DB Lazarus

32. Revelations and Negotiations - III

I should just say yes, but I was the only other Human here.  “Is this still a fair deal?“  Her face darkened with annoyance, and I hurried to explain.   “I know enchanting...

31. Revelations and Negotiations - II

“We were in a hurry.  It isn’t exactly a common thing that one happens upon possible null materials.”

“Screw my negotiation and then force me to educate.” She shoo...

30. Revelations and Negotiations - I

Got this finished up a bit earlier and wanted to post it a bit early since I left you all hanging a bit on the last one. I am hoping it doesn't feel too contrived and everyone seems in character. N...

Christmas Holiday

Hi everyone,

I wanted to give you all a quick heads-up about my posting schedule over the holiday season. To avoid any confusion, I’m planning to take a short break after C...

29. The Commons - II

Just FYI, ends on a minor cliff.

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The knock on the barred front door was loud enough to carry all the way back to even the bathroom.  It wasn�...

28. The Commons - I

The rest of the day in the mine was uneventful. I didn’t question when he called an end to our shift.  Instead, I carried our tools back to the cart to return them to the supply room.

...

27. Mining & Surviving - II

I returned to cracking rocks with my pickaxe, but that was short lived.  Now that I had proved that I could infuse more than a light stone, Dorian no longer bothered providing larger rocks to ...

26. Mining & Surviving - I

Author note:

Hi everyone. Happy early Thanksgiving! I wanted to say thank you so much for your support.

Just a few notes. I realized recently that the process I had used to edit my chap...

25. Visiting the [Tailor]

We headed towards the crafting section of the camp, which lay in the shadow of the mountain.  What remained of my hospital attire fit under my arm in a depressingly small bundle.  As we h...

24. Home Sweet Home

I stared at the door as it slammed shut.  While he left me with no explanation, I still walked over and barred the door.  I may not understand why Dorian was so upset, but I could underst...

23. The Wager - II

He then went quiet and studied my face, paying extra close attention to my temple.  I almost reached up to cover my Mark given the intensity of his gaze, though it helped that he approached wi...

22. The Wager - I

“Sorry.”  His smile made a mockery of his apology.

“Damnit, Dorian, don’t do that again.  You are going to give me a heart attack”

I glanced at his hal...

21. Learning to Channel - II

Just like that, the energy cut off and the stone dimmed before my eyes. I tried again, but my breaths kept disrupting me.  The energy scattered, sending a waving of tingling down my torso and ...

20. Learning to Channel - I

I tried to put aside the implications of mutterings as I gave the room another once over.  The room held eight beds, seven unmade.  Seven men who had not returned from mine.

...

19. A Return to the Living

My eyes opened to a familiar dark room. 

Esper. 

She had to be the doctor in my dream.  Though, was it really a dream?  So much remained mu...

18. Critical Care - II

Pa—

Everything dissolved into excruciating pain.

Pay—

Sea...

17. Critical Care - I

Beep.  Beep.

I blinked.  Fluorescent lights came into focus.

Beep.  Beep.

“You’re awake.”  Before I could turn my head, he sa...

16. Overdosing

The Volk did not even blink as I entered the cave and grabbed another cart.

Not that surprising.  After all, what is a—what did Dorian call me? A tier 1 Human?—going to do? 2024-10-24 04:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post

15. Harvest & Cleanup - II

I had started sucking air as soon as we hit the main cavern.  It didn’t get better with each step after that. The cart’s wheels seemed to actively work against me.  Their resistance i...

14. Harvest & Cleanup - I

Neither of us said anything more as we headed back to the mine’s entrance. I needed time to digest everything from my dismal place in this world to the fact monsters seemed to be commonplace.&nbs...

13. Fights & Potions - II

I didn’t correct his misunderstanding about my past.  It was true in many ways after all.  Instead, I took another dab of the potion to apply it to the larger lacerations.  The vis...

12. Fights & Potions - I

Not knowing what else to do, I followed after him. In the next cavern, the cheering had turned into screeches.

Dorian stopped at the edge of the tunnel and turned his head back to spea...

11. Enter the Mine - II

He led me around the corner.  As we walked, our conversation was punctuated by the sounds of crumbling stone.  “Have you mined before?”  Before I could say a word, he added, “D...

10. Enter the Mine - I

I easily found the entrance to the mine. A large gash in the cliffside that reached far above the height of any of the buildings marked the entrance. However, as I approached, the size of the entra...

9. Everything Has a Price

“By the Gods, he is a pain.  Don’t you dare try a stunt like that.  You will be dead faster than you can blink.”  I just nodded, not that I needed a reminder.  My neck sti...

8. Lay of the Land

A stiff gust of wind hit me as soon as I walked out of the door.  It cut like a knife, and I pulled my white coat closed to ward off the cold.  My shock turned to awe as I found the sourc...

7. Lessons

I calmed down...eventually.  Not once did anyone come to check on me.  I truly was alone.  I had somehow pissed off the only person who seemed to care.

“Better off wit...

6. Meet the [Healers] - II

I awoke to a similar pulsation.  I jerked to a sitting position before I remembered how sore I was.  I cringed in regret, but no pain came.

“I am sorry for that, but you to...

5. Meet the [Healers] - I

Did I break every bone in my body?  Every part of me ached. With each breath, each minute movement, pain lanced throughout my body.  I had taken care of so many people who complained of p...

4. Integration

I woke to an incessant beeping punctuated by intermittent hissing. I rolled my head to the side to follow two tubes to their respective machines: a ventilator and a battery of IV pumps.  I was...