DB Lazarus

29. The Commons - II

Just FYI, ends on a minor cliff.

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The knock on the barred front door was loud enough to carry all the way back to even the bathroom.  It wasn’t pounding, but it had an urgent rhythm. 

I dried my wet face off, leaving a smear of dirt on a towel I had found.  I would have to finish my inspection later. 

“Yes?” I called to my guest. Though I could hazard a guess who it was after tonight’s call out, better t...

28. The Commons - I

The rest of the day in the mine was uneventful. I didn’t question when he called an end to our shift.  Instead, I carried our tools back to the cart to return them to the supply room.

I was stacking our tools on the cart when Dorian spoke.  “It's gonna be a big deposit."

“How can you tell?"

“Because it hasn’t changed at all despite how far we tunneled. 

“Was it that far?” We had made amazing progress, at least by the standards of non-mechan...

27. Mining & Surviving - II

I returned to cracking rocks with my pickaxe, but that was short lived.  Now that I had proved that I could infuse more than a light stone, Dorian no longer bothered providing larger rocks to break. I quickly became relegated to shoveling debris into buckets and moving them out of the tunnel he was creating. He moved fast, far faster than I thought possible.  A regular Paul Bunyan.

My shoveling was simple but satisfying.  It had none of the challenge of channeling, but I�...

26. Mining & Surviving - I

Author note:

Hi everyone. Happy early Thanksgiving! I wanted to say thank you so much for your support.

Just a few notes. I realized recently that the process I had used to edit my chapters sucked. Too many typos had slipped through. So first, thanks for being patient with that. Second, I have been going through the backlog fixing things. Going forward, things should be better. I have had some extra time on this holiday break, and I have also started to go backward and fix the p...

25. Visiting the [Tailor]

We headed towards the crafting section of the camp, which lay in the shadow of the mountain.  What remained of my hospital attire fit under my arm in a depressingly small bundle.  As we headed to a set of small buildings the size of cottages, Ættir, Oresiani, and Volki flowed towards the mine’s opening in discrete clumps.

“Are we going to be late?”  I didn’t need another excuse for the Verndari to use against me.

“No.  It isn’t either of our turns ...

24. Home Sweet Home

I stared at the door as it slammed shut.  While he left me with no explanation, I still walked over and barred the door.  I may not understand why Dorian was so upset, but I could understand the value of his simple advice. In my brief experience, this place was far too dangerous to not take precautions.  Better safe than sorry.

I turned back around to survey the room. All mine? It wasn't really of course, but it was my likely home for the indefinite time being. Given how ...

23. The Wager - II

He then went quiet and studied my face, paying extra close attention to my temple.  I almost reached up to cover my Mark given the intensity of his gaze, though it helped that he approached with the same clinical detachment I had when looking at a skin lesion.  Also, I would play fair even if he didn’t.  He leaned back and smiled. 

“You aren’t just going to blurt out a guess, right?”

“Of course not.  Where would the fun be in that? Though I have ...

22. The Wager - I

“Sorry.”  His smile made a mockery of his apology.

“Damnit, Dorian, don’t do that again.  You are going to give me a heart attack”

I glanced at his half-eaten plate while I drew in a few long breaths.  Even if I wasn’t in danger, my heart still hadn’t gotten the memo.

“How long have you been here?” I hadn’t heard a hint of him entering.

How focused had I been on this light?

He waved to plate, w...

21. Learning to Channel - II

Just like that, the energy cut off and the stone dimmed before my eyes. I tried again, but my breaths kept disrupting me.  The energy scattered, sending a waving of tingling down my torso and limbs. I closed my eyes in an effort to focus and fight against the building frustration.  I needed to focus the movements of the energy.  If I could do that…

I groaned as I remembered Dorian’s comment. Practicing on the light would be good for my channels.  Of course...

20. Learning to Channel - I

I tried to put aside the implications of mutterings as I gave the room another once over.  The room held eight beds, seven unmade.  Seven men who had not returned from mine.

I walked over to a small chest of drawers.  A set of them sat between each bed. Holding my breath, I ran my finger along the top of one chest of drawers leaving a line in the fine layer of dust.  Just how long had this place sat empty?

I slipped my hand under the top drawer’...

19. A Return to the Living

My eyes opened to a familiar dark room. 

Esper. 

She had to be the doctor in my dream.  Though, was it really a dream?  So much remained muddled, but I remembered the green skin.

I called out her name, but all I received was a snort. 

“You aren’t that lucky.”

Dorian. 

I sat up, and the world spun, but this time only for seconds. “What happened?“ 2024-11-03 04:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post

18. Critical Care - II

Pa—

Everything dissolved into excruciating pain.

Pay—

Searing pain enveloped me once more. I couldn’t move.  I couldn’t scream.  I couldn’t string two thoughts together.  I just suffered. 

Pay atten—

I tried to focus on the words, the only recours...

17. Critical Care - I

Beep.  Beep.

I blinked.  Fluorescent lights came into focus.

Beep.  Beep.

“You’re awake.”  Before I could turn my head, he said, “don’t.  You aren’t ready.”

I stopped.  “What happened?”  Everything was so foggy.

“Burns.”

That would explain why he didn’t want me to move. But would that explain why I couldn’t feel anything below my neck?

...

16. Overdosing

The Volk did not even blink as I entered the cave and grabbed another cart.

Not that surprising.  After all, what is a—what did Dorian call me? A tier 1 Human?—going to do?

I pulled the cart down the narrow pathway to our mining site.  The Ættir had returned to work, though the cavern contained far fewer than earlier this morning.  Probably exploring the large opening that they created.  The remainder paid me no heed.  Maybe I had proven...

15. Harvest & Cleanup - II

I had started sucking air as soon as we hit the main cavern.  It didn’t get better with each step after that. The cart’s wheels seemed to actively work against me.  Their resistance increased as I sped up.  This world needed to invent ball bearings.  All my muscles burned. I would hurt tomorrow.  This exceeded any exercise I had done before, including high-intensity interval training classes.  However, I didn’t dare slow down.  I carried half of Dorian...

14. Harvest & Cleanup - I

Neither of us said anything more as we headed back to the mine’s entrance. I needed time to digest everything from my dismal place in this world to the fact monsters seemed to be commonplace.  At least I could wrap my head around the rigid hierarchy.  It had elements similar to a feudal or possibly caste system.  It offended my sensibilities, but it wasn’t completely foreign.  As for monsters…

Were they everywhere or just in this area?  A few people...

13. Fights & Potions - II

I didn’t correct his misunderstanding about my past.  It was true in many ways after all.  Instead, I took another dab of the potion to apply it to the larger lacerations.  The viscous liquid clung to my finger.  Again, it seemed to call to me.  Something waited for me.  It was a struggle to find the right analogy.  A potential? But if that was what it was, I did not know a way to tap it.

I had spent enough time mulling this over.  I wast...

12. Fights & Potions - I

Not knowing what else to do, I followed after him. In the next cavern, the cheering had turned into screeches.

Dorian stopped at the edge of the tunnel and turned his head back to speak.  “They went after a seam without telling us.  We need to get at least one kill, or they can claim we shouldn't get a cut.  Stay close to me and try to finish off what I don’t kill.”

Kill?  What the hell?  Did monsters exist in here too?

In ...

11. Enter the Mine - II

He led me around the corner.  As we walked, our conversation was punctuated by the sounds of crumbling stone.  “Have you mined before?”  Before I could say a word, he added, “Don’t answer that.  With that hammer of yours, you couldn’t even chip off a flake.”

I let out a small laugh while shaking my head.  “As I told the Quartermaster, it isn’t for mining.”

“Ha! How am I not surprised that she took the opportunity to rib yo...

10. Enter the Mine - I

I easily found the entrance to the mine. A large gash in the cliffside that reached far above the height of any of the buildings marked the entrance. However, as I approached, the size of the entrance tunnel surprised me.  It was a fraction of what I had expected.  The gash was actually a shadow made by an indentation in the cliff.  Based on the large boulders on the ground, some of the cliff face must have given way some time in the past.  If not for the optical illusion,...

9. Everything Has a Price

“By the Gods, he is a pain.  Don’t you dare try a stunt like that.  You will be dead faster than you can blink.”  I just nodded, not that I needed a reminder.  My neck still smarted. She turned from the counter and headed towards a back door.  “Why don’t you come with me.  I wasn’t lying when I said I would get you equipped.”

As she neared the end of the counter, she suddenly dropped so that only her head was visible. I hurried along bu...

8. Lay of the Land

A stiff gust of wind hit me as soon as I walked out of the door.  It cut like a knife, and I pulled my white coat closed to ward off the cold.  My shock turned to awe as I found the source of the frigid blast.  A sheer rock face stretched to the sky. Even craning my neck, I could barely see the blue sky at the top.  It had to be thousands of feet.  It would be majestic if this wasn’t my new home. Now it just confirmed I was nowhere near home.

My mind dr...

7. Lessons

I calmed down...eventually.  Not once did anyone come to check on me.  I truly was alone.  I had somehow pissed off the only person who seemed to care.

“Better off without her,” but I didn’t believe the words I had muttered.  Still, what doctor abandons a patient?  Especially one that was having a mental breakdown? I forcibly unclenched my hands.  Except, she wasn’t a doctor.  I knew nothing of this world, and, looking around the room, i...

6. Meet the [Healers] - II

I awoke to a similar pulsation.  I jerked to a sitting position before I remembered how sore I was.  I cringed in regret, but no pain came.

“I am sorry for that, but you tolerated the treatment well.”

“There was a chance I wouldn’t?”

She hesitated.  “Yes.”

“You should have asked me first.”

“Perhaps.  Though, I could see no other choice.”

I scowled. Given what I had heard, sh...

5. Meet the [Healers] - I

Did I break every bone in my body?  Every part of me ached. With each breath, each minute movement, pain lanced throughout my body.  I had taken care of so many people who complained of pain, but now I finally understood what that could mean.

Something pressed on my head and chest. "Help," I croaked. Just that single word sent spasms and hot lances through my head, neck, and chest.

I opened my eyes.  Blackness, save transient pinpricks of white. Was I ...

4. Integration

I woke to an incessant beeping punctuated by intermittent hissing. I rolled my head to the side to follow two tubes to their respective machines: a ventilator and a battery of IV pumps.  I was a patient in the ICU, and in critical condition.  Yet, I could only sigh in relief for which the machine rewarded me with a loud honk.

It can’t be normal to be reassured by this sight.  I racked my brain.  I had to be forgetting something.  I was sure of it.