Fantasy
The Sirens Didn’t Kill Them
People still tell it like it was simple. “They stopped their ears with wax,” the storytellers say, as if wax is a thing you find lying around on the shore like driftwood. As if it does not come from mouths and bodies and seasons. As if it does not have a smell that clings to your hands for days. As if it does not remember the warmth that made it soft.
By Flower InBloom19 days ago in Fiction
The Cairn Beside the Lake. Top Story - February 2026.
And so it came to pass that King Ertharion, Tenth King of Lombaia, stood beside the still lake below unrelenting and unassailable cliffs with the remainder of his harried host. In what was the tenth year of his reign and his forty-fourth upon this great green earth, Menigo the Betrayer, cousin of King Ertharion, pressed home his false claim.
By Matthew J. Fromm19 days ago in Fiction
Red Lights. Content Warning.
The winter storm came on fast and hard. Luckily it was almost closing time, and it was a slow enough day that I could get the end-of-day cleanup done before locking the gate and heading out. Within the hour, you could barely see across the parking lot of the mall to the road beyond.
By Alicia Anspaugh19 days ago in Fiction
Beginner's Luck: Critical Mass 3
Fluke twisted and threw the fishing net on top of the falling Outsider. The stones that acted as weights, let out a soft blue glow, and wrapped themselves around the warrior. The Librarian used his hand hold on the ankle of the downed assailant and rolled into a straight ankle lock of the creature's lower leg. With a short yell of exertion, several audible fleshy and bony pops could be heard, which made Fluke's stomach turn for a moment. The Outsider shrieked and panted now unable to escape the net or run. The Librarian took short gasping breaths lifting his mask for a moment to breathe easier.
By Everett Scaife20 days ago in Fiction
Beginner's Luck: Critical Mass 2
When Migoene and Myene reached the beach they found the final boss waiting for them. They were both out of breath but to their surprise their enemy did not strike them in their momentary state of weakness. They focused all attention on this loan warrior now standing before them. He stood with his arms behind his back at attention, the sea breeze blowing caught the cape for a moment, lifting it occasionally. The crimson skies broke their dominance, and now the normal blue skies reigned supreme. Migoene looked for anything out of the ordinary, seeing only a small non sentient human fiddling with a fishing net not far away. Migoene whispered to Myene, "Leave the non sentient until the final boss is dead. If we get distracted for a moment I fear it will be the opening he needs. These humans have been dishonorable and brutal: that child is bait."
By Everett Scaife20 days ago in Fiction
Beginner's Luck: Critical Mass
The Librarian sat cross legged on the beach being bathed in the blood red light of the rift world. He worked hard to clear his mind of the emotional turmoil he now felt. The death of his two lieutenants had shook him to his core, for they were the closest thing he had to children, or brothers. They had chosen their paths, and their masks had been earned with him standing by to guide them. He had been filled with pride the day both of them had achieved their second advancements on their masks. Flooded now with memories of them, he fought to keep a level head with a fight now marching towards him. Several times he felt the cold slime of grief well up inside his throat, threatening to break his composure. Silent tears were streaming down his cheeks, but he forced his breathing calm.
By Everett Scaife20 days ago in Fiction
The Chronicles of Availian. Content Warning.
A wrathful blizzard scoured the surface of the Earth in nature's call for retaliation. Not a single inch was spared from nature's wrath. There was too much corruption and darkness roaming in a world meant for balance and life. The humans who dwelt there refused to take notice of the warnings as they vied for power and dominance. They sucked the planet dry of its resources to empower themselves, and then they focused on war. Turning their cruelty onto their own kind. Soaking the world in innocent blood. It was the poor who suffered the onslaught of the rich and powerful. There was no compassion or remorse for those who called themselves the world powers. They only thought of themselves and their comforts as they ravaged their own lands and then forged on to ravage the lands of others. Their greed and lust for power made them want what others had, and they forced their way into the ranks of neighbors. Bending the people to their will so that they could call themselves superior in their domination over life. Soon, rights were revoked, medical care denied, starvation took root, and the homeless outnumbered those who could afford homes.
By Valdeara Wallberg20 days ago in Fiction
