3rd Anniversary Q&AAs a method to entice more people to this otherwise informational piece, I present to you a vignette on the dangers of going to the beach at night: Sharon stalked the brunette down the beach at a pace of twenty yards behind. Sharon was itching for an easy meal, and tourists were always an easy catch - especially tourists who stroll out onto the beach alone two hours before midnight. The brunette was cute, with shapely legs and a pleasant face. The brunette bent d

 I wis nae some piddling drunkard wi a tongue longer nor my wits. I’d been aw over the realm, from the lowest Lowlands tae the cauldest drifts beyond the Lochlannaich. I’d slain beasties the size o craobhan an drums, an I’aet beaten plenty o louses what called theyselves warriors. My skin wis thicker nor rawhide, an my bones cud break steel. Wealth an reward didnae matter tae me, fer I took what I needed when I needed it. I drank more nor a waterfall, an my hangovers would hae killed

 After a pat-down and search-over, Alba Aurori strode into the private conference room of the water systems management building, and Maricica stepped in behind her with an exaggerated smile, facepaint on. Inside, all eleven bosses of The Commission sat at the long table, their top lackeys standing behind them. While some gave Alba dismissive looks and others gave snide looks, Mezzenotti offered her an empathetic expression, which Alba interpreted as pity. Alba sat down in the same end chair

I think it is quaintWhat is it The travelers and The Buskers stepped into Cammia’s shop. “It’s good to be back,” Lauren said. “Undoubtedly,” Nadalia said. “It’s a bit cramped,” Su said. “I wonder why,” Alba said, looking back at The Buskers, who all occupied a space smaller than their volume. “So, that’s the mirror,” Cammia said, looking back at the mirror. “How dreadful,” Sange said. Lauren softly chuckled. “No offen

 The Witch of the Death-Pyre overwhelmed Eirieta with burning decay, scalding rot, and the darkest flames of unknown fates, and she cared not for incidental damage. The ruined garden suffered more. The bricks and mortar of the walls were seared and crumbled through. Eirieta herself could not stand against the fury and hate and inevitability. Terrica, Su, Alba, and Cammia attempted to save their friend. Chief Sânge argued with Doll Squad over what to do about the Witch. Ume l

 A little girl grows up in Grecinma. A little girl is faithful to the Goddess Greci. A little girl looks up to the preachers in white and blue. A young woman submits herself as a priestess in training. A young woman earns her robes. A woman works to uphold the faith. A woman earns recognition and resources from higher in the faith. She has many problems. Those problems stay with her throughout her life. She invokes her work to diminish them. She provides aid to the crippled and the sca

 Nadalia and the White Sheets had matching advantages. They had their resilience, and she had her enhanced senses and strength. Neither used magic, which Nadalia had noticed of the White Sheets during their ambush. Both had the training of Guard-Knights. The White Sheets had their numbers, and Nadalia had the aggression and devilry building in her bosom. The majority of White Sheets fell upon Nadalia, but six, including that Dissolver, went up onto the porch to guard Eirieta. Upon her

 Ignore the claims of the priestesses and the Guard-Knights. It is our branch of the Protective Core that is the most devout. We toil and learn and scout and kill so that Greci’s will and image stay thriving and grand. We play the blackguards so that Greci’s love and blessings shine brighter. We have no allegiance but to the Holy Mother and to ourselves. Should the Protective Core itself need to die so that Greci’s Word lives, then so be it. Should the other faiths and the belief in t

 The Ghouls were no match for Terrica. In fact, she became bored. Her spear and her gladius was too sharp, and her shield was too sturdy. She would have stowed both of them in favor of her fists if not for the extra challenge of keeping the Ghouls from overrunning Cammia and Su. Cammia bashed arms and skulls, but she killed less than Terrica, not used to partaking in combat. Even pacifist Su subdued more Ghouls than Cammia. Neither made a competition of it. While those three fought the

 In the village of Bethers, most people praise Bathelles. Separated by dozens of leagues from Harpsnur, but it is quite the community of mages and intellectuals. It was a perfect breeding ground for a revolutionary mind like my own. However, my thoughts always drifted to the Bringer of Hunger, the Mother of Humans, Greci, yet there was no room in the village for greater worship of the greatest Goddess, no room to build a temple or even a shrine Greci. Everyone worships Her on some plane, bu

 Nadalia set a frightening pace which only Terrica, Ume, and Su could match; Su aided Cammia by substituting the pace with her own teleportation ability, sending them both forward at certain distances to keep up with the other three. They ran through swamps, pushed through bogs, passed through marshes and hiked over fens. They trampled the grass of meadows, and they frothed the waters of ponds. They cleared through pocosins, and they cut through misse. Pākihi were rushed through, and igap�

The Princess’ Challenge






    

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful Princess, with

long,

beautiful golden hair

and

blue eyes. She was an energetic and lively girl, beloved by all across the land, and ma

 I served my purpose, and I died. What more is there to say? I was born for battle. I fought many. I was the best of my class. I had the best gear, the best build, the best life. I did what I was made to do. It took the Starving Goddess herself and her greatest champions in grand equipment to slay me. What more could a child of Crybesa desire? Why would I compare myself to one of them when all of them were needed to kill me? Move on with your task. You are finished with me.– The

 Although Alba’s fury-driven pace should have made her the leader on their latest march, Nadalia overtook Alba in order to lead them towards the old town, since she was the only one with directions. The other four stayed behind the enraged gangster and the proud knight. Terrica thought over the very personal insult that Alba had said to her. Cammia fiddled with vials. Su chewed on her monkey bread fingers out of nervousness. Ume strode with the least-troubled mind, but she was dour at

 I have doctorates in dental surgery, dental medicine, medical physics, science in dentistry, medicine, and pharmacy, and I have master’s degrees in chemistry, bioinformatics, surgery, and advanced study, as well as an honorary doctorate in health administration and honorary master’s in design and in technology. I grew replacement enamel from my own deciduous teeth at the age of four years. I cured the blood diseases of the Bloguis by the age of ten years. At the age of eighteen

 After a night of restless sleep, The Buskers gathered as many of themselves on the back porch without the porch breaking. Maricica and Alba stood there, in disheveled clothing. Alba had white smudges around her neck. The Buskers questioned nothing for their own sake. “Good, good,” Maricica said, once all The Buskers had shown up. “You’re all here. I’ve got something very important to announce.” “Are we getting a pet?” an acrobat asked. “Maybe later,

 The War. Was a part of everyday life for four generations, give or take. News updates twice daily in the papers, hourly over radio once that got popular. Propaganda on every street corner, on every classroom wall. The same inventors who were making cereals and molding the next year’s hep automobiles had their names on rifle patents and uniform tags. No one could remember a time without the draft, but half the population could remember a time when it wasn’t so stringent. DI&rsqu

 Nadalia sat in a seat with an icepack on her head, obtained by Su. Terrica recovered their arms from the truckbed and discarded the weapons from the candy campus except for the Killer Surprises. Su rolled something indiscernible to the others in her left hand. Alba finished her cigar. Maricica conferred with her Buskers. Cammia sat on the edge of the stage. Most of their eyes were on Ume, who waited with patience on the edge of the stage, standing on top of the destroyed animatronic. 

 I wis nae some piddling drunkard wi a tongue longer nor my wits. I’d been aw over the realm, from the lowest Lowlands tae the cauldest drifts beyond the Lochlannaich. I’d slain beasties the size o craobhan an drums, an I’aet beaten plenty o louses what called theyselves warriors. My skin wis thicker nor rawhide, an my bones cud break steel. Wealth an reward didnae matter tae me, fer I took what I needed when I needed it. I drank more nor a waterfall, an my hangovers would

 The steamboat carried the delvers down the river. They moped, pondered and observed. In time, Fleischer rose up to her feet, the digestion of Isigny complete. The underboss picked up Isigny’s dropped gear and stowed it on her person. Twenty minutes afterwards, another dock came into sight on the left bank. The steamboat sidled next to the dock, laden with cargo boxes and barrels each labelled “CCMC”. The delvers gave the boxes and barrels cursory examination before leaving t

 I have a voice. I had a voice. Did anyone even know? I lost my mouth, and without a mouth, a voice goes unheard. I had my own desires, my own feelings, my own dreams. They amounted to nothing. My will was locked to the Dragon Queen’s own, but unlike the demented wolf, my mind did not decay. She did not control my every movement – just my broad directives. Why must you have brought me here? This is where my downfall occurred. She sent us here, my sister and I, to fetch her

 Terrica’s rage did not abate. Through her hot feelings, she set the pace through a fen, which Cammia and the Buskers struggled to keep. Chief Sânge relayed directions from the thin map, a touch despondent. Nadalia, Alba and Su whispered to each other as low as possible to prevent Terrica overhearing while they discussed how to calm her. “Look, we know you’re angry,” Works called up to Terrica. “But can you slow down?” “We’re wearing out our soles, her

Askaheimr was paradise. To an outsider, it would look unlivable. It was a place where might stood over all, but intellect held might’s leash. We were Dragons!, battened by the blood of the thralls and sustained by the flesh of the outsiders. We fought and ate and fucked as we pleased until someone greater in might or intellect bested us. I may have been small, but I was brighter than most. That’s what earned me a spot by Vándeðla. Few of us ever gained that kind of position. S

“I’m going to give that grape jam gam broad a knuckle sandwich so hard she’s going to make wine,” Alba stated, letting go of Maricica.“She will get her just desserts,” Maricica agreed.“A remotely-controlled body produced by spilling some sort of serum,” Su said, rubbing her cheeks. “Is it ground-impact, air-contact, a chemical reaction?”“That was an experience,” Cammia said, twirling hair around her fingers.“I motion that we leave these creeps and find our way h

 Pirates and privateers. Swashbucklers and buccaneers. Navy and armada. We all share this sea. They say not to stare too long at the water on bright days; the glare of the sun will blind ya. But if any sailor took a good look into the surface of the sea, their reflection would match the wretch firing volley from the enemy ship. I spent too much time around Percy and his drivel. But it’s true. You’ll hardly find a pirate who didn’t break away from the Collective,

 After Terrica finished her rants, she calmed herself, and Nadalia, Alba and Su recovered from various heights of bashfulness. Afterwards, when peace settled, the quartet wandered through the park, searching for Cammia and the Buskers. They found Cammia first. She was staring at a carousel, whose static metal horses were clad in rigid metal caparisons of dour colors. Once she rejoined them, they set off to recover the Buskers.The five found the Buskers milling about tasteless wooden cutouts

 We were born for clear purposes: To ruin the realm of Crybesa’s ire, to claim the souls of those who populated it, and to become the best versions of ourselves by any means. We were born Demons, and if I hear any more of those fucking epithets worked up by our ashamed cousins, the Starving Goddess will have to create a second afterlife. I was born to kill, eat, fuck, and wrassle any weaker person in my way. But we were stifled from our purpose. Crybesa told “Mother” Trygchle

 After sleeping uselessly through the night at Briniville in shacks and quarters loaned out by the locals, the delvers met up with Chief Sânge at a small hut labelled in loose wooden letters “Communications”. Doll Squad was nowhere to be seen. The door was open. Chief Sânge was inside the hut, speaking on a bakelite telephone that connected to nothing. “… are in route,” Chief Sânge said into the phone as the delvers arrived, giving them a greeting nod. “We’ll reach

“Pampered,” they said. “Never felt any strain,” they decried. “A soft, vapid sea-cow,” they accused. “Spoiled and vain,” they spat. “She’ll be a perfect figurehead,” they thought.Being an heir to the largest dominion was not the easy, comfortable lifestyle everyone presumed I lived. Day in and day out, it was nothing but tutors, politics, exercise, and lament. None of the practical kind, either. My only friends were suitors and the greed-struck, fawners and liars. Peopl

 Fifty-five minutes after dawn, the delvers arrived at the steps of the Dry Haven police station. Chief Sânge was there, wearing the same outfit despite the trek to come, and four members of the police force waited alongside her. From head to toe, they were clad in body armor and reinforced apparel. Nothing showed beneath the protection. The shades of their body gear skewed darker, and their helmet visors (of various shapes) were tinted to opaqueness. They carried much more aggressive arms

What is there to say? Really? Make all the short jokes you want, but I have little to explain.We were there first. How long were we there? That doesn’t matter. All that matters is that we were there first. The Humans, the Kin and even most of the Elves, they all don’t understand our lifestyle. They call us hedonists, savages, wild reprobates. We live off the land, and we do what we want. Who are they to say we should live in those suffocating villages, hamlets and cities? It’s

 Nadalia climbed out of Terrica’s womb and vagina upon waking up an hour before dawn. The fighter remained asleep on the bed. Nadalia did not feel rested, but not feeling tired was unsurprising, considering the previous day and night. As Nadalia straightened herself, she saw Alba – who was in a similar state of tireless restlessness – sitting in the chair. Alba was eating a glazed donut, which she raised at Nadalia in morning greeting. Nadalia dipped her head in return.&nb

 Do leaders go grey faster than those they lead? On most days, I certainly believed so. Banditry is not anyone’s first choice as an occupation, especially not as a career. Life just pushes you there. Being a guard of a good-sized village, however, is high on the list for most people. Decent coin, free shelter, good exercise, free weapons. For this Pawkin, it wasn’t enough. Even with the chance at being head of the guards, it wasn’t enough. You keep your face clean mos

 “Is there anything else we should know about before we hike too far?” Terrica asked Cammia. Despite the question’s key parameter, the delvers were six hours into a walk after their encounter with the Ghouls and the undead Heiko, who Nadalia’s thoughts still stormed over. After a few hours in the pocosin, they were in an ing, which only the absent Foa would have been able to distinguish from any other wet meadow or fen. In the pocosin, Su had collected some conical, yel

 Grecinma. A beautiful city, home to the most devout worshippers of the Bringer of Hunger. On clear days, it practically blends into the sky. Its walls are beacons to pilgrims and travelers for leagues out. Who knew that such a bright city could cast such a long shadow? When you live in Hinry, you live under that shadow. No one ever comes to Hinry just to visit Hinry. They’re always “on the road” or “heading to the holy city” or “making pilgrimage”. Hinry is so close

Nadalia Seren, a knight of renown, rubbed her eyes and her aching head. She used her exquisite poleaxe, Incisor, to rise from her knees on soft soil.Alba Aurori, Donna of the Aurori Family gang, spat out the ashy stub of a cigar into silt the same color and grabbed her fallen fedora laying next to her. She used muscles not used much since her military days to go from flat on her back to tall on her feet.Sweet Su, natural woman with an artificial candy body, raised her head out of filmy water and

 A Winter Knight will face long battles, harsh weather, long lonesomeness, and low praise. We are warriors of the snow and fells. We train until our weapons send splinters into our hands, and we train further until the splinters can no longer penetrate our toughened hands. The cold air is a pleasant blanket, and the ice is soft pillow. No Demon escapes our wrath, and those that escape our blades do not escape our attention. We are servants of the Goddess of Hunger and the Lady of the Hunt.&

 Never before has such a truce been embarked upon, and never would I have thought that I would be the one to parley it. It seems quite obvious, but most people remain oblivious to their obviousness. Aye, I was born in the Black Archipelago, but the years have scrubbed away most of my familiarity with the stormy isles. Getting representatives from the Gilded Collective and the Black Archipelago in the same room required scrupulous charm and pretending to have skills that I did not possess. I

There was not a lot I didn’t see. That was of course due to my divinity. I saw all that my followers did and beyond. Of course the clearest picture always came from the devout. And currently the clearest image I saw was from one of my priestesses. She was praying directly in front of a statue of myself. The church was shabby and looked close to collapsing but my divinity kept it safe. As long as a single follower still visited the church it would never collapse. My statue was in similar di