CoCo_P

Somnus V - Chapter 4

“Why are we in the Shell?” Whippoorwill whispered. A quartet of mercenaries from the 3445 surrounded them, their APEX suits polished and gleaming. On either side a pair of armored cars paced Kat and Whip, corporate security guards working frantically to monitor the situation and keep area defense security systems active.

Turrets swiveled on the outside of the cars, sweeping their squat hybrid tech muzzles over the crumbling and half destroyed buildings of the shell even as the vehic...

Somnus 5 - Chapter 3

“Hydrogen-2, Hydrogen-3, Helium-3, Nickel-62, and Iron-56.” Emma finished the list, looking up from the smartglass display in front of her. “All of them are being bought in bulk by VodCom and their prices have at least doubled.”

Kat shared a look with Whippoorwill. Under ordinary circumstances, her brain would have shorted out slightly at how cute the lines appearing on her girlfriend’s face were as she frowned, but at the moment, Kat shared the sentiment.

“Do we now i...

Somnus 5 - Chapter 2

“Oh good, an empty boss chamber,” Kaleek drawled.  “I guess that means we can just walk to the alter and claim the dungeon award without any difficulty then.”

          Kat involuntarily rolled her eyes hard enough that she wondered whether or not she should be using healing magic on herself.

         “You sound like a dad at a restaurant claiming that he should get a drink for free...

Somnus V - Chapter 1

Rain pattered down outside the cafe window, painting the streets in blue and gray. Four people sat, crowded into a small wooden booth that had been painstakingly engineered to look old and battered.

The black man, not quite middle aged but with the faintest hints of silver creeping into the close-cropped hair around his temples, brought the cup of steaming brownish liquid to his mouth.

Across the table from him, a bald white man, his eyes slightly too far apart and his nose slight...

Somnus 5 - Index

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
2024-04-05 17:08:28 +0000 UTC View Post

SOTW - ARC 4 - Tempest - Chapter 25

Erich’s body felt heavy as he trudged up the staircase. It only took a touch of mana to light the glowstone around him up, but that didn’t make the long walk any easier. With each step the weight of Wyannix’s mark seemed to weigh down on Erich.

All of the damage from the injury was long gone, but he could feel the demon following him. No matter how far Erich walked, Wyannix was there with him, watching him and waiting for him to have a moment of weakness.

It was almost ...

SOTW - Chapter 24

Erich didn’t think. There wasn’t time for that.

His sword practically appeared in his hand as he lunged toward the looming shape, his form a picture perfect Magam Blossom thrust. Mana erupted from Erich’s chest, flowing down his arms to reinforce his body as his sword flashed through the air, faster than the unaided eye could follow.

The tip of his sword found only rock as his opponent twisted to the side with the reflexes of a striking snake. Erich pulled his weapon out of ...

SOTW - Chapter 23

Imp ichor dripped down the sides of Erich’s face. He took another bite, trying his hardest to fight back a grimace. The meat tasted awful. Unappetizing didn’t do it any justice. He was pretty sure that the monsters were actually toxic. Creature’s just didn’t taste that bad on their own.

It was like he was reliving his worst experiences eating bad berries and meat that had been left out in the sun just a bit too long all over again. Of course, the constant heat and foul smell did...

SOTW - Chapter 22

“Coiled Vine Art, Poison Tempered Body, Overflowing Vitality Technique, Beguiling Flower Form, Purple Rosebud Strengthening.” Erich pursed his lips. He’d been trying to sound out names for his new body strengthening technique as he continued down the smuggler’s trail.

“Definitely not that last one,” he whispered to himself. “Make that the last two. I have to be careful or people will get the wrong idea.”

Honestly, he wasn’t entirely sure why martial artists insis...

SOTW - Chapter 21

Erich’s teeth ground together as he stared at the ceiling of the tiny cave. His entire body still ached, but the light and life mana from his image had beaten back the worst of the parasite’s influence. The process had taken at least a couple of hours, the plant was stubborn and refused to admit defeat leading to it surging and fighting back against him three times after the first counterattack, but each resurgence was weaker than the last.

The back and forth battles were awful. The...

SOTW - Chapter 20

Erich dropped down to one knee in the river, cupping his hands in the water and splashing it over his face. It smelled awful, but then again so did everything. Ten feet away an eel-like imp jetted through the water, ignoring Erich as he refilled the last of his canteens.

He stood up, enjoying the sensation of the rapidly drying water on his skin. A glance up at the sky confirmed his suspicion. The steady red light that filled hell was unchanged. As dangerous as nightfall could be, Erich...

SOTW - Chapter 19

Erich sprang to his feet. A croaking sound to his left alerted him to the presence of the golden eyed imp, but he kept himself from looking in its direction. The angry feverish warmth of the poison’s first stage pumped through his arms and legs, a reminder that he couldn’t afford a distraction.

Whatever the gecko imps were, they could use magic. It shouldn’t surprise him. Everyone knew that some imps and all demons could use magic, but seeing it first hand was a different story. E...

SOTW - Chapter 18

The glob of pale green arced through the air, landing squarely one of the flower’s petals. Erich held his breath, waiting for the flower’s tongue to penetrate the skinned rock imp or for the petals to curl up as it began to devour the dead creature.

Nothing happened.

Erich cocked his head to the side slightly. The flower just sat there, smelling like a bakery making its morning bread while the chunk of imp meat slowly slipped down the side of the petal.

He licked his lip...

SOTW Chapter 17

Erich didn’t stand up. The mere thought of it sent a shiver down his spine. The flower above him had long since opened and its petals were splayed out serenely, not giving any hint that it had just skewered and eaten a pair of imps.

He took a deep breath, crawling cautiously back toward the path he had hacked in the forest. It was still there, but after only an hour or so, the vines were beginning to creep up the trees and stretch themselves across the gap.

Once he was far enoug...

SOTW - Chapter 16

Erich tried to retreat into the forest, but his feet felt like they had sunk ankle deep into the mud of the riverbank.  He managed to take a step backward before the first of the imps dove toward him.

He shuffled his feet, taking the first stance of Magma Blossom as he tried to track the swooping demons through his faltering and swimming vision.  Erich swung his sword upward, struggling to invest mana into the blow.  The imp swerved past his sword, unable to attack hi...

SOTW - Chapter 15 - ARC 3

DESCENT INTO HELL

Erich dropped Harold’s body on the pile.  He was the last of the corpses from the stairwell, giving Erich a moment to rest, sweat rolling down his face and chest as he caught his breath.

Finally, after he felt a little better, Erich began picking up rocks from piles of rubble that were still left over from the battle between Sathis and Major Nettlewisp.  One by one he began piling the stones around the heap of bodies.

Cremation was the more trad...

SOTW - Chapter 14

“And that is why you should always have a full understanding of the effect you want your technique to-” Sathis stopped mid sentence.  He inclined his head slightly, as if gathering himself.

“It’s time Erich,” the cinderborn finished, his voice somber.

Erich blinked, shifting his seat slightly on the rocks as he cocked his head at his instructor.

“Over the past week I’ve lectured you on magical theory and the best methods for creating and improving martial ...

SOTW - Chapter 13

“Cinderborn society is divided into five strata,” Sathis lectured, his eyes dark as he rested.  “Royals control each of the three worlds in the confederation.  Nobles administer territories on the royals’ behalf.  Swordsmen or sword houses represent the martial artists that are not part of a noble or royal house.  They are entitled to their own manor, lineage and coat of arms, but beyond the immediate territory around their homes, they do not traditionally manage l...

SOTW - Chapter 12

“Erich, wake up.”

He jolted upward from the pile of rocks he had been napping on next to Sathis.  The cinderborn was looking noticeably thinner.  His pitchblack skin had faded to an unhealthy gray and it was stretched tight over his gaunt cheeks.  Even the glow of Sathis’ golden eyes seemed dimmer.

The old cinderborn almost looked like a corpse in the fading light of the glowstone.  Almost without thinking, Erich reached over and touched a hand to the roc...

SOTW - Chapter 11

Erich’s mana flowed into the glowstone, brightening the entire room with just a touch of power.  He hadn’t learned any techniques or arts to accompany his new image and truly advance into the first tier as a swordsman, but his body felt lighter and stronger than ever before.  More than that, he no longer needed to prod and coax his mana.  As soon as he thought about using it, the energy moved on its own accord, an eager assistant as it carried out his will.

“Thank y...

SOTW - Chapter 10

Sweat poured down the sides of Erich’s face.  Heat pulsed through his body, burning the jagged shards of aether that were the final reminders of his image.  They dug themselves into his body like thorns, resisting Sathis’ mana as the old cindeborn tried to purge them.

Erich bit down on his lower lip.  The pain from his teeth cutting into flesh was like a hesitant flickering candle before the midday sun.  Even the iron taste of blood, rich and heady as it coated h...

SOTW - Chapter 9 - Arc 2

THE DYING MASTER

Erich took a hasty step back, his mouth gaping in shock.  Sathis smiled up at him, a hint of teeth visible through the man’s dark lips.

“Oh don’t worry,” the downed warrior said dismissively.  “I’m not a zombie or anything foolish like that.  I still have a week or so to live before I die from my wounds, but my death is inevitable.”

“The elf chose to attack me as I was breaking through to the ninth tier for a reason,” he cont...

SOTW - Chapter 8

A sharp spike of pain alerted Erich that he was alive.  Unfortunately.

He opened his eyes to darkness.  There was a trickle of light coming from above, faint but red and angry, like he was looking at the embers of a dying fire.

Erich groaned, shifting slightly.  The steps of the stairwell dug into his back, and a dull ache marked where they had bruised him in his sleep.  He reached out blindly, putting a hand to the wall and feeding some mana into the crystals<...

SOTW - Chapter 7

It was so dark that Erich wasn’t sure whether his eyes were open or not.

He felt like he was floating in darkness.  The only sounds were the occasional clink and scrape of a boot as one of his companions missed a step, the only sensation was the feeling of the string pulling gently at his wrist, connecting him to Kaden.

Somewhere ahead of them, a loyalist led their group.  Hopefully the woman had the ability to see in the dark, but the other humans weren’t exactly fo...

SOTW - Chapter 6

The darkness wrapped itself around Erich, threatening to choke out the narrow sphere of light cast by the glowstone in his hand.  Harold, Kaden, Gwen, and the two Iron Ax martial artists walked close to him, packs almost the size of their bodies strapped to their backs.  In the darkness around them, another three glowstones lit up the vanguard, rearguard and major’s group as the twenty or so warriors and mages walked slowly through the pitch black that separated the two worlds. 2024-02-26 06:32:02 +0000 UTC View Post

SOTW - Chapter 5

“By the blood of the angels!” Harold screamed, slamming a hand into the cabin’s wall.  The wood crumpled slightly under the force of the strike, shaking the entire building.  “An offensive?  That’s practically a death sentence!”

“Come on now,” Erich replied soothingly.  “It won’t be that bad.  If the Major is coming himself he’ll make at least some effort to survive.  Remember, the worst offensives are usually entire columns attacking ...

SOTW - Chapter 4

Bugles warbled, calling everyone’s attention to the wooden podium.  Harold stood to Erich’s left, beaming in his new uniform and armor.  To Erich’s right were Kaden, Gwen, and the two survivors from the Iron Ax platoon.  In front of them, the rest of the column was lined up and at attention, the martial artists of each platoon standing a step or so out from the levy soldiers.

At the foot of the stairs leading up to the podium, Captain Demas was waiting with the othe...

SOTW - Chapter 3

Erich awoke to the sound of silverware clinking against plates.  The smell of cooking food lingered in the air above him, coaxing him out of the pleasant cocoon of his dreams.

Pain lanced through Erich’s side, drawing a quick hiss from him as he started to sit up.  Fresh bandages were wrapped tightly around his body, marking the spots where he had been too slow in the previous battle.

He opened his eyes, taking in the familiar sight of the bunk above him in the small w...

SOTW - Chapter 2

The balls of fire that had been floating overhead all erupted at the same moment.

Curtains of flame rained down, signaling the start of the cinderborn charge.  Atop the walls, the archers fired one last ragged volley of arrows before jumping the twelve feet to the stone ground below.

Almost half made it, breaking legs and ribs as they bounced off the unyielding rock.  The rest ignited like kindling along with the thick timbers of the defensive wall.

Outside the for...

SOTW - Chapter 1

“Less muscle and more control when you swing Erich.”

Elias stood a half dozen feet away, scarred arms crossed in front of his chest as he focused on the young swordsman.

Erich nodded tightly, bringing his sword back up to the vertical side guard that served as the starting point for the Swaying Willow Blade.  He closed his eyes for a moment, preparing himself.  Just as he was about to strike again, the tip of Elias’ baton tapped his right hip and knee in rapid succ...