On the Elements, Chapter 4
The heavens grew eyes to behold the true beauty of the world below, but humans already have eyes to begin with. So, what is it they see when they look at the world not with their e...
2024-06-10 17:46:31 +0000 UTC View PostComoedia Glacialis 1: The Queen Enters, Stage Left
Conjuring up a fireball, the Tsaritsa threw it with all her might at Lumine, snarling in rage.
“Don’t you UNDERSTAND!? This is ...
Chapter 3.11: The Ways of the Heart
The first Hogsmeade weekend had arrived, and to the shock of everyone but the professors, Megumin’s name was not on the list of banned students. This was because Megumin had earned herself an impressive number of infractions, ranging from a detention for brewing an advanced potion by stealing several ingredients, to losing a truly impressive 100 points in a single fell swoop by attempting to clean the toilets she had been assigned to duri...
2024-06-07 17:56:44 +0000 UTC View PostStained glass window from Our Lady of the Frozen Heart Cathedral, New Moscow, cira 2008
PRT Threat Assessment: The Tsaritsa
Name: Bronya Cocolionva Sne...
2024-06-06 17:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostInterlude 8: In The Shadow of Giants
Clutching her small suitcase tightly, Ling kept her eyes on the scuffed linoleum floor of the interview room as she and her father sat tensely, waiting. There wasn’t much in the suitcase: two changes of clothes, a photo album, and the wooden spoon her grandmother had given her. That along with what was in her backpack, toiletries, a jacket, an apron, and extra socks and underwear, was all the worldly possessions she had left.
With the summer here I have a bit of extra time, and in addition to everything else, I'll be putting out some extra material for Second Archon War. Vote on what you most want to see
2024-06-02 19:41:04 +0000 UTC View PostThe entire plaza was on fire now, and All For One gazed down at his opponent as the man’s lifeblood trickled from him. Endeavor’s mask of flames was flickering and faded, his ugly scarred face blackened and blotchy from the ...
2024-05-31 19:08:42 +0000 UTC View PostCONTENT WARNING: Warcrimes. The second half of the chapter takes place in China. Nothing graphic, but sexual assault, mass murder of civilians, and everything else you’d expect in a wartorn hellscape.
Interlude 7: Suffer the Little Children
“You sure you won’t be cold? You should wear mittens, it’s freezing out today,” Annette Hebert said, frowning down at Taylor.
“Mom, I’ll be fine! It’s warm in t...
2024-05-30 18:51:25 +0000 UTC View PostA lot of weird things had happened since Kazuma had landed on Belzerg. Actually, weird things had started happening right about the time Sylvia interrupted his tunes. Either way, he didn’t think that anything weirder than having a bunch of people kneel to a cat had happened. Even if the kitty had bat wings.
“M-Mistress?” Yunyun asked, looking around at both the kneeling ‘Crimson Demons’ and Arnes. “What do you mean?”
“I dunno, she was ne...
2024-05-28 16:35:53 +0000 UTC View PostCarmen Dei 25: Justice for All
The sweet blood spattered in the darkness, and the people screamed in panic. But she did not stop. They were ugly. So ugly. They had to be destroyed, had to be punished, because they were ugly, just like she was ugly, they were filthy, she was filthy, filth must be cleansed, purged, she would drink the sweet blood in the shadows because she was filthy filthy ugly you’re so ugly filthy-
Gasping for breath, Dorothy’s eye...
2024-05-26 16:17:29 +0000 UTC View PostHolding her breath and clutching her shank, Tina watched as Walter walked slowly forward, then gently set a hand on the flabby shoulder of his snoring father. Gently, he shook his shoulder, whispering, “Father? It’s me, I need you to wake up.”
The only response was a loud, throbbing snore. After a few moments, gentle shaking became shouting and smacking, but Alderp slept through it all, still snoring like an engine with a blown regulator.
Eventual...
2024-05-24 23:26:39 +0000 UTC View PostSapientia Oromasdis 19: The Morn A Thousand Roses Bring
The celebration had been going on for some time, but Bashir had retreated to a quiet corner of the orchard. Qiqi had been put to bed some time ago, and Nahida had departed as well. It did still amuse Bashir that the most powerful individual in the country was a small child, at least physically, and thus had a bedtime of 8:00pm. She’d stayed up late tonight, but that only translated to 9:00, after which she’d...
2024-05-22 15:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostSapientia Oromasdis 18: Dream of the Future
Beta’d and edited by The Grand Cogitator, October Daye, Dr_Feelgood, and Philosophysics
“Thank you, thank you, you’ve been a wonderful audience!” Lord Barbatos said, waving happily to the cheering crowd. He beamed at Nahida, then bowed to her. “And let’s give a big hand to our hostess this evening and the girl of the hour, Lord Buer!”
There was scattered applause and a ...
It's been a while since we had a poll, and I apologize. Work caught up to me, and I still owe several of those. The plan is to do them over the summer, as I am mostly taking off the summer as patreon has provided me with enough extra income for fun stuff, as well as work on my health.
This poll, however, is about the Second Archon War. Quite simply, do you want there to be two or three interludes between Nahida's section and the next Archon? The first interlude has been mostly w...
2024-05-13 20:32:30 +0000 UTC View PostCarmen Dei 24: In the Presence of Mine Enemies
Beta’d and Edited by October Daye, The Grand Cogitator, Dr_Feelgood, and Philosophysics.
There had been many terrifying moments in Naomi’s life in the past few years. Coming face to face with an Angel of the Lord for the first time. Facing down literal Nazis in an all out battle for survival. Then battling against an Endbringer, and thinking she was definitely going to diedef...
2024-05-12 18:04:23 +0000 UTC View PostSapientia Oromasdis 17: An Ancient Seed
Rusting oil derricks stood like silent tombstones in the East Baghdad Oil Field, along with rundown offices and signs that warned of contaminated water and dead ground. Nahida could feel the poison seeping into the land here from the abandoned oil wells, and it made her weep.
Over the past twenty years, relentless attacks by Endbringers, new tinkertech sources of energy, and a collapsing global economy had slowly dest...
Frowning sourly, Snape glanced at the documents in his hands, then up at the sheepish grin of the fool in front of him. It wasn’t often someone played into Snape’s hands like this, but given the opportunity to finally gain his revenge and at long last, see that justice was delivered after all this time.
“Thanks again for agreeing to take my class, Severus. If you ever need me to cover classes for you, or there is any other way I can be of assistance-”
...
Superbia Hominem 2: A Piece of the Puzzle
To say that the world was in a panic would perhaps have been a broad overstatement. There were no riots in the streets or mass unrest, but nearly every city ended up with large gatherings of concerned citizens, mostly regarding the brief but rather traumatic take down of the global computer networks and telecommunication systems, combined with an announcement of the dreaded fifth attack of the Simurgh. That it was happening in Ira...
2024-05-03 16:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostEven after several hours in the city, everything was still eerily silent. Yunyun looked around, always expecting to see some shadowy figure darting or to hear the rumble of engines or the slap of rubber soles on the pavement. But still, there was nothing. In spite of seeing a few roaches and an energy leech, the entire place seemed devoid of life. The two blast craters they’d found had been interesting, but even the prospect of some powerful magic user running around only served to make the...
2024-05-01 21:13:03 +0000 UTC View PostSapientia Oromasdis 16: Wise as Serpents
Beta’d and edited by The Grand Cogitator, Dr_Feelgood, October Daye, and Philosophysics
The merciless golden light pounded every inch of Bashir’s naked skin as he stood on the burning desert sands. He prayed for a drop of water or a sliver of shade, but there was nothing to protect him from the tormenting light. He longed to kneel down before the golden light, to submit, to try to get what little ...
2024-04-28 16:00:12 +0000 UTC View PostHeart thudding in her chest, Tina clutched her shank tightly, and waited outside the door. Long moments passed, but there was nothing from the bedroom. Then she heard a loud sound, almost like a cry, and Tina shot up, Claire leaping to her feet from the other side. They threw open the door and-
“Shhhh! I just got him out!” Rain hissed, pausing in pulling her dress back on. She jerked her chin at Alderp, who was making a godawful racket as he snored loudly, his bloated belly risi...
Sapientia Oromasdis 15: The Knights of Flowers
Contessa stared up into the eyes of a god, her hands clutching at the Little God she’d been bonded to. This was the sort of god she understood: Powerful, unknowable, and full of wrath. The Little God in her head, the God of the Path, was able to tell her only things she already knew: the best way to win a fight with this creature was to not have one, that it was born of the wrath of Gaia wronged.
Sauntering out onto the field, Captain Marcus Flint regarded his Quidditch hopefuls with a disdainful sneer. What he needed this year was another chaser and two beaters ,since more of the upperclassmen had graduated. He’d already picked out in his mind who he was going to give the positions to: Cassius Warrington as a chaser, and Peregrine Derrick and Lucian Bole as his beaters. They were all big, burly sixth and seventh years, exactly what Flint wanted on his lineup.
Sapientia Oromasdis 14: Remember, No Dictators
In the end, it wasn’t the Demi-Goddess of Death, the newly born Dendro Sovereign, or even the foreign powers that began the final destruction of the Ba’ath Party. They would all have their roles to play in the coming days and weeks, but at the time, Farasha was still hours away, Tess was still speeding over Europe, and the Protectorate, Knights, and Sentai were still unsure of the situation.
No...
2024-04-18 04:18:54 +0000 UTC View PostSapientia Oromasdis 13: The Seeds That Were Planted
Despite having all of the internet to explore, Tess was bored. She had almost all of human knowledge at her fingertips, and what was she doing? Watching traffic cameras and security footage out of Iraq.
Because she desperately wanted to go to Nahida’s birthday party.
It was stupid and silly. Tess was the pinnacle of human achievement: an artificial intelligence made in man’s own image, ...
Groaning, Kazuma tried to lift himself off the icy cold ground, but there was something heavy on his back. He tried to push it off, only to encounter something soft and squishy. Managing to get his head around, he saw the blushing face of Yunyun, who was lying atop him, and let out a soft groan.
“Kazuma, you have exactly half a second to move your hand, or I will have to find a new boyfriend,” Megumin growled at him, her breath misting in the air like smoke from a d...
2024-04-10 17:49:52 +0000 UTC View PostSapientia Oromasdis 12: Behold the Beast
Exhausted mentally, physically, and spiritually, Nahida watched the Simurgh flee before her. She was somewhat surprised by this, as she’d expected to actually have to fight the Demon Beast. Violence was almost never the answer, but as the God of Wisdom, Nahida knew that in some cases, evil had to be confronted directly and without hesitation. This had been one such case.
“I have now fought ten thousa...
2024-04-07 16:13:28 +0000 UTC View PostDespite being the site of an undeniably great, and at this point somewhat ancient, evil, Nazarick itself was surrounded by a rather beautiful countryside. The Great Forest of Tob had been cut back and thinned as the wood was used for various purposes, but someone had clearly been stewarding the wood and other natural resources rather carefully to prevent deforestation. It was still full of most of the original wildlife and would have been a rather scenic place to go for a hike or camping trip...
2024-04-03 16:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostSapientia Oromasdis 11: The Cycles of Samsara
“We have movement!”
Fatoumata looked up from where she’d been working on her laptop, frowning at the display screen. She’d come into Cauldron’s primary nerve center to check on the status of Endbringer activity, specifically the Simurgh. They were overdue for an attack, and Fatoumata had been visiting the control center for several hours a day for a week and a half now.
Parma Cordis 1: Cleaning up the Streets
The alarms still echoed in the distance as I stood around with the rest of the Undersiders, uncertain of what to do now. Legend was still hovering overhead, while Alexandria and Eidolon had gone off to try to slow Leviathan down. Fuck. An Endbringer? I could control bugs. What could I even do? I suppose information gathering was going to be about all. I glanced at the watches that they’d passed out, hoping they worked as advertised.&n...
2024-03-31 23:10:46 +0000 UTC View Post
