Chapter 4: Parameters
I had an idea. I wasn’t sure exactly how it would work, but it was still an idea—better than no idea. Wasn’t it probably best to check with Orpheus first?
“Okay, Orpheus,” I began, “if I want to make a...
2025-10-01 21:30:16 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 3: Orientation (Topology)
INITIALIZING GENESIS ENGINE
Reality Points: 10000
A screen popped up out of nowhere, filling my vision. It wasn’t a physical screen—it was slightly translucent, and while it ...
2025-09-30 22:15:01 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 2: Information Overload
I pointed at myself. "Wait, you mean me?"
I wasn't an idiot. Despite the tone of my voice indicating surprise, I could read the room and all of the hints that Orpheus gave were fairly clear that that's w...
2025-09-29 22:15:01 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 1: A New Job
The first sensation I felt was a vague sense of falling.
I didn't feel panic. Curiosity, yes, because my vision still wasn't there. But that dread of falling, that feeling in the pit of your stomach? I didn't feel ...
2025-09-29 04:54:45 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 36: The Hero of Durocor
The entire room smelled of freshly brewed tea and some kind of herbal aroma that Nikandros had set out. Despite this, Turner could still detect the faint hint of an acrid, medicinal smell – unsurprising, sin...
2025-09-27 05:07:36 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 35: The Great Escape
Turner awoke to the smell of burning wood, along with aching pain all over his body and stinging wounds on his legs. The table that had hit him was on its side next to him. While it didn’t block his vision, it ...
2025-09-26 01:02:16 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 34: Iron Fist
Turner was a very pragmatic man. As much as he hated Penelope, he was not so caught up in honor and the desire to take vengeance for his parents that he felt the need to destroy her personally. A large part of him reall...
2025-09-23 22:55:05 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 33: Why?
The front of the store looked different, but Turner expected the inside to be about the same. He was mostly right, though some of the shelving had moved around. It was still recognizable, so he felt comfortable shutting the ...
2025-09-19 02:50:54 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 32: Ancient Lore
His arm still stung, but after a thorough rinse and bandaging, Turner could use it again. The acid ate through some of his flesh, but it was just a few drops. That wasn't enough to get through all the muscle, just en...
2025-09-16 16:32:33 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 31: Water of Kings
The worry about traveling with Anne was real, but if Turner hadn't known what she was really like, he'd have called her one of his best clients.
Anne and Penelope moved efficiently and quietly, much like Nika...
2025-09-11 04:17:26 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 30: Strange Bedfellows
"Blakely?!"
Turner blurted out the name in shock, staring right back into the sapphire gaze of the witch beneath him.
Beneath... him...
The words that she'd said finally registered, and Turner...
2025-09-08 04:15:09 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 29: The Sound That Wasn’t Steam
"This way!" Turner yelled, gesturing down one of the side streets. Running directly toward the chaos was a bad idea, he knew.
Nikandros followed right behind Nora, with no trouble keeping up. T...
2025-09-05 05:07:21 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 28: Eruption
It continued to surprise Turner just how gracious Byron had been to them. He was starting to wonder if he'd misjudged the nobility, or if Byron was just a weird outlier in the whole group. It made him wonder if he should...
2025-09-02 06:05:11 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 27: The Road Ahead
Turner settled into a chair and let out a heavy sigh.
"That doesn't sound good," Martin noted from the table.
With Milo down for a while, Martin had taken the time to do thorough maintenance on the Well...
2025-08-29 05:09:34 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 26: Last Will
"Turner?" Milo stared, alarm rising in the tone of his voice.
The book opened up as Turner slid it around on his lap. He gestured at the cover with his knife.
"I saw her writing in this several times," he ex...
2025-08-25 05:28:00 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 25: Options
It was heading toward evening by the time Turner and Nora returned to the inn.
The room was almost a suite, consisting of two actual rooms linked together. This was convenient, as it allowed Milo to have some privac...
2025-08-22 04:01:32 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 24: What Was Never Said
Brigette quickly and efficiently lit the stove, then set the kettle atop it to get some water going for tea. While she did that, she gestured for Turner and Nora to sit. The pleasant scent of woodsmoke tickled...
2025-08-17 14:04:43 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 23: Old Town Roads
Visitors were often surprised at how advanced and developed Durocor was, for a frontier town, especially compared to the more 'civilized' Edsenburg.
Turner was no exception, no matter how many times he went t...
2025-08-12 21:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 22: Patronage
They didn't quite make it in time.
The drizzle abruptly turned into a downpour moments before Turner and the others reached their chosen inn, The Ivory Horne. It began pouring down when they were within s...
2025-08-08 14:00:18 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 21: Quite the Sight
It was just an hour shy of sunset by the time Turner and the others arrived at Durocor, after they'd disembarked and gone through customs. Although smaller than Edsenburg, the ancient city somehow felt grander and...
2025-08-05 21:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 20: Responsibility
Turner hadn't been surprised at the younger Byron's anger. They'd led Anne directly to his home, however unintentionally, where she'd humiliated him effortlessly. The younger Byron certainly seemed more uptight tha...
2025-08-04 06:02:03 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 19: What Once Was Lost
Anne’s words still hung in the air, horrifying in their calm curiosity. I wonder what sort of construct you would make?
Turner wasn't sure if he heard the woman right, at first. Anne had said i...
2025-08-04 02:33:43 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 18: Armistice
Silence and utter stillness dominated the room. The air felt heavy, as if the simple act of drawing a breath took effort and premeditated thought.
It was only a moment, but to Turner it stretched for hours.
...
2025-08-04 02:32:33 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 17: Confrontation
"Are you okay, Turner?"
The question startled Turner from his thoughts, abruptly bringing him back to the task at hand. He kind of regretted it, as he was immediately assaulted with that humid stench of the sw...
2025-08-04 02:31:43 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 16: The Shop
For a long moment, Turner simply stared at the shop.
His head throbbed, but he now knew that this shop had never been there before. Perhaps knowing that it had some sort of strange effect helped, or perhaps his she...
2025-08-04 02:30:46 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 15: The Devil You Know
The first day of hunting for information turned out to be more successful than Turner had hoped. Only one day in, and they had managed to find out some important details. Now, he just had to share them with the...
2025-08-04 02:16:44 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 14: Roots
"That... can't be the same woman we're chasing."
Turner stared. Both the date and the notation paired with it made no sense. Was this woman a descendant of the student here? And that name... it couldn't be the same Mi...
2025-08-04 02:07:29 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 13: Admission of Guilt
Turner had no choice but to follow the cackling doll.
Reginald was none the worse for wear, from what Turner could see, despite missing one arm at the elbow. The glow from his eyes cast an eerie blue shad...
2025-08-04 01:58:39 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 12: Farewell to the Frontier
"So you are telling me that you failed to find out where this murderous boy was going next, failed to find out where this enigmatic woman was headed, and also have no idea if they were responsible for the...
2025-08-04 01:48:23 +0000 UTC View PostChapter 11: Reginald
For the second time in as many weeks, Turner was unable to trust his own eyes.
He'd danced around the subject with Milo and Martin, but Turner knew real magic existed. It was subtle, gentle. It guided and eased thi...
2025-08-04 01:33:05 +0000 UTC View Post