Mecanimus

A Journey of Black and Red 205: Procedural

The Silversmith estate stood near the center of the town. From the outside, it did not look like much, merely a brick building surrounded by high hedges. The waxing days of winter had revealed holes in that protective embrace, beyond which waited a naked, rain-stained wall.

The season did Indianapolis no favor.

A prudent observer would note the lush, thick curtains behind tinted windows. The entire ground floors had been reinforced with bars and the door was solid oak, newly paint...

Bob the Calamity Part 11: 115 - 123

Mostly correct. Might still have a few typos> I think I corrected the wrong numbers on Viv's profile but I'm not sure.

The Calamitous Bob 123: The pit of hatred

It started as pressure in Viv’s ears, the same feeling as sitting in a plane taking off. She yawned by reflex but it didn’t do anything. Air was not the issue there, mana was. She didn’t need Solfis’ measurement to tell the black mana concentration was increasing.

It occurred to her that keeping a way out would have been preferable, at least so there was a direction black mana could escape to. Now they were trapped in the equivalent of an oven.

Viv poured every last bit of...

A Journey of Black and Red 204: Servant hunting

Sinead mentioned that fae nobility cultivates bloodlines. I suspect their version is to mine as fine horticulture is to shoveling pig shit on a cabbage field.

When I first recovered Constance from her mother’s clutch, the baby was underfed and addicted to opiates. Her mother’s caretakers gave up on controlling their charge and informed me of it. I did not blame them. They were to help with maternity, not control a drug fiend. It would have taken restraints to stop Nathalie Bingle fr...

Chapter 122: Remnants of a bygone age

Viv’s perception of time slowed before her brain even registered the lethally dangerous undeads barrelling towards them.

The two nascent necrarchs on the side bumped into each other, slowing down ever so slightly. Sidjin caught them in a deadly trap of serrated blades of colorless mana. At the same time, Arthur spat fire and Viv used her oldest trick against the leftmost one.

“Yoink.”

Immediately, her mind flooded with the power filling the creature just as her aura gu...

A Journey of Black and Red 203: Red then Black

It was hot inside of the small cottage, hotter than it should reasonably be. Everard unconsciously patted down his red armored robe for specks of dust, conscious of the lush persian carpet lying near the clean hearth. From outside, the house had all the appearance of a cozy home for a bachelor, but inside the signs of wealth were much more obvious. So were the wards. Silvery engraved glyphs lined the windows.

His host cleared her throat and made him feel self-conscious. A question escap...

The Calamitous Bob 121: The local talents

Viv watched the bewildered Harrakans exit her portal, spreading out on the open meadow and marveling at the wonders of magic she had just unveiled for them. Ten days of harrowing trek across the Deadshield spared. Ten days of terrifying encounters with monsters and beastling tides, with the forest’s disquieting effect bypassed with the facility of a high speed train ride minus the time. They ambled out, blocking the way of those behind. Viv could still see the green on gray background of th...

A Journey of Black and Red 202: The Twentieth Century

The strings of fate tease me once more, sneaking upon me one fine summer night. I am more sensitive to them so long as I am in my domain, or the lesser version of a Dvor domain in any case. I can feel her when she crosses the boundary, making her way to IGL’s front door without hiding. It has to be a decoy.

In a way, it was inevitable that we would meet again.

I feel a flicker in her form once she enters the range of my Magna Arqa. I remotely open the door to what has to be a si...

The Calamitous Bob 120: Fall Cleaning

AN: Sorry I reuploaded with the pdf and epub files. Additionally, a small update will be made of the previous chapter as I kind of neglected the Hallurian siblings. Nothing major, they just tagged along.

A group of shadowy figures moved under the aegis of a powerful shadow. A handsome man led them hand in hand across the main square of Kazar under the dying leaves of the Lilac tree. They moved in perfect silence. Some of the guards walked by and missed the gr...

A Journey of Black and Red 201: The Invisible Hand

Esme’s bones creaked when she bent over the counter to wipe the far side. The rag left a stream of droplets in its wake, so many globules catching motes of ember light in their tiny prisons. Soon they’d be gone, but now they formed a hypnotic pattern to the old woman’s eyes. They whispered something in her ears she could not understand. Sometimes, the murmurs were almost clear as hymns, sometimes she missed them entirely. They were growing stronger as she aged, though whether it was som...

The Calamitous Bob 119: The Fetch Quest

The convoy followed a torturous route through the forest, expecting trouble. Armored soldiers in loose formation formed a vanguard, their eyes fixing the thick forest with vigilance. They had their weapons sheathed — for now — but their shields were affixed. They formed an intimidating group.

Next came columns of lightly armored spearmen on either side of a large, steel-clad cart. Others followed, smaller and holding supplies. Archers gathered on top of those with their bows strung ...

Announcement: short break and Journey 200

Ok first the boring part. I’m taking a week off. Sorry for being abrupt about it. My decision stems from the fact that I need to seriously structure the next arc both in Journey and Bob, I know what I want to say, but I have always had issues with pacing and setting expectations and I must pay attention to make sure every chapter stays exciting, and every chapter has at least one of those memorable moments that (helpfully) make you smile. Or at least rage, depending. That means the counter ...

A Journey of Black and Red 200. About humans

“Convincing the mortal military of the seriousness of the situation is paramount, Ariane. Please do not take umbrage when I say this but… in this instance, your appearance might do you a disservice. The same harmless countenance that makes warriors lower their guard will prevent them from taking you seriously,” Sephare said, an expression of fake, polite concern plastered on her delicate traits.

A lie, of course. The cold, calculating Hastings does not plead. She moves chess piece...

The Calamitous Bob part 10 ch 104-114 (clean)

Clean collection of chapters.

The Calamitous Bob part 9 ch 94 - 103 (clean)

Collection of chapters in a cleaner format.

The Calamitous Bob 118: Examination

Afternoon sunlight reflected on Viv’s shield and its latest addition, a letter from an unknown alphabet hammered on by a Hallurian smith.

What had started as a light shield was now considerably heavier, its surface lined with symbols, a veritable roadmaps of Viv’s progress and the friends she had made along the way. The Yries-made enchantments were still intact and fully functional under added plates grafted on like barnacles on a warship’s hull. The tree of Kazar, the shield of N...

A Journey of Black and Red 199. Fated

We did not, in fact, leave immediately. I stopped to grab the explosives. Now the nightmares cut through the snow-encrusted boughs and frosty glades alongside the tracks, which we spot sometimes when the path takes us closer.

At first, the mortals were terrified, but soon the peculiar gait of those tireless mounts got to them. I used to ride a lot when I was a mortal, and so I can tell the difference between even the stoutest destrier and Metis. Nightmares are smoother despite preferrin...

The Calamitous Bob 117: Loyalty

Viv sat on the battlement of the Academy’s outer wall, watching Helock burn. Black plumes as thick as hills rose from the cereal gate to the south and the wharves by the sea. A northern wind carried them lazily over the ocean where they would fade in the blue of the late summer sky.

She had been on Nyil for a year and a half.

A sip brought the fresh aroma of an infusion, a summer special. Up here, the air was pure and the stones cool. She could hear animated conversations behind...

A Journey of Black and Red 198. Let's just get everyone

A dazzled Bingle uses the dragon claw’s edge to cut the bars of his prison. He appears to be in a state of shock, to the extent that I must hold the severed metal rods before they fall on his face. A sense of wonder gives his face a more youthful air, reminding me of the first time we met. He gingerly returns the ‘liberated’ blade to its sheath, then holds it in front of him, looking lost.

I have John disperse the few robbers attracted by the commotion. We move back to the main en...

The Calamitous Bob 116: Consequences

Solfis stopped on the second roof, placing Viv down on the flattish roof’s surface with gentle care.

“We’re not joining the others?”

//Your high willpower is keeping you fully functional, Your Grace.

//However, you are bleeding out.

//I need you to take the flesh-mending potions.

//Now.

Viv had a few of the life-saving vials on a bandoleer at the small of her back. They were still i...

A Journey of Black and Red 197. The Hoard

Someone has sliced through the ancient earth with unstoppable will. Diggers have carved up old rocks and blasted through antediluvian formations. Centennial trees were felled and processed to produce the train tracks in front of us. The steel of its beams glints under the light, cold as the ancient stone that surrounds it but more dead than wizened. Cross half the country and I could find their exact copies, but I would be hard pressed to find ancient mountains eroding quietly like the Black ...

The Calamitous Bob 115: Draconic

It was a beautiful day to be She-Who-Feasts-On-Many-And-Gets-Much-Gold.

The wind and the gray caressed her scales when she took flight, their presence light and familiar. Far above the city, the overwhelmimg smell of stupid borgling things faded into pure morning crispness. In the air, she felt truly free, truly herself. Fluffy white clouds called her to play as they drifted above, blown south and away from the deep blue ocean. She considered piercing through to the sun above but recons...

A Journey of Black and Red 196. The Most Elusive

The powerful man sat at his desk. To his right, the snow-covered meadow led to a frozen fence from where small icicles hung like diamond ornaments. Guards in blue uniforms and cloaks fought the chilly wind with courage, struggling not to shiver while puffs of smoke rose from distant chimneys in the city proper. Inside, however, the room was toasty. A merry fire crackled in the hearth, and the powerful man waited for his cup of tea to cool down to a more consumable temperature. He felt safe an...

The Calamitous Bob 114: Busy

It was now five weeks into the semester and Viv was busier than she had ever been in her life. A part of her wanted to drop everything and dedicate herself solely to finding precious things to feed Elunath since it was by far the most important task on her list. What held her back was, once again, cold pragmatism. Solfis had told her he would take care of this aspect. Her time was better spent arming herself with every technique and every scrap of knowledge she could so when the time came to ...

A Journey of Black and Red 195. Fool's Gold

“Hello Urchin, I have something for you.”

“Heard you were distributing faerie gifts, boss. I’m glad you didn’t forget your Urchin.”

“Naturally. You have been of great help, and I will always reward loyalty.”

“So, what are the odds that this gift will play tricks on me? Will I be nabbed and carried away by red-capped goblins?”

“Worse, you will serve an immortal monster bent on world domination who will send y...