EdgeCases

DRR Book 4, Chapter 47 — Realignment

According to Novi, we have exactly an hour to do this. How she knows all this is apparently a matter of her Path of Sight. She can see into the underlying truths of reality, she claims, in a way th...

Just Add Mana 2 — The Art of Attunement

Despite Akkau's apparent desire to take Cale... somewhere, the dragon seemed incredibly resistant to the idea of using a teleportation spell to do so. Cale didn't really get it, considerin...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 46 — Beat 'Em Up

There's a fun little trick Guard and I have learned about our respective abilities—specifically, in my ability to Anchor and in the chains he likes to use. It's a sort of intrinsic synergy, somet...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 45 — Talented Dispute

Versa was starting to regret her decision to fight on Ethan's side.

She was, of course, sure that her past self was correct in her assessment of the newest Trialgoer's capabilities. That didn...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 44 — A Difference in Time

Filian was nervous. As far as his memories went, that wasn't particularly unusual for him. His "father" was volatile at the best of times, and while he remembered plenty of good moments wi...

Just Add Mana 1 — Mana Overload

Synopsis:

The more lives you've lived, the more mana you have, and Cale has lived too many lives to count.

At this point, his core is closer to the magical equivalent o...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 43 — Possibility and Sacrifice

"Ethan," Ahkelios says quietly. I try to look at him, though my vision is blurry from Firmament use; I can't quite focus through it all. Not a lot of time has passed, but the strain of keeping Fiel...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 42 — Tree of Death

This isn't the first time I've encountered Firmament like this. I've seen it once before in the Empty City, used to create an Abstraction for the express purpose of killing me. I'm not surprised th...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 41 — Life and Death

Author's Note: Just a quick pre-chapter note! Chapter 39 was posted as an extra off-sc...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 40 — What Hides Within

The first Compressive Pulse I throw against the other Ethan explodes with so much force it hurls him back down the tunnel he emerged from, obliterating half the chamber wall in the process.

I...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 39 — Time After Time

Ethan was using Temporal Link a lot, and it put a surprising amount of strain on Ghost, considering what he was trying to do.

He didn't mind it. Whatever Ethan was up to, he was figh...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 38 — Collapse

Premonition as a skill has saved my life countless times. I've never seen it react like this—the thing is in near-panic, to the point where it's almost difficult for me to think through the level...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 37 — Presentation

A clump of vines sporting distorted, screaming wings of crystal launches itself at me. I grit my teeth and summon a Force Construct to block it. The wings themselves can't get through my armor, but...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 36 — 'Neath the Wooded Shrine

It doesn't take us long to find the chamber where the Seed is kept. In fact, it almost feels like the Sewers are rearranging themselves to make it easier for us to get there. I can feel the rumblin...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 35 — Ghostly Recurrence

Ghost had no idea how he would feel when he saw his old friends again. A small part of him was worried about it, but a greater part of him was mostly excited. To think Bimar and He-Who-Wanders were...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 34 — Sibling Rivalry

I'm met with a familiar scene when the Tear finishes materializing around me. A lizard points a blaster at another one of her species, someone that looks pretty much like he could be her brother. I...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 33 — Worst Place to Have a Picnic

I try to put that last revelation out of my mind. Adeya and the others, thankfully, understand the reason behind the delay once I explain what happened. "Just let us know next time," is all she ask...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 32 — Knock-On Effect

A spark blossoms in my mind and unfolds into a temporal map.

For the first time, I have a location. I know exactly where to find an echo of a Trialgoer in the moments before they end. Accordi...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 31 — Teardown

The more Versa tells me about the Great City of Palus, the more I appreciate the effort she put into coming here to warn me about it. I've gotten an overview from Guard before, but not in this much...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 30 — Convergence

Kauku was, all things considered, relatively pleased with the way his plans were proceeding. Granted, the word relatively was doing a lot of work in that sentence.

The seal he'd put ...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 29 — First Meetings

I decide to try starting with an explanation.

"I'm a Trialgoer like you are," I say.

She narrows her eyes at me. "Likely story."

Like before, a dagger made of Firmament materializ...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 28 — Physical Mastery

The Physical skills present a bit of an easier choice than the Astral one, thankfully. I prefer avoiding damage rather than tanking it, and while defending others is a good use of my Body skills, E...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 27 — Energetic Associations

Adeya wasn't kidding about the Sewer's monsters mostly attacking in waves. I'm not sure what to make of it, but after we clear the Root Acolytes, we aren't bothered by monsters again for a while—...

DRR Book 4, Chapter 26 — A Murder in Carusath

The worst part about the loops, Naru reflected, was the fact that he had no idea when a reset would happen. For all his desperation to get into them, now that he was actually here, he'd realized on...