Tsaimath

Chapter 1234

• AN: You wouldn’t believe how difficult it was to keep myself from making a “thumb-war” joke in this chapter.

The crumbling sounds coming from the guardian’s shell were incredible to witness. The whole thing falling apart sounded more like a landslid...

Chapter 1233

The fact that the guardian looked and acted just like it had during our first confrontation provided me with a comforting sense of relief. If it had acted in an entirely different manner, maybe already trying to counter the way we had fought against it before, it would be evidence of a fair intel...

Chapter 1232

Finding the best spot for an engagement was a difficult challenge. The primary problem was that we couldn’t make the guardian appear. So far, we hadn’t even tried to venture deeper into the mountains using other paths, simply because I hadn’t been willing to risk another encounter until we ...

Chapter 1231

Most of the time, the lingering connection between me and my Astral Power, even after it ostensibly had left my direct control, was an incredible boon. It allowed me to wield my powers over a much greater distance, to infuse objects in ways other people just couldn’t and accomplish a few other ...

Chapter 1230

“So, Mother, do you have a good plan to deal with that Guardian?” Lia asked me as we were sitting down together, going over the things we had seen throughout the day. Or night, in Lia’s case. At the same time, Luna and I were eating dinner, and I would give Lia a drink of blood, topping off...

Chapter 1229

The more I looked at the mountains in the area, the more I realised just how troublesome this would be. The entire landscape was one of ice and rocks, with a few small streams running off the ice in areas where the sun was shining directly on it. The only trees in sight were on the ...

Chapter 1228

Luckily, a tactical withdrawal from the Tallest’ Guardian was easily accomplished. While the thing was studendously powerful and about as durable as the average mountain, it was also about as fast as a glacier. That is, one without the benefit of an avalanche or some other instability, just the...

Chapter 1227

The moment after I managed to rouse the rest of my family from the brief stupor the roar had pushed them into, things became hectic. Incredibly so, with everyone scattering, trying to get into the best position possible. Lia instantly moved to the side, trying to keep her portable shade as deploy...

Chapter 1226

After we initially entered the mountains, there had been a small betting pool between the four of us, only Sasha not yet able to join in on the fun. The question had been, which of the numerous beasts calling these mountains their home would be the first to take a swipe, charge or swoop at us in ...

Chapter 1225

Leaving the giants behind was quite the liberating experience. I hadn’t really noticed just how stressful escorting a band of territorial giants had been. Sure, there had been quite a few emergencies in which I had been forced to focus and use some of my sizable focus to bring them back to task...

Interlude: A Rising Force

If there was one thing Maggy could appreciate about the shitshow the world had turned into, it was the lack of paperwork. No endless files to keep track of, no forms to fill out in triplicate, no bureaucratic bullshit turning even the most minor and trivial thing into an entire production. Grante...

Chapter 1224

As my efforts to develop teamwork among the giants had yet to succeed, settling them was a bit of a challenge. I had continuously nudged them along with a combination of their own, innate desire to roam and find a place to settle and Mind Magic, keeping them interested in travelling and occasiona...

Chapter 1223

There was something incredibly eerie about the realisation that the entire population of a US state had likely died or been turned into something inherently inhuman by the Change. Looking at older maps of Alaska and comparing those with the things I could see thanks to my scrying constructs was a...

Chapter 1222

There was something slightly eerie about the ruins hidden below the Ice. A part of me wanted to go there, to personally investigate the Ice covering the city, as there had to be something magical about it. Nothing else made any real sense, not with the massive hunk of ice just sitting there, in t...

Chapter 1221

There were many ways in which one might react to seeing strange, green-skinned and slimy creatures, slightly reminiscent of the Rumcols in t

There were many ways in which one might react to seeing strange, green-skinned and slimy creatures, slightly reminiscent of the Rumcols in the old Cra...

Chapter 1220

There was something deeply satisfying about the knowledge that the current stage of our journey was almost at an end. Over the last two, maybe three, weeks, the pull I could feel from the Nexus had shifted from a heading almost directly North-West, towards one that pulled me straight north. Given...

Chapter 1219

One big challenge regarding travelling with a group of territorial giants surrounding you was navigating natural barriers. As we made our way from what once was Yukon into Alaska,  the towering mountains posed a massive challenge. I could hardly keep the giants separated from one another whi...

Chapter 1218

As it turned out, the tried and true method of applying carrot and stick worked with the giants just as well as it did with so many other creatures. Giving them positive reinforcement when they acted in ways I approved of meant that they readily acted in those ways, although I made sure to gradua...

Chapter 1217

As it turned out, getting a few Giants to move as one wanted them to was, amusingly, fairly simple. They liked the small and somewhat comfor

As it turned out, getting a few Giants to move as one wanted them to was, amusingly, fairly simple. They liked the small and somewhat comfortable shel...

Chapter 1216

AN: How do you feel about something like this as divider for future chapters? Also, how well centred does it show up for you? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• AN: How do you feel about something like this as divider for future chapters? Also, how well centred does it show up for you?

  2025-08-02 16:00:17 +0000 UTC View Post

Interlude: Of distant places

• AN: Not sure how well the scene-dividers work, let me know please. Enjoy

Deep in the swampy marshes of the Mississippi delta, a small group of strange, semi-aquatic creatures was slowly making their way towards their destination. The leader amongs...

Chapter 1215

I just couldn’t help but cackle softly to myself. There was something deeply satisfying about manipulating these simple creatures, especially the one we called Naya. She might just be a masterpiece, and if things worked out as I hoped they would, I could see myself adopting her as yet another o...

Chapter 1214

As it turned out, changing the evolutionary trajectory of an entire race was just as difficult as one would expect. Luna, even after a few days of thinking and a couple of careful and quite restricted experiments, had no idea how to fundamentally increase a Giant’s intelligence.

Judging b...

Chapter 1213

A part of me couldn’t help but wish that David Attenborough were here with us. Watching the giants was quite fascinating. Their behaviour, while animalistic, had some sophistication and subtle hints that they weren’t completely dumb, only mostly. Having Mr Attenborough with us, or rather, hav...

Chapter 1212

While I was quite some distance away, the raven I had left behind allowed me to watch the previously injured giantess rise without trouble. If not for the oddity of the situation, it would likely have been quite amusing. The giantess looked incredibly confused, her hands touching the numerous pla...

Chapter 1211

As I watched the encounter between the two giants, I was once again struck by a profound sense of cognitive dissonance. Should I consider these creatures intelligent to the point that I could apply the same standards I would use for humans and similar beings, or should I consider them beasts and ...

Chapter 1210

Giants could be called a lot of things. Strong, hardy and durable, certainly. Persistent and intuitive regarding certain topics, too. But anyone daring to use adjectives related to their intelligence to describe them would be a liar, unless the adjectives focused on the lack of it. Giants were, a...

Chapter 1209

“So, there’s somebody sleeping over there?” I asked, not quite sure what to make of this unexpected development. The wall of thorns appeared to be fairly solid, meaning it would provide decent shelter against animals and similar beasts, but, at the end of the day, it was just a mess of tang...

Chapter 1208

Following trails without knowing what you were actually looking for was always an adventure. In this case, the trail continued through the forest for a bit, narrowing to the point that it became invisible when observed from above and thus forcing us to be extra vigilant, as my scrying constructs ...

Chapter 1207

“Got something,” Lia called out, making Luna and me move over to the area where she had been investigating the trail I had found and its surroundings. We had no idea what might have made this path, and my scrying constructs could only do so much thanks to the fairly dense trees all around us,...