Tag: fantasy

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City of Storms, Original Fiction

The Ghost-Queller

Mertiya (AdmirableMonster)

Rating: Teen

Warnings: Blood and violence, dark themes, mild internalized homophobia

Summary: When Feithlyn moves from her tiny village to the big city to study veterinary medicine, she’s expecting some things to change. She is not expecting to become embroiled in a ghostly murder mystery, at the center of which stands an enigmatic figure known only as the ghost-queller. As Feithlyn’s world expands, she fights to keep her footing–and her life.

The bird cocked its head and tapped on the glass.

“Stop that! Shoo!” It wasn’t that Feithlyn didn’t like crows, it was just that the last few times she had turned her back, this one had managed to open the window and sneak inside, dropping feathers everywhere for her to clean up. Crows did not belong in a café, and if the owner found out, Feithlyn feared for her employment, which meant fearing for her tiny one-room apartment, which meant fearing she would have to complete her veterinary degree while homeless. Which sounded difficult.

Continue reading “The Ghost-Queller” →
Original Fiction, Post-apocalyptic New Mexico

A Love Like Water

Mertiya (AdmirableMonster)

Summary: Sheriff Solshemshesh and his sheriff-in-training Lekni try to stop a rash of violent deaths in the little desert town of Saplapelanka.

Rating: Teen and up

Warnings: Some violence

Notes: Genders: male, female, trine (third gender), quine (genderfluid).

Kimah was setting and the sun rising as Lekni set off at an exasperated trot southwards of Saplapelanka.  Someday, she thought, people would stop being idiots.  And someday, she would stop being the sheriff’s errand-runner and instead be able to delegate someone else to go lead those idiots back to the town.

She spotted the group before she’d gone three miles, squatting embarrassedly half-naked around a large campfire in the lee of a sand dune.  Lekni waved tiredly as she arrived.  “I did warn you,” she said irritably to the first of their group, a merchant named Peltlin, if she was remembering correctly. 

They scowled at her.  “The woman sounded like she knew what she was talkin’ about,” they muttered sulkily.

“Well, I’ve brought you shoes, blankets, and horses.  Courtesy of Sheriff Solshemshesh.  So you’ll be able to get back to town easily.”  She received a highly ungracious grunt that might have been a thanks and rolled her eyes.  “Do you need me to lead you back?”

“We’ll be fine,” Peltlin muttered.  A young woman patted their arm gently and gave Lekni a sudden smile.  “Don’t bother about my parent,” she said.  “They’re just frustrated at getting fooled.  Thank you for helpin’ us.”

Lekni felt her cheeks warm, like a fool.  “Let me know if there’s anythin’ else,” she mumbled, turning her horse back towards Saplapelanka.

She had plenty of time on the way back to curse the person who kept running this stupid con.  She could, she supposed, also have cursed Shem for constantly making her deal with it, but that seemed less fair.  After all, he was trying to train her to take his place someday, so she should be the one dealing with the routine annoyances.  And it wasn’t like he knew this was going to be happening.

Continue reading “A Love Like Water” →
Augury Series, Original Fiction

Augury of Water

Mertiya (AdmirableMonster)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Vicious fantasy violence, disease, drowning

Summary:  While Énna prepares to negotiate a treaty with the Aerie, Ryder tries to solve a set of mysterious drownings in the southern part of Bridehive.

A/N: Art by Zomburai.

Auguries Series

          I blinked my eyes open into watery sunlight, yawning and stretching, and reaching out blindly for Énna. My questing hand found a warm place between otherwise empty sheets, and I grumbled sadly beneath my breath. Gone again, and the sun was barely over the windowsill. He’d been working too hard, but then it wasn’t so surprising. In just a few weeks, the Monarch of the Aerie would be traveling to Bridehive to sign our treaty, and in the meantime, we were all trying to rebuild our hometown from the mess the Khar had made of it.

I was at loose ends. I’d been ordered to rest in the aftermath of my head injury, and it turned out I was not very good at it. I kept trying to sneak out and go to the library, at least, but the teachers were very serious that they meant mental rest, as well as physical. The headaches had faded almost five days ago, and at this point I was ready to stab something, just so that I could have a reason to do the purification rite. It would be better than lying in bed and staring at the ceiling.

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Augury Series, Original Fiction

Augury of Spirits

Mertiya (AdmirableMonster)

Rating: General audiences

Warnings: Mild fantasy horror

Summary: Wisdom and Nuada explore an ancient ruin after dark.

Writing and art by me.

Auguries Series

There was a chill wind blowing through the little graveyard, although with two of the three moons hanging bright in the sky above it, it wasn’t particularly dark. Wisdom crouched behind one large headstone, their small body entirely shadowed. They waited intently, peeking out to spy on the ivy-covered archway that formed the entrance. Several times, they thought they saw movement, but each time it turned out to be the flickering of the dappled shadows on the pathway when the wind blew through the trees overhead.

They had almost started to nod off when they heard soft footfalls approaching. They yawned widely, pressing their hand to their mouth, then leaned up and waited as the small figure made its way cautiously down the path and poked its head into the graveyard. “S-S-Song?” it called, a little tremulous.

Wisdom waited for a moment as the child shifted from foot to foot, wringing their hands, then leapt out from behind the grave with a yell. The other child shrieked and jumped about a foot in the air. They turned, about to run away, but Wisdom reached out and grabbed the back of their neck, almost unable to stand for laughter. “It’s just me.”

“You thrice-damned prick!” sputtered their friend.

“Aw, Nuada. You just squawk so cutely.”

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Augury Series, Original Fiction, Worldbuilding

Auguries Guide and Glossary

Mertiya (AdmirableMonster)

A continually updated document.

Gendered Terminology

Man: a person.

Noman: a person who went through combined testosterone/estrogen puberty.

Werman:  a person who went through testosterone puberty.

Woman: a person who went through estrogen puberty.

Jōther: a noman parent

Father: a werman parent

Mother: a woman parent

Main Characters

Ryder (Wisdom): A noman soldier and scholar who spent a decade traveling the world.

Énna (Nuada): The werman protector of Bridehive and Ryder’s lover.

Tierney Callum Cray: A noman alchemist.

Sé Devin: A woman alchemist and Tierney’s lover.

List of Saints

Cathair: Saint of wermen/father of saints

Gauselen: Saint of nomen/jōther of saints

Naéve: Saint of women/mother of saints

Mora: Saint of death

Daíre: Saint of love

Barabal: Saint of water