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December Vacation

Hi everyone!

As is my annual custom I'll be taking a break for the month of December and possibly January. For this reason I've paused billing.

Due to some issues I've been having with Patreon I've put up notices about this on the Discord and Royal Road but neglected to do so here. I ...

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Chp 122: Old Wounds


A week after the model town showing, Hetcha and Mira were ready to leave. I made a point of kitting them out with a limited set of reasonable quality gear on the horses I provided. They'd both looked at the good stuff with apprehension. It was nice enough that it might inspire theft. View Post

Chp 121: Eventual Issues


With a technically new and exciting issue on my hands, I started looking up information after awkwardly excusing myself from the future halfling settlement. There was an absolute brick of data on the subject of demons, but it was all the hearsay variety. I skipped to the factual descri...

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Chp 120: Community Planning


The valley, which I needed to name, looked like it was holding an undead festival. Mira, Hetcha, and Mina were all topside exploring the small main street I'd set up during the week since I'd revealed the skeletons to them. There were ten buildings in total, and I had a sketch of what ...

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Chp 119: Hello Again


Two days after I'd handled the deals and class resets, I was outside Andrea's room in the hallway. I had her permission, but it took me a few moments to go inside. I'd made it in a hurry when I separated the girls a few days earlier. It was probably fine, but I'd asked to look at it an...

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Chp 118: Nothing to See Here


Chris was high, and Not just a little. Given his lack of soft tissues to inebriate, I wished that was the weird part.

For want of a better description, Chris was sparkling, giving off light like a magical girl anime protagonist. Only predominantly in blue with undertones of green...

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Chp 117: Local Customs


After the pledges, weddings, and contests, the eating and drinking started properly. For the last hours of daylight, the games also continued with renewed fervor from the children. Bess joined in this time, with Tiller and Elim following after her. Jessica, on the other hand, was joini...

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Chp 116: Fete


A village fete was both familiar and alien to Tiller. She’d seen plenty of them in various places, but she’d always been passing through. Being present for the entirety of one was surreal.

That Tiller was spending a fair part of it behind a tree holding Elims hair back while ...

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Chp 115: Adjustments


Though I’d been in the lava area for a good while I still felt reluctant about leaving. I didn’t have a reason to remain holed up in the hounds' den though. Aside from puppy snuggles anyway. An entirely valid reason to hang out during my freetime but not for dodging work.

Wit...

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Chp 114: Inevitable Chaos


Chris didn’t have much of a memory of when he was alive. At least not a particularly coherent one. Things would come and go in flashes of a variety of senses he didn’t exactly have anymore. Taste and smell for instance were gone. Touch was a little iffy but basically still there an...

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Chp 113: Something a Little Different


While occupied by the issue with the hounds 42 hadn’t exactly neglected the dungeon, but she had gotten behind on certain chores. Something she found herself unconcerned by, largely because she’d set the schedule for them herself. They were more for her comfort than anything else, ...

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Chp 112: New Additions

I was deeply confused about how lively Blackmore was in the wake of the births, as well as how I’d outright missed them. I kind of remembered Aaron saying something about them, but I couldn’t think of what and just rolled back through the security footage to try and figure it out. Or was tryi...

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Chp 111: Incoming!


It took two more days of buying lava tiles to get Blackmore back to normal. Still, I spent the full week adding on. I wanted to be ready for when the puppies eventually appeared. Given what had happened to Blackmore herself I was worried it might affect their health if they weren’t l...

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Chp 110: Appropriate Priorities

Appropriate Priorities

Chp 110

I didn’t know exactly what to expect when I went to visit the hounds. I thought something along the lines of grumpy pups and possibly having to bribe them with treats. I was not expecting to find Stalin pacing anxiously in front of the den.

Stali...

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Chp 109: Articulate Overengineering



I looked at the contract, one of three, and sighed. When Andrea had dropped her bomb at the feast a few days prior I’d expected to lose out on any chance with the other three. I was glad that hadn’t come to pass but had a different problem to deal with.

The shortes...

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Chp 108: Strained Discourse


Mira, Hetcha, and Mina were all sitting down to lunch the day after the rather disastrous feast. Despite what had happened, they didn’t refuse to eat the food 42 provided. Poisoning them probably wouldn’t get her anything. Even if that wasn’t true, it might well be preferable to ...

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Chp 107: Complicated Relations

The day after the farewell feast, Andrea woke up in a bed that was much more comfortable than it should have been. She’d never known one so soft before even when Stromholt had been spoiling the party just before its departure. Like most things about the dungeon she found the incongruity deeply ...

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Chp 106: Shaky Ground


“You absolute dumbass!” Mina cursed. Andrea shoved her back, not wanting to deal with her or the tears. They hadn’t known each other before the pendants; Mina was a late addition to the party. She’d always been strange, openly emotional despite her status as a hero.

“I...

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Chp 105: Questionable Life Choices


Mira looked at the gathering and felt a strange heaviness. She’d consigned the other girls to a miserable death in the dungeon, but now they sat across the table from her. After the initial tears and apologies they had all felt awkward and turned to eating rather than talking. It was...

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Chp 104: Dealing With It


After staring at the communication stone for a moment I picked it up. It was a small glossy black stone with a communication glyph on it. Feather-light normally but just then it felt heavy.

“Mistress 42,” Mira said politely.

“Mira, how can I help you?” I asked. I tu...

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Chp 103: The Continuing Awkward Adventures


The day after Elim got me his pie sample I found myself facing a fairly serious issue. Hetcha and Mira seemed ready to make a deal but I’d screwed up during our prior conversation. They didn’t know I was the dungeon master and I had no idea if that would be a deal breaker.

Mo...

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Chp 102: Village Business


After nearly a week of work passing out potions in disguise, things in the village were going along pretty well for Elim. He’d even gotten an audience with the village council. He’d made his case for a voluntary quarantine and now it was a question of them making up their minds. View Post

July and Return Date

Hi everybody!

So, today I paused July because I know I'm not going to get back on track before that month is up. I am however in the process of getting everything ready (namely myself) for August. I'll begin posting the story again during the first or second week. 

One of the big...

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June Paused

I apologize for not doing this a bit sooner. I thought I might get some things caught up but I'm still having trouble writing at the moment.

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May Paused

Went through and paused the may billing cycle. Still not feeling up to writing but better than I did. I'll let you guys know if anything changes.

Thank you,

ESJ

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Update

Hello,

I apologize for not communicating this month after the initial notice. I've paused the payments for April.

With what's happened in my family I found myself becoming depressed in a way I haven't since my great grandmother passed just as I was about to start high school. Growing ...

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Chp 101 : Interlude

When my call with Mira and Hetch ended, I flopped down on my couch. The new one in the lounge of the place of shadows. I was still getting used to the name, accustomed to thinking of everything as the chamber of machinations. That it was at best half-finished did not help.

"Well, I think th...

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Chp 100: 21 Questions


The morning after their first direct contact with 42, the valley was quiet, almost peaceful. Mira and Hetcha woke to find what they'd asked for to conduct funerary rights waiting for them. It wouldn't have been strange if some were missing or of poor quality given the short notice. Ins...

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Chp 99: Opening Overture



Mira and Hetcha shared dinner from the preserved food in the farm's pantry when evening came. They both sat silent for a spell when they finished, considering the hermit's letter. They’d expected to eventually meet them or be given some kind of request in exchange for thei...

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Chp 98: That Old Familiar Feeling


With my discussion with Mina fresh on my mind, I considered what to do about the pair at the farmhouse. Mira and Hetcha had been enjoying a couple of days of peace to themselves, but it was time that I started making a legitimate effort to make a deal.


Mira and Het...

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