esjackson

Chp 120: Community Planning

The valley, which I needed to name, looked like it was holding an undead festival. Mira, Hetcha, and Mina were all topside exploring the small main street I'd set up during the week since I'd revealed the skeletons to them. There were ten buildings in total, and I had a sketch of what the space would look like as I filled it in going forward.

One I was presently in the process of editing the shit out of. My little Halloween Town was a project I'd been working on without much ...

Chp 119: Hello Again

Two days after I'd handled the deals and class resets, I was outside Andrea's room in the hallway. I had her permission, but it took me a few moments to go inside. I'd made it in a hurry when I separated the girls a few days earlier. It was probably fine, but I'd asked to look at it and make some adjustments.

Andrea had responded tepidly as she had been to anything that wasn't about training. Her one-track mind didn't have room in it for things like personal comfort. I was ov...

Chp 118: Nothing to See Here

Chris was high, and Not just a little. Given his lack of soft tissues to inebriate, I wished that was the weird part.

For want of a better description, Chris was sparkling, giving off light like a magical girl anime protagonist. Only predominantly in blue with undertones of green instead of the usual team leader pink. Water flowed around him in a complex swirl while he lounged in the middle of the floor of a new room I'd added to Aaron's lab to contain him.

Chris insist...

Chp 117: Local Customs

After the pledges, weddings, and contests, the eating and drinking started properly. For the last hours of daylight, the games also continued with renewed fervor from the children. Bess joined in this time, with Tiller and Elim following after her. Jessica, on the other hand, was joining in with the village elders seated over by the drink kegs.

As per their plan, Elim had supplied a few barrels of Cider and Jessica was taking up the duty of handing them out. Tiller and Elim h...

Chp 116: Fete

A village fete was both familiar and alien to Tiller. She’d seen plenty of them in various places, but she’d always been passing through. Being present for the entirety of one was surreal.

That Tiller was spending a fair part of it behind a tree holding Elims hair back while he threw up was also strange. Not terribly unusual in that it was happening, but rather that it was because of pie rather than drink. Soldiering she’d found herself seeing and assisting someone vomi...

Chp 115: Adjustments

Though I’d been in the lava area for a good while I still felt reluctant about leaving. I didn’t have a reason to remain holed up in the hounds' den though. Aside from puppy snuggles anyway. An entirely valid reason to hang out during my freetime but not for dodging work.

With Blackmore doing fine and the puppies seemingly healthy I looked at the pups and sighed. Buddy and his brother Pounce had been named mostly by accident. Pounce getting his mostly because he’d decid...

Chp 114: Inevitable Chaos

Chris didn’t have much of a memory of when he was alive. At least not a particularly coherent one. Things would come and go in flashes of a variety of senses he didn’t exactly have anymore. Taste and smell for instance were gone. Touch was a little iffy but basically still there and his sight was if anything improved. He’d have loved to be able to see perfectly in the dark when he was still properly fleshy.

Things like the taste of a stolen loaf of bread, the bite of a ...

Chp 113: Something a Little Different

While occupied by the issue with the hounds 42 hadn’t exactly neglected the dungeon, but she had gotten behind on certain chores. Something she found herself unconcerned by, largely because she’d set the schedule for them herself. They were more for her comfort than anything else, after all, routine helped her function.

Still, after making sure the new puppies seemed healthy, 42 made a point of doing rounds. She checked her layouts, popped into the various staff areas, an...

Chp 112: New Additions

I was deeply confused about how lively Blackmore was in the wake of the births, as well as how I’d outright missed them. I kind of remembered Aaron saying something about them, but I couldn’t think of what and just rolled back through the security footage to try and figure it out. Or was trying to.

“Buddy, come on, I need my face for stuff,” I muttered. I had the puppies for the moment, since Blackmore and Stalin were taking a nap. Two of said puppies were sleeping comfortably o...

Chp 111: Incoming!

It took two more days of buying lava tiles to get Blackmore back to normal. Still, I spent the full week adding on. I wanted to be ready for when the puppies eventually appeared. Given what had happened to Blackmore herself I was worried it might affect their health if they weren’t linked to the system when they were born.

I was more measured about how I went about it after the first couple of days, however. I used my normal reserve method for my mana. Outside of that, I hu...

Chp 110: Appropriate Priorities

Appropriate Priorities

Chp 110

I didn’t know exactly what to expect when I went to visit the hounds. I thought something along the lines of grumpy pups and possibly having to bribe them with treats. I was not expecting to find Stalin pacing anxiously in front of the den.

Stalin growled at my approach, then seemed to realize who exactly he was growling at. He whimpered a little, hanging his head. I was down on his level to pet him immediately, worried.

“Hey buddy, w...

Chp 109: Articulate Overengineering

I looked at the contract, one of three, and sighed. When Andrea had dropped her bomb at the feast a few days prior I’d expected to lose out on any chance with the other three. I was glad that hadn’t come to pass but had a different problem to deal with.

The shortest contract, Mina’s, was six pages long. I was impressed by how much Mira and Mina had managed to think of in terms of fuckery they didn’t want to happen. None of it was anything I’d have wanted ...

Chp 108: Strained Discourse

Mira, Hetcha, and Mina were all sitting down to lunch the day after the rather disastrous feast. Despite what had happened, they didn’t refuse to eat the food 42 provided. Poisoning them probably wouldn’t get her anything. Even if that wasn’t true, it might well be preferable to alternative means she could resort to in order to eliminate them.

“So… Even if Andrea comes back, are you guys out? Like do you not want to discuss a deal anymore?” Mina asked.

“Mi...

Chp 107: Complicated Relations

The day after the farewell feast, Andrea woke up in a bed that was much more comfortable than it should have been. She’d never known one so soft before even when Stromholt had been spoiling the party just before its departure. Like most things about the dungeon she found the incongruity deeply irritating.

Even the room Andrea and Mina had been kept in before had been reasonable. They’d slept in worse inn’s on the road more than once. The food was also good when she’d finally giv...

Chp 106: Shaky Ground

“You absolute dumbass!” Mina cursed. Andrea shoved her back, not wanting to deal with her or the tears. They hadn’t known each other before the pendants; Mina was a late addition to the party. She’d always been strange, openly emotional despite her status as a hero.

“I’ll do as I like and if I sell my soul it's no one's business but mine!” Andrea shouted.

“Wow, everyone calm down a bit,” 42 interjected. No one was really listening to her for the moment...

Chp 105: Questionable Life Choices

Mira looked at the gathering and felt a strange heaviness. She’d consigned the other girls to a miserable death in the dungeon, but now they sat across the table from her. After the initial tears and apologies they had all felt awkward and turned to eating rather than talking. It was easier.

“So 42 had you both locked up this entire time?” Hetcha asked, tone biting.

“Yeah. She wouldn’t let us out until we agreed to the pact to keep her secrets. We did that jus...

Chp 104: Dealing With It

After staring at the communication stone for a moment I picked it up. It was a small glossy black stone with a communication glyph on it. Feather-light normally but just then it felt heavy.

“Mistress 42,” Mira said politely.

“Mira, how can I help you?” I asked. I turned my back on Dawn as I did, not wanting to get distracted. Something that happened rather too easily with me even when I wasn’t flustered.

“We wanted to discuss what you brought up before...

Chp 103: The Continuing Awkward Adventures

The day after Elim got me his pie sample I found myself facing a fairly serious issue. Hetcha and Mira seemed ready to make a deal but I’d screwed up during our prior conversation. They didn’t know I was the dungeon master and I had no idea if that would be a deal breaker.

More honestly I would have to admit I didn’t want it to be and was sorely tempted to just not tell them. I’d talked about building partnerships on honestly but fucking hell was my actual nature a pr...

Chp 102: Village Business

After nearly a week of work passing out potions in disguise, things in the village were going along pretty well for Elim. He’d even gotten an audience with the village council. He’d made his case for a voluntary quarantine and now it was a question of them making up their minds.

“Just to help ya’ll understand I’m serious, I’m leaving the village after this and taking my family. Sickness is coming and most here can’t do the same,” Elim offered, regarding them w...

July and Return Date

Hi everybody!

So, today I paused July because I know I'm not going to get back on track before that month is up. I am however in the process of getting everything ready (namely myself) for August. I'll begin posting the story again during the first or second week. 

One of the bigger problems of moments like these, for me at least, with regard to creativity is motivation. Normally I don't need to feel particularly inspired to write. I've cultivated a bit of discipline and lean...

June Paused

I apologize for not doing this a bit sooner. I thought I might get some things caught up but I'm still having trouble writing at the moment.

May Paused

Went through and paused the may billing cycle. Still not feeling up to writing but better than I did. I'll let you guys know if anything changes.

Thank you,

ESJ

Update

Hello,

I apologize for not communicating this month after the initial notice. I've paused the payments for April.

With what's happened in my family I found myself becoming depressed in a way I haven't since my great grandmother passed just as I was about to start high school. Growing up which members of my family were my caretakers shifted, making a bit of a choose your own adventure situation with regard to role models.

I expected that this was going to be difficult but I s...

Chp 101 : Interlude

When my call with Mira and Hetch ended, I flopped down on my couch. The new one in the lounge of the place of shadows. I was still getting used to the name, accustomed to thinking of everything as the chamber of machinations. That it was at best half-finished did not help.

"Well, I think that went," I said gingerly. I'd fucked up by not admitting I was the dungeon master. I'd just been too surprised by the question of if I worked for myself. Then another question had been asked, and it ...

Chp 100: 21 Questions

The morning after their first direct contact with 42, the valley was quiet, almost peaceful. Mira and Hetcha woke to find what they'd asked for to conduct funerary rights waiting for them. It wouldn't have been strange if some were missing or of poor quality given the short notice. Instead, the materials were, if anything, better than they'd have expected even if they'd had time to buy them themselves.

Likewise, following the map, they quickly found the small cave in which Re...

Chp 99: Opening Overture

Mira and Hetcha shared dinner from the preserved food in the farm's pantry when evening came. They both sat silent for a spell when they finished, considering the hermit's letter. They’d expected to eventually meet them or be given some kind of request in exchange for their stay. The fact they’d been asked to put out the lights more than odd gave them both pause.

“Are we going to do this?” Hetcha asked. 

“I could ask for an oracle,” Mira said...

Chp 98: That Old Familiar Feeling

With my discussion with Mina fresh on my mind, I considered what to do about the pair at the farmhouse. Mira and Hetcha had been enjoying a couple of days of peace to themselves, but it was time that I started making a legitimate effort to make a deal.

Mira and Hetcha,

I hope you've found the farm comfortable and have been able to rest. This evening I would like to speak with you more directly. I know little about either one of you and would like...