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When the Horns of Hammerad left the city of Remendia, it was, predictably, to a huge fanfare and celebration by the crowds lining the street. At this point, the four adventurers so highly lauded were well and truly sick of the entire affair. “It’s not even as if there’s anything to cheer about. We’re leaving.” […]

When Lyonette woke up in her bed and felt the winter daylight on her face, she smiled up at the ceiling, so widely she thought her lips would break. She’d gained two classes. Two. And she’d leveled up! Part of Lyon had been afraid that it was all a dream. But the voice in her […]

Sometimes it bothered him, the way others treated his kind. Pawn knew there was history behind the stares and frightened looks. And he understood that the Antinium looked…different, even from other species. But even so, it hurt a bit. And Selys knew him! She was hardly a stranger to the Antinium. Was there really that […]

Pawn stared at the ranks of Soldiers under his command and realized that he’d made a mistake. Somewhere. He’d definitely made one a while back, when he’d brought the idea of Gods into the Hive of the Free Antinium in Liscor. That had been a mistake—or at least, telling the Soldiers had been. Hadn’t it? […]

This is the story of a monster. She knew she was a monster. She’d eaten people. Her own kind, rotting, crawling with insects and maggots and decay. She’d done it to survive. But the cost had been almost too much to bear. More than once, the young woman who’d once had a name wished she […]

Esthelm. City of the damned and dead. That was how it felt sometimes. Of course, there were thousands of people still living inside of it, but for many, their miserable, desperate existence was just a prelude to death and worse. Their home was in ruins, and their city was slowly filling with the undead. It […]

This is a story of a skeleton. His name was Toren, and it was the one thing he had never questioned about himself. Erin had given him that name, and that at least he was grateful to her for. But in the place he walked, no one would know his name. In fact, they wouldn’t […]

This is the story of a skeleton named Toren. He lay on his back, staring at the grey sky. He was a skeleton. This fact was readily apparent to him and anyone who saw him. He was a skeleton. And he was free. That was all Toren knew. All he understood, really. There had been […]

She wished she had an iPod. That’s what Erin thought when she woke up in her small bed on the second floor of Miss Agnes’ inn. It was probably because she’d made the mistake of thinking about home yesterday. Ryoka had her iPhone. She’d kept it even though she’d gone to a whole new world. […]

Erin Solstice carefully flipped a fish on the frying pan she was holding over the fire. She watched the one golden-brown side of the fish turn over and land neatly on the oily surface of the pan. Instantly, the uncooked side began to sizzle. “Mm. Fish.” That was all she said for a while. There […]

I think I have a concussion. The world is spinning and I want to puke. Then again, maybe that’s just how being thrown across a room by an explosion always feels. I don’t know. I haven’t had much experience with that up until now. And I hope it never happens again. “Ah.” I try to […]

Maybe it’s the wine talking, but I don’t think Reynold the [Butler]’s such a bad guy. I mean, sure, he’s a bit uptight and he’s in the employ of a woman who might soon kill or torture me, but Reynold? He’s got class. It’s probably the alcohol. But in my defense, I’ve downed over half […]

What do I do? I’m no hero. I’m not even qualified to be a police officer, doctor, an emergency worker, or any job that requires sight. And I’ve never been trained. I have no idea what to do. So panic grips me as I stumble across the snowy ground, knees still shaking from the avalanche. […]

Day 31   I wake up when I hear the crying. It isn’t Durene. She sleeps beside me, or rather, slightly apart from me on the floor of her cottage. Even though we’re close, we sleep a bit apart. Durene sometimes rolls over in her sleep, and I have no desire to be squished like […]

Yvlon Byres knew the answer before they said it. She was not a silver-tongued socialite, but she had learned to read people’s eyes as a child. She had learned to dance with words before she had picked up a sword. Of course, she’d left that world behind to become an adventurer, but some things never […]

Ryoka Griffin stood on the top of a snow-covered hill, facing the wind. Her arms were spread out, and she raised her head as the cold winter winds blew around her. The snow-flecked breeze tugged at her light clothing, a shirt and loose leggings, wholly inappropriate for the season. But the young woman paid no […]

She woke up quietly, without screaming. Ceria opened her eyes and sat up. She was in pain, but she didn’t cry out. She just took a deep, wavering breath in the silence of the pit and knew she was alive. Her skin felt burnt. Not just burnt; damaged. The heat from above had cooked her […]

“We are fragments of the past, Ceria Springwalker. That is all we are.” Ceria sat on her great-grandmother’s lap and looked up. The small cottage was covered in hanging herbs, braids of garlic—every time she breathed in, a myriad of spices tickled her nose. She sneezed, and her great-grandmother sighed. “No one has told you […]

Pawn knew he had to return to the Hive after leaving the inn. He knew that. But he found the food Lyonette had given him was disagreeing with his stomach a bit. It must have been the eggs. Antinium didn’t usually experience food poisoning, but that didn’t meant they couldn’t get sick. Therefore, Pawn decided […]

The day after Ryoka’s encounter with Persua and the day before everything else happened, a [Message] was sent to Celum addressed to Ryoka and Erin. Two spells, actually. They were duly recorded and when Ryoka remembered to stop by the Mage’s Guild, they were delivered to both girls at the counter with no incident. Erin […]

When I came down with Ivolethe on my shoulder Erin freaked out. “Oh my god! A faerie!” She doesn’t do subtle. As every eye turns to me I glance at Ivolethe. The small fairy is just sitting on my shoulder, looking around with keen interest. She’s not even that cold; she’s definitely part ice, but […]

Some call me a messenger. Others call me a barefoot runner. And crazy. Some call me a deliverer…of messages. A few people know me as [batman]. I think of myself as reasonably sane, but most people disagree. They have a lot of names for someone like me. But the little monster blocking my way just […]

Ceria Springwalker stared down at her skeletal hand and for a brief moment, wondered what would happen if she cast [Ice Spike] at point blank range at her face. She’d probably die instantly; in the worst case scenario the shard would lodge in her flesh and brain but fail to kill her. It was just […]

Day 13   I am an [Emperor]. That is fact. But I don’t know what it means. After an entire day of speculation and worry, Durene has no more answers for me. Myself, I’m just content to find out. I guess it’s because of my class that Durene is freaking out so much. To me, […]

I don’t dream of seeing. But I do dream of adventures. I think every boy does, and I never forgot that dream even when I grew older. Yet it’s one thing to imagine being transported into another dimension or to another world, and quite another thing if it actually happens. Upon reflection, I think I […]