ocean dropped anchor off the coast of a small and rather perfect tropical island. Seagulls wheeled in the fresh breeze as sailors scurried around the ship, salvaging ropes and sails. Bits of wood lay scattered across the deck, and a large part of the railing had been ripped away by one of the kraken’s tentacles when it had smashed the bows. Miraculously no one had been injured, other than ...

Dawn Watch 17 - The Stillness Between Two Waves

17

(Ezra)

The Stillness Between Two Waves 

Ansel scrambled up, tripping over the length of his arquebus.

“Leave it!”

Ezra pulled him and they ran, discarded weapons tumbling by their sides as they hastened up the slope. The savage woman broke into a sprint and the men left behind on the hill scattered in alarm, losing precious moments fumbling for their guns. Up the mountain side, Ezra rushed...

RS 41: The Wet and the Furious

Chapter 41

The Wet and the Furious

Two goblins sat in a booth, waiting. Where the booth was actually located…was unclear, but it had a good view of a sparkling ocean, and down below, of the vast flotilla of assorted vessels that floated on it.

Geryon shifted in his chair with a small cough. He didn’t like the chairs, they weren’t made for goblins. Wriggling, he situated himself on his personal pillow, adjusting his yellow po...

Dawn Watch 16 - An Unexpected Party

16

(Ezra)

An Unexpected Party

“Perhaps this place is cursed,” said Lothor, staring around at the mountains and the sea. In the distance a giant squid surged out of the water, chasing some unlucky prey. It landed with a mammoth crash, the spray flying high. The assembled men resolutely turned their backs on the water, moving to survey the wreckage caused by the dragon’s wrath instead.

“It is unholy, ...

RS 40: A Study In Sapphire (Part II)

Chapter 40

A Study in Sapphire II

I settle on the sand, and my companions gather round me, their faces expectant. I feel hope then, but my innards push up against my ribs, and my brain swells in my skull. I lift up a hand to my ears, but they are not bleeding, not right now, it is a memory only. We are away from the palace, away from the myriad watching eyes but even now, I fear we shall be seen or overheard and I cast suspicious glance...

RS 39: A Study In Sapphire Part I

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote A Study in Scarlet, Neil Gaiman A Study in Emerald and now I, the Midnight Hagette that rhymes with baguette present to you:

A Study in Sapphire: A homage to Arthur Conan Doyle and Lovecraft

(minus the casual racism).

Chapter 39

A Study in Sapphire

Our family has always flirted with the darkness and now I fear it will consume our house. My father rules ...

Dawn Watch 15 - An Unexpected Visitor

15

An Unexpected Visitor

After the success of the Sky Lion’s venture, more ships started going out. Hunting, gathering resources, mapping and mining for ore consumed the fleet, and filled the men with purpose. There was no retribution for the savage massacre at the town under the mountain, and only a few scattered villages identified far to the east.  For now all was peaceful.

Building progressed ...

Dawn Watch 14 - Exploration

14

Exploration

The fires roared in Ansel’s brain. He lay in the suffocating dark, twitching, feeling the vestiges of the power that had consumed him. The veins in his arm pulsed. The same arm that had cleaved Marlow in two. It felt normal now, but he couldn’t forget the feeling. He played the moment over and over in his mind. Watching the expression on Marlow's face, the dull thump of his body hitting the ground. Just a bag o...

RS 38: Kiss the Girl

Chapter 38

Kiss the Girl

Eventually Jasconius slowed down and the island came to a bobbing halt. Everyone stood up, cautious, but the enormous, magical turtle bobbed in the surf, presumably content to nap on the wavetops. The sky was blue and dotted with happy little summer clouds. The breeze was warm and pleasant and a few seagulls wheeled overhead.

Now that the immediate danger seemed to be over, thoughts naturally turned to lun...

RS 37: The Seaweed is Always Greener

Chapter 37

The Seaweed is Always Greener

Fred, Joan, Hugo, Alice and Epic walked through the gate into a blaze of intense white light. A voice boomed: “WELCOME TO LEVEL 2!” There was the sound of rather tinny applause as if played through a distant loudspeaker.

They blinked in the light, trying to see.

CLANG.

The gate slammed shut behind them...

Dawn Watch - Chapter 13

[Trigger warning for this one (violence)]

13

Sunlight on a Broken Column

Ansel slid onto a bench and nodded at Jethro. The red-faced cook beamed at him, his expression transforming from dour to cheerful in an instant. He set down a bowl of gruel in front of Ansel. The cheerful demeanour vanished as quickly as it had come when he turned to Ezra, slopping down a bowl in front of the young inquisitor with passive ag...

RS 36: Counting Crows

Chapter 36

Counting Crows

“How long will it take us to get to the gate?” asked Epic. The substantially larger sabre-toothed tiger wound its way between her legs, nearly tripping her up in its attempts to console her. Epic stroked Stinkums’ head, smiling at the answering purr.

“How long will it take to get through the gate?” said Hugo.

“I don’t know,” said Joan. She pursed her lips, looking up at the ...

Dawn Watch - Chapter 12

12

A Dream

The scouting party trudged through the twilight. The sun had long since sunk into the sea, leaving behind a molten trail of pink and gold wave caps.

“Should be easier going downhill,” commented Louis. And it was. They made good time, journeying most of the way back to the airships before dark.  As it became harder to see, they paused to light their brands before continuing on. The night was mild and very...

Dawn Watch - Chapter 11

11

(Ezra)

Hollow Men

Ezra stood on the deck of the Sky Lion, the breeze snatching at his robe. He watched as Ansel and the rest of the scouting part wended their way across the beach and up into the foothills in the direction of the great mountain. He scowled at it. The horrible thing dominated the landscape. It was impossible to forget its presence, its very size demanding attention. He glanced back at the scoutin...

RS 35: Level 10

[Ding! The Fredinator LEVEL UP!]

[Ding! Joan of Snark LEVEL UP!]

[Ding! Alice69 LEVEL UP!]

[Ding! Hugo Balls LEVEL UP!]

[Ding! Epic Failure LEVEL UP!]

“Nice,” said Joan, with great satisfaction. “That’s everyone at level 10 or higher. Great job! Thank you Knights of Cake.” She kicked a ...

RS 34: The Knights of Cake Part II

Chapter 34

The Knights of Cake Part II

The Knights of Cake rode across the turf churning sod, leaves and peasants underfoot. Plumes waving in the breeze, their armour sparkled, glittering as they caught the morning light. At least five of the six armoured figures sparkled. The shortest one at the back was decidedly mud-splattered. The rest positively oozed charisma and glitz. The hooves of their war chargers were stained red with the bl...

Dawn Watch - Chapter 10

10

Scouting Party

Ansel hurried to the party, eager to be off the ship and away from Mammon’s attentions. Louis joined him with a grin, and Ansel recognised one or two of the men from other ships, from their brief foray in the desert.

“Always the same volunteers, ey,” said a burly blue-eyed man, shaking Ansel firmly by the hand as he arrived on the sand. “Name’s Amos, by the way.”

“Ansel,” said Ansel. ...

Dawn Watch - Chapter 9

9

The Bay of Giants

Boaz refused to send a message to Marlow. The crew muttered and whispered amongst themselves - that their captain was in thrall to the witch was now obvious. There was talk of mutiny. Three deckhands rushed Mammon accomplishing nothing but their own deaths. Boaz would not be reasoned with and took to spending all his time below deck with the witch. The mutters grew darker. One of the more pious airm...

Dawn Watch - Chapter 8

8

Five

After crossing the fortifications by the river, steep mountains reared up to block their path. While not green and temperate like the rolling hills of Lochlanach, the peaks were a balm to their eyes after the bitter monotony of the desert. Here, at least, was life. Trees and bushes clustered in protected gullies. Windswept shrubs clung to the rocks while the wind roared through their leaves. Springs cascaded in silver ribb...

RS 33: Recipes for Revenge Part II

Chapter 33

Recipes for Revenge Part II

Joan made her way out of the fairy city, moving as quickly as possible. Not only was she getting hungry but she was anxious to get her hands on those recipes and start cooking up some revenge. But access to a fully stocked alchemy shop and crafting bench would be worth the delay. At least she hoped so.

Once she was a suitable distance away from the fairy city, Joan came to a stop in a forest ...

RS 32: Recipes for Revenge

Chapter 32

Recipes for Revenge

Joan set off immediately for Mistletoe Lane. A happy, wooden sign hung from the wall, announcing her arrival. It depicted a lyre threaded through with holly, ivy and oak leaves, all signs that this was an alchemist shop run by a druid, or at least one with druidic knowledge. Window boxes planted with sunny dandelions and burdock stood outside, while hanging baskets stuffed with mugwort and daisies hung from either si...

RS 31: Farmether's Fish, General Goods and World-Building Services. No Cakes.

Chapter 31

Farmether's Fish, General Goods and World-Building Services. No Cakes.

“Hang on,” said Cob, “this is all well and good but what happens when the new queen respawns?”

“She respawns?” asked Hugo, his eyes wide. He was polishing the Trombone of Orpheus with the edge of the table cloth. The survivors of the elven court were shooting him appalled glances. They bounced off Hugo’s good-natured skull like Ping-Pon...

Dawn Watch - Chapter 7

7

Seven

“Frost! Was there truly cavorite on that thing?” Otto ran over, his eyes wild. “Why did you set it on fire?” His eyes darted to Ezra, and he started, as if noticing him for the first time. Ezra’s lip twisted up on one side. The rune master recovered himself, gave Ezra a little nod, but continued to address Ansel.

“Well for starters I didn’t really have a choice,” said Ansel, passing a hand over his e...

Dawn Watch - Chapter 6

6

Eight

The remaining ships of the fleet circled the scene of devastation. No one wanted to land on the shifting sands but at last Marlow gave the word. Kurtz had gone down with his ship, so once more the chain of command passed to the captain of the Bright Terror.

A rescue party was called upon to comb the wreckage. From their vantage point in the air the watch called out that there was at least one survivor. Most...

RS 30: Supreme Executive Power

Chapter 30

Supreme Executive Power

The fairy castle was a mess of broken glass, ruined food, and shuffling dead bodies. The remaining elves were all seated on what was left of the furniture, or had gone to bed, happy in the knowledge that Lugh would take care of things. The dwarves had thanked Alice for the good time, raided the palace kitchen and disappeared back into their tunnels, taking all the alcohol with them. Which was probably for the bes...

RS 29: Glorious Drunken Revolution

Chapter 29

Glorious Drunken Revolution

Fred and Joan set the cart with the purchased weapons down at the entrance and walked into the tavern. He looked around for Alice, Hugo and Epic and spotted them immediately.

“I see our friends have been busy,” shouted Joan, her eyes on the scene before them.

“Busier than a fart in a mitten, by the looks of it,” said Fred.

“What?” said Joan.

“I said 2021-04-14 18:04:37 +0000 UTC View Post

Dawn Watch: Chapter 5

5

Ten

Under Mammon’s lackadaisical eye, crates and barrels of food were loaded onto the ships. The pale woman stood at the prow of the Sky Lion like a figurehead carved from marble, moving only once: to demand someone hold shade cloth over her. Boaz quickly assigned two deckhands to attend her. The uncouth men hovered, fetched and carried, simultaneously fascinated and terrified. Mammon paid them no heed.

Meanwhi...

RS 28: Jam and Dwarves

Chapter 28

Jam and Dwarves

Hugo held the pot of jam up, obediently. The giant Spider Mother [Level 30, Very Dangerous] took it gently in one of her pincers.

“Thank you, my dear,” came the deathly whisper. The dust swirled in eddies at her feet.

[ding! Quest completed! Jam delivered to Aunt Mavis!

All Party Members+1...