Mecanimus

The Calamitous Bob 175: Back to Harrak

North did the Harrakan Empress travel, day after day, under a sunless sky. Boiling clouds extended above while the dead earth trailed under her as she flew towards the decrepit heart of a dead nation. By night, she opened portals to sweet-smelling Sinur with its sonorous fountains and the hubbub of its citizens, to clean sheets and companions but by day there was nothing distracting her from the soulless husk of the land. Not even combat broke the monotony of the journey, because lesser undea...

Changeling Part 19

Dawn crested the kaiju wall. For those who’d barely slept, it offered no solace. The rays of the sun revealed cables snaking out of the van when there should be none. They dispelled the illusion of secrecy that comforted operatives everywhere. They reminded said operatives that they were late, that the delivery robots were dropping fresh muffins on the doorsteps of harried corpo slaves, and that the time of reckoning was upon them. Mostly they showed the contents of floor sixty-eight of the...

The Calamitous Bob 174: Theomachia

Viv rushed to Denerim’s side, unheeding of Octas lazily striding forward across the devastated wall. Her bodyguards were holding back spiders while far in the distance, islets of resistance remained around Orkan, Sidjin, and a few other elites. The others were running.

She couldn’t blame them.

To her surprise, Denerim turned to her when she approached.

He… was still alive?

“Denerim!”

“All… all necessary. Had to have her commit with intent or… she ...

Announcement: three things.

First, this is the last week before my break, my parental leave as it were. You lot are lucky because there are no planned cliffs unlike the RR chapter readers who shall be cliffed must cruelly.

Second, I will retire the Journey tier at the end of the month if I figure out how to do it. Sadge for the money but I think it's only fair. Those of you who want to keep supporting me, read Changeling. It's good I promise.

Third, FACE REVEAL. I did an interview as part of the CritRPG pod...

Changeling Part 18

“No one is going with you,” Mazingwe growled.

Seth seemed completely unbothered. He merely tilted his head before replying with a nod.

“That would be my first choice as well.”

The high gleam still stood between them. Wait, Mazingwe was defending her?

“You see, humans need their packs and little Nezhra is still very young and she would be very sad if those were broken. And her being sad would make me very, very angry. Were you not about to break those connecti...

The Calamitous Bob 173: Arcachnomachia

It was impossible, looking at Many-Legs, to assume that he had once been human. Some champions embraced the teachings of their masters but Many-Legs had gone a step beyond. He had not accepted the necessity of change. He had craved it, embraced it. He had forfeited his shape. He had forfeited his name. Eventually, he had gone so far as to forfeit speech and all the things that made him a person. All that was left behind was power, violence, and ambition.

The path to supremacy did not re...

Changeling Part 17

Nestra’s sprint quickly turned into a jog. She was too tired to sprint all the way there, in those shoes. It had been a long week and even her true self was tired, so the human mask was really not happy about it. The underground utility and evacuation tunnels lacked fresh coffee, unfortunately, so she grit her teeth and persevered.

It was quiet down here, for now. Dust and the scent of rot tickled her nose though the tunnels were holding well for their age. Threshold’s bowels were d...

The Calamitous Bob 172: Methodical

The light of dawn rose over Sardanal’s last refuge and Thunder Lord Sai was furious. The curs had food now, food and weapons. And some reinforcements, if the incoherent screeching from the spider fuckers was any indication. The only thing he could agree on with his ‘peers’ was that they had to strike now before the templars put some meat back on their bones. The assembled forces of the Dark Gods made their way up the cliff, whatever troops had answered the call anyway. Some days it was ...

Changeling Part 16

Nestra let the car drive her back towards her house because District Fifteen was in the same direction anyway.

Was this a coincidence? It was probably a coincidence. Kaiju attacks happened. The last had been two years ago so it was completely normal, and Shinran would just fly out with the elites and turn it to paste, right? Her heart beat frantically in her chest. She was exhausted, emotionally, mentally, and physically. What now? What now?

Right, right. She was a cop. When she w...

The Calamitous Bob 171: Sardanal's Cradle

AN: Sorry for the delay. I was traveling this week and am now fine. All is well! Next chappie shoueldn't be late. Thank you again for the support!

There were no cheers when Sardanal’s Cradle came into view. The crew gathered on the deck, watching the island approach with consternated expressions as the cold wind dispersed the last of the good mood. Viv herself had to consult with Sidjin, her faith in her own memory failing.

“Wasn’t this supposed to be… gre...

The Calamitous Bob 170: Queen of the Sea

Chapter 170: Queen of the Sea.

Viv made a note of where the beast was before allowing herself to fall. Rushing through the cloud sent moisture on her eyelashes while the fluffy clouds masked the sight. Electricity puffed her hair even as the wind pushed it away from her face, and her eyes searched for the fleeting shadow of Arthur diving at a distance, then the world of gray opened to show the deep blue expanse of the ocean with its foamy carpet upon which Emeric’s Girl was little m...

Announcement: small delay

Ok so I'm having a minor slump in productivity. The next Bob chapter will be delayed a little and I will also skip the Changeling chapter this week, I think. It's nothing just a very minor burn out. There have been plenty before. I just need a long weekend. 

Changeling Part 15

Nestra leaned back in her seat. The Sunflour was half full early in the afternoon, a testament to Seth’s increasingly fancy baking. Nestra had a bite of coconut profiteroles and allowed the cool ice cream to contrast with the hot chocolate sauce through the breached puff pastry. That was not bad at all. And now she could eat pastries without fear of gaining weight since her body was exactly the same as it had been three weeks ago, when she’d awoken. Praise be.

It was weird because h...

The Calamitous Bob 169: Emeric’s Girl

I’m coming with you!

Viv considered her daughter. Arthur had grown up — again! — and she was now a fine young lady wearing golden threads on her horns but she was also eminently killable, especially by poison gods. And this, Viv would never allow. At the same time… teenager being told ‘no’. Not a chance she would listen.

“Don’t you have a bank to supervise?”

The bank will be fine.

My minions handle the day-to-day operations....

Changeling Part 14

Gorge parked his van by the empty dumpsters and walked out gingerly, like an old man in pain. Now that Nestra paid attention, he was already different compared to before the purge.,The bald asshole used to have this strong fat build that said he could take a punch and deliver two, but now his loose shirt hung loose from narrower shoulder. His belt was tighter too. He looked softer. Like a civilian. The loose shirt also hid the colostomy bag and possibly a handgun too. His expression felt more...

The Calamitous Bob 168: Strangers on the Trail

Viv felt very much like her young self sitting before her high school principal the day after the soap incident. As in, when she’d beaten someone in the changing room with a piece of soap wrapped in a nylon sock. She’d been terrified, because she thought the police might be involved. It might be even worse this time.

Sangor sat by her side in a state of apparent relaxation, though there was something very contained about his posture that evoked the calm before the storm. Maybe it wa...

Changeling Part 13

It was night and Nestra was hunting, this time in the depth of a derelict recreation center. She scrunched her nose as another puff of dust rose from the room’s old tatami. The portal’s pale blue light didn’t do the abandoned dojo any favor. She checked the corners just in case but saw nothing but discarded equipment and the sad, dusty portrait of Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo. She would have taken it away. It was almost sacrilegious to leave it behind.

Nestra made sure all of ...

The Calamitous Bob 167: The Gang is Back in Town

“Thank you for agreeing to come. Those are… peculiar circumstances, and we apologize for the hiccup,” the priest of Maranor said.

Viv sat back into her comfortable chair, making sure not to look at Selyen to the side or she was liable to throw something at him. The receiving room was pleasant enough. High priests from all the churches stood at the back as witnesses, officially on her side. There were refreshments, but Viv was still pissed off. Not about the attack on her men, not ...

Changeling part 12

Part 12

NA: Gigun replaced by Gidung which means pillar as was my original intent. Also NA: I have no attention to details. Also NA sorry this chapter short because of low brain juice amounts this week.

Nestra rang the bell for the third time and then slammed her fist on the door. It would not break easily. Reinforced hinges, frame possibly dug into the wall. Whoever owned this place had made some effort to keep it secure.

From the average junkie, that is. She was the police...

The Calamitous Bob part 14: 145 - 152

For your convenience.

The Calamitous Bob Part 13: 135 - 144 (cleaned)

For a more convenient read or reread.

Map of Param

By public demand. Made by VM Jaskiernia.

The Calamitous Bob 166: The Vote

The switch from dream to in-between always disturbed Viv. The small delay between vivid vision and consciousness brought with it a deep terror, like walking down stairs and finding one missing. The transition was too seamless for her. This time was no different. When she became aware of herself again, Viv realized something had changed.

The small white orb that represented her had grown. It was also darker, and the twin bulges of budding wings emerged from its ‘back’. It appeared th...

Changeling Part 11

It was Wednesday, the third day of her new job.

It was ONLY Wednesday.

“When can I retire?” Nestra asked herself. Actually, forget retiring. She just wanted to get to the weekend so she could… ugh. See her family for some hurtful, pointless drama.

“When will it enndddddd?” she bemoaned.

“Patience, Palladian-san. We are next in queue.”

Nestra glared at the office desk behind which a gaggle of admins shared the same black business suits and annoyed sc...

Announcement for end of September

Hello everyone, this is an advance warning that I will be taking two weeks off starting around that period. The cause is that I am securing my bloodline with the arrival of my second-born child. Yes the first one is satisfactory but how else can I grab one to beat the other? My dynasty shall prosper. Don't be alarmed if I disappear a bit before though we never know what can happen.

On an unrelated note, today is my birthday. Shower me with praise, minions!

The Calamitous Bob 165: Continental Summit

Viv spent her first evening doing what would (hopefully) become routine. Lady Azar’s aides briefed her on what they had learned that day, mostly who was talking to whom. Afterward, she gathered the shadow group to decide how they would rescue King Sangor’s son.

“Our first and absolute rule is that no one must die,” she started. “This place is sacred. We can get away with shenanigans but not with violence.”

Irao and Solfis agreed, though she suspected it was only becaus...

Changeling Part 10

It had been a shit idea. The right thing to do would have been to follow the wounded ganger on the spot instead of letting her escape. What if she got into a vehicle?

No, vehicles were controlled very tightly in Fifteen. Gangers just couldn’t be seen above ground or they would have a fleet of drones on their asses in less time it took to say “Police state”.

Nestra should have still taken the risk and followed, even if that meant losing access to evidence. She would have had ...

The Calamitous Bob 164: Councils

Mornyr made Viv nostalgic of Europe. It was, perhaps, the closest equivalent of a tourist spot Param had both in the variety of its people and the extravagance of its constructions. It was not lived in, or developed, but rather frozen in time by common agreement between its people to serve as a beacon of peace and unity. The Harrakan convoy walked the busy road leading to the main gate unimpeded, then they joined the ‘priority queue’, the one that crossed the main opening towards the Gran...

Changeling part 9

It was dark in the Redwood forest. Outside of the main trail, light came from the odd lamp post dotting the secondary paths. Benches and picnic areas waited for the next day’s visitors. A few cleaning bots picked empty cans, replaced trash bags, or otherwise ate the odd leaves fallen on varnished wood. Bio-engineered cicadas filled the night with a pleasant, muted chorus that accompanied Nestra with every nervous step. The odd traveler ignored her as she walked past. Most were corpo pawns o...

The Calamitous Bob 163: The City of Overpowered Manchildren

Viv reclined in her throne, enjoying her latest invention. She called it: reverse shopping. Instead of going out to stores, they had the crafters line up in her throne room with products and stuff and she picked what she liked. The crafters got publicity, even if they were not selected, so they didn’t mind the short wait. Newcomers were especially fond of the practice since they could introduce themselves to Sinur’s Gate richer denizens. It was ok to spend her money on pairs of shoes beca...