“I don’t give a fuck! She knows I can provide. You can't!” There was a hard slap sound from outside the shack. Truth came out of the shack where he was resting. The Chief was lowering his hand, a Level Zero sprawled, bleeding in the dirt.
“Little bitch. That’s why “your” girl ...
2023-08-16 16:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostThe boats were working in a zigzag pattern, their lights sweeping the water for the drugs floating in the polluted waters. Truth was wedged uncomfortably in the prow of one of the reeking fishing skiffs. On the other hand, given his organs seemed to be held together with spit and good wishes, wed...
2023-08-15 16:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostStarbrite’s waste filled the oceans like a latrine running into a well. One bit of Starbrite branded industrial waste was currently in agony. This did not make him unique. Lots of Starbrite’s leavings had agonizing deaths. Every minute of every day. Still, this particular bit of trash had no ...
2023-08-14 16:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostThe start of Volume 3 seemed like a good time to bring in a couple of format changes. Nothing too dramatic, but I wanted to flag them in a post to avoid confusion. First, and most immediately obvious, is that the chapter titles will now indicate volume number and restart from 1. So today's chapte...
2023-08-14 15:59:01 +0000 UTC View PostAll joking aside, this is a huge win. As I suspected, the mods were forced to act more quickly than they wanted to, and have been walking back some of the decisions. I'm off RR until the 20th. I am extremely grateful for the messages of support and will continue to do my best to bring you the bes...
2023-08-07 00:17:00 +0000 UTC View PostWell, this isn't how I planned to start the week. TL:DR- I won't be on RR for the foreseeable future, but I will be posting as usual here. Nothing should change on the Patreon side of things, other than untethering the tiers from RR.
Let's get the obvious out of the way- I was in the Secret...
2023-08-06 22:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostIf you haven't read today's chapter, read it first. If you have, scroll down and read the rest of this post.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
So ends Volume 2! Volume 3 begins a week from Monday. Candidly (I think by now most of you know my habits) I have writ...
2023-08-04 17:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostTruth smirked vindictively as he walked to Merkovah’s office. He had a fair idea of what would happen when that picture was published, and he really looked forward to the headache it would cause the “Hooray for heroes!” crowd.
“You look cheerful. I’m suddenly worried. AH!...
2023-08-04 16:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostTruth looked at the shard of glass. Then Merkovah. Then back at the glass. Then at Merkovah.
“I think I finally snapped. This is the what now?”
“Only just now? Sorry. I hate that thing with every fiber of my being. Not your fault.” Merkovah waived his apology. “Obliterat...
2023-08-03 16:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostTruth was sitting in the little chapel in Nag Hamadi, the same one he had found Etenesh praying in before the duel. He wasn’t sure why he was sitting there. He hoped some sliver of explanation would come to him. Some divine revelation.
He had finally found love. Loved. Been loved. And his...
2023-08-02 16:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostTruth teetered on the edge of what should have been an obvious decision and started to laugh. Deep, honest laughter, coming from the gut and bubbling through the pain and anger and joy and lust until it reached the open air as mirth tough enough to go the distance.
“Why go back to Hell? B...
2023-08-01 16:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostHis name was Truth Medici, and he was not alone. He didn’t have to work alone, think alone, fight alone. Truth Medici shared his life with another- Etenesh. And Etenesh loved him. Truly, wholly, passionately. He could feel her obsession, her need for something real and tangible she could devote...
2023-07-31 16:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostTruth had never taken someone for a ride with him on his iron horse. Another first for Etenesh. She snuggled behind him, pressing against his back as her arms wrapped around his waist. She was so warm.
He took them through the streets of Xandere at a speed most Level Three’s would conside...
2023-07-28 16:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostThey clustered around the scry together- Etenesh, Jember, Truth, and Merkovah, joined by what seemed like the entire staff of the Temple Nag Hamadi. The newscaster was stuttering, trying to explain what was going on as their brain was desperately trying to keep up with events.
The leg...
2023-07-27 16:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostTruth stared at the old man. The rancid geriatric was indifferent to the hard look and lit another cigarette off the burning cherry of the first.
“My soul is having visions without me.”
“Best guess? Yeah.” The old man nodded. He held up the cigarette and examined it. Truth was...
2023-07-26 16:00:18 +0000 UTC View PostTruth accepted that he wasn’t going to feel good, emotionally, for a while. It wasn’t fun. Well, definitionally, right? It wasn’t a nice feeling to sit with. But he did sit with it. He gave himself time to fully experience the sensation. He knew he had come a long way, emotionally and educa...
2023-07-25 16:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostIn the spirit of not springing any crap on people- I am taking a short break in two weeks. Both here and on Royal Road. How short? One week. I plan to use the time to rest, but more importantly, to do some reading and build up Stockpile Mountain for the big push into the back half of 2023. <...
2023-07-24 18:15:45 +0000 UTC View PostThe front entry way had a spot for people to take off their shoes and admire the professional pictures on the wall. Truth ignored both. He made his way to the living room, a vast space connecting the first and second floors of the duplex penthouse. There was glass covering the entire wall, giving...
2023-07-24 16:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post“I have another contract job for you. Purely infiltration. I would usually frame this as a training mission and a test of your development, but I know you won’t move an uncompensated centimeter.” Merkovah looked torn between laughter and frustration.
“By the way, you do unders...
2023-07-21 16:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostTruth was feeling a bit sorry for himself when he finally jogged into Nag Hamadi. By the time they had reached the city center, a comfortable run had turned into a three-dimensional, high-stakes obstacle course as he bounced over carriages, across chariots, off buildings, and between pedestrians....
2023-07-20 16:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostTruth fell on his ass on the forest floor. The noose loosened. He took great hacking gasps of air, snapping the ropes around his wrist with a casual flex.
“Here, have some water. You are probably dehydrated.” Merkovah crouched next to him and handed him a bottle. Truth grabbed it and ch...
2023-07-19 16:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post“I am intensely uncomfortable with this.”
“Oh, stop being a baby and put your hands behind your back.”
“Standing naked in a forest, tied up, about to be hung from a tree by a strange old man, you can see why this might set off alarms?”
“Strange? Strange! How am I s...
2023-07-18 16:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostTruth was in a thoughtful mood as he once again guarded a conference. This was a much smaller gathering, he was told, focused primarily on researching agricultural techniques without magical support. A few test fields had been trialed, and the results were disastrous. This, however, was not what ...
2023-07-17 16:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostTruth was feeling conflicted about the furious makeout session Etenesh demanded right then and there. On the one hand, it was really damn fun! On the other, it was awkward as hell. Merkovah was torturing a demon four meters away, and Jember was loudly cheering them on. Still, Etenesh was enthusia...
2023-07-14 16:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostThey had assembled once again in the basement of Nag Hamadi. The rough sandstone walls remained as sturdy as ever, the floors smoothed by centuries upon centuries of feet glistened in the talisman light. Even down here, the piney, warm smell of temple incense lingered. A place of reverence, even ...
2023-07-13 16:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostTruth was back in the reflection chamber. Naked again, but this time for a more practical than spiritual reason. Mastering the scales portion of Incicisve was now an urgent necessity. He thought it was best to be comfortable in his own skin.
He looked around the tiny chamber. Still...
2023-07-12 16:00:10 +0000 UTC View Post“So… this nightclub,” Truth asked Etenesh, “Can you… narrow down the description for me?” The carpet soared over the city traffic, a snarl of wagons, chariots, and clubs of people old enough to know better riding herds of identical spirit beasts through intersections and slowing traff...
2023-07-11 16:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post“Out of the chair?”
“That was Etenesh. I’m starting to think she has some kind of mothering, nurturing thing going.” Truth had managed to gingerly walk into Merkovah’s office/cell without crutches, but it was slow going.
“You think? You think? May the Lord Almig...
2023-07-10 16:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostEtenesh was pushing Truth’s wheelchair around a little park near Nag Hamadi. Truth had tried to decline, saying that he was getting around ok on crutches, but she was having none of it. As promised, the guilt trip came quickly and ruthlessly. Truth hobbled to the chair and obediently let himsel...
2023-07-07 16:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostThe Anti-Theists had converted a basement for their work. The roof was low, just a bit over two meters. Truth nearly scraped his head along it. All smooth, layered concrete laid by some ancient demon. Not a scrap of ventilation. It was hard to breathe. His only light was the glowing wooden stick ...
2023-07-06 16:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post