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Artistic Slashing Ch.17
Chapter 17Showdown at the Rest Stop Inn.Betty slipped out of the back door of her chalet and into the storm. The rain lashed her face as she scanned the area. The poisonous bitch Ja’net was in the last occupied chalet, and Betty could see the life signs in there fading one by one.That must have been what was wrong with the woman next door when she came back from dinner. Betty had assumed the woman was drunk, but it looked like the changeling had poisoned the food.A nasty way to go, but it made...
The Waystation Ch.43
Chapter 43The City of the Sun IIIThe interior of the tower was far from welcoming. An imposing entryway flanked by stone knights, complete with the familiar bronze sun symbol on their chests, led into a wide, curved room with a long counter on one wall.Bert wandered over to it, his eyes caught by some writing carved into the stone countertop.Confess Your SinsIt was written at regular intervals along the counter, and ink pots waited above each one. Bert peered over the counter, finding the stacks...
Artistic Slashing Ch.16
Chapter 16Hitchhiker IIBetty lay back, her hooves resting on the tub's edge, and enjoyed the warmth as steam rose gently from the bath. The advantage of such a large bath was being able to revert to her true self.Having a tail sounded cool and different, but really, it was a hassle. You could never sit comfortably, even with the weird gap they had in the seat backs here. And there was no way to be truly comfortable laying on your back.As she soaked in the tub, Betty was spying on her neighbo...
Artistic Slashing Ch.15
Chapter 15Hitchhiker I“You need to be more careful, Bet’ti,” Sa’ra said as she frowned at her.“I know,” Betty sighed. This woman was starting to get on her nerves. Betty had never been a fan of unsolicited advice. More so when that advice came with a heavy dose of condescension.“That last town before I met you is a bad place, especially for young men and women.” Sa’ra sighed. “So many young ones go missing there.”Betty had a sneaking suspicion that there would be fewer miss...
Artistic Slashing Ch.14
Chapter 14Bonkers IIBetty dashed from alley to alley, sprinting between backyards and fences as she moved back toward the richer area of town where the two women lived. It was exhilarating. She grinned to herself as she approached the first target. It seemed like that crafting session had taken longer than she planned.The lights were out everywhere.Betty stood at the back of the property belonging to the woman with the low, throaty voice. Pale moonlight played across the backyard as she looked o...
Artistic Slashing Ch.13
Chapter 13Bonkers IThis wasn’t a hunt; it was a bloody joke. Or rather, a bloodless joke. The three hooded women had exited the shop, their hoods dropped and stuffed into their handbags. They were… well. Dull. Three nattering middle-aged women, no different than any of the others. If they had been from Earth, they would have been going to brunch and yoga and complaining about their husbands over mimosas.They walked through the streets with a casual swagger. All the other women were sure to w...
The Waystation Ch.42
Chapter 42The City of the Sun IIThe steel spike bit deeply into the stone, and the Hudson Express’ treads bit into the roadway as it strained. Groaning noises came from the giant stone pillar holding up the gate, but it refused to fall.“Bloody hell. This thing just won’t give way!” Bert growled in frustration as he drummed his fingers on the wide dash.“I know, right?” Wendy said. “It’s almost like they designed it not to.” She giggled.“Any ideas?” Bert asked.“Yeah, give m...
The Waystation Ch.41
Chapter 41The City of the Sun IBert was willing to admit he was hiding. He felt no shame in it at all. Anything to avoid the near nuclear war that was Bell and their ‘daughter’ having a discussion.It looked like a blazing argument to him, but they were both very firm about him merely overreacting.He winced at a series of loud bangs and crashes.“Are you going to do anything about that, Boss?” Bud asked nervously.“I’m open to any suggestions,” Bert chuckled.“How about not hiding?...
Artistic Slashing Ch.12
Chapter TwelveAn Evolving Situation IIBetty strode away from the camp for the last time. A quick nap and a long shower had left her feeling refreshed and ready. The forest opened before her as she moved away from the field where the bus had landed a few days ago. Following the direction that it had left from was all the guide that she had.She was planning to keep her eyes open for any sign of roads and paths. She was not picky. She picked her way through the forest for a few hours. There was ver...
Artistic Slashing Ch.11
Chapter ElevenAn Evolving Situation.Betty stared at the words, the world still frozen and unmoving.“What the Hell is a class evolution?” She asked.Class Evolutions are offered at-First Class - Level 25.Second Class - Level 50.Class evolutions allow the Class to change and gain new abilities or specialties.Proceed?“Sure, why not?” Betty stared around, noticing a small pine needle caught in mid-air as the world froze.Current Class:SlasherRare QualitySkills -Slasher Step, Slasher’s Senses...
Artistic Slashing Ch.10
Chapter TenSnatch and Grab IIYou have died…Betty wasn’t sure what she was expecting when she died. Various faiths had theories and beliefs about the subject. All of them, she was sure, consisted of more than three words and three dots.She waited for something to happen.Nothing did.An age passed as she rested in comfortable silence. It was not what she had imagined. It felt… soothing. In the quiet, her mind turned to the past few days. The blood and violence of it. With the danger and the a...
Artistic Slashing Ch.9
Chapter NineSnatch and Grab.Betty slipped out of the water a few hundred feet down from the Docks. A quick Slasher Step moved her deeper into the forest before she crouched down, scanning the area with her Slasher Senses.Nothing was moving near her. She could dimly hear movement over by the Boat Shed, but that was fine. She was not headed that way. Creeping forward, low and slow, Betty crept through the forest and moved to keep well clear of the Campers’ Cabins as she made her way toward the C...
The Waystation Ch.40
Chapter 40Buried, Burned, And Bloody IIIThe Express trundled through the night, slowly towing the enormous Trailer One. An hour had passed since they first got underway, and their speed had barely increased.“I wish I could go check on Scruff,” Wendy said as she lay on the dashboard and stared into the night. “Do you think she is okay?”“I hope so,” Bert said. “We can’t exactly stop and check on her, but the movement should keep the tics off the Trailer at least a bit. Hopefully, t...
The Waystation Ch.39
Chapter 39Buried, Burned, And Bloody IIBert stood in front of the Waystation and felt the sweat beading on his neck and back. This place honestly terrified him. His mind flashed back to the first time he had seen the rolling grasslands before him. The shapes that had moved in the grass. It had been blind luck that his makeshift staff had hit one. A few seconds more, and they would have surrounded him, and he would have died horribly in the endless waves of grass.He had vivid nightmares about it ...
The Waystation Ch.38
Chapter 38Buried, Burned, and Bloody. IBell watched Bert nervously. He had been very quiet and withdrawn since they left the new town and its weird cult-like people. He had barely eaten or slept. All he did was sit and stare ahead as the Waystation rolled its slow way across the scrubland.Even irritating him didn’t seem to get her anywhere. She had seen this kind of thing before, and it scared her. She drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair and tried to decide what to do. She had tried al...
Artistic Slashing Ch.8
Chapter 8Hide and Seek. IIIt was Betty’s Slasher Senses that saved her.She was jogging lightly toward her mine when she noticed something at the edge of her perception. There was a life sign in the tree up ahead. That was weird; she had never seen a living creature other than the camp counselors since the bus left. Not a bird, squirrel, or whatever they had here.As she got closer, she noticed something else. There was a set of hoofprints in the shade of a tree. Once she looked closer, she saw ...
Artistic Slashing Ch.7
Chapter Seven.Hide and Seek.Betty crouched behind a boulder and peered at the scene below her. It was pretty amusing. Someone had tried to use one of the Campers’ Cabins to get a little frisky. Too bad they chose the one with the dead bodies in it.That’ll spoil the mood in a hurry, Betty thought as she grinned.It seemed like Trashy and Glasses had invited Jock to join them for a bit of fun in the cabin, only to find it occupied.Sort of.Trashy was holding Glasses as she rocked back and forth ...
Artistic Slashing Ch.6
Chapter SixThat’s what Trash Mobs are for. II“Bleh,” Betty said as she woke up. She really needed to find some toothpaste. She rinsed her mouth out with some water and did her morning stretches, well, afternoon stretches… what time was it anyway? She never carried a watch. Who did these days? “Would have been handy,” Betty grumbled. She resolved to find and figure out a way to tell time. Didn’t they burn down candles in the old days?That would work if she could find a candle.It was...
Artistic Slashing Ch.5
Chapter FiveThat’s what Trash Mobs are forBetty followed in the forest as the Trash Mob boy moved through the camp. He left the counselors’ area behind and went into the Cafeteria briefly. Coming back out with a bottle of drink and some weird green chips that tasted like grass to Betty.He moved on through the campgrounds as she followed behind, waiting for her chance.She almost grabbed him and dragged him into the campers’ cabins just out of pure impatience, going as far as to Slasher Step...
Artistic Slashing Ch.4
Chapter FourYou made me do this. IIShe moved slowly as she went back, eyes peeled for anything of use. A commotion from the counselor’s cabins drew her attention to the area. Betty arrived just in time to see SerialSam getting dragged from his cabin and beaten by the other boys as the girls cheered. A grim smile played on Betty’s face. After a few minutes of this, they backed away. A sniveling and bloody SerialSam crawled away before dashing off into the forest. Betty gagged when one of the ...
Artistic Slashing Ch.3
Chapter ThreeYou made me do this.The first day after she found her new hidey-hole was pretty bad. That first night of sleep had come with more nightmares than she could count. First, the faces of the two aliens she had killed chased her through the night. They asked her why and called her a murderer and a monster. Worse were the dreams of aliens surrounding Paula, burning and cutting her as the old woman begged for her life and called for Betty to save her.She spent the following day in an almos...
Artistic Slashing Ch.2
Chapter TwoThis wasn’t my idea. IIFollowing the water line as she went, Betty kept thinking about what happened. The… whatever it was, attacked her first. It gave her no choice. A glance over at the water made her freeze. Mirrored in its surface, Betty squinted at the twin suns. Red and yellow, twins. An asteroid field was dimly visible as well. This planet had rings.And twin suns.She was really in an alien world.Shit.Fuck.Bollocks.Somehow she hoped this would be more E.T. and less the dark ...
Artistic Slashing Ch.1
Chapter OneThis wasn’t my idea.Betty glared at the fence. How on earth did she end up in this situation? Her family had been nagging at her, that’s how. Apparently, saying you wanted to spend your thirty-fifth birthday alone in a nice hotel room, eating room service, and watching pay-per-view movies was ‘sad’ and a ‘cry for help.’If she ever found her way down from this mountain, Betty swore they would be the ones crying for help.Kicking at the rough dirt path in frustration, turned ...
Artistic Slashing - A Mistverse Novella!
Hey everyone,In the last few weeks, I have been working on a small spin-off novella set in the same universe as The Waystation.I'm pleased to tell you that it is nearing completion and will be posted soon!Next week I will release the first half of the book right here on Patreon for everyone, with the second half coming in the next week or so for Patrons only.It will be posted on RoyalRoad as well but on a slower schedule.This is just my way of saying thanks to all of you for supporting my wo...
The Waystation Ch.37
Chapter 37The Way Back IIIWith most of the wall completed, the Waystation began to creep forward. It took over an hour to move out of the town completely. The various spikes were moved as needed, maintaining control of the land.Ultimately, it had taken another full day for Bert to be ready to move the Waystation out of the new town. He had insisted on putting wells in the small parks in each terraced row, ensuring everyone had access to water. He had also rigged up the simplest of showers in the...
The Waystation Ch.36
Chapter 36The Way Back IIThe figure leaped into the air, clearing the walls in a single bound. Their feet slammed down, leaving little craters as they landed.“Bert J. Hudson! Get your ass out here right now!” The voice called into the night.Bert growled as he rolled out of bed. He was sure he remembered getting more sleep at some point in time. It seemed a long time since he had woken up without screaming, panic, or a massive hangover.He kicked open the barn door as Bell came buzzing down fr...
The Waystation Ch.35
Chapter 35The Way Back I“There’s a whole world out there,” Bell said in a sing-song voice.“I like your road,” Bert said, trying to change the subject. He and Bell were once more in the control tower of the Waystation. The expansive circular stone room was lit by the see-through crystal walls that gave a full view in every direction. He drummed his fingers on the armrest, hoping that this ti–.“There’s a whole WORLD out there,” Bell said again.“Okay! I get it!” Bert growled. ...
The Waystation Ch.34
Chapter 34Farming, Fighting, and Feelings III“Six months!” Felicia stormed back and forth in Larry’s Study. “I can’t even talk to them for six months!”“It is of no importance,” Larry said soothingly, “They are coming. The window would have long passed even without this… complication.” Larry tried very hard to keep a straight face. He had seen the pixie leading his niece around… and would treasure the memory.“I can’t, and I won’t allow this!” Felicia growled. “I ...
The Waystation Ch.33
Chapter 33Farming, Fighting, and Feelings. IINadine frowned and watched the Lich King of the City of the Dead walk out into the night.She was back.Her Ale House was back too.Now what?She turned around, casting a careful eye over the new Waystation. It was almost exactly how she remembered it… except… she could feel it now. The building was alive, and it wanted things. This was a new wrinkle. Nadine was never one to have partners. Friends rarely, subordinates certainly, but never partners.Bas...
The Waystation Ch.32
Chapter 32Farming, Fighting, and Feelings. IA Banshee’s smile can mean many things, most of which Bert suspected were bad news. As the pixie reluctantly put away her knives, to the visible relief of the fairy whose fingers shook as she put away her own knife.“I don’t think we have any refreshments,” The Banshee said distractedly, “Maybe I can buy some from you?” She nodded at Bert.“Uh, sure.” Bert was still reeling from the events of the past few hours.“Wonderful,” She turned...
