“Here again. Did it bring food, or is it food?” it hissed at Anselm. He tried to pick out what tree the serpent spoke from, but the myriad of swamp sounds distorted the source. The haruspex waded forward in the water, holding the offering pouch at arm’s length. “I have what you seek, serpent. Do you have what was promised?” As his words echoed through the murk and fog of the swamp, he dropped the pouch. It barely made a splash in...

Jeremy gasped. The air burned but he grabbed as much as he could before he was smashed back under the water. Something bright and golden crossed his vision before his submersion and nearly caused him to lose his lungful of breath. He tried to pull himself to the surface, but something strong and sharp grabbed his ankle. It pulled hard and he found himself being drawn to the bottom of the tank. The grip loosened and he kicked to the surface...

Another slap across the face. This kid’s got a good back hand, good enough to knock a tooth loose. He practices, I can tell that kind of thing. “It’s now or never, Abyss. You tell us how you are resisting, or we break you forever.” He was a scrawny runt, despite the back handing. Probably all his exercise done on blow up dolls and tricks from the street who don’t know his reputation. I tell him as much and he gives me another...

The spear seemed to be leaning against the throne, and shaking violently at the same time. Its presence could be felt even this far away and it was frightening Yueern. Such a thing shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t exist, and this close to it, Yueern could feel the goddess Phaion leave her. She made the sign of the rising moon and setting sun, calling on Phaions sisters moon and sun to guide her through the blinding night sure to...

The dome was the first thing built. Its surface was polished and perfect, as only these builders could manage. While the next phase begun, the overseers placed the final device above the dome, in the thirteen perfect circles built for the device. The builders focused next on the outlining areas, gathering the raw materials into organized sections throughout the inner grid. As metal, plastics, wood, raw carbon, and stone travelled the...

While I had taken to using the stairs these past years, I still occasionally would risk the lift. Sometimes I just had too much baggage and needed to deal with the ride rather than trying to climb past the broken, lost, and insane that took up space on the stairs. With their morally weak souls and minds, they could not stand the brilliance that lay above them, choosing instead to lay where they may amongst the light and shadows. The lift,...