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ThePudding

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Neophyte World Builder: Chapter 4

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?

â€...

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Neophyte World Builder: Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Orientation (Topology)

INITIALIZING GENESIS ENGINE

Reality Points: 10000

A screen popped up out of nowhere, filling my vision. It wasn’t a physical s...

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Neophyte World Builder: Chapter 2

Chapter 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...

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Neophyte World Builder: Chapter 1

Chapter 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 ...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 36

Chapter 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 ...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 35

Chapter 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 ne...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 34

Chapter 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...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 33

Chapter 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 ...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 32

Chapter 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 wa...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 31

Chapter 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 Pene...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 30

Chapter 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 wo...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 29

Chapter 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 followe...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 28

Chapter 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 i...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 27

Chapter 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 tak...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 26

Chapter 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.

<...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 25

Chapter 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 ...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 24

Chapter 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 No...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 23

Chapter 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 wa...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 22

Chapter 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 View Post

Engines of Obsession: Chapter 21

Chapter 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 Ed...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 20

Chapter 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. T...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 19

Chapter 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 h...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 18

Chapter 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 mo...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 17

Chapter 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 imme...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 16

Chapter 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...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 15

Chapter 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 importan...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 14

Chapter 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...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 13

Chapter 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 elb...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 12

Chapter 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 ...

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Engines of Obsession: Chapter 11

Chapter 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 exist...

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