dragonheartednovels

[BT] A Quick Dip - Chapter 7

Anyway, once the gate to my memory reopens I felt right away that my head was different, more reptilian. Then the mantis are upon me and I don’t get a chance to navel gaze over my makeover. It was time to fight.

Not that I was going to stand for it. Rather, I ran for it. Of course, I now know that wasn’t the smartest idea. Hell, I knew then that it wasn’t a smart idea. Don’t rush into an unknown area, especially not while in the middle of a fight.

The thing is, even if I d...

[BT] I Don't Remember - Chapter 6

Pain radiated from the hole in my hand as five streams of aqua jelly burst out of the back. Those streams jerked apart and slapped onto the back of my fingers and thumb before hardening into claws. Not just any claws, though. They were jagged organic looking things that felt unfinished and yet sublimely dangerous.

That and the things extended out twice as far as my actual fingers. This turned a near miss into quite the success as the claws dug ragged canyons through the surprised mantis...

[BT] Aqua? - Chapter 5

Pain spiked through my body once more but I was ready. I didn’t resist the pain. I accepted it and then ignored it. The pain was still there, more than I had experienced up until then. My mind was cleared and the fear receded like the tide.

If only my reaction had been better. Even with a clear mind, all I could think was “get it away from me” and so I did. With a wide swing, I slapped the mantis flying. Though seeing as a mantis can fly, that didn’t exactly do much. The bug jus...

[BT] The Other Leg Has Bells On It - Chapter 4

Not dying on the first day sounded fine to me. But I did have some questions. Specifically, “How is your contact going to know to help me? Also, I’m a little leery of the whole forcing a talent thing.”

Ann laughed, “And you should be! While most would consider your talent random, it is based on your mind and nervous system. This means that if you are in a dangerous situation, the chances of a useful combat ability goes up by a lot.

“As for the other thing? Right...

[BT] Antarctic City - Chapter 3

The scribe scratches his head. “So, what do we do with him? My section is full up. In fact, I think the entire precinct’s budget for newly awakened is spent.”

George nods, “I guess we’ll have to scan him and see if there are any civilian positions available. People who are accidentally awakened tend to have some decent innates so we might even get to keep him.”

The two continued to talk but I wasn’t around to listen in. Once a decision was made, the scribe activated ...

[BT] Do You Believe In Magic? - Chapter 2

Harold smacked the other guy. “Come on Jay, we’re supposed to get his shrouded memories of the event.”

George brushed the smack away. “I did! You heard the question I asked and everything.”

Harold sighed, “Then how did he recall an aether damned werewolf!? He even remembers the blighted beast turning back after being knocked out!”

George threw his hands up, “I don’t blighted know!”

And he turned back towards me. “Tell us that last bit as you remem...

[BT] Introducing Alvin - Chapter 1

Alvin Smithson was always a loner, with few friends and fewer close ones. It didn’t help that names passed him by like smoke in the wind. Early on, this led to him being bullied. Not that he particularly cared.

Though this probably had more to do with the people who tried to bully him. They weren’t the cool kids, but rather a small group led by a small triangle of a boy with a mouth full of rotten teeth. It was a mystery how he ended up in charge of his little gang of kids. The grou...

[Banished Talent] Synopsis & Cover

There were things hidden in the darkness and they’re about to introduce themselves to the hood of my car. Not that the knowledge will do me much good. Some Talents aren’t too appreciated by the Powers That Be, and with magic? Sometimes the best option is to just Banish the problem.

I’m Alvin Smithson and let me tell you my story.

—

Alvin grew up on Earth, or at least one sh...

[Closed] Collecting Short Story Prompts for October 2023

Once again I'm here to ask all of you for short story prompts! I'll take the more popular ones as decided by the number of hearts (or that I particularly like) in the comments and make a poll at the start of the month. The winner will be made into a short story of a thousand or so words.

Not many rules on what you can suggest at the moment. That will mostly be figured out as we go. Besides that, the short story will come out before the end of the next month.

Rules for prompts:

[Archived Short Story] Not So HappyAfter

Kacel’s finger claws drummed against the armrest of his lesser throne that he kept in the smaller of his audience chambers. For the first few days he had waited in his main one, a proper throne room filled with luxuries few could have afforded even within a HappyAfter VR Digizen realm. The only reason he had it was because it would be temporary as he fulfilled the role of Demon King.

See, there was supposed to be a Hero visiting to overthrow him. Real standard stuff. The only reason K...

[D'sP] They'll Be Different - Chapter 319

Doyle rolls to the side and sighs, ‘Okay. What about rituals?’

Ally smiles, ‘Arrays are basically free-form magic circles. They’re made of runes and lines. Formations, in turn, use formation flags, anchor points, or whatever else you want to call it. Those are laid out and connected with lines of power. The flags can be just about anything.

‘Rituals? Well, you take something, do something with it, and you get something. Some have described rituals as wish magic for the g...

[D'sP] Thinking About A New Skill - Chapter 318

Doyle sighed, the previous monsters hadn’t exactly prepared him to name stuff. After all, the bulk of his patterns are just element plus base monster. Though honestly, “monster” is stretching it since most are actually just some normal animal, but slightly improved.

Though the fact so much of his stuff comes down to patterns is annoying in its own way. Doyle almost fears checking his status with how many of the things there are. Nevermind the fact that they all funnel into the lev...

D'sP going to be late again

Good news, I'll have all day to finish it up. Bad news, it is because I had to call off work for a stomach bug. I suspect that the two chapters will be quite late though. Blarg, am I allergic to Fridays all of the sudden or something?

[NR] A Rough Map - Chapter 533

All the strange edge cases and oddities around how the System determines settlements were interesting. However, Courtney was able to report back to the others that, despite the confusion, they should be relatively safe. Not that they couldn’t in theory develop an area into a settlement by themselves, but they wouldn’t be able to manage it accidentally.

And since they only planned to make a single building without too many extra rooms? The chances of being anything besides maybe a sm...

[NR] All The HP - Chapter 532

Time passes and the team reaches Settlement 306, though they don’t even get to see inside at first. Suffice it to say, the settlement was less than happy to see the three show up there as they certainly didn’t have room for anyone else. There had been an attack just the previous day, where a giant snake had attempted to sneak into the compound.

The settlement managed to respond in time. Though only because they built their walls to be a little over three stories high. In a normal lo...

[D'sP] What's In A Name? - Chapter 317

Doctor sighed, he had known what he was signing up for, but it was still frustrating. Way too many people failed to realize his name was Doctor. Not “the doctor”, but just Doctor. Though even before making the change, he had been ready for jokes about where his sonic screwdriver was.

There was a reason he went with a dehumanizing name, one of just his role. At some point, the past would likely catch up to him. For now, though, just getting everyone to accept his damn name would be e...

D'sP chapter will be later today

Wasn't feeling too hot (headache) yesterday and didn't get the chapter finished. Will try to have it up later today. Blarg, not sick, just blarg.

[NR] Why They Call Them That - Chapter 531

The instructions from the badgerfolk guard were easy enough to follow and so the group was easily able to head directly to settlement 306. Of course, easy does mean fast. Though the first part of the journey was even quieter than on the monster front that previously.

As for why? That was obvious enough, there were too many travelers. Even with the whole “lonely roads” thing going on, the System couldn’t keep the group truly alone. At least twice a day and often more, other groups ...

[NR] The Trees Are Still Taller - Chapter 530

The badgerfolk guard tells them to wait a moment and walks back into the checkpoint building. It takes the guard fifteen or so minutes, but eventually he returns. “Well, now, there are a few options. Though I have to ask, you want a more foresty forest area or just a light speckling of trees?”

Courtney, “Deep jungle style forest, if possible. Someplace with a bunch of tall, spaced out trees, little to no underbrush, a lot of stuff as you get higher up, and while I did say jungle, ...

[D'sP] A Fun Report - Chapter 316

Time was passing and Ace was getting frustrated. No one besides his core people seemed to realize the situation they were in. Sure, for the moment, everything was fine. In fact, they had decades of safety from anything too outrageous.

But things weren’t going to get easier. It wasn’t even going to stay on an even keel. The world would only get more dangerous. Yet everyone was looking around like they still ruled the planet and laughing at how worried they had been.

Ruled the w...

[D'sP] Something Besides Monsters Taking Up The Spending Limit - Chapter 315

With the new knowledge on how smelting magical ore works, Doyle needed to learn more about arrays so he can hopefully improve what he alread

With the new knowledge on how smelting magical ore works, Doyle needed to learn more about arrays so he can hopefully improve what he already has. Worse, Ally wasn’t able to help him all that much. While she had a lot of access to things like social media and news, the system restricted the more knowledge and learning based stuff she could see on...

[NR] Badger? - Chapter 529

While level 25 was shockingly low compared to 499, three breaks was nearly half way through all the bottlenecks. Yes, you could find areas in NeoRealm with monsters going all the way up the scale, but the higher end wasn’t like the lower. There weren’t volcanos packed to the gills with level level 300 plus red dragons.

You might find five such monsters in a region and if you killed them? The System didn’t just respawn them for you the next day. Rather, after a certain point, you n...

[NR] Less Aggression - Chapter 528

The trio end up talking much of the night away, going into detail about various things, with Courtney occasionally dipping out to fact check. And surprisingly, Jason was correct whenever it came to the most basic facts. Sure, some of the high level details varied, but not basics such as the range limit on conjured spells.

Then, as the next day dawns, they pack up and steel themselves. The start of this journey has ended up much more stop and go than any of them wanted. So they planned t...

[D'sP] Cutting Back - Chapter 314

Doyle shook himself and considered his options. There was the jungle area and he could stash a few monsters in there. A particularly good ch

Doyle shook himself and considered his options. There was the jungle area and he could stash a few monsters in there. A particularly good choice for that are the assassin vines since they would blend in. In fact, having a couple in the canopy of the larger trees near the road would be interesting.

That would set them up to ambush any delvers ...

[NR] That Sounds Familiar - Chapter 527

Rosha, “Well?”

Jason sighed, “You already have a hard enough time believing my whole reincarnation thing. I did pick up knowledge on the subject, but the source is even harder to believe. Though I can explain the reasoning behind it all.

“Well, that may be exaggerating a little bit, but I can explain some of it. Anyway, for now let’s put a name on it, the language of Intent. What you say with the language reflects your intentions and understanding.

“So to properl...

[NR] The Technology Would Understand - Chapter 526

Courtney didn’t really get why that cycle specifically was so informative. Because yeah, five different cycles, but that is just something you can figure out with time.

Jason smiled, “Why is it informative? Because the cycle isn’t perfect. Metal collects water? Sure, water condenses on the stuff and what not, but that isn’t like a fire burning a tree to ash and literally making more earth. So if you can find a cycle of powers which feed into one another, it doesn’t matter if o...

[Closed] Deciding the Short Story Prompt for September 2023

Below are the full prompts as the poll doesn't allow the full text. In the case of ties the first option that got there wins. The short story will be finished by the end of the month.

• The Good Ol' Days: A story about a group of old geriatrics deciding to delve a Dungeon for old times sake, showing how they've still got it. "You young'uns and your teleportal thingamajigs have it too easy. Why, back in my day we had to WALK through the Dungeon, and it was uphill, BOTH WAYS!!! Dungeo...
  2023-09-04 05:15:13 +0000 UTC View Post

[D'sP] Setting Up The Kobolds - Chapter 313

Doyle turns back to the thirteenth floor and sighs. He had been distracting himself, but that was only delaying the inevitable. He needed to

Doyle turns back to the thirteenth floor and sighs. He had been distracting himself, but that was only delaying the inevitable. He needed to make a jungle and something inside him wasn’t going to let him do things by half measures.

Though Doyle was a little tempted to try and open another entrance for some resource gathering. In theory, all...

[D'sP] Mountain Façade - Chapter 312

Doyle pauses as he tries to think of something else to add. Maybe a random assassin vine in the jungle? Besides that, there wasn’t really much need for other monsters. Well, an extra tribe of kobolds in the jungle couldn’t hurt, but that would depend on available points when the time came.

Though speaking of tribes, what kind of family structure does his new bird monsters have? Or rather, what size flock is most effective? Doyle could just throw all of them in one big murder of pseu...

[Closed] Collecting Short Story Prompts for September 2023

Once again I'm here to ask all of you for short story prompts! I'll take the more popular ones as decided by the number of hearts (or that I particularly like) in the comments and make a poll at the start of the month. The winner will be made into a short story of a thousand or so words.

Not many rules on what you can suggest at the moment. That will mostly be figured out as we go. Besides that, the short story will come out before the end of the next month.

Rules for prompts: