"...So, based on measurements, in a thousand years its fabric will begin to tear in the weakest places. Presumably, the cracks will start from the Peak of the Center of the World, and for several dozen years afterward they will not significantly affect people's lives. Except, of course, for climate change, sudden summer frost...
2025-10-10 12:50:12 +0000 UTC View Post◆ Capital of the Kingdom of Steel, Dastan the First POV ◆
In the dungeon beneath the Royal Castle, silence reigned.
Well, almost silence, for the faint hissing of a magical barrier gnawed at it, just as the barrier itself gnawed at the Theocracy's artifact.
The sacred fang, too elongated to be human...
2025-10-08 08:27:51 +0000 UTC View PostA torrent of flame had pierced the dirigible end to end and lit the sky. The metal sheets had melted and deformed; the airship's lifting capacity had dropped so sharply that before long we would have slammed into the Dragon Rocks, for they were already that close. We urgently needed to climb higher and… get rid of the drago...
2025-10-06 21:59:56 +0000 UTC View Post◆ First Duchy ◆
The Count's dining hall was unusually empty.
A huge hundred-seat table was occupied by only a few dozen people—the Count himself and his close aides. The aristocrat, bored, was prodding his silver plate with a bone, trying to fish out a spinal cord, while his adviser, in turn, attempted to g...
2025-10-05 13:15:48 +0000 UTC View Post◆ First Duchy, Castle of Baron Manus ◆
Morning. The cawing of crows echoed above the fortress walls.
A crow, comfortably perched on the shoulder of a hanged man, lifted its head nervously. From the snow-clad forest surrounding the castle on three sides, its kin were taking off—more and more of them. The nei...
2025-10-04 12:56:45 +0000 UTC View Post◆ Border of the First Duchy, Recruit Camp, Rostislav POV ◆
Far from what Rostislav had imagined a holy campaign against the undead, demons, and traitors of mankind would be. He had pictured valiant battles! A wall of shields and knightly cavalry smashing the enemy like a hammer while the infantry held the line, act...
So, 4 days. It took one day longer than I expected, and I also completely forgot to factor in the time needed for translation.
Still, overall there were no major problems, I managed to get into the flow of writing fairly quickly.
Although, maybe I could have done it a little better... But you can ALWAYS do better,...
2025-10-02 18:52:16 +0000 UTC View Post◆ First Duchy, Len POV ◆
The first week, everyone simply consumed the stored supplies. The most responsible ones left food for the children... but far from all were so considerate.
Hunger crept closer. Even in the city, no usable grain remained. Malicious tongues whispered that Baron Manus had hidden all ...
2025-10-02 18:35:20 +0000 UTC View PostAs you probably remember, before translating I also do a round of proofreading the original, trying to fix all the rough spots. Usually, that means a lot of small edits - from fixing typos to rewriting or adding individual sentences. Sometimes it’s more serious changes, like the completely rewritten fight with the tree spid...
2025-09-28 08:48:04 +0000 UTC View Post◆ First Duchy, Len POV ◆
"...today I expect your full effort, and don't you dare slack off!" hissed the Overseer, desperately trying to suck in his belly. It didn't work. His open cuirass bulged over his stomach, pushing up into his chin. Alas, there was no way to fasten it; the straps had long since grown too s...
2025-09-27 10:20:54 +0000 UTC View Post◆ First Duchy, Len POV ◆
Just a few days and a dozen attempts allowed him to cast a fairly decent pipe… at least from a goblin's point of view. Uneven and crooked, full of voids, but he wasn't going to be shooting from it anyway, as long as the moonshine flowed through, it was fine. He even put together a box spe...
◆ First Duchy, Len POV ◆
Len was gradually getting used to the mad order of the First Duchy.
Admittedly, this was not what he had expected when he accepted the assignment.
In the Kingdom, it was common enough to encounter rulers who treated peasants as playthings. Outwardly they maintained a veneer of dece...
2025-09-25 10:04:48 +0000 UTC View Post◆ Commonwealth, Workers of the Steel Tower POV ◆
Revolution. A terrible word for the Commonwealth.
After the Age of Strife, the Lodge feared that word like fire. They feared it and did everything to burn even the thought of uprising out of the world.
But here, inside the locked Steel Tower, that wor...
2025-09-25 10:04:38 +0000 UTC View Post◆ Some Time Ago, First Duchy, First Duke POV ◆
The Black Castle, nicknamed Dragon's, stood proudly atop the ridge that separated the Kingdom's lands from the outer, dead sea.
Once, it had been gray, like the surrounding cliffs, but dragonfire had melted its sharp edges and coated it in soot. No mortal cou...
2025-09-24 10:13:55 +0000 UTC View Post◆ Reikland, Scout Lariel POV ◆
Walking through the deep snow was hard. Not only did the snow reach her waist, but on top of that her legs kept stumbling over stones that, judging by the feel of it, littered the entire field.
"Oh, Moon, why are there so many stones here?" she squeaked indignantly when her foot...
2025-09-23 18:28:51 +0000 UTC View Post
Flash. A second of disorientation. The thick smell of alcohol. A tavern? Yes, that's what it was. Concrete arches, chairs woven from blackwood. Several tables overturned. Sticky traces of dried alcohol and snoring bodies on the floor. Everything swam before my eyes, I had to rub them properly.
"You're ba-a-a-ack!" A...
2025-09-23 08:50:51 +0000 UTC View Post◆ Several Years Ago, Dungeons beneath the Capital, Memory ◆
"Be so kind, pass me the forceps," the third prince requested, extending a hand behind him. His gaze never once left the figure lying lifeless on the operating table. A helmet, shattered from a monstrous blow, lay kicked beneath the table. A carefully sawe...
The Moscow Ripper — that was the simple nickname given to this serial killer.
For more than a year now, bodies had been found in and around the city. Some were drained of all blood, others had their hearts cut out. Still others bore strange, unknown symbols and carvings on their skin. There was no pattern to the attac...
2025-09-22 08:22:00 +0000 UTC View Post"Let's… take a break."
"You can absorb an entire human lifetime of memories, but you can't absorb…" I flipped quickly to the table of contents. "An eighth-grade physics textbook?"
"That's different, humans are all the same. Once I ascended as a higher demon and learned to devour their souls, I fou...
2025-09-21 20:19:11 +0000 UTC View Post◆ Near Future, Planet Earth, Unknown Country, Randall? POV ◆
Many expected a breakthrough from new technologies. Humanity naively believed it could create something greater than itself... an intelligence capable of thinking hundreds of thousands of times faster than a human. It seemed that just a little more ...
2025-09-21 05:19:56 +0000 UTC View Post◆ Memory, Many Years Ago ◆
Eagle's Cliff. Cold evening corridors of the castle.
A keyhole. Dim light seeping through it, the stubborn scent of lavender perfume, and an unpleasant female voice.
"…so you will confirm the official stance of the palace, Count Condor. Your daughter's death was a suicide."<...
2025-09-20 19:49:58 +0000 UTC View Post◆ Capital, King Dastan the First POV ◆
"The fourteenth day, you say…" Dastan murmured thoughtfully, admiring his signet ring.
"Yes, Your Majesty. The army of the dead has been ravaging the borderlands for the second week already. As King, you are obliged to take measures," the petitioner declared with strain...
2025-09-20 10:46:43 +0000 UTC View PostDay Three.
The use of antibiotics significantly improved the condition of ordinary people, but only slowed the progress of the disease in mages. Increasing the dosage did not lead to any substantial… (unreadable)
By the third day, structured notes had disappeared; there was sim...
2025-09-19 09:27:32 +0000 UTC View PostDay One.
Symptoms:
Hyperthermia. The skin of the infected dries out and cracks, forming multiple wounds. Blood emits a violet mist, with a presumed pathogen. (Further research required). Loss of strength due to Source depletion. Possible loss of Gift.
Presumably not fatal (crossed o...
2025-09-18 21:04:48 +0000 UTC View Post◆ Battlefield, Duchess Ariel POV ◆
Exhale.
A diagonal strike. Simple, unremarkable in itself, but with enough force behind it an enchanted greatsword cleaves through anything in its path. This is the kind of blow that splits horses in two, sinks deep into chimeric flesh, bites through knightly plate, and swee...
2025-09-18 11:06:13 +0000 UTC View Post"Have they noticed us?"
"Only a blind man wouldn't notice a giant ballsack hanging above the ground!" Dolan swore like a cobbler, not at all restrained by the presence of ladies.
"Abyss... Artillery! To your positions!"
There was no point in hiding anymore. How had they managed to get here so quickly? That w...
2025-09-17 21:10:45 +0000 UTC View Post◆ Lothingham, Second Duke POV ◆
Sunset.
The sun slowly descended toward the lake, as if sinking into it.
Fishermen rowed toward the shore, spears in hand, suspiciously watching the orange water. Among them there was a belief that Lake Lottingham held not only fish, but black demons. Or perhaps it w...
2025-09-17 08:56:09 +0000 UTC View Post
As soon as the seals cooled and the ink dried, life began to return to its normal course.
The peace treaty was concluded.
The lands of the fallen would be redistributed, the strongest squires promoted to knights, and the soldiers who had shown themselves best would be made squires. Alas, though this would formall...
2025-09-16 10:11:33 +0000 UTC View Post◆ Border with the Theocracy, Lands of Count Neuss, City, Ordinary Patrol Sergeant POV ◆
Pitch darkness had fallen over the small town. The torches, diligently lit by the guards, did little good. They barely illuminated five meters beyond the locked city gates.
In contrast, the castle of the local lord, Co...
2025-09-15 08:10:41 +0000 UTC View PostThe wind tried to slip its cold fingers into my sleeves. My hands were freezing despite the leather gloves. Looking around, I directed my horse toward the lone tent that stood in the middle of the field. There weren't many people around it, barely a dozen knights, but in the sky…
As I rode, I counted at least six grif...
2025-09-14 11:14:36 +0000 UTC View Post
