Bongosian Press posts
Posts: 112
Files: 70
§136 Dropping In
Taylor - Dimmik AirspaceThe messenger's steed was a gryphon. It was a far cry from Wen-Silvain's huge form, and it couldn't fly near the speed of sound. By mortal standards, it was an impressive creature, strong enough to carry two small-ish people at the same time. The beast sped over the hills and across ...
§135 Double Dare II
“We’re leaving!” Lindsey grabbed her hand, and they fled. They skirted the edge of the cave, then tried to cut through a gap in the enslaved crowd. Twice, they nearly ran headlong into the arms of more slaves coming from somewhere else, and ran a drunken line to a destination only Linsey could see. There was no w...
§134 Double Dare I
Princess Mariella — UndergroundMariella woke up in complete darkness. She lay on rough, hard stone. The air was thick and warm. She had a pain behind her eyes, like that time her older half-sisters convinced her to drink too much wine. Somewhere, liquid dripped periodically. The suggestion of water nearby her despera...
§133 Iredale III
By noon, he was peripherally aware that most of the battalion was ready to leave, taking a good portion of the healer contingent with it, but hadn't gone yet for some reason. Troops were standing around the coaches, waiting. After nearly an hour of that, the prince barged into the clinic. His hat was too tall for t...
§132 Iredale II
Cadmius arrived in a farmer's wagon, with two more behind him, all equipped with large wheels and high suspensions. Taylor dropped the screen and let themselves be seen as the wagons neared. In the mock battles, basic stealth was a requirement for healers and strong magicians. Otherwise, they could be eliminated at...
§131 Iredale I
The bulk of the opposition's force was situated well beyond the range of a normal praxis weapon or most magicians' long-range spells. Instead of huddling up in one place or making an organized camp, they scattered themselves on the expanse of empty land between the town and the hills. From high up, Taylor could...
§130 Green Notice
Taylor stood and turned toward them. "Ah, our Lady of Perpetual Annoyance. I knew the day was too peaceful to last." He was more polite to the partners and engaged them pleasantly about the wine they had brought and when the house might be open. His hands and voice did most of his emoting for him, while his fac...
§129 The Breakup
Prudence — Vawdrey HousePrudence was uneasy at breakfast. Part of the reason was that her entire family had returned to the estate. Breakfast at Vawdrey House was served buffet-style, and the family sat themselves at three tables, like soldiers in a mixed-service barracks. Nearly everyone was in uniform, and most of ...
§128 Meet-Up
They were directed to a fast carriage for non-IEF personnel who found themselves attached to the expedition. Eterine wasn't content to have them pull over so they could board. She had to make an entrance. She claimed her motive was to enhance Mariella's stature among strangers, but the excitement burned too bri...
§127 Pegasus
Princess Mariella — AvimoreThey had put her in sweltering leathers with too many straps, and a fur-lined helmet that squeezed her head. According to her attendant, it was supposed to feel like that. She was supposed to be preparing for school. Instead, she was trussed up like a bird for roasting. Mariella had seen th...
§126 Sinter
Curator Meltissa Jane — Sinter"Welcome to the Little Horn. Uh, you two look like you've come a long way.""Someone," Meltissa glared at Cadmius, "wanted to take a shortcut. Please tell me you have rooms, a stable, and a bath.""Yes, Mam." The elf receptionist glanced between them. &#...
§125 Overland
Curator Meltissa Jane - Estfold/Dimmik BorderlandsThey followed the tracks a full thirty hours behind the foreman and his empty train. The tracks cut along the hills, weaving back and forth, on a gradual uphill slope. They couldn't walk directly on the tracks, or they'd be spotted instantly by a patrol or when ...
§124 Rescue
He couldn't see his assailant, but he knew the shape of her. A long, toothy snout. Talons for fingers and toes. Skin made of jagged scales. Cruelty was written into her every aspect. She had eased up so he would know he was dying.One mistake: that's all it took to ruin everything. He'd messed it up. The god...
§123 The Haunt
Blake, Cook, Kasper, and Chambers unpacked and cleaned while Taylor completed his survey of the grounds. They wouldn't get through the entire house, but they could make a few rooms fit for habitation. Chambers kept a running log of everything the mansion required, including minor repairs. They would call Bona from ...
§122 House Shopping
TaylorEvery time Taylor went to sleep, Simon appeared and put him to work in the narrow crawlspace between life and death. At first, he only watched while Simon did his job. Taylor followed Death's minion like the intern that he was, watching carefully, asking questions, and learning. Simon was a decent teacher, ev...
§121 Side Track
Curator Meltissa Jane – Dimmik BorderlandsThey had to camp without fire, but that didn't mean they ate cold food. For a woman far from home, a good portable stove was a necessity if she wanted the comfort of tea or the occasional cup of warm broth to go with her nighttime reading. Meltissa's Personal Libraria...
§120 The Other Princess
Princess Mariella — Imperial Palace, AvimoreSummoning Miss Wibbles required a short song and a lot of shiny glitter, produced through non-systematized magic. Miss Wibbles didn't use to require so much ceremony when Mariella first summoned her, but then came a day when the slime delivered shocking news."The ot...
§119 Simon
Taylor - Wokehaad FarmsMaestro Nelis agreed to be Taylor's watcher, along with the farm's dedicated healer. They reviewed Mensa's instructions several times over and then tried to convince him not to go through with it."Nobody has ever spent three hundred on one skill. You should wait until you're o...
Erstdwerg, God of Arcs
Erstdwerg was the first of the racial gods, and is said to have created arcs from the best of the human race, and that is why arcs are so small. Arcs are born with an outsized curiosity but their wanderings always bring them home again. It was the Arcs who preserved mortal knowledge through the Fallen Age, that time be...
§118 Radegonde
Curator Meltissa Jane - RadegondeRadegonde was a sawmill town. Logs from Rosewood in the north and mountains in the south met there to be cut into rough timber and finished lumber. Half the town was dry-houses, heated warehouses that dried wood until it was stable enough to ship.The previous winter, Meltissa and Cadmiu...
§117 Apothecary
Without a word, they picked their way through the maimed bodies. The amount of blood was very modest, all things considered, and they were able to reach the ground floor without leaving bloody footprints behind them."Hold on." Taylor made her wait while he hammered the tiny bell at the reception counter."Wh...
§116 Shopping
The day's next appointments were in Moyalwande and Okujuni. Moyalwande reminded Taylor of pictures he'd seen of Venice. Ancient, ornate buildings rose from the water in decrepit white stone, ready to be washed away by one strong wave. From a well-timed entry into a small satellite town, they boarded a fast carr...
§115 The Other Place
Taylor's group rode toward the mountain in a carriage, along a road he had laid down rather hastily. Ahead of them, the smooth ground switched back and forth a few times, uphill, before entering a large lava tube. His portal to the Other Place was deep inside the mountain, so they didn't need to climb the entir...
§114 Mt. Uroda
Taylor, Mt. UrodaThey stood around a table, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Two elder beastkin were in attendance, members of the council that ran Rossignol province, one of them a bushkin with large eyes and strong legs, the other a graying ratkin. There was a sub-minister of diplomatic affairs from the Dorian Emp...
§113 Conclusions
Later that night, Taylor and Cecilia rode Tristan through the portals to return her to Vawdrey house in Celosia. The horse rippled like silk under the stars, eating up distance with improbable speed."You have an amazing household. You know that, right? Cook is incredible. That was the best party I've been to si...
§112 Cleanup
Taylor — BostkirkWhile Kasper checked in with home through the mirror, Taylor collected his loot: the four statues and everything that spilled out from their inventory, including enough trapped souls to fill a sack.The totems weren't exactly tiny, and he wasn't sure how they needed to be stored. That magician...
Posting Schedule and Volume 5
The final chapters of Alchemist will be posted on Wednesday and Thursday. (Yes, there is an epilogue chapter on Christmas.)On Friday, we'll begin volume 5. I'm only about 25k words into that book, which is less than I usually want before posting the first chapter. I don't even have a title for the book, no...
§111 Rescue
Taylor recovered his spent gems and his other materials and threw another mana crystal into his inventory, where it would gradually recharge him. He needed to leave quickly, if he could."Clean this up the best you can," he told Genova, "make liberal use of the baking soda, and wash with water. Don't let...
§110 Alchemy
If magic didn't work on something directly, then it was time to try indirect effects. Taylor pulled three projectiles from his inventory, conical slugs of heavy alloy, and shot them at the monster using his modified Rock Shot. Magic propelled the slugs at near supersonic speed, but the ammunition was perfectly mund...
§109 Crossroad
We thought ourselves untouchable when he refused our provocations. Then came the day we learned the awful truth: that we had long sheltered in the lee of his contempt.— The Mines of Shik-KaranTaylorIt took nearly an hour to get to the portal tree. Along the way, he summoned Hermes with the pen that wrote in silver ma...
