DB Lazarus

61. Further Inroad - I

Somehow, I started the following day in both the same and a completely different manner.  I woke before the bell marking the shift change, though today I was refreshed, my muscles without a hint of an ache. I threw a sweater over my undergarm...

60. Acquired Immunity - IV

Hi, this was a double post (none this Sat). Make sure you have already read the previous chapter (III) before reading this one.

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That was the only invitation he needed.  He was charging before the red light of his marks hit fu...

59. Acquired Immunity - III

Hi everyone, I am posting both Wed's and Sat's posts today since I got them both done and the first chapter ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Enjoy.

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The trip to the healer's lodge was shorter than the one to Kyria Rhaptis’s ho...

58. Acquired Immunity - II

I had taken longer than I should have in the bath.  By the time I had left, the sun had long set.  Dinner was wrapping up.  My food had long since become cold. The only consolation was that nobody was around to bother me when I ate ...

57. Acquired Immunity - I

A pair of calloused fingers snapped in front of my face.

Everything I had done…it amounted to nothing when compared to what she had managed without breaking a sweat.  How could I compete with that?  She fixed the injuries—compl...

56. At the Brink - III

The effects of my first attempts at enhancing the healing potion fell below expectations.  If the inefficiencies came from distance, I had no hope of saving him.  However, if pharmacokinetics were the source and my theories held, then pe...

55. At the Brink - II

I touched his shredded abdomen with my blood-soaked fingertips.  The moment my hands contacted his blood-soaked clothes, the potion called to me.  This time, I didn’t deny it, not that I had a choice.  By not closing myself off, I...

54. At the Brink - I

No one stopped me when I left the line.  A few Ættir had used some choice words as I slipped between them, but I had better uses for my skill set, even if most of the company had no desire to take advantage of them.  Also, the Ættir di...

53. The Depth’s Wrath - II

Some things are better left unseen. The monstrosity in front of me was one of them.  Worse, if we survived this, I had no doubts that Dorian would explain this thing’s average tier, range of levels, and powers in excruciating detail. But I ...

52. The Depth’s Wrath - I

“—rower.”  In the din of the battle, I missed the first half of what was shouted, but I recognized the voice.  Dorian had made it.  Even the sheer urgency in his yell couldn’t dampen my relief.  He was alive and healthy...

51. Surgical Extraction - III

Up next meant going to the tunnel’s mouth and using [Whirlwind].  I would not replace him on the front line, but I would lose my guardian.  I swallowed the bile, or more realistically the stomach juices, trying to escape.  Had he ...

50. Surgical Extraction - II

FYI, the story is starting to shift into more action/healing. There will still be world-building, but it should be more focused. Going forward, like the next two chapters, there will be more linked chapters with cliffhangers. This chapter has a...

49. Surgical Extraction - I

It didn’t occur to me all the ways that Dorian’s conversation could go wrong until I had stored the first sample.  I then rushed to store the rest of the samples, leaving cleanup of the rest of the kit for later.  Despite it taking l...

48. Hidden Fault Lines - II

“Here is the thing about Humans: that diversity in their classes is no joke. It’s given them an edge at creating enchanted gear.  It didn’t matter that the Volki outleveled them.  Humans had the numbers and, more importantly, the w...

47. Hidden Fault Lines - I

Dorian glanced back at the tunnel’s end.  The tunnel wouldn’t dig itself, and Dorian probably could use an outlet for his frustration.  To me, my request for more information didn't seem like a big ask, but I gave him some time to mu...

46. A New Dawn

Morning broke with my expectations completely upended. I had expected a cough, but my lungs were clear for the first time in days.  I had expected aches and pains, but I moved as if I had rested for days.  I had expected the dull thunks ...

45. An Old Woman's Advice

She opened the door with a “You’re late.“

At least she didn’t give me a severe frown.  I let myself in, embracing the warmth of her small abode.  The air outside had taken on a cold and crisp quality now that the sun had lo...

44. The Cost of Living

I walked back from the Commons to my house as quickly as I could.  I tried to keep my mood up, but my previous successes with the Ættir a few days ago no longer tasted as sweet.  I had underestimated the toll from amplifying potions, mi...

43. Another Customer—Er, Patient

“You okay?” asked Dorian.

“Yeah.”  This short, terse response to Dorian’s first question of the day had become my standard answer—one that had become more and more unbelievable because of my deteriorating state on many recen...

42. An Offer Accepted - II

Holy… How was he walking much less, working?

He should be in bed hooked up to an IV with antibiotics flowing. I schooled my face and gave away none of my concerns.

Don’t take away hope.  Especially not when magic exists in thi...

41. An Offer Accepted - I

Dorian’s skepticism was well-founded.  On the following day, more, not fewer, Ættir sported wounds.  They had conserved potions despite facing new battles, but I couldn’t see how this pace could persist.  Yet, somehow, it did.&...

40. Chairside Procedure - II

In the water, the strands floated, twirling around each other and releasing bursts of light in a hypnotic dance.  They moved so organically.  Perhaps if bubbles filled the glasses, I could have attributed the movement to the effervescenc...

39. Chairside Procedure - I

“That was more than I needed,” Kyria Rhaptis said while standing in the door and staring up at the mass the salve had spawned on my Mark. 

“As long as you can remove it.” 

The mirror in my home had done nothing to dis...

38. Callus Formation

By the time I left the tannery, the sun had set behind the tree line, casting a shadow over the camp.  Judging by the line’s length, plenty of people had already filed into the dining hall for dinner, but food would have to wait.  Enou...

37. Hidden Threats and Rewards - II

The final count of monsters exceeded the fifty terrorvoles.  I knew this because I picked up all seventy-four of the carcasses.  Not a single Ættir had even tried to talk to me while I tossed terrorvole body after body onto a cart. ...

Author's Update

Hello everyone! I wanted to provide a quick update. First, thank you all for your continued support. I managed to get more writing and planning done over break than anticipated, so I'll be resuming regular posts next Thursday (tomorrow) rather tha...

36. Hidden Threats and Rewards - I

When I arrived at the cavern, the battle had already started even if it hadn’t yet spilled into the main cavern.  A crew must have found a sizable, new deposit in one of the two other new tunnels extending from this cavern.

A cry for ...

35. Mining Redux

 Dorian was right to hurry me.  The Verndari didn’t have a clock, but he had some way to keep track of when our shift should start.  His glower deepened when I entered our section. 

“Being on time makes you late, Huma...

34. Fel Wind - II

Merry Xmas everyone


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I was awake before Dorian knocked on the door. I never slept well when I drank, and last night was no different.  Frequent arousals had plagued my sleep, and each time, I had awoken ...

33. Fel Wind - I

Rather, I tried to make an exit.  However, as soon as I unlatched the door, it swung open.  My face had done little to slow down whatever force had propelled the door, and I stumbled backward.  It continued to swing on its wood hing...