With Arthur and Brixaby leading the front, the rest of his retinue shifted into a blade formation.
It was a formation theory Arthur had learned in class in his first months in Wolf Moon hive, but never had the opportunity to take part in. Now, his retinue shifted into the tight blade for the first time.
Arthur and Brixaby were in fro...
2023-10-26 18:31:33 +0000 UTC View PostAs Arthur crossed the threshold out to the ledge, the hive-wide scourge-eruption alarms started to blare: A long tone followed by the deep ringing of bells which was quickly picked up and repeated throughout the levels.
Arthur paused, frowned, and glanced around. Whitaker had seemed all gung-ho to go out and fight, which had been a help du...
2023-10-24 05:30:22 +0000 UTC View PostSorry for the delay. I got walloped hard by a respiratory infection that's going around (not the 'vid, thankfully, but a nasty throat thing.). I got stuck in a pattern where I was not quite sick enough to take off from work, but just too exhausted to write at the end of the day. But, I got these two chapters mostly done during the weeken...
2023-10-24 05:07:19 +0000 UTC View PostNote: Second of two chapters today. If you clicked here first, you still have one to read! :)
Arthur felt a force pulse out of Elissa. He suspected it was mana.
Instantly, every flake of driving snow, the bitter wind, and even the freezing fog that he had not been fully aware of... melted away. It was as if Arth...
2023-10-13 05:56:19 +0000 UTC View PostNote: two chapters tonight! This is the first.
The bad weather had given Arthur one advantage: He was able to keep secret how many dragons he’d brought with him. Only his retinue was close by and visible in the gloom.
Thinking quickly, Arthur directed Brixaby to send a message directly into the minds of his follow...
2023-10-13 05:47:35 +0000 UTC View PostThe Roadrunner snapped Russell up, just like how waterbirds in the river of my village snapped up a fish. One quick jerk and a flip up of the prey into the air before a second lightning-fast snap where the fish—or annoying little boy—slides down the gullet.
That moment seemed to stretch on for an eternity.
T...
2023-10-03 06:49:39 +0000 UTC View Post(Yes, I'm aware there's some inconsistencies with the mana silver and one of the portal users. I found a more fun backstory with the silver than I originally outlined, so I'll be retconning a couple paragraphs from a few chapters ago. All characterization stuff, no plot.)
Ten minutes left on Arthur's copie...
2023-10-03 06:37:24 +0000 UTC View PostSorry for the sudden silence, all! I went to a destination wedding in Vegas where... well, almost every stereotypical Vegas scenario occurred. (Groom's wallet was pickpocketed at arrival at the airport -- and guess what you need for a marriage license? An ID. And it went nuttier from there. lol.) I didn't get a lot of time to write...
2023-10-03 06:33:18 +0000 UTC View PostFor once, Joy did not live up to her name. When she landed, she was nearly vibrating with rage. Cressida, sitting on her back, had an equally stormy expression.
“What happened —“
But before Arthur could finish, Joy exploded. “Every single egg has been taken by those… Those mean nasty monsters! I hate them! Who takes eggs? T...
2023-09-23 04:32:27 +0000 UTC View Post"Brix! What—"
Arthur was cut off as the newly released brown dragon roared in rage and took a swipe towards Brixaby. He had, Arthur noted, extremely long claws.
Also, it said something for how singularly angry the brown was that he didn't even hesitate after instantly—from his point of view—going from night to day, and facing a...
2023-09-19 05:09:18 +0000 UTC View Post"Something isn't right about this," Arthur muttered to Brixaby.
The little dragon sank fast, without any of the grace that the older dragons with larger wings possessed. Brixaby didn't glide; he simply buzzed downward, leveling off only when he felt like it – but not before jinking right and left to avoid other dragons passing...
2023-09-13 04:29:15 +0000 UTC View Post"Why fly out that way?" Brixaby asked. He pointed his muzzle downward, toward the still spiraling, bleeding green dragon—the one who had been holding the portal open. It was nearly at the ground now. "When all we need to transport everybody over there is right in front of us."
He sounded eager to steal a brand-new spell. A portal type, a...
2023-09-06 06:27:27 +0000 UTC View PostArthur twisted to get a better look at his dragon.
"Brix! You're--"
"Magnificent?" Smugness practically dripped off the end of his very pointed muzzle. "Impressive? Gargantuan?"
"You're awake," Arthur said and grinned at his dragon's offended look.
But, as a matter of fact, Brix did look very impressive. Not only had he g...
2023-09-03 19:50:04 +0000 UTC View PostIn the moment of clarity between when Arthur left Laird's back and right before he struck the Silver's, he experienced a moment of harsh clarity: Am I insane?
Then in the next moment, he struck with a force that knocked his air from his lungs. He didn't have time to recover from that before he started to slid...
2023-08-31 01:56:08 +0000 UTC View PostAs Laird climbed into the air, he opened his mouth and roared.
Arthur half expected a whirlwind of candle-top flames to come out and wreck destruction.
But this wasn't a spell. It was a command.
Three dozen dragons all scattered around the top of the mesa suddenly came out of camouflage. There had been zero indication there had...
2023-08-26 05:01:45 +0000 UTC View PostNote: Real quick, I was recently featured on the CritRPG podcast. (Yes that's two podcasts back to back. I've been busy. lol) If you want to hear me talk about writing and other BS, check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u_viPRoGns 2023-08-23 06:11:13 +0000 UTC View Post
Second chapter for today! If you started with this one, go back one. :)
Arthur jolted awake at the sound of shrill alarms.
He experienced a second shock when he realized he was laying sideways, but his body was on the bare sliver edge of the mattress. A hard bulk pressed into his back.
Joy found a wa...
2023-08-19 04:40:06 +0000 UTC View PostBrixaby waited for a beat. "Just kidding, of course. I'm going to consume the card!"
"Hold on there," Arthur said, slightly alarmed. "Let's wait until we get back to our room. We don't know what will be waiting for us." Or how Brixaby would react after consuming a Legendary, but he kept that anxiety to himself for now.
He looked arou...
2023-08-19 04:25:19 +0000 UTC View PostLaird looked around at the three enemy dragons, and one ally, their bodies littering the peninsula. He heaved a sigh.
“I will take care of this.”
The last of the adrenaline that had carried Arthur this far was fading, and he wanted nothing more than to find a bed and sleep. Pure will and a healthy dose of his Exhaustio...
2023-08-15 14:44:55 +0000 UTC View PostThe only one of their enemies left alive was the brown dragon.
"Give me the card," he sang, pushing through a new storm of purple-topped candle flames to lunge at the dead blue dragon. The flames sizzled on his scales, but he didn’t react at all. His focus was absolute, his yellow eyes open and manic.
"Stop him!" Arthur yelled.
... 2023-08-08 04:23:53 +0000 UTC View PostThe scarlet dragon opened her mouth and unleashed a Legendary force.
What blasted from between her jaws was more of a force than a sound. It seemed to vibrate the air around them. Yet notes hung in the air like snippets of a forgotten song. It was beautiful. But mostly, it was terrible.
Cressida’s bubble shield snapped up.
Ro...
2023-08-03 04:55:43 +0000 UTC View PostNote: Woof, this chapter was a beast to write. Literally four drafts until I was happy with it. Anyway, I'm calling it good. Expect the next chapter in about a half hour.
Arthur’s first worry was that these were dragon from the Free Hive’s council. Maybe the had some sort of enforcement group that didn...
2023-08-03 04:07:48 +0000 UTC View PostSeveral things occurred to Arthur at the same time. The first of which was that he was now convinced he had seen Laird pluck the card out of his own Personal Space. This was not a combat card, and there was no way Brixaby would have missed it while perusing the shelves. This also meant that while Arthur had been discussing cards with Cressida an...
2023-07-26 01:06:40 +0000 UTC View PostNote: So sorry I didn't get that weekend chapter out! I waaaay underestimated how much moving mid-summer would take out of me. My brain was mush. But I've come to you with what I hope is a juicy chapter.
****
Arthur let himself feel a little gratification when Laird popped out of his Personal Space with teeth b...
2023-07-25 03:46:30 +0000 UTC View PostQuick note to expect a weekend chapter. It's moving day tomorrow! Woo!
***
Arthur walked into the door made of light.
Despite Laird’s assurances that the dungeon’s trials were over, he still braced himself with a light thought on his Phase In, Phase Out card. He half expected to come face to face with a never-ending horde o...
2023-07-20 23:55:28 +0000 UTC View PostShadow immediately lunged for Joy.
Standing on top of an open hill and not near any large shadows was surely what had kept him from teleporting and then attacking. Still, he was a fully grown dragon and she had only recently become large enough to fly with her rider in the air. It wasn’t a fair match-up.
Out of all of them, her ven...
2023-07-18 05:18:34 +0000 UTC View PostNote: Okay it's one chapter, but it's a long one!
Arthur blinked at the two dragons. Their arrival had been so unexpected that, for a moment, he thought that they might be some sort of hallucination. Borne out of either exhaustion or hope for rescue.
He immediately rejected that last thought. He didn't
Quick update: Having a moment where the characters don't want to do what the outline says they need to do. Thus, the delay. I'm working hard on resolving the issue and do expect a chapter (possibly two?) tomorrow.
Sorry for the wait!
"Quickly!" Brixaby handed out the bars of metal. They were about the length of Arthur's forearm and roughly an inch thick. Taking his, Arthur spared a moment to wonder what other kinds of crafting materials Brixaby had hidden in his Personal Space.
That thought was wiped away as his fingers brushed over the metal bar. It was warm, almost u...
2023-07-08 05:53:33 +0000 UTC View PostThe first thing Arthur did once he got into his Personal space was to take a big bite out of one of his purple apples. He knew that this was going to be a strain. Mental fatigue was already threatening to creep up on him from his last study session... what? Two hours ago in real time? Less? He wasn't sure, and that was a little alarming, too. 2023-07-05 02:15:01 +0000 UTC View Post