Mecanimus

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Cover for Changeling, one of the two stories you can vote on.

The Calamitous Bob 147: Oh, Neriad, I won’t change

[Focus +1

Acuity +1

Willpower +1

Mana mastery: Intermediate 6

Acuity Reflex: Intermediate 7]

Viv went over the recent gains. Those were nice. They would also set her on a way to greater heights. For now, she was only at the beginning of her next stage. The last notification was more concerning. She supposed it couldn’t be helped.

[Draconic intimidation: Expert 8]

With the way things were going, this one would reach master first. Sighing, she focused...

The Calamitous Bob 146: The League attempts murder

The initial bang was not too dire, though it startled everybody in that section of the piers. If any of those buildings had windows, they would have surely exploded. The shockwave sent Elunath reeling and screaming in pain as the pressure tried to pulp his insides. Only great power and his own innate resilience of the stone saved the body from immediate death. He still lost both eyes and his eardrums. For the first time in a century, he tasted his own blood. A reflexive cast of obsidian armor...

The Calamitous Bob 145: The League Engages in Casual Terrorism

Elunath walked into the entrance of Bareon’s manor with a sure step. The guards glared but they remained quiet, as they should. Security was for other people. A servant rushed to greet him, as he should. Waiting was for other people. Elunath had carefully cultivated an image of obduracy that saved him valuable time on countless occasions. The more one snubbed him, the costlier it would be in the long run.

“Greetings sir. Would you be here to see my master, the esteemed Bareon Adolis...

The Calamitous Bob 144.2: The League steals

Every damn second spent waiting for Irao to return cost Viv a year of lifespan, or it would have if she didn’t really have a lifespan anymore. Her heart thundered in her chest and she bit her tongue not to swear in case the potted golem had ears. Solfis spent the entire thirty seconds inspecting his inferior brethren. When the Hadal returned, he had the audacity to lift an eyebrow and point at the door.

Viv realized that she technically could have started on opening it. This was her p...

The Calamitous Bob part 12 ch 124-134 (clean)

Compact version

The Calamitous Bob 144: Banking with Bob

“I need to know you can do it,” Irao said.

“Sure,” Viv replied.

“Otherwise we need to delay and train.”

“No problem.”

The Hadal gazed at Viv with an insistent and slightly upsetting intensity that would have left most people nervous. Viv wasn’t affected. The slitted eyes were just that and his ability as one of the world’s foremost assassins didn’t matter because she knew with absolute certitude he was just a big nerd eager to try himself against ...

Last announcement for Journey

Hello everyone. Whew. It’s an emotional moment. After almost three years, 1.3 million words and uncounted hours of effort, Journey is complete.

It’s an especially moving moment for me because Journey was the story that allowed me to become a full time writer. Or rather, it is your support of this story that made it at all possible.

I still remember the first time using Patreon money to buy groceries. It was two years and a half ago precisely. That was the moment I realized tha...

A Journey of Black and Red Epilogue 6: The End

I wake up and take a deep breath, an immediate mistake. It smells stuffy in my sarcophagus. Blood still drips down my throat so I rip out the tube and frown. A press of the button above me and a panel open with a dreadful ‘beep’ ‘boop’. Arg! I already told Loth Junior to stop but the little twerp has so much fun making all those technological thingamajigs so unnecessary noisy! A screen lights up, much nicer than what I remember.

I see earth from above. It looks blue and green en...

A Journey of Black and Red: addendum to 224

AN: I obviously messed up by not including Jimena's fight so here it is! Chappie 224 has already been updated.


Jimena’s focus was absolute. Malakim was the most dangerous opponent she had ever faced and any mistake would spell disaster. Deflect low. Step back. Counter. Deflect right. Wait for Diego’s hit to distract to lunge. He was always just a little late. That was fine. They did not need to win.

Malakim pulled back once again this time without new wou...

A Journey of Black and Red Epilogue 5: Seedling

The Geiger counter clicks softly. The man steps forward through the falling ash and snow. There is barely anything visible but he must be on the right track. Has to be. The gray thing crunches underfoot. He can hear only his labored breath through the gas mask. He readjusts the one on the child in his arms. His arms are tired. He’s exhausted. He’s almost there. It has to work.

The child doesn’t react. His heart skips a beat.

“Hey. Hey, Elsa?”

He shakes her. She win...

A Journey of Black and Red Epilogue 4: Ash and Thin Air

Article taken from the Financial Times, June 1947, four years after the Last City’s fall.

‘Accords’ to acquire sovereignty over Cape Breton Island.

In a shocking development, the mysterious group known as ‘The Accords’ purchased the sovereign rights to Cape Breton Island from the Canadian government for a sum of eleven billion US dollars. The lease will last for a hundred years and cover the whole of the island.

The Cape Breton Island is part of th...

A Journey of Black and Red Epilogue 3: Severed Futures

I buried Aintza in a small valley far from everything, under the shade of the Grand Teton. The two lovers would have loved the irony.

I made memorials for everyone we lost. I split them apart, each in a place I found beautiful. It does not matter that our ash cannot be recovered because upon each stone, I place a precious belonging. Then I encased it in glass so they would not decay. Rituals are for the living so we do not forget.

For John, I picked one of his favorite books. It i...

A Journey of Black and Red Epilogue 2: The Great Escape

A day earlier.

The dead world shook like the reanimated corpse of a giant. Deep in the bones of its ancient structure, Cadiz watched cracks spread over smooth stone that had withstood the end of a sphere. Temperature was rising steadily. It smelled like powder and charred meat.

The others looked at him wearily.

“Sire. The emergency portal…”

“Is not working. Iago. The bomb. Now.”

The powerfully built lord opened the metal case and worke...

A Journey of Black and Red Epilogue 1: Long Live the King

My mind palace.

The forest has grown exponentially. It still expands with every passing second as more of the power I subsumed permeates my essence. Just as before, it feels less like I am being stretched to the limits of my soul and more a sense of completion. Nirari’s power fills a gap that raw essence could not. Strange new memories assault me. I set them aside for now.

Above and around me, the forest rises to form a reverse sphere with an empty night sky and the gaze of the ...

The Calamitous Bob 143: The Brandolini Principle

“You?” Viv asked with total shock. “You? But I thought you were retired! Abe hired you?”

Irao winced, which caused VIv to lower her voice immediately. The Hadal leader looked good in street clothes with a nice hat. Just dandy in a slightly gaunt sort of way.

“Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes, he hired me.”

“And you are fine with that? The assassination?”

“Not really.”

Viv weighed her options. Irao seemed a little ill at ease in their seco...

A Journey of Black and Red 224: Three parts Ascension

Light. Pain. I am pushed back.

Not the sun. Too red and angry, like blood on warm sand. Too dim… for now. I still live.

Nirari rises in the air, laughing, arms spread in the beatitude of pure abandon. An incandescent red sphere has appeared on his back like a giant halo, the regalia of an ancient sky god. He is so joyful and relaxed. Gravity has lost its hold on him. He rises and his light spreads everywhere, ghastly yet so very powerful. His presence casts shadows on fallen tre...

The Calamitous Bob 142: Administration

It felt weird to be back at the Academy after everything that happened, Viv thought. Her steps carried her past the entrance and the uncaring gaze of the guards, then through the familiar entrance garden and to the administrative building. No one gave her a second glance. No one paid much attention. The reason was simple. Viv had a disguise.

Abenezigel had prepared thoroughly, though it had now become clear that he lacked the sort of vision that could lead to a great plan. She now wore ...

A Journey of Black and Red 223: Conquest, incarnate

It was a beautiful thing, to witness the birth of a god.

Semiramis hovered over a circle of incomprehensible proportions. No matter how many times Jimena tried to wrap her head around it, the scene before her always seemed to shimmer and fade, replaced by another ephemeral burst of radiance that should not have been here. It was as if dimensions and perspectives were an annoyance the spell struggled against. It pushed the boundaries one by one before retracting, gathering strength for a...

The Calamitous Bob 141: Vendetta

“I still do not understand why Jack’s death was necessary,” Sidjin grumbled. “Surely there was enough room on that plank for both of them?”

The improvised arcane projector played the Titanic credits, Emeric’s gift lying on a nearby table. Voicing over the entire movie had been a pain but worth it for the moment shared together, Viv decided.

“It’s for narrative reasons. The point is not that the two try their best to save each other, The point is moving the spectato...

A Journey of Black and Red 222: All in

There is no time to plan. I must absolutely get to the other side. Fortunately, the next portal should be fairly close and completely out of reach of the becalming spell. I estimate it will take ten minutes at top speed to reach it if it was indeed opened as planned. Before that, though, there are things I must do.

“Skipper. The magic is going to fade again. Make sure all ships have landed before their batteries run out.”

“Aye aye, ma’am.”

A few seconds later, I la...

The Calamitous Bob 140: Interview with a dead god

“Ok. Let’s,” Viv said with a yawn.

She placed two fingers against the bedframe and pressed. Sure enough, the wood groaned under the pressure and when she removed them, an imprint was left behind. That meant this body, her new body, was definitely strong despite being… Not quite done. At the same time she already felt tired. It was a weird combination.

[I have placed a small seal on your magic until you could regain consciousness so as to avoid accidents. I will remove it a...

A Journey of Black and Red 221. The Dragonslayers

“Blood is life,” Nirari whispers.

A heartseeker spell forms, the one spell he named after his weapon and, given the apparent power, designed himself. Tendrils of red energy spread out in front of him, scouring the battlefield like starving wraiths. The packed ranks of the slave warriors are ravaged as their shields were never meant to stop magic. Orb weavers attempt in vain to take control of the energy but they cannot handle so many tendrils and, column by column, company ...

The Calamitous Bob 139: Ascending (new)

AN: This cancels and replaces the previous version of the chapter. An explanation can be found at the end.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry kid.”

Tourniquet in place on the left leg. Best she could do. Airways clear or he would shut up. Sweat getting in her eyes but she couldn’t wipe them. And on her gloves, the gray beige dust of the desert lands around Spin Boldak. Focus. Got to focus. Knew the problem.

“Right Cedric, I’m going to open your v...

A Journey of Black and Red 220: Dark Gods of Gaia

If my vision were not so perfect, the walls of the Last City could be taken for a cliff, so impossibly vast it is. The craggy rocks damaged by unrepaired cracks and ravines share more with a geological feature than a man-made work. I surmise it is the result of some spellwork due to the sheer scale of it and the current state of abandon it finds itself in. It perfectly represents the liches and their mentality. They feed off the work of others and the dregs of some illustrious past. Infamous ...

The Calamitous Bob 138. Edge of the precipice

It was okay, Viv thought. Just walking was okay. Her feet dug into the cracked sand with every step. She did not dare look up to the crowd and couldn’t hear them anyway. She could deal with them later.

[Draconic Intimidation: Expert 4]

[Mana mastery: Intermediate 4]

[Arcane Constructs: Intermediate 6]

[Acuity Reflex: Intermediate 6]

[Soul Mastery: Intermediate 3]

It had been an intense fight. Now it was over. Just step step step would be fine. Fever burne...

A Journey of Black and Red 219: Masovian Sonata

I would love to fight with the wind in my hair at the prow of the Fury. Sady, the dead world lacks both wind and the magic to keep us afloat. I still enjoy the view as we fly over the Polish countryside.

The last time I was here, I was running for my life pursued by the deadliest law enforcer of the planet. Much has happened since then and the land below us bears the stigma of half a century of planar siege. Plains bear the round scars of mortar fire. Train tracks and warehouses dot mar...

The Calamitous Bob 137. Remember me

“Prince Aldus will see you now.”

Viv stood and entered the lodge, ignoring the careful gazes of two war mages in the yellow uniforms of the Glastian military. She wondered if she should have changed but decided she didn’t give two shits. Let them see the blood-stained, singed robe and remember who wore it. She found herself in an antechamber with staff and aides, all of them standing at the side, all of them quiet. She moved to a bedroom.

Although the arena kept its lodgings...

Bob magic system and Viv spell list by popular demand

Part 1: general notions of magic.

Basics.

To perform magic, the entities of Nyil draw power from their core, which is non physical for humans, and move them out through metaphysical veins called conduits towards the outside of their bodies where it can be shaped to form a spell. Core capacity and conduit size only improve slowly and through practice. After the mana is ready to use, casters will draw sigils to impart instructions upon it. The resulting construct is...

A Journey of Black and Red 218. Prelude

The Amaretta stronghold lies at the heart of the Atlas mountain outside of the grasp of colonial France. There, seers have built a secluded temple in shades of ochre, sober and hidden like an ancient ruin. Patches of green could be taken as errant copses of thorny growths from the sky. Only by getting close would the casual observer see the care and attention given to desert roses and cedars. I can tell it irks them to no end that I would find the place so easily when summoned.

In order...