E. Patrick Lacerna, aka Random Mudkip, The Woodsman, Velvet Canopy

Chapter 38: Why

Chapter 38: Why

The summer sun warmed my porcelain shell as I walked down Weath's main street. Children no longer ran from my mere presence. They waved, often calling out "No Eyes!" ...

Chapter 37: Return

Chapter 37: Return

The morning sun painted long shadows across Weath's main road as Mallie and I made our way into the village. My combat frame creaked with each step, the damage fro...

Chapter 36: Dragon

Chapter 36: Dragon

The Snapper Dragon's muscles bunched, and then it exploded toward me with frightening speed. Its maw gaped wide, revealing rows of yellowed teeth designed to crush...

Chapter 35: Partner

Chapter 35: Partner

I walked through Weath's dusty main street, my metal feet leaving deep imprints in the packed earth. The villagers paused in their daily tasks as I passed. Some f...

Chapter 34: Hunting

Chapter 34: Hunting

Within the warmth of Clarik's smithy, I worked. Laid out before me were my four weapons: One longsword, one curved short sword, a spear, and a mace. I had had the...

Crusade

Crusade

Soon, our union of kingdoms will march forth to conquer the Primordials or die trying. It will be the largest alliance of human races that has ever been attempted, all for the sole ...

Chapter 33: Adventurers

Chapter 33: Adventurers

The morning sun warmed my porcelain plates as I led Marshes and his team along the eastern forest's edge. My mechanical legs moved smoothly across the uneven ...

Chapter 32: Misunderstanding

Chapter 32: Misunderstanding

I held perfectly still as the unknown adventurers spread out around me. The Archer on the roof nocked an arrow while the others advanced with practiced c...

Chapter 31: Visit

Chapter 31: Visit

I followed Mallie through Weath's dirt paths, my new boots leaving clean impressions in the morning mud. The fitted clothes and porcelain frame drew stares from everyone w...

Chapter 30: Human-ish

Chapter 30: Human-ish

The rhythmic ping of hammer on metal filled Clarik's smithy as he and I worked on our separate projects. I was shaping the steel skeleton for my new form while ...

Chapter 29: Smithing

Chapter 29: Smithing

The rhythmic clanging of Blacksmith Clarik's hammer filled the smithy as I worked, carefully assembling the inner framework of my new form. Wood shavings and bit...

Chapter 28: Blame

Chapter 28: Blame

I combed through the spot where Vom had been, discovering just crushed vegetation and displaced foliage. The diminutive goblin had slipped away under cover of darkness, wi...

Chapter 27: Defend

Chapter 27: Defend

My mechanical legs propelled us through the darkness, servos whirring as I pushed them to their limits. Tree branches whipped past, barely missing my armored frame. Vom c...

Chapter 26: Traces

Chapter 26: Traces

My mechanical feet barely disturbed the underbrush as I moved through the darkened forest. The Mind Sight painted everything in varying shades of clarity; not color exact...

Chapter 25: Useless

Chapter 25: Useless

I listened to Mallie's report with growing unease, my mechanical hands stilling on the half-assembled contraption before me. Another family was dead. More accusat...

Chapter 24: Monster

Chapter 24: Monster

The morning dew clung to my mechanical legs as I stood with the gathered villagers and refugees. Harke adjusted the straps of his pack one final time, his hands tremblin...

Chapter 23: Gods

Chapter 23: Gods

I stood at the edge of the village, watching farmers lead their new temporary workers toward the fields. The mechanical joints of my four arms clicked as I shifted, the mor...

Chapter 22: Weath

Chapter 22: Weath

The Blue Water River's mouth stretched before us, its waters catching the last rays of sunlight. Our group moved with practiced efficiency now, setting up camp and posting...

Chapter 21: Green

Chapter 21: Green

The gray mud gave way to more patches of grass with each mile we covered. By the second day, green had overtaken the lifeless dirt entirely. The survivors' pace quickened ...

Chapter 21: Hellzone

Chapter 20: Hellzone

Two weeks of trudging through the Hellzone had hardened our large group. The survivors no longer huddled together at every sound, no longer flinched when corrupted beas...

Primordials

Primordials

Not a single soul born upon the surface of our world remains ignorant as to what the Primordials are. They are the enemy of all Mankind, yes. But that is just one facet of what ...

Chapter 19: Trek

Chapter 19: Trek

I stood beside Harke as he counted the survivors gathered near the entrance of Qordos. His quill scratched against parchment, marking names and numbers.

"Eighty-seven...

Chapter 18: Attack

Chapter 18: Attack

The pale light of dawn slowly crept over the mountain peaks, painting the slave camp in shades of dark gray. From my shed, I could hear the camp stirring; the early shift...

Chapter 17: Prepare

Chapter 17: Prepare

I fitted another metal plate into place, the edges aligned tightly and with no gaps thanks to Assembly. The new chest cavity housed delicate machinery, a framework of ge...

Chapter 16: Sneaky

Chapter 16: Sneaky

The days crawled slowly while I was stuck in my wooden prison. Between visits from Harke and Mallie, I traced patterns in the walls with my makeshift fingers, counting sp...

Chapter 15: Analyze

Chapter 15: Analyze

"Escaping won't be simple," Harke said, his fingers drumming against his notebook. "The camp has around sixty sla-slavers patrolling at all times."

Numbers. Me...