Gerard laughed and clapped his hands, “Outstanding. Your mother would be so proud.”
Merinde’s features darkened. “No. I don’t think she would,” she said, turning away to gaze off into the distance. Continue reading
“You’re shitting me.”
“No ma’am,” Carl said, “Kaye actually fired off a couple of battle preps, thinking something big was incoming.”
Andi covered her mouth and tried not to laugh. She was not very successful.
“It’s okay, you can enjoy it,” he said, “Hell knows we did when the truth came out.” Continue reading
Kurn’s howl of pain as the creature clamped its mandibles with full intent of severing his leg at the knee was bitten off into his own fierce snarl of determination. His knuckles blanched white with the force of his grip upon his embedded sword. His neck corded as the rain pouring down his face mingled with sharp sweat; with a chitinous crack he wrested the sword free from the creature and lifted it to his full reach. That the creature had firm hold of him had one advantage — it couldn’t dodge. Kurn slammed his sword point-first into the creature’s back with full intent of taking its head off. Continue reading
Cleaning house. An interesting turn of phrase that embodies getting one’s shit in order, tightening up the ranks and rectifying a long standing obstacle or wrestling one of the monkeys latched onto your back. The exhilaration felt after a good house cleaning always seems to overshadow the perceived weight of the task which had loomed insurmountable. Yet, we never seem to see the freedom which awaits around the next bend, more content to rationalize the status-quo of the burden. There is always so much else that requires management on the ever scrolling list of priorities. Right?
Bullshit. Continue reading
Xorton was more of a nuisance than a menace to the town of Shifting Wind. Somewhere in the hulking brute’s past, his bloodline was touched with that of Orc, and speculators thought that a taint of Ogre was mixed into his lineage as well. Whatever his bastardized heritage, he stood well over seven feet tall with the physique of a small frigate. As is often the case with such extremes, his intellect was equally lacking, but he had the dreamy heart of a child.
The local constabulary devised a means to manage the good-natured man-child, who by all accounts was relatively sedate if his belly and mug were kept full. Hunger had a way of bringing out the nastier side of this beast though, and after a few broken bones and considerable property damage over the years, the issue needed addressed. Continue reading
Gordon’s alarm was going off. The shrill trill slicing into his sleepy warmth. One flapping arm found no nightstand, but was greeted by the sodden earth and the crush of leaves. His eyes snapped open and he stared along the forest floor that served as his bedding. The sharp singing of a nearby songbird brought his displacement into focus, and he lifted his head, searching for remnants of the corpse which had snatched him.
Only the rich visage of nature stared back. He plucked a slug off of the back of one hand and rose to his feet with a weary creak. The ancient forest around him was awash in a muted glow. The high canopy shielded the mighty trees which ranged as far as he could see. The slow turn and stare he made came to a halt as a man stepped into view. Continue reading
Gerard drew up, absorbing his surroundings. Merinde drifted to a standstill as she watched the Halfling. Anibel was absent for the moment. She periodically emerged using what she referred to as windows of opportunity. Both Merinde and Gerard had pressed her for details, but the enigmatic spellcaster would, or perhaps could, offer no additional insight.
“Did you feel that?” Gerard asked. Merinde shook her head. Gerard nodded and said, “Another faint tremor, but they’re definitely falling off. I’m hoping that’s good.” The Ranger had voiced his interest in determining more details surrounding the tremors, but the collective thought was for expediency in their quest to reach the Seeming.
“You’ve been changing our course,” Merinde said. Continue reading
“We’re not implementing nookie for cookies,” Andi said, “We’ve been over that. A lot.”
Carl chuckled. “And it’ll cause more problems than it’ll cure. I get that. It’s just–”
The snack cupboard exploded open. One hinge mangled, the door hung askew as boxes of cookies fell from the cabinet in a steady waterfall. Well, cookiefall. Carl watched the cascade with fascination. The pooling cookie parts on the floor tickled his appetite, and he actually felt himself walking across the crunchy floor. He wouldn’t remember it later, but his darker self fancied picking cookie bits from the soles of his feet and popping them into his mouth. Continue reading
Rôhn hefted the warhammer in his meaty hand, eyes shifting back and forth taking in the unfolding scene as if he were deciding which beast to extinguish first. With a curt nod and a grim visage, Rôhn pounded across the ground on his stout legs, bellowing a war cry as he charged the Ankheg menacing Kurn from the south.
“My hammer will find your skull!” Continue reading
“Nothing’s ever easy.”
One of my father’s favorite dadisms. He had many, as most dads do, but this adage seemed to adhere to my life lessons and their application more than many others. We shortened it to N.E.E. for more poignant usage, and on many occasions it has been expanded into “Nothing’s Ever Fucking Easy.” Not as fatherly as the original, but you get the gist. Continue reading